Do you think it's profitable to sell clothes online?

@mayrah (1144)
United States
November 21, 2010 9:41am CST
I have seen a lot of people who have tried online business selling. And even in facebook this people are doing their business. Before I also plan to start a dry goods or selling business or boutique business. I planned to start here in our place near the school but I'm afraid it won't materialize because I'm living in a barrio. I just observed that the market for that kind of business in this area would be low. However I believe online selling business can give me lot opportunity to reach huge number of customers, But my problem is how can I sell my items in a reasonably low price if my customers are coming from different place, the shipping fee if it's going to be shouldered by customer, they would prefer to buy in the malls near their place to avoid paying additional charge for shipping fee. What I want to ask you is this, How can I successfully compete in an online selling business? Do you think it's profitable business?
2 people like this
13 responses
@mhypie03 (683)
• Philippines
25 Nov 10
Hello there! I am an online store owner in Facebook and I am a direct seller. I import my items from China. I primarily sell women's apparel: dress, tops, blouse and shoes. Before I got into this, I was an interested buyer but a bit good in just googling whatever I wanted to know, I came across different online stores that offer wholesaling. Everyday, I did more researches. Like how much mark-up value I should add, shipping procedure and rate, dealing with out of stocks, delays on your package arrival and oops! I forgot to place this on top... CUSTOM TAX. During the first few orders I made, it was a break even earning. Because I need to pay those monstrous taxes. Later on, I was able to gain more than enough. Sometimes, I feel quitting because it may tend to get tough you could imagine it's not worth the income you get. I am still into this. This is one of my income streams. Just a little patience and exert more effort to increase sales, you should do good. If you're interested into this kind, I have resellers' price and does dropshipping. Just me a message and I'd be more than glad to help you. =)
@mhypie03 (683)
• Philippines
25 Nov 10
I forgot to mention, I am from the Philippines. =)
@Karunvig (714)
• India
21 Nov 10
Yes it is profitable. I was doing survey for this online business have choosen countries like India, Switzerland, US and UK. What youngsters prefer is that thwy want branded things at a lower price.. one of my client told me he never buy shoes form the branded shop because they get the shoes made from local market and get them a brand tag... same is the trust with clothes and other accessories. If you quality is good then for sure it will give ulot of profit. And other thing about shipment every online site charges that... u should see the ** sign on last page :) All the best for your new business :)
@mayrah (1144)
• United States
22 Nov 10
THanks a lot for a wonderful advice
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
22 Nov 10
i had been thinking of doing online business as well... but i am also scared of the competition as well like you... also, like you say, how can i keep my price low if i have to shoulder the shipping fee??? and of i ask the customer to pay for the shipping fee, they will prefer to buy the item in the store as the price will end up to be cheaper... i put myself in the customer's position and i hardly purchase stuffs online as well... that's why i am so skeptical to start my online shop... take care and have a nice day...
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
22 Nov 10
Hi, I do saw lot of my friends are setting up the online store selling clothes especially for kids and woman's clothes. They are doing very successfully. I do think how can they do it. I always intend to start an online store myself,but not sure what things to sell. Apart from getting some special things to sell, must make sure the quality are good and model is more unique. Also the price is reasonable and adopt some marketing skills to attract people to buy.
• United States
22 Nov 10
Hello my name is sterling, and i think that this is a great discussion topic. Clothing is one of the leading sellers on line these days, convience of shopping from a home computer. So i believe when you have the right product, your going to make sales.
@teni22 (1)
24 Nov 12
It is profitable provided u know how to shop great clothes and be prepared to sell them cheap. i have checked wholesalers but did not find them useful since most of them sell fake clothing, therefore i buy my clothes individually and i dont aim for huge profit. www.personalswagger.co.uk, is my online store
@munhozmib (3836)
• Sao Paulo, Brazil
21 Nov 10
Hello, Mayrah. Actually, before starting a business like that, it is always recommended to do a research. That's what you are doing right now. You're asking for opinion. And I'll state my point of view. I'm a student of leisure. I'm not kidding, my graduation is called "leisure and tourism". And I see it as a serious field. One of the greatest pleasure people may have, specially women, is shopping. Shopping means a lot of fun, and people will do it for hours. However, opening a "shop" online will reduce the pleasure factor. When buying clothes, people would much rather go and try out the outfits, wear them to see what they look like, talk to the seller, get discounts, ask for recommendation... An online store will not have any of these. So, if you are planning on selling products for a regular price, I'm pretty sure you won't sell much. First of all, if somebody can buy some piece of clothe for 40USD on your store and 40USD on a mall, they will go to the mall. Few won't, due to commodity. If you really want to open a business in the fashion area, I suggest you do it with creativity. Sell fun t-shirts, specially made skirts, something like that. Something that customers can only find in YOUR store. And the price! You have to put low prices on your products, at first. My final point is: it IS possible to open a business like that and make some sort of profit. HOWEVER, if you have money to invest, I'd suggest you do a local research with the residents and find out what kind of store they would like. It would be way more profitable. Hope to not have let you down, but yes cheered you up. If that's what you want, go for it! Respectfully, Munhozmib.
