Where To Sell On A Limited Budget

1.     Your own website

If you haven’t got a website for your brand, then I suggest you get one. Your website will be a lifelong asset and will work as the face of your business. It will work as a means for your potential customers to contact you and purchase your products.

You can design your website in such a way that it best represents your brand, and you can include product categories and navigation components that work for you.  

You can direct your prospects to your product landing pages through social media, email marketing or even advertising which can increase online revenue.  

There is however an initial investment to hire developers to build your site, or you could use a non-code platform such as Web flow or Shopify to set up your online store. But you will avoid paying seller or transaction fees on marketplaces such as eBay or Amazon, which means more profit.  

     2. Social Media

Dubbed ‘’social commerce’’, social media platforms have become the new marketplace for businesses. They have now introduced shopping portals and have added features to allow consumers to buy and sell things directly from their platforms.

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and even TikTok have tapped into this trend by adding social commerce as a new option for individuals to purchase and sell things online on their platforms.

If you haven’t set up your business account on these social media accounts, then you are missing out. It is free to set up an account and you will hugely benefit from gaining brand exposure.  

We suggest you get going on these social platforms, especially Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shopping, and Pinterest to start selling on a limited budget. 

2.1 Facebook Marketplace

For sellers, Facebook Marketplace is a free option that connects you with potential buyers in your area. It has become an important tool for brands who want to sell to their target audience. Use your Facebook account and locate ‘Marketplace’ on your account. From there you can create a new listing, enter the details and shipping method, and select ‘sell’’.

There are no costs associated with making your account and setting up your listings. 

2.2 Instagram Shopping

Instagram has set up Instagram shopping and it has made customers finding your products easier. It includes a set of features that easily allows people to easily shop your brand’s photos and videos across Instagram. Customers can explore collections, view product details and checkout on the platform. You can get started by creating or using your Facebook business page, creating an Instagram business profile and filling in your shop details in Commerce Manager.  

Instagram Shopping is completely free to use. However, there is a 5% fee per shipment or flat-out fee of USD 0.40 for shipments of $8 or less.

2.3 Pinterest Product Pins

Pinterest is an image sharing platform designed to ‘enable saving and discovery of information on the internet using images, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboards’. People can browse boards, save pins and even make purchases. It allows people to connect their brands to their online store(s).

You can connect your business account to a personal account or make a new business account on its own. From there you set up your account, complete the account by including your business details, and post your first product pin! For each pin, you can include your product image, and connect your online store to give viewers your product catalogue.

Setting up your personal/business Pinterest account and creating pins and boards are completely free. 

3. Digital Marketplaces

You will find more B2B wholesalers and B2C businesses are using marketplaces to list their products.

An online marketplace is a type of e-commerce website where different third parties supply product or service information. They are now the most common multichannel eCommerce, which can help to streamline the sales and manufacturing process.

As a seller on a marketplace, you must meet the requirements, create product pages, and pay the platform's monthly fees or sales commissions.

You may find yourself saving money on infrastructure development and logistics with marketplaces such as Amazon (FBA system and drop-shipping), and/or avoiding the cost of building websites, admins fees or even transportation and distribution expenses.

Since the marketplace handles payment administration, you can avoid bank fees. Thus, the brand can increase its earnings by avoiding additional costs.

Most platforms let customers pay the marketplace directly, and the marketplace makes the payment to the eCommerce firm later.

You can ultimately benefit from more brand visibility and positioning and contact with your target audience, so get searching on what marketplaces best suit your brand and your budget.

We recommend you research online marketplaces that best suit the product or service you provide within your country.

Here are just a few examples of marketplaces:

- Amazon

-eBay

-Etsy

-CrateJoy

-Rural Handmade

-AliExpress

-Depop

-Faire

-Ankorstore

-Rakuten

-Hellobound

4. Google Shopping

According to Google, Google shopping is a great way to find products. The idea is to make it easier for customers to do their research using the Google search bar, learn and compare different products, features, costs and connect them with their sellers to complete purchases.

Sellers will need their website to set up their Google Merchant Center account and integrates with most basic website builders. 

Google Shopping is proven to have 30% higher conversion rates than text ads.

It is free of charge to set up your accounts and have your products listed on the shopping tab, allowing your customers to find products such as yours they are searching for.

However, you do get charged per click you get on your listing (pay-per-click). This means you'll be charged a small fee (starting at £0.50) every time someone clicks on your Google Shopping ad. This is an appealing price, but bear in mind it does not guarantee a sale every time.

5. Networking

Networking is a great and free tool to get your business out there. It is the process of sharing ideas and acquiring information amongst people, usually in a social setting. Networking to make a sale, also known as network sales, involves encouraging salespeople to build leads by connecting with personal and professional networks to find leads and promote word-of-mouth.

A great way of doing this is by joining clubs or communities online (e.g., LinkedIn) and offline, to attract customers and partners. It’s important to get to know your potential customers and get an understanding of their pain points, as well as their interests.

Know who to approach by figuring out your target audience, get the conversation going, and actively listen and pitch your business products and services. Make sure to close off any networking opportunities by exchanging contact details, and follow-up with the customer/client.  

6. Trade Shows

A trade show/fair is an event that brings members of a specific industry together to display, demonstrate, and discuss their latest products and services.

Trade shows are brilliant as you can meet and connect with prospective customers, strengthen your bond with existing customers, close deals during the trade show, learn about the new developments in your industry and meet new businesses that can help your business.

We recommend visiting trade shows, with a business card in hand and a thought-out elevator pitch in mind. If you are looking to book a booth within a budget, may consider splitting a booth with another company that sells compatible products.

Many successful entrepreneurs and brand advocates attend trade shows with only prototypes, collect leads and sell many products.

Interested in selling on Rural Handmade? Or want to have your product designs commissioned by our team and global partners?

Contact our team using the chat button on the bottom right side of our page! Here you can access our live chat, WhatsApp number, contact form or Facebook chat.

Email: Support@ruralhandmade.com