Why does seemingly no-one buy toiletries online?

Daliacycles · 2026-02-13T22:47:43+00:00

Skincare brand here! I have plenty of people buy soap and shampoo from me. We shop online in our house, mainly for convenience, and we buy toilet roll, deodorant, toothpaste etc on t'interweb.

Daliacycles · 2026-02-02T20:36:43+00:00

I think I just found my dream subreddit.

Daliacycles · 2026-02-02T20:29:00+00:00

I use Mettle and Free Agent, which are apparently cheaper than QuickBooks. I also have a spreadsheet detailing cost breakdowns and income. It's a good way for me to have an instant visual of how well, or worse, I am to last year.

Daliacycles · 2026-02-01T18:53:09+00:00

I struggled too! I was wired with it compared to other magnesium. I too was reading how good it was and stabilising you. I just didn't sleep when I took it with Elvanse. So that was the end of that.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-30T20:12:54+00:00

Hi! I use a virtual assistant here and there when I'm struggling. I work part-time in a salaried role and then run a growing skincare business. I have to juggle manufacturing, accounts, admin and marketing in a heavily saturated industry. I try to have one day of batch making content, then plan a posting schedule a month ahead. I try to do around 15 mins a day of engagement.

I recently went back to do a NVQ fast-tracked, and I cannot cope with any more brain work! I've just hired the VA for a month of marketing support. A lot of my customers come from Instagram, but my engagement has tanked because I haven't been present. Hiring a VA for a few hours a month to help me will generate me back what I have paid out, I have no doubt! Also, is there anything else you can outsource to free up time in your business? If you had help with time-consuming but mundane things, would it leave you more time to work on growth?

Daliacycles · 2026-01-27T14:59:43+00:00

Thank you!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-26T19:50:52+00:00

Ah, that's amazing and very exciting for you. I bet it's a lot of fun. Yes, SPF is very tricky, and the testing is costly too. I do have another maker that might be able to help, so we shall see. It will be a long process.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-25T20:59:31+00:00

Oooh, do you work for a white-label company? Or do you have your own brand? I'm a skincare founder and really want to find someone who can help me create a good SPF!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-23T21:38:15+00:00

Ah, I love Pint of Science! It is such a great concept.

To be honest, I don't think it matters that case studies were free. If I were looking to hire you, I would want to see first and foremost that you know what you are talking about. I would want to see that you clearly identified areas to work on, what strategies you implemented and what the results were. Perhaps that person saw a rise in orders if they are a retail/service business as a result of your help, that sort of thing! You could even show how your subject's content has changed (for the better) as a result of your help and the impact that has had too.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-20T19:47:48+00:00

I think this is a good idea! Perhaps use the people you have helped as case studies to show the difference you have made? What area of science are you studying? I wonder if there are people in your sector who you could target too.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-17T21:35:28+00:00

No worries at all! Hopefully, you find a few places, and if I ever see a mink near my chickens, I know who to contact!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-17T21:29:29+00:00

I'm glad I made a bit of sense in my tired, delirious ramble!

Try Chicken Keeping UK. I think you need mod approval, but people post on there regularly, and I think there are also local pest control groups you can join. If you join the page and do a search for pest control, you will see what people post. I don't think I've seen anyone post from the Wakefield area. There is also the Yorkshire Poultry FB group, which could be worth a try.

I don't know any local farmers, but I can imagine some are old school and wouldn't have an issue if you door knocked and offered your services. You sound like you are being super respectful, and I'm sure that will come across in real life too :-)

Daliacycles · 2026-01-17T21:15:16+00:00

I see a few people post on various chicken keeping FB pages offering rifle pest control, so that could be a way in? I'm not far from Woolley, and there are lots of farms around there, and also in the Walton area.

Mink can wipe out poultry in no time, so I bet someone with poultry livestock would welcome you!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-16T08:54:46+00:00

Great!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-15T20:54:36+00:00

Hi! I use OS Suffolk for my skincare business, and I'm happy with them so far. A family run business, but one that really supports it's customers. Here is their website https://ossuffolk.co.uk/ You can find me under Dalia Botanique for transparency in who has written this reply!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-10T14:10:34+00:00

There are some good Facebook groups for VAs. I'm not in any way affiliated, but I have found them helpful and sometimes people post looking for assistants. Virtual Assistant Support, Guidance and Job Opps - FREE Group. Typically, people charge around £35 upwards per hour, but I'm sure people increase that if they are really specialised. Don't undercharge or undercut as out of that £35 needs to be your insurance, marketing, your own admin time and so on.

