Online rubber sheet and seal supplier

Small workshops, farms, fabricators, plumbers, HVAC firms, food processors, marine and trailer businesses, and maintenance buyers who need parts quickly.

You buy at trade prices and sell with a markup. Margins are higher on specialist or hard-to-find items and on repeat orders from regular accounts.

• Reading product specifications
• Building supplier relationships
• Sales and quoting
• Organising orders and deliveries

• Commercial general liability and product liability insurance, as a wrong or failed part can cause costly damage
• Product specifications such as food-grade, oil resistance and temperature rating, so you do not sell the wrong material
• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence and whether stock storage is allowed
• GST/HST registration once you pass the small supplier threshold, and provincial sales tax rules in your province
• Import duties and shipping costs if you source from outside Canada, check with the Canada Border Services Agency
• Check supplier terms on returns, lead times and minimum orders before promising delivery dates

Startup costs are typically estimated at around $500 to $3,000, depending on your website, any small home stock of fast-moving items and insurance. Suppliers shipping direct to customers can keep upfront spending lower.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $1,500 to $7,500, depending on your range, supplier terms and how many trade buyers you win. This is revenue, not profit, so allow for product costs and shipping.

Check insurance, since a wrong or failed part can cause costly damage, and product specifications such as food-grade or temperature rating. Also check home-based business licensing, GST/HST, import duties through the CBSA, and supplier return terms.