# Good time for Online Business?



## from_wa (Mar 10, 2014)

What's all your thoughts on the business climate?

Details ...
I am looking at an online business that is for sale. The business has been was started a few years ago. While there is an online store, the main business is a manufactured product. Last year there was, in my opinion, good sales for being a part time business. The manufactured product has both retail and wholesale sales. The online store is selling items at a competitive price to like stores (including in some cases, Amazon). The online store sells thing that would be good in a up and down economy (homestead/gardening/prep items).

I already have some ideas to expand the manufactured area of the business as well as promote the online store. I have also thought of opening a brick and mortar store at my home (zoning allows that).

I would have to take a loan to purchase the business. I know that is not the best idea but will need to without taping retirement. I want to keep my cash savings for operating capital. We can run the business as a family, which would allow me minimize expenses, to keep my engineering job till the loan is paid off (1 year) and get the business to a level I can leave my job.

My main concern is the economic outlook moving forward. I feel we have a few good years left but am concerned about a continued slow down moving forward. I still have 15+ years to work but do not see me doing my current work that long.

I know this is kinda jumbled, but any thought would be appreciated.


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## Homesteader1 (Oct 19, 2011)

Wow! Their are literally thousands of websites and web businesses on sale and it gets to be tricky. I don't have alot of info details to go by but, you can have the best site on the planet, but if you do not have truck loads of targeted traffic going to the site daily than it's just another site. I've been doing this for some time now, it is how I own my homestead. Your can check it out *HERE* Again I'm not sure what your product or nich is so it is difficult to directions. The few that will always be a market for is HEALTH, WEALTH, WELLNESS, RELATIONSHIPS. The business model I've used for years is on my blog because it works and everything is done for you. You have over 10,000 products in your store complete with web pages, up-sells whatever. you can choose one, ten, 20, what ever you want. Sorry for rambling.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Regardless of the economic conditions, some things always do well. Alcohol and tobacco, for instance. Basic food. You seem to think that homesteading/gardening/prep are economic proof. I don&#8217;t know, but you can probably divide those items into luxury and necessity. Once you have people on the site, what can you sell them that they can&#8217;t get anywhere else, or would have to keep searching for? For instance, along with prep items you can sell books, both paper and e. Once on your site, keep people there. Don&#8217;t send them to Amazon to buy any of your products if you can help it. Large items can be drop shipped, so you don&#8217;t have to pay for shipping to you and again away from you (or just to you), and you don&#8217;t have to store them. Drop shipping is a great way for you to not spend money, since you don&#8217;t have to buy wholesale, you just act as a broker.


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## MoonRiver (Sep 2, 2007)

Why buy it?

Could you create your own store to do the same thing?

Trick question! If you can start it yourself, it means there is nothing special about the store and anyone can copy it and compete with you.

So what, if anything, is unique about the business?


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## Homesteader1 (Oct 19, 2011)

competition is good. The trick is causing a traffic jam at your site. You need to be in front of the traffic. I just updated my site. *Check it out *click on I love my homestead scroll down the page you'll see it.


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