Online chinese herbal tea and wellness store

Customers across Canada who want traditional products but live far from a specialist shop, plus gift buyers looking for teas.

You buy from licensed suppliers and sell at a mark-up through your website or a marketplace. Bundles, subscriptions and gift sets can lift the average order.

• Basic online store setup
• Product knowledge and clear writing
• Packing and shipping
• Social media or email marketing

• Natural health products sold in Canada generally need Health Canada authorization. Check each product has an NPN or DIN-HM
• Product pages count as advertising. Check Health Canada rules on health claims and testimonials
• Importing products yourself may need a site licence. Check with Health Canada, or buy from licensed Canadian distributors
• Some herbs are restricted, and shipping across provinces may bring different rules. Check your provincial regulator
• Home-based business rules, and any food handling or labelling rules for teas, which vary by municipality and province
• Product liability insurance, and French-language labelling and website rules if selling in Quebec
• Shipping in winter and cross-border sales add cost and complexity

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on how much stock you buy, how you set up your online store and whether you use a third-party warehouse. Treat this as an estimate and price your own product range.

Check this before listing anything: natural health products sold in Canada generally need Health Canada authorization, so confirm each product has an NPN or DIN-HM. Also check Health Canada rules on health claims and testimonials, and whether importing needs a site licence.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $800 to $4,000, depending on your product range, marketing and how many repeat customers you build. That is revenue before stock, shipping and other costs. Plan on at least about 10 hours a week.