With the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, many of its residents had to leave the country. Ukrainians scattered around the world, working, settling in new places, and helping their fellow countrymen. It is very difficult to start from scratch and achieve success. We spoke with Vladyslav Baranovskyi, the founder of AOVI Corp, which includes the New Wave Store, as well as Ebay sales on the Second Life platform, about how not to lose hope, but rather stay afloat, create, and grow a business
Vladyslav, you currently have the offline store New Wave Store, and you also sell products on Ebay’s Second Life and other platforms. How did your business start?
It started with an idea. When my family and I first arrived in the U.S., I noticed that most Americans park their cars on the street. I understood why this happens when I started observing what people do when they open their garage doors. The entire space is completely packed with stuff, leaving no room for the car. U.S. residents love shopping and don’t spare time, space, or money on it. On the other hand, I saw that there are many auctions where buyers try to find something at a good price, win something, or save money; they are a passionate people. I had long dreamed of coming to the U.S. and buying a storage unit (where Americans keep their things). That’s how it all came together. We started buying storage units and selling the contents on online platforms.
And then you decided to open a physical store?
The idea of opening a store came about when I realized that there are platforms where people can buy things at affordable prices, but they can’t personally check the item, see it, touch it, or evaluate its condition. My wife and I planned to sell both new and used items, so we paid attention to the stock in Marshall’s, Walmart, and Target supermarkets. We would just walk around and observe what interested people, what they bought, and what they were willing to pay for. This helped us form our store’s inventory. We went through this path ourselves, trying different options, purchasing various products, listing them online, and watching people’s reactions. Now we have a store where you can save 30 to 50% off the retail price of products. There are no stores like this in Sacramento. It’s important to be the first and implement an idea before someone else does it.
What is the address of your market?
The store is located at. 1250 Howe Ave, Sacramento, New Wave Store, suit 6.
Are the items in your store new and used in equal proportions?
Initially, the idea was to open a store combining both new and used items, but our landlord said that all goods must be new or nearly new, so we have about 85% new items and 15% used ones, such as returns from Amazon, Target, or other platforms.
What are the main differences between your New Wave Store and other stores where consumers already know they can buy cheaply?
It was important for me that our space was atypical for Americans. One of our clients, who is also Ukrainian but has lived in Europe and the U.S. for a long time, said: “You guys are doing great, keep maintaining the European level of your store and bring in European brands, not American ones. I will keep coming to your store regularly.” The format of our store is a bright space, nice equipment, products beautifully displayed on shelves, everything is cleaned on time, and the service is great—we smile, and the customer should feel comfortable in the store. I carefully select high-quality goods, aiming to minimize Chinese products. At the same time, our products are affordable because we have a few competitors nearby who also offer good prices.
How do you source products from Europe?
It took me a long time to find different platforms, online auctions, and access to sites where I could buy these products. I spent a year and a half on this. Mostly, I make purchases online. There are open auctions available to anyone, there are closed ones where you register as a business or legal entity, and there are auctions by invitation only.
But you haven’t given up on “items with history”?
We sell used products on online platforms, particularly on Ebay, where we have two stores, as well as other platforms available in the U.S. We run both online and offline sales in parallel.
That’s a lot of work! Do you have any assistants?
Yes, we have a team because it’s a colossal amount of work – 20,000-30,000 product listings that need to be tracked, posted, responded to, and shipped to customers.
How do you manage to combine these two forms of business? Which do you see a better future for? What is your forecast?
For me, physical sales cannot exist without online sales; they must be run in parallel. If something doesn’t sell in the store, you put it on discount, and if it still doesn’t sell, you can list it online – there’s a wider audience there. The U.S. market is progressing, technologies are developing, and many people have already become accustomed to shopping from home.
Are the prices the same for online and offline products?
There are some products I can’t list in the physical store – these are branded items like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, etc. I can only sell them on Ebay with authentication, so most luxury goods or those requiring verification, I sell on online platforms. Overall, the prices are the same in the physical store, although each platform has its own characteristics. For example, Ebay charges a high commission – 10-12% per sale, so some items are more profitable to sell offline, despite the rent, equipment, and employee salaries.
Do you plan to sell goods from Ukraine?
My wife has acquaintances in Ukraine who run a creative workshop where they make embroidered shirts and natural linen clothing, so we may soon present their products. We are also negotiating with people who make seasonal holiday decorations, particularly for the New Year holidays.
What is the hardest part of your business for you right now?
The hardest part is taking responsibility for everything every day – inventory, staff, etc. These are constant risks. You also need to be able to handle the constant pressure, stress, and workload. You need to endure the fact that after success, you sometimes find yourself back at square one, losing money. You have to learn from this and move forward, finding strength.
Where do you find the strength? How do you avoid giving up when faced with many problems?
We know that the U.S. has been in a recession for two years, and this crisis affects every sector and business. But I’ve set a goal for myself that, regardless of profits, I have to keep moving forward. I understand that in a year or two, the results will be better. Once, I came across James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, and for me, its main idea is to improve yourself in small things. There are things you need to work on constantly, so for example, now we track customer feedback and continuously improve everything to keep raising our rating.
Why did you decide to move specifically to the U.S.?
To me, America is somewhat similar to Ukraine in terms of doing business. The adaptation here is not as difficult, and there’s a good attitude towards entrepreneurs, especially immigrants. We initially lived in Germany and had enough friends and opportunities to stay there, but we didn’t like it – high taxes, even compared to California, and you will never be a German or fully accepted. Another important factor was the church. We feel more spiritually comfortable in the U.S. than in Germany, where there are certain challenges, like a shortage of churches. This also influenced our choice.
What are your immediate plans?
To open another store of the same format, as I still want to work with storage units. I want a store with furniture, clothing, and children’s goods – basically, a segmented store, but keeping the same format and quality. And I don’t plan to stop selling on online platforms – I want to keep improving that as well.
