Online selling is becoming a popular side-hustle not only in the Philippines but also in other countries. The abundance of relatively low capital products available in the market and the potentially high-profit margin makes this business viable to almost anyone who has the determination to succeed.
Selling has also become so much easier as years go by due to the advent of technology. You do not need to have a physical store anymore as you can sell to various websites for free. I have written a separate post about this and you may click here if you want to see the list of websites where you can sell your products for free.
If you are thinking of starting a side-hustle as soon as the quarantine is lifted then read on. Here is a list of seven low capital products that you can sell online.
Personal Items that Your Are Not Using Anymore
If you or your family have clothes, gadgets, unwanted gifts, unused items that you are not using anymore then consider selling them online. There’s a huge number of people who buy preloved (used) items online to save money. This is also a great way to unclutter your house and to clean up your closets.
Thrifted Clothes
This is a growing market not only in the Philippines but also in other countries around the world. Thrifted clothes are relatively cheap (depends on where you buy them) and to start a side-hustle of selling thrifted clothes requires very low capital to start with.
Selling thrifted clothing is a huge market and to be able to stand out from your competitors, I highly suggest that you focus on a specific market. This will help you purchase the right product and present them to the right customers. Selecting the right product for your target market will help you sell faster thus avoiding piling up of unsold inventories.
Here are examples of a niche market that you can target:
- Winter clothes for men/women
- Clothes for kids age 7 and below
- Office wear for men/women
- Designer clothes for men/women
- Dresses
- All black outfits
- Contemporary designer labels clothes
- Japanese designer clothes
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Thrifted Bags, Shoes, and Accessories
The supply may not be as big as clothes but the profit margin can be higher especially if you specialized in designer/branded bags and shoes. A word of caution though, do not buy designer labels in thrift shops if you’re not familiar with authenticity as you might end up buying and selling a fake bag and it will be detrimental to your business in the long run. Start with buying and selling high-quality non-branded bags while you’re still learning how to authenticate designer labels.
There are so many articles online that could help you understand authenticity and there are also authentication services available online if in case you find it difficult to authenticate items by yourself.
Related Post: How to Shop Effectively in Thrift Stores
Japan Surplus Items
Japan Surplus business is growing in the Philippines and the product choices are endless. If you are looking for low capital products to start with, I highly suggest that you consider buying and selling porcelain products such as teacups and plates from Japan Surplus shops. Instagram is a great platform to learn about this business as there are so many IG sellers that are selling Japan Surplus items.
Food Products
This is and will always be a great product to sell both offline and online as this is a basic human need. The choices in food products are endless but just like clothing, I highly suggest that you target a specific market. And please also bear in mind that food is perishable. So even if the cost of creating a food product may be low, it might cost you a lot if you will not be able to sell your product right away.
I highly suggest that before you start any product, do your own research first by observing other sellers. Again, Instagram and Facebook are great platforms to observe other food products sellers. Try to observe the kind of products that they sell, their choices of packing materials, who the buyers are, etc.
Live Plants
This business is starting to boom in the Philippines. A lot of homeowners in the cities are starting to recognize the value of having plants at home. This is a business that I personally would like to engage myself with. Before you jump on this business bandwagon, start by searching the accounts of plant sellers in IG and Facebook and observe what sells.
As of the time of writing, I am noticing that low maintenance indoor plants sell a lot in the city as it helps in cleaning and purifying the air. And this business will only grow more as more and more people will focus on improving air quality due to the COVID-19 pandemic that we are all facing now.
Herbs and potted vegetables will also sell a lot in the coming months as people will find ways of saving money on food and will opt to grow some of their food at home.
Art
The increasing number of BPOs that are setting up their businesses here in the Philippines comes with the increasing number of Filipinos (employed in these companies) with high purchasing power. These people have been buying condominium units and will also be buying furniture and artwork to decorate their homes with.
If you are a creative person then this will be a great opportunity for you. You can start creating wall art that you can sell to various online selling websites. You can also expand your market and sell your design to international art selling websites.
Here are some of the websites where you can sell your artwork internationally:
Related Post: 10 Reasons Why You Should Start Selling Online
Seven Low Capital Products that You Can Sell Online Click To TweetDo you know any other low capital products that a prospective side-hustler can start building a business with? Feel free to share your tips and recommendations in the comment section below.
We just came back from our 3rd trip to the Philippines in 4 years (we spent a week in Cebu and a week in Manila this past Feb). We loved it!
I love your list, but curious about the feasibility of shipping these products. It’s so hard to get around the Philippines that I would imagine delivery services could eat a lot of your profits. I wonder if drop shipping and e-commerce, specifically targeting a global audience, might be the better way to go — though with the pandemic, supply chain disruptions are a different problem.
Hi Caroline,
Thanks for dropping by and for checking out this article. Good to know that you enjoyed your stay 🙂
Fortunately, for non-perishables, domestic shipping is very affordable and very easy as we have a lot of local couriers that serve most islands in the Philippines. For international shipments, we do have DHL and FedEx here. I have experienced shipping clothing items, bags and shoes to customers who are located in Asia, Europe and USA, and you are correct, shipping internationally is very expensive and it does eat a sizeable portion of my profit.
I’ve heard of dropshipping but have not tried it yet.
Enjoy the rest of our day and always stay safe! Again, thanks for dropping by 🙂