HPS Magazine

Any loss can cause lingering pain, but the loss of a best friend can be particularly difficult to bear.

They’ve existed in your life for so long, you can’t imagine any other reality. “Best friends forever,” you might have promised. A world without them might seem completely altered, even impossible to navigate alone.

Whether your friend died or the two of you no longer talk due to personal differences, you’ve experienced a major loss. It’s only normal to feel grief.

Your grief might be complicated by the fact that society doesn’t always acknowledge the significance of friendships in the way it does romantic relationships or familial bonds.

This may leave you feeling excluded from mourning rituals, or as if other people judge you for being so deeply affected.

The seven strategies below can help you navigate your loss, regardless of the circumstances.

Come to terms with your feelings

If you’ve heard of the five stages of grief, you may know denial appears first on that list.

But experts now consider these stages an outdated model for looking at grief. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the psychiatrist who developed them, never intended them to describe grief after a loss. She used them to describe the experiences of people confronting their own terminal illness.

While you might feel reassured to know others experience similar feelings, like anger, you might worry you’re doing something wrong when your grief follows its own path.

Denial, for example, can happen throughout the grieving process, not just at the beginning.

The important thing to remember is this: People react to loss in different ways. No predetermined process can outline what you’ll experience.

Loss stirs up complex emotions, including anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, and regret.

It can also leave you with some unanswered questions, especially when the loss came about not from death, but from a choice your friend made that you couldn’t accept.

You might never find answers, but ignoring your emotions won’t help you process grief and move forward, either.

Exposing the fresh wound of your loss might feel painful and impossibly difficult. Unless you unpack and work through your feelings, that wound can’t begin to properly heal.

Keep a journal

If you’re struggling to get in touch with your feelings, talking to a trusted loved one or therapist can have a lot of benefit.

Sometimes talking about your feelings is easier said than done. That’s where journaling can be a big help.

In a journal, you don’t have to hold back or censor yourself. You can freely express anything, from sadness to disappointment to rage. Emotions given shape through written words can seem more real — and easier to acknowledge and process.

Grief often provokes angry responses, especially when you feel unable to cry or openly discuss your pain. A journal offers a safe, healthy outlet for feelings that others often expect you to keep inside.

Journaling also offers the opportunity to recall happier memories. No matter what circumstances ended your friendship, treasuring the moments you shared can still have value.

Addressing a journal entry to your best friend can even give you the opportunity to “ask” unanswered questions and potentially gain some measure of closure.

If the written word isn’t your strong point, try an art journal for another way to express yourself.

Give it time

There’s no easy way to say this, but true healing requires time. Often more than you’d imagine.

One 2019 studyTrusted Source looked at bereavement in nearly 10,000 Australian adults who lost a close friend. The results suggest grief can impair physical and mental health, along with social function, for up to 4 years.

The fact is, non-kinship losses, like the loss of a best friend, often go largely unrecognized. People might understand your sadness, but society as a whole often fails to acknowledge the depth of this sorrow.

When you withdraw, feel exhausted or unwell, and can’t seem to stop grieving, you might be met with barely concealed exasperation or impatience instead of compassion and understanding.

Some people might tell you outright to “get over it already.”

The two of you may not have shared blood or romantic ties, but that doesn’t really matter. You befriended them and cultivated the relationship for years, maybe even the majority of your life.

The expectation that you’ll quickly recover from this huge loss disregards your very valid grief.

When you can’t fully express your feelings, it’s no surprise you might find it even more difficult to address your emotions and begin to heal.

Coping with loss in productive ways may not shorten your journey through grief, but it can transform it in other ways.

Turning to loved ones for support and practicing good self-care can help you carry grief more lightly until time blunts its sharpest edges.

Take care of your well-being

Loss can stun you and completely derail your life.

In the immediate aftermath, you might forget about everyday activities like eating, sleeping, and showering. Time might begin to feel incomprehensible, as the days stretch on and your grief refuses to subside.

While you might not feel up to getting dressed or cooking, creating a sense of normalcy could help you regain some control over your grief.

What’s more, getting a good night’s sleep and eating a few balanced, nourishing meals can help improve your mood.

You might not feel any less devastated, but you will feel more equipped to ride with the waves of grief.

