As an added measure of information, I decided to do a part two on what things to avoid when you are trying to figure out your ideal niche market. Although some of these points might simply be the opposite of the things you should do when finding a niche in the previous post, sometimes people have an easier time seeing what not to do than a list of what you should do.

Avoiding Common Niche Mistakes

1. Becoming Infatuated With Your Product

If you have a hobby or an interest and one day think, this would be an awesome product to sell! I should start selling it! thus spending the next few weeks completely insterested in selling this product that you just love only to find out there’s absolutely no market for it. You need to make sure that if you love your product, that others actually love it too and there’s a market for it.

2. Not Doing Your Research

Like mentioned in the previous article, it’s very important to do keyword searches to see if there are people actually typing in what you want to sell. If people simply don’t have any interest in what you want to sell, they won’t be typing it in, and it won’t show up. A product with a consistent amount of hits is something worth considering.

Another aspect of not doing research is trying to sell something that people could easily get for free. This example is most common with recipe books and some sheet music. If you want to sell your cookbook online, you have to have something additional to convince your potential customers that your book is so much better than what they can get for free from the five websites surrounding yours on Google.

3. Selling Just Products

It’s important to remember to have a niche market / idea like bathroom soaps and supplies and then have various sub-categories in your niche like custom soap molds, cute toothbrush holders, etc. If you are only selling one product like bath rugs and people aren’t interested in bath rugs, it won’t matter if you have fifteen different colors, textures, and shapes, they won’t buy your product.

4. Competing With The Big Dogs

Like mentioned in the previous post, it’s important to go where the customers are, but don’t think it’s a good idea to compete with big name suppliers. Like our example with Bath and Body Works, The Body Shop, and Bed Bath and Beyond, if you don’t have something unique or different about your product, customers will most likely just stick to their big department stores.

5. Selling What You Don’t Know

Yesterday, I commented on how it’s important to know what you’re selling about, not only for the customer’s sake, but also for the sake of building content. If you were selling makeup for example and didn’t know the first thing about it, you wouldn’t be able to make interesting video tutorials about how to create a certain look – and especially in the case of makeup, people with a lot of experience will most likely buy their stuff online and might not trust the quality of your products if they think you don’t know what you’re selling.

6. No Passion For Your Niche

It’s important that you find something that you not only know about but that you have a passion with. Just because you know a lot about lawn supplies doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re interested in things related to the outdoors. You’re going to be spending a lot of time, effort, and money building up your business so it’s a good idea to be passionate about your products.

Education, Uncategorized, home based business, internet marketing, make money online, product research

If you look through the archives of our blog, there are many mentions to the word niche and finding your niche market. So, what exactly is a niche? According to the dictionary one of the meanings of the word niche means a distinct segment of a market. When figuring out what you want to sell online, you want to find something that fits a certain niche. Your niche will allow you to zero in on a certain audience / market of people and instead of being a generalist, you become a specialist in your products.

Deciding Your Wholesale / Dropship Niche

1. Find Products You Are Passionate About

This will help you the most in your search to finding a niche. What kind of things are you interested in? Do you like things that involve the outdoors, indoors, crafts, do-it-yourself projects, lights, frames, customized clothing, or in the case of our picture, vinyl family car stickers? It’s important to first figure out what things you like and are interested in because once you have that down, you’re going to be able to commit the time and effort it takes to create a website and build up your business because you’re actually interested in what you’re doing.

2. Find Products You Know Something About

When your customers write to you asking about the products you’re selling, you’re going to want to have a little more in-depth knowledge of the products than the average consumer. Think about what kind of skills you have or hobbies you enjoy doing and what kind of materials are used to do those hobbies or what kind of materials can come out from those activities. If there’s a product or niche you’re really passionate about but you don’t really know much about it – expert knowledge – then do the research before you get into promoting those products, or promote others while figuring that product out. For example, if you wanted to do high fashion makeup – bright colors, thick pigments, etc. – but want to also get into the mineral makeup lines, you might want to just stick to what you know – the high-fashion products, but sell the mineral while you learn about it.

3. Make Sure Your Products Have a Market

Sometimes you could have an absolute passion for something, but not everything is perfect for the online marketplace. You need to do your research to find if there’s even a niche market for your products. You need to find out a couple things before deciding to base your whole business around the particular products you have chosen. In the case of our picture, I know that the family vinyl car sticker has a demand due to the large families in this area, and not a lot of places sell vinyl products with customizable family members on them. So, ask yourself these questions:

Is There A Demand For It?

If you choose a product that every store is selling, it might be too general to stand out from the crowd. For example, if you wanted to sell only camping equipment, someone would go to google and type that very phrase in and come up with about 9,330,000 results. If you have something a little more specific though like eco-friendly camping equipment, the results go down to about 261,000 results. You might want to ask your friends if you started selling a certain item if they would be interested in it, or if it will sink under the big chain stores who sell the same products. For example, if you wanted to sell soaps and shampoos and things like that, you would have to compete with Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, just to name a few. However, if you sold custom soap molds, you wouldn’t really have to worry about those big name chain stores.

