#SellfMade: When tragedy struck, he became a Flipkart Seller to support his family

Vivek Kumar Sharma, a Flipkart seller from Delhi

As told to Jishnu Murali

Before I started selling personal care products and electronics on Flipkart, I wasn’t working anywhere. I had heard from a few people that I could start an online business and sell products for an income.

After my father’s death, I had many responsibilities to shoulder. I wound up my dad’s business and focused my efforts on becoming an online seller. I had to support my mom too — she was all the family I had left. So I left my studies and started my journey as an entrepreneur to support her. However, she too passed away last year.

I already knew about Flipkart and so I registered to be a Flipkart seller. At first, Flipkart would call me almost every day to train me to become a successful seller. I started slowly by listing just a few products, but within 15 days, without the help of advertisements, I started receiving about 25-30 orders per day.

After seeing this, I was more excited about the The Big Billion Days Sale, where I expected even more orders.

The support offered by Flipkart to sellers is much better than what other platforms offer. Other platforms don’t have a direct line for sellers to get in touch and convey the issues they are facing at their end or even feedback. Flipkart has given me a number that I can dial if I have any issues with the selling process and even if I email them, they tend to respond within 2-3 days. Other platforms also don’t give any training for first-time sellers.

I’ve experienced a lot of growth since I started selling on Flipkart. Elsewhere, despite the number of ads and promotions I paid for, I didn’t see any significant returns. Now, I get around 2-3 orders on other e-commerce platforms. But on Flipkart, even when there’s no sale, I get around 10 orders a day.

I also like the events organized by Flipkart for the sellers. They really motivate me to keep upscaling my business online. I see the success of other sellers and that in turn inspires me.

I’ve got a lot planned for The Big Billion Days Sale this year. I want to see 20 times the growth I’ve experienced so far and reach new heights in my career as a Flipkart seller.

Also read: #SellfMade – From desk job to “fav” job, this Flipkart seller did it with a little bit of love and belief