educational

Tasteful or Tawdry? A Toy Story

Elizabeth had asked me for some advice on starting a potentially profitable adult Web business that was not the typical "hardcore fuck fest" that seems to have become all-too commonplace. She wanted to find something "comfortable" enough to deal with if her mother ever "found out..." Here's her story:

How It All Began:
I was bored and looking for something new and different to do, and I had heard that there was lots of money to be made from working at home on the Internet; but by doing what? Since I'm a pretty open-minded girl, and I know that "sex sells," I thought that finding a way to make money in the adult business was a smart thing for me to try — or was it? I didn't want a "hardcore porno" site or anything really "nasty," but was that really necessary? Couldn't I just find a profitable, sexy, and interesting "hobby / business" that was "clean" enough that it wouldn't embarrass me, and not so "sleazy" as to make me want to throw up?

Toys for Twats
I decided to have a look around the Web: It didn't take me long to come up with something, and that something was an adult toy store! What a great idea! *I* like to "experiment" with a variety of dildos and vibrators, but I've always been embarrassed about going into a sex shop to buy them. Since *I* myself would be much more likely to purchase something "naughty" online, and from the "anonymous" comfort and safety of my own home, I reasoned that other women (and men) would want to also!

But what was the best way for me to set up my toy store? My mind raced with the possibilities and pitfalls. Would I need to rent warehouse space? Would I need to process orders, then box and ship these products — or would I have to hire someone to do it for me? What about customer service, returns, and all the rest of it? I sure didn't like the idea of answering my customer phone calls at all hours of the night...

I had so many questions, and so few answers. I surfed the Web and looked at all the toy stores that I could find, and researched the ways in which they operated as best as I could. My efforts finally paid off for me, when I discovered Internet Fulfillment (https://www.imfc.com/), which claims to be "the largest provider of online adult shopping." Hmmm, free help from a large, established, professional operation? Where do I sign up?

Turnkey Technology
What Internet Fulfillment promised was the fast and easy setup of my own customizable adult sex toy store, one where my customers could pay using all major credit cards, money orders or personal checks, and where the company would handle all of the order processing and customer service issues. Best of all, not only would they set up my store free of charge, they would pay me a 30% commission on all of my sales! Since I felt that a 30% profit margin on my toy store was a reasonable enough return, why not go with a program like this, and leave all the inventory, customer service, and site maintenance hassles to someone else! It was worth a try...

I obtained a new Web site domain name and hosting account, then had my ISP make the "DNS" changes that were required to setup my store (which is hosted on Internet Fulfillment's servers, but has my site's address). The whole process was painless, quick, and didn't take a penny out of my pocket: Altogether, this was a quick and easy way for me to start "getting my feet wet" in the business without risk or expense, and I have a great feeling about my new project. But will I make any money from this endeavor? I have little to lose, and will be delighted with ANY sales that I might make.

I'm not too sure how much (if anything) that this new site will make for me, but it looks good, and I like it: Since I didn't spend anything yet to make this happen, I have little to lose, and will be delighted with ANY sales that I might make. I'm still full of questions like "How can I promote my site so that I can get some customers to it?" and "little" things like that: But rest assured that when I have some more answers, I'll be back to share them with you. In the meantime, I think I'll take a look around my new site, and see what bit of happiness I might like to order for myself:

Copyright © 2026 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

A Hands-On Review of AI Camera Monitoring for Retail

Years ago, I was deeply involved in upgrading the security camera system at a store in Hawaii. The process took several months. We provided store diagrams, mapped out camera lines of sight, waited for quotes, then coordinated with a contractor to install everything. It cost thousands — and by the time I left that position, the system still wasn’t fully operational.

Zondre Watson ·
opinion

How to Build Operational Resilience Into Your Payment Ecosystem

Over the past year, we’ve watched adult merchants weather a variety of disruptions and speedbumps. Some even lost entire revenue streams overnight — simply because they relied too heavily on a single cloud provider that suffered an outage, lacked sufficient redundancy and failover, or otherwise fell short when it came to making sure their business was protected in case of unwelcome surprises.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Turning Fantasy Fans Into New Creature Play Shoppers

Adult “creature play” is no longer just a niche novelty. There’s even a term for this kink: teratophilia, meaning sexual attraction to monsters. A heady mix of sensory novelty, curiosity about unfamiliar bodies and potential power dynamics has made lusting after and role-playing mythological creatures more widely accepted. The erotically captivating allure of otherworldly beings has even become prevalent across pop culture, from “True Blood” and “The Shape of Water” to Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and “monster boyfriend” romantasy literature trending on TikTok.

Naima Karp ·
opinion

Building a Stronger Strategy Against Card-Testing Bots

It’s a scenario every high-risk merchant dreads. You wake up one morning, check your dashboard and see a massive spike in transaction volume. For a fleeting moment, you’re excited at the premise that something went viral — but then reality sets in. You find thousands of transactions, all for $0.50 and all declined.

Jonathan Corona ·
trends

Signals Ahead: Pleasure Brands Track the Rapid Convergence of Tech and Intimacy

It’s complicated. As the pleasure industry enters 2026, many industry observers predict that the coming year will be shaped not by a single game-changing breakthrough or standout celebrity partnership, but rather by the slow, powerful alignment of consumer psychology, economic reality, cultural openness and shifting demographic needs.

Ariana Rodriguez ·
opinion

A Creator's Guide to Starting the Year With Strong Financial Habits

Every January brings that familiar rush of new ideas and big goals. Creators feel ready to overhaul their content, commit to new posting schedules and jump on fresh opportunities.

Megan Stokes ·
profile

Kyrie Hara Fuels Tenga's Growth as U.S. Sales Lead

Kyrie Hara is making significant moves. After racking up sales and general management experience during her 14-year run with Hawaiian retailer Sensually Yours, Hara has quickly embraced her role as the newest U.S. sales lead with Japanese manufacturer Tenga.

Women In Adult ·
profile

Alex Feynerol Discusses Svakom's Male-Focused Brand, Kaotik Labs

Over the past 13 years, Svakom has built its brand on sensuality and emotional intimacy, focusing on elegant design, wellness-oriented messaging and accessible pricing for vibrators and couples’ products — what the company often describes as “affordable luxury.” Recently, however, the company has had to adjust its traditional marketing tactics to fit one particular category steadily gaining prominence: male masturbators.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

Pornnhub's Jade Talks Trust and Community

If you’ve ever interacted with Jade at Pornhub, you already know one thing to be true: Whether you’re coordinating an event, confirming deliverables or simply trying to get an answer quickly, things move more smoothly when she’s involved. Emails get answered. Details are confirmed. Deadlines don’t drift. And through it all, her tone remains warm, friendly and grounded.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Why Midlife Men Are the Next Big Bet in Sexual Wellness

The recent shift toward supporting pleasure for perimenopausal and menopausal women — a topic once treated as taboo — has clearly been a major breakthrough for the sexual wellness industry. However, there is an equally important yet often neglected market to consider: midlife men.

Karen Bigman ·
Show More