Things that don't sell well online?

carlos_a

17 years ago

sell information products, don't sell opportunities online

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Jordan Matthews

17 years ago

For me, I won't buy anything online that has a big shipping fee attached, unless of course I can't find it anywhere near me. Spending $20 or more just to get something mailed is too much for me to spend.

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Jon Alexander

17 years ago

things that don't sell online.... haircuts

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Miguel Oliveira 17 years ago

You can't sell haircuts, but you can make a haircut website and make money through advertising. It's that shovel thing lifestyleplus77 talked about.
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R Hagel

17 years ago

I agree with Jordan -- things that are heavy to ship likely sell better offline than online. (Unless, as Jordan suggested, you find something that people want yet isn't sold in their area.)

Still, even though you may not be able to make money selling certain heavy items, you can still make money in the niche. For example -- you may not be able to make a killing selling bowling balls online, but you can sure make money with a bowling website.

Cheers,
Becky

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kevinw1 17 years ago

You'd be surprised how much heavy stuff sells online - my best seller at Xmas was an electric scooter, and I've sold a washer-dryer set via Amazon. Sometimes the online discount and availability outweighs the shipping cost.

Kevin
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- Killer Joe 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by kevinw1
  
  You'd be surprised how much heavy stuff sells online
  
  Indeed. I bought the crate engine for my 1939 Chevy street rod online. Trust me, that's the definition of heavy.
  
  Saved almost $3000 over the local supplier...
  
  KJ
  
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Jonathan 2.0

Banned 17 years ago

People looking to buy their first computer. *Grin*

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JohnMcCabe

17 years ago

Originally Posted by Jordan Matthews

For me, I won't buy anything online that has a big shipping fee attached, unless of course I can't find it anywhere near me. Spending $20 or more just to get something mailed is too much for me to spend.

Originally Posted by R Hagel

I agree with Jordan -- things that are heavy to ship likely sell better offline than online. (Unless, as Jordan suggested, you find something that people want yet isn't sold in their area.)

There are a lot of physically heavy/bulky things selling successfully online - big screen TVs, exercise equipment, even boats and cars.

Local availability is one factor.

Total cost is another.

If I can buy a big, heavy widget locally for $2,000 plus 7% sales tax ($2140 total) or order it online with no sales tax for $1500 plus $200 freight fee ($1700 total), all other things being equal I'm going to order my big, heavy widget online.

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R Hagel

17 years ago

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

There are a lot of physically heavy/bulky things selling successfully online - big screen TVs, exercise equipment, even boats and cars.

Local availability is one factor.

Agreed (which is why I mentioned that factor as well).

Total cost is another.

Absolutely -- agree again.

I was thinking in terms of two items being equal price, with the shipping putting the online item over the edge. But absolutely -- total cost is a big factor. Heck, I once bought a 100+ lb weight bench online, and at a diff place I bought 200+ lbs of weights.

(cheaper than anything I could get locally, even with the shipping)

Cheers,
Becky

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warriorcopywriter 17 years ago

Houses will never be bought online.
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- JohnMcCabe 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by warriorcopywriter
  
  Houses will never be bought online.
  
  The actual closing may not take place online, but that day is coming.
  
  If you define a "sale" as a decision to purchase, houses and other investment properties are being sold every day. Given the current market conditions, the volume may be lower than it was during the recent boom. But rest assured, investment property is changing hands due to online marketing.
  
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- Killer Joe 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by warriorcopywriter
  
  Houses will never be bought online.
  
  Not true.
  
  A buddy of mine sold a house in on the Big Island of Hawaii sight-unseen to a guy in Alaska who found the house on a 5 page website he put up to sell the house.
  
  He met the guy later at the Honolulu Airport to hand him the keys after the closing.
  
  The year was 1998...
  
  KJ
  
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- R Hagel 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by warriorcopywriter
  
  Houses will never be bought online.
  
  And to add to what John said, real estate agents are using the full set of online marketing tools to get leads -- social marketing, blogging, mailing lists, CraigsList, eBay, etc. So as John said, the decision to purchase is already happening online.
  