Consider these wellness tips as you grieve:

• Sleep. Aim to get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. If sleep won’t come easily, try not to get frustrated. Go easy on yourself. Try to carve out pockets of time to rest during the day if you’ve had a sleepless night.
• Eat. It’s not unusual for your appetite to go out the window when you’re grieving, but make sure you’re still eating something throughout the day. Nutrient-rich foods might help you feel better, but again, it’s important to be gentle with yourself in this time. If the thought of cooking a healthy meal feels overwhelming, allow yourself to get takeout or have a feast of easy snacks.
• Get some air. Feelings starting to overwhelm you? Take them out for some air. A long walk can help you find some calm (and help you get some sleep).
• Unwind. Not used to naming or sitting with your feelings? Starting a meditation practice can help you begin exploring and accepting them.

Do something in their memory

If your friend died, you may find some comfort in doing something to reassure yourself that their memory will live on.

You can honor them in plenty of ways. Give the idea some careful thought to come up with something uniquely suited to them. These options can offer a place to start:

• Donate to their favorite charity.
• Volunteer for an organization or cause they supported.
• Host a memorial service for other friends and loved ones.
• Make a memory book or scrapbook.

Altruistic actions like volunteering can have added benefit. They provide the opportunity to honor your friend and convey gratitude for their presence in your life, and also allow you to give back to your community. This can help you feel more socially connected.

Things might look a little different if you lose your friend due to irreconcilable differences of opinion, but you can still hold a private memorial of sorts.

You might write them a letter that acknowledges both the years of experiences you shared and your grief at losing their friendship. If mementos, photos, and other reminders of your friend are too painful to see on a daily basis, set them aside in a box for safekeeping until you feel able to revisit those memories.

Your friend’s action doesn’t erase your past. It’s OK to miss them and cherish fond memories, even if they hurt you deeply.

Turn to others for support

Although there may be no one else in the world who can come close to replacing your best friend, other loved ones can offer emotional support after your loss.

Simply spending time in the company of people who understand can help you feel less alone in your distress. Let family and friends know when you don’t feel up to chatting and just need a comforting presence. It’s OK to need time to yourself, but complete isolation typically won’t help you feel any better.

Things might be a bit trickier when disagreements, not death, caused the separation.

Maybe you prefer to avoid sharing details or worry that people won’t understand the reasons why you ended the friendship.

Still, talking to someone you trust can often help you find relief and peace with your decision.

A grief support group can offer solace when your loved ones mean well but say all the wrong things. Others who have experienced similar losses know better than anyone else what to say and when to listen.

Talk to a counselor

Grief does lift with time, but many people need a little extra support to reach that point.

It’s a good idea to talk to a therapist when you:

• struggle to manage your daily routine
• have trouble eating or sleeping normally
• constantly think about what happened
• go to great lengths to avoid reminders of your friend and their death
• notice mood changes that don’t improve
• experience relationship conflict

Therapy can also help you navigate grief and other turmoil after ending a long-standing friendship.

Perhaps your best friend had an affair with your partner, abused their partner, committed a serious crime, or voted for a political candidate who represents a direct threat to your existence.

You might forgive these actions while still finding them impossible to accept without compromising your own values.

Acknowledging your friend wasn’t the person you imagined can cause distress that goes beyond mere grief. A therapist can help validate these feelings and offer compassionate guidance as you begin coping with your loss.

The bottom line

Painful as it is, grief is part of the natural processes of life. It even has value, since it marks your ability to love.

This might seem unlikely now, but time will help transform the sharp sting of loss into something more manageable.

SEBASTIAN ITURRALDE

Fiction blogger—citizen of this beautiful planet, eternal lover of artistic creation and literature. Certain that the creative energy comes from nature

Samwy struck the chisel with his hammer. With each blow, a chunk of rock broke free from the wall. Little fragments fell to the sides of his metal feet. Samwy was a creature of fire that resided on the border between the Elemental Plane of Earth and Fire.

Today, as countless days passed, Samwy struck the walls of the cave with his hammer. Carefully making his way through the stone. At any time… the last blow felt different. The opportunity Samwy had been waiting for. It was too early to celebrate. He struck the wall again and revealed a red crystal.

Samwy had to be careful moving forward. The size of the crystal was still unknown. He moved far enough to the side to continue chipping at the rock. Hitting with his hammer. Trying to be as careful as possible. The gemstone was larger than he imagined.

