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This is my story (eCom, liquidation event, RE, more)

ecommerce_lovin

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Hey guys,

I have been a lurker here on this forum for the past couple months. I just want to thank everyone who drops golden nuggets all over this forum. I could not be where I am at without this forum. I made a little video to show you guys who I am and what I have done so far in my entrepreneurial career. Let me know what you guys think!

Special thanks to @Andy Black for everything he has done for my e-commerce site.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e5fDzaCHEw&t=8s
 
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ecommerce_lovin

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Hey Guys,

Like I mentioned above, I am going to turn this thread into what I am doing right now with Etsy and how easy it is to make money as a beginner. I am all about taking action if you want to see results. (GRIND until you get to where you want to be)

Etsy is 100 times easier than Shopify drop shipping or Amazon FBA. Instead of having to:
1. Build an entire website (That converts)
2. Drive traffic to that website by spending money on Ads you don't know will convert
3. Build an email list to drive people to your Amazon listings by paying for FB ads
4. Implementing email funnels to drive repeat customers

Etsy offers free traffic, built-in retargeting methods, and easy ways to rank your products in their search. Which means no ad spend or anything like that to start generating sales and cash flow.

In this video, I go over what Etsy is, and some basic Etsy SEO while showing what other sellers on Etsy are doing to rank and get sales. In the next videos to come I will layout the follower steps you need to take to get your Etsy Company started:

1. Finding a profitable Niche on Etsy
2. Sourcing products to sell on Etsy
3. Optimizing your Etsy listing and shop profile
4. How to retarget past customer inside of the Etsy platform
4. How to scale your Etsy shop within-platform ads, influencer marketing, and build-in Etsy google shopping and FB ads.
5. Etsy Blue Print to making 100k per year

Etsy, in my eyes, is the easiest way for anyone that wants to get into e-commerce right now with zero knowledge. By no means is it passive income, but once you get everything set up and running, Etsy takes care of the rest for you!

I hope you enjoy the video and please shoot me a PM if you have any questions :)

View: https://youtu.be/BihS-w8b5ZQ
 

MJ DeMarco

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Your first six-figure liquidation event at 19, damn!

Welcome aboard.
 

ecommerce_lovin

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Great video man. Would love to see a more In depth video on how you started your first eBay business if you have the time.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for watching and the kind words.

I am going to start posting an Etsy series on how to start a shop. Etsy is the easiest platform to make money in 2018. Low competition, higher margins, very easy to rank (kind of like Amazon fba in 2014-2015) and low upfront costs. Like I said I make an extra 100k a year on Etsy and put little to no effort into it.

I will post the links in this thread if you guys are interested in watching!
 
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ecommerce_lovin

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Welcome to the asalyum brother!

Nice intro...

Since you asked for comments, I guess I’ll be the guy that asks the questions. I’m interested in how you decided on your product(s) for your target niche on your shopify business and your process to acquire those products. Are you importing or buying wholesale and can you tell us a little bit about what that process has been like? If you’re dealing with manufacturers, what have been some of the pitfalls. What have been the issues you’ve stumbled on with that?

Thanks dude and nice to meet you!


Hey, great questions!

1. To find my niche I jumped on instagram and started following as many businesses as possible. I tracked 5 business that I thought I could get into. Over the next 2 months, I watched everything those companies did. (Product launches, customer service, got in their email lists, made sure to get on their facebook pixel so I saw how they retargeted customer, ect..) I then narrowed it down to 2 niches. I found competitors in those niches and did the above for about a month. I then made my decision.

2. I source all of my products from China and have been since 14 years old. It's all about making relationships with agents that work for factories in China. I have had the same agent for the past 3 years and she helps me get samples and source from top factories. (Shoot me a DM if you need help sourcing, it's probably one of my top traits)

3. The biggest issue I have run into is damaged goods. I have lost thousands of dollars because of this issue. I would get a sample from a supplier, everything looks good and then once I order a large shipment the quality is nothing close to what the sample was. I learned how to negotiate with factories much easier in the past couple of years, to try and stop this issue from happening.

Another issue is shipping times and trying to keep items in stock. China seems to have a lot of holidays where the factories are closed. I have learned over the past couple of years how to systematically know when and how much I need to order to keep things in stock.

Let me know if you have any other questions! Thanks for reaching out :)
 

MJ DeMarco

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Be careful with ETSY. I’ve heard horror stories from successful entrepreneurs that started on Etsy doing big numbers only to have their stores shut down because they weren’t “Indy” enough or were too commercial. I guess that’s any 3 party site that you’re sacrificing control over.

