Hi. I am from Assam and I am currently living in Bangalore. Would like to shift to Delhi later. I am also quite new to reddit. I currently work as a junior scientist in a toxicology lab and i do not enjoy my job. It is very physically demanding. My father passed away recently and i all the burden is on me now to figure things out.
I would like to start my own business and leave my job. I don't have a lot of capital but i would like to start somewhere. For now i can try to put 4 hours(Rest of it goes towards my current job) on weekdays and upto 12 hours on weekends. Eventually i can leave my job as this starts building more traction.
I am thinking of starting with drop shipping or selling something online but i am not sure how to start or what is optimal. Any kind of help- mentorship, guidance, building something together is welcome! Please help !!

Hey folks,

Serious question for anyone who has ever tried selling an old phone, a pair of sneakers, or premium streetwear online in India.

Why is the entire logistics layer for individual sellers completely stuck in 2012?

Every time I try to clear out my closet or sell a gadget I don't use anymore, the actual "selling" part is only half the battle. The real pain starts after someone agrees to buy it:

You either have to sit and manually coordinate with a local Dunzo/Porter guy who will argue about the location.

Or you have to pack it yourself, book an individual Delhivery/BlueDart shipment online, print out a physical label at home (who even owns a printer anymore?), and wait all day for a pickup that may or may not show up.

If you do it via Instagram DMs or a small WhatsApp group, you spend three days just matching pin codes and calculating shipping fees manually for some guy in Tier-2 who wants a discount anyway.

Meanwhile, if I order a ₹100 product from Zepto or Amazon, the logistics are flawless and instant. Why hasn't anyone built a consumer marketplace where the platform handles 100% of the courier pickup from the seller's doorstep automatically, without making the casual seller do a single piece of paperwork?

If you guys sell your used stuff online, how are you handling shipping right now without losing your mind? Are there any platforms that actually automate this for normal, casual users, or are we all just manually booking packaging boxes and tracking links?

​

My friend and I started a performance marketing agency and we're looking to work with a few businesses that want to grow through paid ads.

About us:

My co-founder has 2+ years in performance marketing, managing ad budgets of over ₹8 lakhs across multiple industries. He currently works at a social media marketing agency and is building this alongside me.

We have 2 active clients and 2 more coming on board.

We work with businesses that have a product or service and want to scale through Meta Ads.

Before taking anyone on, we audit your business and funnel to see whether paid ads make sense. If we don't think we can help, we'll say so rather than sign you on anyway.

We're still building our portfolio so we're keeping it to a handful of clients for now, with room to work something out.

If any of this applies to you, drop a comment or DM me with:

What your business does

Your website or social page

What you're struggling with

Even if we don't end up working together, we'll share a few takeaways from the audit.

I'm a new small seller selling newborn/baby products on my own website. While sourcing on IndiaMART, most traders quote prices equal to or even higher than Flipkart retail—sometimes even before GST. Since Flipkart prices already include shipping, commissions, ads, and other costs, I don't see how small resellers can make a profit. Are D2C brands squeezing out resellers? How are you sourcing profitably today?

Starting a business is exciting, but every rupee matters.

When you're a small startup, ₹20,000 isn't just another expense—it's inventory, packaging material, marketing budget, or even a month's salary for someone helping your business grow.

We are the team behind ClubQuickly, and we believed that investing in Flipkart would help us build our brand and reach more customers. Unfortunately, our experience has been disappointing.

This article isn't written out of anger. It's written to help other startups avoid making the same costly mistake we did.

₹20,000 Spent on a Brand Store... But Where Is the Support?

We were convinced to purchase a Flipkart Brand Store, paying around ₹20,000 with the expectation that it would strengthen our presence on the platform.

However, after the payment, the experience changed dramatically.

The process moved slowly, communication became difficult, and getting updates or meaningful assistance was frustrating.

As a startup, that's not what you expect after making a significant investment.

Seller Support Should Support Sellers

Every marketplace faces operational issues. That's understandable.

What matters is how quickly those issues are resolved.

In our experience, getting seller support from Flipkart has been one of the biggest challenges. Simple issues often required repeated follow-ups, and finding someone who could actually resolve the problem wasn't easy.

When you're running a startup, you don't have the luxury of spending hours chasing support tickets.

Your time should be spent building products, finding customers, and growing your business—not trying to get basic operational help.

Pickup Experience Added More Frustration

Another issue we repeatedly faced was the pickup process.

Delayed or inconsistent pickups affect more than just logistics. They delay deliveries, impact customer satisfaction, and can affect seller performance metrics.

For a new business trying to build trust, every delayed shipment hurts.

Becoming Flipkart Fulfillment Ready Isn't Simple

We also found that becoming eligible for Flipkart Fulfillment involved numerous compliance requirements and operational formalities.

There's nothing wrong with maintaining standards, but for a startup that is still finding its footing, the amount of effort required can feel overwhelming.

