I’ve started thinking about opening a physical shop in my city, and one of the options is to focus on selling toys. I have great suppliers and well-known brands that are either hard to find on Amazon or are very overpriced online. The thing is, l’ve never done this before in the UK, so l’m a bit nervous, but I really want something that isn’t dependent on Amazon.
Any advice, tips, or things to be aware of?
I do not have experience in selling toys, but I’m soon opening up my third retail store. I can help you calculate how much you would have to sell on a daily basis to make a profit, and give you some heads up in private if you are really considering this.
One of the main issues is that your customer base is very limited, only people close to you.
Unless you start selling online, for example on Amazon.
Unless you are able to either a) get super cheap rent b) get in a high footfall area c) look into hosting weekly gaming events for things like Pokémon, YuGiOh or Magic the Gathering - I would advise against it.
I do know a toy store in Worcester is doing quite well as it’s the only toy store locally, but similarly they still host weekly gaming events to ensure footfall.
It’s a lot of work, for potentially little return.