What Are People Typing In For My Products?

There are websites out there like wordtracker.com that will show you what people are typing in most often for your products. You also could look at eBay Pulse which will not only show what products are selling the most from each category but what people are typing in most often. Knowing this kind of information can show you how to create search engine optimization – SEO – when you begin to build your website.

Product Ideas, Uncategorized, dropshipping, make money online, online business, product research, selling products online, wholesale

In previous blog entries, we have gone over the importance of having a niche when starting out your dropshipping or wholesale business. With a niche you’re able to specialize instead of having a lot of random items that you might have some general knowledge and interest in, but no real in-depth knowledge. One of the most common questions I receive is “how to I find my niche market? How do I know what is going to sell and what people are interested in right now?” Today, I’m going to try to address these questions as much as possible to give you the keys you need to continue to update and grow your business.

Finding What Products Are Hot

1. EBay Pulse

I know that not everyone is going to be selling on eBay, but this is a good place to start out. They have picked out the most popular items sold on eBay and listed them on the front of their eBay pulse, as well as each top trending item by category. For example, if you’re just curious what most people are interested in today, you will see that the most popular searches are:

1. ipod touch

2. cricut cartridge

3. iphone

4. ipod

5. coach

6. laptop

7. xbox 360

8. wii

9. coach handbags

10. lot

Now, you can see that some of the searches are very similar which is why it’s important that if you do list things on eBay to make your headlines effective, but that’s another topic, which you can click on to view. Imagine that since you saw this list and know that people are interested in Coach purses that’s what you want to dropship or sell wholesale. However, remember that not everything is available dropship or wholesale – usually top name things like Apple and Coach fall into that category. If you were interested in selling baby products, you could click the drop down category to baby and find that the popular searches for today are:

1. baby clothes

2. formula coupon

3. baby

4. clothes

5. shoes

6. stroller

7. baby boy clothes

8. baby girl clothes

9. diaper bag

10. custom wall letters

These kind of items are really easy to find dropshipper or wholesale providers for. Even the last search, custom wall letters might not have been something you originally planned on including in your inventory, but since they’re so popular it might be a good idea to look into it. If you have a couple niches you’re looking into, check out the categories and go from there.

2. RSS Feeds and Mailing Lists

Do you have a particular website that has news RSS (really simple syndication) feeds? If there’s a news website you like, or a store that you’re trying to get ideas from, then subscribe to their RSS feeds and/or their newsletters. People send out the hottest trends and ideas via those avenues, so if you have access to them, it could spark some more ideas for you.

3. Check out the world

If you’re at the doctor’s office, grocery store, or really anywhere that has people / media, check out what they’re writing about, wearing, saying, or holding. Try to notice what kind of people are holding or using the kind of products you’re trying to sell online, and what you can do to match that audience.

Product Ideas, dropshipping, eBay, product research, selling products online, wholesale

So you want to start an online business, and you’ve decided dropshipping is the best option for you.  How can you find the best dropship products to sell online?

Step 1: Brainstorm Multiple Product Ideas

Think of 5-10 products you could successfully sell online.  It’s important to have a few different products in mind, because you may not be able to find a dropshipper for your first idea.  After all, not all products are available through a dropshipper, or you may not be able to get your product at a price that allows you to make a sufficient profit.  If you have 5 or more products in mind when you start looking for suppliers, you can compare the results for fishing rods, magic tricks, calligraphy pens, chemistry sets, and baby carriers to make a final decision.

Tip: If you are having trouble brainstorming product ideas, check out this list of products you can sell online for a profit, or simply examine your online purchases over the last month or two.  You should come up with some solid ideas by thinking of the products you yourself like to buy online.

Step 2: Find A Legitimate Supplier – No Middlemen!

If you type “dropship products” or “find dropshippers” into a Google search, you will come up with literally millions of results – educational articles, links to databases and directories, and a mountain of companies purporting to offer dropship services.  Some of these companies may be legitimate, but a huge number of them are actually middlemen.  When purchasing products to resell online, it is extremely important that you get as close to the source as possible – this means you need to purchase directly from the manufacturer or distributor.  Why is this so important?  If you don’t, it will be very difficult for you to make a profit.  You may not be able to sell your products at all, because your prices won’t be competitive.

Let’s imagine your competitor is puchasing food dehydrators directly from the manufacturer.  He gets each dehydrator for $84, then marks them up $20 and sell them for $104.  You, on the other hand, are purchasing from a middleman.  You get the food dehydrator for $99.  You are then forced to either sell it for a $5 profit, which wouldn’t even cover the cost of your overhead, or try and sell it for $120, in which case people will simply buy from your competitor.  You need to get your dehydrators direct from the manufacturer, just like your competitor does.

How can you tell if a dropshipper is a middleman?

