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$500,000+ revenue on Shopify!

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Deleted48496

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@Sanj Modha, great progress! i have one question, how did you setup shopify account? i mean, indian debit cards don't work with the shopify gateway, so i can't setup my store. did you use american express to overcome this problem, or? if you can shed some light on this process, it would be great.

Thank you, and i'm 16, so i don't think that i can get my own credit card yet!
 
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Sanj Modha

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@Sanj Modha, great progress! i have one question, how did you setup shopify account? i mean, indian debit cards don't work with the shopify gateway, so i can't setup my store. did you use american express to overcome this problem, or? if you can shed some light on this process, it would be great.

Thank you, and i'm 16, so i don't think that i can get my own credit card yet!

My biz is registered in the UK so I don't have this problem. I use AMEX for errrrrrrthing because of them air miles!
 

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@Sanj Modha Since this thread is back up, I might as well ask a question or two:

  1. How does the supplier get the purchase order?
  2. You mentioned how you found the passionate buyers first and then showed them the product. But what if I have a product already, and I want to know if it is worth it to pursue it? Can you give any pointers on the process of mapping out a "passionate buyer"?

Thanks for a lot of nuggets in this thread!
 
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Hey Kristyblair - I see you're new here. Welcome!
Don't ever ask people what their product is or what they're selling on this forum. We've had issues with some folks learning about other members products and then completely copying them... It's a scum move that leads to competition and possible decreased sales for the OP (original poster). So yea. Don't ask about products or businesses if they haven't already specified them.




Website Conversion, Click to Website, Page Post Engagement. Google is your amigo.
[name of store removed by mods]

I am confused as to why he is selling it along with all the inventory and contacts for $12k when he is making $200k per month in profit, though?
 
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Deleted2BB3x9

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@Sanj Modha

Congrats on your success! This thread is inspiring.

How did you get your stores to convert? I've been running ads to my shopify store for pre-orders and have only received one pre-order from email marketing. My ads didn't work. I got 275 users but no conversions. Is it just because I'm offering pre-orders? Or because my site isn't trustworthy enough? I'd appreciate it if you could say how you boosted conversions.
I had a custom theme built. Things like trust symbols, reviews etc helps a ton.

Can you expand?
 

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[name of store removed by mods]

I am confused as to why he is selling it along with all the inventory and contacts for $12k when he is making $200k per month in profit, though?

It could be a lot of reasons. Boom times are great but you need capital to fund all the purchase orders. Also remember - non-US merchants wait longer to get paid from gateways like Stripe. I'm down to 4 days now when my friends in the US get paid within 2.
 
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Sanj Modha

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@Sanj Modha Since this thread is back up, I might as well ask a question or two:

  1. How does the supplier get the purchase order?
  2. You mentioned how you found the passionate buyers first and then showed them the product. But what if I have a product already, and I want to know if it is worth it to pursue it? Can you give any pointers on the process of mapping out a "passionate buyer"?

Thanks for a lot of nuggets in this thread!

1 - My VA sends them an automated report generated from Xporter. It costs $15/month. You can automate it completely but I like my VA to check it once over to avoid any issues down the road.

2 - If you have the product then run some focus groups. You can test it with a prize draw/giveaway - ask your audience "Would you buy this? Comment 'Yes' below and 1 lucky person will get it sent to them for FREE. Tag your friends and get an additional entry!". I do it all the time since I've built huge FB pages over the last few years running ads and if you're planning on using FB. Make sure you read their guidelines first. Giveaways are fine but you need to word it correctly. Now, I just get my main suppliers to send us a newsletter with his/her best sellers. Not all work but some really go on to sell for weeks/months.
 

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1 - My VA sends them an automated report generated from Xporter. It costs $15/month. You can automate it completely but I like my VA to check it once over to avoid any issues down the road.

2 - If you have the product then run some focus groups. You can test it with a prize draw/giveaway - ask your audience "Would you buy this? Comment 'Yes' below and 1 lucky person will get it sent to them for FREE. Tag your friends and get an additional entry!". I do it all the time since I've built huge FB pages over the last few years running ads and if you're planning on using FB. Make sure you read their guidelines first. Giveaways are fine but you need to word it correctly. Now, I just get my main suppliers to send us a newsletter with his/her best sellers. Not all work but some really go on to sell for weeks/months.

Can you elaborate on what to avoid when running FB ads promoting a giveaway? I already have an established FB fan page and was planning to heavily promote a giveaway through FB ads when I launch the product.
 

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Can you elaborate on what to avoid when running FB ads promoting a giveaway? I already have an established FB fan page and was planning to heavily promote a giveaway through FB ads when I launch the product.

