Top 3 Stories From Last Week
Learn about Amazon ads, selling on Poshmark, and Etsy e-commerce business
Welcome to another week of The Side Hustle Club’s newsletter where the outcome is income. This week we learned how Amazon ads saved a self-published book from oblivion, how to make your first $500 on Poshmark, and switching an e-commerce business to Woocommerce for a boom in sales! Enjoy!
-Marx
Amazon Ads Saved My Self-Published Book From Oblivion
A case study in how to sell a short nonfiction book with no platform
Written by Amethyst Qu
In the summer of 2019, I sat down one Monday morning, started typing, and got up on Friday afternoon with an 18,000-word nonfiction book. Then I listened to garbage advice and self-published it to Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited library.
Cue the sad-trombone crickets.
There are millions of self-published titles in the KU library. Why was anybody going to read mine? Especially since I didn’t have time to create a platform to establish my authority.
I shrugged it off until March 2020. Reviewing my catalog, I realized my little nonfiction book had something to offer to bored people stuck at home. The only reason they weren’t buying it was because they didn’t know it existed.
So, why not buy some Amazon Ads to let them know?
As you can see, the ads made a real difference in sales. In fact, for this particular book, I’m finding that every dollar spent on Amazon Ads comes back to me as six dollars. Whoa. For the past year, this book has been a steady, no-hassle source of passive income. Best of all, sales are still growing.
Most ads won’t have a 600% return on investment. I’m not here to promise you the moon and stars. However, if you’re a nonfiction author, you might find some useful takeaways from my experience.
Switching My E-commerce Business From Etsy to WooCommerce Increased My Sales Tenfold
If you’re running an e-commerce business on Etsy, here’s what you need to know
Written by Annmarie McQueen
When I first started making candles, it was just a bit of fun. My best friend and I bought a kit on Amazon and spent an evening getting wax all over our kitchen and ‘oohing’ with excitement as we poured our first proper candle. It was a proud moment. All of our friends and family who got candles for Christmas that year agreed.
Like many crafters, I didn’t start out making candles to sell them. But I soon came to love it so much that the idea of running a candle e-commerce business sounded exciting. I didn’t expect much from it. It was just going to be a side hustle to support my new favorite hobby. So, naturally, I turned to Etsy.
Why I started selling on Etsy
Etsy is the perfect place for new crafters to start selling their products. There’s no initial investment required to create your own Etsy shop and start selling since fees are simply deducted from any revenue you earn. You also get exposure to a huge international market of buyers, with 60.27 million buyers on the platform as of Q2 2020. It’s still growing too, with the marketplace experiencing exponential growth during the pandemic.
The other benefit of Etsy is that unlike marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, Etsy focuses primarily on handmade products by independent creators. You’re not competing with cheap imports from China or generic mass-produced products. Buyers are there because they appreciate the time, effort, and skill that goes into creating a handmade product, and are willing to pay higher prices for it.
All in all, Etsy is a fantastic starting place for many crafters and small businesses. Here’s a quick summary of the main benefits.
Make Your First $500 on Poshmark
A Step by Step How to Guide
Written by Patricia Wills
So you wanna make money on Poshmark but you don’t know where to start?
Poshmark is an online fashion website where people can resell clothes, accessories and shoes. Its also home to kids toys, home décor and pet supplies.
In the three months I’ve been on the platform, I have made $2,500. The majority of my listings are items from my own closet.
It is not the only selling platform I am on; nor is it my best performing. But it’s worth it.
Here is a step-by-step guide to reaching your money-making goals.