How to open a phone and accessories shop: steps, costs, stock

The short answer: a phone and accessories shop sells high-value devices and fast-moving cases, chargers and cables. To open one, pick a busy spot, check licences and import or warranty rules with your local authority, buy a first range that mixes a few popular phone models with many cheap accessories, track every device by its serial or IMEI number, and price from cost. Phones tie up the most cash; accessories usually bring the better margin per sale.

The steps to open

1. Choose a busy location. Phone buyers compare shops, so foot traffic and visibility count.
2. Check licences and rules. Business registration, rules on imported devices, warranty and returns, and any repair licence differ by country. Ask your local authority. This is not legal advice.
3. Fit out with locked display cases for phones, open racks for accessories, and good lighting.
4. Find suppliers for devices and for accessories. They are usually different suppliers with different terms.
5. Buy a first range: a few models people ask for, plus accessories.
6. Set up a till that records serial numbers and an item list with barcodes.
7. Decide your policy for returns, warranty, and instalments before the first sale.

What the money goes to

• Rent and deposit: visibility matters more than size.
• Fit-out: secure display cases, shelving and lighting.
• First stock: phones are the largest item. It depends on how many models and storage options you hold.
• Equipment: barcode scanner, receipt printer, till device, and a camera or lock system for security.
• Staff: knowledgeable staff convert browsers into buyers.
• Running costs: electricity, packaging, and card or payment fees.
• A cash cushion: devices sit on the shelf until someone chooses them.

The break-even tool shows how many sales cover your fixed costs.

Choosing the first stock

Start with the models and price ranges customers ask about. Hold fewer phones and more accessories at first. Cases, chargers, cables, screen protectors and earphones sell often and are cheap to hold. Keep every supplier price in a sheet and re-check them, because phone prices change.

Pricing and margin

Devices usually carry a thinner margin than accessories, so many shops lean on accessories for profit. Do not guess: put cost and price into the margin calculator for each item, and use the profit tool for the month. If you sell by instalments, work out the full cost of waiting for the money with the instalments tool.

A daily routine

• Open: check display cases, count the drawer.
• Sell: scan accessories, record the serial number of each phone.
• Close: count cash against sales, list low accessories.
• Weekly: count the phones in the cases against your records.

Common mistakes

• Holding too many phone models that sell slowly.
• Not recording serial numbers, so returns and warranty claims turn into arguments.
• Instalment sales without a written record or a first payment.
• Mixing personal and shop cash.
• Pricing a phone by the rival's sign instead of your cost.

A checklist

• Licences and device rules checked locally
• Display cases and security in place
• Supplier prices and terms written down
• Item list with barcodes and serial numbers
• Return, warranty and instalment policy written
• Cash cushion set aside

Where Dashing helps

Dashing scans barcodes, works offline, keeps customer debts and can track what customers owe you. See the phone shop page, the invoice template for phone shops and the free plan.

Costs, licences and margins vary by country; use your own quotes.

Sources

No outside figures are cited in this guide. The statements about Dashing rest on these pages (accessed 2026-10-29).

• Dashing for phone shops, https://dashingerp.com/en/for/mobile
• The free plan in Dashing, https://dashingerp.com/en/free