I have considered selling products online. However, the issue is that I have already invested a significant amount of money into my business. Now, if I were to download an app or affiliate myself with a company, I would need to invest additional funds. It is not feasible for me to invest any more money.
I thought about selling products on Quikr. There are a few people here who do their business on Quikr. But as I have already mentioned, I don't want to invest my money into unnecessary things. I don't want customers to approach me with product-related issues after I sell them the product on Quikr. I am okay with selling products to people I know personally, but I am not comfortable selling products to unknown individuals.
II have thought about selling products online. But if I have to invest 30,000-40,000 rupees to sell my products online, I won't be able to do that. As I have already mentioned, people from Justdial came to me and asked me to pay an amount of 15,000 rupees in order to sell products on their platform. I didn't want to pay that amount. Instead of paying 15,000 rupees to them, I can buy products worth 15,000 rupees and earn a profit by selling them at my shop. I can't wait for Justdial to find me customers. I don't think many people use Justdial. That's why I am not interested in investing my money into Justdial.
I haven't had the opportunity to sell products on Amazon or Flipkart. But if I do get this opportunity, I will definitely consider investing my money and selling products on these online shopping platforms. I know that I will be able to sell my products on Amazon and Flipkart. But the thing is that people won't buy products from me. They will buy products directly from the company because they can avail benefits and discount offers in that way. The thing is that the quality of the products available on Amazon is known to Amazon and the company to which those products belong. People like us wouldn't know the quality of those products.
I had previously listed my shop online, but I have now removed it. Specifically, I had listed it on Justdial. What I mean is that I had created a website for my shop. There was someone who had listed it on a website. The website was active for 6 months, but then it was cancelled. There was someone, someone who specializes in building websites. Yes, they created a website for my shop and assured me that it would be available online, specifically on Google. They mentioned that they would publish it. Yes, they showed it to me. They simply listed it and explained that if someone were to search for it, my shop would appear in the search results. Potential customers could then visit my shop or contact me. This happened around 2015, more specifically in 2015-2016. Unfortunately, the website is no longer available, I believe it has been shut down. I have checked and it is no longer accessible.
No, I didn't put my shop on Amazon or Flipkart. There's no online marketing. You are the first person who has come to talk to me.
Yes, my shop is on Google Maps. We have entered that the Sleepwell mattress will be found in Fafamoa, so a customer can sit at home and search where the Sleepwell mattress is available. Then they will see that the mattress is available at Vinayak Furniture, so they will come to us. I have added it to Google Maps since day 1. I see that the online market is working very well in today's date. An educated person who doesn't have much time will not visit 4 places; they will rather search for feedback on the mattress online. If I talk about the feedback of Vinayak Furniture, you might not believe it. You can check on the internet whether Vinayak Furniture has a 5-star rating or not. Then the customer will also believe that the Sleepwell mattress is good here. They will check in which area the Sleepwell mattress is available, and then they will see that it is available at Vinayak Furniture, so they will come to me. If I don't add it to the internet, how will the customer know? No, sometimes I see the reviews and ratings. I have also added my shop on Just Dial, and it is working there as well.
The shop is available online almost everywhere. Just Dial, Google page. There is India Mart. I don't have a website. It is an online page.
For vendors, I searched on India Mart and Just Dial. However, India Mart is more preferable. There are a few categories like verified and all. So we can determine if they can be trusted or not through that. We don't verify it through just one thing. First, we try to find someone nearby. And then, if someone is from Mumbai or Delhi, we send them an email or call them to inquire about them. To see the products, we have everything divided into catalogs. We simply provide the name of a particular company and the catalog number of a product, and it retrieves that specific product. There is no difference in quality, even if the product is from a specific brand, such as L&T. So we provide them with the catalog number, ensuring that it is the same product and nothing else.
India Mart has a paid subscription plan as well and If you buy that once then the type of enquiries that I am getting it comes on search basis. For example if your are searching something and if you specially go to my profile and contact me then you can do it. And if you take a paid subscription then if you search about a particular product then India Mart will immediately suggest you my profile. That this seller is willing this particular product. So you can immediately call me and if you have any enquiry then you can ask me.
I have tried Amazon Seller and I am on India Mart, Just dial, almost on all the platforms. I was there for some time and then I wasn't there. I can't say specifically which one is best for my business, but Amazon also has some cons like a high commission. India Mart is a good thing because it doesn't have any premium; I do have to pay a premium. I have to take a subscription, and as I told you, India Mart also has a small problem, which I will call only a small problem. And India Mart can clear it in the coming year. So I can say India Mart is a good platform. And then Google is there, which directly gives you results.