OK, so just apply some basic principles in your giveaway. Make sure it's honest without any misleading copy. Be specific about how they can enter and when it ends. Do what you promise to say you will and it's fine. Unfortunately, there are many incidents when marketers do mislead users so FB has tightened up its rules.
 
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Since I don't have much to invest, would it be more advantageous to start drop-shipping instead of trying private labeling, or could PL be done with a DS model?
 
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Since I don't have much to invest, would it be more advantageous to start drop-shipping instead of trying private labeling, or could PL be done with a DS model?

I started dropshipping first. There's nothing wrong with that.
 

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@Sanj Modha you mentioned that the max shipping time should be about 7 days, but you had posted an article about dropshipping with AliExpress which usually takes 3-4 weeks to get to customers. What are your thoughts on that? From your experience, do customers tolerate these waits. Is there any way to avoid them beside ordering in bulk and shipping from your own location.
 
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@Sanj Modha you mentioned that the max shipping time should be about 7 days, but you had posted an article about dropshipping with AliExpress which usually takes 3-4 weeks to get to customers. What are your thoughts on that? From your experience, do customers tolerate these waits. Is there any way to avoid them beside ordering in bulk and shipping from your own location.

I read a case study about shipping times and increased customer emails. If you can aim to deliver in 7 days or less - it can reduce customer chasers by up to 80%. Might have been an Amazon case study but I'm not sure.

That's not to say you can dropship from China. Just factor in the extra work you that will be required on live chat, email, FB messages etc.
 

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Hey Man,

One of the biggest problems I have with getting ecommerce ventures off the ground has always been finding good wholesalers and manufacturers and also building relationships with them. How do you go about doing this? Do you have a process in doing this like reaching out to the brands themselves? What about if you're manufacturing products made in the USA? Do you use a service like makers row or just google?

Also, assuming you were a retailer, do you think it's better to deal with each brand directly or a wholesaler? How do you initiate that first contact and at what point do you try to get them to dropship for you?

Example: At one time years ago I wanted to build an online shop selling sheds. One of the competitors had the relationship with the brands shipping them directly from the factory. They allowed him to pay for his product up front and keep it stored at their property to be shipped. I contacted literally all 25 brands non of them really cared to answer my email. How does one get to that level where you get that "in?"

I noticed some very successful stores using the Just in time delivery method...Is there a difference between that and dropshipping?

Interested in your answers. Currently I'm helping the wife with a project.
 

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Hi my friend,

Now I am selling around 600 product on Amazon and eBay. 200-300 sales everyday, but I never try other platform.
I am planing to do my own website like shopify and get more sales of some product we designed.
However, I do not have any knowledge and experience on marketing.Could you mind suggest where I should start ? Sorry for my bad English.

Thanks
 

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Hey Man,

One of the biggest problems I have with getting ecommerce ventures off the ground has always been finding good wholesalers and manufacturers and also building relationships with them. How do you go about doing this? Do you have a process in doing this like reaching out to the brands themselves? What about if you're manufacturing products made in the USA? Do you use a service like makers row or just google?

Also, assuming you were a retailer, do you think it's better to deal with each brand directly or a wholesaler? How do you initiate that first contact and at what point do you try to get them to dropship for you?

Example: At one time years ago I wanted to build an online shop selling sheds. One of the competitors had the relationship with the brands shipping them directly from the factory. They allowed him to pay for his product up front and keep it stored at their property to be shipped. I contacted literally all 25 brands non of them really cared to answer my email. How does one get to that level where you get that "in?"

I noticed some very successful stores using the Just in time delivery method...Is there a difference between that and dropshipping?

Interested in your answers. Currently I'm helping the wife with a project.

It's good that your thinking about the product first then working backwards. In my opinion, this is the path to least resistance.

Finding RELIABLE suppliers is the biggest challenge and something I was struggling with at the beginning. Do all the usual things to limit the headaches like:

1 - if it's local go see them.
2 - ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS order a sample piece.

I usually contact dropshippers and start conversations like this: "How much would an extra 50-100 orders per day improve your business?". Steer the conversation in their direction and make it about them. If all they have to do is pack, ship & count the dollars - nobody will
Hi my friend,

Now I am selling around 600 product on Amazon and eBay. 200-300 sales everyday, but I never try other platform.
I am planing to do my own website like shopify and get more sales of some product we designed.
However, I do not have any knowledge and experience on marketing.Could you mind suggest where I should start ? Sorry for my bad English.

Thanks

turn you down.