Ask these 3 questions:

1. How many different products do they dropship?

You may think the fact that they dropship everything from kitchen faucets to baby clothes is a good thing, but in fact that’s the sure mark of a middleman.  They obviously are not manufacturing all those different products – they’re purchasing them from a manufacturer and marking up the price.  A real manufacturer or distributor focuses on one particular kind of product, like anti-aging skin products or bowling balls.

2. What does it say on their website?

Most legitimate suppliers will proudly post on their website where their products are made.  But be aware, not everybody offering an online service is honest.  Many middlemen post success stories of clients making thousands of dollars selling their products, but that doesn’t mean a thing.  You are always better off buying direct from the source, no matter what a middleman tells you.

3. Do they charge a fee?

Legitimate dropshippers don’t charge an annual, monthly, or sign-up fee for their services.  Only middlemen do this, because they know once you figure out you can’t actually make money selling their products, you’re not going to buy anything else from them.  The fee is where they make their money.  A real dropshipper only charges a small dropship fee, commensurate with the price of packaging and shipping the product.  This means that when you order your food dehydrator from them, they only charge maybe $2-$10 to cover the cost of packing and shipping the item.

How can you find legitimate dropship suppliers?

Wholesale Match operates a database of quality dropship and wholesale suppliers.  If there is a dropshipper available for your product, we’ll find them.  All you have to do is submit a list of products to our Research Team, and they will email you back a list of dropshippers and/or wholesalers in 1-3 business days.  We also provide a variety of educational materials for people who need help starting their online business.  Finally, we are the only supplier database that offers a 100% money-back guarantee on our annual membership.  If you don’t make back at least the cost of your membership, we will refund it in full at the end of the year, as long as you give us a chance to work for you by calling, emailing, or submitting a Research Request at least once a month.

dropshippers, dropshipping, product research, selling products online

When choosing which product to sell online, you’re going to consider a number of factors including:

1. Is there a reliable dropshipper or wholesaler available for this product?

2. Is the market saturated?

3. Is there a demand for this product?

4. Do I have enough knowledge or can I learn enough about this product to write valuable product-related content for my website?

You might end up having four or five potential products that meet all these criteria.  How will you choose which one to sell?  Profitability may be your deciding factor.

How can you calculate the profitability of potential products?

A spreadsheet is generally the most efficient and effective way.  Remember, as will any spreadsheet your results are only as accurate as the data that you enter.

Below is an example spreadsheet for calculating the profitability of three potential products: jeweled sandals, corporate gift baskets, and fishing poles.  I’m assuming that all three products are being supplied by dropshippers and the only variable costs are the purchase price of the product and the dropship fees.

As you can see, the most expensive item is not always the most profitable.  In this case the medium-priced item, the corporate gift basket, is actually the most profitable.  Assuming you can sell an equal amount of each product, the corporate gift basket is the one you should sell.  Maybe you would have preferred to sell sandals because they’re more fun, but remember, you’re starting an online business to make money.  If selling toilet seats will pay for your BMW, then that’s what you should sell.

pricing and profits, product research, selling products online

Time and time again I recommend that you choose a niche product to dropship from your website or sell on eBay.  But how do you choose your niche?  The following are brainstorming tips to help you come up with a niche product that can be sold online.

First: Check Your Purchases. Many prospective online entrepreneurs try to think of really out-there products like unicycles or bamboo knitting needles so they can enter a market that isn’t too saturated.  This is a good idea in some respects, but one of the most important factors when choosing a product is to choose something that people actually buy online.  One way to brainstorm this type of product is to think what you yourself buy online.  In the past month, I’ve bought three second-hand novels written by Mildred Walker, a pair of studded motorcycle boots, a Hebrew-printed t-shirt, tickets to a murder mystery play, a pair of Cubs swim trunks, and a calligraphy set.  Not surprisingly, almost all of my purchases represent niche markets.  Why is that?  Because with the exception of a few broad categories like electronics, most items bought online are niche products.  This is because common, general products can easily be purchased at physical locations close to your home.  You go online to find unusual items that can’t be bought at the mall.

Second: Check Logistics. Let’s assume that I want to dropship my products, not purchase them wholesale.  This means that some of the products I purchased last month are out of the running for my niche inspiration.  Used books aren’t generally dropshipped, and neither are theater tickets.  Shoes and clothing are usually sold wholesale, but in this case the items that I bought might still be appropriate since they weren’t common apparel and accessories.  The studded motorcycle boots might be a good candidate for a dropship niche product for a few reasons: first, they are a product that’s not easily found in local stores.  I bought those boots online because after searching the three malls in my area I couldn’t find anything quirky enough to satisfy my Sarah Connor Chronicles obsession.  The studded motorcycle boots are a good pick for another reason: they’re a theme product that I could easily build a whole product line around.  With the boots as my central product, I could have a goth/punk/emo website, a motorcycle apparel site, or a studded leather accessories site.  Finally, while I might not be able to find this product through a dropship supplier, they are expensive enough that I could possibly use a wholesaler to dropship them.  Let’s say my wholesale supplier has a $100 order minimum: if a single pair of studded boots costs $125, I can likely have single pairs shipped directly to my customers even though the supplier is ostensibly a wholesaler.

