Online greeting card shop

Shoppers who want something more distinctive than supermarket cards, including people sending cards to friends and family elsewhere.

Mark up wholesale stock and sell on your own site or marketplaces. Bundles, sets and personalised options help offset postage costs.

• Basic website or marketplace set-up
• Product photography
• Organised packing and posting

• Postage costs, which can eat into margins on single cards
• Distance selling rules on returns and refunds, so check the current guidance
• Respecting artists' copyright if you print or resell designs
• Storage space at home, and whether your landlord or mortgage lender allows business use

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £300 to £3,000, depending on how much stock you buy, whether you print designs yourself and how you set up your website or marketplace shop. Starting with a small range keeps costs down.

Estimates suggest monthly revenue is typically around £200 to £3,000, depending on your range, pricing and how much time you put in. Revenue is not profit, and postage costs can eat into margins on single cards.

Check postage costs, which can eat into margins on single cards, and the current distance selling guidance on returns and refunds. Also respect artists' copyright if you print or resell designs, and check storage and whether your landlord or mortgage lender allows business use.