COMMANDMENT OF CONTROL!

Let me know if you have any questions, just shoot me a Dm.

Please, Dm with any questions.

@ecommerce_lovin -- having people "DM" you with questions does not help the forum.

There might be dozens of others who have the same question.

When you don't answer questions publicly and instead respond with all "DM me" it's a major red flag that this is a lead generator/sales funnel for a later pitch. I hope that's not the case.

This is a forum for sharing information in a question/answer format -- not question/private DM.

Hope this makes sense. Thanks!
 

Andy Black

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Just for posterity.

What I like about it:
  • There's consistent branding (of your face and the layout).
  • You've done enough branding and graphic design to just get started already.
  • You haven't agonised over channel names.
  • I'm guessing you did a bit of research to come up with the titles for the videos.
  • We get a ringside seat watching your YouTube channel grow.

upload_2018-3-11_21-8-7.png
 

ecommerce_lovin

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Hey guys!

Here is the next video in my Etsy Series. In the video, I go over how to find a profitable niche and what tool I use. This is step one in starting an Etsy shop. The next video I will go over how to source the product! I hope you learn something from this video!

Etsy Keyword Tool: http://bit.ly/marmaleadetsy


Let me know if you have any questions, just shoot a comment below.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-pZ_c0aB4U&t=25s
 
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amp0193

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Hey Guys,

Like I mentioned above, I am going to turn this thread into what I am doing right now with Etsy and how easy it is to make money as a beginner.

My last business should've pulled 6-figs in sales a year from Etsy, but I could never get the "trick" figured out. No matter what I did my rank was abysmal across all products. I ended up turning my focus to other channels.

There is opportunity on the platform in that many top Etsy sellers have poor photography and listings (but maybe this is part of the appeal to buyers??)

There is also opportunity for you, as an educator in this space, in that articles/info/tips on selling on Etsy are virtually non-existent online, at least as of a year ago they weren't.
 
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ecommerce_lovin

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Hey guys!

Here is the next video in my Etsy Series. In the video, I go over what sites to use to test a product and then what site to use once that product is in need of being mass produced. I also share what apps I use to help speed up the process when communicating with suppliers in China. I end the video talking about a way to Print on Demand with a certain website which is essentially dropshipping but from a supplier in the US.

Sorry, this video was a little rushed. I need to get home and pack for an early Vegas trip. Heading out there for the NCAA tournament. Big college basketball fan! I will be back in my office Sunday and will drop the next video in the series.

Please, comment below with any questions. Sourcing products from China is probably my biggest strength in e-commerce. I have a fleet of Chinese agents that I have built relationships with from the age of 14. These agents can find me the best factory for any product that I may need. So please reach out with any questions!

Have a good night!

View: https://youtu.be/3lwfkcPF2Eo
 
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Andy Black

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Hey guys,

I have been a lurker here on this forum for the past couple months. I just want to thank everyone who drops golden nuggets all over this forum. I could not be where I am at without this forum. I made a little video to show you guys who I am and what I have done so far in my entrepreneurial career. Let me know what you guys think!

Special thanks to @Andy Black for everything he has done for my e-commerce site.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4e5fDzaCHEw&t=8s
Ha. Nice intro. Never seen it done by video. Congrats on your success to date. Impressive.

I like this style of video where you keep on topic with a few bullet points, where you show the bullet points, and where you have a talking head in the corner. I did one recently and it’s much more appealing to see people when they talk. I’m going to start doing more of these soon.

You might want to check out @Fox ’s YouTube progress thread.

Thanks for the shoutout. Glad to help you on AdWords. Interesting how you approached folks on Instagram. I’m curious how paid search fits into your overall strategy? How do all the marketing channels dove tail into each other?

I’ll get round to doing a bit of eCom some day. It looks like fun.

Super clever that you’re building a subscription business. Does Shopify help you manage the repeat orders?
 

ecommerce_lovin

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Your first six-figure liquidation event at 19, damn!

Welcome aboard.

Thank you so much! This forum is amazing, I cannot believe how many lives you must have changed. Both of your books have helped me so much in my journey.

Like I said above, I am starting an Etsy Series on Youtube, is it okay for me to posts to those videos here in this thread?

Etsy is the wild wild west right now and it is super easy for beginners to make money on the platform. I think this series could help a lot of beginners on this forum.
 

ZeroTo100

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Welcome to the asalyum brother!

Nice intro...

Since you asked for comments, I guess I’ll be the guy that asks the questions. I’m interested in how you decided on your product(s) for your target niche on your shopify business and your process to acquire those products. Are you importing or buying wholesale and can you tell us a little bit about what that process has been like? If you’re dealing with manufacturers, what have been some of the pitfalls. What have been the issues you’ve stumbled on with that?

