Local tattoo supplies shop

Local tattoo artists and studios needing urgent restocks, apprentices buying starter kits, and cosmetic tattooists. Walk-in hobbyists may buy where local rules allow.

Retail margin on consumables and equipment, with trade pricing for regular studios. Starter kits, aftercare and accessories add to sales, and online orders widen your reach.

• Detailed product knowledge
• Building trust with local studios
• Stock buying and cash flow management
• Running a shop and serving customers

• Tattoo inks and related products may be regulated as industrial chemicals, so check the AICIS rules
• Check whether your state or territory restricts selling equipment to unlicensed people, and decide how you will verify customers
• Check how sterile items and needles must be stored and sold, and manage expiry dates
• Public liability, product liability and contents insurance
• Shop lease commitments, fit-out costs and slow early months, so keep a cash buffer
• Workers compensation insurance once you hire staff, and GST registration once you reach the threshold

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around $30,000 to $100,000, depending on the premises, fit-out and how much stock you buy. Shop lease commitments and slow early months mean a cash buffer is worth planning for.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $6,000 to $25,000, depending on your location, product range and how many local studios become regular customers. This is revenue rather than profit, so stock and lease costs come out of it.

Check whether tattoo inks are regulated as industrial chemicals under the AICIS rules, and whether your state or territory restricts selling equipment to unlicensed people. Also check how sterile items and needles must be stored and sold, and manage expiry dates.