I'd Love to Own an Online Store
But Don’t Know What I'd Sell

At the conference, you’ll hear about ways to find what to sell online. You can get ideas almost anywhere.

Idea Sources
Sometimes people limit their thinking to what they’re passionate about. That’s a mistake. Remember, the end goal is a successful website. You don’t have to be passionate about, say, car gaskets in order to sell them successfully online. Think about these topics and write down your thoughts.

  • Your hobbies
  • Things you know a lot about
  • People you know who make a product
  • Former employers who might make good suppliers
  • Special access you may have to certain products through friends, relatives, or former employers
  • Specialty breeders, growers, or hobbyists you may know

Idea Testing and Reverse Search
Once you have some ideas in mind, you should run them past people you trust to see what insights they might have. But don’t stop there. You can find out how many people are searching for those items online by doing a Reverse Search. StoresOnline offers a Reverse Search tool as part of its package but there’s also a free search trends tool available at Google.com (you’ll need to start an account to see specific numbers). It will let you see trends in the number of people using whatever search term you input.

Drop-shipping It’s important to understand that you don’t have to turn your basement into a warehouse unless you want to. Drop-shipping is a practice wherein a manufacturer or distributor ships a product directly to your customer for you. You’ll learn more about this concept at the conference.

Finding Drop-shippers
Smaller manufacturers sometimes drop-ship. More often, you’ll have to find a distributor who’s willing to do it. At the conference you’ll hear information on some sources where you can start your search for companies willing to drop-ship. But don’t limit yourself. Once you have a good idea in mind, use your network of family and friends, the Internet, the phone book, and any other resource you can think of to find a good supplier that will work with you.

Call the number on your event invitation now to reserve seats for you and a guest before this free 90-minute conference fills.