Online asian homeware store

Home cooks and households across the UK who cannot easily find these items locally, plus gift buyers.

You sell at a mark-up over wholesale prices, plus postage charges. Bundles such as starter cooking sets can lift the average order.

• Product photography and listings
• Online selling and customer service
• Packing and posting
• Basic social media marketing

• Distance selling rules give customers a right to cancel and return, so check what applies to you
• Electrical items must meet UK safety standards, so check before listing them
• Fragile items such as ceramics need good packaging, as breakages eat into profit
• Check whether you can store stock at home under your tenancy or mortgage terms
• Register as a sole trader and keep records, and monitor your turnover against the VAT threshold

Startup costs are typically around £500 to £4,000, depending on your opening stock and whether you use your own site or a marketplace. These are estimates. Breakages of fragile items can eat into profit, so budget for good packaging.

Monthly revenue is typically around £300 to £3,000, depending on your product range, listings and marketing. That is revenue, not profit. Part-time hours of around 8 a week are a typical starting point for this kind of shop.

Check distance selling rules, which give customers a right to cancel and return. Electrical items must meet UK safety standards, so check before listing them. Also check your tenancy or mortgage terms for storing stock at home, and monitor turnover against the VAT threshold.