Start an online underwear and sleepwear store

Shoppers who prefer buying basics privately online, people with hard-to-find sizes or styles, and gift buyers.

You sell products at a markup over wholesale cost. Multipacks, bundles and subscriptions to restock basics raise the order value.

• Online selling and basic website setup
• Product photography and descriptions
• Stock and order management
• Customer service by email or chat

• Textile labelling rules (fibre content and dealer identification) apply to goods sold in Canada, check with the Competition Bureau
• Bilingual labelling and French-language requirements if you sell in Quebec
• GST/HST and provincial sales tax on online sales, rules depend on your province and sales level
• Check if your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Returns on sizing and hygiene, which can eat into margins
• Shipping costs and delays over winter and holiday peaks
• Business insurance covering stock at home

Startup costs are typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on your stock, website setup and insurance. Because you hold stock at home, also check business insurance that covers it.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around $1,000 to $8,000, depending on your niche, range and marketing. Returns on sizing and hygiene, plus shipping costs and winter or holiday delays, can eat into margins.

Check textile labelling rules (fibre content and dealer identification) with the Competition Bureau, bilingual and French-language requirements for Quebec, GST/HST and provincial sales tax for your province, and whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence.