Currently doing 200+ sales a day ($8000ish) with shopify and FB - questions? | Warrior Forum - The #1 Digital Marketing Forum & Marketplace

sweetcrabhoney18

8 years ago

Okay.. I'm curious ... how many products do you have and why are you using shopify?

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Originally Posted by sweetcrabhoney18

Okay.. I'm curious ... how many products do you have and why are you using shopify?

Hey! I've tested probably around 20-30 products and some are still live but don't sell much. I have 4-6 that sell good amounts so I focused on them for now as I get more products created.

I found shopify super easy to use...its very intuitive and the support is amazing. They do lack some features for direct response marketing but it;s workable enough to make it happen.

Thanks!

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jay from canada

6 years ago

It's been a while, but I'm curious... Do you still use Shopify or a more direct response marketing platform/CRM like LimeLight CRM, Konnektive or Advertical CRM?

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joelraitt

5 years ago

Originally Posted by jay from canada

It's been a while, but I'm curious... Do you still use Shopify or a more direct response marketing platform/CRM like LimeLight CRM, Konnektive or Advertical CRM?

Shopify still

Update coming soon

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stevengaa 5 years ago

Any Idea when the update will come through?
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fin

8 years ago

Have you been to the canton fair?

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joelraitt 8 years ago

Originally Posted by fin

Have you been to the canton fair?

No I haven't!!!! I want to though, or at least go over their and meet my suppliers now that volume is increasing. I also have a friend that teaches over there so hoping to make a trip.

Have you been?
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violet0176

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey guys,

A LOOONNGGG time ago I did a post on affiliate stuff I was doing and answered questions...people seemed to like it

anyways...I thought i'd share and help out if anyone has questions...ill get a specific as i can

I'm using FB ads running traffic to my own site (shopify) and doing 7-10k a day in sales this month (a bit less last month) - i dont handle any of the shipping myself but i'm not 'dropshipping' its my inventory - using a fulfilment house

ive learnt a lot so far (still lots to learn) but im willing to help out and share - so if you're into ecommerce now or want to....i have no issues helping a bit on here with systems, services questions and so on!

Ask away!

I'm also curious?

What's you general niche?

$7-10K a day in sales? Had you said $7-10K per month you would've been more believable.

Thanks
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rumifdx

8 years ago

there you go:

1- how many different products do you sell?

2- does all of these are private/white label products? if so, how many brands do you have?

3- are you also selling through FBA?

4- which fulfillment platform/Company are you partnering with?

5- does your Shopify store has a Blog with daily/weekly updates and followers?

Thanks!

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Good questions:

1- how many different products do you sell?
Answer - tested 20-30, selling most, only 4-6 generate most sales

2- does all of these are private/white label products? if so, how many brands do you have?
Answer - it's all under 1 brand

3- are you also selling through FBA?
Answer - not yet, that is my next avenue im looking at

4- which fulfillment platform/Company are you partnering with?
Answer - oooo maybe send a private message for this, they are a smaller company but they do a great job - I should ask the founders if they are looking to acquire right now (they have no storage fees and low pick and pull rates) - I'll post on here but I know they just upgraded and switch warehouses

5- does your Shopify store has a Blog with daily/weekly updates and followers?
Answer: Nope - I have a fan page and email list but no real blog or content

Cheers!

Originally Posted by rumifdx

there you go:

1- how many different products do you sell?

2- does all of these are private/white label products? if so, how many brands do you have?

3- are you also selling through FBA?

4- which fulfillment platform/Company are you partnering with?

5- does your Shopify store has a Blog with daily/weekly updates and followers?

Thanks!

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stevewayn 5 years ago

Shopify is the next wave..
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joelraitt 8 years ago

Originally Posted by violet0176

I'm also curious?

What's you general niche?

$7-10K a day in sales? Had you said $7-10K per month you would've been more believable.

Hey Violet - it's jewellery and other gifts like that. They have high margins which is VERY needed.
7-10k is pretty good but that is sales not profit. There is no limit though, I'm trying to map out and figure out how to keep this steady and continue to expand either through new marketing channels or new products! Cheers!
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Oziboomer

8 years ago

Hi Joel,

Would this be your wine club business?

When I had a look it looked like there wasn't a bottle or pack under about $90 with most being over $126.

When you look at your average of 200 plus sales per day in your OP for $8K that is like under $40 per sale.

...or are you talking here about a different business or product line?

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey! No this isn't the wine business! Wine sales have been doing well in the launches though, we're almost done a launch right now and looks like we'll do about 250-300 sales @$164 each...(we only get a % of course) thanks for the questions

Originally Posted by Oziboomer

Hi Joel,

Would this be your wine club business?

When I had a look it looked like there wasn't a bottle or pack under about $90 with most being over $126.

When you look at your average of 200 plus sales per day in your OP for $8K that is like under $40 per sale.

...or are you talking here about a different business or product line?

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MikeMizOne

8 years ago

How do you deal with customers that want a refund or never receive their item? Is this handled by the fulfilment house?

What is a fulfilment house?

How much are you spending on FB ads?

What is your best advice for FB ads?

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Love the user photo haha

How do you deal with customers that want a refund or never receive their item? Is this handled by the fulfilment house?

Answer: I use zendesk and had my sister doing support part time (she moved into product design and samples) and I got super lucky hiring a local lady that is AMAZING at support. She bring things to my attention in ways to improve the overall biz (she hears from the customers). She works from home her own hours. It's amazing.

What is a fulfilment house?

Answer: You can PM if you want this (not going to put it public I want to ask the founders first (they only take people when they are ready to grow)

How much are you spending on FB ads?

Answer: The revenues I was talking about is USD but I spend about 3000-3500 Canadian a day (about 30% less compared to USD)

What is your best advice for FB ads?

Answer: Read the direct response classic book (olgilvy, sugarman, john caples, claude hopkins) - all these principles still apply. Follow them. Keep it simple. And test the BIG things (DT vs Mobile, ages, KW's, images, and headlines) - SCALE what works.

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by MikeMizOne

How do you deal with customers that want a refund or never receive their item? Is this handled by the fulfilment house?

What is a fulfilment house?

How much are you spending on FB ads?

What is your best advice for FB ads?

Thanks

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sweetcrabhoney18

8 years ago

Thanks for answering all these questions.

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Oziboomer

8 years ago

Thanks Joel,

When you were considering this business and I'm sure you have tried several different ideas...

Were you building with the intention of utilising social media as the primary traffic source?

A bit of a chicken and egg question...

Did you start building your Facebook presence before, during or after you found some winning products?

What sort of testing did you do to validate your choice of products before scaling up?

Best regards,

Ozi

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey!

Yah, I based it off FB and FB ads as that is what I'm best at. With this, I had a small presence to start and then it's grown from there. But that is not needed. Find winning products and generate traffic, sales, profit, customers....your other assets like FB page, email list and so on will grow WITH that...

For me...(lets say the product is $20) - I'd test around 100-150 in ads and then see if there are any winning ages or placements. If it's b/e or close I let it keep running after 3 days to help collect more data.

If it's a grand slam with great ROI I'll clone that ad and start scaling (do not raise budget on current ad)

If it's a total fail (like 0 sales and CPC is really high) I sometimes end at day 2

Originally Posted by Oziboomer

Thanks Joel,

When you were considering this business and I'm sure you have tried several different ideas...

Were you building with the intention of utilising social media as the primary traffic source?

A bit of a chicken and egg question...

Did you start building your Facebook presence before, during or after you found some winning products?

What sort of testing did you do to validate your choice of products before scaling up?

Best regards,

Ozi

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coxmg

8 years ago

Hi Joel, do you sell on Amazon also or just on your own site?

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joelraitt 8 years ago

So far only my site - I'm researching Amazon and getting ready to test that (it takes some set up time) but I'm very hopeful for it. I'd rather keep scaling FB right now - but want to get Amazon going in the next 30 days! I'd love any advice on that form someone who has done decent sales volume!

Originally Posted by coxmg

Hi Joel, do you sell on Amazon also or just on your own site?
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KennyPay

8 years ago

Great Post Joel, I am just getting started and posts like yours give us hope...,Thank You

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trapybp

8 years ago

I'm also in shopify, my question is what apps do you use with your store?

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Originally Posted by trapybp

I'm also in shopify, my question is what apps do you use with your store?

Great question, I was going to bed but wanted to answer this one as I've spent a lot of money and time testing different apps. I don't own nor am I affiliated with any of these:

Shopify Reviews (good for reviews and social proof)
Mailchimp for shopify (auto ads emails and buyers to list)
Zendesk (saves so much time for my support girl, starts at I think $6 a month)
Unlimited Upsell by spurit (super easy and works well, i wish they had split testing)
Abandonment Protector by linked friend (more follow up emails spaced out how you want and with some stats)
Privy - BY FAR the best pop up or exit pop script ive found, auto ads to mailchimp, easy to design, basic designs are good, all option I need. They are adding split testing soon.

That all for apps! All easy to use and help get more $$ per visit (privy alone added 10% to sales from the same traffic)

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Valuable Solos

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Great question, I was going to bed but wanted to answer this one as I've spent a lot of money and time testing different apps. I don't own nor am I affiliated with any of these:

Shopify Reviews (good for reviews and social proof)
Mailchimp for shopify (auto ads emails and buyers to list)
Zendesk (saves so much time for my support girl, starts at I think $6 a month)
Unlimited Upsell by spurit (super easy and works well, i wish they had split testing)
Abandonment Protector by linked friend (more follow up emails spaced out how you want and with some stats)
Privy - BY FAR the best pop up or exit pop script ive found, auto ads to mailchimp, easy to design, basic designs are good, all option I need. They are adding split testing soon.

That all for apps! All easy to use and help get more $$ per visit (privy alone added 10% to sales from the same traffic)

Does anyone know if you can get these apps for Woo Commerce (Wordpress)?

Thanks

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moneyg

8 years ago

Hi Joel

Great info...I too am curious to know who you use for fulfillment? I am preparing to launch a store but need to outsource the fulfillment if I decide to source wholesale products (due to logistics). Also looking at Amazon and dropshipping. Pm me. Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

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yoyo

8 years ago

Can you help me with FB ADS, i have started my store as well, but am struggling and can only get 0.50 cpc on FB Ads, with low CTR and relevance score.

can you suggest some sources which are good for learning FB ads.

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joelraitt

8 years ago

I'm only getting $1.00 CPC

but it brings in $1.75-2.50 so it doesn't matter. Don't worry so much about getting cost down as finding the right audience. The low CTR and relevancy score are telling you your ad either doesn't interest them and annoys them...is it the ad or who is seeing it? How many ads have you tested? How many offers?

That said, I've had relevancy scores of 5 that do great ROI.

Originally Posted by yoyo

Can you help me with FB ADS, i have started my store as well, but am struggling and can only get 0.50 cpc on FB Ads, with low CTR and relevance score.

can you suggest some sources which are good for learning FB ads.

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leonmare

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

...doing 7-10k a day in sales this month...

Wow Joel!

So what is your average profit % or ROI? I'm doing a course using the Shopify platform and the mentor says they run ave at 40% profit also doing Facebook Ads.

What I was trying to find out when I came across your thread:
Is there a way to link Shopify with WordPress? I have a program to do SEO if something runs on WP.
I found this:
How to Create WordPress eCommerce Store With Shopify
Link: How to Create WordPress eCommerce Store With Shopify

I'm not sure if it will do the trick. A bit complex for me to know if is properly running on WP or have WP pages attached to use for SEO articles using their instructions. SEO works if you have massive quality relevant articles of high user value that Google loves.

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joelraitt

8 years ago

it ranges, some days it was over 100% ROI some days it's lower (even these last few days with CPM's going up with everyone advertising more for Black Friday and the holidays) it's been lower like 50-60% ROI!

Why would you need them to link? I know there is an app on shopify that lets you make a buy button and place it on any site.....that might work for you!

What course are you taking?

Cheers

Originally Posted by leonmare

Wow Joel!

So what is your average profit % or ROI? I'm doing a course using the Shopify platform and the mentor says they run ave at 40% profit also doing Facebook Ads.

What I was trying to find out when I came across your thread:
Is there a way to link Shopify with WordPress? I have a program to do SEO if something runs on WP.
I found this:
How to Create WordPress eCommerce Store With Shopify
Link: How to Create WordPress eCommerce Store With Shopify

I'm not sure if it will do the trick. A bit complex for me to know if is properly running on WP or have WP pages attached to use for SEO articles using their instructions. SEO works if you have massive quality relevant articles of high user value that Google loves.

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leonmare

8 years ago

Hi Joel.
Thanks for your reply! The course eCom Accelerator is by Ross Carrel. I am at the point now to build a store and have not gone through everything as in first hand experience. I first studied the course properly and chose a niche.

Shopify is one of the best and simplest ways to build a store and they have many features such as a host of payment processor option, many apps etc. etc. It can even do tax for different States (in the US). So I don't want to attempt the difficult route to build a store elsewhere and just add their buy button as you suggest.

I just did some more Googling and found https://www.shopify.com/wordpress. This may be what I'm looking for.

"Why would you need them to link?" That is necessary for the SEO thing I have that only runs on WordPress. So it won't help to take over the search engines' page one if searchers don't land on the Shopify page!

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hmm interestesting....couple things I would consider...

1) Don't focus on SEO - in my experience it's slow, unreliable and competitive (I love paid ads, you know if it's working in 2-3 days and you can SCALE fast)

2) My shopify store (with no SEO work done) is starting to rank for KW's realted to my products (about 1000 people the last 30 days with 3500 in sales)

Shopify is great, simple, fast to set up for sure. Don't waste time or money on crazy themes, I'm using a free one.

One ting I do suggest is making sure when your customer clicks 'Add to cart' it redirects them directly to the cart page

Originally Posted by leonmare

Hi Joel.
Thanks for your reply! The course eCom Accelerator is by Ross Carrel. I am at the point now to build a store and have not gone through everything as in first hand experience. I first studied the course properly and chose a niche.

Shopify is one of the best and simplest ways to build a store and they have many features such as a host of payment processor option, many apps etc. etc. It can even do tax for different States (in the US). So I don't want to attempt the difficult route to build a store elsewhere and just add their buy button as you suggest.

I just did some more Googling and found https://www.shopify.com/wordpress. This may be what I'm looking for.

"Why would you need them to link?" That is necessary for the SEO thing I have that only runs on WordPress. So it won't help to take over the search engines' page one if searchers don't land on the Shopify page!

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Oziboomer

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hmm interestesting....couple things I would consider...

1) Don't focus on SEO - in my experience it's slow, unreliable and competitive (I love paid ads, you know if it's working in 2-3 days and you can SCALE fast)

2) My shopify store (with no SEO work done) is starting to rank for KW's realted to my products (about 1000 people the last 30 days with 3500 in sales)

One ting I do suggest is making sure when your customer clicks 'Add to cart' it redirects them directly to the cart page

Thanks Joel...

This some of the best advice from my experience also.

I like the redirect to the cart page as that is where the purchase is going to happen.

A few other tips to add to the improvement in conversion would be to do the "related products" on the checkout page.

Run a cart abandonment program.

Email the prospective purchaser with a coupon if they abandon.

On the post purchase thank you page make sure you have a "bump"

Offer something extra...the related products thing again with "free shipping"

They already purchased so just put it out there and you can get a nice bump.

Don't know where there are solutions within Shopify for these but I run some OpenCart stores and we do things like that....

...along with followup and review/testimonial requests.

Couple all that with junction boxes for easy nav and the traffic you are generating from paid sources...what a winner.

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, nice ads - and I agree on them. Most are easy to do in shopify with a few low cost apps. Upsells are huge, they make the difference of breakeven and profit a lot of the time! Cheers.

Originally Posted by Oziboomer

Thanks Joel...

This some of the best advice from my experience also.

I like the redirect to the cart page as that is where the purchase is going to happen.

A few other tips to add to the improvement in conversion would be to do the "related products" on the checkout page.

Run a cart abandonment program.

Email the prospective purchaser with a coupon if they abandon.

On the post purchase thank you page make sure you have a "bump"

Offer something extra...the related products thing again with "free shipping"

They already purchased so just put it out there and you can get a nice bump.

Don't know where there are solutions within Shopify for these but I run some OpenCart stores and we do things like that....

...along with followup and review/testimonial requests.

Couple all that with junction boxes for easy nav and the traffic you are generating from paid sources...what a winner.

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tomhunt88

8 years ago

What fulfilment centre do you use? And any tips around that?

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, yah it's important. I did the first 50 orders or so myself (what a pain in the ass)

I shopped around but decided on shipfusion - they called me right away, its a smaller team of guys, they had USA and Canada warehouses. I liked the personal touch / aspect of it.

We've had a few small issues but they are quick to fix them. I like being able to email o call occasionally and get good support (didn't think I;d get that with some of the bigger guys out there)

Originally Posted by tomhunt88

What fulfilment centre do you use? And any tips around that?

Thanks

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tomhunt88

8 years ago

Legend thanks bro, I need to outsource that ASAP!

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Originally Posted by tomhunt88

Legend thanks bro, I need to outsource that ASAP!

It makes thing so much easier to scale when you don;t have to worry to much about that yourself. Make sure you have the extra margins to cover the cost!

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Archer

8 years ago

Hi Joelraitt,

Thanks for all your responses, I find them useful!

I am in the process of setting up my first ecom store (trying to decide if I should use Shopify or Wordpress+Woo Commerce, among other things.)

I need some way to handle product returns. I plan to do dropshipping initially, so a regular fulfillment function is not necessary right now, though I will need it later on.

Can you suggest some service (US based) that can receive returned products? And also ship them out to customers when new orders for the returned items come in?

Do I need a fulfillment house for this? Or maybe just one of those US mailing address providers?

Thanks!

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey - I like shopify, it was easy to set up w/ payments. It does lack a few things like better reporting but there is ways to make it work.

If you're dropshipping most will connect right with shopify, I was under the impression that most dropshippers handle their own returns? Have the customer ship it to them.

I hope this helps but I'd talk with your dropshipper as each will be different!

Thanks,
Joel

Originally Posted by Archer

Hi Joelraitt,

Thanks for all your responses, I find them useful!

I am in the process of setting up my first ecom store (trying to decide if I should use Shopify or Wordpress+Woo Commerce, among other things.)

I need some way to handle product returns. I plan to do dropshipping initially, so a regular fulfillment function is not necessary right now, though I will need it later on.

Can you suggest some service (US based) that can receive returned products? And also ship them out to customers when new orders for the returned items come in?

Do I need a fulfillment house for this? Or maybe just one of those US mailing address providers?

Thanks!

Thanks
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Archer

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey - I like shopify, it was easy to set up w/ payments. It does lack a few things like better reporting but there is ways to make it work.

If you're dropshipping most will connect right with shopify, I was under the impression that most dropshippers handle their own returns? Have the customer ship it to them.

I hope this helps but I'd talk with your dropshipper as each will be different!

Thanks,
Joel

Hi Joel,

Thanks for your response!

Sorry, I should have clarified - I was thinking of sourcing products from ebay and having the ebay seller ship to my customers, as and when I receive orders. Or source from AliExpress.

Hence the need for a service to handle returns (I am not US based, so I can't have returns sent to me.)

Can you please suggest a few good US-based dropship companies? Or a reliable resource that gives details of such companies?

Actually, my impression was that if you use dropshipping companies, your margins will be quite low, which would not leave enough room for facebook advertising and for your profits. Maybe I'm wrong...

Thanks in advance!

Archer

Thanks

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tomhunt88 8 years ago

I feel you bro, will let you know how it goes!

Have subscribed to your blog
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George Hunt

8 years ago

Joel,

Thank you for the great "inside". I have some questions: 1. Do you you Instagram for advertising your goods? 2. What kind of jewelry do you sell: fashion low-mid cost, expensive (Swarovski?) or niche jewelry (biker's, movies etc.) 3.What do you feel is the toughest thing selling jewelry?

Thanks and god luck in sales!

Thanks
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Edwards WOrld

8 years ago

This is awesome.

Can you elaborate.

For me...(lets say the product is $20) - I'd test around 100-150 in ads and then see if there are any winning ages or placements. If it's b/e or close I let it keep running after 3 days to help collect more data.

If it's a grand slam with great ROI I'll clone that ad and start scaling (do not raise budget on current ad)

If it's a total fail (like 0 sales and CPC is really high) I sometimes end at day 2

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Not sure what you want me to expand on? Pretty specific I think! Let me know what you're looking for...

Originally Posted by Edwards WOrld

This is awesome.

Can you elaborate.

For me...(lets say the product is $20) - I'd test around 100-150 in ads and then see if there are any winning ages or placements. If it's b/e or close I let it keep running after 3 days to help collect more data.

If it's a grand slam with great ROI I'll clone that ad and start scaling (do not raise budget on current ad)

If it's a total fail (like 0 sales and CPC is really high) I sometimes end at day 2

Thanks

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey!

1) I've tested IG a little, been breakeven or less on each test so far
2) It's mostly low to mid, although I'm having better luck with mid (25-50) right now - it's more expensive to buy but worth it as customers are happy
3) toughest.....hmmm knowing how much to order and keeping inventory full....some stuff takes 20 days to produce and then 10-12 days to ship so that's a long time

Cheers!

Originally Posted by George Hunt

Joel,

Thank you for the great "inside". I have some questions: 1. Do you you Instagram for advertising your goods? 2. What kind of jewelry do you sell: fashion low-mid cost, expensive (Swarovski?) or niche jewelry (biker's, movies etc.) 3.What do you feel is the toughest thing selling jewelry?

Thanks and god luck in sales!

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linda dropshipping

8 years ago

hi
1. may i know what platform u use ?ebay ,Amazon or?
2. what kinds of items u sell?
3. 7-10k a day in sales this month? is it $ or RMB

Thanks
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joelraitt 8 years ago

1) Shopify + FB ads
2) Jewellery + other gifts and items
3) Not sure what you mean? RMB?

Cheers

Originally Posted by linda dropshipping

hi
1. may i know what platform u use ?ebay ,Amazon or?
2. what kinds of items u sell?
3. 7-10k a day in sales this month? is it $ or RMB
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sellonlinee

8 years ago

Hey Joel
Had lost hope ..but your thread is promising and motivating

Thanks

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affspy

8 years ago

Hi Joel,
Thank you for this great thread.
I am having a great success with FB Ads + Amazon affiliate program and soon in 2016, i will switch to my own eCoomerce site.
With FB , we have to choose some particular niches in order to sell on FB. not all the niches are good on FB..

with Jewelry, Do you use Free item + shipping to increase your sales and then upsale them something ???

Thank you
Simo

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JamesMason 8 years ago

Originally Posted by affspy

with Jewelry, Do you use Free item + shipping to increase your sales and then upsale them something ???

Thank you
Simo

Hi Joel,

I have the same question - have you done this or tested it?
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, that's great man - if you can learn what works and doesn't as an affilaite with paid ads....your own store will be a breeze! WAY higher margins, just a few extra hurdles to go over like support and returns and so on.

I see lots of people doing FREE + shipping of like 9.99 or something + upsell....it's not how I started....I like setting my price and then doing lower cost shipping.

I find this way the experience is better for the customer, they expect to see $5+ s/h and it's only $3? That's awesome!

FREE + 9.99 seems like a gimmick to me...it does convert BUT are those the customers you want to build your business around? Freebie finders? They complain more and buy less.

I have tested it with decent results but have paused for now. It devalues my brand to much.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by affspy

Hi Joel,
Thank you for this great thread.
I am having a great success with FB Ads + Amazon affiliate program and soon in 2016, i will switch to my own eCoomerce site.
With FB , we have to choose some particular niches in order to sell on FB. not all the niches are good on FB..

with Jewelry, Do you use Free item + shipping to increase your sales and then upsale them something ???

Thank you
Simo

[ 1 ] Thanks

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Barth

8 years ago

Wow, very interesting post, thanks a lot joelraitt

I'll read it again and again and maybe contact you in private if you are ok.

Amazing success story anyway, congrats !

[ 1 ] Thanks

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ChrisBa

8 years ago

How long did it take you to make it up to these numbers?

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joelraitt 8 years ago

Well it's funny. I've done numbers like these in other areas (affiliate marketing) several times. I started my store about 8 months ago and it hovered around $6-10k profit a month. I thought it 'wasn't scalable' which was TOTALY wrong...(I never even tried it was a mental block I had that was false based on past experience)

I finally got off my ass and tested a few more things...a few hit and I took it more serious and scaled (it takes time to learn inventory, support and so on) - it's tough to know how much to buy....the lead time in production and so on.....what if you buy 5000 necklaces and then the ads slow down or stop working?

Once I hit a few new it went something like 80k (sales) in october then nov I just did the reporting and did just under 200k in sales. I'm hoping to keep these numbers going and growing! Again...not sure what to expect after Christmas? Got to watch those inventory levels!

Originally Posted by ChrisBa

How long did it take you to make it up to these numbers?
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AntonA

8 years ago

Hello,

I made a shopify store 4 months ago it makes £1000 a month, and I use FB for my advertising.

Facebook has now decided I can not send my page link in a messgae or post in a group, forcing me to pay them for advertising, which it works anyway

BUT I am from the UK and always looking to make more money, are we able to get something set up? PM me, serious player here

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Not really sure what you mean...but keep on workin at it and growing!

Originally Posted by AntonA

Hello,

I made a shopify store 4 months ago it makes £1000 a month, and I use FB for my advertising.

Facebook has now decided I can not send my page link in a messgae or post in a group, forcing me to pay them for advertising, which it works anyway

BUT I am from the UK and always looking to make more money, are we able to get something set up? PM me, serious player here

Thanks

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jawar

8 years ago

Congrats on your success and thank you for sharing.

What metrics do you use to decide if a product is worth testing?

What sites do you use to look for products to test?

Are there any tips you don't mind sharing that may help as it relates to deciding what products to test?

Thanks
3 replies

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WFO Marketing 8 years ago

Absolutely amazing info here! Joel, thank you very much
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Lifechitect

8 years ago

Hey Joel, thanks for doing this!

Can you please elaborate on your process...Are your facebook ads based on promotinos like rebates/coupons directed to your product page? Do you send traffic to your main page or specific product page?

Thanks again.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey!

1) It's not rebates or coupons, I believe in selling for full price and providing a great service. This attracts better buyers. The are 'discounted' and a good deal with good value.

2) ALWAYS to a specific product page for a specific ad

Cheers

Originally Posted by Lifechitect

Hey Joel, thanks for doing this!

Can you please elaborate on your process...Are your facebook ads based on promotinos like rebates/coupons directed to your product page? Do you send traffic to your main page or specific product page?

Thanks again.

Thanks

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Good questions!

1) Almost all products are worth testing IMO, Ive tested a few I thought would suck and it turned out to be my best piece. You need to test lots at first. Then think about why this one worked and this one didn't. Make theories and test them. In this business the product is the ad.

2) I look on amazon, alibaba, and many other places for ideas. We also have our own custom pieces designed (gives us a competitive edge)

3) Lots of variables...but remember you need BIG margins - always count ads or CPA as part of your costs and make sure yu have a decent about to spend to acquire that customer!

Example: Coffee mug cost $2 to get, shipping is $5 = $7 You figured you can sell it for $14+$3 shipping = $17 giving you $10 to spend on ads....in this case that's a little low IMO but if you have a good upsell it could work....I hope this helps somehow...

Cheers!

Originally Posted by jawar

Congrats on your success and thank you for sharing.

What metrics do you use to decide if a product is worth testing?

What sites do you use to look for products to test?

Are there any tips you don't mind sharing that may help as it relates to deciding what products to test?

Thanks

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Rinaser

8 years ago

RMB maybe Renminbi - official currency of China. Joel thanks for your post. Very interesting to read!

Thanks

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solomonm

8 years ago

Joe,

Interested to know how this works. Do you have a coaching program?

Thanks
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newmobilekid

8 years ago

Thanks Joel for your really valuable info. I am starting new and was just curious which ad platform was more successful for you, FB ads or Google adwords if you have used it and why.

Looking into starting real small since my budget is very limited too. I was really thinking of starting at just $5 per day budget, is that reasonable or very small? I have been searching for low cpc keywords of maximum $0.30 but the clicks were low. I know I am asking too many questions, but if you would even recommend a good book I would appreciate that. I just want to learn slowly because I am on a limited budget and cannot afford to lose my limited capital too. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey,

1) I've always like FB ads. I'm just testing adwords for this site this week!
2) $5 a day is pretty small, I suggest finding a way to make or save up some mor money for testing
3) As for books, I don't know of any related to adwords or FB specifically that I would recommend. But for sales I love the old school advertising books... Olgilvy, Surgarman, John Caples, claude hopkins - read those and you're 99% ahead of most.

Again....find a way (another job, side jobs, contracting) to make some mor extra money to invest in your business and education.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by newmobilekid

Thanks Joel for your really valuable info. I am starting new and was just curious which ad platform was more successful for you, FB ads or Google adwords if you have used it and why.

Looking into starting real small since my budget is very limited too. I was really thinking of starting at just $5 per day budget, is that reasonable or very small? I have been searching for low cpc keywords of maximum $0.30 but the clicks were low. I know I am asking too many questions, but if you would even recommend a good book I would appreciate that. I just want to learn slowly because I am on a limited budget and cannot afford to lose my limited capital too. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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Nym

8 years ago

How do you select the products?
How do you test the market?
What is your average markup for a product?
What % of the markup goes in ads?

Nice post! Ty for sharing!

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, some of these have been answered in other posts but here's a quick one:

1) I tested a bunch a the start and learned what works and doesn't work over time (still do this) This is my basic process now:

a) post an image to get feedback and thoughts (this helps a lot)
b) order a sample yo check quality and make sure the suppliers legit
c) order 100 and ship to fulfilment house
d) test organic sales on FB page
e) test ads CPA (is it profitable or close?)
f) guess how many more I need to order (usually 500 to start) and so on if it continues to scale (have got to 5000 orders)

2) 8-12X markup is best, sometimes a lower markup % is OK if the cost and price are higher. It's all about being able to pay that CPA and making money.

3) My average numbers are as follows (give or take as I tried to make the numbers easy):

Products Cost = $4
Shipping cost = $5
CPA cost $18
Total = $27

Average cart value = $39

Profit = $12 a sale
ROI on Ads = almost 70%

Some of my items run at lower ROI and some at closer to 100% ROI

Cheers

Originally Posted by Nym

How do you select the products?
How do you test the market?
What is your average markup for a product?
What % of the markup goes in ads?

Nice post! Ty for sharing!

[ 1 ] Thanks

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Gabbarsingh

8 years ago

Hey joel
Nice helpful thread.
I am planning to get into a niche with this.. still undecided ..between shopify or go wordpress and woo commerce. I plan to source some health food products from local supplier.

Thinking latter though to avoid the monthly shopify costs. Initially.

You think i would be a good idea ?
Cheers
Gabbarsingh

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JeremyT

8 years ago

Hey Joel,

I've been looking for a comprehensive detailed source to learn this stuff, but no luck yet. I would love to reach those daily sales you've been getting. do you offer any training program? I really need to figure this out but most programs I feel are "holding out" so to speak and only give the bare basics of the business.

Thanks so much man,

-Jeremy

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey,

I don't offer or have a training program. I suggest in a few other posts to read the old school direct response marketing books. They have sound principles everyone needs to learn.

Cheers

Originally Posted by JeremyT

Hey Joel,

I've been looking for a comprehensive detailed source to learn this stuff, but no luck yet. I would love to reach those daily sales you've been getting. do you offer any training program? I really need to figure this out but most programs I feel are "holding out" so to speak and only give the bare basics of the business.

Thanks so much man,

-Jeremy

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Impossible for me to know man! I think keeping your costs low to start (saving you more money for ads) is a good idea...keep it lean and mean and focus on SALES. Nothing else matters at the start.

Originally Posted by Gabbarsingh

Hey joel
Nice helpful thread.
I am planning to get into a niche with this.. still undecided ..between shopify or go wordpress and woo commerce. I plan to source some health food products from local supplier.

Thinking latter though to avoid the monthly shopify costs. Initially.

You think i would be a good idea ?
Cheers
Gabbarsingh

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DrForum

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey guys,

A LOOONNGGG time ago I did a post on affiliate stuff I was doing and answered questions...people seemed to like it

anyways...I thought i'd share and help out if anyone has questions...ill get a specific as i can

I'm using FB ads running traffic to my own site (shopify) and doing 7-10k a day in sales this month (a bit less last month) - i dont handle any of the shipping myself but i'm not 'dropshipping' its my inventory - using a fulfilment house

ive learnt a lot so far (still lots to learn) but im willing to help out and share - so if you're into ecommerce now or want to....i have no issues helping a bit on here with systems, services questions and so on!

Ask away!

Woow, great team Facebook. I tell you very many guys are earning a good income through this social media platform. I always believe that facebook has all round persons whom when well nurtured can be a very resourceful traffic. I have seen several shopify websites that are selling like crazy and I do suspect that yours is also doing the same. I am so much encourage and motivated that you are loving this whole experience. team hardwork will always smile all the way to the bank after a job is well done.

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evelinawilliams

8 years ago

This method should work like any other drop-shipping business if you know what you're doing. PPC marketing still is a trial and error.

Definitely not for everyone, spending $3000 a day on advertising is close to impossible for nearly 99.9% of the users of this forum.

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Well you don;t start spending $3000 a day - I test with 100-200 and go from there. You can use CC or other ways to get capital if you have something working and need to scale!

Originally Posted by evelinawilliams

This method should work like any other drop-shipping business if you know what you're doing. PPC marketing still is a trial and error.

Definitely not for everyone, spending $3000 a day on advertising is close to impossible for nearly 99.9% of the users of this forum.

Thanks

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online with me

8 years ago

Hi Joel,

Great post & well done.

That's impressive.

What advice could you give to someone new wanting to start in this field?

How much start up capital would you recommend?

What is the best "course" to learn your method from?

Many Thanks

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey hey!

1) For advice starting out....try becoming an affiliate first, test ads and results, learn what sells and think about why. If you can make it as an affiliate when you start your 'own' business you have higher margins! Selling is everything.

2) For becoming an affiliate...$2500 would be best (this keeps some pressure off) and gives room to lose and learn till you win. About the same for starting your own business (but allocated differently).

3) It's not a method - it's find products, test products, scale the winners. No tricks. Just sales. Read the classic direct response books (i have them listed in this thread somewhere) - those old books are gold and some are only .99 on kindle.\\

Good luck

Originally Posted by online with me

Hi Joel,

Great post & well done.

That's impressive.

What advice could you give to someone new wanting to start in this field?

How much start up capital would you recommend?

What is the best "course" to learn your method from?

Many Thanks

Thanks

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byalik

8 years ago

Do you first test with dropshipping from China and then if it works, order in bulk?

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, no I don't....I guess a few people are teaching that method as it always comes up. It leads to high returns and refunds. The product shows up weeks later with Mandarin all over it and looks like crap. The person knows it came right from China and feels ripped.

I usually order 100 of the item I want to test...if it goes well I quickly order 500-1000 more and if that goes well I order 2500-5000 and so on...depending on the success of the product.

If the product bombs....I usually still sell a few so I'm left with say 50-70 items...I leave them on the store and they slowly get sold (I don't make ads specifically for them anymore) - low risk IMO

Cheers

Originally Posted by byalik

Do you first test with dropshipping from China and then if it works, order in bulk?

Thanks
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Edwards WOrld 8 years ago

Important question. For your facebook ads are these desktop ads that are converting?

I know there is a difference in conversion.

Thanks,

Edward
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- joelraitt 8 years ago
  
  Great questions...
  
  At first I ran DT only...then started testing mobile and it worked as well...
  
  I have discovered that certain products perform better in certain age groups and certain placements. So Ill run a piece on all for a few days, look at sales and optimize based on the data
  
  So....both really!
  
  Originally Posted by Edwards WOrld
  
  Important question. For your facebook ads are these desktop ads that are converting?
  
  I know there is a difference in conversion.
  
  Thanks,
  
  Edward
  
  Thanks
  
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Tyler F

7 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

I usually order 100 of the item I want to test...if it goes well I quickly order 500-1000 more and if that goes well I order 2500-5000 and so on...depending on the success of the product.

Do your suppliers give you a bigger discount the larger your order is? I don't have much experience with alibaba but noticed they rarely have fixed prices, instead it's a range

Thanks
2 replies

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Splatterfox

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Tyler F

Do your suppliers give you a bigger discount the larger your order is? I don't have much experience with alibaba but noticed they rarely have fixed prices, instead it's a range

Of course, you will save a fortune buying in bulk.

But you will save even more on shipping costs, especially if you use sea delivery (takes 1-2 months all in all but if you have a small, lightweight product you will pay almost nothing in the end).

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Splatterfox

Of course, you will save a fortune buying in bulk.

But you will save even more on shipping costs, especially if you use sea delivery (takes 1-2 months all in all but if you have a small, lightweight product you will pay almost nothing in the end).

Yah, the issue is 1-2 months is an eternity, we build express post shipping into our costs to cut down lead time and save on inventory we need on hand.

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Importexport 7 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Yah, the issue is 1-2 months is an eternity, we build express post shipping into our costs to cut down lead time and save on inventory we need on hand.

Discounts on larger quantities when bought from China are nowhere near as big as most people think, but buying larger quantities can save heaps on shipping.

Using express shipping is a good way to go, but because you have factored in that cost and still make a good profit, you obviously know how to get the best prices.

Most people don't. They see someone advertising on Alibaba as a manufacturer, believe what they see there, think they are getting a great price, but they don't realize that they are paying the trader a big margin above what they could get if they went to a real manufacturer.

Shipping by sea can result in unit cost of freight being next to nothing if the product's size and weight are both low, but there is a hidden cost that few think about. It's called opportunity cost.

When you outlay a lot of money for inventory that you can't get to sell for as much as a couple of months, you should take into account the cost of your money. If you have the cash in the bank, you have lost the interest you could have earned on what you outlaid in advance for that inventory. Are you paying interest? That's an added cost. If you shipped via express could you sell and make profits that you have to wait for if shipping by sea?

I have taught hundreds how to buy at the best prices so that they can afford the express costs. They are making markups of 300% or more, even using express freight.

Walter Hay
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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Tyler F

Do your suppliers give you a bigger discount the larger your order is? I don't have much experience with alibaba but noticed they rarely have fixed prices, instead it's a range

Yes, but i suggest not negotiating to much at the start and taking smaller MOQ. As your relationship builds its very valuable. As volume increases prices decrease. We're always telling our suppliers we want them to make money too - we see them as a HUGE part of our team.

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Tyler F

7 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Yes, but i suggest not negotiating to much at the start and taking smaller MOQ. As your relationship builds its very valuable. As volume increases prices decrease. We're always telling our suppliers we want them to make money too - we see them as a HUGE part of our team.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. When you went from 100 to 1000 to 5000 per order, roughly how much did you save per item?

Great thread by the way. Thanks for doing this.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Good question - it varries. we got some pretty solid discounts but i never push to hard since the prices are pretty low. i like them making good money and having our suppliers happy. its worth more then a few % points off - its a feel thing i guess :S

Originally Posted by Tyler F

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. When you went from 100 to 1000 to 5000 per order, roughly how much did you save per item?

Great thread by the way. Thanks for doing this.

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artfulstratagem

8 years ago

Salutations from Ontario lol, thanks for all the info I feel motivated to try something like this. I have a question please check your pm. Thanks!

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Go Canada Go! haha

Originally Posted by artfulstratagem

Salutations from Ontario lol, thanks for all the info I feel motivated to try something like this. I have a question please check your pm. Thanks!

Thanks
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Edwards WOrld

8 years ago

When you test. Do you run say 4 ads one strictly for newsfeed.

Another for strictly mobile.

The next for desktop right side etc.

And maybe one for all 3 included?

Is that the break down.

You mentioned age groups respond differently. I assume millenials are mobile older folks stick to desktop more?

Thanks!

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey,

Ummmm it varies a bit - but usually I'll run ad targeted tight with a LAL audience and run it on my age + all placements. If it's break even or making money I'll let it run for a few days for data. After that I break down the best and find those profit pockets. I then try to scale those the best I can.

Sometimes both placements are profitable so I'd let the ad keep going as is. BUT I'll make new ads just for mobile and DT so it can optimize better as scaling!

As for 'old people' some of my products sell better on DT for them but others on mobile....not sure why yet! Test both always.

Cheers

Originally Posted by Edwards WOrld

When you test. Do you run say 4 ads one strictly for newsfeed.

Another for strictly mobile.

The next for desktop right side etc.

And maybe one for all 3 included?

Is that the break down.

You mentioned age groups respond differently. I assume millenials are mobile older folks stick to desktop more?

Thanks!

Thanks
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Edwards WOrld 8 years ago

Thanks so much!

God Bless.
- Thanks
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alessandrovec

8 years ago

hey there thanks for the valuable tips !!

how often do you publish on your Facebook page ? do you write content also and link into it, publish pictures and engage with the public too ? could you tell a bit more about fb please ? we owe you one man !!

Thanks

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Ctscott860

8 years ago

Hello Joel I've been following your Shopify thread and It has really helped. Can you answer a quick question.

What do you suggest PPE or Website conversion?

I have some ads with 9-10 relevance.

ALso how do you scale up. WHen you have a sucessful ad. I;ve that you duplicate it. But does this duplication have a incrased budget? or added interest. Or do you keep the same?

I made this in 7 days. But spent ALMOST as much in FB ADS

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Awesome stuff man...

I've tested both and have more luck optimizing to conversions....especially when you get more data it gets better and better.

I'd look at your ads breakdown of placement, age, gender....and see your CPA (cost per acquisition) which is a sale.

When scaling, you're still testing in a sense...but change less. Once it's proven to sell (the image and copy) I usually don't change to much and test targeting to scale. So lets say I spent $100 on an add and I saw opportunity...

Id find the best targeting in that add and try $100 per day on it (or a couple that look good) then I'd try a couple slightly different things at $100 a day.....all tracking conversions...

You know it converts decent so you wont lose your shirt, you'll get most of your money back worst case...or maybe you'll hit a huge winner. When you hit a big winner with low CPA cost and high ROI....depending on your audience size SCALE (with new campaign)

So lets say you test 5 new ads at $100 each close to your successful ad......$500 a day....they could all work now your spending 500 a day making 250-750 a day profit....or you pause the loosers, keep the winners and try another 5....eventually you low risk your way to 1000,2000,3000,5000,10000 a day!

I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Ctscott860

Hello Joel I've been following your Shopify thread and It has really helped. Can you answer a quick question.

What do you suggest PPE or Website conversion?

I have some ads with 9-10 relevance.

ALso how do you scale up. WHen you have a sucessful ad. I;ve that you duplicate it. But does this duplication have a incrased budget? or added interest. Or do you keep the same?

I made this in 7 days. But spent ALMOST as much in FB ADS

Thanks

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angrikitti

8 years ago

Hi Joel Great Thread thanks for sharing.

Just starting a shopify store.

I am in Canada too. Is your shopify site shopify.ca or shopify.com or does it matter?

I know the shipping rates are high here in Canada, I was wondering do you ship items yourself here in Canada or do you get the fulfilment company to ship it for you and if so is going through a fulfilment company here in Canada cheaper with the shipping costs?

I am selling jewelry as well so the items are smaller but I don't see anyway around the cost of shipping in Canada.

thanks!

Thanks
2 replies

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, nice!

I haven't sold in Canada yet but plan to test it in the NY. I have a fulfilment house in the USA that I use. They also have a CND one so I'll use that when the time comes.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by angrikitti

Hi Joel Great Thread thanks for sharing.

Just starting a shopify store.

I am in Canada too. Is your shopify site shopify.ca or shopify.com or does it matter?

I know the shipping rates are high here in Canada, I was wondering do you ship items yourself here in Canada or do you get the fulfilment company to ship it for you and if so is going through a fulfilment company here in Canada cheaper with the shipping costs?

I am selling jewelry as well so the items are smaller but I don't see anyway around the cost of shipping in Canada.

thanks!

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executiv

8 years ago

Originally Posted by angrikitti

Hi Joel Great Thread thanks for sharing.

Just starting a shopify store.

I am in Canada too. Is your shopify site shopify.ca or shopify.com or does it matter?

I know the shipping rates are high here in Canada, I was wondering do you ship items yourself here in Canada or do you get the fulfilment company to ship it for you and if so is going through a fulfilment company here in Canada cheaper with the shipping costs?

I am selling jewelry as well so the items are smaller but I don't see anyway around the cost of shipping in Canada.

thanks!

Hello Angrikitti,
So have you decided for ca or com.
Same confusion I have.Shipping costs are enormous in Canada.
I am planning to Set up a Shopify store on shofify.com using USA virtual address and phone mumber.
Still searching for a good and low cost fullfillment house.Do you have any success so far.
I live in Hamilton,Ontario

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

If you are shipping to the USA then set up fulfillment from the USA! Same for Canada. Less borders the better.

Originally Posted by executiv

Hello Angrikitti,
So have you decided for ca or com.
Same confusion I have.Shipping costs are enormous in Canada.
I am planning to Set up a Shopify store on shofify.com using USA virtual address and phone mumber.
Still searching for a good and low cost fullfillment house.Do you have any success so far.
I live in Hamilton,Ontario

Thanks

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Glad Warrior

8 years ago

Amazing suggestions Joel.

I have an ecommerce store where I sell ladies handbags only. I am running "clicks to website" ads but the conversion is really low.

Although, when I create a photo album on my FB page and boost that photo album on mobile, the conversions are better and CPC is way lower.

I want to make sales from my website because then I can up-sell and do many things.

What would you suggest me, Joel?

Thank you

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hmmm well if you're having luck with the photo album have you tired the carousel ads? Make sure you're collecting who's been to the site for remarketing and creating LAL audiences.

I'm not sure what images you are using (I find 'natural' images are much better then profesional), but test different types + other headlines and targeting. FB you can now target interest COMBINED with other interests...

So you could do 'hand bags AND vintage' as a combo to narrow it down (or whatever makes sense for your bags)

I hope this helps!

Originally Posted by Glad Warrior

Amazing suggestions Joel.

I have an ecommerce store where I sell ladies handbags only. I am running "clicks to website" ads but the conversion is really low.

Although, when I create a photo album on my FB page and boost that photo album on mobile, the conversions are better and CPC is way lower.

I want to make sales from my website because then I can up-sell and do many things.

What would you suggest me, Joel?

Thank you

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Glad Warrior

8 years ago

Thanks for the suggestions.

I haven't though about using natural images. I am using extremely professional images with drop shadows etc. Thank you for the idea of using natural images, I will try that right now.

I got good results with Carousel ads. But the problem was, I can only display 5 handbags and I have more than 50 designs. I don't want to send people to my category page, the conversion just not happen there.

What do you suggest how I should use the Carousel ads, Joel?

Thank you so much again

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hmmm well if you're having luck with the photo album have you tired the carousel ads? Make sure you're collecting who's been to the site for remarketing and creating LAL audiences.

I'm not sure what images you are using (I find 'natural' images are much better then profesional), but test different types + other headlines and targeting. FB you can now target interest COMBINED with other interests...

So you could do 'hand bags AND vintage' as a combo to narrow it down (or whatever makes sense for your bags)

I hope this helps!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Are you tracking web site visitors and conversions on FB? How many do you have? Maybe send me a PM if you want it privet.

I've had some luck with carosel but most success has been with single ads and a single product.

Originally Posted by Glad Warrior

Thanks for the suggestions.

I haven't though about using natural images. I am using extremely professional images with drop shadows etc. Thank you for the idea of using natural images, I will try that right now.

I got good results with Carousel ads. But the problem was, I can only display 5 handbags and I have more than 50 designs. I don't want to send people to my category page, the conversion just not happen there.

What do you suggest how I should use the Carousel ads, Joel?

Thank you so much again

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Archer

8 years ago

Hi Joel,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge in this thread! I learned a lot.

Quick question regarding images.

Do you use images of the product itself or of a model using / wearing the product? Eg., a model wearing a necklace as opposed to a shot of the necklace alone?

Thanks!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey Archer,

I've tested a few...funny enough ust the product image has worked best for me so far on average. The issue with a person wearing it is you need to be SUPER zoomed in to see the piece. So basically....it's a skin colour background or a little bit of a shirt...

That's my experience!

Originally Posted by Archer

Hi Joel,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge in this thread! I learned a lot.

Quick question regarding images.

Do you use images of the product itself or of a model using / wearing the product? Eg., a model wearing a necklace as opposed to a shot of the necklace alone?

Thanks!

Thanks

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Tanvirul

8 years ago

Hi dear,
Would you tell me why are you using shopify, what is the difference from another.
-Tanvirul

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 8 years ago

It's easy to set up. Good up time. Good support. Lots of apps (and more always being made). Not bad processing fees. Mobile ready. No dealing with hosting or anything. Lets you focus on SALES.

Cheers!

Originally Posted by Tanvirul

Hi dear,
Would you tell me why are you using shopify, what is the difference from another.
-Tanvirul
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iQxxL

8 years ago

Which payment methods r u using ?

Thanks

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Glad Warrior

8 years ago

Joel,

Do you use PPE [Page post engagement] objective?

From what I have seen, if the ad receives good engagement, the CPC goes down and you also get some bonus orders directly from FB inbox.

What do you think about them?

Thank you.

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey Glad Warrior,

I used to use PPE and still do in one business. For the specific post / business I optimize for conversions.

It's worth testing for sure, page post engagements can be good. I see so many types of ads....links....photos with the link in the text...it's about finding a combo that works for you!

Cheers

Originally Posted by Glad Warrior

Joel,

Do you use PPE [Page post engagement] objective?

From what I have seen, if the ad receives good engagement, the CPC goes down and you also get some bonus orders directly from FB inbox.

What do you think about them?

Thank you.

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DURABLEOILCOM

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey guys,

A LOOONNGGG time ago I did a post on affiliate stuff I was doing and answered questions...people seemed to like it

anyways...I thought i'd share and help out if anyone has questions...ill get a specific as i can

I'm using FB ads running traffic to my own site (shopify) and doing 7-10k a day in sales this month (a bit less last month) - i dont handle any of the shipping myself but i'm not 'dropshipping' its my inventory - using a fulfilment house

ive learnt a lot so far (still lots to learn) but im willing to help out and share - so if you're into ecommerce now or want to....i have no issues helping a bit on here with systems, services questions and so on!

Ask away!

Which companies are you working with?

Thanks
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joelraitt 8 years ago

Sorry man, not sure what you mean?

Originally Posted by DURABLEOILCOM

Which companies are you working with?
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anton433

8 years ago

Hi Joel!

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. Do you have a rule of thumb for how much you want to be able to spend on advertising before you even consider the product? Let's say I sell a product through Amazon FBA and it sells for $9.99 and my net profit is $4. Is it too little to even consider using Facebook ads?

Thanks
2 replies

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dakar 7 years ago

Hi Joel,

You said that you would see how things were after Christmas. Are sales and profit still stable or growing? Thanks
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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- joelraitt 7 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by dakar
  
  Hi Joel,
  
  You said that you would see how things were after Christmas. Are sales and profit still stable or growing? Thanks
  
  Yup! We've we saw a dip in Jan but have grown sales since then at a nice pace! Some up and downs though!
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  dakar 7 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by joelraitt
  
  Yup! We've we saw a dip in Jan but have grown sales since then at a nice pace! Some up and downs though!
  
  That's awesome. You are a great inspiration. I will try to create a store myself and follow your steps. I'll let you know as time goes by.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  joelraitt 7 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by dakar
  
  That's awesome. You are a great inspiration. I will try to create a store myself and follow your steps. I'll let you know as time goes by.
  
  Go get it man! We're testing a new strategy to scale faster so we'll see how it works and maybe I'l come back and post it! cheers!
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  dakar 7 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by joelraitt
  
  Go get it man! We're testing a new strategy to scale faster so we'll see how it works and maybe I'l come back and post it! cheers!
  
  That would be great. I hope it works out for you!
  
  Thanks
  
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najo10 7 years ago

Get thread Joel! You are an inspiration for sure!

As for drop shipping, why do you feel it is a short term business model?

Thanks,

Nate
- Thanks
- 1 reply
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- joelraitt 7 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by najo10
  
  Get thread Joel! You are an inspiration for sure!
  
  As for drop shipping, why do you feel it is a short term business model?
  
  Thanks,
  
  Nate
  
  Well, I have ordered from a bunch of them - you get a package full of a foriegn language for customs and it takes 2-4 weeks with no tracking. It's just not a business id want to buy from again. we get lots of comments on how fast our orders arrived and how great it is. sometimes we ship within 30 minutes of them ordering. To build those long term relationships you got to o that extra mile IMO.
  
  Dropship from China is a short term game - but it does give people an advantage of price and scale.
  
  Thanks
  
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey!

Good question....hmm it all depends...haha crappy answer I know...I'd have a few questions for your product...like....

How many do you sell on average per order?
Do you have an upsell? How much and average take?
I'm assuming that's $4 after FBA and other fees?
Are you planning on running ads to Amazon?
Have you thought about other so upsells are easier?

With mine...I aim for a 8-12X mark up on the product...I use shopify now Amazon but testing it. Just make sure you have enough room to spend on ads...I spend $10-$20 to acquire a new customer and my average cart is up to $38-$39.

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anton433

8 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey!

Good question....hmm it all depends...haha crappy answer I know...I'd have a few questions for your product...like....

How many do you sell on average per order?
Do you have an upsell? How much and average take?
I'm assuming that's $4 after FBA and other fees?
Are you planning on running ads to Amazon?
Have you thought about other so upsells are easier?

With mine...I aim for a 8-12X mark up on the product...I use shopify now Amazon but testing it. Just make sure you have enough room to spend on ads...I spend $10-$20 to acquire a new customer and my average cart is up to $38-$39.

- 1.05 units per order
- No upsells, no email lists (the big drawbacks of selling on Amazon)
- Yes, $4 is take home profit after fees and everything
- Well, I thought about sending people straight to the Amazon listing but I realise it would probably not be profitable. Although I wouldn't mind making only very little profit with the Facebook ads. This product gets very very few returns. And making more sales would boost the ranking on Amazon organic search and also lead to more reviews which would again boost ranking and improve conversion rate.

A squeeze page would probably work quite well when doing a launch and giving away free or deeply discounted review copies. I think I will try that next time when I have a new product, instead of paying for a service like snagshout or amztracker. It shouldn't cost much more (maybe even less) and I would get a small email list as a bonus.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

If you can think of a way to target your audience on another traffic source set up a shopify site and test it! With upsells, exit pops, follow up emails you'll gain a lot more $ per visitor allowing you to spend more to acquire traffic.

Originally Posted by anton433

- 1.05 units per order
- No upsells, no email lists (the big drawbacks of selling on Amazon)
- Yes, $4 is take home profit after fees and everything
- Well, I thought about sending people straight to the Amazon listing but I realise it would probably not be profitable. Although I wouldn't mind making only very little profit with the Facebook ads. This product gets very very few returns. And making more sales would boost the ranking on Amazon organic search and also lead to more reviews which would again boost ranking and improve conversion rate.

A squeeze page would probably work quite well when doing a launch and giving away free or deeply discounted review copies. I think I will try that next time when I have a new product, instead of paying for a service like snagshout or amztracker. It shouldn't cost much more (maybe even less) and I would get a small email list as a bonus.

Thanks

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PGCEE

7 years ago

Hey Joel, what a great thread! I'd have a few questions myself.

Do you still keep your list around 20 items? Any specific reason to do so, from client perspective/keeping your inventory under control etc? Are you focusing on single category only? If the product doesn't sell as expected, do you remove it from the site? Thinking about necklaces here... what an ideal product from possible return and complaint standpoint

About competition. I understood you are also testing/sourcing (design) from China, which means the same items are being sold on Ebay/Amazon/Aliexpress etc? One of the keys here is obviously fast shipping/your own brand, but does keeping ~100-500 item inventory gives you that much freedom to have a competitive offer over drop shippers, and worse, straight Aliexpress buyers?

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

good questions!

we're up to about 300 SKUs now! we worked on our systems and can handle that no problem + at least 1000 SKUS before we need to re think our inventory managments.

we dont remove non - sellrs from the site, we just dont buy paid ads to them!

we're 100% custom, unique designs that are exclusive only through us and designed in house by us

they way we look at it is.....if people want to rip our stuff, we're a step a head - if people ever stop were in trouble!

Facebook is activily trying to stop the droppshippers due to poor customer service and ship times - they have a team specifically to clean our the garbage - so in the long run thats good for us.

we're playing the long game and want to be bigger and strong in 3-5 years. all the wuick pop up shops dont scare us.

cheers!

Originally Posted by PGCEE

Hey Joel, what a great thread! I'd have a few questions myself.

Do you still keep your list around 20 items? Any specific reason to do so, from client perspective/keeping your inventory under control etc? Are you focusing on single category only? If the product doesn't sell as expected, do you remove it from the site? Thinking about necklaces here... what an ideal product from possible return and complaint standpoint

About competition. I understood you are also testing/sourcing (design) from China, which means the same items are being sold on Ebay/Amazon/Aliexpress etc? One of the keys here is obviously fast shipping/your own brand, but does keeping ~100-500 item inventory gives you that much freedom to have a competitive offer over drop shippers, and worse, straight Aliexpress buyers?

Thanks

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lenkablog

8 years ago

Hello I am also launching shopify store . Looking for some one to guide me for FB ads . How to create and bring Conversion . Looking for desperate help . Please can you do that kindly .

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey, if you go to my blog (link in Bio) there is a good read on how to get a mentor and help...

Originally Posted by lenkablog

Hello I am also launching shopify store . Looking for some one to guide me for FB ads . How to create and bring Conversion . Looking for desperate help . Please can you do that kindly .

Thanks

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savyeman

8 years ago

joelraitt, What tools did you use to test your Facebook ads?

Thanks
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joelraitt 8 years ago

I don't use any, just FB conversion pixel!

Originally Posted by savyeman

joelraitt, What tools did you use to test your Facebook ads?
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savyeman

8 years ago

Ok, thanks for the reply. I thought perhaps you had heard of Qwaya or used some other tools.

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joelraitt 8 years ago

Ohh I see what you mean - I know a few people that use adespresso.com and like it. I'm going to test it in the next week or so!

Originally Posted by savyeman

Ok, thanks for the reply. I thought perhaps you had heard of Qwaya or used some other tools.
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UNESBNN

8 years ago

Hi!
is it better to us shopify for my ecommerce website or plugin in wordpress like woocommerce?

thanks

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joelraitt 8 years ago

I like shopify. I'm no an expert on woocommerce thought. Either test them out for what you want or just choose one. It will not make or break the success of your site.

Originally Posted by UNESBNN

Hi!
is it better to us shopify for my ecommerce website or plugin in wordpress like woocommerce?

thanks
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tylerdurden3377

8 years ago

New to ecommerce. Haven't set up my website yet or anything. Just wondering- would I be able to start without much money? I can use $29 for shopify, but then initially I only want to invest $50 for everything else. Is this something that could work?

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Honestly....no. That is not enough capital to test ads, build sites, learn. You should save that money. Either start a service that helps people.....writing? Links? ANYTHING....or find a new or another job and save up $2000-$5000 to be safe.

Cheers

Originally Posted by tylerdurden3377

New to ecommerce. Haven't set up my website yet or anything. Just wondering- would I be able to start without much money? I can use $29 for shopify, but then initially I only want to invest $50 for everything else. Is this something that could work?

Thanks

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lerxtjr

8 years ago

Been a while since I read every post of a 3-page thread! Nice job and congrats on your success. Here's my question for you:

spend about 3000-3500 Canadian a day

You spend $90,000 Canadian per month, roughly $65K per month US dollars. Can you give a bit of advice to readers (and me) how you play the "credit card float" with that much monthly spend? Obviously, you must have several credit cards on account. Do they ever shut you down (or suspend your accounts) because you're so close to limit every month or because you're continuously spending and paying?

This is what happened to me a few years ago so I stopped putting tens of thousands of dollars into cpc. I felt more like a guy in a casino bank moving money around all day than a marketer focusing on "selling." I have no idea how the guys manage spending $100,000 per month or more.

Thanks
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joelraitt

8 years ago

Hey! great questions...I do have the funds to float it at this level, but as I grow I may need to find more funds...

I have had my CC max out faster then I thought, which pauses the ads. This is a huge pain. My CC only has 20,000 limit but I pay it off continually throughout the month. You're right it is a but of a 'moving money around' game but it's part of business.

Before I had the cash to fund I had an affiliate campaign doing 30k+ a day with 10-15k spend a day. I had all my CC's maxed out. My bank account was EMPTY. I borrowed 5,000 from my parents. I then borrowed 30,000 from an industry friend. I had the affiliate network pay me ever 2X a week (I told them if they didn't the traffic would stop)

My days were money management. it was risky but opportunities like that don't always come up. I paid everyone back. And once I had enough cash to fund myself it was a lot easier.

I hope this helps...it's a good problem to have in my mind!

Originally Posted by lerxtjr

Been a while since I read every post of a 3-page thread! Nice job and congrats on your success. Here's my question for you:

You spend $90,000 Canadian per month, roughly $65K per month US dollars. Can you give a bit of advice to readers (and me) how you play the "credit card float" with that much monthly spend? Obviously, you must have several credit cards on account. Do they ever shut you down (or suspend your accounts) because you're so close to limit every month or because you're continuously spending and paying?

This is what happened to me a few years ago so I stopped putting tens of thousands of dollars into cpc. I felt more like a guy in a casino bank moving money around all day than a marketer focusing on "selling." I have no idea how the guys manage spending $100,000 per month or more.

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Brian Escobar

7 years ago

I know this thread is older but good Lord, I want to be you when I grow up.

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LABEShops

7 years ago

I've been experimenting with fb ads and haven't figured them out yet. Do you advertise 1 product and send the customer to that product page? Or do you advertise your site or a product type, what?

Thanks
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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by LABEShops

I've been experimenting with fb ads and haven't figured them out yet. Do you advertise 1 product and send the customer to that product page? Or do you advertise your site or a product type, what?

Hey, good questions - I do 1 product in an add to 1 product page...less options and clear direction is important. We do see some people click an ad for SKU A but then buy SKU B but not huge.

Thanks

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SkyNeTProD

7 years ago

How big is your fb ads audience ? What is your conversion rate ?
How many fan you have ?
How many email you have ? You send them emails how often?

Thanks

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tinyBoxer

7 years ago

Hey,
Thanks so much for being available to answer!!

Could I ask what's you price range?
Are most of your sales from cold traffic? first or second time to see you ads, then clicks and buys?
What's your strategy in your fb marketing?
What are the main messagese in you ads? just showcase the item picture and price? something else?

How many people do you reach a day?
How many of them click?
How many of them buy the same day?
Do you work with those not buying as well? (fb pixel? email capture? something else?)

boy, would I like to get into you head for a day or two

Thanks so much in advance!

Thanks

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Raphael Maxim II

7 years ago

Which advice will give me about Aliexpress late delivery? Have been combating with that?

Thanks
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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Raphael Maxim II

Which advice will give me about Aliexpress late delivery? Have been combating with that?

