The gift basket service business is one of the fastest growing home businesses in North America. In this business, the more creative you are, the more you prosper.

Space: The ideal place to start your gift basket service business is your home. It allows you to start your business with a small amount of capital, save commuting expenses and operate part-time or full-time. However, to operate from home you need a decent sized room with display facility.

If your home is not suitable for this business, you may rent or lease a separate location, which may be costly. When doing so, you should look for a location that is in a high traffic area, and has parking facility. It should have enough inventory storage capacity and a customer friendly layout so that customers can easily view all products without tripping or squeezing themselves through narrow corridors.

Inventory: The items for gift basket service business may be purchased through both wholesale and retail channels. The items that should be bought through wholesale channels are baskets, 'filler' items such as tissue paper, brown paper, string, tape etc.

You may also build your inventory by:

Attending gift shows to get crafts and 'hard to find' gifts. Joining supplier mailing lists Buying your items in bulk thus getting quantity discounts