How to build an eCommerce website with over $40k in sales in 3 months

If you’ve always wanted to start an eCommerce website but didn’t know where to start, today’s post features an inspiring story of someone who just took action and created something special with massive revenue in just 3 months.

While browsing Reddit yesterday I came across a wonderful thread about someone who started a brand new online store and has managed to turnover in excess of $40,000 in just 3 months.

shirtwashcash was started by reddit user doesitmakesound as a novel online store selling t-shirts which artwork submitted by fellow redditors and 4chan users.

The store has been so successful in such a short period of time that Shopify have featured the store as success story for their platform. We spend a lot of time talking about WooCommerce which we love, but Shopify is also a great platform that we recommend for those who don’t want to go down the road of hosting their own online store.

doesitmakesound tells us more in his reddit AMA

I started shirtwascash about 3 months ago which has been followed by Shopify’s team themselves for its explosive growth. We broke $10k in the first couple weeks with just a reddit post on /r/4chan and since moving to Shopify, we’ve had over $115k in total sales.
I personally ship thousands of shirts, I sourced and manage the local manufacturing of our apparel, and have since created an amazing platform for users to mockup shirt concepts, vote, and ultimately have a chance to become real products. Our subreddit /r/shirtwascash is a constant shirt thread, inspired by 4chan where the idea originated from.
I have learned a ton about setting up a shop, international shipping, approaching markets, and many learning curves made through trial and error. You could start a selling something today.

The AMA (or Ask Me Anything for those not down with reddit speak) is a goldmine of tips and tricks for those just getting started with setting up their own online store.

I love success stories like this. People all over the world are starting new online stores everyday and taking action to make better lives for themselves and this AMA shows that you don’t need a highly original idea or some ground breaking technology. You just need a good idea and good execution. For those getting started, Shopify gives you a great platform and hides technical complexity to let you focus on building your online store.

Make sure to read through the full AMA, there’s some great tips in there about how to handle international shipping, how to source good manufacturers and the importance of excellent customer service.