Online toiletries and grooming shop

Online shoppers looking for specific or hard-to-find brands, gift buyers, and customers who like regular subscription-style deliveries.

You sell at a markup over wholesale cost, with extra income from bundles, gift sets and repeat orders. Postage costs need to be built into prices or free-delivery thresholds.

• Basic website or marketplace set-up
• Product photos and descriptions
• Packing and posting orders
• Social media or email marketing

• Cosmetic products have UK safety and labelling rules; if you make your own products these are stricter, so check before you start
• Some items such as aerosols and liquids have postal restrictions, check with your courier
• Distance selling rules mean customers have rights to return goods, so set a clear returns policy
• Storing stock at home may need permission from your landlord or mortgage lender, and check your home insurance
• Online competition is strong, so margins can be thin without a clear niche

Estimates suggest startup costs are typically around £500 to £4,000, depending on your stock, how you set up your website or marketplace shop, and your packaging. Choosing a clear niche can help you avoid buying more stock than you need.

Monthly revenue is typically estimated at around £300 to £3,000, depending on your niche, product range and marketing. Online competition is strong, so margins can be thin without a clear niche that gives people a reason to buy from you.

Check UK safety and labelling rules for cosmetic products, which are stricter if you make your own. Check postal restrictions on items like aerosols and liquids with your courier, and set a clear returns policy under distance selling rules.