  Cheers,
  Becky
  
  Thanks
  
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- minisite911 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by warriorcopywriter
  
  Houses will never be bought online.
  
  i don't think it's true
  
  Things that are not selling good online, is cigarettes, diapers, vegetables, ANYTHING else that people need on a daily basis, and sometimes urgent, and widely available on stores nearby
  
  Just my 2 cents.
  
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David

17 years ago

Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe

There are a lot of physically heavy/bulky things selling successfully online - big screen TVs, exercise equipment, even boats and cars.

Local availability is one factor.

Total cost is another.

If I can buy a big, heavy widget locally for $2,000 plus 7% sales tax ($2140 total) or order it online with no sales tax for $1500 plus $200 freight fee ($1700 total), all other things being equal I'm going to order my big, heavy widget online.

hmm, Truck Drivers would love to hear that!

I've still got a CDL... and am thinking about what that post means to the trucking industry...

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shibbeymon 17 years ago

Originally Posted by David

hmm, Truck Drivers would love to hear that!

I've still got a CDL... and am thinking about what that post means to the trucking industry...

Irregardless of whether you buy it local or order it online, a truck has to move that heavy widget at some point to get it near or to you.

(Truck driving since 1997...lol)
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Raydal

17 years ago

A good lesson here would be to look at the DOTCOMS that failed
and see what they were trying to sell.

Generally people won't buy what they can readily get for free and
what is less convenient to order than to buy in a store.

There are also many markets where people are looking for free
information and would hardly buy anything because they are
not willing to invest money--they are not that passionate about
this interest.

Look at what is already selling if you want to know what sells,
although you may find an untapped niche--so who knows?

-Ray L.,

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Kevin Riley 17 years ago

I discovered that selling hedgehogs was very difficult. It was the shipping. They kept popping the bubble pack.
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Kevin Riley, long-time Warrior living in Osaka, Japan
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- Nicola Lane 17 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Kevin Riley
  
  I discovered that selling hedgehogs was very difficult. It was the shipping. They kept popping the bubble pack.
  
  That is because your hedgehogs were too old! Baby hedgehogs have nice soft spines and don't pop the bubblewrap - the problem was postmen keeping them becasue they were so cute!
  
  You just have to learn a bit more about your products.
  
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  I like to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brains fall out
  
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Michael Oksa

17 years ago

Hi David,

Your question seems to be about things that sell better offline than online.

How about food?

It's not that you can't buy food online, but I can guarantee it sells much better offline.

That's just one example.

Furniture, haircuts, lawn service, vacuum cleaners, hammers, cars, etc.

Right now, almost everything sells better offline than on, but there are exceptions.

It doesn't mean these things don't sell well online, just that they sell more offline.

My question would be...

What things sell better online than offline?

All the best,
Michael

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Mary Gallivan

17 years ago

Kevin Riley beat me to it - I was going to say hedgehogs! I thought he'd say hamsters!

Ice cream and ice cubes would be difficult to sell online.

Mary

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Killer Joe 17 years ago

Originally Posted by Mary Gallivan

Ice cream and ice cubes would be difficult to sell online.

Difficult, but not impossible. I also sell a lot of chocolate products in season. And by in season I mean when the weather is cool.

The summer months make shipping chocolate very hard. In fact, most of my suppliers have a moratorium on shipping chocolates between June 1st and October 1st here in the northern hemisphere.

I'll still box it with icepacks and ship it in a styrofoam container if I have it in stock, but the cost of shipping makes it very expensive.

You've got to be a real chocoholic to want it that bad, but the specialty chocolates I sell won't be found in most local stores.

KJ
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AJ-X Banned 17 years ago

[DELETED]

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virtualmom

17 years ago

I found that electronics sell the best whether it be online or off! Just make sure to take proper precautions to avoid being scammed, because, unfortunately they are a BIG scam potential!

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mannoo2005

17 years ago

in my opinion the best is digital products specially online video courses (costs much more).

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Things that don't sell well online?

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