I wrote this blog after there were assumptions that to make our products affordable we: exploit workers, greenwash our products, and dropship. Which is everything we're trying to work against.
So, here are the ways we're actually able to sell our products for less.
We Just Charge Less
Many people find this hard to believe.
The truth is that the main reason we're able to sell sustainable products so affordably is because we just charge less for them.
It is possible to do, and it's what we've been doing for the past 3 years.
We started Ecoternatives because we were tired of not doing anything about our planet and people, not because of lucrative profits.
We Deal Shop Like CRAZY!
There are a few large wholesale marketplace sales that occur each year, and we stock up on our products during these sales.
Then, instead of keeping the extra profit margin, we pass them to our customers. Something other zero-waste stores don't always do.
We Don't Just Sell The Most Popular Products
Other zero-waste stores look for the most popular product and then sell it in their store because it's already well-trusted.
At Ecoternatives, we test several products (that still uphold very strict environmental and social standards), then choose the best one.
It's a lot of time behind the scenes and carefully choosing what we stock.
We Rarely Sign Contracts With MAP
MAP stands for Minimum Advertised Price.
Many brands are forced to sell products at a certain price, or higher when they work with certain suppliers.
Ecoternatives finds brands that don't require a MAP, which allows us to set our prices as low as we can.
We Advertise Differently
Many people don't realize just how expensive conventional advertising can be, and if you can do either without it or less of it, that can be a real game changer.
For example, anytime you click on a suggested Google link, that website pays an average of $2.23 to Google.
At Ecoternatives we instead choose to rely on viral marketing and word-of-mouth. Because our store is so novel, people spread it organically.
Our Suppliers Partners Make Exceptions On Price For Us
Again, we spend a ton of time working with and negotiating with suppliers.
Many of them love our mission. So when we're lucky, we're able to partner with them and sell their products for less than they would normally sell them for.
We Remove Frills
We cut out "frills". Like making our own filler out of boxes that we repurpose, or occasionally shipping in 'ugly', reused boxes because it saves us $$$.
In short, we're very resourceful!
Bottomline
And there you have it – the no-BS breakdown of how Ecoternatives makes sustainable living affordable without compromising our ethics.
We’re not here to play the same old profit game; we're here to make a difference, and that means getting creative and, yeah, a bit scrappy.
It's not rocket science, it's just a commitment to our values and a bit of clever thinking.
By charging less, shopping smart, avoiding unnecessary costs, and working with suppliers who share our vision, we’re able to offer sustainable products at prices that don't make your wallet bleed.
So, the next time you see our prices and wonder, "How the heck can they do this?" - remember, it's not about cutting corners; it's about cutting out the nonsense.
Because let’s face it, if saving the planet is only for those who can afford it, are we really saving the planet?