How I Started My Online Business From Ukraine: Vladimir’s Story
How do you start an online business if you live in Eastern Europe? Who do you target it at and what promotional channels do you use? How do you make it legal? There are many questions that an ecommerce newcomer needs to deal with!
Today, we’re talking to Vladimir, an owner of 2 online stores, and discussing his personal experience in the field. As a successful dropshipping entrepreneur, he surely has some bits of wisdom to share. Let’s welcome him and ask how he started his business from Ukraine!
Disclaimer: all the success stories published in AliDropship blog are the results of interviews conducted in the written form. Even though the editors may make some minor changes to the grammar, spelling, and/or punctuation, the respondents’ writing styles, views, opinions, stores screenshots and personal photos are left unchanged.
Hi, please introduce yourself!
Hi, I am Vladimir, born and raised in Ukraine. I’ve been working online for over 12 years and making money from online marketing and advertising on the Internet. 3 years ago I also started my own dropshipping business.
Can you tell why and how you started your business in Ukraine with the dropshipping model?
I chose the dropshipping business model because it’s one of the few ecommerce strategies that lets you make decent profit without experience and spending much time and money. My education is technical and I wasn’t taught how to be a businessman. But my long history of doing digital marketing was more than enough to help me start.
I first heard about dropshipping quite a long time ago but didn’t initially consider it as a serious business. It was only in 2017 when I changed my mind after I came across some AliDropship materials explaining how this business model works. I liked that there are instruments that make dropshippers’ life easier and a qualified support service that helps a lot. The knowledge base was also detailed and priceless for a beginner with no experience. So that’s what convinced me to try it.
How did your dropshipping journey begin?
My first sale happened in 2 days after my store started working. It was a client from the USA who bought a multifunctional screwdriver set. My net income from this order was almost $20. I was really happy and satisfied with it.
Now I have 2 dropshipping stores. Here are their recent performance numbers:
What is your product strategy?
When I was choosing business niches, the most important things for me were the products’ demand, popularity and price. A reliable and proven supplier is very important if you want the business to work well.
Usually I double prices and get a 100% price markup. But sometimes it’s less than 100%: I compare final prices to Amazon and eBay prices and try to make them not very high.
How do you manage your business on a daily basis?
I spend 1-2 hours every day on management. Mostly I spend this time to create interesting video reviews for my products. Sometimes there are business tasks that demand a lot of time and I look for solutions to help me complete them quicker. AliDropship offers a wide range of automation tools that simplify the process significantly.
How do you deal with difficult customers if there are any?
I set up my business in a way that minimizes customers’ complaints. So buyers don’t usually have any problems with their orders.
There was a difficult case last year. A person mixed my store with some other store where he previously bought something and got scammed. So he wrote to me and demanded to return his money and insisted on it even after I explained that he’s wrong. He then wrote a complaint to PayPal but PayPal didn’t take any actions on me because I truly never received any payments from this person. And he even wanted to sue PayPal after this!
I asked him to make a screenshot of his payment with the name of the product he bought. After he sent it to me, I typed the name of his product in Google search. From the search results, I selected several sites with products matching the product name from the screenshot and sent them to him. I asked him to look at them and remember which one he really bought. In a few days, he wrote to me and said that he really was wrong and apologized a lot.
Did you register your online business officially?
Yes, my business is 100% legal. I registered it in the USA, in Wyoming. There are simple requirements, especially if you are a non-resident. Now I only have to pay the registration fee and the payment for intermediary service. It is about $200 per year.
After you started a business, how has your life changed?
In many ways! First of all, I earn more now. I am not dependent on a fixed workplace, I have no boss, I plan my free and working time on my own, and I am emotionally satisfied with this business.
I plan to keep working on the business, develop it further and improve my sales and profits. Also I am thinking about new strategies that I can try to grow my business even more.
My family helps me run the business and my friends are also interested. They constantly ask how it’s going but none of them have yet decided to start their own business.
What can you advise our readers – those who already run their stores and those who didn’t start the business yet?
If you already have a store, I wish you the best of luck. And if you are only thinking about how to start an online business, stop worrying and doubting and start making money!
Would you like to learn how you can start out with no fuss at all?
Start a business with AliDropship
What is AliDropship?
AliDropship is a cutting-edge ecommerce platform designed to assist entrepreneurs in launching and growing their online businesses effortlessly. It’s tailored to remove many of the usual hurdles faced in ecommerce, making it a top choice for those looking to start a business without heavy investments.
- Hassle-free: Share your business preferences and vision with us, and our team will craft a top-tier, ready-to-launch online store tailored to start generating sales from day one.
- $100 store upgrade voucher: Enhance your store with a $100 voucher. Whether you want exclusive products or to utilize some of our automation tools, it’s yours to spend as you see fit.
- Extensive product selection: Choose from wide range of high-quality products across various categories. Select the ideal items for your store and see your sales take off.
- Fast shipping: Slow delivery is a common challenge in ecommerce. AliDropship tackles this with fast shipping from our fulfillment centers, ensuring your customers receive their purchases promptly – keeping them happy and more likely to return.
- User-friendly platform: Everything you need to manage orders, add products, and interact with customers is available on one straightforward platform. We’ve eliminated complicated jargon and unnecessary complexities to make your experience as smooth as possible.
- Automated order fulfillment: AliDropship’s automated system takes care of inventory management and shipping whenever a customer places an order, allowing you to focus more on growing your business and less on logistical stress.
- No upfront costs: Start your online store with AliDropship without any initial financial burden. There’s no need to invest in stock, warehouse space, or shipping materials upfront.
- 24/7 dedicated customer support: Our customer support team is available around the clock to help you with any issues or questions you might have about running your online business. With AliDropship, you’re supported every step of the way.
Now, you know much more about how to start an online business with little experience – and what to expect from it! Get your own FREE turnkey online store and start a journey of your dreams.
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