We ship to a warehouse in the USA and ship to consumers from there. I dont dropship, I think it's a short term business.
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huskerdo

7 years ago

Do you recommend starting a store that is very, very niche specific ... like frog charms and necklaces (terrible example) or is a general store a better idea? In this case, animal themed jewelry. Not really burning a niche by using that example. Everyone and their mother is starting a Shopify store around animal trinkets.

Do you get your samples from Aliexpress for the lower MOQ or go straight to Alibaba? Have you tried HKTDC or Global Sources?

Thanks for any feedback.

Ed

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by huskerdo

Do you recommend starting a store that is very, very niche specific ... like frog charms and necklaces (terrible example) or is a general store a better idea? In this case, animal themed jewelry. Not really burning a niche by using that example. Everyone and their mother is starting a Shopify store around animal trinkets.

Do you get your samples from Aliexpress for the lower MOQ or go straight to Alibaba? Have you tried HKTDC or Global Sources?

Thanks for any feedback.

Ed

Hey! good questions - I like the ideas of a larger brand with 'more niche' items inside. I see a lot of people starting these kind of sites but think most will fade away.

I got samples from a lot of people and places - mostly aliexpress and alibaba - but not i have 4 great suppliers we've build relationships with. Which is huge. Cheers

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frodo77

7 years ago

Have you tested adespresso yet?

Thanks
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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by frodo77

Have you tested adespresso yet?

Yup, love it.
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Acornia

7 years ago

Amazon generate $1,000,000 revenue per employee per year, they have buying power and complete automation, anyone doing more than low to mid $100,000s as one person is lying or cheating or both, has access to technology only the largest multi-nationals in the world have, or works in the financial sector.

Thanks
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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Acornia

Amazon generate $1,000,000 revenue per employee per year, they have buying power and complete automation, anyone doing more than low to mid $100,000s as one person is lying or cheating or both, has access to technology only the largest multi-nationals in the world have, or works in the financial sector.

hahaha not sure what you're saying - but we do have 4 part time employees

all work from home and their own ours... and we do well over your mid 100,000 a month. and of course we use tools and technology....that's the whole point...leveraging them.

cheers!

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lironf20

7 years ago

Hey Joel! I will appreciate any insights.

I have made some research and found few products that sells and added them to my website (using Shopify)
I have picked one of them and started to create few ads - it went pretty bad. I have tried to play with the targets a bit but the results are the same - I have ended up investing about $100 which generated me some decent clicks, but only 10 people got to the checkout page, none of them bought anything.

I also have to say that I don't have CC option in my website - only Paypal is available. Do you think it have influence?

I will be very happy to get some Facebook ADS tips from you, because this will get me started.
Thanks!

Thanks
2 replies

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Splatterfox

7 years ago

Originally Posted by lironf20

Hey Joel! I will appreciate any insights.

I have made some research and found few products that sells and added them to my website (using Shopify)
I have picked one of them and started to create few ads - it went pretty bad. I have tried to play with the targets a bit but the results are the same - I have ended up investing about $100 which generated me some decent clicks, but only 10 people got to the checkout page, none of them bought anything.

I also have to say that I don't have CC option in my website - only Paypal is available. Do you think it have influence?

I will be very happy to get some Facebook ADS tips from you, because this will get me started.
Thanks!

Even though I'm not him I can tell you that generating direct leads/sales from Paid Social Media advertising is quite hard. 100$ is not much, taking into consideration that a usual ad needs a lot of splittesting and enhancing overtime to become successful. Last but not least, your site needs to be converting as well of course. I know many shop owners getting like 10 checkouts a day but only 1 sale.

Only using PayPal is also a big loss. Sure, PayPal its important, but a lot of customers pay with CC, so you will definetly lose some customers there.

My tips for FB Ads are that you give it a higher budget and test different thing, call to actions, ad images, descriptions and target groups. Always test one factor at a time and see what works. Once you find a promising combination, go with it. At the same time your shop has to go along with your ad. Example: if your ad says "luxury premium quality glasses" but your customer lands on a colorful, sketchy website, he will immediately get confused or leave due to distrust.

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Depending on how many clicks you got for $100 - 10 to the check out isnt to bad - do you have high shipping rates? what would be stopping them from finishing?

We get about 60% using credit card and 40% use paypal.

My tips - depending on your budget and costs and price of unit - test lots of images, headlines, targeting!!!! we make hundreds of ads a week at least!

Originally Posted by lironf20

Hey Joel! I will appreciate any insights.

I have made some research and found few products that sells and added them to my website (using Shopify)
I have picked one of them and started to create few ads - it went pretty bad. I have tried to play with the targets a bit but the results are the same - I have ended up investing about $100 which generated me some decent clicks, but only 10 people got to the checkout page, none of them bought anything.

I also have to say that I don't have CC option in my website - only Paypal is available. Do you think it have influence?

I will be very happy to get some Facebook ADS tips from you, because this will get me started.
Thanks!

Thanks

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Philip Ziter

7 years ago

I have a question about shopify: is selling adult products an issue on Shopify? i would use amazon FBA to fulfill orders, but what would you recommend for advertising? FB ads for adult products? I have been selling successfully on amazon for a while but adult products are not eligible for amz sponsored ads. Considering moving over to Shopify and would love to hear your take on it.

Thanks
2 replies

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Tyler F 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Philip Ziter

I have a question about shopify: is selling adult products an issue on Shopify?.

Shopify will be okay with it, but payment gateways may not be. I don't think Stripe will allow it. You'll have to shop around for a payment gateway that allows it.
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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Philip Ziter

I have a question about shopify: is selling adult products an issue on Shopify? i would use amazon FBA to fulfill orders, but what would you recommend for advertising? FB ads for adult products? I have been selling successfully on amazon for a while but adult products are not eligible for amz sponsored ads. Considering moving over to Shopify and would love to hear your take on it.

id ask shopify - i know FB doesn't allow it though - good luck

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Reddevil007

7 years ago

Have you tried Bing along with Shopify or is it that it just doesn't work?

Thanks
2 replies

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Philip Ziter

7 years ago

Hi - thanks for the response. Actually I am just trying to figure out where to start. I am in the process of setting up my shopify store now. So you would recommend Bing? are they more lenient on adult product ads?

Thanks
3 replies

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dakar

7 years ago

Hi Joel,

I'm curious how you handle your customer support.

I'm assuming that you have a toll free number listed on your website.

Do you pay someone 24 hours a day to answer phone calls?
Can customers place orders via the phone number as well?

Appreciate it!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by dakar

Hi Joel,

I'm curious how you handle your customer support.

I'm assuming that you have a toll free number listed on your website.

Do you pay someone 24 hours a day to answer phone calls?
Can customers place orders via the phone number as well?

Appreciate it!

We have a team of about 6 part-time all in the USA. We list our hours for calls but also take messages and return them. We do take orders over the phone as well. They have full power to act inside hat they think is right. it's working pretty well so far!

Thanks

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Shay S

7 years ago

Hey joelraitt,

What is your take on PPE vs CPC campaign for eCommerce?

I see killer facebook page posts using PPE vastly to promote their offers, sometimes they go highly viral with tens of thousands of engagements, so I decided to try it out, but for my low ad budget that didn't quite work out.

Do you mind if I ask what worked out for you better between the two methods and is there a way you recommend testing products with a low budget?

Thanks and much appreciated.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Shay S

Hey joelraitt,

What is your take on PPE vs CPC campaign for eCommerce?

I see killer facebook page posts using PPE vastly to promote their offers, sometimes they go highly viral with tens of thousands of engagements, so I decided to try it out, but for my low ad budget that didn't quite work out.

Do you mind if I ask what worked out for you better between the two methods and is there a way you recommend testing products with a low budget?

Thanks and much appreciated.

I have the most luck with CPC optimized for conversions! Been seeing the style you're talking about and testing soon!

Thanks

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leader

7 years ago

Hi Joel,

Thanks for all the information you've shared in this thread - you've been incredibly generous in sharing your knowledge and experience, and certainly very inspiring.

One thing I've wondered about when it comes to working with manufacturers in China to produce one's original designs is -- do you not worry that the very manufacturers you are working with will knock off your designs, and before you know it you'll see your stuff all over AliExpress and Alibaba (and then, in turn, everywhere else - eBay, Amazon Etsy....)? Chinese manufacturers are notorious for knocking off, and a lot (if not most) of the stuff you see on Alibaba and AliExpress are close imitations or complete knock offs of other people's designs.

Is there some way you are protecting yourself against having the manufacturers you are working with put a bunch of it on AliExpress?

Thanks again Joel!

Thanks
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joelraitt

7 years ago

Good questions - we went through a LOT of suppliers and now have 3 we work with. A few things:

1) We made it clear we wanted long term relationships. We hoped to show enough value in not stealing our stuff or selling to others that they woudn't.

2) I asked if they would show me top selling pieces they have from other suppliers....they said no that is against their policy...good sign!

3) Even if it happens from other people, there is not much we can do. I read somewhere 'the best way to fight copyright infringment is research and development" in other words - others can go for it but by then we'll be coming out with the next top seller.

4) When they stop copying us and we start copying others we are in trouble, its better to be the leader.

5) We have the brand and loyal customers that like us. We have competitors that sell the same or similar item for less but people still buy from us!

Not a big thing to worry about until successful! Get successful then worry about that!

good luck!!

Originally Posted by leader

Hi Joel,

Thanks for all the information you've shared in this thread - you've been incredibly generous in sharing your knowledge and experience, and certainly very inspiring.

One thing I've wondered about when it comes to working with manufacturers in China to produce one's original designs is -- do you not worry that the very manufacturers you are working with will knock off your designs, and before you know it you'll see your stuff all over AliExpress and Alibaba (and then, in turn, everywhere else - eBay, Amazon Etsy....)? Chinese manufacturers are notorious for knocking off, and a lot (if not most) of the stuff you see on Alibaba and AliExpress are close imitations or complete knock offs of other people's designs.

Is there some way you are protecting yourself against having the manufacturers you are working with put a bunch of it on AliExpress?

Thanks again Joel!

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leader 7 years ago

Great answers Joel, thanks - you've definitely got all the angles worked out.

I guess I'm a bit sensitive to the idea of copyright infringement because I've personally lived this and have experienced how damaging it can be (not in jewelry, but in other products), so I do like to at least try to put some protections in place to ensure history doesn't repeat itself. But you are so right in doing what you can to try to prevent it, but not to the point of allowing these types of concerns to hold you back.
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leader 7 years ago

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leader

7 years ago

Hey Joel,

Do you include mobile traffic or just desktop - I've heard that mobile traffic isnt that good for ecommerce, and that most purchases are made from desktops. Do you find that to be true?

Thanks.

Thanks
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joelraitt

7 years ago

We do both - both can work!

Originally Posted by leader

Hey Joel,

Do you include mobile traffic or just desktop - I've heard that mobile traffic isnt that good for ecommerce, and that most purchases are made from desktops. Do you find that to be true?

Thanks.

Thanks

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creativeartmarketing 6 years ago

Hello Joel,

Can you share a link to your site?

Thanks
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RobinInTexas 5 years ago

This looked like an interesting thread, but I lost interest when I noticed that the OP has been gone for about 7 months.
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Frank Donovan 4 years ago

OP hasn't posted since May 2018. I think we can say this thread's run its course.
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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Reddevil007

Have you tried Bing along with Shopify or is it that it just doesn't work?

I have not but it's on my list of things to try - ive stuck with my success but im starting to try other platforms as well. chhers!
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SiaMatrix

Banned 7 years ago

hey.. great .. congrats on your success ..

I am on close to start my own shopify store .. Everything is sought out , means the product research , fulfillment etcetc ..The main concern of mine is that i have very limited budget . So what what u recommend a newbie, either i go for free traffic generation ( have a method) or go for fb traffic .. And do u recommend any good learning source .. ( if any )..
Looking forward for answer ..
Thanks

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kursat

7 years ago

7-10K a day is great...you should may be look into putting your sales model as an ebook or training for newbies. Even you can sell the program since it makes so much income, I am sure there will be a market who wants to learn...Not sure about shopify though...

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joelraitt

7 years ago

hey - yah its really not the complicated! set up site, test ads, repeat and scale haha - im not looking to be a guru or get into the guru game there are a few good ones to learn from out there now though!

Originally Posted by kursat

7-10K a day is great...you should may be look into putting your sales model as an ebook or training for newbies. Even you can sell the program since it makes so much income, I am sure there will be a market who wants to learn...Not sure about shopify though...

Thanks

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rwsmith8608

7 years ago

I agree with other posters. This may be one of the few threads that I have read every post on 4 pages. I get the whole concept pretty good. It seems the concept and process is the science. The art seems to be product selection and Ad testing.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by rwsmith8608

I agree with other posters. This may be one of the few threads that I have read every post on 4 pages. I get the whole concept pretty good. It seems the concept and process is the science. The art seems to be product selection and Ad testing.

