A rising trend that has proven effective especially on the onslaught of the global coronavirus pandemic is being an online seller. It allows any individual to sell items even without a physical store, and also even without the items themselves. Many have left their real life jobs since they are earning more with their sales online, and it isn’t late for you to jump in.
Here are some places to start your online business and finally gain your financial freedom:
- Facebook Marketplace
It is truly the top site in the Philippines for buying discounted items since most product listings are secondhand or what some call as “preloved.” You can decide whether you want to sell food items that you cook, products that you make, or even do buy and sell from within Facebook itself. Any user who looks up an item sees a variety of listings and often bid for it against other potential buyers. If you have high-value items, or items that are in short supply such as collectors’ items, it is best that you sell them in Facebook Marketplace. Signing up for an account is free and Facebook does not take a cut of your sales. The only caveat is that you need to personally take care of the shipping.
- Shopee
Shopee is currently the largest e-commerce site in the Philippines and also happens to be the most seller-friendly in terms of opening a seller account. You can make your own products, do buy and sell, and dropshipping. Dropshipping is the process wherein you can commit to sales to customers even if you do not have the actual stocks. This is perfect for OFWs because you can automate the process and have an extra income even if you are not monitoring your store for the whole day. There are companies dedicated to dropshipping (either for free or as a paid service) but it can be done manually too with sellers in the Philippines.
- Lazada
Lazada is previously the most popular in the Philippines (before Shopee) but now it comes in second place. Some sellers both have accounts in Shopee and Lazada but the latter requires more documents and a small fee for you to conduct your business, which is a hassle if you are just testing the waters or are not yet fully committed to do online selling. The logistics and app is similar with Shopee but there are lesser promotions and deals.
- Shopify
Shopify is like your regular website hosting service, but instead of blog content, you can make your own ecommerce website. Unlike when you do your own ecommerce website, shipping is built in mind with Shopify. Dropshipping services can also be integrated with Shopify, and some companies prefer Shopify to launch their products. When you have a Shopify website, it is equivalent to having your own storefront, as opposed to Shopee and Lazada.
- Amazon
If you are living abroad, Amazon would be a better fit for you. Undoubtedly, it is the king of ecommerce in the world. You can have your own products, you can even publish your book and have it available on Amazon, and dropshipping is possible as well. There are even freelancers that are dedicated to being Amazon Seller Virtual Assistants due to the amount of earnings you can have in their platform. It is a competitive marketplace and you either have to make your own products or find the right suppliers.
Having an online business could just be a sideline, but in time it can be your main source of income. Depending on what product you want to offer, your preferred platform can differ but you can also post the same item everywhere. Better yet, be a supplier to other sellers.
