THE OTHER DAY I featured the startup business of my friend who just completed his college degree but failed to experience the momentous graduation rites he waited for so long. It’s a food business born in the time of the pandemic. If you just missed reading the inspiring story, here’s the link — Chef Joni’s Tapa-tarap: Marinating Your Yummy Breakfast Tapa (Featured Startup Business).
TODAY I am but super-duper excited to share with you my early experiences being a Lazada seller. I always wanted to start my own business. You know that. And yes, I just made PHP6,000 sales within the first two weeks despite the still limited stock-keeping units (SKUs) uploaded to my Lazada online store.
Wait. Before I share everything, here are other articles equally worth reading. These covered my preparations for the launch of signed MARCO online store — how I secured an initial capital and what I needed just to start selling at Lazada.
- CIMB Bank Personal Loan Review (Requirements, Process, and Interest)
- Lazada Seller Startup Checklist and Other Requirements
[1] Creating your Lazada online store is totally easy. You just have to sign up with your personal and store information, provide your bank account, design your storefront, and upload product details. You can complete such initial signup in just a few minutes. That’s never a big work!
[2] Next comes your preparation of merchandise, waybill paper and printer, and of course, packaging materials. In another article, I had the long list of product categories which may be your starting point upon deciding what merchandise to sell online. Read it here — 99 Best Products to Sell Online in the Philippines. All other warehouse requirements can be purchased from Lazada itself.
[3] More learning here and there awaits you so better be teachable yourself. By familiarizing yourself about the seller interface and all available tools, sooner you’ll be able to employ effective strategies which will work for you and bring you more customers and sales. Lazada University has all the slide presentations and video tutorials. You can also check YouTube for more helpful vlogs.
[4] To tell you, I had the most exciting new seller experience with Lazada. The night I got the waybill printer (which I purchased at Facebook Marketplace) delivered at my doorstep, I uploaded one product SKU right away. Surprisingly, it got ordered the next morning, and I just found myself happily wrapping it up based on Lazada’s packaging standards.
[5] But I was a little nervous. Who wouldn’t? I was a little clueless about how drop-off really works although I did some research, and I checked the nearest drop-off point (via special map provided by Lazada). I was still reporting for a one-month summer class then, and I had to bring the wrapped package to school. I would just stare at it from time to time. I couldn’t imagine myself. I planned to drop it off after work at 05:00PM.
[6] I tapped out from work at exactly five, and I headed straight to the nearest Ministop. I just walked for about fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, the convenience store was not a Lazada drop-off partner (so the map was not updated).
[7] I became even more desperate to drop off the package. I took a cab (jeepneys were not allowed to operate then) to Robinson’s Cainta. There’s another Ministop there, and it’s another map-pinned drop-off point. I didn’t care about how much I paid for the cab. All I knew was that I wanted to drop the parcel off.
[8] As I entered the convenience store, I looked around, and I just spotted the Ladaza drop-off cage. At last, I found you! I went straight to the counter and told the clerk that I would be making a drop-off. Of course, I was a little bashful because I just had one parcel with me, and I knew others would normally have dozens or even more. Hello, I was just starting!
[9] The waybill barcodes were scanned. It took a few attempts before I was told it’s all good, and that I could already drop it off. The other clerk told me I better leave it in the upper compartment instead of the actual bin because it might get damaged. I was hesitant at first (as it might get lost or stolen), but I was finally convinced. I thanked them and left after.
[10] As I was crossing the junction, I was notified via email that I got the parcel successfully dropped off. Warning! Please don’t check your phone while crossing the street. But I was just very happy. I felt a total relief. I even shared a screenshot of it to my coworkers. It took more than a week before it was received by my first customer (somewhere in Zamboanga). Each day though, I would track the parcel on my Lazada seller app.
[11] After two days, I got another order and had it dropped off in the same convenience store. But when our one-month summer class ended, I had to look for another drop-off point, somewhere just within my area, as I thought about saving on transport. Luckily, there’s another Ministop which I could have all orders after fulfilled, just a kilometer away. For the past two weeks, I have been making visits at the store.
[12] I see selling at Lazada totally convenient (especially for shy-type sellers out there like me) and profitable at the same time. See, I just made PHP6,000 sales within my first two weeks. It’s not big as what other sellers make, but it’s a good start. If you also plan to become a Lazada seller, then just take things and efforts seriously. Dropping off parcels requires some work and time, especially if you receive just one or two orders every other day. Keep on adding more and more products to your listings and get more orders soon.
[13] It’s just that the most challenging part — to look for winning products and reliable suppliers. I do hope you also drop by and purchase something from my Lazada store — signed MARCO.
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