Making money from retailing and wholesaling

Open a small shop specialising in needlecrafts.
Sell embroidery kits, materials and hand stitched framed pictures. If your interests lie in this direction, a small shop located in a village or town popular with tourists will be the ideal place to run this type of business. Start by having a few nice designs available as samples which you can display in the shop window to attract peoples` attention. If you`re just starting out, you might consider party plan sales or mail order as a way of getting established.

Start a business making custom-made curtains.
Offering a professional sewing service specialising in various types of curtains will enable customers to choose their own designs, being more exact in their requirements. Using a small shop to work from will allow you to display your own designs as well. You could also provide matching furnishings. i.e. bedcovers, pillowcases and cushions etc. A service like this can often create a big demand through recommendations. Which means, of course, you may need to take on extra staff. However, in this business you can retain full control over how much you want to expand. If you prefer to stay small, and provide a personal service to a limited number of customers, that is entirely up to you.

Buy and sell paintings and start your own art gallery.
A small shop will be adequate to start with. Start by buying watercolours and oil paintings at auctions. Set up a gallery and offer a picture restoration service as well. To do this you could employ someone with the necessary skills, or learn to do it yourself. A framing service is another possibility, and a stock of fine art prints for framing and selling might also be worth considering.

Open a shop on the Internet.
If you’re reading this then you’re probably aware of the huge amount of business that is conducted over the internet these days. All businesses no matter how big or small should consider having their own website to market and sell their products. Setting up shop on the internet is now easier than ever. Want Fast Reliable Web Hosting? click here. Apollo Hosting offers an excellent, affordable service.

Sell babywear products or fashionwear from a market stall.
Many towns have regular market days where hundreds of people converge to look for bargains. Setting up your own market stall is just a matter of finding a site, obtaining the necessary permits from the local authority, buying a stall, and stocking it with the goods. Babywear and fashionwear are usually good sellers, but check out the competition first. Ideally, depending on the size of the market, it`s better not to have to compete with more than one or two other stalls selling the same type of goods. Also, you`ll probably want to work more than one day to make it worthwhile, so check to see what other markets are operating in your region.

Start a bookshop selling used books.
Lots of people love to scour the shelves of old bookshops. You could start with a small shop to begin with and a supply of secondhand books purchased through wanted ads. You can also build up your stock by buying books from auctions and car boot sales. Ideally, open up your shop in a popular tourist location or near a busy town centre.
Read article: How to make it big with your own used book store

As good as new clothes shops are always popular with bargain hunters.
You could start up by selling unwanted clothes supplied from friends and relatives. The best Items to sell would include ladies blouses and skirts, cardigans and jumpers, dresses and slacks, jackets and trousers. Some of your stock might also include menswear, but ladieswear is more likely to be your main source of income.

Buy and sell secondhand videos, music cassettes, compact disks and computer games.
There`s always a huge selection available. Sell from a small shop or market stall. If selling from a shop, arrange the shelves in easily identified sections. Only display the empty cases and keep the cassettes and disks in an easily accessible place, which can be locked up safely at night. If your stock grows big enough you could start a mail order service. Once the business is well established you might also consider starting a rental service for old and new tapes.

Start a market stall specialising in mens lightweight jackets and coats.
These might include a range of colourful ski jackets and car coats. Alternatively, you could specialise in leathers and suedes. Adding a selection of hats and gloves might also be worth considering.

Buy and sell used furniture.
Buy from private sellers, house clearance sales and from auctions. You could also canvas homes with an offer to buy unwanted items. You`ll need a decent size van and a place to store everything. A shop with a seperate storage room would be ideal. Advertise furniture for sale in your local newspapers, as well as an ad for items wanted.

Open a shop selling secondhand tools and do-it-yourself supplies.
A vast range of tools exist for all kinds of jobs. Woodworking tools, plastering tools, bricklaying tools, gardening tools, electricians tools, plumbers tools, everything for the handyman. You could also stock supplies of nails, screws and other general fittings which are easily bought in bulk, then packaged or sold loosely. Tools are always good sellers, so being able to sell them at bargain prices makes them all the more attractive. Only stock tools in good condition though, not worthless junk, and your business is sure to grow. Auctions are a good source of supply, as are fleamarkets and car boot sales.