Thanks dude and nice to meet you!
 
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Iammelissamoore

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Welcome to the forum,

A Video? THAT has got to be the best intro, AND you delved directly into what you've accomplished and the valuable lessons. Excellent.

You clearly did your homework, along with utilising your knowledg to build your success, and your process, process, process is crystal clear. You got your feet wet, you observed, you made your errors, you learnt, you reapplied yourself, you succeeded and continued the process, now you're sharing healthy information.

Thank you for your information, but moreso, I wish you continued success along your journey. Thanks for sharing the information, absolutely subbed.
 
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ecommerce_lovin

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Hi Mark @ecommerce_lovin , impressive thread! I used to sell on the Etsy platform some months back, but the store got closed down out of the blue. I guessed the reason was that Etsy only allowed handmade items and my products back then were manufactured by another company.

Is this still the case now? Also, I think dropshipping is not allowed in Etsy right?

Another issue I've with Etsy is that it seems we need to pay lots of $$$ to win the SEO game on the Etsy platform. There's even Etsy sellers selling services for $500+ that offers to get you to the top of the search results etc. It seems to be all about outsmarting the Etsy "algorithm" like how SEO on Google has all these complex convoluted arcane techniques like backlinks, keyword density and all that sh*t.

I'm thinking of trying Etsy again to drive all traffic to my website.

Hey! Thanks for the reply and kind words. I have heard of a few Etsy shops getting shut down but I heard it was from selling fakes or patented products.

I source and sell all of my products from China. The best way to dropship on Etsy is a method called print on demand. In my last video, I showed a shop who has made 163,000+ sales by selling t-shirts for $26+. There is no other marketplace where you can sell t-shirts for this price online.

Selling online no matter what marketplace or even your own e-commerce website is all about rankings. Google SEO, Amazon SEO, Etsy SEO, Ebay SEO. It's all about figuring out how to game the system. In terms of Etsy, I think I have mastered "gaming" Etsy SEO. Etsy SEO is MUCH easier than any other platform at this time.
 
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ZeroTo100

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I’ll get round to doing a bit of eCom some day. It looks like fun.

Super clever that you’re building a subscription business. Does Shopify help you manage the repeat orders?

You and me both brother (ecommerce). Yep, shopify has a plug-in that allows recurring billing made for subscription services.

I am going to start posting an Etsy series on how to start a shop. Etsy is the easiest platform to make money in 2018. Low competition, higher margins, very easy to rank (kind of like Amazon fba in 2014-2015) and low upfront costs. Like I said I make an extra 100k a year on Etsy and put little to no effort into it.

I will post the links in this thread if you guys are interested in watching!

Be careful with ETSY. I’ve heard horror stories from successful entrepreneurs that started on Etsy doing big numbers only to have their stores shut down because they weren’t “Indy” enough or were too commercial. I guess that’s any 3 party site that you’re sacrificing control over.
 

Envision

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How are you generating 5k/mo on your niche site in just a couple of months? Google sandbox would take a few months to even begin ranking you.

Im not calling bs or anything but i have quite a few niche sites and to nonchalantly say 5k/mo in a couple months off a niche site I'd love to hear more details and see some screenshots because thats unheard of unless you're running a PBN/blackhat techniques.
 
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So, I took a look at your Etsy site and viewed a few of your products. A lot of the reviews look to be fake or at least bought. (brand new accounts, no likes or favorites by the buyers, multiple reviews from the same people named "Harrison Ford", etc.)

Are you doing give-a-ways or something to get so many reviews so fast?

In your videos you say that 1 review is about 10 sales from your experience.

But you have 454 reviews out of 2711 sales, which is about 6-1?

Is this part of the ranking hack similar to Amazon?

More sales + more reviews + On page SEO = higher in results?
 

MJ DeMarco

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Walter Hay

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I have watched the videos, and the ones relating to Etsy contain some great information, and could be of great help to many Fastlane members. It would probably be a good idea to make notes as you view them.

I'm sorry to say that this is not the case with the last video dealing with sourcing from China.

I had a distinct feeling of déjà vu while watching this one. There was an uncanny resemblance to the story and methods as portrayed in Will Mitchell's videos and StartupBros blog.