Impossible, he thought, backing up to look. Four feet long and the glass was still intact. The fire that springs up from Samwy, instead of hair and beard, was kindled. The metallic skin of the fire halfling seemed to glow.

Samwy had to carve the crystal as soon as possible. He kept hammering. Making sure the structure remained intact. Imagining the beautiful craftsmanship he could come up with a large crystal. Once he was finally able to retrieve the gemstone, Samwy lowered it to the cave floor.

His imagination managed to see beyond the glowing red crystal structure. Samwy gave shape to a new creation in his head, once again he would be recognized among his kind. The azers were the greatest known master metalworkers in history. Their talents could only be compared to that of their closest rivals. A species that also lives on the Elemental Plane of Fire and constantly seeks to improve the quality of azer’s creations.

A group of salamanders patrolling the tunnel Samwy was working on, sensing the scent of the ruby, the fiery serpents quickly went in search of the treasure.

Samwy saw three salamanders scattered around the tunnel. The fire creatures left lines of molten stone in their wake. The temperature of the snakes was much higher than that of an azer. Metal in their hands was malleable like dough. That made them worthy rivals when it came to forging a weapon.

Samwy had to protect his stone from losing its rigidity. The temperature of a salamander could spoil it. So he took a step forward to protect his treasure.

“I see you have found something for us,” said one of the salamanders.

Samwy raised his hammer. “Over my dead body.”

Salamanders supported themselves with the base of their tails. Which made them twice as tall as Samwy. They held red metal tridents in their hands, and began to surround Samwy.

“What are you waiting for?” Samwy demanded.

One of the salamanders lashed out at Samwy with its tail. The speed of the blow caused small pieces of rock to dislodge from the wall. Samwy managed to jump to the sides to defend himself.

“You better hand over the rock,” another of the salamanders said.

Samwy noticed that one of the salamanders was about to throw its trident. Samwy charged at another one of them. Fighting against three was ridiculous; beating one was almost impossible. Samwy had no other way out. The salamanders would do anything to steal his treasure.

The salamander parried Samwy’s attack. The other two concentrated on the gem on the ground. They just had to grab it and escape.

Samwy threw his chisel, the metal smashed against the head of a salamander about to grab the gem.

The three salamanders turned their attention to Samwy. He stepped back to anticipate the attack of the tails of his rivals. “Give us the gem and we’ll spare your life.”

Samwy attacked again. This time he took a hit from the tail of one of the salamanders. The impact pushed him hard against one of the cave walls. The place began to shake. The salamanders looked from one side to the other in search of shelter… however, the cave did not lose its structure. When the intruders looked for the azer, he was gone.

Samwy grabbed the gem. He slipped through the rocks in a thin tunnel.

The salamanders caught a glimpse of the little azer running and disappearing into the rock. The cave entrance was too small. The gem would be too far away for them to reach. They also risked falling into a trap.

Samwy escaped, certain that no one was following him, and the image of his future creation came back to him.

By Josh Robin – Chief National Political Reporter Nationwide

Is Sensitivity Affecting Comedy?

Comedian Nimesh Patel didn’t think the joke was all that edgy. Sure, it was about being African American and gay, but he’d written it long before that fateful November performance and never had a problem with how it landed. So, when no one in the audience at Columbia University laughed during one recent appearance, he figured the line had just fallen flat.

But soon, the crowd made it clear that not only was the joke not funny — it was offensive. With time still left in his routine, student organizers reclaimed the stage. Patel had been booted off — for the content of his joke.

Patel, a former “Saturday Night Live” writer, quickly became a trending topic in the debate over whether comedians were crossing a line in offensive material — or whether audiences had become too sensitive, rendering them unable to take a joke.

“There’s a group of people that think everyone’s too sensitive,” Patel said in a recent interview, “and a group of people that think things are fine, and I think both sides can point to isolated incidents that indicate their side is correct.”

To establish a deeper understanding about the relationship between sensitivity and comedy, Patel and four other established individuals in the comedy world shared their take on the changing climate.

Is comedy offensive if it offends everyone?

For seven seasons “Veep,” the HBO political satire, showcased the highly dysfunctional nature of Washington, D.C. and the incompetent staff behind sailor-mouthed Vice President (and, spoiler, President) Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).

