Start an online asian grocery store

Home cooks and Asian families in regional areas or suburbs without a good Asian grocer, plus people who want hard-to-find brands.

You sell products at a markup over wholesale prices, plus a delivery charge or minimum spend for free shipping. Bundles and subscription boxes can lift order size.

• Knowing which products customers want
• Building a simple online shop and taking photos
• Packing and order organisation

• Storing and selling food from home may need council food business registration and approval, so check with your local council
• Food labelling and import rules for packaged products, including allergen and ingredient labels
• Postage costs on heavy items and breakage, which can erase margins
• Best-before dates on stock held for long periods
• Public liability and product liability insurance
• GST registration once turnover reaches the threshold, and the need for an ABN

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $20,000, depending on stock levels, your website and packing supplies. Postage costs on heavy items and breakage can erase margins, so test shipping before you set prices.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your range, marketing and how many orders you ship. Best-before dates on slow-moving stock and postage costs can reduce what you keep, so watch both.

Check whether storing and selling food from home needs council food business registration and approval. Also check food labelling and import rules for packaged products, including allergen and ingredient labels, and whether you need an ABN and GST registration.