Most of this blog is for dropshippers: people who sell products from MyKade's verified suppliers without buying stock. But many Sri Lankans already have products of their own. You might sew clothes, make handicrafts, run a small shop, or buy stock in bulk and sell it on. If that's you, MyKade is preparing something different for you.
A plan for own-product sellers
MyKade is opening a monthly plan for own-product sellers. It gives you, in one place:
- Your own online shop for your products.
- Orders, so every order is recorded instead of lost in a chat.
- Couriers, for sending parcels.
- Payment links, so customers can pay online.
It is opening soon. You can join the waitlist now to hear when it's ready.
One important point: your products are not shown to dropshippers. Your shop is your own. MyKade's resellers won't be selling your products alongside theirs.
Why this might help you
If you sell your own products online today, some of this may sound familiar:
- Orders are scattered across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram messages, and one slips through now and then.
- You copy addresses by hand and book parcels one at a time.
- You're never quite sure which cash-on-delivery parcels have been paid and which came back.
- Customers ask, "Can I pay online?" and you don't have an easy answer.
Having your shop, orders, couriers and payment links together is about saving time and making fewer mistakes, so you can spend more of your day making and selling.
What real Sri Lankan online shops teach us
Whether you sell your own products or someone else's, the customers are the same. Our data from about 5,000 cash-on-delivery orders from online shops on our system shows:
- 90–100% of orders were cash on delivery. Most Sri Lankan buyers still prefer to pay at the door, so plan for it.
- Selling to strangers, 30–37% of parcels came back. The biggest reason, 42% of returns, was that the customer didn't answer the courier. Confirming each order before sending matters as much for your own products as anyone's. See confirm every order.
- When customers knew and reordered from the seller, about 96% of parcels were delivered. Your loyal customers are your strongest asset.
- Products people use up are reordered far more often. Buyers of everyday items like packaging, cleaning and beauty reordered about four times as often as gadget buyers.
A payment link where the customer pays in full or pays an advance can help with orders you're unsure about, because a customer who has paid something is more likely to accept the parcel. Read online payment links: pay in full or pay an advance.
Getting ready before launch
You don't need to wait to get organised. While you're on the waitlist:
- Photograph your products clearly, in daylight, on a plain background. See great product photos with just your phone.
- Write a simple product list: name, size or variants, price, and how many you usually have.
- Write honest descriptions that answer the questions customers always ask.
- Note your current numbers: orders a month, how many come back, and why.
- Collect your regular customers' contacts (with their permission), so you can tell them when your shop opens.
Is it for you?
This plan is meant for people who make or stock their own products. If you don't have products yet and just want to start selling, dropshipping with MyKade is free to join instead; read what is MyKade?.
Join the waitlist
If you already make or stock products and want your own online shop with orders, couriers and payment links in one place, join the waitlist. We'll let you know as soon as it opens.