I sell onions on the Internet (2019) • Hacker News Board

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#51

Post by eightturn » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:07 PM UTC

kfk wrote: post #49

eightturn wrote: post #32

author here : ) happy to answer questions if you have any. We also have a twitter account here if you want to follow along: https://x.com/vidaliaonions

How would you market such a business in 2026? I am from an Italian region where farmer grow many special coltures, and I was always a bit surprised why they don’t try selling on the internet. I ended up convincing myself it is not a viable business model.

I'd still lean into a great .com domain, as it still gives you instant credibility. Also leverage Facebook, as my typical buyer hangs out there a good bit. YouTube has been helpful as well, as we try to share "behind the curtain" what life is like as a Vidalia farmer.

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#52

Post by dang » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:07 PM UTC

johnfn wrote: post #17

bell-cot wrote: post #13

233 points and 89 comments back in 2022 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32053044

It got over 3000 back in 2019!! https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19728132

Thanks to both of you! Macroexpanded:

I Sell Onions on the Internet (2019) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32053044 - July 2022 (89 comments)

I Sell Onions on the Internet - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19728132 - April 2019 (435 comments)

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#53

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:07 PM UTC

busymom0 wrote: post #44

eightturn wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the only tor joke I have: https://x.com/searchbound/status/1263578735724433408?s=20

Perfect opportunity for you to get your site on Tor then!

[deleted]

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#54

Post by MagicMoonlight » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:09 PM UTC

This is the kind of thing I’d like to do. I have so many ideas, but I’m not sure how to actually make them happen.

How much money does it take to start something like this?

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#55

Post by edm0nd » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:14 PM UTC

eightturn wrote: post #32

author here : ) happy to answer questions if you have any. We also have a twitter account here if you want to follow along: https://x.com/vidaliaonions

Is anyone really getting into trouble growing Vidalia onions not in Georgia?

Like if I plant some in my yard and start selling them online or at the local farmers market, what is anyone really going to do?

Seems kinda weird they have a government granted monopoly on them.

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#56

Post by eightturn » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:15 PM UTC

eightturn wrote: post #48

Imustaskforhelp wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hey good to see here! I have a quick question if I may ask but your whole journey and even the article starts with the "I’M ADDICTED TO DOMAIN NAMES" / Addiction to domain names. So I am wondering was there anything specific that caused this "addiction" (in a good way?) perhaps and has the addiction stopped after www.vidaliaonions.com/ or is it still continuing?

What mainly caused it: I kept getting laid off, and that nonsense infuriated me. So I was actively trying to find ways to save myself. Great domains, via the expiry marketplace, slowly became an unfair advantage I could lean into and compete with larger companies, just because I owned this unique .com domain. Hope that makes sense. I've written a few essays on my experience being laid off, if you're bored and wanna r…

oop, didn't see your 2nd question... yes, I still monitor expiring domain names... it's a very sticky habit, and ruthlessly fun... it's sortof like my morning paper.

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#57

Post by eightturn » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:16 PM UTC

jrecyclebin wrote: post #19

Great advertising for vidalias. I simply have to try one now.

author here.. our Vidalia season usually starts in late April - FYI. If you visit our website, submit your email there and I'll drop you a note when our order lines are open.

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#58

Post by bradly » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:17 PM UTC

cultofmetatron wrote: post #20

stephenlf wrote: post #7

Absolutely insane way to start a business. “Let me blow 2 grand on a domain name. Not sure what it’s for, yet.”

been sitting on fullstackjavascript.com for years. been too busy writing javascript to do anything with it and now I work almost exclusively in elixir.

I’ve had swiftbestpractices.com forever and still haven’t done anything with it. Meanwhile I’ve been going ham on my latest purchase of myfacespacebook.com. It’s weird the things that actually motivate us.

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#59

Post by steveklabnik » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:25 PM UTC

edm0nd wrote: post #55

eightturn wrote: post #32

author here : ) happy to answer questions if you have any. We also have a twitter account here if you want to follow along: https://x.com/vidaliaonions

Is anyone really getting into trouble growing Vidalia onions not in Georgia? Like if I plant some in my yard and start selling them online or at the local farmers market, what is anyone really going to do? Seems kinda weird they have a government granted monopoly on them.

It's a brand name, like any other. Usage of it requires fulfilling the brand requirements. It's like how you can't say a burger from Burger King if it's actually from McDonalds, even if it's a very similar hamburger.

But even then, this isn't uncommon for food and beverages. You can't call it "whisky" unless you follow certain requirements about the mash bill, barrel, etc.

(My dad, before his death, had started growing "Pennsylvania Simply Sweet" onions. Because you can't call them Vidalia.)

Re: I sell onions on the Internet (2019)

#60

Post by Aurornis » Thu, Dec 25, 2025, 7:27 PM UTC

edm0nd wrote: post #55

eightturn wrote: post #32

author here : ) happy to answer questions if you have any. We also have a twitter account here if you want to follow along: https://x.com/vidaliaonions

Is anyone really getting into trouble growing Vidalia onions not in Georgia? Like if I plant some in my yard and start selling them online or at the local farmers market, what is anyone really going to do? Seems kinda weird they have a government granted monopoly on them.

There are a lot of food and drink items with official legal definitions that include the region of origin. The most famous one is champagne, which can only be called champagne if it comes from a specific region.

You can think of the name as being inclusive of the region, not simply descriptive of the variety. So if someone made a sparkling wine in a different region and sold it as champagne then they would be committing fraud.

> Like if I plant some in my yard and start selling them online or at the local farmers market, what is anyone really going to do?

At your farmer’s market? Probably nothing. But if you came across a particularly grumpy person with time and money to burn on lawyers they would have a case against you. Not actually going to happen at that scale. But if you owned vidaliaonions.com and started selling fraudulent vidalia onions at scale, the farmers would likely get together and pursue legal action to protect their prices.

It’s almost like a brand. You can sell LEGO-style bricks but you can’t call them LEGO because they didn’t come from the LEGO company.