Browse Tag: selling

Selling Your Product Online – Best Practices!

The second that your invention has been produced, the first thing you want to do is start selling! The internet has proven to be a great place to sell products, and to many people, with very little overhead.

Here’s a few things you can try:

  • Sell on Ebay! It’s not just a place where you can sell your old junk – you can sell brand new items there!
  • Open an Amazon Seller Account. Amazon is the largest internet retailer in the United States, so obviously it’s a great place to sell!
  • Create a website for your product. You can have you own online store to just sell your product exclusively. You can use this to promote your product and avoid fees (you’ll have to handle your own shipping and logistics, however).

The key to eventually get the attention of big box stores is to show that your product sells online. You should absolutely start with selling products online – get a following and some sales and you’ll do very well in the retail marketplace. Make a SPLASH!

Getting a Product on the Store Shelves: HOW TO!

Typically, the final goal for an inventor is to get their product on the store shelves. But….how? There are many things to keep in mind, but we’ve cut to the chase and listed a few of the most important factors:

  • Presentation is everything! If you are going to be pitching your product to a big box retailer, or even a small company, your product presentation must be pristine!
  • A video demonstration. Tons of products are submitted on a daily basis to the big box stores. Yours will stand out if you have a high quality video that shows every function of your product, as the consumer would use it.
  • A realistic price point. You need to understand the market value for your product. Large retailers may not take on your item if the price point is drastically different than products in the same categorization.
  • Persistence! These large companies may receive hundreds of product submissions every year! It’s up to you be as persistent as possible – you know what they say, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease!”
  • Is my product ready? This is a very common mistake. Do not send your product for store evaluation until it’s ready. If you don’t have a warehouse with product ready to go, you may set yourself up for failure if a large retailer wants to put in an order for more than you can handle. Know what your capabilities are – work with your manufacturer to come up with a plan.

It’s very difficult to get a product to take off, initially – but never fear! With persistence, presentation, realism, and goals, this process will be way easier. Planning is the most important thing you’ll ever do as an inventor.