A chance to make side income from home is something we’re all looking for. But how exactly can one gain a new income stream? And where to find a side hustle that’s affordable to launch and simple to run?
Today, we have a special guest to discuss these questions with! Nick, an owner of an online store he runs alongside his main job, is happy to share some details of how he does it. Let’s have a chat, shall we?
Hi, please introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Nick Arthur, 50, from Perth, Scotland. I’m a Marketing Consultant and a part-time DJ.
My passions are house music, family and dogs – here’s Betsy, everyone!
That’s a lovely range of interests! Have they influenced your ecommerce journey somehow?
Sort of. Before I signed up for my current online venture, I already had a pet apparel store but couldn’t make it work.
Why did you decide to try and make side income from home, in the first place?
I knew there was an opportunity to diversify my income streams with ecommerce but found the startup process and costs an obstacle.
What made you change your mind and still launch an online store?
I came across the AliDropship Premium Store offer. It’s not that costly because you get a fully set up store for $300. And it’s fairly simple for a beginner because what you get is an exact copy of a store that’s already running.
Is it that easy to manage?
I’ve been running it for 18 months and what I can tell is that it’s very hands-off. In a positive way, of course. I mean, I only need to spend less than an hour a day on it, sometimes less.
Let’s talk numbers, shall we? What strategy do you follow to make side income from home?
I made $17,286.74 in sales in the first year of the store operation – see the screenshot attached.
*This is Nick’s personal experience. Individual results vary and depend on the work you put in.
There was a catch, though. In that first year, I was selling AliExpress products. When shipping from China, I would get a lot of enquiries and some cancelled orders because of delays in shipping and some tracking issues. That had an impact on my revenues, of course.
What did you do?
As an AliDropship user I was made aware of Sellvia – an alternative to AliExpress. Its feature of US fulfillment was a game changer. As Sellvia products are stored in California, they get to my US customers quickly. Refunds and complaints have almost stopped!
The numbers speak for themselves. In 5.5 months of using Sellvia as my supplier, I made more than a half of my total yearly sales with AliExpress.
*This is Nick’s personal experience. Individual results vary and depend on the work you put in.
Best part? The conversion rate has doubled. Seems like people are happier with the way the products are presented and are more likely to buy after seeing an ad or visiting the store.
What are you selling, exactly, to make side income from home?
So the store I got within the AliDropship Premium Store offer is a general one. It means the products are not centered around one narrow niche like it was with my pet apparel store, for example. It gives me freedom to sell anything I want, anything that’s profitable and popular. That’s how I ended up selling nearly all products from the Sellvia catalog.
How are you making sure they will actually sell?
I mainly promote my products with Facebook ads – Sellvia has ready ones available for free, so I don’t have to figure them out on my own. Plus, I’m working on social media presence and SEO. These don’t cost much, but work well in the long term which is what I am very much looking forward to.
What are your plans for the future, by the way?
The first 18 months of running this online business have been a huge learning experience, especially during the pandemic. This year, I plan to scale the store in a big way now that I have some experience and data to work with.
The business has given me a new income stream that I believe has a lot of room for scaling up. That means more time to spend on the things I enjoy rather than work day and night. The whole Sellvia thing has had a huge impact, to be honest, more than doubling conversions and almost eradicating complaints and canceled orders. Selling with Sellvia really is a seamless process and the fast shipping from the US is probably what I appreciate the most.
That’s very encouraging to hear! Wherever you live and whatever professional background you have, you can try building a side income from home. That’s what we in Sellvia believe in – and that’s what we’re working on for people all around the globe. Using Sellvia as your source of products to sell and ads to attract buyers, you can focus on giving your customers a positive shopping experience and on the reasons for them to come back. Isn’t that what every online store owner is looking for – especially in times like these?
*Individual results vary and depend on the work you put in.