@aqib147 (16)
21 Nov 10
Looking for the perfect product to sell online? Quality women's clothes are always bestsellers, regardless of whether you sell them in eBay's auction site or in your own web store. Clothes are always in great demand because people need them. If you can obtain quality clothes at competitive prices, you will find it easy to sell them and earn a lot of extra money. Women are very particular about the clothes they wear. They want to wear clothes that make them look smart and fashionable. But now that the economy is down, everybody is looking for clothes that are more affordable. That is why wholesale clothes are very popular these days. To get a big slice of the pie, you must find wholesale suppliers who can provide quality clothes at low prices. Keep in mind that women are fashion conscious, so the clothes you sell must be trendy and the latest in style. Read fashion magazines so that you will know about current and future fashion trends. It is also a good idea to sell clothes with classic design because they do not go out of style. Where can you find fashionable, quality women's clothing to sell? You can search online for suppliers of wholesale women's clothes, but the danger here is that you do not know for sure if the suppliers you find in this manner are dependable and legitimate. SaleHoo is an excellent source of legitimate and reliable wholesale suppliers for all the products you need. You will easily find many suppliers of wholesale women's clothes. The best thing with SaleHoo is that the suppliers in their wholesale directory are all verified to be legitimate companies so you are sure that you will not be scammed. You must contact the wholesale clothing supplier and check out the products they sell. Make sure the clothes are of good quality and stylish. Pricing is very important, so negotiate for the best deals you can get. Always provide good customer service because your customers deserve nothing less. Besides, good customer service will guarantee that customers will keep coming back, especially if the wholesale clothes you sell are stylish and well made. If your customers are not satisfied with the clothes or the service, they will not buy from you again; but happy customers are loyal customers and they will keep on buying from you in the future.
@verabear (796)
• Philippines
22 Nov 10
I know what you mean. Yes it can be very profitable but you have first to decide if it is really for you. Do you have a good eye for clothes and for spotting what others would like? Is a shipping partner accessible to you? If you will have to spend a lot of money to get to an LBC or 2Go or xend, then it will mean added cost for you. Then you need to know where to source your goods. Do you plan on going to the city, scouring Divisoria for cheap but quality clothes and then reselling them? Think about the costs too. I have a colleague who ventured into this, she found a supplier from China and what she did was post the photos of the clothes and had them on pre-order. The buyers had to pay in advance so it will help cover the shipment costs from China to the Philippines. But it's really a good idea as long as you know what you're getting into :)
@sjlskl (3382)
• Singapore
21 Nov 10
I think most buyer will know that they will have to bear the shipping cost. So that should not be an issue. Whether is it profitable, depends really on what you want to sell. How different is your goods from others. If they are the same, what will make them want to patronise you and not those who has been around for a longer time. You must really think through, how to market yourself and make sure that you are very different from the rest.
@tedeng06 (60)
• Philippines
22 Nov 10
Yup try selling clothes on facebook. The thing is it's kind a boring tagging your friends on the long run. But it pays a lot in the end. Try it. It's best for business these days not for clothes alone.
@sohnikhan (144)
• United States
21 Nov 10
i think it is better to do business person to person.if you do business online you have to win other ppl trust before they buy anything.but if you have really quality products and you think you can interact people online displaying some extra features you can win for sure best of luck
• Philippines
21 Nov 10
hi myrah! yes, profitable indeed! i started an online shop just this year and now i still enjoy the profits im gaining from this business. like you, at first, i was hesitant, had fears, but i took the challenge. you can save more in shipping if you buy wholesale like 10 pcs or more. its not that expensive, shoppers will understand that they have to shoulder the shipment, they are shopping for online products meaning to say there is shipment involved. the price can compete with those in malls, you are giving them the comfort they wanted. when your ready, here's how to start. first find a supplier..look for feedback..choose the supplier that can deliver superb quality at a low price, great customer service, and tested efficiency.. once you are there, there's no turning back, you have to keep your site alive.. your friends here will be your potential buyers..give them variety..ask them what they want, thank them for the purchase they made and eventually they will shop again.. hope you will pursue this, big returns await you! good luck! :)