Starting an Online Fashion Business ... Buying Luxury Goods for Overseas Customers?

[balmain1914]

I live in one of free ports in the world, imported Luxury goods don't attract any tax at all, so, it's pretty cheap to purchase designer fashion.

Last month, it was a horrible month. I got fired right before the Xmas. Recession continues to reflect, it's quite hard to find a full time job. I am 28, single, no kids, and I don't want kids.

I know exactly that building a fashion business is very tough. Budget is a huge problem. What if...I can't finance my own basic life while few Vuitton bags are sitting there...Can you imagine how ironic it is? Sweet heart...

But I wanna be a personal shopper, would that be a little bit easier? To buy what clients order, I think that would be less painful on budget.

Should I start my own Fashion business?

 

[pretty babe]

..u delima isnt about startin a fashion line, its about hw to make some quick cash.take some time to reflect on what u really want to do, dont rush so u dont get ur fingers burnt.u will need plenty of passion, determination & persistent to survive in the fashion industry.if u really wld want 2run u own line, then learn the ropes frm someone already established while advertising ur services as a personal shooper.gd luck dear!

 

[thunderstorm]

If fashion is what you really like then you should go ahead and try! Why not?
Good luck to you as well!

 

[BetteT]

Not sure what you are proposing.

Your own line? That would take time, money and lots of resources ... not a way to make quick money.

Or being a personal shopper for clients in your own city? Maybe ... if you are well connected with people of means who are very busy and if you are known for your taste and style. You have to find a way to get the word out ... by networking and advertising.

Or being a buying resource for out of the country buyers who want a bargain? Seems like like this might be the quickest way to earn cash ... if it would work. Charge a markup .. you'd have to probably do a volume business to make a decent living. Costs would be low ... just advertising and shipping I would think. And all of that depends, of course, on the laws and taxation of your country ... research is needed.

In the meantime ... keep looking for a job ... you need to work an all your possibilities ... if more than one thing works, you can choose later.

 

[balmain1914]

Dear Betty, a buying resource for out of the country buyers who want a bargain is what exactly I am thinking about.

However, I don't know where to find clients. If I bought domain and did some promotions, could people possibly believe that I am selling authentic bags, not knock-offs?

 

[BetteT]

Good point .... it would be hard to proove, untill you built some repeat customers who could vouch for you.

You can sell via eBay I would think ... because they do have a rating system ... so after a while, it would become clear that you are legit. And lot's of people go to Ebay when they want something, especially a bargain, so you might have a built in customer base.

Does eBay work across international borders? I'd check that out ....

 

[F0F0]

...Should I start my own Fashion business?...

Yes of course! You have the opportunity to buy very expensive items for cheap, and you just need to sell them very fasy to have almost a PERFECT BUSINESS MODEL!

And, yeah, BetteT idea about eBay sounds great as it is very easy to set up an account and you can start selling by the end of the day! At least you can use its platform and huge customer base to test if it works for you. If you have a personal account with a perfect buying history you can leverage on those ratings! That way people will know you are for real.

eBay works on an international level. The decision in on the sellers to sell overseas.

You can also try going solo on the internet and use eBay as a support! I'll tell you about this in next episode, I mean, post because...

Hold on!

Pretty babe said to you very wise words...Have you ever assessed yourself as a potential business owner? The SBA has some very good self-assessments exercises you can do for free!
http://www.sba.gov

Then set your FINANCIAL GOALS and then choose a CONSUMER SEGMENT WITH ENOUGH POTENTIAL to achieve those! Check competitor prices on eBay, set up a price and markup considering taxes (in most of the cases) and shipping the buyer will have to pay, learn little about international shipping (eBay has forums with guides) project expected sales based on simple marketing plans and play with your financial numbers in a spreadsheet to quickly see if your business model is going to make sense! Calculate your risks, be a !