Thanks! You summed it up very nicely between the sciene and art. dont over think it and just do it.

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mirsh

7 years ago

Do your product ads advertise direct to high ticket items or do you use more of a lower end to attract attention?

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by mirsh

Do your product ads advertise direct to high ticket items or do you use more of a lower end to attract attention?

we're lower price points from 15-45USD good luck!
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levyorit

7 years ago

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joelraitt 7 years ago

I'm sorry I have no idea what you're talking about.

Originally Posted by levyorit

fashion and beauty, what company you suggest, without all the support customer and delivering issues?

thanks for your help....
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Scuderia

7 years ago

1. I want to sell watches and my profit will be $25-$35 per sale. Do you think that spending on FB ads will bring enough customers to earn me profit?
2. Do you use AliExpress?

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Scuderia

1. I want to sell watches and my profit will be $25-$35 per sale. Do you think that spending on FB ads will bring enough customers to earn me profit?
2. Do you use AliExpress?

So you have 25-35 to spend on ads and break even? You need to get a sale for $20 or less to earn $5-$15?

Might be tough on those numbers once you ad refunds and others costs! I used to use aliexpress but don't now!

Thanks
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Scuderia

7 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

So you have 25-35 to spend on ads and break even? You need to get a sale for $20 or less to earn $5-$15?

Might be tough on those numbers once you ad refunds and others costs! I used to use aliexpress but don't now!

So how do you promote a store with low profit per sale? Is it possible?

Thanks
2 replies

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Importexport 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Scuderia

So how do you promote a store with low profit per sale? Is it possible?

I can't help you with how to promote, but I can suggest how to improve your profits if you can handle the marketing.

Profit begins with buying. Buy at the right price so that you make big profits.

The question is how? The answer is to buy small or large quantities direct from genuine manufacturers overseas.

So many people think the word "wholesale" is the magic bullet. They buy from wholesalers or traders on sites like Alibaba or Aliexpress and assume they are getting the best price. Not true.......

Traders and wholesalers buy from manufacturers, add their margin and sell to you, so it's obvious that if you buy direct from the manufacturer you will get a much better price.

NOTE: Thousands of suppliers call themselves manufacturers when they are in fact traders.

Walter Hay
Provenchinasourcing
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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Scuderia

So how do you promote a store with low profit per sale? Is it possible?

Ummm it's possible but don't forget you choose the business to be in.
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rafael99

7 years ago

Hello can you please recommend how can i find someone to run my facebook ads?

I have all the knowledge about prodcut sourcing , just lack of knowledge in facebook marketing
please let me know

Thanks

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Grahamj

7 years ago

Hey Joel, I have a store that has been operating for about 6 months. I am getting low traffic, but a very low bounce rate. I am having some conversion issues though. My product is sharp and competitively priced. I am having success in wholesale but need to get my conversion rate up online. Did you have any challenges with conversion in the beginning?

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Grahamj

Hey Joel, I have a store that has been operating for about 6 months. I am getting low traffic, but a very low bounce rate. I am having some conversion issues though. My product is sharp and competitively priced. I am having success in wholesale but need to get my conversion rate up online. Did you have any challenges with conversion in the beginning?

Read books on direct response marketing to increase conversions! The old school guys like olgilvy, sugarmen and the best.

Thanks

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Chris-

7 years ago

Hi Joel,

thanks for this thread

I have a variety of experience with IM, but have never done ecommerce.

I am currently building a WordPress site where I will have lots of affiliate products, such as posters. Looking at the seller's site, it's possible to search by artist, by color, by price-range, by topic etc. I would like my site to be able to do that.

I considered using Tags for searchable items, but I don't think that will work because I don't think it makes sense to have a different Post for each product . . . for posters what seems to make sense is to have fairly small images, lots to a page.

So, using the ecommerce approach, is there any way to do this? I guess I want to add Tags to each product (not to a Post or Page), and show multiple products per page (as most similar sites would do). Is that possible? If that can be done, can it integrate well with WordPress?

Thanks in advance for any info on how it might be possible to do this.

Chris

Thanks
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joelraitt

7 years ago

I think the affiliates should have the ability to add it and tag each product. I don't know much about this side of things unfortunately! I also find less products is better!

Originally Posted by Chris-

Hi Joel,

thanks for this thread

I have a variety of experience with IM, but have never done ecommerce.

I am currently building a WordPress site where I will have lots of affiliate products, such as posters. Looking at the seller's site, it's possible to search by artist, by color, by price-range, by topic etc. I would like my site to be able to do that.

I considered using Tags for searchable items, but I don't think that will work because I don't think it makes sense to have a different Post for each product . . . for posters what seems to make sense is to have fairly small images, lots to a page.

So, using the ecommerce approach, is there any way to do this? I guess I want to add Tags to each product (not to a Post or Page), and show multiple products per page (as most similar sites would do). Is that possible? If that can be done, can it integrate well with WordPress?

Thanks in advance for any info on how it might be possible to do this.

Chris

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Mr Personality

7 years ago

What do you think about Shopify and here is such a theme https://themeforest.net/item/yoursto...theme/15812829
i like it very well

Thanks

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dormmillionaire

7 years ago

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Hey guys,

A LOOONNGGG time ago I did a post on affiliate stuff I was doing and answered questions...people seemed to like it

anyways...I thought i'd share and help out if anyone has questions...ill get a specific as i can

I'm using FB ads running traffic to my own site (shopify) and doing 7-10k a day in sales this month (a bit less last month) - i dont handle any of the shipping myself but i'm not 'dropshipping' its my inventory - using a fulfilment house

ive learnt a lot so far (still lots to learn) but im willing to help out and share - so if you're into ecommerce now or want to....i have no issues helping a bit on here with systems, services questions and so on!

Ask away!

Seems like you're using a POD? Ive been manufacturing and selling physical products and using a model like this, im clearing about 12k ish a month profit. Have you used anything else aside from FB ads?

Im beginning to consider Pinterest but mainly for women

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by dormmillionaire

Seems like you're using a POD? Ive been manufacturing and selling physical products and using a model like this, im clearing about 12k ish a month profit. Have you used anything else aside from FB ads?

Im beginning to consider Pinterest but mainly for women

hey, not even sure what POD stands for? We have been testing pinterest of late - nothing groundbreaking yet but there is hope!

Thanks

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Makhtar DIAKHATE

7 years ago

Hello everyone,

I would like to have your advice on my new dropshipping site Wood Stuffs – You've never wooded this good

It's specialized in wooden jewelry and accessories. I ran some adwords and fb ads along with instagram ads. I get a few visits (around 200 a day) but so far I've only made 3 sales in 2 weeks.

Could you please take a look and tell me how I can improve it ?

Thanks a lot,

Thanks

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Timothy Spacey

7 years ago

If you don't have your own products and want to sell ready made products what prevents people from just going to amazon instead for usually you get a ridiculously low price over there.

Also, if you don't want to buy products yourself and keep inventory but have it all automated. What are the options?

Tim.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Timothy Spacey

If you don't have your own products and want to sell ready made products what prevents people from just going to amazon instead for usually you get a ridiculously low price over there.

Also, if you don't want to buy products yourself and keep inventory but have it all automated. What are the options?

Tim.

Getting a job sounds like a good option! It's all don't won't and can't - option is to change that.

Thanks

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desireedavid

7 years ago

1. How did you choose which products to sell?
2. International shipping?
3. Can you elaborate on what fulfillment houses actually do for you? Is it like a warehouse that stores and ships all your items for you?
4. When you package your products, do you place your own company logo on it and repackage?
5. Do you do email marketing as well?

Many thanks! I am looking to create a new online shop, but I do not have the details ironed out yet...

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by desireedavid

1. How did you choose which products to sell?
2. International shipping?
3. Can you elaborate on what fulfillment houses actually do for you? Is it like a warehouse that stores and ships all your items for you?
4. When you package your products, do you place your own company logo on it and repackage?
5. Do you do email marketing as well?

Many thanks! I am looking to create a new online shop, but I do not have the details ironed out yet...

1) We tested a lot. In our niche we have over 250 SKUs now. Some work most don't! We design them all in house.

2) Yah

3) They store the goods, pack the goods, print the label and ship the goods to the customer! You need this when you get big enough.

4) It comes with branded packaging yes

5) yup, bi-weekly emails releasing new products and flash sales - does well

cheers

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AhmedFouad96

7 years ago

Great earnings!

My question - Do you create your own physical products? like tshirts and mugs? if yes, where you get design & make them?

For a starter like me, do you recommend to start with AliExpress and not start out creating my own shirts & mugs?

Cheers

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by AhmedFouad96

Great earnings!

My question - Do you create your own physical products? like tshirts and mugs? if yes, where you get design & make them?

For a starter like me, do you recommend to start with AliExpress and not start out creating my own shirts & mugs?

Cheers

We do all our own design internally. Aliexpress is an ok place to test a concept but after that IMO you need to warehouse and ship from the USA.

Thanks

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Galor Tasker

7 years ago

Hi Joel thank you for this valuable information
Are you using eBay or AliExpress for dropshipping?

Thanks

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 7 years ago

Originally Posted by Galor Tasker

Hi Joel thank you for this valuable information
Are you using eBay or AliExpress for dropshipping?

Thanks

Neither. I don't believe that is a long-term business.
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Significantincome

7 years ago

Hello,

I want to ask if there are people out there that use dropshippers outside their home country for 3rd party selling?

I am based in Srilanka, but I want to resell US products from aliexpress. Its unable to alccess paypal from my country so I registered with 2checkout (srilankan account).

I bet there are many people outside USA who do this legally without issues, any feedback is welcome.

Thanks

Thanks

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alvagab

7 years ago

Hey Joel,

Congrats on your success. Really great job man! You are a huge inspiration for me.

I'm starting my own store and I've got a few questions for you:
1. What's your traffic split by sources? As I understand you do a lot of FB ads. Do you use any other sources of paid traffic?
2. Are you selling International? If yes, how much does it cost you to acquire a customer on FB in those countries? How does that compare to US customers? How much cheaper are your ads when you advertise internationally?
3. If you sell International, how do you do fulfillment? Do you recommend to go International if I'm just starting my store or I should first establish presence in the US?
4. How much of your sales %-wise come from emails you send?
5. Do you mind sharing fulfillment center that you use and fulfillment/storage rates that you pay?

I am just starting an online shop and looking for a good fulfillment center. I checked Rakuten and Shipwire but their pricing seems to be too high and I've heard so many negative reviews about them.

Cheers!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

OK here you go, good questions below:

1) FB, email, retargeting via display, google, pinterest

2) yes, its not a lot cheaper but we focus mostly on other english / higher cost countries

3) tough call - i think international has a lot of potencial but the USA is a massive market

4) 10% or so id say

5) send me a private message - it's a friends company but they have specific minimums!

cheers and good luck!

Originally Posted by alvagab

Hey Joel,

Congrats on your success. Really great job man! You are a huge inspiration for me.

I'm starting my own store and I've got a few questions for you:
1. What's your traffic split by sources? As I understand you do a lot of FB ads. Do you use any other sources of paid traffic?
2. Are you selling International? If yes, how much does it cost you to acquire a customer on FB in those countries? How does that compare to US customers? How much cheaper are your ads when you advertise internationally?
3. If you sell International, how do you do fulfillment? Do you recommend to go International if I'm just starting my store or I should first establish presence in the US?
4. How much of your sales %-wise come from emails you send?
5. Do you mind sharing fulfillment center that you use and fulfillment/storage rates that you pay?

I am just starting an online shop and looking for a good fulfillment center. I checked Rakuten and Shipwire but their pricing seems to be too high and I've heard so many negative reviews about them.

Cheers!

Thanks
1 reply

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alvagab

7 years ago

Joel, thanks for answering my questions. There is so much value in what you share...

It seems that you really nailed FB ads and this is were you get most of your sales from.

I started buying ads on FB. I tried CPC, PPE, WC and even product catalogue ads. I've spent over 2K so far and made only ~$200 in sales. My cost of customer acquisition in insanely high. My theory is that I did not gather enough pixel data yet to create proper lookalike audiences. My questions to you are these...
1. Do you think gathering pixeled users is the key to success with FB ads?
2. What's your %-wise split of FB sales from Lookalike audiences, retargeting and custom targeting?
3. Do you create Lookalike audiences based on purchases only or also other events?
4. Is it important to develop your Facebook page or you can just publish a few posts and then drive pad traffic to ads like crazy?
5. How would you recommend to target ads for new brand/product that does not have pixeled data: create bigger audiences (over 1M) or laser targeted (for example, below 200K)?
6. What ad type works better for you: WC, CTW or PPE?