Third: Check Suppliers. Once you have some potential niche product ideas, determine your final choice by supplier.  Let’s say I’ve narrowed down my selection to three options: studded motorcycle boots, Cubs paraphernalia, or calligraphy sets.  I’ve checked to make sure there is a sufficient market for all three products.  The best way to make my final decision is to see which niche product has the best suppliers.  I can submit a Research Request to Wholesale Match, get back a list of suppliers for all three products, and then choose my favorite supplier(s) of the bunch.  Maybe I’ll find out that the licensed sports products suppliers have a paucity of Cubs products.  Maybe I won’t like the attitude of the motorcycle boots suppliers.  And maybe I’ll find a manufacturer with a smokin’ deal on calligraphy sets: that’s how I know I should go with the third option.

Fourth: Create Your Own Supplier. If you’ve brainstormed a truly unique niche product, one that nobody else is selling, you may encounter difficulties finding a supplier.  In this case, you might have to get creative.  Let’s say I choose Hebrew T-shirts as my niche product, but I can’t find a single supplier with this type of shirt.  What can I do?  Well, all I really need is a t-shirt printer.  If I can find a supplier who prints and dropships t-shirts, I can get them printed with anything I like.  The benefit of this tack is I will be the only one selling those exact t-shirts.  I’ll be the exclusive supplier of my product line, and there’s really no better market position.

Finding a product niche is no longer difficult when you realize that almost every person on the planet has interests that can be divided into a dozen or more quirky niches.  Examining your own purchase history is a great way to brainstorm product ideas because all the products you consider are ones that you know people buy online – after all, that’s how you got them!  You can be your own market research.

Product Ideas, product research, selling products online

You need ideas for products you can sell online for gadzillions of dollars in profit.  I get a bizarre pleasure out of making lists.  Thus was born the third installment of Products You Can Sell Online For A Profit.  The following are products that we here at Wholesale Match have many, many dropship and wholesale suppliers for.  As always, these products need appropriate targeting and marketing in order to be successful: nothing is guaranteed.

photo credit: Bill Hails

Product Ideas:

African products
Baby Boomer products
BBQ sets and marinades
Beer-themed products
Cake decorating supplies and equipment
Children’s dress-up clothes (costumes)
Chocolate-dipped fruit
Christmas ornaments and wreaths
Collegiate sports-themed products
Diabetic products
Doll clothes
Egyptian products
Fancy aprons
Fancy robes (bathrobes, kimonos, etc.)
Flags
Fondue sets
Freeze-dried camping/emergency food
Geriatric care products
Gloves and scarves
Gourmet cookies
Gourmet popcorn
Greek products
Henna kits
Hiking products
Japanese Anime products
Journals
Juggling supplies
Karaoke equipment
Laptop bags
Left-handed products
Mailboxes
Manicure and pedicure supplies
Maps
Masks
Moccasins
Model trains
Musical instruments
Native American jewelry and belt buckles
Nightlights
Obama products
Products made from a particular material like cedar or stone
Puppets
RC toys
Robotic toys
Rock hunting supplies
Roller derby supplies
Scales
Science kits
Security and nanny cameras
Sorority and fraternity items
Swords and armor
Tarot, Astrology, and Palmistry supplies
Tea and tea sets
Tie-dye kits
Tropical/vacation clothing
Unusual or hand-made board games
Vegan products
Walking sticks and canes
Water bottles
Weightlifting supplements and protein shakes
Wind chimes
Wine accessories

photo credit: TheMarque

If you would like a list of dropshippers and/or wholesalers for any of these products, simply submit a Research Request to the Wholesale Match Research Team by logging into the website, clicking on the Suppliers button, and scrolling down to the lower left-hand side of the page where it says “Can’t Find What You’re Looking For? Submit A Research Request”.  Our Research Team will email your results in 1-3 business days.

Product Ideas, dropshippers, dropshipping, product research, wholesale

Dropshipping is an expanding marketing system in the US: every day more manufacturers and distributors are joining the ranks of companies who dropship their products to retailers.  It’s a symbiotic relationship that benefits both the manufacturer/distributor and the retailer.  The manufacturer/distributor is able to sell more of their products because they have other retailers promoting and selling them.  The retailer is able to sell products online without spending a lot of money upfront or carrying inventory.  They only buy what they’ve already sold, so they’re never stuck with excess merchandise and are spared the costs of storing and packing products.

The following is a list of questions people frequently ask about dropshipping:

photo credit: amboo who?

Do I have to pay to set up an account with a dropshipper?

No, most dropshippers do not charge any money to set up an account with them.  Some may have a small administration fee, less than $20, but even that is rare.  If they are trying to charge you to set up an account or to simply view their discounted prices, they are probably not a legitimate dropshipper.

