How to Sell Shoes Online - A Comprehensive Guide

Posted 3 years ago by Max Komonov

Ever wanted to make money online? Seems challenging, no? Well, the reality is that selling online can be much easier than you might think. Selling shoes online is one way of doing this, and with the right plan, it can be an easy, sustainable, and lucrative business.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to sell shoes online, then keep reading!

Getting Started Selling Shoes Online

Before you jump right into buying giant orders of shoes to sell online, make sure you have a business plan in place. Write down what you expect to get out of your business, how much money you are willing to invest, any necessary startup costs associated with the business, or any other fees that will need to be paid. Also, know what types of shoes you want to sell online. Do you want to sell shoes for kids? Expensive shoes? Men’s shoes or sell women’s shoes? Or all of the above?

Knowing what you can spend and what your expectations are for your business is an essential step in the process of selling shoes online because it helps you determine if it’s worth doing.

Buying the shoes

Before you can sell your shoes, you must first find them in bulk and purchase them. There are three main options when it comes to this:

You can get them from a manufacturer
Buy them from a wholesaler
Create your own shoes to sell online

Buying from a manufacturer

There are several advantages to buying your shoes from a manufacturer. These include:

You will pay less for them
You can purchase designer shoes
They are usually better quality
More options are available

Choosing where you get your shoes is entirely up to you, but if you’re looking for the best deals and more choices, then purchasing directly from the manufacturer is an option that you should consider.

Purchasing from wholesalers

Wholesalers have advantages too. When you purchase your shoes from a wholesaler, you will usually get them at a lower price than if you went to the manufacturer above. You will also receive wholesale prices offered by other shoe stores, so this is one of the best ways to save money when selling shoes online.

Wholesalers also have more buying power than individuals. This means that they will be able to buy the shoes you want in bulk for less money than if you were to do it yourself.

If you decide to go with a wholesaler, make sure that their prices are reasonable so that you can try to keep your costs down as much as possible.

Creating your shoes to sell online

You may feel confident about creating your shoes and selling them online, but some risks are involved. For one thing, if your shoes aren’t any good, no one will be buying them because it’s best not only to sell quality shoes online but also to promote your business well enough that people know what you’re selling is excellent quality.

Also, for you to actually create your shoes, it will require more money upfront, which may put people off from doing this option. However, it also means that there is a lot less competition, and in most cases, you can set your prices. The other two options will require less work on your part, but they come at a greater risk because of how competitive it is to get into this business.

Selling the Shoes

Now that you have your shoes to sell online and understand how much they cost, it’s time to sell them. Choosing the best place to sell shoes online can make or break your business. There are a few different options available:

Direct Sales — selling your shoes on social media outlets or directly on your site. This option also includes selling at events like fairs and festivals.
ecommerce — selling shoes online through your website. Selling shoes on eBay or selling shoes on Amazon.

Direct Sales

This is the most personal way to sell shoes online, as it will require you to promote yourself as an individual rather than as a business. Unfortunately, this option also has the lowest earning potential.

While you will get the best deal by selling directly to your customers, it will require more work on your part because you won’t have any help. You will need to handle everything from advertising and promotion to sales and providing customer service all on your own.

Ecommerce

Selling shoes online through a website or on sites like eBay and Amazon will allow you to spread your business across multiple platforms. Still, it typically has a lower profit margin because of the fees associated with these platforms.

You will usually create an online store with relative ease, but you must have a stable website that can handle a lot of traffic if you want to make good money. If this seems like too much to keep up with, an ecommerce solution like Ecwid can simplify the process.

The Shipping Part

Shipping is a big factor in selling shoes online, especially if you’re not doing an in-person transaction. The last thing you want is for your product to be damaged or delayed! First off, it’s essential to be honest about the delivery time of your product. Don’t say that it’ll be there in 2 days if you plan on shipping it with ground transport.

Also, if you’re based in the United States, we highly recommend using USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation. It costs around $6 for small packages, yet they offer free delivery confirmation (which is how you can tell if your customer has received the shoes). On top of this, USPS Priority Mail provides tracking and 2-3 day shipping.

If you’re based in another country besides the US, I suggest using UPS or DHL for international shipments. They tend to have reasonable rates for shipping shoes, and you can get free tracking information on all international shipments above $200.

Building an Online Shoe Business

Be patient when building your business. You might not see results overnight, but you will eventually become successful if you work hard and stay consistent with your efforts. Once you’ve established yourself online, you can start increasing the number of shoes you sell by making word-of-mouth referrals to friends and family members.

Common Mistakes When Trying To Sell Shoes Online

One of the first and most common mistakes that people make is not considering shipping costs. This should be a huge part of your business plan because you’ll need to get your shoes from one place to another. If you don’t plan on offering free shipping or free returns, this will need to be considered in everything else, including the shoe price.

Another mistake is making unrealistic promises. People are used to buying things online with no problems, so it’s common for people to become frustrated if they order a pair of shoes and it doesn’t arrive as expected or as described. You should make it clear whether you offer refunds, returns, or exchanges on your site. Otherwise, you could end up losing business because of this indecision.

Many people also make the mistake of not having good pictures for their website. Be sure to have a good, clear view of the actual shoe, so people know what they’re getting.

Ecwid Makes Ecommerce Easy

With all of this said, selling shoes online can be a great way to make money from home or even work from your local Starbucks! Now that you know how to sell shoes online, it’s time to craft your plan and execute it. It’s all about having the right strategy in place and being careful with your product.

If you think this business idea might be for you, then give it a shot today! Ecwid offers services so you can track all your sales in one place. It’s free to start, so what are you waiting for!

Do you want to learn more about selling shoes online?

About The Author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.