How many of you sell tangible goods on the Internet? If so, what do you sell? Who is your audience? Global or Local or Regional? Do you make good profits?
Well... I sell real estate and I advertise listings on the internet... Does that count? It's definitely a tangible product although I wouldn't exactly say it is actually "sold" on the internet. (Although that would be pretty sweet if someone actually submitted an offer online and purchased a property sight unseen) Anyway, my audience is potential home buyers and sellers in San Diego County and profits can be great at about $10,000 to $60,000 per transaction but they can also be far and few between. In all seriousness though, (assuming you are actually looking for a helpful response) I do have a few friends that actually sell tangible products online. One sells costumes, one sells software, one sells dirt bike parts and mods, and a couple sell performance car parts... Most have a specific target audience that they reach through niche marketing. Most make good profits (probably about $100,000+ per year) but they have also been doing it for a long time and have established themselves in their industries. (They also work long hours and had to make sacrifices and take a big risk to get their business going). My advice is to pick something that you are passionate about and stick with it. Find a niche that is not super saturated and create a solid business plan. Depending on what you are selling, forums can be a great place to advertise because these days there is a forum for almost anything you can think of, and if you are trying to sell a unique product than your greatest concentration of potential buyers will likely be in a related forum...