Online catering supplies store

Small food businesses, market traders, mobile caterers, event organisers and some home cooks.

You earn the margin between your selling price and your supplier's price. Bulk bundles and repeat consumable orders help raise the average order value.

• Comfortable setting up and running an online shop
• Choosing and describing products clearly
• Organised order and supplier handling

• Consumer rights rules for online sales to individuals, including cancellation rights, check what applies
• Rules on food contact materials and electrical goods, check what applies to what you sell
• Delivery costs and damage on heavy or fragile items
• Relying on one supplier for stock and delivery times
• Public liability and product liability insurance, plus stock cover if you hold goods

Estimates suggest startup costs typically around £1,500 to £8,000, depending on your website, the range you list and whether you hold stock or use supplier dispatch. Delivery costs on heavy items are worth budgeting for too.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £1,000 to £5,000, depending on your niche, range and how well you reach food businesses. That is revenue, not profit, so delivery and stock costs come out of it.

Check consumer rights rules for online sales to individuals, including cancellation rights, and rules on food contact materials and electrical goods for what you sell. Also check public liability and product liability insurance, plus stock cover if you hold goods.