I owned a hobby shop for 10 years and agree with most of the advice given so far.

As long as the objective is to work hard and NOT make money then by all means go for it. In a good year you will barely make minimum wage for yourself, and in a lean year you MIGHT break even.

One big problem is you will be competing with your suppliers who have the ability to ALWAYS undercut you. Remember! People will order online if you sell something for even one dollar more than the online price, even on items that are $100 or more. Plus the internet is awash with options so folks will buy products online which you don’t sell, and then they will expect you to support them with advice and parts. So you better have a huge inventory.

Most people are very weird! They will tell you that they want a particular item or line of items they see online, but when you get set up with the distributor and invest in the inventory, if those same items are not packaged in pretty boxes with full color artwork, folks won’t buy it. For some reason if it comes to their doorstep in a brown box they will buy it, but in a retail store they will not.

Finally, the banks and the the government always get paid first, then your suppliers, employees, then your rent and electricity. You get paid LAST, and that means many months you get nothing.

Better to get a job at McDonalds, you’ll make a ton more money and work LESS, best of all you’ll get days off to go fly!