Discuss about building a website and prompting product

[James777]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post in this great forum since I randomly found it half a year ago. First of all, many thanks to MJ, his book helps me a lot. Also I need to thank all in this forum,I read your posts and reply and give me chance to open my eyes.

Here is my situation:
I graduated from a college two years ago. BTW, I am not native American. I apology it If my English confuse you or I speak something improperly.
I works for a company but I have lots of free time to do personal things. I did some research about selling online and registered ebay and amazon eight month ago. Now my salary is around $85,000 and my own business monthly profit around $20,000. My girl friend is full time helper and another two part-time employee for packaging.
I have many product that are generic. It is hard to manage since more and more items coming in. I am wondering if I should focus on several product not that much and make more sales on these several product. It means 1000 product for 100 sales per day or 10 product for 100 sales per day. Meanwhile,my business rely on ebay and amaon too much,I know this is not fastlane model. That is why I post this thread, I would like to build my own website and brand.

Here are my plan and questions:
1.I will focus on few product of accessories for ladies.My girl friend manage my ebay and amazon, that means I do not get in more new product on my ebay and amazon.
2. How to build a website, shopify, wordpress or other platform. I know this part is not hard but I want to get more advice.
3. Prompting my product and website. This part is difficult for me due to my poor English and never learn marketing. I know some people use social media like tweet, instagram,facebook etc.Please recommend how to start or any books or articles I need to read.
4. How to brand my product. It is easy for me let my manufacture get my logo and brand on my product. But do I also need to apply this brand to some organization and verify my brand is unique.
5.Is that OK if my product look like other brand design accessory?

I am glad to answer your questions about importing and ebay selling.

Thanks my fastlaners again and Have a wonderful weekend.

 

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[hughjasle]

I did some research about selling online and registered ebay and amazon eight month ago. Now my salary is around $85,000 and my own business monthly profit around $20,000.

You will get a lot more help if you help others and tell your story on how you achieved this first.

Don't give away what products you are selling, just the general process on how you went from 0 eight months ago to a business that's now doing $20k a month profit on the side of your day job.

That info will help guys who don't know how to help you get to where you are and help guys who can help you better understand where you are at to better help you.

I'll try and give you generic answers without knowing anything about you or your business so these answers might be worthless if not have a negative impact on your business.

2. How to build a website, shopify, wordpress or other platform. I know this part is not hard but I want to get more advice.

You can hire someone or do it yourself after spending a few days learning the ropes as they are relatively simple platforms. Which platform you pick will have different pro's and con's from the other platforms. Will need to know more about your business to suggest one of them. I am a fan a of shopify and clickfunnels.

3. Prompting my product and website. This part is difficult for me due to my poor English and never learn marketing. I know some people use social media like tweet, instagram,facebook etc.Please recommend how to start or any books or articles I need to read.

read this forum not the books IMO. Your biggest issue will be the english, one solution would be to hire someone to read over your copy and correct anything wrong.

4. How to brand my product. It is easy for me let my manufacture get my logo and brand on my product. But do I also need to apply this brand to some organization and verify my brand is unique.

Getting your logo is just one part you are right, the rest is how you BUILD the brand. There isn't an orangization out there that makes you a brand. That's just up to you to tell the customers WHO you/your brand is. I know I've read books on this before but couldn't remember the names. Google and this forum could give you better info there.

5.Is that OK if my product look like other brand design accessory?

Sure it's OK if that's what you are going for. Many big brands do it. Same product, different label. I however I found that not to be my personal favorite method. It works, but doesn't seem to last as long and generally follows the price battles in races to the bottom.

I am glad to answer your questions about importing and ebay selling.

So tell us your story I might just add you to the list of stories I tell people who want to get started in making money online.

 

[James777]

You will get a lot more help if you help others and tell your story on how you achieved this first.

Don't give away what products you are selling, just the general process on how you went from 0 eight months ago to a business that's now doing $20k a month profit on the side of your day job.

That info will help guys who don't know how to help you get to where you are and help guys who can help you better understand where you are at to better help you.

