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Starting an Anime store.

First things first. Where are you located? How big is your market likely to be? Are there other stores in your area with which you would have to compete? Most anime fans, those the spend money at least, buy online. How will you compete against online retailers?

Before you start worrying about suppliers and pricing, you need to spend some effort on market research. Unless you are living in a college town with lots of anime viewers, or in a major West Coast city with a large Asian population, I fear you won't be very successful.

You may also want to figure out how you're going to be profitable. Not trying to sound sarcastic. Having a brick and mortar store is tough.

I have always wanted too start an Anime store since i was a kid and now that i am an adult i would like to make it a reality.

I have always wanted too start an Anime store since i was a kid and now that i am an adult i would like to make it a reality.I am currently looking into starting one but the problem is i don't know what distributer's to go through for my merch.I have no idea how much it cost for the merch.I would like too sell Anime dvd's, Blurays, Manga,Body Pillows,Visual novels,Figurines and other odds and ends.I understand how to purchase a building and start up the business i just don't know where to go through for the merch itself.I would also like too know in order to make my business Sustainable would i have too charge msrp or could i charge and in-between price in-between Rightstuff.coms prices and msrp prices?

Hiro94 wrote:

I have always wanted too start an Anime store since i was a kid and now that i am an adult i would like to make it a reality.

Why are you asking this question on an anime forum that talks about anime, not business?

You seem to have very little understanding of what it takes to start a business, let alone run one.

Sorry to be factually blunt, but you shouldn't allow your passion of anime to run your business. It's foolish, since many stores are closing as people use the internet to make purchases.

But I'll do you a favor and play along here, just in case you're "serious" about this.

First and foremost: you need to register your business with your state, who'll then provide you with the necessary paperwork you will need to interact with other businesses. Without it, you won't even get the time of day from them.

Second, you'll need capital, and judging by the extensive catalog you wish to offer, you'll need $100k, minimum, to start out. If you're going to do a physical store, make that $250k.

This will get you off the ground for a few months, so if you don't have this kind of money, you'll need a business loan, and this means you'll have to make a business proposal in order to convince the bank to lend you money.

At most, you should have at least $25k ($50k is recommended) as a down-payment. This will show sincerity you're willing to risk your own money to your business.

Assuming you have everything set in stone, you'll need to contact vendors, and there are two ways to do it:
You can contact the manufacturer directly -or- you can work with a local wholesaler, such as AAA Anime or Great Eastern.

When you do such, they'll outline a purchase agreement, and you'll be required to buy "X" units at "Y" cost. There is always a minimum purchase, so be prepared to market these items to your customers.

As for pricing, know your market. If you can swing selling merchandise at a reasonable price above wholesale cost, then go for it! It's about making money, so you want to offer prices less than MRSP (which is a bullshit price to begin with).

But this will come down to how much it will cost to run your business. If the costs are $2000/day, then you need to make sure you can generate enough sales to cover that cost.

Also, don't think you'll work for "free" to run your own business. It's against the law not to pay yourself a reasonable salary, so don't forget to include this in your business costs! You'll be surprised at how many people forget to do this and if you get audited, that's a very costly mistake to make.

I concur with starting an online business rather than a shop in your college town where there's less than 1% market penetration. With an online shop, all you need is a web site and a storage/working facility (such as your garage, but I do not recommend using your own home as a business as this will affect your mortgage and any credits you get!).

The costs will be much lower, and you won't be required to have as much capital to get the business going, and it may be more attractive to a bank to offer you a loan.

By the way: who will be doing your accounting? Make sure you keep track of every red cent you earn, because new businesses have a higher risk of audits.

Hiro94 wrote:

I have always wanted too start an Anime store since i was a kid and now that i am an adult i would like to make it a reality.I am currently looking into starting one but the problem is i don't know what distributer's to go through for my merch.I have no idea how much it cost for the merch.I would like too sell Anime dvd's, Blurays, Manga,Body Pillows,Visual novels,Figurines and other odds and ends.I understand how to purchase a building and start up the business i just don't know where to go through for the merch itself.I would also like too know in order to make my business Sustainable would i have too charge msrp or could i charge and in-between price in-between Rightstuff.coms prices and msrp prices?

If you haven't already, I suggest hitting up your local community college and seeing if they have a business course you could take. I imagine it would answer a lot of your questions and maybe give you some tips on how to make yours successful.