How to Start a Gift Basket Business

Want to start a home gift basket business?

If you have a creative flair that you would like to put to use, you may want to consider starting a gift basket business.  The gift basket industry is a huge market and promises to keep growing, as more and more people look to give a gift that is a little more special and personal. 

There are many things to consider when starting up this type of business.  First, do you have a creative side?  If you are the type of person who enjoys arranging the food you serve to look nice on a plate, you would probably enjoy this also.  Even if you do not consider yourself to be “creative”, you can still have a gift basket business and use dropshippers who make up the baskets for you and send them out to your customers.

Do you have space that you can devote to your products?  It does not have to be a huge space, but one that you can set aside just for your business.  You will want to keep everything in one area, so nothing gets misplaced.

Next, are you organized?  It is important to have some organizational skills in this business.  You will need to keep track of orders, the date they need to be filled by, what items go in each basket, and the pricing/payments.

There are different options for starting your own gift basket business.

• Use dropshippers – companies that will fill the orders for you and send out the baskets to your customers.  All you will be responsible for is marketing your business, collecting the money, and paying the dropshipper.  Your profits will normally be lower than if you make the baskets up yourself.
• Make your own - use wholesale companies or closeout sales to buy quantities of products at wholesale to use in your baskets.  You will be making up your own baskets and setting your own prices.

If you really enjoy creating things yourself, you would most likely want to go with the second option, so that you would actually design the baskets.  There are many wholesalers online (just make sure you research them to make sure they are legitimate).  You can also stock up on items that you find on sale.  When you become involved in this business, you will probably always be on the lookout for items that would go well in your baskets.

There are so many occasions that people are buying gift baskets for now.

· birthdays

· anniversaries

· weddings,

· new baby

· sympathy

· get well

· mothers/fathers day

· Valentines Day

· Christmas

· custom baskets for a special occasion

You can offer a variety of baskets or specialize in a few.  When you are just starting out, it is probably a good idea to specialize in a few occasions so that you keep your costs down and do not get overwhelmed.  It is best to start out small, and add different options as you go along.

You could specialize in wedding gift baskets or “sweet 16” baskets for teenage girls.  Then be sure to market your business where people who would be interested in buying these particular baskets would see them.

One thing you may want to consider is having a website, where you can display pictures of your baskets.  That way, you can send perspective customers to your site so they can see your work and get an idea of your pricing.

There is a great free 8-day ecourse you can sign up for at: www.giftbasketwholesalesupply.com    You will need to sign up for her newsletter to get the ecourse, but that will give you even more helpful information.

You should also check out the membership site at  www.rockhillcottage.com  that covers everything from making a gift basket to pricing to legal considerations to marketing, with much in between.  You will be given step-by-step guidance in starting and growing your gift basket business. If you want to start a home gift basket business, I recommend doing it the right way, and getting advice from someone who has successfully done it. Click below to read all the details.

The Gift Basket Connectory