If you have four hours a week to sell products, start with one sales channel. On bol you can begin with an item that customers are already searching for. Your own webshop fits especially if you already know where your first visitors come from or need space to explain your product. Run both options through the same inventory and your available time.
Compare the work you have to do each week
| Question | Selling on bol | Own webshop |
|---|---|---|
| Where do customers find me? | On a marketplace where buyers are already searching. Your offer must be visible and attractive enough there. | Through a route you build yourself, for example a newsletter, search traffic or collaborations. |
| Which work repeats each week? | Check inventory, prices and orders and handle customer questions and returns according to bol’s agreements. | Drive traffic to the store, maintain the store, process orders and handle customer questions and returns. |
| What does a sale cost? | Among other things commission, logistics and possibly ads. | Among other things payment, logistics and acquisition costs. Subscriptions also run in quiet months. |
| How much space do I have for my product story? | You present the item within the product page and bol’s requirements. | You can design your own pages, selection aids and bundles. |
Check before you decide the service standards of bol and the commission for your product. Reserve space for unexpected customer questions on weekdays. Someone who only has time on Sunday may also run into delivery promises with an own shop.
Calculate how many orders you need
A fictional example with the same items and prices. After all variable costs you keep €4 per order on bol and €6 in your webshop. The webshop has €30 extra fixed costs per month. With the same number of orders the difference disappears exactly at fifteen orders. From sixteen orders the own webshop in this example yields more, as long as the contribution per order stays the same.
The order count can differ a lot per channel. With ten webshop orders and twenty orders on bol you keep €30 via the webshop and €80 via bol in this example, before any other fixed costs. Also factor in the number of orders you can acquire and handle within your available hours.
Determine where your first customers come from
Do you, for example, sell a standard office accessory and have no audience yet? First research demand and price pressure on bol. Do you sell your own planner for which you already have an interested newsletter? Calculate how many readers you can send to one product page and how many orders should result. Give yourself one measurement period to track orders, contribution and spent hours. Then see whether a second channel is worth the extra work.
Calculate your scenario for bol with the Zoloo Profit Calculator and put it next to your webshop calculation. Are you first looking for a suitable earning model? Compare the side hustle ideas.
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