Online european grocery and gift boxes

Expats and descendants of European families, people missing foods from home, and gift buyers, especially around holidays.

Mark-up on products and higher-margin gift boxes, with delivery fees or minimum order amounts. Repeat customers and seasonal peaks such as Christmas and Easter drive much of the sales.

• Setting up a simple online shop
• Social media and community marketing
• Packing and order handling
• Basic bookkeeping

• Check with your municipality whether running a home-based business or storing stock at home is allowed
• Check with your provincial public health unit and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about registration and labelling if you repack or ship food, especially across provincial borders
• Avoid alcohol, fresh meat and dairy at the start, as they need extra licences and cold storage
• Shipping costs and damage in transit, particularly in winter for items that can freeze or melt in summer
• Commercial general liability insurance, and checking whether your home insurance covers stock
• GST/HST registration and how sales tax applies when shipping to other provinces

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on your opening stock, packaging and online shop setup. You can run it from home or a storage unit, and the estimates assume at least about 10 hours a week.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,000 to $5,000, depending on your range, your pricing and how well you reach your community. These are revenue estimates, so allow for stock, packaging and shipping costs.

Check whether your municipality allows a home-based business and stock storage at home, and ask your provincial public health unit and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency about registration and labelling. Also check liability insurance, GST/HST registration and extra licences for alcohol, meat or dairy.