You’re interested in starting your own supplement company using private label supplements and you’re ready to get started but you’re not sure which platform is the best. Selling your own brand of private labeled supplements can be lucrative if you’re willing to put in the work.
No matter what platform you sell on, you’ll need to put in effort to make it successful!
Top 3 Places to Sell Private Label Supplements
There are basically two options for selling supplements (or any other product) online: your own website or a marketplace. Selling online isn’t too different from selling in a physical location.
Website – Selling from your own website is like selling from your own store that you own the building. You have ultimate control over everything but also all the responsibility too. One of the most popular options is Shopify.
eBay – EBay is like a mall or a flea market where you sell your own products, brand yourself, and interact with your customers but you still have to play by some rules and pay “rent.”
Amazon – While Amazon is an online marketplace it’s more like a retail store since customers are buying from Amazon and not you most of the time. You’re just another product on their virtual shelf.
Pros and Cons of Each Platform for Selling Private Label Supplements
Just like each of their “real life” counterparts there are pros and cons to selling on each of these platforms. You can sell on one, two or all three of them if you’d like but it’s best to start with one platform that you think would work best for you.
Website 
The great thing about selling from your own website is that it’s all you, the bad thing is also that it’s all you. You get to make all the decisions but you’re also the only one responsible for getting customers to your site. Marketing and bringing customers in will likely require more effort.
Depending on what shopping cart you use like Shopify or WooCommerce will determine how much customization you get.
Click here to learn about the top e-commerce shopping carts.
Pros
- Complete control over look and feel of store
- Communicate freely with customers
- Ability to build your own brand
- Change up deals and offers
- You’re the only brand on your site
- Website and store in the same place
Cons
- You’re responsible for the store
- No “foot traffic”
- Have to build SEO and site traffic from scratch
- Cost of building website and store
eBay
With eBay you have less control than your own website but more control than on Amazon. You also get more foot traffic on eBay than your own site but less than on Amazon. It’s kind of like the middle option, you don’t get total control but you benefit from being part of a marketplace.
Pros
- Some branding ability
- Lots of Foot traffic
- Easy to become a seller
- Very quick to set up
- Ability to auction or fix price
Cons
- One of many sellers
- Control is limited
- Subject to policy updates at any time
- Need to pay seller fees
Amazon
Amazon is closer to a retailer where you’re just another product on the shelf. You don’t get to interact with the person buying your product because that’s Amazon’s customer and not yours. And while there are tons of people shopping on Amazon there are also a ton of people selling on Amazon.
Pros
- Most popular e-commerce store in U.S.
- Amazon Prime – free 2-day shipping attracts customers
- Built in comparison shopping
- Great reputation
Cons
- Very little control
- Little interaction with customers
- Difficult to get approved
- Hefty commission to pay Amazon
The Takeaway
Whichever option you choose for selling private label supplements online is up to you. Make sure it’s a method that you feel will work well with your skills, talents, and vision for the company.
