Hi all,

I've been drafting a business plan over the past few weeks to open an online Yu-Gi-Oh! (mostly sealed product) retail shop, with the goal of opening a general cards & games shop front in my city in the next two years. However, most of the information I've found online is only relevant to brick & mortar establishments (particularly for sports cards), and less geared to businesses starting online with the eventual goal of moving into a shop front--and most of this information is five or more years old, which feels especially irrelevant for pandemic times. On top of this, the more I dive into distribution, I'm starting to understand why the general advice on all these old posts and articles is, "Don't bother."

I am a risk-taker, but I do have a habit of psyching myself out, so I figured I'd see if anyone here has experience as an industry-insider or could lend some relevant advice on the process--especially when it comes to opening accounts with distributors. What was the biggest hurdle to getting started, and what were other challenges you faced? How did you manage them? Is there anything you wish you'd known at the outset? How did your venture turn out?

Any input or help is appreciated, thanks folks. Cheers!