What do I need to set up an account with a dropshipper?

Requirements vary by company.  Some dropshippers require you to have a reseller’s permit or tax ID number.  People try to avoid getting their reseller’s permit and tax ID number, but this limits who you can work with (the best suppliers require it), and isn’t legal anyway.  Anyone who resells products is supposed to have a reseller’s permit and tax ID number (the former allows you to avoid paying taxes on the goods you purchase for resale and the latter is necessary to pay your taxes at the end of the year).  You can apply for them through your state agencies and they are not particularly expensive or difficult to get.  Some dropshippers will also expect you to have your website set up, or at least a URL you can give them even if it’s not operational yet.

How do I know if a dropshipper is legitimate?

The quality of their website and customer service is a good indication.  The best dropshippers are those who manufacture the product themselves (no middleman), though profit can also be made working with a distributor who purchases directly from the manufacturer.  This is particularly helpful when the manufacturer is located in Asia and you don’t want to deal with customs and language issues.  A legitimate dropshipper offers products at a significantly discounted rate and does not charge exorbitant fees to sign up with them or to ship the products.

What kind of profit margin can I expect working with a dropshipper?

Your profit won’t be quite as large working with a dropshipper as it might be buying from a wholesaler.  Most wholesale companies offer their products at approximately 50% of retail.  Your dropship profit margin might be closer to 75%.  The important thing is that once all dropship fees, shipping costs, etc., are taken into account, you are making an acceptable amount of money off each sale.  An “acceptable amount” is an individual decision – only you can decide what your time is worth.

photo credit: hickoryhollow113

Are there any other fees associated with dropshipping?

Again it varies company to company.  Some dropshipping companies charge you exactly the cost of shipping, others add a $3 or $5 fee per order to cover storage and packing.  As long as your profit margin is still satisfactory, fees are acceptable, though obviously not desirable.

Can I negotiate with dropshippers?

Definitely.  If you can present them with a compelling business plan or just impress them in general, they may give you a better deal than the average Joe.  Many dropshipping companies provide volume discounts or better prices to retailers they have worked with for a long time.  It’s not out of place to ask for a better discount or a smaller dropship fees as long as you are not too pushy about it (you don’t want to lose the supplier entirely).  It’s better to try this after you’ve successfully sold their products for a few months.

How do I contact a dropshipper?

Make sure you’re prepared when you call the company (calling is better than emailing unless they specify that they prefer the latter).  Dropshippers don’t have to do business with you, and if you don’t impress them with your professionalism and organization, they probably won’t.  They stand to lose money working with you, so you have to prove your reliability.  At the very least, you should have a business name and a business plan in place.  Having a website semi-set up is also helpful (obviously you need the dropshipper and their products to set up your website entirely).

What if a dropshipper won’t work with me?

You can’t make them, but you can certainly try.  If they don’t respond to your phone call or email, than try again.  Be persistant.  If they seem hesistant once you get them on the phone, than convince them.  Show them the benefit to their company of working with you.

What if I find a product I want to sell, but the company doesn’t dropship?

Not all companies dropship.  More are starting every day, but there are some elite brands and huge companies that dropshipping doesn’t make sense for.  It works better for small to medium-sized companies who are trying to grow their sales and exposure, not a high-end brand like Apple that already has plenty of exposure and is trying to protect its elite status.  If you find a company who has a great product you really want to sell, you may be able to convince them to dropship.  Like I said above, show the benefit to their company.

Once I have an account set up with a dropshipper, what happens next?

Usually when you set up an account with a dropshipper they will provide you with a catalog and/or images and descriptions of their products.  You post these images and descriptions on your website or on eBay.  When a customer makes a purchase, you take their payment, then order their product from the dropshipper.  The product is shipped directly to the customer, and you keep whatever is left over after you pay the dropshipper.

Will the customer be able to tell the product came from someone else?

Some dropshippers provide “blind” dropshipping – either the package is blank/nondescript, or the package and packing slip have your business name printed on it.  Other dropshippers do not provide this service.  Sometimes the package has your company name on it, but the packing slip has the dropshipper’s name.  You have to verify with the dropshipper exactly what their procedure is.  Some customers may be annoyed if they realize the package came from a different company than they expected and others won’t care as long as they got what they paid for.  They wouldn’t have bought the product if they didn’t think it was a good deal, so they probably won’t notice or care where it shipped from.

photo credit: B Rosen

Who handles returns and customer service?

Again, this varies according to the dropshipper, so check with the individual company.

How do I know what products to dropship?

Almost any product can be sold online for a profit.  The pertinent factors are how cheaply you can get it from a supplier, whether the market is oversaturated, and how you plan to market it.  Check out the blog posts “Products You Can Sell Online For A Profit” part 1 and part 2 if you are having trouble coming up with ideas.

Can a wholesaler be used as a dropshipper?