I am talking about Amazon sellers. Even if I set the lowest price, I still don't appear in the top spot in searches. I don't know what this feature is. Moreover, their customer support is also difficult. I can't call them with a single click. It takes time when you have to add new products. Another problem is that if I want to change the information about a certain product, such as the photo or description, it's not easy to do so. Let me tell you what happened because of this. I received an order from Gujarat for a small product. The photo and name were different. I think this can confuse the customer. If I have complete knowledge about the product, then I can understand. So, I received an inquiry and sent him the product, but he returned it a few days later. He mentioned that the photo was different from what was shown. Amazon charges us for shipping if the product is returned, around 40, 50, or 60 rupees. This is a bit problematic because the high commission already narrows the profit margin. For example, if I have a profit margin of 10 to 12 percent, Amazon keeps around 8% and the rest goes towards the shipping cost, leaving me with just 1 to 2 percent.
I guess Amazon people only called me. They must have taken out the information about me from Google. So I registered in Amazon at that time. I have put the product in Amazon and have sold it as well but haven't got much benefit. I tried for almost 2 to 1.5 years. Amazon is also good but I think it's better for the giant sellers. People who are sitting in Delhi, Bombay who are already their vendors.
I have received reviews about my shop on Google maps. Unfortunately, due to a technical glitch, it is showing as Closed in maps. The actual reason is that there is a company called Just Dial that provides star ratings to shops. It seems that Just Dial has made a mistake in this case. They have created three listings using my number. One listing was created in my name in Sultanpur, and another one was created in someone else's name. When I checked the company yesterday, it incorrectly showed as permanently closed. I immediately raised a query to rectify this error. I had a promotional offer from Just Dial in the past, where I received a one-month trial for free. However, it seems that the person handling my account at Just Dial was not trustworthy. They used my number improperly, manipulating different IDs and causing confusion. I started receiving calls from people asking if I am Super Electronics in Sultanpur, but I had to clarify that I am Sri Electronics. This confusion resulted in the incorrect "permanently closed" status. Now, if you search for Sri Electronics on Google Maps, you will find it. However, due to my inactivity on the platform, I haven't received many reviews. Unfortunately, the reviews I do have are not reliable, as people often create fake reviews or ask others to write reviews for them. In this business, what truly matters are the local area, the quality of service provided by the electricians, our behavior towards customers, and our inventory. These are the aspects that make a real difference.
We also sell our products online. We used to sell on Meeshoo and Flipkart, but we have stopped selling on both platforms now. Unfortunately, we experienced some losses during that time. Let me explain what used to happen when we were selling on Meeshoo. We would send the products from our end, but they didn't provide any training on packaging or instructions. After registering, they would assign us a 10% product line, and we would receive orders through email, without any phone calls. If we failed to check our email and a product was returned or not confirmed, we would be penalized. Additionally, if a customer returned a product for any reason, such as issues with packaging or simply changing their mind, we would be fined Rs. 400. Even though I didn't earn 400 rupees, there were 4 products returned in a month, resulting in a loss for me. The company didn't take any responsibility for this, and they didn't support us with packaging either. It was just a person coming to pick up the products and taking their share of the profit, while we had to wait for our payment for 20 days. The customer paid Meeshoo immediately, but they deducted their fees and transferred the remaining amount to me after 15 days. I realized this was causing a loss for my business, so I decided to close it. Moreover, it's not practical to expect everyone to check their email regularly, especially with so much technology available. It's challenging to keep up with updating the catalogue and managing everything alone. Should I hire an employee just to handle that? Just like you have shown your catalogue online, we have an induction process for new customers, but sometimes the products are not in stock, and I still end up getting fined stating why have you not maintained stock? So we stopped because of these problems.
Yes, we were also selling on Flipkart. The people who provide training from above, a girl would call and say, sir, do this, do that. They don't explain anything when they come here. We would understand some things, but not everything, so why should we do it? If we don't understand, why waste time? Either come here or send a permanent person for training. In the beginning, they promised to provide support and training, but they didn't fulfill that promise. And during registration, they would call you multiple times, saying sir, take this, there is a lot of profit, etc. However, when it comes to packaging and payment, there is no support. Whatever support they offer, you have to email them and wait for a reply for four days. Who has so much time to email back and forth? Either they should hire a permanent employee, maintain a certain amount of stock, or provide minimum rates and stock availability, but that's not possible. They don't want to spend anything. On top of that, they take a fixed 5% or 10% cut, and Meesho takes 6% of the amount. When a product was returned and we were fined, they still received their 6%. They claim they provided the courier, but who will pay for that? These are the reasons why I incurred losses and decided to stop selling through them.
