Advice On Storing Plants Before Selling.

[Embrace]

Hi All,
I am currently in the process of setting up a new website that will offer various shrimp and fish goods. It will be mainly dry goods e.g sponge filters and air pumps although I would like to offer Live Plants as well.

My question is, as I would be buying in bulk (ish!), how do I store them before I sell them on?

Any advice is welcome

 

[ian]

before i answer i have no experience in the buying and selling of plants, however, buying in bulk is a very dangerous thing to do. You'd need holding areas for the plants, which to keep them healthy and happy, you'd need to be doing massive water changes everyday and maybe running pressurised C02 alongside. I know a few of the online places, actually order them in from the far east. So, say you put your order in, they they order from china or wherever and then re post them onto the buyer.

 

[XFiSh_CichildX]

what shrimp will you have for sale quite interested ?

 

[Embrace]

I have Cherrys at the moment but I am setting up more breeding projects that will be ready by the summer.

Also I would be buying from the UK rather than the far east if that makes any difference?

 

[AstonN24vantage]

what is the website called? you may have a potential customer! <---

 

[Embrace]

Well I will advertise on the forum when it is completed, I aim to open end of March time.
If anyone has any suggestions for product/design then I will be very grateful!

I'll put the link in my sig for now

 

[Embrace]

Bump. Anyone else have any knowledge?

 

[ian]

Where in the uk are you planning on buying from? You're going to be paying top dollar for plants? The only way you're going to make money from selling plants is to buy from the far east. It will be a total waste of you're money to buy from aquafluer or tropica unless you already have orders. Plants don't do well unless they are in proper holdings.

 

[Embrace]

Well the only reason that I would buy from the UK is that I wouldn't have to worry about UK customs e.t.c. Is it quite easy to import plants from the far east then?
I hadnt really given it much thought to be honest.

 

[Tolak]

Start slow, deal with local clubs. See what their plants are going for at their events, what sells well and what doesn't. Plan on doing some driving to these events, this will give you the most up to date information. It's market research. Get your name & face known, there is plenty of networking going on at these events, make that your priority.

Plan on breaking even the first year, making some money the second year, the third year is when you will be better known & should start seeing some profit. That first year is your learning curve, second is tweaking, third & on is growth.

If someone told me 5 years ago that I would be selling worms & using the profits to buy a puppy for my son I would have told them they are nuts. It took 3 years to get to that point, plenty of time & effort. Once you start looking at it from a business standpoint rather than a hobby things change, find that particular niche that needs filling, and treat it like a business.

 

[SuperColey1]

Well the only reason that I would buy from the UK is that I wouldn't have to worry about UK customs e.t.c. Is it quite easy to import plants from the far east then?
I hadnt really given it much thought to be honest.

As above Shrimp and fish are pretty easy. Plants is hard. To grow your own is expensive. To buy in the UK or from Far East means buying a large amount. Then you have the problem of keeping them algae free.

Not as easy as just putting them in water hence why the chain sotres plant 'cascades' are often a mess.

With plants you are going to be up against some pretty stiff competition that has laid out substantially for system that can hold the plants in good order.

I think you'ld be better off keeping to livestock and dry goods.



AC