Yes, if a wholesaler has no order minimum, than you can order products as they are ordered from you, and have them shipped to the customer.  Sometimes wholesalers have no minimum, but they require a large initial order ($300-1000).  It might be worth it to make this large initial order if you are fairly certain the products will sell and you really want to use the supplier for smaller orders afterward.

How do I find dropshippers?

It’s not easy to find dropshippers using a search engine.  Many are nowhere to be found on the SERPs, and most of the top hits are databases, middlemen, or services that purport to set you up with suppliers (usually international manufacturers).  There’s nothing wrong with using a database; it will get you more results faster than you would find on your own.  But they usually cost money, so make sure you research your options before handing out your credit card information.  Obviously, I think Wholesale Match is the best database because we have a Research Team who will do the work for you, but by all means, check them all out before you make a decision.  After all, the quality of your suppliers in large part determines the success of your online business.

photo credit: Brooks Elliott

dropshippers, dropshipping, finding suppliers, product research

Due to the popularity of the blog I posted on Thursday (”Products You Can Sell Online For A Profit”), I am adding a second installment.  Again, these products can be sold online via dropship or wholesale for a profit, but ONLY if you have a good supplier, sufficient profit margin, strong marketing, and so on and so forth.  They are NOT foolproof: online sales never are.

Period Clothing: I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Pirate Festival, but I have, and it was quite surprising how natural saying “Yar!” and gnawing on a drumstick can feel under the right circumstances.  For all the freaks like me, there are a plethora of Medieval, Civil War, and Pioneer festivals for which the proper attire is necessary.  Besides the hobbyists, period clothing sells well for costume parties, Halloween, and even brides looking for a unique wedding dress.  Period clothing is a good three steps above the trashy nylon costumes you usually see online, and it has a price structure to match with a nice profit margin.

photo credit: eschipul

Eco-Friendly / Green Products: You always want to enter expanding markets, and though you’d hardly be getting in on the ground floor with green products, I believe the market will continue to grow.  From steel water bottles to canvas shopping bags to bamboo t-shirts to water-saving shower heads, people are switching to planet-friendly products.  Plus, granola geniuses are always inventing new products, so if you watch the trends, you can be the first to supply the new sea-grass wallpaper.

Police/Combat Gear: I don’t know who’s buying pepper spray, handcuffs, riot gear, and bullet-proof vests online, and I don’t want to know, but there’s a market for these products, and resale is inexplicably free and unrestricted.

photo credit: Izzard
photo credit: banspy

Scouting Supplies: In the last blog I mentioned camping equipment as a possible option, but that market is pretty full, so your best bet is to do something to differentiate yourself.  Setting up a website for scouting gear, 1st time campers, or birdwatchers is a good way to set yourself apart from the pack.

Erotic Materials: So many sex-toy sites are linked to porn and carry an indiscriminate product line.  I think there’s a relatively unexplored market for monogamous couples looking for a classy site to spice up their sex life.  High-end lingerie, massage oils, and tasteful accessories would sell well to this demographic.

Other Product Ideas:

Belt buckles
Funny t-shirts
Sports collectibles (due to licensing restrictions, these can only be resold among the 50 States and must be bought from a licensed dealer)
72-hour/emergency preparedness/apocalypse products
Western clothing/rustic home décor
Skateboarding gear
Maternity clothing
Action figures
Models/diecast vehicles
Easter/church hats and suits
Gardening products (especially seeds)
Motivational/inspirational products
Snorkling products
First-aid kits
Clocks (especially unusual/niche clocks like cuckoo or grandfather)
Premium coffee (ground and beans)
Plus-size clothing
Belly dancing costumes
Hunting/fishing gear
Luxury sheets/bedding
Puzzles
Wallets
Candles
Dive watches/pedometers/hear-rate monitors
Breast pumps/blood-pressure cuffs/diabetic equipment
Birdfeeders/butterfly feeders
Skincare products
Natural cleaning products
Non-perscription reading glasses
Funky retainer holders
Bonsai products
Martial arts equipment
Vitamins/supplements
Chess sets
Inflatable pool toys

More Products That Are Probably A Bad Idea:

Car parts: Besides the weight and bulk of car parts, there are very few dropshippers available; most manufacturers will only supply to body shops and retailers with a brick-and-mortar establishment.  A better option is to sell car accessories like dashboard ornaments, seat covers, license plate covers, etc.

Books / Textbooks: Textbooks sales are extremely restricted, and books are tricky too.  Most of the books available for wholesale or dropship to small websites are overstock or returned books.  That means they didn’t sell in stores, so the likelihood of you being able to sell them for a handsome profit is slim.  It’s possible that you can sell hobby books, especially if your focus is, say, cookbooks on your kitchen-products website.  But in general I wouldn’t count on books as a great seller, especially as the Kindle and e-books become ever more popular.

photo credit: Whatsername?

Swimsuits: I would stay away from high-return items.  And what’s more likely to get returned than swimsuits?  Their fit is extremely variable, as are the expectations of your customers.  You especially want to avoid returns if you’re dropshipping, because your middle-man status makes things sticky during the back and forth process.