“I think the key to our lack of offending people is, while we are incredibly offensive, we never designate party,” Executive Producer and Showrunner David Mandel explained. “If you watch the show, we never mention whether Selina is a Republican or a Democrat, we kind of cherry pick issues from both sides.”

The show, which premiered in the midst of the 2012 presidential election between incumbent Pres. Obama and then-former Gov. Mitt Romney, doesn’t care about offending people, Mandel says. “That’s the honest answer.”

Does timeliness impact the humor of stand-up sets?

Los Angeles Comedy Union owner Enss Mitchell has a different take on the idea of sensitivity, especially when it comes to joking about timely subjects.

“I try not to be a person who does censor, but let’s say an event just happened,” Mitchell explained. “I opened this club the night, or the day after, the towers fell. I didn’t want people joking about that because at that moment, the moment was bigger than you telling a joke.”

But Mitchell, who determines the line-up of comedians performing on his club’s stage believes, “Comedians are the people that are supposed to say the things that society can’t say.”

How does comedic sensitivity play in the heartland?

Before a recent show at a church in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis., Chonda Pierce, a popular born-again Christian comedian who prides herself on being “the country comic,” explained her take on comedy today.

Pierce thinks the country as a whole has gotten too sensitive, and she believes comedians should be able to joke about whatever they’d like. But audiences also have a choice – and can vote with their feet and their wallets. When another comedian made a joke about Jesus’ sexuality, Pierce chose to walk out. Even still, she says she supports “his ability and his right [to make the joke], but I don’t have to listen to it.”

Has social media changed comedy?

“Everyone is afraid to be offended or to offend anyone else,” actress and comedian Lyric Lewis explained.

Lewis, who is currently the only African American woman in the Groundlings, the famed Los Angeles comedy troupe, added that she’s noticed when performing that “the climate has changed now that people don’t know what they can laugh at, people don’t know if it’s OK to enjoy a joke.”

Social media, Lewis believes, has also played a key role in amplifying perceptions about the audience’s alleged sensitivity in comedy. “People, I don’t know if they’re necessarily more sensitive now, but I think it’s a snowball effect,” Lewis added. “Now it’s like, ‘that was wack,’ and 500,000 other people can feed that machine.”

So, what happens next?

Comedy’s roots run deep — its origins date back to 4th century BC in ancient Greece, to be exact. In the centuries since, comedy has constantly evolved and grown with the times, moving from days of court jesters to radio to television to everything in between.

“We push people to think deeper than what they would, to laugh at something they would be uncomfortable about,” Pierce concluded.

Mandel agrees: we “shine a ridiculous spotlight on something, that I actually like to think, if we can laugh at it more, we can start to beat it down.”

There have been simultaneous changes in culture and respect. What was once considered funny, in some respects, is now often considered offensive, particularly when it comes to groups with long histories of being the targets of discrimination.  

As the conversation about growing sensitivity in comedy continues, two things remains certain: comedy will continue to serve a purpose in society, and our standards will change with the times. In the meantime, comedians with different styles and audiences may find common ground on advice for those who are offended: simply not laughing.

By: Bradley Johnson

What Products Are In High Demand?

When you’re starting an eCommerce business, it’s natural to want profit to follow. One of the most powerful ways of accomplishing this is selling products that are already in high demand. 

While there are hundreds of trending eCommerce products at any given time, some product categories have seen a major uptick in sales. We narrowed the list down to 20 that are seeing incredible eCommerce growth as of late.

Here are those items: 

1. Subscription food products

Shoppers love convenience, and the Internet has only increased the amount of convenience people expect for a personalized buying experience. Subscription food products like produce subscription boxes are one example of goods on demand that customers have supported in droves.

Today’s market offers just about every imaginable food or drink in subscription form. Protein bars, snacks, energy drinks, cookies, and even water are all popular products for a subscription box business. The subscription box industry has been growing by more than 100% year-over-year (YoY) and is now a billion dollar industry. If you have a great eCommerce marketing strategy, there’s no reason you can’t launch your own box!

Coffee is one of the best products to create a subscription box service with. Spend some time reading how to start a coffee subscription box, and you’ll see how little capital is needed to begin. Some of the best coffee roasters have already gotten a head start. You can even offer a coffee subscription gift and get the word out more quickly with relevant coffee marketing ideas. 

