Last Updated on December 19, 2023 by Elidge Staff
In this post, I will tell you:
1.) How a Namibian university dropout earned a lot of money selling masks from home in one month.
2.) How and where to find low-cost products
Table of Contents
HOW A NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY DROPOUT MADE A LOT OF MONEY SELLING MASKS IN ONE MONTH
Business Opportunity
In March 2020, all the business projects fell apart, I was short on cash… COVID hit us really bad, most of the businesses were closing due to the lockdown.
I decided to try out selling face masks when the government announced the mask mandate. Everything was uncertain, so I wanted to test it out and see if I could make a profit.
Searching for the right supplier (avoiding scams)
I went on Alibaba and searched for suppliers that could provide me with the masks that looked good. I sent the suppliers messages asking them a few questions which helped me select suppliers and see which supplier would provide me with the best product.
I had to do a small research to see how I would go on and operate my business. Location was the first thing that I had to search for, I had to search for a venue where I would keep my products. All the permanent and temporary places were quoting me high rental fees, so I decided to operate from home.
All the suppliers I approached, replied within 2 days. This gave me ample time to go through all the replies and I selected 3 companies that I thought would supply me with the best product.
I did not just look at the lowest price, I had to see if the seller was being reasonable and ordered some samples before I could order in bulk.
Among the last three suppliers, only one of them used express shipping, which only took about 5 days to reach Namibia. The other suppliers used standard shipping but charged me the same total fee as the first supplier. Their samples took more than 40 days to get to Namibia, so I decided to go with the first supplier that provided me with a faster shipping method.
I was happy with the samples… so I ordered 500 masks that only cost me 380 US dollars (which was equivalent to N$5 700). The supplier told me they would send my package when they finished processing the paperwork. It only took them 1 day to process everything, and then FedEx went on to pick up my package. They estimated that the products would reach me within 11 days due to COVID delays (some flights were cancelled).
The items only arrived after 20 days, the delay was caused by a FedEx employee in Windhoek. I will tell you about the whole story in another post. The supplier was the MVP of the whole story, he helped me get my package when I ran into problems.
Total Cost price for 500 masks (Including shipping cost)
Customs charged me an additional 479 Namibian dollars. After adding up everything the total cost price was less than 6300 Namibian Dollars.
Cost Price of Masks (including shipping) = N$ 5 700
Customs charged = N$ 479
My competitors
Other people were selling the masks for N$80 or more. The total revenue would have been N$40000 If I would have charged N$80 per mask. We determined that N$40 dollars would give us a reasonable profit even if we also offered free transport within town.
Selling them at N$80 would have been hard… I wanted them to sell them fast and buy more, that is why I decided to sell them for N$40.
Reach out to us using this link https://www.elidge.com/deals/get-free-business-listing/ if you want us to help you sell online and also get a free business listing on NamibianMarketing.com
How and Where I sold them
After taking a few photos, I began designing my Facebook ads and posted them to my page. I had to wait for 1 hour and 30 minutes to get my ads approved by Facebook.
I was surprised by the reaction that my ads got. the phone started ringing the moment it was approved. My clients called me, and then I drove to deliver the masks.
I spent N$40 per day for advertising and managed to sell at least N$800 per day before everything was sold out.
Reach out to us using this link https://www.elidge.com/deals/get-free-business-listing/ if you want us to help you sell online and also get a free business listing on NamibianMarketing.com
Income report
I managed to sell all my masks within 26 days and made a total of N$20000 (Twenty thousand dollars)
500 masks x N$40 = N$20 000
Expenses
Total expenses were: N$8540
Ads: N$1040
Cost Price (masks): N$6500
Fuel (for free deliveries within the town): N$1000
In my case, I used my car to deliver the masks for free (within the town), so I had to take care of the fuel myself which was N$1000.
Net profit
Gross Profit – Expenses
N$20000 – N$8540
= N$ 11 460
My net profit after deducting all my costs was N$11460.
I am a university dropout with no special intellect, but I managed to generate this income within 26 days in Namibia. You can also click here to find out how I also built a website that is currently making more than N$10000 every month.
Reach out to us using this link https://www.elidge.com/deals/get-free-business-listing/ if you want us to help you sell online and also get a free business listing on NamibianMarketing.com
Important Tips to make N$20 000 a month selling online:
- Do your research
Find a problem that you can solve and draw out a plan. You do not need a perfect business plan to start. You should have a guideline that will help you with your operations… - Do not be afraid of failing
Failing at tasks will help you workout and build your business… You will learn not to make the same mistakes again. - Listen to your clients
Build your business according to what your customers need. You will never go wrong when you take care of your customers needs. - Reach out to us using this link https://www.elidge.com/deals/get-free-business-listing/ if you want us to help you sell online and also get a free business listing on NamibianMarketing.com
Contact Us
You can get in touch with us if you need assistance with anything. We created an initiative called Collective Success, and our aim is to help everyone. You can contact us and explain who you are and what you are attempting to build. Join us to be part of our journey to create success. It all comes down to sharing our knowledge and assisting one another in achieving success.
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HOW A NAMIBIA UNIVERSITY DROPOUT MADE A LOT OF MONEY SELLING MASKS IN ONE MONTH
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