Electronics: I’m not going to tell you to stay away from electronics entirely, because it’s one of the biggest sellers on the internet, but be very, very careful.  The market is saturated and many of the items are sold at a small profit margin.  You can sell cheap Asian imports, but most people are looking for brand-name products, and companies like Apple and Dell do not dropship.  You can sell brand-name electronics bought from retailers on eBay, (like with the Daily Deals / $200 A Day Program), and this is a legitimate way to make money, but it’s tricky.  Because retailers don’t like you reselling their products, they’re less than co-operative and the margins on this type of sale fluctuate rapidly.  I recommend a few small sales to get the feel of it before you try to re-sell a $900 flat-screen TV.

Salon Products and Other Restricted Items: Many products are only sold to retailers with a specific kind of brick-and-mortar store or a particular license.  Many salon products are only sold to salons (high-end straighteners and some cosmetic lines, for instance).  Dental implants and equipment are only sold to dentists.  Bowling equipment is only sold to pro-shops (by the manufacturers – you can sometimes purchase it via a distributor, though your profit margin is smaller).  Many brand-names restrict their resale to protect the elite status of their product or maintain the sales volumes of their current resellers.  When choosing a product to sell online you have to be flexible, because certain products simply won’t be available to you.

As always, the information in the blogs is my own opinions and ideas.  You can take or leave my advice, and if you make a million dollars dropshipping swimsuits, well, then I’m happy for you!

Product Ideas, make money online, pricing and profits, product research, selling products online

One of the first and most important steps in setting up an online business is choosing what products you’re going to sell.  But if you need help deciding, nobody will give you a straight answer.  If you Google “choosing products to sell online” or “what products should I sell online?”, you’re going to get back a bunch of articles on the selection process.  “Don’t choose anything fragile or heavy to ship, don’t enter a market that’s too saturated, try to sell something you’re knowledgeable about”.  All valid advice, but not very specific.  For some reason, everybody is afraid to give specific product ideas.  Well, I’m not.  I know how frustrating it can be when you’re stumped for ideas, so I’m going to throw some at you.  Keep in mind, your success at selling any of these products is going to depend on your personal decisions: how you set up your website or eBay store, how you market your product, which suppliers you buy from, and so on and so forth.  These are just some ideas to get you started, and some caveats for each particular category.

Arts and Crafts Supplies: This is a big market, and extremely varied.  You’ve got craft kits for kids, quilting supplies for the avid sewer, oil paints and brushes for the true artiste, jewelry and beading supplies, leatherworking, airbrushing, and a hundred other categories.  I would recommend selecting one niche, say, scrapbooking supplies, and focusing on that.  The nice thing about arts and crafts is, like any hobby, there are people who are willing to pay a premium for that Santa Clause-shaped hole-punch they couldn’t find anywhere else, or that luxury silk thread.  But you have to be careful that the price of the item won’t be overshadowed by the shipping charge.  If you do go the scrapbooking route, you would want to sell expensive items like albums and paper-cutters individually, but paper and ribbons only in packs or kits (say 50 or 100 sheets of paper).

photo credit: gabyalcantara

Christian/Religious products: A religious products website is one of those sites where you can take practically any product, customize it a little, and sell it as your own individual product.  For instance, there are a ton of dropshippers and wholesalers who provide printed t-shirts, monogrammed jewelry, and customizable mugs, license plates, belt buckles, and the like.  Besides selling the various religious books, music, jewelry, t-shirts, pictures, and cards that already exist, you can get your own products made with funny or inspirational religious images and sayings stamped on them.  Religion is part of many people’s identities, and they like to display it on their personal objects.  While the Christian market is large, it already has quite a few players; the Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindi, etc., markets are less well-represented on the internet.

Spa/Relaxation products: This is one of those product niches that falls in the “gifts” category, which means you can group products into gift packs and instigate effective  holiday promotions.  The other thing I like about spa products is that there are a lot of lesser-known product lines you can purchase directly from the manufacturer.  They’re great products: all natural/organic/shea butter/smell like candy/etc., just not quite as well known as Bath and Bodyworks (not yet anyway).

photo credit: kafka4prez

Nutrition/Health/Fitness products: People will always want to get thinner, healthier, and live forever.  Nutritional/health/fitness products are in high demand, and while many parts of the market are saturated, there are always new trends you can capitalize on.  Also, like so many of the products on my list, they lend themselves to blogs, tips, and articles that bring people into your site.

Toys: Toys are another category with an unexpected number of niches.  Porcelain dolls, plush toys, vintage-style ride-on cars, board games, educational toys, science kits, models… the possibilities are endless.  Because it’s difficult to compete with Walmart and Toys ‘R Us, I would recommend sticking to higher-end, unusual items, things you can’t buy at the mall.  The ride-on toys are a great example: shaped like classic cars, 1920s airplanes, trains, firetrucks, and motorcycles, they’re expensive with a solid profit margin, and they have the kind of adult-appeal that will convince Dad to pull out his wallet in a fit of nostalgia for his first Mustang.  Remember, parents will buy what their kids like, but ultimately it’s the adults’ money.  You have to touch them as well as the kids.