2. Book storage equipment (bookcases, bookends, bookshelves)

Being at home more often means you have to make use of what’s already there. As a result, many Americans reorganized their bookshelves or created new spaces for them. 

Bookshelves, bookcases, and bookends are all selling well and usually have high profit margins. If you add this to your eCommerce or wholesale catalog, make sure to source materials from a reputable supplier. This helps ensure your fill rate will be high and return rate will be low (see RMA meaning). The last thing you want is to be left with deadstock on your hands.

3. Household and car mats

Spending more time indoors means you notice things more easily. One such example is the mats outside of your front door or inside your car. Without regular cleaning and vacuuming, these mats become grimy, cracked, and rotten. 

You can make a considerable profit if these products match your type of eCommerce store. Millions of Americans continue buying new cars and homes throughout 2022 as they set their sights on new places to live. Listing durable mats for them to buy is an advantageous move. 

4. Mobile electronics accessories

If there’s one thing Americans love, it’s their tablets and smartphones. With such frequent tech usage comes the need for accessories, like covers, screen protectors, earbuds, cleaning cloths, and travel cases. 

The global mobile electronics accessories market is expected to reach a staggering $111 billion by 2025, a little over half of which is generated by US consumers. Americans’ love of the latest, greatest tech items combined with a 7% YoY growth rate means this is an excellent niche to be in.

5. CBD products and oils

CBD oil started taking the health and wellness industry by storm over the last couple years. While CBD products and derivatives have been around for decades, they only recently surged in popularity due to increased scientific research on their plant sources. 

CBD stands for cannabidiol, which is one of over 100 compounds in the cannabis plant (also called the marijuana plant). Cannabidiol is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, differentiating it from oft-referenced tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the same plant. 

Oils, balms, creams, and other consumables are made with CBD for a multitude of benefits. CBD is known to relieve pain, reduce anxiety, support neurological health, and limit feelings of nausea. If you already sell health and wellness goods, add a few CBD products to your eCommerce catalog today. 

BlueCart partners with numerous providers in the CBD space as well, including the following:

• QC Infusion Inc

6. Tea and coffee

Online tea sales have exploded in recent years and don’t look to be disappearing. Consumers love both their tea and coffee–not only because they’re caffeinated, but because of the flavor variety. 

Tea is a near-perfect eCommerce product. There’s consistent demand, makes for easy eCommerce shipping and eCommerce packaging, and profit margins are consumer-friendly yet adjustable. Tea is expected to grow 5.5% YoY until at least 2025. 

Selling coffee online is included on the list of profitable, food-related eCommerce business ideas. Consider creating distinct coffee flavors that are shipped in custom subscription boxes, which encourages buyers to remain loyal. 

BlueCart Marketplace simplifies the process of getting your products listed in front of new customers. Dozens of the best coffee roasters and coffee business owners use our marketplace to reach over 92,000 customers: 

• Conscious Cup Coffee Roasters
• Chromatic Coffee
• Coma Coffee Roasters
• Amateur Coffee
• Maps Coffee Roasters
• Omni Bev

7. Eco-friendly products

From kitchen wares and cleaning supplies to clothing and even toothbrushes, eco-friendly products are in vogue. Consumers have decided that there’s no reason to shun the products you love if they can be created without negative environmental impact.

Eco-friendly items are incredibly popular among Millennials and Gen Zers, who were raised with the sociocultural attitude that respecting the Earth is desirable. This consumer trend is influencing companies of diverse natures to develop more Earth-friendly goods or risk going out of business. 

This eCommerce niche is rising at a breakneck pace–26.7% YoY growth between 2020 and 2025. The industry is about to more than triple in the same period, increasing from $11.2 billion to $36.6 billion in US sales. Look through a wholesale directory or two for eco-friendly goods you can sell. 

8. Meal kits and meal replacements

As a result of 2020’s widespread restaurant closures, millions of people were left with homemade meals as their primary way of spicing dinnertime up. This led to a boom in the meal kits industry, with a whopping $130 million more in sales throughout 2020. 

The US health and wellness food market is expected to grow by 6% or more YoY through 2024. If you’re passionate about selling food online and want to build an eCommerce venture around it, consider these two hot niches. 

9. Bicycle saddles and accessories

Until states began lifting lockdown measures, countless people were left with fewer entertainment options than before. Instead of relying on indoor forms of recreation, Americans turned to the outdoors in droves. 

