Is 2024-2025 the Best Window for Solo Sellers to Enter Independent Sites?

"Can one person do global selling independent sites in 2024?"

On social media and in groups, newcomers love asking:

• "Can one person do global selling independent sites?"
• "Is it still possible to do global selling independent sites in 2024?"

Alright, here's the answer you want to hear: "Yes! And very much so! And you need to hurry - these years are the best!"

Satisfied now?

Through the S (Strengths) and O (Opportunities) in SWOT analysis, let's discuss why solo sellers should quickly enter independent sites in the next two years.

S1: Solo Sellers Have Extreme Flexibility!

How任性 can solo sellers be?

This morning you see news about three-wheelers making huge profits overseas, so you immediately start building a three-wheeler website, finding suppliers and logistics. Tomorrow evening a group member sees adult products making money, and immediately pivots to find ways to sell adult products. The day after, scrolling XHS you see some influencer "breaking down" a wig site making millions, and start researching wigs.

This is solo seller flexibility. Though the above are exaggerated, "foolish", pitfall-prone behaviors I don't recommend. But you can fully feel the freedom solo sellers have in strategy and execution.

Company vs Solo Seller

As a company? Or small team? Rest assured, if you're an employee, strategy has nothing to do with you:

1. You probably won't think about business matters
2. Even if you do, real decision-making power isn't yours

If you're a partner or leader, you need to be responsible for the team and results, so you can't rush in. When you think of a strategy direction, you need lots of time to align with the team - you corporate folks call it "alignment".

This time and communication cost is fatal for global selling.

Real Case

Here's a real global selling solo seller case: One core strategy of big solo sellers is quickly finding viral products and creative, quickly replicating sites, quickly running ads to test products, and quickly getting results. Then "harvest" the viral traffic wave; rinse and repeat, using flexibility for quick replication and profit.

Counter-Example

Here's a counter-example. Fidget knives went viral, solo sellers can jump in immediately. But companies and teams?

• Product team starts reporting "Market Analysis and Research on Fidget Knives in 2023 and Market Outlook"
• 2 months later finally approved, R&D team starts writing "Analysis Report on 108 Fidget Knife Materials"
• 4 months later, procurement team enters "Bidding for 15 Fidget Knife Factory Price Comparison Report"
• 6 months later, marketing team starts "Lvsao Brand Fidget Knife 2024 #LoveFreedom BeYourself" campaign pitch

Six months later, fidget knives are long gone, and leadership scolds you for choosing such a product, and you'll never dare suggest anything again.

If solo sellers can build professionalism on top of flexibility, it will greatly amplify the advantage of flexibility: fast learning, fast pivoting, fast execution.

S2: Solo Sellers Have Low Overall Costs!

Companies whose main business is global selling actually struggle at the start. Besides normal business costs, the biggest costs are personnel and operations.

Let's not even talk about personnel costs in pure money terms - the real killer is time cost and employee turnover cost.

This industry is still relatively new and niche, without intensive capital investment or platform giants as rule-makers, resulting in very mixed personnel and work content.

The counter-example is the internet industry - if you say you're Alibaba P8, people roughly know your worth and ability level. But if you say you're in global selling, that's hard.

Bosses often can't find a benchmark or standard to find corresponding talent. They can't even write good JDs.

• Write too much? This isn't hiring employees - people who can succeed solo won't work for you
• Write too little? Really poor ability and experience

O1: Platform Dividend Fading, Independent Site Value Rising

With Amazon and other platforms getting stricter with rules, and account bans making many sellers seek alternatives, independent sites as owned channels aren't subject to platform rules, and their value is increasingly recognized.

O2: Tool Ecosystem Mature

Store-building tools (Shopify), payment tools (Stripe/PayPal), marketing tools (Google/Meta ads) are all very mature, greatly lowering the barrier for solo sellers.

O3: Supply Chain Advantage

China's supply chain remains strong - small batch, fast response, low cost advantages give solo sellers a chance to compete with larger sellers.