Ask anyone why they haven't started a small business and the answer is often the same: "I don't have money to put in." For most shops, that is true. For selling through MyKade, it isn't, and it is worth understanding why.
The old way: stock first, sales later
Imagine you want to sell bedsheets from home. The usual way looks like this:
- You spend, say, Rs 40,000 on twenty bedsheets.
- You store them in a cupboard.
- You post photos and wait.
Now look at what can go wrong:
- Half of them don't sell, so your money sits in a cupboard.
- People want a colour or size you didn't buy.
- A few get damaged or dusty.
- You have to pack and post each one yourself.
- You need to collect the money and sometimes chase it.
Your Rs 40,000 is at risk before you have made a single sale. Many good business ideas end right here.
The MyKade way: sales first, no stock
With MyKade, the order of things is turned around:
- You choose products that verified suppliers already have in stock.
- You share them. This costs you time, not money.
- A customer orders. You place the order in the app.
- MyKade packs it, delivers it island-wide and collects the money from the customer.
- When it is delivered, your profit goes into your wallet.
You never pay a supplier up front. Unsold products are not your problem. You don't need a cupboard, packing tape or a courier account. Joining is free.
So is it completely risk-free?
No. It is honest to say so. The money risk is much smaller, but a few things can still cost you.
Your time. Sharing, replying and confirming orders take time. If nobody orders, that time is the cost.
Returns. If a customer doesn't accept the parcel, it comes back and you earn nothing on it. Every seller gets 3 free returns. After that, sellers at the Amber or Red level pay a Rs 150 return fee per return. Many returns can get an account suspended. Green sellers get the best terms.
Risky orders. Some orders, for example from a number that refused parcels before, may need a deposit or a confirmation before they go out.
Ads, if you choose them. You don't need ads to start. If you run Facebook ads, you pay from your own ad account, from Rs 300 a day. In real Sri Lankan online shops, ads cost about Rs 1,200 per delivered order, close to 40% of the item's price. That can wipe out your profit if you aren't careful.
Phone data and calls. Small, but real.
How to keep your risk low
- Sell to people who know you first. When customers knew the seller and ordered again, about 96% of parcels were delivered. With strangers online, 30–37% came back.
- Confirm every order before placing it: name, address, a phone number they answer, and the full total including delivery. See how to confirm every order.
- Tell the customer the delivery charge (usually around Rs 450) up front, so nobody is surprised at the door.
- Start with free sharing: WhatsApp Status, your shop link, Facebook and TikTok posts. Think about ads only once you know which product sells.
- Watch your returns in the app, so you stay Green.
A simple way to think about it
With stock, you risk money first and hope for customers later. With MyKade, you find the customer first, and the cost of a mistake is mostly time and, at worst, a small return fee. That is a far safer place for a beginner to learn.
Start without the cupboard full of stock
You can test whether online selling suits you without putting money in. Download the MyKade app, choose two or three products, and share them with people you know this week.