Online pottery and ceramics shop

Homeowners, gift buyers and people looking for something different from chain-store homewares.

You sell at a markup on wholesale items, or take a share on consignment pieces. Gift sets and a few repeat customers help lift order value.

• Good eye for products and styling
• Product photography and listing writing
• Careful packing and order handling

• Breakages in transit: check your packaging and consider shipping insurance
• Public liability and product liability insurance, check what your insurer covers
• Imported items: check Australian rules on labelling and food-safe ceramics, especially lead and cadmium in glazes
• Check whether you need council approval to run a home-based business and whether you must register for GST
• Postage costs can eat into margins on heavy items, so price shipping carefully

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,000, depending on how much stock you buy, how your website is set up and what packaging you choose. Treat this as an estimate and price your own stock list before committing.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $500 to $4,000, depending on your range, how much traffic your site gets and how many hours you put in. That is revenue before stock, postage and other costs, so work out your margins.

Check your packaging and shipping insurance for breakages, what your public and product liability cover includes, Australian labelling and food-safe rules for imports (especially lead and cadmium in glazes), council approval for home businesses, and whether you must register for GST.