Online discount household goods shop

Budget-conscious shoppers across the UK who buy online, including families and people stocking up in bulk.

You buy in bulk from UK wholesalers and sell at a margin through marketplaces or your own site. Multi-item bundles and repeat customers help cover postage and fees.

• Comfortable with online selling platforms
• Product listings and basic photography
• Organised packing and posting
• Keeping an eye on margins after fees and postage

• Distance selling rules: customers generally have return rights online, so check the current guidance from Trading Standards or GOV.UK
• Product safety and labelling duties for what you sell, especially toys, electricals and cosmetics
• Marketplace fees, postage costs and returns can wipe out thin margins, so price carefully
• Check whether your home insurance, landlord or mortgage lender allows you to store stock and run a business from home
• Register with HMRC as a sole trader and keep records, and watch the VAT threshold as sales grow

Startup costs are typically around £500 to £5,000, depending on how much stock you buy, your packaging supplies and whether you sell through marketplaces or build your own website. Treat this as an estimate and cost your own plan.

Monthly revenue is typically around £500 to £4,000, depending on your product range, pricing and how many hours you put in. That is revenue, not profit, so allow for marketplace fees, postage costs and returns.

Check current distance selling and returns guidance from Trading Standards or GOV.UK, and the product safety and labelling duties for items like toys and electricals. Also check your home insurance, landlord or lender allows stock storage, and register with HMRC.