Welcome to my beginner’s guide for E-Shop Tycoon. In this guide, I explain the steps I used to avoid going bankrupt and build a stable business during the early game. These strategies worked well for me, and I hope they help you get off to a strong start.
My First Warehouse Setup
When I start a new game, there are a few important decisions I always make first. Getting these right makes the early game much easier and helps me build a steady income.
Shipping Company – Cargo
There are three shipping companies to choose from. I always start with Kumru Express, and I usually stay with them until my third office.
The 10% shipping fee leaves me with most of my profits, making it an excellent choice for growing my business. I haven’t found a good reason to switch early in the game.
Warehouse Setup
The first milestone only requires four shelves, but I usually build six to nine shelves instead.
They are inexpensive, easy to place, and give me room to expand without rebuilding everything later.
I think spending a little extra early saves both time and money later.
Marketing
Before choosing a marketing campaign, I check which product categories I can currently sell.
I always choose Print Poster because it advertises three of the four starting product categories:
- Stationery
- Sports
- Cosmetics
I purchase the 30-day campaign, enable Auto Renew, and then leave it running.
This gives me consistent traffic without having to manage my marketing every few days.
Milestone 1
After reaching the first milestone, I unlock Clothing.
Although I start selling Clothing immediately, I do not change my marketing campaign.
Clothing advertisements cost twice as much as my current campaign, so I keep advertising Stationery instead.
Clothing still sells without dedicated advertising, so I let it generate extra income while my cheaper campaign continues doing the heavy lifting.
For me, this is one of the easiest ways to save money during the early game.
Milestone 2
The second milestone unlocks the Gym Pack and the Art Pack.
These are perfect because they already fit into my existing Print Poster campaign.
I focus heavily on these two product lines because they receive free marketing from my current advertisement.
I continue adding Clothing whenever I can, but it isn’t my priority.
Once my website reaches around 400 to 500 users, my income usually becomes much more stable.
At this point, I simply keep my warehouse stocked while working toward the next milestone.
If I want to grow a little faster, I sometimes run a single Clothing advertisement without Auto Renew.
Milestone 3
The third milestone unlocks the option to move into the Small Office.
Even though the upgrade becomes available, I usually stay in the garage a little longer.
Moving too early increases my expenses before my business is ready.
Instead, I build a healthy cash reserve first.
I also begin selling the Personal Care Kit, which already benefits from my existing Print Poster campaign.
Personally, I don’t leave the garage until I have around $15,000 saved.
Waiting a little longer makes the transition much smoother.
The Small Office
Once I move into the Small Office, I gain much more space and several new features.
The building is divided into two main areas.
- A warehouse for inventory.
- An office area for Researchers and Software Developers.
I can also hire additional warehouse workers from the warehouse desk.
Although more workers increase efficiency, they also increase my monthly expenses, so I avoid hiring too many too early.
Warehouse Staff
I normally start with two Warehouse Workers.
This gives me enough extra capacity without hurting my profits too much.
As my sales increase, I simply hire more workers when I actually need them.
Growing slowly has worked much better for me than hiring everyone immediately.
Office Staff
I also build two Research desks as soon as I can.
When hiring Researchers, I always reroll the hiring list several times.
I’ve found 5-star Researchers for only $100 per month, which is one of the best bargains in the game.
Taking a few extra minutes to reroll can save a lot of money later.
Software Developers
Unlocking Software Development is one of my highest priorities.
As soon as I research it, I hire a 5-star Software Developer, usually for around $250 per month.
The first upgrades I always purchase are:
- Maximum User Capacity
- User Acquisition Rate
These upgrades dramatically increase my business growth and help me scale much faster.
Marketing Campaign Upgrade
Once my monthly income reaches around $7,500, and I have researched Online Marketing, I switch my campaign to Online Social Media.
I buy the 30-day campaign and enable Auto Renew.
Although it costs around $4,600, I find that the additional traffic easily pays for itself.
After upgrading my marketing, I usually:
- Hire additional Warehouse Workers.
- Upgrade to the larger warehouse racks.
- Keep enough inventory to meet the increased demand.
This is usually the point where my business starts growing much faster.
Spread Your Wings and Fly
Hopefully by now, I’ve built a stable source of income and have a good understanding of the core mechanics of the game. Since this is a beginner’s guide, I’m going to leave it here. All I wanted to do was give new players a good start.
I saw a few comments in the discussion threads and reviews saying the game difficulty scales much higher than the demo. Hopefully, this guide helped me avoid those early struggles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which shipping company do I choose first?
I always start with Kumru Express because the 10% fee lets me keep more of my profits. It works well through the early game, and I usually don't switch until much later.
When do I move out of the garage?
I don't move as soon as the Small Office unlocks. I usually wait until I have around $15,000 saved so I can handle the higher expenses without hurting my business.
Should I change my marketing after unlocking Clothing?
No. I keep using the Print Poster campaign because it's cheaper and already covers several product categories. Clothing still sells without its own advertising, so I don't rush to change campaigns.
When do I hire more warehouse staff?
I usually start with two warehouse workers and only hire more when my sales begin to increase. This helps me keep my monthly costs under control while my business grows.
What should I research first?
One of my first priorities is Software Development. After unlocking it, I hire a good Software Developer and upgrade my Maximum User Capacity and User Acquisition Rate. These upgrades help my business grow much faster.