We all start from zero knowledge but nothing is stopping you from acquiring it. Read books, sign up to courses and watch YouTube tutorials. There's unlimited content out there.
 

WealthChaser

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Thank you for your time and knowledge with this thread.

I was wondering if you were concerned with the fact that your business is dependent on Shopify (or other similar e commerce sites), and if you had thought about moving your products to your own site? I could see why this would be negative as you miss the usual Shopify traffic, but the pro would be you would control the business more. Have you given any thought into this? Asking as a guy who is still trying to determine his 'market need' to fix.
 
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Thank you for your time and knowledge with this thread.

I was wondering if you were concerned with the fact that your business is dependent on Shopify (or other similar e commerce sites), and if you had thought about moving your products to your own site? I could see why this would be negative as you miss the usual Shopify traffic, but the pro would be you would control the business more. Have you given any thought into this? Asking as a guy who is still trying to determine his 'market need' to fix.

Shopify is just a platform. You still need to drive the usual traffic. There's nothing stopping you from creating your own ecommerce site.
 

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Hey Sanj, Thanks for the thread. Looks like the linkedin link in your profile is giving me an error.

Also, i know that you only care about money in vs money out but it seems in Q4 the CPMs are much higher than throughout the year. How have your facebook ads been performing lately?

Thanks
 

Sanj Modha

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Hey Sanj, Thanks for the thread. Looks like the linkedin link in your profile is giving me an error.

Also, i know that you only care about money in vs money out but it seems in Q4 the CPMs are much higher than throughout the year. How have your facebook ads been performing lately?

Thanks

Q4 is the most expensive time of year. There's no doubt about that so I just keep it simple. Run ads to high profit margin items. Look for no less than 55%-60% gross.
 
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@Sanj Modha

1)
What is your view on all these Shopify gurus who are making screenshots of 523,000,00 $ profits in one month with facebooks ads? To me, it seems they are selling something that used to work 2-4 years ago.

2) Can it still be done only with Facebook ads or you more recommend to focus on building a brand (long-term process)?

3) If ads have some traction (link clicks) but no purchase - How do you know when it's time to stop? In terms of - "not good targeting" or "product won't sell"

 

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@Sanj Modha

1) What is your view on all these Shopify gurus who are making screenshots of 523,000,00 $ profits in one month with facebooks ads? To me, it seems they are selling something that used to work 2-4 years ago.

2) Can it still be done only with Facebook ads or you more recommend to focus on building a brand (long-term process)?

3) If ads have some traction (link clicks) but no purchase - How do you know when it's time to stop? In terms of - "not good targeting" or "product won't sell"
I don't really think these amount are real, and even if they're real, you don't see the net income..that's what matter in a sales and i didn't seen a net income on a youtube videos, they are all selling their courses in ordrer to make money...
 

Sanj Modha

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@Sanj Modha

1) What is your view on all these Shopify gurus who are making screenshots of 523,000,00 $ profits in one month with facebooks ads? To me, it seems they are selling something that used to work 2-4 years ago.

2) Can it still be done only with Facebook ads or you more recommend to focus on building a brand (long-term process)?

3) If ads have some traction (link clicks) but no purchase - How do you know when it's time to stop? In terms of - "not good targeting" or "product won't sell"

1 - I've never done $500,000/month so I don't know. In terms of FB ads - that's a TON of work. I have done some $20,000/days during the holiday season or on Black Fridays and it was pure madness. I was literally working 16-18 hour days running ads, scaling, testing etc. I know a guy who does $500,000/month revenue but he's fulfilment only so it's a different model. His sellers drive all the traffic.

2 - You can build a brand with FB ads. There's nothing wrong with it. After nearly 3 years of running a generic store, I decided to focus on more niche items like ladies handbags and watches. I sell less products, there's more profit and it's personalized i.e. we have our brand name on the product and packinging. It depends on what your goals are.

3 - That's the hardest thing in this business - finding a product to sell. I would suggest a few things:

- Is the price too high? Check the abandoned orders and that will tell you. If you're getting add to carts but no conversions - it's usually the price of the product or the shipping. Tweak one/both.

- Run split tests with two different interest groups. Sometimes, I'm in two minds over who should see my ads so I run a duplicate campaign but tweak the targeting.

- If you're not sure the product will fly - try an engagement ad but remove the outbound links. The copy should be "Would you buy this? Comment 'I Want It!' below". These are super cheap since the users aren't leaving FB and you will be rewarded with higher organic reach too. Wait for 20-50 comments then check the data. What states are clicking? What's the age ranges? Is it male or female etc. If the comments tell you the product will sell then run the same product to a Conversion ad. Obviously, change the ad copy and include your landing page links.
 