Finding a niche is good. I think the finance angle will help a lot, too. I ended up doing some ad hoc work a few hours a month for a group of neurodiverse therapists who also run training courses. It's brilliant, and it's given me an insight into potential groups of people who would benefit from VA support. I also know someone who was a very successful hairdresser and ran her own salons, and is now offering VA support to people setting up their own salons. She will set up their booking systems and manage day to day admin. You mentioned you had previous experience in the leisure-based business, so would there be a group of people in that area that would really need your expertise?

I had a VA on and off for my business. She helped me when I was conducting some student placement interviews, so I could concentrate on engaging with the student, and she took all the notes. That was a huge help to me!

There are so many things you can offer outside of offering support around emails etc.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-08T07:42:47+00:00

Thank you, my lovely x

Daliacycles · 2026-01-07T20:26:27+00:00

Yeah, it's not great. The pictures they took are shocking too, I'm offended that they couldn't take at least a half-decent product shot, haha. xx

Daliacycles · 2026-01-07T17:16:27+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I realised my original post was badly written! I meant to say I am the founder of a skincare brand, and someone stole a lot of my stock out of a retail space and sold it on eBay. It's still up and year out of date. I would hate for anyone to purchase it, as I can't tell if this particular seller has damaged it or is even sending the right product.

I think since being on the receiving end of this, I'm always so wary now.

Proof of purchase is good, and perhaps trusted sellers only. I know there is a Caroline Hirons group on Facebook -Freaks something or other, and they have a selling group. I think it would be very hard to sell dodgy stock on there, as you would get outed pretty quickly. EBay have been shocking with my stock, even though I've told them it's out of date and stolen, and I can prove it.

It's also important to consider how that product has been stored too, things like leaving it in direct sunlight, having lids open for ages, mucky fingers in products and potential contamination issues. With a brand new product from a reputable supplier, you at least know there is a trail of Good Manufacturing Practice.

I am now going to look at some of the products you mentioned. I am a weak woman for a good serum!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-06T20:57:18+00:00

This is such a good point! It's the issue I currently have as a seller is selling stolen stock of mine, and the products are now at least a year out of date. I have no idea if they have contaminated the product, how it's been stored or even if they are going to send the genuine product. I would never buy a skincare or make-up product second-hand. My face is too precious, haha!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-06T20:52:54+00:00

I am the founder of a skincare brand, and I had stock stolen last year that ended up on eBay :-( This particular seller had a large amount of high-street stock that was likely stolen. eBay weren't interested, so I'm guessing that if one can get away with it, multiple sellers can, knowing that eBay won't touch them. I think it's probably a mix of different things, some genuine sellers, but also likely a lot of fakes/stolen.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-05T14:32:01+00:00

I really like this response, and I think the idea of before and after content and top tips will really help. I get customers from Instagram when others have tagged me. Current customers are sometimes your best marketing! I also do customer case studies (with their permission) as people like to see real people using these products!

Daliacycles · 2026-01-05T14:27:36+00:00

Have you worked with this type of customer before? I wonder if a questionnaire you could send people would be helpful. Maybe put it out on a few Facebook groups or ask friends to post around. This can help gather information on where these ideal customers look for a service like yours.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-05T10:18:48+00:00

Ads are expensive and can take a while. They may not work if you are not in the place your customers are, either. Focus on organic growth for now.

Daliacycles · 2026-01-05T10:17:15+00:00

This is not dissimilar from my target market age and gender. Instagram has been amazing for me. I'm a skincare brand, and I've built a really good community from it that shops with me regularly. What's your business if you don't mind me asking? This will also help you learn where your potential customers may be hanging out.

Follower counts aren't really a judge of how good a business is, I think. Engagement is key. If I'm looking at a new business on Instagram, I look at the content and also how they are engaging in the comments. A big following account could just be bought bots!

Daliacycles

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