Questions
E-Commerce & Retail
The things people actually want to know before starting one of these — money, time, and the parts nobody mentions. 10 researched blueprints sit behind this category.
Less than you think, and ideally none at first. Sell a small batch, or take orders before buying, and find out what actually moves. Buying stock in volume for a discount is the classic first mistake: the discount is real, the demand is assumed, and unsold stock is money you cannot get back.
Clear it sooner than feels comfortable. Money tied up in dead stock cannot be spent on stock that moves, and holding it hoping for a turnaround usually costs more than the discount would have. Treat it as tuition, note what you misjudged about the demand, and buy smaller next time.
Marketplaces bring buyers immediately and take a cut, plus you learn nothing about who your customer is. Your own site keeps the margin and the relationship but you must find every visitor yourself. Most people start on a marketplace to prove the product sells, then build their own once there is repeat demand.
Selling through e-commerce platforms and selling across state lines generally trigger GST registration regardless of how small your turnover is, unlike a purely local business which has turnover thresholds. Because these rules change and depend on exactly what you sell, confirm your own position on the official GST portal or with a CA before you list anything. Do not rely on a figure quoted on any blog, including this page.
Decide your returns policy before your first sale and write it down, because deciding under pressure is how you lose money. Build the real cost of returns, packaging and shipping into your price from the start rather than discovering it at the end of month one. Underpricing delivery is one of the quietest ways small sellers lose money on every order.
Usually you do not, and matching them is how small sellers go under. Someone with deeper pockets, bulk buying or a loss-leading strategy can outlast you at that price. Compete on a product they do not carry, a niche too small for them to bother with, or service they cannot provide. If your product is identical to theirs, price is the only lever you have, and it is the one you will lose on.