Small herbal remedy shop

Local shoppers buying for personal use, including regular customers who like natural wellbeing products, home cooks and tea drinkers.

You buy stock wholesale and sell at a markup, weighing loose herbs by the gram and selling packaged products. Regular customers and gift sets help build steady sales.

• Friendly, clear customer service
• Stock control and ordering
• Learning your products and suppliers well

• Check with the TGA whether each product needs to be listed or registered on the ARTG before you sell it
• Check the rules on health claims in signs, labels and social media: you generally cannot say a product treats or cures a condition
• Some herbs are restricted or scheduled, so check the Poisons Standard and your state rules
• Check council food registration and FSANZ labelling if you pack loose herbs or teas yourself
• Public liability and product liability insurance, and the length and cost of a shop lease
• Stock can expire or go stale, so track dates and order carefully

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $25,000 to $80,000, depending on your shop lease, fit-out, opening stock and insurance. Treat this as an estimate and check the length and cost of a lease carefully before committing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $8,000 to $35,000, depending on your location, product range and how many regular customers you build. This is revenue before rent, stock and wages. Expect around 30 hours a week at minimum.

Check with the TGA whether each product needs ARTG listing or registration, and the rules on health claims in signs, labels and social media. Also check the Poisons Standard, council food registration and FSANZ labelling if you pack products yourself.