Home-based leather goods wholesaler

Independent gift shops, boutiques, menswear shops, garden centres, farm shops and online sellers who want to stock leather goods.

You buy at a wholesale price and sell to retailers at a higher trade price, usually with minimum order values. Repeat orders from shops are where most of the income comes from.

• Spotting good quality leather and fair prices
• Selling to shop owners
• Stock and order tracking
• Basic bookkeeping

• Product safety and labelling rules for goods you sell, and rules on describing leather accurately, so check with Trading Standards
• If you import, duty, VAT and customs paperwork, plus any restrictions on exotic skins, so check GOV.UK before ordering
• Chemical rules for leather, such as limits on certain tanning substances, so ask suppliers for compliance details
• Payment risk if you offer credit terms, so consider pro-forma or card payment for new customers
• Stock tied up in cash and space at home, plus whether your landlord, lender or insurer allows storage, so check
• Public liability and stock insurance

Estimated startup costs are typically around £2,000 to £10,000, depending on how much stock you buy, which suppliers you use and the website or trade materials you set up.

Estimated monthly revenue is typically around £1,500 to £7,500, depending on your range, the number of shops you supply and your pricing. The estimates assume at least about 10 hours a week.

Check product safety and labelling rules and how leather must be described with Trading Standards. If you import, check duty, VAT and customs paperwork on GOV.UK, and ask suppliers for compliance details on chemical rules for leather.