Jewelry: In many ways jewelry exemplifies the qualities you want in an online product: high demand, easy to ship, and expensive relative to its size and weight.  However, people have a strange compunction about buying jewelry online.  Often the actual physical appearance of the item is what sells them while browsing through the jewelry store.  Particularly for items like engagement rings, people are extremely leery to buy what they haven’t seen with their own eyes.  Also, the more expensive the item is, the more developed your image of security needs to be.  If I was going to sell jewelry online, I would cultivate an image of class, prestige, and reliability on my website.  I would make sure I had fantastic images that really showed off the products.  And I would stay away from extremely expensive items, at least to begin with, focusing on items in the $50-$300 range that people wouldn’t be afraid to buy from a new site.

Baby Products: Because the baby market is very competitive, I would pick a particular niche in baby products: organic baby clothing, baby Halloween costumes, slings and carriers, bedding, baby shoes or hair-bands, something like that.  Like any popular market, you need to know exactly what your selling position is.  Are your baby items totally unique and unusual, the cheapest or most high-end, do they appeal to Granola Moms or Technophiles?  The way to succeed in a competitive environment is to know exactly who you’re targeting and cut your customers away from the middle-of-the-road, trying-to-appeal-to-everyone websites.

Poker/Darts/Billiards: As long as beer exists, the appeal of poker, darts, and billiards will reign undiminished.  In fact, poker has become increasingly popular since the World Series went celebrity.  I wouldn’t try to go too high-end since these products are essentially games, but you could consider getting funky with poker chips printed with your pet’s face and dart boards adorned with your ex’s image.

Theme Products: Whatever strange fascination you have, there are probably hundreds of other people who share it and would absolutely love to find a website devoted exclusively to it.  Fairies, dragons, butterflies, Smurfs, Panda bears, Monster trucks, aliens, Barak Obama… Build a website with everything Hawaiian, (pajamas, dishes, t-shirts, tea sets, socks, backpacks, cellphone cases, aprons, car seat-covers, lotion, bathing-suits, posters), and watch your fellow Oahu-lovers line up to buy.  This works best if other websites carry Hawaiian-themed products (the demand is there), but you are the only one with a site devoted exclusively to the theme.

photo credit: metaldoll [is catching up]
photo credit: PedroCancion

Those are a few examples to get you going.  Here’s some more:

Kitchen supplies
Sports gear
Nursing scrubs
Camping gear
Motorcycle apparel
Holiday-themed decorations
Hemp/Bamboo products
Dance shoes
Mineral makeup
Wedding favors
Gift baskets
Solar products
First-aid kits
Special-needs products
Raincoats
Lunchboxes
Massage oil
Posters
Hair accessories

I could go on and on.  I don’t think any of these products are superior to the others; I think you could succeed or fail in almost any category.  The purpose of this list is purely to give you some ideas, to get the juices flowing.

Things that seem like a good idea that I would stay away from:

DVDs/CDs: The world is becoming more and more digital.  My husband and I recently copied all our DVDs onto our hard drive and threw away the discs and cases.  With the growing popularity of Apple TV and movies, Netflix, and similar digital media sites, I would caution against setting your business up around a declining market.  Licensing restrictions have always made selling these products complicated anyway.  If I was going to sell CDs or DVDs, I would stick to a niche market like Family Movies or Japanese Anime.

Pet Food/Bed/Crates, etc.: Pet products are a big seller online, but you have to stay away from the bulky, heavy stuff.  If you’re going to be successful in the pet market, you need to stick to the quirky and unique (think dog tuxedos, fancy bowls, cute toys) and the light/easy to ship.  There is so much competition even among the niche products like all-natural/organic dog food, that you probably won’t be able to compete unless your doggie booties and gourmet biscuits are significantly different from what everyone else is carrying.

photo credit: Colure
photo credit: Alan Miles NYC

Furniture/Appliances: Again, too heavy to be tenable.  I wouldn’t bother with large appliances at all, and I would only get into furniture if it was the extremely high-end stuff.  For instance, I know this one supplier of patio furniture who carries the most gorgeous patio furniture I’ve ever seen: wicker tables that seem to float, bamboo chairs that look like the throne of Confucius.  If I was rich, I would buy that furniture in a second, and darn the cost of shipping it.  But keep in mind, when you go high-end, your website and service have to match your price point.  This may entail a larger outlay in web design and a larger credit limit with your supplier.  High-end may not be in your reach right when you’re starting out in e-commerce.

If you would like feedback on your product ideas, please feel free to email our customer service division at support@wholesalematch.com or post at the bottom of the blog.

Product Ideas, dropshipping, pricing and profits, product research, selling products online