How I Make KSh50,000 Extra Each Month Reselling Products on Jiji.co.ke

As a university student in Nairobi, I was always strapped for cash. My part-time job as a waiter only provided so much spending money each month.

One evening, while scrolling through the fast-growing site Jiji.co.ke, I noticed people earning tidy profits reselling products purchased from Chinese suppliers. A lightbulb went off – why not give it a try myself as a side hustle?

Now, just 8 months after starting to resell part-time on Jiji while attending classes, I easily earn an extra Ksh50,000 every month working just 10 flexible hours per week.

Here’s an inside look at my journey leveraging this platform to launch a lucrative resale business that took my income to the next level as a student.

Finding a Profitable Niche

I didn’t want to blindly sell random stuff.

To succeed, I knew identifying a profitable, unsaturated resale niche was crucial.

After researching current top sellers and trends, I decided to focus on reselling affordable trendy women’s handbags sourced in bulk from Chinese manufacturers.

Why handbags?

• Proven high buyer demand based on Jiji search data
• Women love variety – opportunity to churn inventory
• Easy to source from Alibaba and AliExpress
• Lightweight products making shipping simple
• High margins selling at 4-5x cost

With a defined niche, it was time to source my first inventory batch.

Sourcing My Initial Inventory

I signed up for Alibaba and started connecting with handbag manufacturers and wholesalers in China.

Communicating with suppliers was tricky at first given the language barrier. I had to be extremely clear about quantities, specifications, shipping terms etc.

After conversations with over 50 suppliers, I finally found a few reliable ones able to deliver what I needed for a competitive price.

For my first Jiji order, I ordered 50 trendy handbags in 5 different styles for just Ksh15,000 including shipping. My plan was to resell these bags for Ksh1,000 – Ksh1,500 each to attract buyer interest.

My shipment arrived at my doorstep via DHL in just under 2 weeks. I was so excited unboxing my first inventory!

Creating High Converting Listings

While sourcing was crucial, selling the bags efficiently would make or break my side hustle. This meant creating listing pages that immediately caught buyer’s eyes and persuaded them to purchase.

For each of my 5 handbag styles, I made sure to have:

• Big, bold photos – Making the bags look as visually appealing as possible. I added extra photos highlighting interior details, size for scale, different angles, etc.
• Benefit-focused headlines – “Glamorous Work Tote to Make You the Office Style Queen” – emphasizing the emotional value proposition of the bag.
• Precise details – Dimensions, materials, care instructions – building trust and anticipating buyer questions.
• Punchy sales copy – Incorporating power words and psychological selling techniques tailored to the target female demographic.
• Limited quantity – Showing just 2-3 of each style available with urgency wording like “Only 1 left!” or “Selling fast!” to spark action.

The goal was conveying irresistible value while making prospective buyers feel like they needed to act quickly before bags sold out.

Generating Sales Through Promotion

With my listings perfected, the next step was driving traffic to generate sales. As a new seller with no reviews, I had to get creative promoting my Jiji listings:

• I ran targeted Facebook and Instagram ads spotlighting my bag listings. These pulled in traffic from Nairobi women interested in fashion items.
• I printed flyers promoting my Jiji seller page and handed them out on campus. I offered a 10% discount code on the flyers to incentivize clicks.
• I also took a grassroots approach, telling all my personal female friends about my new handbag sales side hustle. Several made purchases which kickstarted my reviews.
• For early customers, I offered generous partial refunds in exchange for 5-star reviews and referral purchases to help build up my seller rating.

This promo push resulted in my entire first batch of 50 bags selling out in just 10 days!

Managing Logistics and Finances

My first wave of sales presented new operational challenges I had to overcome:

• I negotiated discounted DHL rates for bulk shipping orders efficiently to buyers across Kenya.
• I streamlined packaging to speed up order processing and lower costs.
• I kept organized records of all sales, inventory, and shipments.
• I transferred Jiji earnings weekly to my bank account and reinvested a portion to scale up inventory.

Establishing processes to handle logistics and cash flow effectively was pivotal so orders didn’t pile up and profits didn’t get eaten up by overhead.

Scaling Up to Bigger Monthly Profits

With proof of success, I decided to scale up my Jiji resale side hustle.

I reinvested 60% of profits to grow my inventory to 300 trendy handbags sourced from China in lots of 50 units.

I also expanded my selection from just 5 to 15 distinct handbag designs to cast a wider net.

My goal was listing 50 new bags per week to keep selection fresh and volume high.

This faster inventory turnover combined with refined listing optimization and promotions resulted in explosive growth:

Month 1

• 50 bags sold (Ksh25k revenue)

Month 2

• 150 bags sold (Ksh75k revenue)

Month 3

• 300 bags sold (Ksh150k revenue)

Month 4 (current)

• 400 bags sold (Ksh200k revenue)

My total monthly profit now exceeds Ksh50,000 after supplier costs!

All earned through just 10-15 weekly hours of managing listings, shipping orders, and interacting with my growing base of repeat buyers.

Top Tips for New Jiji Sellers in Kenya

For students or side hustlers in Kenya hoping to replicate my success leveraging Jiji to earn extra cash, here are my top tips:

• Pick a niche – Become THE expert seller in an area with high demand and healthy margins.
• Write irresistible listings – Well-written listings with great photos are crucial for converting browsers to buyers.
• Prioritize page speed – Fast loading listings keep customers on your page and buying.
• Focus on growing reviews – Positive ratings bring social proof. Offer buyers incentives to leave 5 stars.
• Reinvest to scale – The more inventory you can churn, the faster revenue compounds.
• Automate where possible – Streamline processing to save time as your business grows.
• Directly engage buyers – Personalized communication builds loyalty with customers.

Starting my Jiji reselling side hustle is the best decision I made as a university student.

It provides me tremendous income potential with flexibility unmatched by conventional jobs.

Jiji and other digital markets have opened the door for Kenya’s aspiring young entrepreneurs to earn meaningful income online.

My story shows that ecommerce really can deliver financial freedom. The future is here – it’s time to take the leap!

Disclaimer: This is a submitted guest post. Views of the author are personal. Results aren’t typical.

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