How to Make $100-$250 Weekly on eBay for 3 Hours Work

Three local secret auctions

Going to auctions is one of the best ways to increase your chances of finding more lucrative resalable items. The local auction items I find and resell on the Internet, compared to the thrift store items ,are the most profitable. As I learn more about local auctions the profit I make from them has continued to grow and far exceeds what I make from the thrift stores.

There are three types of auctions in your city that almost everyone you talk to will have never heard of. I have made excellent profits and some surprising good buys at storage warehouse auctions, non profit organizations auctions, and one of the most unusual actions, the airport auction.

Let's start with the most unusual first. In almost every large city the airport that services that city auctions off luggage and miscellaneous items left behind by tourists and travelers. While you would think that the airport merchandise would be limited almost exclusively to luggage, the amount of items that you can find is very diverse, and often of the best quality.

The first time I went to an airport auction I was astonished at the selection and prices that were being bid for luggage. There were over 400 pieces of luggage that none of the public were allowed to open.Many people bid between $50 and $80 for each piece of luggage. A few of them bid much higher to my surprise. I had gone to this airport auction in the hopes of finding a small and inexpensive laptop computer or some good cameras, since I am always looking for more photographic equipment to spend my money on.

I was disillusioned at first by the high prices the people were bidding for the cameras. Some of them were bidding a higher price for a camera then what it cost retail.

I had arrived late to the auction (not good)and did not get a chance to look at all of the items before the auctions started. I did manage to have a good seat up front and when I saw some golf clubs that came up for bid I realized suddenly that they were one of the most expensive sets that you can buy. I managed to pickup both the set of clubs and a saxophone that someone had unbelievably left behind at the airport.

I told myself earlier before the auction that I was not going to bid for any luggage that I could not open and determine what was inside. A family next to me bid repeatedly throughout the auction and eventually had won over 16 pieces of luggage. I asked them about their purchases and they told me that although they did not know what was inside they had made a large sum of money doing this previously and were gambling that they would be lucky again.

The auction fever eventually caught me also and I found myself bidding on a piece of luggage that seemed to be very heavy and made a clanking sound as if it were full of tools. I bid over $40 and then the auctioneers assistant dropped the luggage and the bag sounded as if it held dishes instead of tools and I was glad that someone else outbid me.

Since that first auction, I have been back to the airport auction every time it's been held and if I don't always make a large profit I always have a good time observing my fellow auction goers and their spending habits.

There is strategy you can use to your benefit at an airport auction. If you know someone who works there they may be able to tip you off and inform you of what is actually in the luggage. Very often airport employees bid on the luggage at the auctions I have attended and I am sure they know what's inside them.

I think the best strategy is to inspect the brand or make of luggage available and then bid only on the most expensive pieces of luggage. If you are unlucky and there are no profitable items inside than you may always get your money back by selling an expensive piece of luggage. Used luggage resells for a very small amount of money when I have researched the market for it.Sometimes it doesn't sell at all. However, there are certain types of luggage that always sell and is extraordinarily expensive- you could make a killing reselling it. The Louis Vuitton is probably the most famous type of this luggage. Hartman is another expensive make although considerably less expensive than Louis Vuitton.Certain Vuitton luggage sells for over $1000 used on the net. (Make sure you can tell the fake from the real, so you don't get suckered.)

It stands to reason that a person who is flying with an extremely expensive set of luggage may, by chance, have something expensive inside the luggage also. I would not bid on luggage that was heavy just because I hoped it had a lot of expensive items. You may just end up with a piece of luggage full of books or magazines.

The last auction strategy you can use is timing. I have noticed several times that the bidding at the airport auctions becomes less vigorous and expensive as the day wears on. This is normal at most types of auctions you will attend. On the other hand, the people bidding in the early part of the auction often appear to be on drugs by the high amounts that they bid. If something comes up that you want early in the auction then you may be disappointed by the amount of enthusiastic, competitive bids offered at some auctions once it gets rolling. At some auctions though, including the airport ones, I have noticed that the very first one or two items sometimes go for a very low bid if most of the people in the audience have not been to that particular type of auction before. However, this will only happen rarely but you may want to take a advantage of it and bid as little as possible on the very first item and see if you get lucky. You may not have any competition on the very first couple of items, but watch out after that.

I think you may also have some luck by asking the auctioneer to auction off a particular item you are interested in first if it is going to be a very long auction. If you are interested in only one item out of 500 it would pay you to bid on that one first, and then leave to save time. By having it as the first auction item you may also get lucky and snap it up while everyone is sleeping. If it is going to be a long auction (and all of the airport auctions I have been to are long) than you want to be prepared. Bring something to eat and something comfortable to sit on- those folding metal chairs can be hard after awhile.

I don't want to give you the impression that the only thing that you will find at the airport auction is luggage, although the majority of finds will be just that. I have seen racing bicycles, sailboards, construction tools, footwear, medical instruments, assorted art, sporting goods, enough cell phones for a small town, and a framed Blue Morphos butterfly. The only valuables I could get any of my fellow auction goers to admit finding in their luggage was cash and lots of watches. I am not sure what the procedure is if you find anything illegal in your luggage.

I am sure the airport searches them before you bid on them, but some of them are locked and cannot be opened without the manufacturer's key. If you need to purchase another key for your luggage you can call or write the manufacturer and usually get a replacement .If you call 1-800-5551212 you will get the business directory assistance for help in accessing the toll free phone numbers of most major manufacturers.