Instead of focusing on business growth, you end up spending valuable time navigating processes.

Amazon Gave Us a Completely Different Experience

This is where our experience with Amazon stood out.

Whenever we needed assistance, Amazon's one-click callback feature made it easy to connect with seller support.

Instead of wondering how to reach someone, we simply requested a callback and received guidance through the next steps.

The difference wasn't just the availability of support—it was the feeling that someone was actually helping us solve problems.

As a startup, that kind of support is invaluable.

Why This Matters for New Startups

If you're launching your first brand, remember:

You don't just need a marketplace.

You need a partner that helps you succeed.

A platform should make your journey easier, not add more obstacles.

Every day spent waiting for support is a day not spent growing your business.

Every unnecessary compliance requirement consumes time that could have gone into improving your products or acquiring customers.

Every unexpected expense reduces the runway for a young startup.

Our Advice to Fellow Entrepreneurs

If you're just starting your ecommerce journey:

• Compare marketplaces before investing money.
• Don't purchase premium services simply because they're recommended.
• Ask other sellers about their real experiences.
• Evaluate the quality of seller support, not just commissions.
• Invest your limited budget where you'll see measurable returns.

Final Words from ClubQuickly

We're not saying that every seller will have the same experience we did.

But for ClubQuickly, investing around ₹20,000 in Flipkart's Brand Store at such an early stage turned out to be a decision we regret. As a young startup, that money represented a meaningful investment, and we expected responsive support and timely execution in return.

Our experience with Amazon has been noticeably different, particularly when it comes to accessibility of seller support through features like callback assistance and guidance during onboarding.

If this article helps even one startup avoid making an investment before fully understanding what they're signing up for, then sharing our experience has been worthwhile.

Startups don't fail because they work hard.

Sometimes they struggle because they trust the wrong partners at the wrong stage of their journey.

Choose your marketplace as carefully as you choose your product.

Hi, I have a new trending saree stock ready for dropshipping or someone who wants to start small. Please Dm.

I'm currently evaluating payment gateways for an eCommerce business, and the more I research, the more confusing the decision becomes.

If you're running an online store, I'd love to hear your real-world experience.

Which payment gateway are you currently using, and how has it performed in terms of:

• Transaction success rate during peak sales
• Checkout experience (Hosted Payment Page / Seamless Checkout)
• UPI, Cards, Wallets, Net Banking, EMI & Pay Later coverage
• Integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento or custom platforms
• Settlement speed and reconciliation
• Pricing transparency (any hidden charges?)
• Technical support and issue resolution
• Ease of onboarding and merchant verification
• Overall reliability during high-order volumes

After shortlisting multiple providers, I've narrowed my evaluation to Easebuzz and Pine Labs Online based on the features that seem most relevant for growing eCommerce brands.

I'd genuinely appreciate unbiased feedback from merchants who have used either of them.

What has your experience been like?

• What worked really well?
• Any challenges you've faced?
• If you switched from another gateway, what made you move?

Note: I'm intentionally not considering Razorpay, Cashfree, PayU, or Paytm for this evaluation based on my own experience and preferences. If there's another payment gateway that's been exceptional for eCommerce businesses, I'd be happy to explore it as well.

Looking forward to hearing real experiences from founders, developers, and eCommerce operators.

Hello I am looking for someone who can help onboarded myntra the agency I am talking is saying 25k per product so is there anyone who can help

I'm a computer science student currently researching payment fraud in ecommerce and building a solution called FlowShieldai Before I spend months developing it, I want to understand whether this is a real problem for business owners.

I'd really appreciate your honest feedback.

A few questions:

Have you experienced fraudulent orders, chargebacks, or stolen card transactions?

How do you currently detect or prevent fraud?

Are you using any tools (Stripe Radar, Signifyd, Sift, etc.)? If so, what do you like or dislike about them?

What's the biggest challenge with fraud prevention today?

If there were an affordable AI tool that could score transactions in real time and help reduce fraud, would that be valuable to you? Why or why not?

I'm not trying to sell anything or promote a product. I'm still validating the idea and genuinely want to learn from people who deal with these challenges.

Even if your answer is "fraud isn't a problem for us," that would be really helpful to know.

Thank you for your time!

Hi guys,

I am planning to start an e-commerce business and I would like to understand the registration process.

I need guidance on what registrations are required (business name, licenses, etc.), the approximate cost involved, and how long the entire process usually takes.

Also, please advise whether I can complete the process by myself or if it is better to go through a consultant/agent.

Kindly guide me. Thank you.

I’ve noticed many handmade businesses struggle with:
• Managing orders
• Collecting payments
• Reaching new customers
• Product discovery
• Marketing consistently

If you’re a creator, what’s stopping you from selling on a dedicated marketplace?

Is it:
High commissions?
Lack of traffic?
Better control on Instagram?
Trust issues?
Something else?

I’d love to hear your experiences. I’m researching this space and want to understand what actually matters before building anything.