Notes on selling
How to sell from a link in your bio: photographs, pricing, delivery and the small decisions that turn a follower into an order.
17 / 18
12 min read
What to sell when you have no product
You already own inventory, it just isn't in boxes. The things you can sell online without making anything, ranked by how fast each one produces a first sale.
12 min read
Should you sell trending products
Usually not, and the reason is arithmetic. Compare your supplier lead time to how long the trend has left, and chase demand with pre-orders instead of cash.
12 min read
When a marketplace beats your own shop
A marketplace brings its own buyers and your own link does not. That is the whole trade. Here is the arithmetic on when each one actually wins.
12 min read
When a side hustle becomes a business
There is no moment when a hobby turns into a business. There is a test, most tax authorities use a similar one, and you probably crossed it a while ago.
12 min read
What to do when a trend dies and you still have the stock
Stop the reorder, work out your weeks of cover, then pick the exit that recovers most cash. Discounting on your main channel is the last move, not the first.
12 min read
When Shopify is the right answer for a small shop
Shopify is genuinely better than a link in bio for some sellers. Five signals that say you are one of them, and the arithmetic that proves it either way.
11 min read
When to move from a free plan to a paid one
Four things actually force the upgrade and none is ambition. The arithmetic on Sailo tiers and two rivals, including the months where the answer is not yet.
13 min read
When to raise your prices
Five signals that say your price is too low, the arithmetic on how much volume a rise can safely cost you, and the two sentences to send your regulars.
12 min read
When to say no to a customer
Some orders cost more than they pay. The five worth refusing, the three-sentence message that does it without insulting anyone, and what to offer instead.
12 min read
When to spend money on ads
For most small sellers the answer is not yet. Work out the most you can pay for one customer first, because that number decides whether ads can work at all.
11 min read
Which platform should you actually sell on
The honest answer is the one you already post on. Here is how to check that with your last ten orders, and when a second platform is worth the hours.
11 min read
Why cash on delivery is popular in some markets and not others
It was never about people lacking cards. COD is a guarantee the buyer can enforce, and it is a credit product you underwrite without being paid for it.