How to Start a Mail-Order Catalog Company

The mail order industry is healthier than ever these days; despite technical advances and ecommerce websites, mail order catalogs continue to generate huge sales for many savvy entrepreneurs. If you've ever wanted to get in the action, you'll be glad to know that it is easier than it sounds. By following a few simple steps, you can start a mail order catalog company without ever having to stock inventory or even making a single hire.

What should you sell?

The first step to starting a mail order catalog company is determining what you plan to sell. A great rule of thumb is to choose something that you are genuinely interested in and knowledgeable about. Have you always been a huge golf fan? You might consider selling golf supplies. Have you been a movie buff for years? Selling movie memorabilia might be right up your alley. The point is, choosing something that is boring or complicated to you will make you dread your job and decrease your likelihood of success.

Choose things that are big sellers

The only caveat to the suggestion above about choosing merchandise that you are genuinely interested is that it must also be something that there is a decent market for. You don't want to box yourself into an overly broad type of merchandise; after all, you need to make sales to earn a living. Find a profitable niche you'll enjoy.

Find a reputable drop shipper

Once you have selected the perfect thing to sell by mail order catalog, you're probably puzzled about how you go about building up an inventory without needing a huge warehouse to stock everything in. The answer to that is simple: You find a reputable vendor to drop ship for you. This means that you handle collecting the orders from your customers, and the drop shipper actually ships the product out from their warehouse. You mark up the price and earn a profit on each and every sale. Could it get any easier?

Funding your project

The great thing about going into business for yourself as a mail order catalog company is that the initial costs are, in many ways, lower than those of starting a brick and mortar business. You don't need to pay rent or employees' salaries, for example. Your single greatest expense to get you "off the ground" is having the first batch of catalogs printed. This is not really an expense, but rather an investment - if you can couple the right products and the right audience, you will make a profit.

Print catalogs and find your audience

Professionally printed catalogs get the best results because they lend credibility, especially when distributed to the right audience. Full-color catalogs printed on 100-pound gloss or 70- or 80-pound matte paper are some of the most popular, because they are among the most effective. Use the tools available at PsPrint to instantly price catalog printing options and define a highly targeted mailing list primed for results. Despite the proliferation of online media, direct mail order catalogs are still one of the most profitable mediums for marketing your products. They bypass all the business and competition of the online environment and make it right into your customers' mailboxes for maximum profit potential.