Set up a market stall selling t-shirts and jeans.
T-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans are always popular and never go out of fashion. There`s always a demand, because they always need replacing, more often than other types of clothing. T-shirts can either be plain or with a selection of popular graphics printed on them. Jeans can range from top brand names down to bargain price makes. You could specialise in one or the other, but you`ll probably have more success if you cater for a wide range of people.

Sell knitwear for children, either from a market stall or a small shop in a busy location.
You can buy supplies in, but also consider using local people to work for you, producing knitwear at home on a pay per item basis. Standards should be high, so only use knitters who can produce work that`s good enough to sell.

Start a market stall selling cosmetics.
You could also sell through party plan, but the advantage of selling from a market stall is that you have a lot of passing trade. Plus, you also have very low overheads. This, combined with the fact that cosmetics have a very good mark-up, means profits can be exceptionally good.

Open a shop selling computers and software.
If you`re a whizz with computers and can build them to a customer`s own specifications, you have the makings of a good business. Your stock should include ready built systems with prices to suit, plus peripherals such as printers and scanners, that can be added to the system. Items for upgrading should also be available to the customer, such as graphics cards, sound cards, cd rom and dvd devices, modems, motherboards, processers and extra ram, for which you can offer a fitting service, or sell to the customer for themselves to fit. A range of software will also be a worthwhile addition along with supplies of cables, blank floppy disks and disks for cd writers. To boost sales even further, consider including a regular stall at various computer fairs that operate in your area.

Set up a market stall selling a wide range of boiled sweets, chocolates and toffees.
Sell the more popular brands along with products bought from smaller firms who specialise in their own particular types of confectionery.

Become a supplier and distributor of plumbing accessories to the trade.
As a wholesaler, you can buy direct from the manufacturers and obtain better discounts when buying in bulk. These discounts will increase your profit margins when supplying to trade customers.

Import products from the far east.
A whole range of goods are available from exporters who can supply you with a huge range of electrical and fancy goods at amazingly low prices. Sell them to trade customers or through your own mail order catalogue.
Suggested reading: Building an Import/Export Business

Start a business selling computer components to the trade.
Import graphics cards, sound cards, floppy disk drives, CD-Rom and DVD players, keyboards etc., direct from the manufacturers. Produce a trade catalogue and advertise your service in the appropriate publications.

Become a supplier of training aids for driving schools.
These could include dual controls, roof signs, magnetic car door signs, audio/visual training aids, mock theory papers, books and videos. Advertise in the driving school trade magazines and by direct mail to driving schools, most of which are listed in the Yellow Pages.

Start a market stall selling thermal underwear and waterproof clothing.
Any items that would sell well in the cold months. You might also consider selling umbrellas during the rainy seasons. In the Summer months change your stock to summer wear. Read article: There’s Money in Market Trading

Make and sell picture frames and picture mounts in quantity and supply at trade prices.
This will require an investment in suitable power tools to speed up the normal manufacturing process of making frames and cutting mounts with the usual hand tools. (see arts and crafts section) Although you could start small by making a limited amount of frames at a time until you can provide them in larger quantities and supply them to a range of shops. Simple wood frames stained in a variety of colours are currently popular for framing modern style prints. They make an attractive but inexpensive alternative to the more traditional ornate frame. To find suppliers of picture framing equipment and materials, check the trade directories at your nearest reference library.

Make and sell childrens play outfits.
Superheroes, soldiers, doctors and nurses, cowboys and indians, spacemen and monsters. Any type of outfit that relates to popular childrens television shows is bound to prove popular. Package and sell your designs through toy stores and a mail order catalogue.

Open a small shop for selling small items for £1 or less.
These type of shops are becoming more and more popular. You don`t have to compete with the major chain stores that are springing up in nearly every shopping centre. There`s plenty of localised shopping areas where these type of shops can succeed. Stock can be bought direct from specialist wholesalers and importers in inexpensive goods. Check the trade directories at your local library for contacts.

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