The dream of having a profitable online store or becoming a successful affiliate marketer is a goal for many in the digital age. But reality isn’t always so glamorous. Many start with high hopes, only to give up in disappointment.

Have you ever wondered why? It’s not that they didn’t try. It’s because they faced “traps” hidden within various platforms that devoured their profits, time, and motivation. Here are 7 critical traps that online sellers encounter and the main reasons they fail.

Trap 1: Hidden Fees That Eat Away at Profits

“Sales are great!” But after deducting all the costs, there’s almost no profit left. This is a nightmare for many sellers. Numerous platforms have complex fee structures, from sales commissions and transaction fees to monthly/annual charges and other costs that slowly emerge. This makes calculating true profit difficult, and in the end, the profit that should have been yours vanishes into these fees.

Trap 2: Nowhere to Turn! No One to Advise You When Problems Arise

When a technical issue occurs, a dispute with a customer arises, or you simply need marketing advice, many sellers find themselves utterly alone. Most platforms rely on automated systems, directing you to FAQs or email support that takes days to respond. The lack of a real advisor or support team who truly understands your problems turns minor issues into major obstacles, draining your will to continue.

Trap 3: Forced into Expensive, Uncontrollable Advertising

To make your products visible, you need to advertise. But often, platforms “force” you to compete by bidding for ad placements, driving costs higher and higher. Worse, some platforms charge exorbitant advertising fees without clear prior notice, causing your budget to spiral out of control. Ultimately, money that should have been profit is spent on ads that don’t guarantee sales.

Trap 4: A System That Changes Too Often to Keep Up With

“I just understood the system… and now it’s changed again!” Instability is a major enemy of business. When a platform frequently changes its algorithms, user interface, or rules, sellers have to waste time constantly re-learning instead of focusing on sales and marketing. This instability makes long-term business planning nearly impossible.

Trap 5: Declining Standards That Destroy Credibility

When a platform has no quality control and allows anyone to sell anything, the marketplace becomes flooded with low-quality or counterfeit goods. This leads to fierce price wars and, most importantly, destroys the credibility of the platform as a whole. In the end, even good, honest sellers are negatively affected.

Trap 6: High Shipping Costs and a Lack of Promotional Support

Shipping cost is a key factor in a customer’s purchasing decision. However, many platforms lack a central system to assist with shipping costs, forcing sellers to either bear the high expense themselves or pass it on to customers, making their prices unattractive. The absence of centralized shipping promotions puts smaller shops at a clear disadvantage against larger retailers with more resources.

Trap 7: The Ultimate Risk… Your Store is Shut Down Without Warning

This is the most devastating trap of all. You invest your time and money to build a store, gaining followers and steady sales, only to have the platform shut it down one day without reasonable prior notice. Everything you’ve built vanishes in an instant. This is the inherent risk of building your business on “someone else’s land,” where you have no control.

A Way Forward for Dedicated Sellers

After reading this, many might feel discouraged. But these problems don’t mean your dream has to end. They simply tell us that choosing the right “partner” or platform is the most critical key to success.

At Thai Biz Go (TBG), we built our ecosystem to destroy these traps. We believe your success is our success:

• We are transparent about costs: No hidden fees.
• We are your advisors: We have a team ready to provide real guidance and solve problems.
• We build standards: We curate products and partners to maintain market quality.
• We support your sales: We provide tools and promotions to help you grow.

Building an online business isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be a lonely journey filled with obstacles. Choose to travel with a partner that is ready to grow with you, and the success you’ve dreamed of will no longer be just a fantasy.