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1 - I've never done $500,000/month so I don't know. In terms of FB ads - that's a TON of work. I have done some $20,000/days during the holiday season or on Black Fridays and it was pure madness. I was literally working 16-18 hour days running ads, scaling, testing etc. I know a guy who does $500,000/month revenue but he's fulfilment only so it's a different model. His sellers drive all the traffic.

2 - You can build a brand with FB ads. There's nothing wrong with it. After nearly 3 years of running a generic store, I decided to focus on more niche items like ladies handbags and watches. I sell less products, there's more profit and it's personalized i.e. we have our brand name on the product and packinging. It depends on what your goals are.

3 - That's the hardest thing in this business - finding a product to sell. I would suggest a few things:

- Is the price too high? Check the abandoned orders and that will tell you. If you're getting add to carts but no conversions - it's usually the price of the product or the shipping. Tweak one/both.

- Run split tests with two different interest groups. Sometimes, I'm in two minds over who should see my ads so I run a duplicate campaign but tweak the targeting.

- If you're not sure the product will fly - try an engagement ad but remove the outbound links. The copy should be "Would you buy this? Comment 'I Want It!' below". These are super cheap since the users aren't leaving FB and you will be rewarded with higher organic reach too. Wait for 20-50 comments then check the data. What states are clicking? What's the age ranges? Is it male or female etc. If the comments tell you the product will sell then run the same product to a Conversion ad. Obviously, change the ad copy and include your landing page links.

It's awesome to hear advice from someone who went through the process, I really appreciate taking your time.

What would be your advice to someone who starts from scratch:
a) Focus on branding - Build your brand through engagement and then sell
b) Focus on selling, after seeing what sells and works, then go branding
c) Both at the same time.​

2) When creating ads for products do you keep it simple (product image + text + link to product) ? Or you build landing pages etc.. ?


Would you recommend any good resources? books, people to follow (besides you:) ), YT channels about building a brand, ecommerce, ads, marketing that had biggest impact on you
 
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Sanj Modha

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It's awesome to hear advice from someone who went through the process, I really appreciate taking your time.

What would be your advice to someone who starts from scratch:
a) Focus on branding - Build your brand through engagement and then sell
b) Focus on selling, after seeing what sells and works, then go branding
c) Both at the same time.​

2) When creating ads for products do you keep it simple (product image + text + link to product) ? Or you build landing pages etc.. ?


Would you recommend any good resources? books, people to follow (besides you:) ), YT channels about building a brand, ecommerce, ads, marketing that had biggest impact on you

I'd focus on selling first because I think that's the first step and the most difficult. Once you are confident with ads, scaling, sourcing, suppliers etc - move onto building a long-term brand. That's what I did/am doing.

I use a combo of banners and video so I like to mix it up. It really depends on the product. For example, the Apple Watch is a technical item so I'd run video ads explaining the quick features. 30 secs to a 1 minute will more than suffice. If it's something like ladies shoes - a banner image will do just fine.

There's so much content out there. I'd recommend Neil Patel, Tanner Larsson, Ezra Firestone, Pat Flynn for marketing tips and advice. Books like Rework, the Influence series by Robert Caldini is a good start. For podcasts there's a ton out there. Just do a search in iTunes or Playstore.
 

Sanj Modha

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Hey Sanj, Thanks for the thread. Looks like the linkedin link in your profile is giving me an error.

Also, i know that you only care about money in vs money out but it seems in Q4 the CPMs are much higher than throughout the year. How have your facebook ads been performing lately?

Thanks

Here's my LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjay-modha-82450851/
 
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Thanks, Sanj. A lot of really awesome content here. Just starting to get into the world of Shopify and e-commerce. It seems easier than ever before, it seems kind of hard to believe that there is still an opportunity, but as you mentioned in one of your prior posts, there is a market of trillions of buying power out there. Even if I snag .000001% of that, I would consider that to be a success.
 

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Hi @Sanj Modha excellent thread I've read every word. Thank you for your contribution. I look forward to being able to give back some day.

I am working on product bundling similar to mancrates.com for a niche market that is not being served at all but I wanted to test the market and build an email subscriber list before diving into sourcing/fulfillment.

To keep this short, my plan is to build a shopify page along with social meda pages. Run FB ads, contests(give away around 10 pre-production boxes, drive traffic to my shopify landing page to build a subscriber list. When I am comfortable with my numbers I will start the sourcing/fulfillment and gets things underway.

With this plan, I will be driving traffic to a shopify with no stock. Will this turn people off? Is there a better way to gain confidence in this type of market?

Thanks!
 

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