# Running A Online Reptile Store????



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

Hello.
ok, so im thinking of starting a online reptile business. im still in school, havn't started my GCSE's yet but im seriously thinking about this.
basically, i want to sell:
reptile enclosures
reptile products
reptile equipment
leopard geckos - bearded dragons that i breed myself. e.t.c
what exactly do i need? do i need to go to college? 

thanks, Lauren.
:2thumb:


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

You would need a Pet Shop License to run a shop (online or in person) if it was selling animals as part of a business (but not if you're just selling food and equipment). A PSL requires the person to be over 18, and often requires a qualification, but this is set by the county - so you'd need to ask your council licensing department for the requirements. My council requires the Pet Store Management qualification (a course you can study from home but does require you to sit exams at the end of it)

In addition that running a business you would also have to declare yourself self employed, which is a fair amount of paperwork, especially in regards to taxes, wages and VAT, but you can always employ an agent to set up the business and an accountant to take care of your finances, but having a general business degree or some sort of qualifications / experience in business management will go a long long way to helping.


----------



## xxstaggyxx (Oct 22, 2008)

Athravan said:


> You would need a Pet Shop License to run a shop (online or in person) if it was selling animals as part of a business (but not if you're just selling food and equipment). A PSL requires the person to be over 18, and often requires a qualification, but this is set by the county - so you'd need to ask your council licensing department for the requirements. My council requires the Pet Store Management qualification (a course you can study from home but does require you to sit exams at the end of it)
> 
> In addition that running a business you would also have to declare yourself self employed, which is a fair amount of paperwork, especially in regards to taxes, wages and VAT, but you can always employ an agent to set up the business and an accountant to take care of your finances, but having a general business degree or some sort of qualifications / experience in business management will go a long long way to helping.


 
That is some very good advice there


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

Athravan said:


> You would need a Pet Shop License to run a shop (online or in person) if it was selling animals as part of a business (but not if you're just selling food and equipment). A PSL requires the person to be over 18, and often requires a qualification, but this is set by the county - so you'd need to ask your council licensing department for the requirements. My council requires the Pet Store Management qualification (a course you can study from home but does require you to sit exams at the end of it)
> 
> In addition that running a business you would also have to declare yourself self employed, which is a fair amount of paperwork, especially in regards to taxes, wages and VAT, but you can always employ an agent to set up the business and an accountant to take care of your finances, but having a general business degree or some sort of qualifications / experience in business management will go a long long way to helping.


thanks.
yea i wont be starting the business till im something like 20+, would i need to get alot of money to get started?
are you the owner of reptile cymru?
i go there all the time for a nose about and some live food for my gecko's.


----------



## ian14 (Jan 2, 2008)

You will need to register yourself as self employed with Inland Revenue, if you are operating from home you will also need consent from the council for change of use from residential to residential plus business.
If you are only selling reptiles you have bred yourself then strictly speaking you don't need a pet shop licence.
There would be no need for you to go to college to run your own business, however you will need to bear in mind that there is a fair amount of competition from established companies, and you will also need a fair amount of money to buy your stock.


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

ian14 said:


> You will need to register yourself as self employed with Inland Revenue, if you are operating from home you will also need consent from the council for change of use from residential to residential plus business.
> If you are only selling reptiles you have bred yourself then strictly speaking you don't need a pet shop licence.
> There would be no need for you to go to college to run your own business, however you will need to bear in mind that there is a fair amount of competition from established companies, and you will also need a fair amount of money to buy your stock.


thanks.
yeah i will be breeding the reptile myself so i know that there is nothing dodgy going on. 
i will be getting a job somewhere first to get the money and put a bit aside for this.


----------



## Athravan (Dec 28, 2006)

Breeding the animals will not necessarily exempt you from a pet shop license IF you are selling them in the course of a business whether it is from an online store premises or a shop front, at the end of the day if you are advertising yourself as a business and a shop then you are not a "breeder", even if you breed the animals yourself. 90% of the animals I sell I breed myself, but even if it was 100%, I would still need a PSL as I am selling them from a shop. I see you're in Cardiff too (yes, I own Reptile Cymru), and they are very strict on the licensing here, but are also fair, and are always willing to answer questions and help shops clarify positions, so if you are seriously considering it do not be afraid to give the licensing department here a call. You hear a lot of horror stories about licensing officers who don't know anything about reptiles but we have some really good vets in Cardiff who work with the council and overall I'd say it's a good council to be under when it comes to pet licensing.

