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I made a sample and sold it quickly, but still skeptical. Is there enough feedback?

Strm

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Hey guys.

I came up with a simple idea, took a simple product and added a funny text on it. I received the sample a couple days ago, posted in the FB marketplace and today I received a message and a person wants to buy it. I will send it to her tomorrow.

When I had this idea, I thought it has pretty much potential. My plan was to make 3-4 different texts and start in my home country, then move outside and make the text in some other languages too. I love humour and want to make people laugh with this. But then I started doubting again because the product itself is quite random.. When I got the message today I was really surprised and happy though. Also the post on FB got a lot of laughing emotions. But that doesn't mean anything, right..?

I haven't seen anything quite like my product before. I had to work to get it done and learned new skills along the way. I am in Estonia so it's possible to start here, then maybe slowly make the same product in finnish and latvian etc. and in the meantime also in English and sell it on Amazon. The scale is there, but it's also not very difficult for others to start the same thing. But I shouldn't worry about others, right?

If the first sale is already in the bag, maybe there's something in it? Could it be that I provide enough value just with a funny text?
 
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One sale doesn't say much. Buy 10/20/50/100 and see how fast they sell. Then you'll have your answer.
 

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Same as above,plus, if you make a enough profit then try trademark your text.
 
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Hey guys.

I came up with a simple idea, took a simple product and added a funny text on it. I received the sample a couple days ago, posted in the FB marketplace and today I received a message and a person wants to buy it. I will send it to her tomorrow.

When I had this idea, I thought it has pretty much potential. My plan was to make 3-4 different texts and start in my home country, then move outside and make the text in some other languages too. I love humour and want to make people laugh with this. But then I started doubting again because the product itself is quite random.. When I got the message today I was really surprised and happy though. Also the post on FB got a lot of laughing emotions. But that doesn't mean anything, right..?

I haven't seen anything quite like my product before. I had to work to get it done and learned new skills along the way. I am in Estonia so it's possible to start here, then maybe slowly make the same product in finnish and latvian etc. and in the meantime also in English and sell it on Amazon. The scale is there, but it's also not very difficult for others to start the same thing. But I shouldn't worry about others, right?

If the first sale is already in the bag, maybe there's something in it? Could it be that I provide enough value just with a funny text?
Make five more
 

Strm

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Make a few more and then see.

Thanks @biophase
You've been a huge inspiration.

I just had one of these and to sell more I should make a bigger order, but I'd really love to get more feedback. Maybe I should make some more posts with the same product and if people are interested, I'll just say that it just got sold? Or is it too unethical :D


One sale doesn't say much. Buy 10/20/50/100 and see how fast they sell. Then you'll have your answer.

Thank you for your time, @Creed , really appreciate it.

That's why I'm still skeptical. I think the minimum amount that I can order is 150, probably can get it around 100 if I'm willing to take a hit on the price. I've got another project going on that took a lot of money and is really hard to scale (but is slowly generating the money back) so I don't want to hurry this time.
 
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Strm

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Make five more

Thanks for taking the time, @Vigilante!

I think the best way now is to try and sell the one I already sold. :D To keep posting it on FB and to get it infront of as many eyes as possible. And if enough people want to buy I will politely say it is out of stock or something similar, then start to consider making the bigger order and getting the business started.
 
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Thanks for taking the time, @Vigilante!

I think the best way now is to try and sell the one I already sold. :D To keep posting it on FB and to get it infront of as many eyes as possible. And if enough people want to buy I will politely say it is out of stock or something similar, then start to consider making the bigger order and getting the business started.

You were able to make one, so you can make another 5? Why can't you just make another 5, why does it have to be 100?
 

Strm

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You were able to make one, so you can make another 5? Why can't you just make another 5, why does it have to be 100?

Are you talking about 5 sales or 5 products? I did not make the product myself, I designed it and ordered one sample from the factory. I can't order only 5 of them.
 

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I think the best way now is to try and sell the one I already sold. :D To keep posting it on FB and to get it infront of as many eyes as possible. And if enough people want to buy I will politely say it is out of stock or something similar, then start to consider making the bigger order and getting the business started.
Another way you can validate the concept is through taking pre-orders.

Post the product photo of the one you sold and advertise it by saying something like, "Preorder your __[item]__ for __[$price]__ and receive it in __[14 days or however long it will take you to make it]__."

That's a way to keep your potential customers' momentum high, as people who place a pre-order for something already expect it to take a while before they receive it. If you "sell" the one that's already sold and then tell people you're out of stock, it can deflate their hopes and they may be more likely to change their mind by the time the order comes in. Setting accurate expectations is a huge part of keeping happy customers.
 
