Niche online kitchenware shop

Home cooks, keen bakers, gift buyers and small food makers looking for specialist items.

You buy at trade prices and sell at a mark-up, plus delivery charges. A tight niche with good product advice helps you avoid competing on price alone.

• Choosing products people want
• Basic online shop setup and photos
• Stock and order tracking
• Customer service

• Distance selling rules, including the right for customers to cancel and return orders, so check what applies to you
• Items that touch food and electrical goods may have safety and registration rules, check with Trading Standards or your supplier
• Selling knives often has age checks and delivery restrictions, check the rules before listing them
• Tying up cash in stock that does not sell, so start small
• Running a business or storing stock at home may need permission from your landlord or mortgage lender
• Check when VAT registration becomes compulsory as your sales grow

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £1,500 to £7,500, depending on how much stock you buy, your website or marketplace set-up and whether a supplier ships orders for you.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £800 to £4,000, depending on your product range, pricing and how many customers you reach. This is revenue before stock, fees and postage costs.

Check distance selling rules, including customers' right to cancel and return orders. Items touching food, electrical goods and knives may have safety, registration or age-check rules, so ask Trading Standards or your supplier. Also check when VAT registration becomes compulsory.