Selling on Amazon as a Side Hustle

Research by Henley Business School at the University of Reading suggests that 1 in 4 Brits are running at least one business project alongside their full-time job. Adesanya Ayeni is one of the plucky entrepreneurs in that 25%.

image of pasta jars that our customer is selling on amazon

By day, Adesanya works for the NHS as an Information Analyst.  By night, he is selling on Amazon…very successfully!

This is his story.

How Adesanya Started Selling On Amazon

Adesanya started selling on Amazon in 2017.  He started by reselling existing product lines that sold well for a small profit before designing and manufacturing his own products.  Since then, Adesanya’s company, Bay & Iye, has become an established brand on Amazon.  All whilst working full-time at his day job!

an image of Adesanya who is a shippo customer selling on amazon

We asked Adesanya to share his story.

“After about 6 months of selling other people’s products on Amazon I started private labelling my own products. I found suppliers in China who help manufacture my private label products.

While I was selling existing products, I fell in love with selling homes and kitchen products. The areas I focused on were kitchen storage containers and unique desk lamps.

I am one of those people who love their job. Working with the NHS provides me with the opportunity to work in a job that has a direct impact on the life of everyday people.

I love numbers and analysing health data, which is very useful in the decision-making process of how patients are cared for.

As much as I love my job, I have come to realise that just one single source of income is risky. This is the reason why I started my eCommerce business, to enable me to earn additional income to my 9-5 job.”

Importing from China to sell on Amazon

When Adesanya found a good supplier in China his first shipping experience mirrored that of a lot of first-time importers.

“My first shipment from China was through air freight. The shipping cost was ridiculous and I was complaining to my supplier about how expensive it was.  My supplier suggested to me that I try sea shipping for my next shipment. My first impression was that the sea shipping process would be very complicated.”

We’ve found that so many first-time importers either have no choice but to use a courier solution via air (from DHL, FedEx, TNT etc) due to the size of their order, or that’s the only option they feel comfortable with.  It’s a daunting position to have to turn to the big, bad, world of container ships and articulated trucks!… but it doesn’t have to be that way, as Adesanya explained.

“I turned to Google to find sea shipping importing specialists and I found Shippo.  Shippo is amazing; they simplified the process for me. Shippo saved me a ton of headaches in the process.

As a small business owner, I found Shippo service to be highly efficient and reliable. Zac at Shippo is my main contact and he is always very helpful and prompt in responding when I contact Shippo.

Once mass production of my goods begins in China, I contact Shippo to get a quote. I would then let Shippo contact my supplier and from there Shippo handles the rest of the importation process.

Shippo makes everything extremely simple and allows me to focus my time and energy on running my business rather than logistics. I will always recommend Shippo to anyone interested in importing from China.”

Make more time for yourself – use Shippo!

We understand that since Adesanya has a day job, it’s important that we take care of all the logistics for him so he doesn’t have to worry about Amazon delivery slots, pallets specifications or Amazon rejections.

“As a seller on Amazon, I like the fact that Shippo also helps me send my products to Amazon fulfilment centre as soon as the product arrives in the UK.

Having a company like Shippo to handle my importation from China helps me to save time. This means I can still afford the time to be effective in my business as well as my day job. They simply help me focus on efficiency.”

You can follow Adesanya’s journey and read about his experiences in building an Amazon brand on his blog.

“I use my blog ‘Abundance Aware’ to share some of the knowledge he’s gathered from life and selling on Amazon.   It serves as a platform to educate people about starting a side hustle that will help them generate additional income.”

Inspired By Adesanyas Importing & Selling Journey?

If you are interested in selling on Amazon as a side hustle and want to import your own goods, get in touch to find out how easy it is!

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