When the pandemic grounded the aviation industry, 29-year-old flight attendant Avie Santos found herself a soaring business in a livelihood that she once laughed at: making money live-selling.
By selling her pre-loved clothes for P300 to P500 a piece, Santos earned some P140,000 to P160,000 in just two nights in 2020—all from the comfort of her own home. This shows how ordinary people like her can tap into the fast-paced world of live-streaming for profit.
“Would you believe na ‘yung kita ko in a month as a flight attendant, kaya kong kitain in two nights sa live-selling? Sold out ako that time. Two nights lang ‘yun,” Santos shared in an interview with Spot.ph.
During the pandemic, she couldn’t be bothered to sell her personal items on more popular e-commerce platforms like Carousel or Marketplace. It was too time-consuming to take pictures and post each one, she said, which is why she opted to try selling through Facebook Live instead. Since then, she has sold over 2,000 pieces and counting.
Santos proves there’s no shame in entering this booming industry, no matter the reason.
“Nababash ko pa dati ‘yung live-sellers tapos nagulat na lang ako na eventually, I’m doing it! Live-selling is actually a very healthy thing for me. Nagawa ‘kong mag-declutter,” Santos said.
How to make a successful business out of live-selling
Presentation matters
By this, we don’t mean having a fully dedicated room and equipment for setting up live sessions.
Live-sellers thrive because they make themselves seem worthwhile. Think about it: the items they sell can easily be found on other e-commerce platforms, so why tune in to live-sellers at all? The answer is found in the entertainment buyers get from sellers. TikTok calls this concept “Shoppertainment.”
In Santos’ case, her personal branding was what helped her kickstart her live-selling business. It also helped that the audience knew exactly who she was (and vice versa) since she was selling to her personal Facebook family, friends, and followers.
“May branding na ko that I wear nice clothes. People would say, ‘pagka-ayaw mo na ‘yan benta mo sa akin.’ Even if iba-ibang items, pinu-purchase nila,” Santos said, confessing that she was a shopaholic who had too many clothes in her closet.
Matching the presentation with the product is also just as important.
At the end of the day, live-selling is about the product, not the seller. Entertaining viewers with jokes and flattery might serve as a good push for potential buyers, but it might turn some people off when they want to make a serious purchase. For one, boob marketing will not work for selling children’s toys—something that Santos had to learn from experience.
“You have to have serious buyers. For example, hindi ka puwede sobrang funny when selling gadgets kasi paano ka makakakuha ng serious buyers? Ang laking pera niyan. Iba- iba pa din atake mo for every item,” Santos said.
Don’t jump in at the deep end
Santos started selling her own personal items for decluttering purposes. When she ran out of clothes to sell, her friends asked her to sell theirs for commission. More businesses came to her with products to offer. Eventually, she ended up buying sacks of ukay-ukay from international suppliers in Dubai. This was the time Santos hit her P100,000- mark in profit.
What started out as an effort to simplify her life turned into a successful business venture, but it’s important to remember that none of this was planned on Santos’ end.
It took Santos a few months to get a sense of her usual audience. It's essential for her to go through this learning process before she takes the next step of branching out from pre-loved clothes to seeking out foreign suppliers. She came to realize that her market wouldn’t buy anything over P700, even for branded items. She wouldn’t be where she is now without knowing this simple fact.
“Noong una I had a hard time, pero noong nasanay ako, I know what to do,” Santos said.
Give the product a story
Everyone has cheap items they want to sell, but not everyone cares enough to give it a story.
Santos found that presenting her clothes with more personality through stories is what keeps it interesting for buyers—provided that whatever is said is factual, of course.
“Lagi ko nilalagyan ng story behind every item kaya nabibili siya,” Santos said. “I would say na I wore this in London. Nakaka-attract siya sa masa.”
Before a seller can give a story about the product, they should know all about it first. When Santos was tapped by a business to sell toys and tech items on TikTok Live and Shopee Live, she had trouble making the switch—and the story—because she was not a fan of what she was selling.
“Alin dito okay? Alin dito affordable? I had to review everything. Even if alam ko siya, I had a hard time,” Santos said about the gadgets she was tasked to market.
The takeaway? It’s best to start selling items that you have a personal interest in. Santos said this kind of enthusiasm will show to viewers who come across the live session. They might even stay because of it.
The best time to go live
Based on Santos' experience, the best time to go on live is after dinner, specifically from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. She also sells big after midnight, when she holds her "bagsak presyo" live sessions for insomniac viewers who are likely to make impulse purchases from the temptation of low prices.
Santos said it’s best to avoid after lunchtime since that is usually when people would take afternoon siestas or resume working.
When asked how long her live sessions run for, she replied that it’s never fixed: “Hanggang sa may items, hanggang may kaya ko pa. Of course, nakatayo ka matagal then you’re talking in front of the camera for how long.” She said she would end up sleeping at 4 a.m. on nights when sales were particularly booming.
Focus on quality viewers
During the pandemic, Santos could reach up to 500 viewers on her livestream. This figure has since fallen since life settled back into the new normal. By 2023, her average viewer count had reached around 50 people—100 if she’s lucky.
This is a reality that would have left most people discouraged, but Santos offers a silver lining: the fewer viewers there are, the less likely joy mine-rs will strike because there’s more of a perceived accountability when it comes to making purchases.
On the other hand, former lurkers could also be given the chance to emerge as potential buyers. There’s no competing for attention in the live comments, so sellers and buyers can feel more at ease when interacting with each other. People aren’t just watching the live session out of pure bandwagon effect, but because they’re interested in what is being offered to them.
Ultimately, Santos is a firm believer that more viewers don’t necessarily mean more buyers.
“I don’t want to be affected by the number of viewers. It’s about the quality, not the quantity.’Yung 500 viewers ko hirap na hirap ako. Ang gulo masyado. Mas nag-eenjoy ako sa konting viewers but solid buyers,” Santos said.
This story originally appeared on Spot.ph.
* Minor edits have been made by the Cosmo.ph editors.
