How to Start Exercise Book Selling Business in Nigeria

Owning an exercise book-selling business could be very profitable if done right. This is because almost everyone who knows how to write uses an exercise book. Also, it is very easy to start this business as you’ll see. The essentiality of exercise books to students cannot be overemphasized, this is because it forms the basis through which whatever was learned in school can be remembered.

When students get back home, they pull out their notebooks and begin to go through them, be it in preparation for a school test or exams. The notebooks store the information which the student needs to go through at least one more time to recall what was done in class.

Exercise books come in various sizes and lengths. Some are longer than others while some contain more paper leaves than others. The most common exercise book sizes available in Nigeria include the:

• 20 leaves exercise books
• 40 leaves exercise books
• 60 leaves exercise books
• 80 leaves exercise books

This variation in sizes also confers a variation in prices to them as the ones with plenty of leaves are sold at a higher price compared to others.

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Reasons Why You Should Start An Exercise Book Selling Business

1. Non-seasonality:

Exercise book is not a seasonal item. It is not like an umbrella that gains more patronage on rainy seasons compared to dry seasons. Exercise book is used in almost every sector of the economy and most importantly in schools.

As a seller of exercise books, you can procure the books and then begin selling them at any time of the year. Patronage of exercise books in Nigeria spikes up when schools are about to resume since parents procure them for their kids to take to school.

This does not in any way mean that a seller has to wait for school to resume before they can go into this business. This is because exercise books are not used by students alone. Secretaries in corporations and organizations use exercise books to take minutes during meetings, traders use exercise books to write their inventory as well as document their debtors and creditors, etc.

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2. It is cheap:

Exercise books are not as expensive as a gold necklace, they can be afforded by people in any social class. Children in both public and private schools use them alike. Their inexpensiveness may be due to the ready availability of raw materials for their production.

Some exercise books are produced from recycled papers and as such cheap to buy.

3. Readily available market:

A lot of people use exercise books, the largest users of them being students. There are thousands of schools in Nigeria (primary, secondary and tertiary), and children at the age of 2 years are already considered preschool children in some parts of Nigeria, some of them get enrolled in school at that age and are taught how to write.

4. Readily available:

There are several exercise book producers in Nigeria, hence, exercise books are always readily available for either wholesale or retail. They can be obtained from wholesalers at their stores or from a stationery shop in a local market.

6. Long shelf life

Exercise books don’t have expiry dates. As long as they are not exposed to unfavorable conditions such as dust, moisture, pest attack, etc. they can remain on the shelf for years without any call for concern.

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How To Start Exercise Book Selling Business

1. Do Your Research:

It is pertinent to do some research before opting to purchase your exercise books for sale. The research in this aspect should border around things like:

• Where to sell (in school premises, stationery, market, etc.)
• Availability of buyers (its best to pick a location that is close enough to schools as this will ease the selling process)
• Cost of acquisition: you must minimize the cost of acquiring the books as much as possible as this will add up to the selling price of the books which could end up making them too expensive)
• Storage facility available: there should be a good storage facility that will shield the books from moisture, dust, and pest attacks.

2. Source for the Exercise Books:

After completing your research, the next step is to source exercise books. This entails looking for a supplier of your exercise books. You can decide to source for your exercise books either locally or internationally. Most local markets like the Aba Market sell a wide variety of exercise books. Some local wholesalers can become your source too.

If you want to be a wholesaler, you can consider contacting some of the local companies in Nigeria. A popular exercise book-producing company in Nigeria is Vista. You can google other manufacturers, get their contacts, and make your enquiries as required.

Sourcing for exercise books internationally entails importing them from abroad. Most Nigerians import their exercise books from China. This is probably because China has a lot of manufacturing companies and their products are acquired cheaply due to the low Yuan to Naira exchange rate. The service of an agent can be employed to ensure that the books are in good condition and to also ensure that the books get shipped to Nigeria on time.

You can make your customized exercise books if you so desire, this way, you can have a brand of exercise book to boast of. To do this, you can contact any of the manufacturing companies, be it Nigerian-based or abroad, and then strike a deal with them.

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3. Acquire the Exercise Books

Once you’ve got a source for the exercise books, the next step is to acquire them. This is where you pay your seller/agent and then transport your exercise books to your location. If the books were to be gotten from a local source, you can simply travel to the company or marketplace, pay for the exercise books and transport them back yourself or you can pay to have them shipped to your location.

Exercise books acquired from other countries can be shipped down to Nigeria through the use of a reliable courier service. Getting an agent can make things easier in international trade. Once the exercise books get to Nigeria, it can then be way-billed to your location of choice.

4. Market The Product:

The final step in the exercise book business is marketing. Exercise books can be sold through various means. This includes:

• Selling in a local stationery shop of your own
• Selling in a market
• Selling online on websites like Jumia, Konga, Jiji, etc.
• Selling via social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
• Selling in school premises
• Becoming a supplier to retailers

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Online marketing will require the service of a courier company to get the purchased items delivered to buyers at distant places.

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