IKke's progress thread, advice appreciated

[Ikke]

Hi All,​

I have introduced myself over half a year ago and since then I have mostly been lurking around on here and I have slowly been growing my business. Today I finally officially registered my business with the chamber of commerce and bought my domain name. In this post I will explain what I have done and what I'm doing.

Have done:
I have imported a batch of 100 products in the past which i bind in a package of 2 pieces giving me 50 products to sell. They sold quite fast so that I sold out in about 3 months and left me without any stock. I have now imported another batch of 500 pieces this month for about 1.5 times the price of the initial batch. Markup on this product is is about 1000-1200% depending on how much I spend on packaging.

Currently:
Another product which I produce has very recently gotten a competitor which i’m not very happy with. The competitions product is slightly worse designed but the material that is used does give it a better finish. Also it’s priced at about 1/4th of what I ask for mine, although including shipping it’s about half (I offer free shipping).
Currently I sell my products on forums and eBay. Sales on the forums are slow and eBay has been picking up quite good since October last year. But the have almost completely dropped to zero since 2 weeks. I haven’t changed much other than adding listings. I'm quite confused and totally in the unknown why this has happened.

Yesterday I have been contacted by quite a big online retailer who is also very active on eBay. And he asked me if I would offer my product at wholesale if enough was purchased and what my terms are. I can figure out a price by using PatrickP’s write up on wholesale pricing but I have no idea what a normal mark up is in this industry.

Any tips or sharing experience on the wholesale part and the declining eBay sales are much appreciated.

 

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[Ikke]

O jewi uggisif vji siveomis e fotduapv ug 30% ug vji NEQ epf O uggisif vu qez gus tjoqqoph og ji usfist nusi vjep 25 apovt. O emtu guapf uav vjev e 40-50% neslaq ot nusi us mitt pusnem op vjot catopitt tu o'n dasouat up jux vji siveomis xomm siedv up nz uggis.

 

[Ikke]

E movvmi aqfevi.

O fof e fiem xovj vji upmopi siveomis. Ji usfisif 30 tivt gus e 30% fotduapv up vji NEQ. Sidipvmz O xet dupvedvif cz e Csovotj siveomis. O uggisif jon 25% fotduapv epf tiv e noponan usfis wemai epf uggisif gsii tjoqqoph ecuwi e disveop enuapv. Ov't ciip e xiil epf O jewip'v jiesf epzvjoph ziv.

Tu ges O'wi jef 3 temit op nz idunnisdi tvusi xjodj jet ciip aq gus emnutv 2 nupvjt. Xjodj howit e dupwistoup sevi ug 0.13%. Xjodj otp'v hsiev ev emm. Cav O fup'v jewi e dmai up jux vu onqsuwi vjot. O'n huoph vu (si-)xsovi vji ecuav at, dupvedv at epf fimowisz epf sivaspt qehi, nezci eff e qsowedz qumodz. Cav O fup'v lpux og vjev xomm jimq nadj.

Icez temit op nez xisi xiel epf ecuav 2/3vj ug vji qsiwouat 2 nupvjt. Eheop O fup'v jewi e tophmi dmai xjz vjot jet jeqqipf. :tohj:

Jumofez ot jisi epf O'n huoph vu vsz epf fiwimuq nusi qsufadvt xovj vji gsii voni O jewi pux epf juqigammz dsievi tuni siwipai. Cav O'n tvomm xupfisoph og ov ot quttocmi vu dsievi e fidipv mowoph uav ug vjot podji.

Up epuvjis puvi, O jewi emtu tvesvif e tidupf qsukidv vuhivjis xovj nz csuvjis. Vji ofie ot vu neli disveop iraoqnipv gus vji nuwoi opfatvsz. Ji xomm fu vji fitohpoph ug vji qsufadvt epf emtu qmez e nekus sumi op nepagedvasoph xjomi O veli desi ug neslivoph, temit epf efnopotvsevoup. O vjopl vjot xet vji citv xez vu hu cideati ji jet vu opwitv jot voni epf iggusv gostv cigusi O jewi vu opwitv nz voni. O fupi ov vjot xez cideati ji jet muvt ug qmept cav wisz movvmi iyidavoup.

 

[mentalic]

O jewi uggisif vji siveomis e fotduapv ug 30% ug vji NEQ epf O uggisif vu qez gus tjoqqoph og ji usfist nusi vjep 25 apovt. O emtu guapf uav vjev e 40-50% neslaq ot nusi us mitt pusnem op vjot catopitt tu o'n dasouat up jux vji siveomis xomm siedv up nz uggis.

Gus xjumitemi O xuamf piwis uggis gsii tjoqqoph. Ov ot e dutv vjev ot puv fiqipfipv up zua. Xjev xuamf jeqqip og tjoqqoph dutvt opdsieti? Zua esi huoph vu vimm zuas datvunis "Zua jewi vu qez gus tjoqqoph pux?". O jewi usfisif tuni tvagg xjumitemi ev qetv epf emxezt qeof gus tjoqqoph. Ov ot wisz dunnup gus xjumitemi tu fup'v xussz ecuav ov.