I don't want to seem negative, but for the sake of newbies reading this thread I would point out that:
  • There is no mention of filtering your searches on either Aliexpress or Alibaba, both of which require substantial due diligence care before jumping in.
  • The hasty approach to sourcing could easily end in tears. (Marry in haste - repent at your leisure.)
  • Dealing with agents for manufacturers is a poor substitute for dealing with the real manufacturer.
I could have a lot more to say, but I would like to suggest that rather than rely on the very sketchy sourcing advice in the video, it would be a good idea to learn at least the basics of safe sourcing and importing.

There is a lot of free and in-depth advice available on my thread:
GOLD! Sharing my lifetime experience in export/import. Product sourcing specialist.

Walter
 
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blakkbox

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Excellent intro thread. Read this thread and opened an Etsy store today because of it, using Printful to upload some designs I'd created awhile back for tees (graphic designer by trade). Should be a fun experiment. Now if I can figure out how to rank and get traffic / sales.


Update Friday (36hrs later): made my first 3 sales already... hell ya!
 
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Impressive belated intro @ecommerce_lovin

Great video man. Would love to see a more In depth video on how you started your first eBay business if you have the time.
Or something along the lines of general tips and pitfalls to watch out for.
(Subscribed for when it does come out.)
 

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Thanks for watching and the kind words.

I am going to start posting an Etsy series on how to start a shop. Etsy is the easiest platform to make money in 2018. Low competition, higher margins, very easy to rank (kind of like Amazon fba in 2014-2015) and low upfront costs. Like I said I make an extra 100k a year on Etsy and put little to no effort into it.

I will post the links in this thread if you guys are interested in watching!

That would be much appreciated man.

Look forward to it.
 

ecommerce_lovin

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Just for posterity.

What I like about it:
  • There's consistent branding (of your face and the layout).
  • You've done enough branding and graphic design to just get started already.
  • You haven't agonised over channel names.
  • I'm guessing you did a bit of research to come up with the titles for the videos.
  • We get a ringside seat watching your YouTube channel grow.

View attachment 18533

Thank you so much! It means a lot. Anyone who needs help with google adwords he is the go-to guy for me :)
 
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ecommerce_lovin

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My last business should've pulled 6-figs in sales a year from Etsy, but I could never get the "trick" figured out. No matter what I did my rank was abysmal across all products. I ended up turning my focus to other areas.

There is opportunity on the platform in that many top Etsy sellers have poor photography and listings (but maybe this is part of the appeal to buyers??)

There is also opportunity for you, as an educator in this space, in that articles/info/tips on selling on Etsy are virtually non-existent online, at least as of a year ago they weren't.

2018 is a year to jump on Etsy. The new CEO they brought on mid-2017 is all about growth. Q4 of 2017 they did 1 Billion in sales.

I have figured out a few ways on how to rank on Etsy relatively easily. Let me know if you'd like to give the platform another try!
 

ecommerce_lovin

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Welcome. Impressive intro. I look forward to learning about your Etsy program. I'm working on selling custom tables and I see quite a few people selling them on Etsy.

That is a perfect item to sell on Etsy. Over the next week or two, I will have 4-5 more videos on all the steps you need to take to be successful on Etsy. I will post the videos in this thread!
 

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@ecommerce_lovin Welcome to the forum. I am always amazed by someone your age who has been so successful. At your age I was just trying to figure out how to get to the weekend so I could get out to the clubs.

I guess that's why I'm in the place I am now and learing something new from someone half my age. Kudos to you. I'll definitely be following your videos. One thing you could do for me though...try not to say "um" so many times. Just a pet peeve of mine. It really distracts from a presentation.

Thanks for the posts!
 

ecommerce_lovin

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So, I took a look at your Etsy site and viewed a few of your products. A lot of the reviews look to be fake or at least bought. (brand new accounts, no likes or favorites by the buyers, multiple reviews from the same people named "Harrison Ford", etc.)

Are you doing give-a-ways or something to get so many reviews so fast?

In your videos you say that 1 review is about 10 sales from your experience.

But you have 454 reviews out of 2711 sales, which is about 6-1?

Is this part of the ranking hack similar to Amazon?

More sales + more reviews + On page SEO = higher in results?

Hey good questions. I can get into more detail about this when I am back from my trip, but here is my quick answer.

Most of my customers are the first time buyers that saw my products on google shopping campaigns. So they do not have likes and favorites. Etsy is in a big growth period and they are investing heavily in SEO and advertising campaigns to try and acquire new buyers. Orders are one factor that Etsy uses to move you up in the rankings yes. My next video will be on Etsy SEO.

In terms of the orders to review ratio, it depends on the niche. The 454 reviews to 2711 account is one of my 4 Etsy accounts. The other accounts get 13-1, 9-1, and 10-1.

Please follow up if you need more info.
 

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