Products form where?

[Jeremy]

For years know I've been wanting to run my own "hiking and camping" store. I do not have the money to open a physical shop. but I've often thought about the mail order biz or the online store biz...(or both).

I've been running a local hiking website for the last 5 years, and I have a more "global" hiking and camping website in the works, so it really is a passion of mine.

And I've often thought that I should be able to attach a "gear" type store to either one of these sites.

But my question is ..when I have no startup cash..how to I get the "products" to sell?

I realize I could sign up as an REI affiliate..or an Amzon associate and sell their products.. but I would much rather be selling products under my own name.... So the customer is buying from my company not being escorted to Amazon or REI from my site to buy the product.

I would think the online store would not be that different then mail order... but how do I get the products in the first place...

Do I make up a mail order cat/ website and get people to buy before I know ehre i'm getting the product from ?..no I don't think so..

anyway any ideas any help? all is appreciated.
Thanks

[Jeremy]

Was looking at this: http://www.wholesalemarketer.com

would drop-shipping maybe be the way to go?

[irinam]

My two cents:
If you come up with a solid business plan you have a chance of getting a business loan from a bank. Just like with any loan, they will check your credit history, etc.,
I myself did not do it, but friend of mine did. He had his business for almost a year and he says that he is "well on the road to pay the loan off". he would not go into more details...

[Bizzy]

"But my question is ..when I have no startup cash..how to I get the "products" to sell?"

Start with 1 or 2 products...like say a particular tent and a coleman stove...with each sale, keep re-investing into more stock and more products....it's easier said than done though, I started with 2-3 products, but ended up getting a loan.

[bizdoc]

It's good that you are passionate about your websites and your topic. That's number 1. On products, there are a number of Warehouse Distributors in the Hiking/Camping Market that sell products directly to retail outlets. You should contact these companies about supplying to you. Some require a minimum order, some require a brick and mortar store, some require neither of the above. They should be able to supply you with a broad range of products such that you don't have to stock and pay for a lot of stuff. The alternative is to find a small group of really cool, unique products that you can purchase in small quantities directly from the manufacturer. If your readership trusts you and is happy with the site and your provide good products, prices and customer service, you should be on your way to a lucrative campaign. It's a slam dunk to add products to an enthusiast site.

[quote=Jeremy]For years know I've been wanting to run my own "hiking and camping" store. I do not have the money to open a physical shop. but I've often thought about the mail order biz or the online store biz...(or both).

[tonyzink]

Hi Jeremy!

If you can find a source of deeply discounted or wholesale priced goods -- even if you could only find a few -- then you could get started by selling these products on eBay quite quickly and easily.

eBay is the world's largest online marketplace, and lots of people have already tapped into online auctions for big bucks. If you already have websites which draw the type of customers you want to sell to, then you can simply place links from your websites to eBay. You can redirect your website visitors to your eBay auctions, and perhaps then you could start generating some revenue with almost zero cash outlay.

Once you start selling a few products on eBay, you can start generating some revenue, which you can then use to purchase more products to sell, and so on. You could even open an eBay Store which lists all of your items, and, once again, you could link from your websites to your eBay Store. If things continue to go well, you could then open your own online store... get the picture?

In a nutshell, you can start small, with very little cash outlay, with eBay.

Good luck!
Tony Zink