I built a successful online store at 16. These 7 mistakes caused it to collapse: Seven E
Introduction: From Early Success to Painful Failure
Many people dream of starting a successful online store. But, few discuss the tough reality when that dream falls apart. It’s costly and discouraging for many entrepreneurs. They often don’t know what went wrong.
This is the story of a successful e-commerce business I began at 16. I imported and resold video games. For a few years, it made a lot of money and felt like a massive success. Then, it failed. The reason? A series of critical, expensive mistakes. This article covers seven errors. You can spot them in your business and avoid making the same mistakes.
1. The Ticking Time Bomb: My Product Had an End Date I Didn’t See Coming
The first mistake was creating a business around a product that wouldn’t last long. They also had no backup plan.
My business model was straightforward and successful. I imported region-free Nintendo DS games from small U.S. stores. Then, I resold them for a good profit in New Zealand. At the time, Nintendo DS consoles sold in New Zealand could play games from any country. This was odd. Most consoles were “region-locked.” This meant customers had to buy pricier local versions.
My business thrived on this loophole. Nintendo launched the Nintendo 3DS, their new console. As many expected, they locked it by region. The ability to play cheaper, imported games was gone. The storm destroyed my core business model overnight.
This story does have a happy ending, though. I smartly shifted my focus to selling modding devices. These let you play imported games on your systems, even if they were region-locked. But I wasn’t prepared for the pivot, and in the meantime, I had to get a “job job” to tide me over.
The lesson is simple: if you sell a product based on a trend, a tech, or a loophole, your time is limited.
If you’re selling a product with a short lifespan, that’s fine. It can still earn you good money. But remember, you’ll need to pivot eventually, so be ready for that.”
2. The One-and-Done Trap: I Sold Products, Customers Only Bought Once: Seven E
The second mistake was focusing only on “one-off” products. These are items that customers have no real reason to buy more than once.
Think about it: why would a customer need two copies of the same single-player video game? They don’t. Once they have one, they’re done. This is like phone cases. Some people change them often, but most just buy one and keep it. It’s not like t-shirts, where a person needs a new one for every day of the week.
Contrast this with a product like LED dog collars. A customer with three dogs will likely buy three collars. Selling products that people buy in multiples is a simple way to boost your average order value. You can encourage this by using the Shopify app, Discounted Pricing from Booster Apps. It adds a discount table to your product listing. This makes it easy for customers to score deals on bulk purchases. Selling only single-purchase games really limited my store’s earning potential with each customer. Seven E
3. The Missing Multiplier: I Had No Upsells to Increase Order Value
For the longest time, I had absolutely no upsells. I can’t defend that at all. The only thing I can say is that I was 16 and I was pretty dumb. Customers came, bought the one game they wanted, and left. I did not attempt to offer them anything else.
This is how most stores make serious money. Think of Apple: “Hey there, we see that you’re interested in purchasing that MacBook. Do you know what else you’ll need? A sleeve for it… and don’t forget to buy a bag to carry it in.” Seven E
I finally discovered a creative solution while selling older Pokémon games. Some nostalgic customers like fighting friends more than collecting every creature from scratch. I suggested an upsell. For an extra fee, I could add any six Pokémon they wanted. This included rare and hard-to-catch ones. I would do this before shipping their game cartridge.
A lot of people said yes. The impact was immediate and massive.
“This doubled my average order value.”
This experience highlighted the power of creative, legal upsells. Selling unlicensed Pokémon merch from sites like AliExpress might seem easy, but it’s illegal. Plus, it’s not a smart choice for the long run. The real chance is in discovering valuable add-ons or services. These should truly enhance the main product you’re selling.
4. The Unstable Foundation: My Product Sourcing Was Unreliable
The fourth mistake was trusting a supply chain that was unreliable and couldn’t grow. I built strong ties with small “mom-and-pop” game stores in the U.S. I bought their trade-ins in bulk to boost my stock.
This “retail arbitrage” system worked for a time, but it had key flaws. My inventory relied on customers trading in the right games at the right stores. Some weeks were great; other weeks, the supply dried up completely. This made my income unstable and made it impossible to scale the business reliably.
The real solution came when I pivoted to selling modding devices. I could buy them straight from the manufacturer. This gave me a steady flow of products. I also found dropshipping during this process. In this model, the manufacturer sends products to your customer without any intermediary. This helped me stabilize my inventory. Now, I can sell to customers almost anywhere in the world, but not in New Zealand.
5. The Self-Sabotage of Slow Shipping
I could have avoided this mistake. It was simple: I was lazy and didn’t ship products to customers on time. I have no excuse here. Seven E
I became skilled at sending apologetic emails to calm upset customers. But by then, the damage was already done. Poor and unpredictable shipping is a surefire way to lose trust. This laziness likely resulted in the loss of many repeat buyers. I missed out on the long-term sales that come with them.
Fast, reliable shipping is key to a great customer experience. Select suppliers known for fast production and shipping for dropshipping or print-on-demand.
6. The “Like It” Path to Failure
A sixth critical mistake was skipping important tasks because I didn’t enjoy them.
I was great at writing catchy product descriptions. I also enjoyed doing it. What I didn’t want was to take and upload product photos, so I was lazy about it. This was a big mistake. Personal preference shouldn’t affect how we rank important business functions. The hard truth is that excellent copy can’t overcome bad visuals.
Images are the top reason people buy or don’t buy a product on your page.
By neglecting a task that I found uninteresting, I harmed my store’s conversion rate. The lesson is to carry out important tasks with discipline, no matter whether you like them or not. Customers want more than just product photos on a plain white background. They have a strong preference for seeing them in a real-life context as well. Seven E
7. The Grind-It-Out Myth: My Store Lacked Automation
The last mistake was not automating repetitive tasks. This meant I kept trading my time for endless menial work.
The best example was shipping. For over a year, I packaged every order by hand and took it to the Post Office. It was a task I disliked and often procrastinated on. I found a private courier in New Zealand called Fastway. They pick up packages right from my front door. This made my fulfillment process much easier. I only wish I had looked for that solution sooner.
Today, e-commerce is filled with automation tools. Apps like Oberlo, Printify, and TaxJar help with these tasks. Also, 3PL warehouses like ShipBob handle logistics for you. I didn’t look for these solutions. So, I got stuck in the “grind” and wasted time. That time could have helped grow the business. This revealed a profound misunderstanding of how wealth is actually built.
“…in life, you don’t get rich by hoarding your money; you get rich by hoarding your time.”
Conclusion: Turn Your Mistakes into Your Greatest Asset
These seven mistakes led to the failure of a once-thriving business. Watching my sales plummet was not a fun experience. The lessons from that failure turned into a valuable asset. They laid the groundwork for all future successes. Seven E
Avoid common traps such as product choice, sourcing, automation, and self-discipline. This helps you build a stronger, easier-to-manage, and more successful online business.
Which of these mistakes might you be making right now? NotebookLM can be inaccurate; please double-check its responses.
