You REALLY need to find out who is on the hook for damaged, lost or stolen products in shipping. If you are importing from Vietnam or China, you may not have much legal recourse if you are dealing through a shady channel. What legal contracts are they are offering to ensure the goods are delivered? Do you have to pre-pay them in full prior to delivery, or are they giving you Net 30, Net 60, etc?
Ultimately, if there is a problem between the factory and your storeroom, who is going to pay, and how much will it cost you in time and money? That's a HUGE, HUGE challenge in furniture. I've seen many furniture chains go under for failing to have this covered as part of their business strategy. Make sure your stuff has coverage, even if you have to pay for it yourself. Bill it as part of the cost of doing business to your end-customer. It is worth it for reducing headaches down the road.
I'd start off with some direct selling out of your garage or other small space if you can rent one on a month-to-month basis, just to gauge demand. You can reduce your risk profile a lot that way before going all-in. If demand is hot, then move up to a full retail space.
Last but not least, you need to ask yourself how the furniture will be delivered to the customer. Do you have a truck? How about at least two delivery men for heavy pieces of furniture? If you have a wealthy and busy client, they aren't going to want to pick up the furniture themselves. You either need to be in the delivery business yourself, or contract it out to a logistics company. If you contract it out, make sure they have proper insurance in case anything is damaged. If you do it yourself, you have to be really careful not to damage the house or furniture during delivery. You should have your own insurance too for home delivery if you go that route.
Ultimately, if there is a problem between the factory and your storeroom, who is going to pay, and how much will it cost you in time and money? That's a HUGE, HUGE challenge in furniture. I've seen many furniture chains go under for failing to have this covered as part of their business strategy. Make sure your stuff has coverage, even if you have to pay for it yourself. Bill it as part of the cost of doing business to your end-customer. It is worth it for reducing headaches down the road.
I'd start off with some direct selling out of your garage or other small space if you can rent one on a month-to-month basis, just to gauge demand. You can reduce your risk profile a lot that way before going all-in. If demand is hot, then move up to a full retail space.
Last but not least, you need to ask yourself how the furniture will be delivered to the customer. Do you have a truck? How about at least two delivery men for heavy pieces of furniture? If you have a wealthy and busy client, they aren't going to want to pick up the furniture themselves. You either need to be in the delivery business yourself, or contract it out to a logistics company. If you contract it out, make sure they have proper insurance in case anything is damaged. If you do it yourself, you have to be really careful not to damage the house or furniture during delivery. You should have your own insurance too for home delivery if you go that route.
John Michael Kane's Datasheets: Master The Credit Game: Save & Make Money By Being Credit Savvy
Boycott these companies that hate men: King's Wiki Boycott List
Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value. -Albert Einstein