I want to connect with Amazon so that people can discover us beyond Pratapgarh. By leveraging technology, we can expand our reach and connect with people outside our local area. This will enable people to connect with us and benefit from our services, even if they are not in Pratapgarh. Our connection has already brought satisfaction to the children.
I listed my store on Amazon, but at that time we only had one staff member and couldn't manage it. Amazon informed us that they would send us orders, but we were unable to fulfill them due to a lack of staff. However, we are now capable of handling it. If we reconnect with Amazon, we will be able to fulfill orders. It is also part of our future plan to do so. Yes, we did receive orders from Amazon, but we couldn't deliver them because we didn't have enough employees. This shortage of staff was a significant challenge for us. Additionally, we were facing difficulties due to my father's health issues. As a result, our shop was frequently closed during that time, causing us to encounter various problems. Unfortunately, during that period, my grandfather passed away and my father fell ill. This forced us to temporarily abandon the Amazon store. However, we still receive calls from Amazon, and we are determined to resume working with them. We have our ID and if you are interested, we can collaborate together to fulfill orders.
I don’t think people will go through Just Dial and come to our shop. Bhandara is very small city still. The population here might be 15 or 25 lakhs only. This city has not grown very big, not become so much advanced that people will come to my shop after referring Just Dial app. People know at this square only the repairing work of four wheeler is done so they come here only. Here there are showrooms of Maruti, Toyota and Hyundai in the same line. On other side is Tata, all the showrooms are on this highway only. Customer comes here only.
Yes the other shop is registered online. It is on my friend’s app only. He is not present here now, he has been to Gondia.I dont remember the app’s name.
I listed my shop online a few years ago. However, over the past four or five years, my family has faced some challenges. My mom became paralyzed, and my dad had a heart attack. As a result, I couldn't dedicate much time to my online business. Currently, I'm focusing on taking care of my family. In the past, I used to send photos of dresses to my friends, and if they liked any of them, I would bring it for them. I only did this with my friends, not with anyone else. Eventually, I had to stop doing it because I didn't have enough time to spend on my phone. Taking care of my sick mom, who is also a pastor at our church, became my responsibility. It was difficult for me to balance everything, so I couldn't give enough attention to my online shop.
Not online, but it is on Facebook by the name of Das and Son's. My wife did it; I can't say when she did it. She clicked the photos and uploaded them on FB. I don't follow it online so much. I have all local customers. They all come here. Most people in this area come to my shop. I don't think anything has changed. Here, all customers know me, so I don't think they would come here after seeing online. The people who know me, they all come here. I don't think I have gained any profit from uploading photos online. I am talking about my shop.
I have not considered selling online yet because it requires GST and other requirements that I currently do not have. If I find that there are no other options, I will have to consider it. You need to have GST for Amazon and Meesho in order to sell. Since I do not have GST at the moment, I would not be able to manage this. If I realize that it is not possible without selling online, then I will have to go for it. Selling online requires maintaining the stock fully. Wholesale companies and retail companies can do online business. For example, the price of a particular design is displayed as 24-36, which means the seller can sell as many as they can get within that range. Once the collection is finished, we will obtain it. Then the collection will also be finished.
No, we do not want to take our business online. If we go online, there are many disadvantages and advantages as well. Disadvantages include customers buying products online and then returning them. There is also the hassle of product delivery for us. That will be additional expense for us. Return is problem and if they go to deliver, in between the product breakage can happen. It could happen very much. So, there are different kinds of problem.
I believe that Amazon provides warehouse facilities, but they seem to do so based on specific requirements and offer credit accordingly. I'm not entirely clear on their procedures in this regard. We are not interested in ecommerce as we used to hand over our products, and only after they were sold did we receive payment. It was a lengthy process. However, outside of this, Amazon is incredibly useful, particularly for items like skincare and kitchen products. We often make purchases during events like the 'Big Billion Days.'
I used to get the payment after 15 days. After 15 days though, I can get the product returned or get the payment for it. Once I received a damaged item that was cut into two. This happened with Meesho. It was Meesho’s fault because when you take a return from a customer you don’t take it this way. You check everything. You take photos and quality and the product that has been sent to you and all that. I used to get calls from Flipkart and Amazon so I told them that I don’t like that all I have told them that Flipkart, Amazon and Meesho are all frauds.
I added my business on Meesho for about 3 months. I got many orders for tops. However, once the order was sent the money used to be given only 15 days later. We can adjust with that 15 days. We have customers who take credit for a month even. I thought 15 days is still fine. I added my shop on Amazon too. But who gets the name and becomes famous? I am giving the top but Amazon is getting popular. Our name will not be visible on Amazon. Amazon is getting the name while we are giving the product but Amazon gets the name. We don’t get any benefit and neither does the customer. Amazon is getting the benefit. They are not our relatives to do all this for them.