I'll try and give you generic answers without knowing anything about you or your business so these answers might be worthless if not have a negative impact on your business.
Thanks
You can hire someone or do it yourself after spending a few days learning the ropes as they are relatively simple platforms. Which platform you pick will have different pro's and con's from the other platforms. Will need to know more about your business to suggest one of them. I am a fan a of shopify and clickfunnels.

read this forum not the books IMO. Your biggest issue will be the english, one solution would be to hire someone to read over your copy and correct anything wrong.
OK. I am still digging more from this forum.But I do not know some basic knowledge of marketing. I just read here or there, actually I am not sure where I will start for marketing. Maybe I will get the website done then do marketing next.

Getting your logo is just one part you are right, the rest is how you BUILD the brand. There isn't an orangization out there that makes you a brand. That's just up to you to tell the customers WHO you/your brand is. I know I've read books on this before but couldn't remember the names. Google and this forum could give you better info there.

Sure it's OK if that's what you are going for. Many big brands do it. Same product, different label. I however I found that not to be my personal favorite method. It works, but doesn't seem to last as long and generally follows the price battles in races to the bottom.
Just part of my product look like other big brand product. I will add some our design into my product.


So tell us your story I might just add you to the list of stories I tell people who want to get started in making money online.

Yes, I will keep what I am selling. Just do not want more new product and niche.
I will do this by myself at this time. So I can learn a lot in this process whatever the result is bad or not.
OK. I am still digging more from this forum.But I do not know some basic knowledge of marketing. I just read here or there, actually I am not sure where I will start for marketing. Maybe I will get the website done then do marketing next.
I mean how I will prove this brand is mine or is unique. If I give my brand name is "icrap".How I can know this brand name nobody is using. Second, I am using my brand couples of months, then another guy gives his product name "icrap". How can I protect my brand name in case others use it. Maybe I am over worried about this problem.
Just part of my product look like other big brand product. I will add some our design into my product.
I will give my selling story next thread. I am not sure if my rely way is correct.

 

[James777]

I am sorry I do not know how to reply one by one.
Any way here is my selling story:
Actually it is simple. I mean it is simple from my current view. At the beginning it was difficult.
Last year my girl friend tried to get rid of used clothing by using Poshmark app. Then she sold her stuff quickly and some of them we wanted to throw away. I noticed most of her clothing that made from China. Then I did some research about importing from China. Then I used alibaba to search some product and show them to my girl friend if she like it. After a while I decided to get some women clothing and accessories from China. I was wondering I would let my girl friend wear them even if I could not sell them out.
But I get in trouble at my first order from China. My supplier is not willing to ship product to US but transfer it to another China shipping agent. I thought that is not big deal I just want my order. But that shipping agent could not accept payment from Alibaba when my order arrived at their warehouse. I had to pay shipping through bank transfer, I was afraid that is scam. But I had no choice otherwise they kept my order. I contacted supplier who kept telling me that is OK that bank transfer to the shipping agent. Then I did that, not too much money. But I was worried I might lose money and product.
Fortunately,I received my order on time. But the quality is not good, it is not that good as the pictures show. Then I listed them on Poshmark. After one day I was so excited that made two sales. This gave me more confident because I never made money on line.
However, the sales is not slow in that app. I only made around $200 profit per month. I did not want that business, then I listed my product on ebay after some research.
I could not make any sales on ebay at first. I found the reason is that I do not have feedback and my price is relatively high.Then I decided to lower the price in order to get more feedback. At the same time, I search more new product from alibaba and ready to get in.
I conclude that if I get more new product need to be required: 1. Not too competitive product.For example, if I want to sell phone case, I will focus on some special one, not that costs below $10. On the one hand, you could not get lower price from your supplier than your competitive who already sold more than 500+. On the other hand, the margin is too low. The profit wont worth your time to do package.
Then I get more new product and list on ebay. Now I get more than 100 new different product on ebay. Meanwhile, I found amazon and list them on amazon.
This is my process, it is simple actually. I could not express clearly on some points. Sorry for my poor English.
Thanks again for your advice.

 

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