Online toiletries and personal care store

Online shoppers across Canada who want a curated range, subscriptions or gift sets they cannot easily find in local shops.

Markup on products bought wholesale, plus bundles, gift sets and repeat orders from subscriptions, minus shipping and platform fees.

• Online selling and basic marketing
• Photography and product descriptions
• Packing and shipping
• Basic bookkeeping

• Commercial general liability or product liability insurance
• Health Canada rules on cosmetics and labelling, including bilingual labels, check what applies to your products
• Some items, such as liquids, may have shipping restrictions, check with carriers
• Check whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules for online sales across provinces
• Shipping costs and returns can eat into margins

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around $1,000 to $8,000, depending on your website, opening stock and packaging. Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around $500 to $5,000, depending on your niche, range and marketing.

Check Health Canada rules on cosmetics and labelling, including bilingual labels. Also check carrier shipping restrictions on items like liquids, any home-based business licence from your municipality, product liability insurance, and GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules for sales across provinces.

Estimates start at about 8 hours a week, depending on order volume. Shipping costs and returns can eat into margins, so check carrier rates and set clear return terms before you launch.