Adding a fresh saddle to a bicycle seat works wonders for your posture and decreases risk of injury, as well. The bicycle saddle niche is growing by more than 2% YoY with seasonal sales spikes in spring and summer. 

10. Hair styling tools

Despite the severe shortage of physical events in 2020, hair styling equipment and accessories didn’t take a nosedive. In fact, this beauty products niche saw a 5.5% YoY growth rate that’s projected to continue until 2025.

Consider adding one or more products to your eCommerce site if you already sell beauty-related goods. Between remote interviews, at-home photoshoots, and just plain looking good, hair styling tools have always been a necessity. Remember: there’s never a bad reason to get styled up!

11. Children’s toys

As more parents than ever stayed home to watch their children or provide homeschooling, the number of toy sales went up with it. A baby is born roughly every eight seconds in the US, which means there will always be demand for playthings. 

This demand continued rising throughout 2020, as more children became responsible for entertaining themselves while parents worked from home. Children’s toys’ sales have been growing by roughly 7% YoY and spiked to 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

From Legos and dolls to toy animals, cars, and characters, there are dozens of kids’ toys to choose from. Children’s products are great to sell year-round because of celebrations, parties, and birthdays. 

12. Home storage containers

Over the last 50 years, the size of the average American home has nearly tripled. Part of this is due to changing consumer tastes. Combined with the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, however, Americans have been sprucing up their home interiors like never before. 

With this trend comes an increase in home storage containers. Instead of letting clothes, toys, books, and other belongings sit unorganized, Americans have put items where they belong. 

This is good news for eCommerce business owners, too. Storage bins, racks, containers, and shelves are often cheap to produce but command higher markup. As long as you have a great inventory management system for these large objects, you can turn serious profit rather quickly. 

13. Natural cosmetics and beauty products

In keeping with hair styling tools’ sales numbers, natural cosmetics products have been booming as well. Millions of women are shifting away from chemically-burdened and cruelty-laced products for the same results without the guilt. 

The US’ natural beauty and cosmetics market has already achieved over $34 billion in sales as recently as 2018. This niche is expected to grow by over 5% YoY for the next five years minimum. 

14. Furniture

When moving to a new place or simply redesigning your existing one, fresh furniture is a necessity. Indeed, the US furniture sales industry held steady during 2020 at 2% YoY growth, with a 2.17% annual growth rate expected through 2025. 

Furniture is a rare, high demand, low competition niche. As long as you know how to find vendors and have vetted your eCommerce business plan, you’ll be in good shape. Focus on quality over quantity and you’ll end up with plenty of happy customers. 

15. Smartphone holders and tripods

Americans absolutely love their smartphone accessories and these are no exception. The mobile phone accessories niche is already a whopping $229 billion market and is expected to grow by $100 billion more in the next 10 years. 

Getting a tripod or dashboard grip for your phone is a fun purchase that pays for itself many times over. A smartphone holder or tripod is any apparatus that makes it easier to position your phone in a particular location. If you sell tech products or accessories, this should be included in your catalog without question. 

16. Home office equipment

In the midst of 2020’s pandemic, vast numbers of Americans were forced to adapt to new working conditions. Millions of people began working from home as companies needed to uphold remote work freedom. 

As a result, home office equipment sales soared. Many companies cited anywhere from 8 to 30% more sales in 2020 alone. The industry’s robust growth is expected to continue by 7.5% YoY in the United States. 

17. Minimalist wallets

Minimalist wallets have been something of a dark horse eCommerce product in recent years. As the world increasingly moves towards a cashless society, consumers have opted for lighter and fewer items to carry. 

This includes wallets, which most people don’t leave the house without. Small, thin, and radio frequency identification-blocking (RFID) wallets have all seen a surge in buyers, especially among men. This consumer niche is expected to grow 6.8% YoY in the US for the next few years. 

18. Board games

Not only are board games a timeless source of group fun, they saw a spike in profitability throughout the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Sales of this much-loved form of entertainment grew by 9% during 2020 and has a 13% YoY trajectory through 2025. Experts estimate board game sales in the US will reach an astonishing $30 billion by 2026. 

19. Kitchen appliances

2020 was the year millions of American households prioritized homemade food over eating out. This was made possible in part by numerous kitchen appliance purchases, leading to a market cap of $238 billion. 

