A passion for skincare 

Karusha Naidoo from Mount Edgecombe in Durban has been glowing on Bob Shop since January 2016. That’s because over the last 7 years, she’s become one of our biggest sellers of Korean skincare and beauty products – also known as K-beauty. 

A long-time fan of K-Pop and K-dramas, Karusha couldn’t help noticing that her favourite singers and actors all had healthy, beautiful skin – even without makeup. As she’d struggled with her own skin since high school (and not enjoyed much success with her regular products), Karusha was intrigued. 

The start of the adventure 

Back in 2014, Karusha began trying to sell the Korean products that had worked for her, initially only using Facebook. She admits that she was very new to online selling, and (in the days before BTS took over the world), sales were very slow. 

However, as K-Pop and K-dramas became more popular, more people started discovering that Korean skincare and makeup products were now available in South Africa and the demand steadily grew. 

Making it official 

In 2019, Karusha transformed her hobby into an official business, and registered for a SARS importer code. She describes her journey since then as a mix of both awesome and more challenging times, but has always been determined to achieve her goal of introducing more South African consumers to the benefits of quality Korean skincare and the regimes that go with them. 

Like many online sellers, Karusha began with posting items for sale on Facebook and Instagram and processing orders manually. However, as her business gee, this proved impractical and she needed to find a way to streamline order processing, manage payments and increase her online presence. 

Great features for sellers 

Karusha found the answers she was looking for with Bob Shop (then known as bidorbuy). She credits our marketplace website with helping buyers to find her online, and with increasing the number of orders she receives. Selling on Bob Shop has made it possible for her to run KawaiKaru as a one-woman business. Karusha also particularly enjoys the fact that customers can review and rate the products they buy from her, as this builds confidence and trust. (Karusha’s Bob Shop store has a 100.00% Positive Ratings score, so it’s clear that people love her K-beauty products and the great customer experience she provides). Bob Shop also lets Karusha reach customers nationwide and message them with updates on their orders- all from the comfort of her own home. 

A shared journey 

Karusha has definitely got the glow these days, in part thanks to her favourite brand Ginger6, and especially their 2 in 1 Essence Toner (currently sold out, but new stock is on order). This certified vegan product contains 80% ginger extract and is specially formulated to bring through the anti-ageing and brightening properties of the ginger. 

Karusha hasn’t always had the amazing complexion she enjoys today. As she describes it, she had ‘really bad skin’ as a teenager and grew frustrated with the lack of results from the products that were available locally at the time. 

This has given her a unique insight into the skincare challenges faced by her customers, and has made her determined to make efficient and effective skincare available to people needing a gentler option for sensitive skin. 

A true Bob Shop success story 

After 7 years as a Bob Shop seller, Karusha has definitely picked up a few tricks. Her top tips for anyone wanting to set up their own online store success story are to look at the sort of items that are in demand, and to start small, with just a limited range of products at first. She also cautions against overstocking products, unless you can be certain that they will sell well. You can find KawaiKaru here.