Thanks a lot for your contribution Joel. You are my inspiration!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Alight, here we go:

1) It's not the only key but it definitely helps! Try a lot of images, headlines, targeting. Should b able to make it work without a LAL.

2) Oh man ha -it's probably about 75% LAL or broad targeting, 25% retargeting, don't do to much custom targeting on an interest level. I don't manage the ads anymore so don't know exactly.

3) Webtraffic might be OK to start. Buyers are best. Now we test many - for example people who have ordered 3+ times or spent $150+ lifetime to try and find high spending audiances!

4) We build one specific for this site, it doesn't drive a lot of direct sales but it does buil value and social proof. It's also a great way to stay in tough with customers and get opinions, polls and so on.

5) I'd test a few targeting options in the 1M demo range. Ive found targeting smaller leads to high CPC. Of course target other things like gender and age depending as well. Start by optimizing to view content to get people pixeled. Then retarget them. Once you have enough traffic try optimizing for add to cart. once you have enough of those test optimizing for conversions! We mostly optimise for conversions now.

6) Not sure what those stand for? We usually test all 3 placements though

Good luck!!

Originally Posted by alvagab

Joel, thanks for answering my questions. There is so much value in what you share...

It seems that you really nailed FB ads and this is were you get most of your sales from.

I started buying ads on FB. I tried CPC, PPE, WC and even product catalogue ads. I've spent over 2K so far and made only ~$200 in sales. My cost of customer acquisition in insanely high. My theory is that I did not gather enough pixel data yet to create proper lookalike audiences. My questions to you are these...
1. Do you think gathering pixeled users is the key to success with FB ads?
2. What's your %-wise split of FB sales from Lookalike audiences, retargeting and custom targeting?
3. Do you create Lookalike audiences based on purchases only or also other events?
4. Is it important to develop your Facebook page or you can just publish a few posts and then drive pad traffic to ads like crazy?
5. How would you recommend to target ads for new brand/product that does not have pixeled data: create bigger audiences (over 1M) or laser targeted (for example, below 200K)?
6. What ad type works better for you: WC, CTW or PPE?

Thanks a lot for your contribution Joel. You are my inspiration!

Thanks

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Trendhunter

7 years ago

Hi,

I am in Canada, and currently doing dropshipping from AliExpress. I have some winning products that I would like to scale and deliver faster to customers. i was thinking about importing them from China to a US warehouse and have the warehouse sending the items to customers. However, I am really lost on the logistics to import the products (shipping, freights, insurance, clearing customs, send it to a warehouse, fulfilment from the warehouse, etc.

I wonder if you can guide me on how to do this? Are you working with any door to door service or fulfilment service, etc. Any help/guidance on this would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport

7 years ago

Originally Posted by Trendhunter

Hi,

I am in Canada, and currently doing dropshipping from AliExpress. I have some winning products that I would like to scale and deliver faster to customers. i was thinking about importing them from China to a US warehouse and have the warehouse sending the items to customers. However, I am really lost on the logistics to import the products (shipping, freights, insurance, clearing customs, send it to a warehouse, fulfilment from the warehouse, etc.

I wonder if you can guide me on how to do this? Are you working with any door to door service or fulfilment service, etc. Any help/guidance on this would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Don't try to learn the shipping rules and regulations. I have taught hundreds sufficient basic understanding to enable them to safely handle sourcing from China and have them sold on Amazon USA.

Without that basic understanding you could be in for some rude and costly shocks. See my thread Ask Me Anything About Product Sourcing And Importing For Profit. ― Veteran Importer Here. where you can have all your sourcing and importing questions answered. I don't pretend that you will learn there everything you need to know, because I can't publish all 133 pages of my book, but at least it will give you some understanding of what is involved.

Walter Hay
Provenchinasourcing.com

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shere0991

7 years ago

I had started with bonanza.com and etsy.com. I think this is best platform without investing money but shopify not work without money. Thanks..

Thanks

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metalice

7 years ago

Joel, what is the percentage of repeat customers that you have? as the quantity of different products that you sell is quite low (about 120 different items, as you said)

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Originally Posted by metalice

Joel, what is the percentage of repeat customers that you have? as the quantity of different products that you sell is quite low (about 120 different items, as you said)

Hey, so we're up to 300+ SKUs now, so that helps! With more coming in! We're expanding product lines with other exclusive items

I just looked at this data the last couple months (they have been growth months so the % is lower than normal) but about 15% of our sales were from repeat buyers.

Again, this is during a time we are acquiring a lot of new customers so it throws the % off as most don't but more than once with-in a month!

I'd like to get that % from past customers higher - but at the same time if we continue aggressive growth that's tougher! It's better to look at LTV vs % of new vs old.

Cheers

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TommyG

7 years ago

Hi Joel, thank you for so much information. It is really good stuff! One question I have is about finding new products? Do you have a process you go through to determine if a product is worthy of being offered? I'd like to get a sense of your mindset as to how you view potential new offerings. Thank you!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

We have a niche and we know that niche. We still only get the odd big winner - about 7-8% of the time. It's so hard to know so instead of focusing on that we focus on trying lots while keeping the cost to do so down.

Originally Posted by TommyG

Hi Joel, thank you for so much information. It is really good stuff! One question I have is about finding new products? Do you have a process you go through to determine if a product is worthy of being offered? I'd like to get a sense of your mindset as to how you view potential new offerings. Thank you!

Thanks

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metalice

7 years ago

Joel,

From your experience, what brings best CPC, CTR, ROI?
DT feed? DT right column? mobile? audience network? Insta?

Also, if you can please share what is your average CTR?

thanks!!

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Sure:

Each is different - we even find different SKU'S are better for different placements. We test the main 3 each time in a split test. IG doesn't work for us.

Our CTR is around .9% average - CPC average of .90 to $1.20

Good luck

Originally Posted by metalice

Joel,

From your experience, what brings best CPC, CTR, ROI?
DT feed? DT right column? mobile? audience network? Insta?

Also, if you can please share what is your average CTR?

thanks!!

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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metalice

7 years ago

Thanks Joel!

Are you also writing the item price in the ads or on the item photo?
Does your product page contain also a video of the item or only till photos is good enough?

Originally Posted by joelraitt

Sure:

Each is different - we even find different SKU'S are better for different placements. We test the main 3 each time in a split test. IG doesn't work for us.

Our CTR is around .9% average - CPC average of .90 to $1.20

Good luck

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Normally we don't show the price till after the click the ad. We have some SKUs with videos on the listings. We have had some success with video ads as well. Cheers!

Originally Posted by metalice

Thanks Joel!

Are you also writing the item price in the ads or on the item photo?
Does your product page contain also a video of the item or only till photos is good enough?

[ 1 ] Thanks

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devilasangel

7 years ago

[DELETED]

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joelraitt

7 years ago

Some good thoughts from 'leader'

I have found wit our site the #1variable BY FAR is the product. You can come up with the most amazing headline, ad copy, scarcity, social proof, reciprocity, urgency and more....but if the product is not something that people are emotional about and really REALLY want it won't matter much.

TLDR: Test more products with basic copy till you find one that hits that emotional factor.

Originally Posted by devilasangel

Hello

First of all let me thank you for all the valuable info your sharing with us. I've recently decided to open my own store selling iphone cases (www.logzon.com)
Im currently working with aliexpress suppliers although Im planning to change that soon and start buying in bulk to improve delivery and packaging for my customers.
Right now Im running very small facebook campaing and I see cost per click of around 0.5$. People are visiting my website but so far I dont see any conversions. Im split testing my audience through adespresso and it seems like my campaign is slowly improving. Is there any tip you could give me to improve my website conversion?

Thank you for your time!

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Hawoll Catteline

Banned 7 years ago

[DELETED]

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Justin Lavoie

7 years ago

Hi Joel, great info, thanks!

From what I understand you are located in Canada running your business "located" in the US and getting its stuff from china or wherever the manufacturers are, right?

Do you need a US adress?

Thanks ! =)

Thanks

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Jag Khak

6 years ago

Hey Joel, thanks for the amazing insight btw!

Are your FB ads still running as well as they did six months ago?

Reason I ask is bc I'm noticing a lot of the successful people in this industry are turning more to Google/Yahoo/Bing for their marketing, thought maybe FB is cutting it anymore.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 6 years ago

It's been up and down for sure, but we've kept it going!
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Fajar Siddik

6 years ago

hi joelraitt, i like your thread..i have a question about facebook ads website conversion. I use website conversion to promote my items, and at day 1 - day 2, its have 140 reach but still no click (its already spend $7), do i need to continue my ads or still keep it running? i have read about web conversion before, facebook need some days to collect the data to send the ads to the right person... but i dont know, how many days i need to hold my ads, if no click after 140 reach do i need to keep it running or not, how many click / reach If ads are considered good at day 1,2,3 ?... so need help about this problem... thank you

Thanks
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leostrat 6 years ago

Check out the app marketplace. I've been using Pollen (https://apps.shopify.com/poln) which has helped a lot with increasing our sales.
- Thanks
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Reddevil007

6 years ago

What kind of ROI can one achieve via FB+Shopify?

Is 200-300% ROI achieveable?

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 6 years ago

We don't hit that but I'm very confident that people do.
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wineauction

6 years ago

Sir, what are the benefits of using shopify over other technology? In terms of cost, maintenance and quality.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 6 years ago

It never really goes down, fast support, good CRM, always improving.
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Mysterious Robin

6 years ago

how do you get your first sale? I've also used FB ads but not getting anything.

Thanks
1 reply

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joelraitt 6 years ago

Via a facebook post to one of my niche pages, then grew with ads. The first 100 sales are the hardest!
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TheRogue

6 years ago

Hey Joel! Before I embark on my journey I need to clarify something first.

Whats Ad Types, Website Conversion or PPE?

Do i do view content, add to cart then optimize for purchase as the campaign goes on?

Or start off with PPE @ $2 a dayt (run for 2-3 days) if social engagment is good. scale to $7 wait a day or two then convert to website conversion?

Or do i got it all wrong? I'm having trouble finding a definitive answer.

Thanks

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DURABLEOILCOM

6 years ago

What kind of items are you selling? Can you post a link to your website store?

Thanks

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joelraitt

6 years ago

Hey,

"Whats Ad Types, Website Conversion or PPE?" start with earlier funnel (clicks or add to cart) until you have enough data for conversions.

"Do i do view content, add to cart then optimize for purchase as the campaign goes on?" = i would

"Or start off with PPE @ $2 a dayt (run for 2-3 days) if social engagment is good. scale to $7 wait a day or two then convert to website conversion?" = not sure on this big

Good luck!

Thanks

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Mike Thomas

5 years ago

Are you working with any Shopify facebook pixel app in your ad campaigns? I am thinking to buy Trackify.

Thanks

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roberthull99

5 years ago

Hey Joel, thanks for this thread. I've been selling on Amazon, but I'm going to be switching to something different where I can sell at the price I want, have upsells, collect emails, and sell on the back end.

Learned a lot from this thread, I hope your biz is still kicking butt.

Thanks
1 reply

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Importexport

5 years ago

Originally Posted by roberthull99

Hey Joel, thanks for this thread. I've been selling on Amazon, but I'm going to be switching to something different where I can sell at the price I want, have upsells, collect emails, and sell on the back end.

Learned a lot from this thread, I hope your biz is still kicking butt.

I would not abandon Amazon, but I would open my own eCommerce store. Why not get a kick start to your own eCommerce business by taking advantage of the big traffic on Amazon?

There is a way to get at least some of your Amazon customers to buy direct after buying through Amazon, and it can be done without breaking Amazon's TOS.

Brand or label your products and be sure to include the URL of your eCommerce store in the label. Not everyone will visit your site after they receive your delivery and see the URL, but enough will to make it worth your while.

If you make your store attractive enough, people will browse it. If you make it worth their while to stay long enough to buy something - maybe with a special deal - you will have gained their email address.

While you are going to the trouble of labeling, you should consider making it outstanding so that your brand will become memorable.

I have taught a lot of people how to do that. It's a great way to scale your business.

Walter Hay

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Use emotions and perceptions to build a great brand. Ask me about my book LabelsThatExploit. For safe sourcing and easy importing from 41 countries globally, see https://provenglobalsourcing.com

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h3ktor

5 years ago

What is your single most criteria to select a product for testing the market? Thanks

Thanks

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but i have promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep...

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Nemanja Babic

5 years ago

What key metrics do you sir track?

Thanks

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warnerjohn

5 years ago

Really great

Making 7k-10k sales in a day is really greate.

Thanks

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direito subjetivo

4 years ago

this still works today?

[ 1 ] Thanks

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Premo85

4 years ago

The things have changed since 2015 but I think Shopify has improved by the time. Hope you are still getting those numbers and may be higher than that. Do you use any FB automation tools to automate your campaigns?

Thanks

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Currently doing 200+ sales a day ($8000ish) with shopify and FB - questions?

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