How much money you need for startup really depends on how big the business is. Some people run online stores with almost no money put into it - some do not keep items in stock, but simply have an online catalogue of all the things that their wholesaler stocks. When someone orders it, they put in an order with the wholesaler - this is slower though, and obviously customers will get annoyed if things start taking a long time to arrive. If you want to keep multiples of every item you stock in stock ready to send out that day, which will keep your customers happiest, you will probably need at least £5000 worth of stock to have a good range of supplies (you will also need somewhere safe to keep it, and consider the cost of renting our a warehouse or lockup space, and the cost of security like an alarm or cctv & business insurance as you don't want that much stock being stolen!)

But I know people who have run online shops with a start up of £500 before and I know people who have put £20,000 into filling a warehouse with stock (remember, the more you buy from a wholesaler, the cheaper it will be. If you're spending £5000 you will get a discount, which you can pass onto your customers, making you the most competitive price or giving you a higher profit per product. If you're spending £100 at a time, you'll get no discount, making your prices either more expensive, or your profit margin lower). You have higher profits from a higher outlay - but you also have a much higher risk if the venture does not succeed.

Writing a business plan and calculating startup costs, running costs, risks and returns is something you would learn from a business management course. If you're really serious about it, the open university does a study from home business studies degree, or many colleges will do part time or evening courses (if you didn't want to make it your full time course of study after your gcses). I think there's even an A-level in Business studies these days. It's good that you're thinking a few years down the line anyway, as you may know the recession is being hard on businesses right now, and very few banks will fund new startups, as people are not spending, and most small businesses are cutting down costs and wages and not expanding right now, so it'd definitely be wise to wait for a more stable economy.

Definitely have a chat to your teachers too and if you want to go into business ask them what they think your best options would be, as they will know all the courses that are out there.


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

thanks, very good advice.
yeah i will have a chat with my teachers especially my business studies teacher.
thanks alot


----------



## My_SnAkE_rUlEs (Aug 30, 2008)

hello, i am also still at school but in 6th form, i dont do any subject to do with reptiles or business, but i have always wanted to open a shop or online business, i would also be breeding reptiles myself, but my school does not do anything about animal care or anything, but it is a good idea to open a store to do with the things you love. thats my plan, probly will not end up like this, but i will pesist (sorry about spelling) =] lol

good luck with school and getting the equalifacations you need =]
(and yes i got an E in GCSE english so my spelling is terrible sorry)
anyways good luck with your plans=]


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

My_SnAkE_rUlEs said:


> hello, i am also still at school but in 6th form, i dont do any subject to do with reptiles or business, but i have always wanted to open a shop or online business, i would also be breeding reptiles myself, but my school does not do anything about animal care or anything, but it is a good idea to open a store to do with the things you love. thats my plan, probly will not end up like this, but i will pesist (sorry about spelling) =] lol
> 
> good luck with school and getting the equalifacations you need =]
> (and yes i got an E in GCSE english so my spelling is terrible sorry)
> anyways good luck with your plans=]


yeah goood luck with your to.
and you spelling isnt that bad 
where are you from?


----------



## My_SnAkE_rUlEs (Aug 30, 2008)

lauren loves leo's said:


> yeah goood luck with your to.
> and you spelling isnt that bad
> where are you from?


i am from folkestone kent, how about yourself?


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

My_SnAkE_rUlEs said:


> i am from folkestone kent, how about yourself?


cardiff. ;-)


----------



## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

When i priced up for running an online shop for selling equipment and livefood it worked out that i would need about £10,000, thats 50% of it as stock, suitable setups for breeding livefood, a decent web host that can cost upto about £50 a month if you want a professional shopping experience without glitches and then there is the cost monthly for taking card payments and managing a sage/protx payment gateway that submits directly to your "business" bank account and that was £10,000 a year minus bills for general stuff like electricity, internet, decent website software etc

And if you are planning to sell reptiles from your property, your going to need public liability insurance and all sorts and a decent vet not to mention the extreme cost should all your reps contract something like worms out of your control aswell as personal costs for replacing damaged stats, lighting, food etc.

Just remember there is more to it than running a little website and yes what athravan has said is also 100% correct regarding the PSL

So i reckon about £20,00 a year would cover


----------



## lauren loves leo's (Jul 23, 2009)

messengermatt said:


> When i priced up for running an online shop for selling equipment and livefood it worked out that i would need about £10,000, thats 50% of it as stock, suitable setups for breeding livefood, a decent web host that can cost upto about £50 a month if you want a professional shopping experience without glitches and then there is the cost monthly for taking card payments and managing a sage/protx payment gateway that submits directly to your "business" bank account and that was £10,000 a year minus bills for general stuff like electricity, internet, decent website software etc
> 
> And if you are planning to sell reptiles from your property, your going to need public liability insurance and all sorts and a decent vet not to mention the extreme cost should all your reps contract something like worms out of your control aswell as personal costs for replacing damaged stats, lighting, food etc.
> 
> ...


well there is a fair bit to think about. thanks


----------

