Online school science supplies shop

Primary and secondary school science departments, homeschooling families, tutors and holiday science programs.

You earn the margin between wholesale and selling price on each order, plus repeat orders for consumables and bundled kits sold at the start of terms.

• Organised with orders and stock
• Understanding what teachers need
• Comfortable building a simple online shop
• Clear, patient customer service

• Public liability and product liability insurance, as products are used by children
• Chemicals and hazardous items may have extra rules for sale, storage and postage, so check with your state's work health and safety regulator and consider leaving them out at first
• Many state education departments use approved supplier lists or panels, so check how schools in your state buy
• Imported electrical items may need to meet Australian safety and labelling standards, so check before you import
• Check your local council's rules if you will store stock at home
• GST registration is needed once turnover reaches the threshold

Startup costs are typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how much stock you hold, your website setup and whether suppliers send goods direct. These are estimates, so your own costs will vary with your product range and approach.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on your product range, the schools and families you reach and how much stock you carry. The estimates assume at least around 10 hours a week, so results vary.

Check insurance such as public liability and product liability, since children use the products. Chemicals and hazardous items may have extra rules, so check with your state's work health and safety regulator. Also check how schools buy and any import safety standards.