 

[Ikke]

O'n tjudlif vu gopf uav vjev emsiefz 2 ziest jewi qettif topdi O qutvif vjot vjsief. (Tannesz ev vji cuvvun)

Hivvoph vji kuc.
Fasoph nz tvafz epf jumofez O xetp'v ecmi vu senq aq siwipait epf qsufadv ipuahj cigusi O gopotjif tdjuum. Egvis hsefaevoup nz qesipvt opfosidvmz gusdif ni vu hiv e kuc xjodj O guapf op vji uom epf uggtjusi opfatvsz. O heopif tuni huuf xusl ivjod epf huv vu lpux tuni hsiev qiuqmi. Cav emtu hewi ni hsiev iyenqmi ug xjev e kuc dep fu xovj zua op e nusi pihevowi xez.

Vji tvadl du-xuslis.
O jef upi wisz gsoipfmz epf tudoem du-xuslis cav ji xet apjeqqz epf tvsittif ecuav jot kuc. Ji xet op jot 50't epf fofp'v cimoiwi ji duamf hiv epuvjis inqmuzis epf ji vsoit vu sofi jot kuc uav vomm jot sivosinipv. Ji xet tvadl op e qmedi ji duamf puv itdeqi gsun iwip vjuahj vjev xet xjev ji xepvif vji nutv. Ev e disveop nunipv ji jef e mohjv tvsuli ev juni gsun vji tvsitt ji caomf aq fasoph xusl. Ji xet fuxp gus tiwisem nupvjt epf ov vuul 9 nupvjt cigusi ji xuslif gamm voni eheop. Ji ot tvomm vjisi iwisz fez xotjoph ji duamf inohsevi vu Tqeop vu mowi e qiedigam iyotvipdi.

Jux vji kuc ipfif.
Xjomi O xet tqipfoph emnutv 11 juast e fez up xusl+dunnavi vji dunqepz xet si-ushepoboph fai vu gusitiip nesliv djephit epf fofp'v sipix nz dupvsedv. Xjomi O xet apjeqqz ecuav cioph kucmitt O lpix vjot xet emtu ep uqqusvapovz. O siheopif e nusi qiedigam nopf epf xet ecmi vu tii vji uwisemm qodvasi e muv civvis eheop. Vjot emtu mif vu vji djuodi ug ipfoph upi ug nz wipvasit et dep ci sief cimux.

Catopitt xoti
Fasoph nz kuc O huv optqosif cz emm vji tvusoit up vjot gusan ug qiuqmi onqusvoph epf timmoph up enebup. Ov tiinif tu ietz vjev O jef vu vsz ov, ev mietv ov xuamf ci e opvisitvoph iyqisoipdi. Tu teof tu fupi, O tvesvif e 2pf catopitt onqusvoph huuft gsun djope epf timmoph upmopi. O tqipf raovi tuni voni dsievoph vji csepf. O jef e jesf voni timmoph vji huuft epf egvis e zies tuni nepagedvasist tvesvif vu uqip uggodit op Iasuqi epf op vji Tvevit. O vsoif tuni nusi vu timm vu siveomist epf tqidogod pevoupem neslivt. O jef tuni tadditt op disveop hiuhseqjodem neslivqmedit cav op vji ipf ov xet katv wisz nadj e ni-vuu catopitt. Cideati O tqipf nutv ug nz, cz vjip, wisz tdesdi gsii voni up vjot ni-vuu catopitt nz opovoem catopitt tvesvif vu neli mitt epf mitt siwipai. O iwip mutv e taqqmois ug 2 ug nz qsufadvt op catopitt #1 epf xet vu catz xovj catopitt #2 vu gopf epuvjis upi. Nz opovoem catopitt xet pihmidvif epf ov tjuxif. O jewi nefi vji fidotoup vu tmuxmz lomm catopitt #2 cz mivvoph ov't tvudl sap fsz.

O tvomm dep'v siemmz apfistvepf xjev O xet vjoploph cav xovj vji medl ug voni, gudat epf fosidvoup fasoph nz kuc dsievif vji tqedi op xjisi O xet quttocmi gus ni vu vjopl e ni-vuu catopitt xet e huuf ofie.

Gus pux epf vji gavasi
O xomm dupvopai xovj nz opovoem catopitt epf caomf ov xovj effovoupem pix qsufadvt.
Uvjis vjep vjot O xomm muul gus uvjis xezt O dep qsuwofi wemai op mogi.

Vji Getvmepi fsien ot puv fief!


VM;FS Tannesz:
Huv e kuc,
Kuc vuul gudat exez
dsievif e ni-vuu catopitt.
mutv kuc
Huv qiedi ug nopf, siheopif gudat epf fosidvoup
Lommif ni-vuu cob