

Ask HN: How do you start an eCommerce business with little money for stock? - tonight

I&#x27;ve done eCommerce for years, just for other people. I know how to do it, I just don&#x27;t have the money.<p>I&#x27;d love to sell some larger products, but I&#x27;d need a warehouse and all the equipment for managing larger inventory so that&#x27;s out of the question. Then I look at smaller, lighter products which then has more competition and often the margins are so small there isn&#x27;t an opportunity without large bulk stock orders.<p>The only feasible option I&#x27;ve found is to sell cheap custom-made products at a low margin and accept it will only ever be a lifestyle business.<p>Has anyone got advise on how to overcome this hurdle? I&#x27;d be very grateful to hear it.
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MichaelCrawford
Find products that can be drop-shipped directly from the manufacturers.

Some won't want to, some can be convinced to, some are really into doing just
that.

Of all the crazy things, someone once drop shipped me thirty pounds of dental
plaster, part of a telescope mirror grinding kit. I expect the plaster company
was accustomed to drop-shipping to dentists.

I myself am contemplating an ecommerce business, I get my Xen VM for free, I
know how to code, but have nary a penny to my name for stock. Thus I'm very
interested to learn what you find out.

It is exceedingly unlikely that my company would compete with yours. I would
be serving a very specific niche; I expect there is demand, but the people who
would demand my products, aren't consciously aware of that fact yet. I expect
there's a term for that phenomenon but I don't know what it is.