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Assuming this is a printable product (t-shirt, mug, etc), just google print on demand companies or go on aliexpress, you should be able to order the quantity you want.
 

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Are you talking about 5 sales or 5 products? I did not make the product myself, I designed it and ordered one sample from the factory. I can't order only 5 of them.

Oh I see, you didn't make the sample yourself. I guess you could post it on Facebook and maybe take preorders? What is the turnaround time for the factory to make it?

You can always tell the factory you need 5 more samples for testing.
 

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I can't order only 5 of them.

I would change this thought to "how can I order only 5 more of them"

Without knowing all the details, there's a high chance you have all the leverage. If they made 1 sample; often faster since re-using molds, etc. etc.

Like @biophase , ask for 5 more 'samples'. Again, you likely have most of the leverage without even knowing it.
 
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You can also just post fake listing, with a fake account on Facebook and see if there's more traction.
It's used a lot in RE.
Fake it until you make it
 

Strm

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Oh I see, you didn't make the sample yourself. I guess you could post it on Facebook and maybe take preorders? What is the turnaround time for the factory to make it?

You can always tell the factory you need 5 more samples for testing.

Yeah, I guess I misused some words. I will be back home next week and then I can touch and see the quality of the product myself (right now in Sweden working).

Anyways, I have a small piece of new feedback - someone commented and asked about a different text on the product. It was actually a great idea and gave me some completely new thoughts.
The text is made for a certain group of people and I can make it for different groups - which helps the marketing too. So it is not random at all and carefully thought about.

I really want to try it out on Amazon, because I've never done anything there and I'm definitely not afraid to fail (or succeed) - but want to learn as much as possible. So if the quality is good, I will start to work on the texts and make them in English.


Assuming this is a printable product (t-shirt, mug, etc), just google print on demand companies or go on aliexpress, you should be able to order the quantity you want.

Actually no, it isn't as easy as this. The company that is making the original product needs to add the text to it while manufacturing. Thanks for taking the time to answer!
 
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how much is it to order 150?
what is the potential profit?
 

Strm

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how much is it to order 150?
what is the potential profit?

I got a quote for 200 some weeks ago and it was 13.5USD per piece. That was with shipping to Estonia also. Customs tax and VAT should also be on top of this.
Not sure about the price to send it to US yet, so have to figure all of this out when I'm happy with the quality (I have one sample left for this waiting for me). Also the cardboard box is another expense.
I sold the first one for 45EUR (around 50USD). I've checked this product on Amazon and I could probably list it for 40USD, 50 may be too much. That's just from the top of my head, I could be totally wrong. But I'm dying to find out.
 

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40-13.5 / 40 = 66% that might be good with no other costs.
what are those other costs? is it $2 or $5?

why send 200 to estonia? go see them in the factory / have them inspected. then ship direct to US?

200 x 13.5 = $2700 .... is that a lot to you?
 
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Strm

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40-13.5 / 40 = 66% that might be good with no other costs.
what are those other costs? is it $2 or $5?

why send 200 to estonia? go see them in the factory / have them inspected. then ship direct to US?

200 x 13.5 = $2700 .... is that a lot to you?

Thanks. I was planning to start here in Estonia, but I believe Amazon would be better actually, so straight to US.
I have no idea about the tax and customs systems in the US at this point so not 100% sure about the costs on top of the product.

Well, I am going to work hard for the rest of the year and I can save some money during those months. My other business is generating some income so I hope I have to fund only half max from my own savings. It is a lot actually but I am pretty comfortable to throw money at my business projects though. Which is weird.
 

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I got a quote for 200 some weeks ago and it was 13.5USD per piece. That was with shipping to Estonia also. Customs tax and VAT should also be on top of this.
Not sure about the price to send it to US yet, so have to figure all of this out when I'm happy with the quality (I have one sample left for this waiting for me). Also the cardboard box is another expense.
I sold the first one for 45EUR (around 50USD). I've checked this product on Amazon and I could probably list it for 40USD, 50 may be too much. That's just from the top of my head, I could be totally wrong. But I'm dying to find out.

$13.50 to sell for $40 on Amazon is just barely enough margin. I'd say it's 50/50 on if it will be successful just based on price.

Having no idea on its size and weight, I'm going to assume it will cost you $5 each to send to the US into an Amazon warehouse. So you have a cost of $18.50. Selling on Amazon for $40 will net you around $28. So you have a profit of $9.50 per unit with no PPC costs or storage costs. So it's decent, but again we don't know anything about its competitiveness or search volume.
 

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