From rice cookers and blenders to grills and air fryers, there’s no limit to the types of products you can sell. Add some kitchen gear to your product list, especially if you’re already selling consumables online.

20. Pet supplies and equipment

Who doesn’t love their pet(s)? The numbers answer that one. In 2020, the pet products industry reached a historic high of $103.6 billion in the United States. This has only gone up over time, with more than a 6% YoY growth rate both in the US and globally. 

Frequently Asked Questions About High Demand Products

It’s much easier to make serious money online when you sell what customers are interested in. Products that are currently in high demand may be different from what you think. Read the commonly asked questions below to learn more:

What products are most profitable to sell?

There are many profitable products you can sell, including the following: 

• Beauty products and cosmetics
• Jewelry
• TV and smartphone accessories
• Designer sunglasses
• Children’s toys and games
• Shoes
• Video games
• Pet supplies

The main reason these products are so profitable is because they’re inexpensive to acquire, have widespread appeal, and are demanded often enough to drive considerable margins. If you don’t yet sell one or more of these items, consider how your business may pivot to offer at least one. 

What is the most sold item in the world?

The most sold item in the world is clothing and fashion items. This ranges from women and men’s outfits to children’s clothing, shoes, accessories, and more. People love their clothes, and fashion isn’t going anywhere!

Since people are always growing, changing personal style, and having children, there’s a constant global need for clothing. Being a clothing wholesaler or working with a designer to produce your own clothing line is a great eCommerce business idea. 

What sells the most online on Amazon?

There are all kinds of unique products selling well on Amazon, including the following: 

• Space-saving closet organizers
• Apple cider vinegar supplements
• Carpet cleaning devices
• Waffle makers
• Beverage coolers
• String lights
• Standalone fans and air conditioners
• Smartphone accessories

Keeping Your Business and Products In Demand

With these top-selling products on your radar, learning how to start an eCommerce business is easier than it’s ever been. If you’re diving into eCommerce for the first time, learning how to sell products online is a good starting point.

With this list at your fingertips, you won’t need to spend countless hours looking for wholesale items to sell or figuring out how to increase eCommerce sales. This info also makes the dropshipping business model easier and faster (see what is drop shipping).

Once your direct to consumer or B2B eCommerce platform is set up, use proven marketing strategies to get your first sales. Then continue offering wonderful customer service and you’ll be off to the races.

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can you say about the psychological condition of different people within certain roles? Should
a character be given nearly as much depth as someone’s profile or psychiatric evaluation in the
real world? You should give characters depth if he or she appears multiple times in a story,
despite not being the protagonist or the antagonist. Three things are needed to add depth to a
character: background, motive, and essentiality.
Giving a character a background will allow the reader to know this is not just a passing
role or someone who will make single, insignificant appearances throughout the script. You can
cue the reader this person will appear in other parts of the story, later. Many times, giving a
character a background will indicate he or she is going to have a crucial role, even if his or her
appearances are sparse at different points throughout the story. Sometimes, if a character has
a certain background that is related to the climax, his or her presence could also help the story
transition.
Providing motives for characters to act upon will also add depth to them. Characters
can actually have depth if they have an interest in the outcome of the events, regardless of
being protagonists, antagonists, or either. If they have vested interests in the outcome of the
story or a major part of it, they will be motivated to act upon the events to secure their
objectives. This will also add intrigue for your readers to see what will happen next, even if
they do not make too many appearances in the story. This can be done if they are indirectly or
directly helping the antagonists, protagonists, or something else that could influence the
outcome of the story.
Essentiality can also create depth for a character. Admittedly, it is not necessary for a
character to have depth in possessing an essential role, but making a character essential to a
plot can contribute depth to his or her purpose within the story. If you make his or her role an
essential part of the climax, rising action, or the protagonist’s objective, it will allow your
readers to view them in a much greater light. Characters with pivotal roles in the story can
increase depth, intrigue, and interest in their roles.
Adding depth to characters will undoubtedly create intrigue and interest for your
readers. This is done by applying demographic information, intention, and necessity. Your
readers will undoubtedly remain enticed. Supplying roles with transitional influence and
necessary elements will create depth within characters, which will allow them to become
pivotal points in the plot. A little depth can go a long way in regards to utilizing characters for
events and transitions.