The STORAGE WAREHOUSE AUCTIONS

are quite simple. You will frequently find them listed in the classified section of your newspaper. The goods that you will find are items that people have left in storage and for various reasons refused to continue paying the storage fees on and lost the ownership of these items. Normally, you will find household goods but occasionally you will find various collections that you can take advantage of. You can also find some extraordinary bargains here. All of these items were possessions that someone once cared for and wanted to keep so they are usually in decent shape and good working order. The bulk of the items found here will be furniture that you will never be able to sell- but this is one of the best places to run across collectibles, memorabilia, art, pottery, antiques and silver.If you are a silver or art expert these are great auctions to attend. You can also find assorted personal collections.

People are always collecting God -knows -what and passing it along to another member of the family who doesn't really care about it but doesn't have the heart to get rid it or sell it, and since it's taking up space it ends up in storage and sometimes in an auction. One of my neighbors picked up three huge boxes of Lionel trains and accessories that were viewed as outdated toys by someone and are now his treasures.

Storage auctions offer the biggest potential for finding and taking home huge bargains- more so than any other type of local auction. You can make (or lose) more money at this type of auction than almost any local auction. The antiques, art, and silver will often be auctioned for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. The quality of some of the items is that good. You will almost certainly have some extremely knowledgeable competition at these auctions. You will also be competing against some of the storage employees who have literally had months to catalog and ascertain the current value of the items that will be auctioned.

Don't be discouraged by this competition, in fact you can watch and learn from them, and when you come across an item that you know exactly what it is, and its true worth, and its current demand, then you can bid on it accordingly and all of the experts attending the auction can learn from you.

Many of the NON PROFIT CHARITY ORGANIZATION AUCTIONS can be extremely profitable. The one in my area is largely unknown.Call up your local nonprofit thrift store and ask if they have auctions of large donated items such as cars or boats. I am surprised by how few people know about these auctions and how few people attend them. Most nonprofit organizations accept donations of large items, such as automobiles, boats and recreation vehicles. The previous owners of these items are able to obtain a large and healthy tax deduction for their items, and the organization gets their merchandise for free.

Some of the cars that you will have the chance to bid on at these auctions are not worth the price of the scrap metal that they are made out of. However, If you know a little bit about auto mechanics then these are some of the most consistently profitable auctions you can attend. I have found some very profitable items at these auctions. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to drive cars before you bid on them.

The normal procedure at these auctions is for the organization to have a preliminary preview where they start the cars up one at time and then bid on them after they are started. You are allowed to go into the cars but not open the hoods or start them yourself. You can often get good tips from the people who work at these organizations and sometimes if you go early you can just ask the auctioneer point blank what he thinks is the best bargain at the auction that day. Sometimes you will get surprisingly accurate and honest responses.

Telling you how to buy a used car is beyond the scope of this block. That would be subject for an entire book by itself. There are some hints and tips I can give you though.

Before you buy any cars, boats or recreation vehicles, ask yourself the three famous questions. What exactly are you buying, how much is it really worth in its present condition, and what is the current demand?

There will be certain cars at the auction that are popular with a crowd and it impossible to buy them for a profitable price. In my area, Toyota is a very popular car and goes for a high price. Cars such as Isuzu and Peugeot are much more uncommon and are often overlooked or bid low.

It will pay you to look thoroughly inside the car for tip-offs as to what type of care it received from the previous owners. A practiced eye can tell you volumes. I once almost bid on a Peugeot that had quite a few miles on it but it looked extremely well kept, but I saw underneath the seat a manual on fixing electrical problems for that model. In my experience, electrical problems are difficult and expensive to fix and cars that have them should be stayed away from at all costs. I changed my mind about bidding on the Peugot.

When the car is first started , pay close attention to the exhaust and the color of the smoke if any comes out. Black or gray smoke is a tip-off of engine problems but white smoke is just gas and is not that uncommon if they flooded the engine when they started it. Even though you may not be allowed to drive the car, you can still ask the auction assistant who is starting up the car to put it in gear and move it forward and back a few feet to help you verify that the transmission is not shot.

Try to find the most expensive or luxurious edition of any model to bid on. When these cars are new they are priced much higher than the lower economy models- but when they are older the price between them and the economy model is almost zero. However, the more luxurious models will often be more robust and easier to resell for a higher profit.

If you have a decision to make between a car that has a small amount of rust, and one in which the interior is shot, always pick the one with the small amount of rust. You can fix rust with a little body work very quickly. On the other hand, getting rid of bad odors or fixing upholstery and the interior can take a long time and may still not be sufficient enough for you to sell the car with a profit. Don't even look at a car if it doesn't have a well cared for interior. In many states ,you are not allowed to sell more than a certain amount of cars without getting a dealers' license.

This is a part of your business that you should start slowly. Go to a couple of auctions first and then ,if you must, only bid on one car. For the first couple of auctions you should just think about which car you would bid on and for how much. Get an idea of what sells well in your location and for how much. Think about what's the cost of body work and minor mechanical repairs will cost you before you start bidding. You need to factor in those costs along with what you know you can sell it for to arrive at what should be your maximum bid. Since you are never %100 sure what the true mechanical condition is of these cars are, you should always keep your bids to just a few hundred dollars. Let the other auction goers bid several thousand on a great looking car- you should play the percentages and stick to the sure things. You also want to find out how much you can get for a car as scrap value in your area in case you make a big mistake and have to junk it.

The amount of money that you can make with these low end cars can vary a lot, but if you are not spending a lot then your risk is minimal, and it is a good way to learn this part of your business.

I generally buy a car for $300, and spend another $150 for painting and miscellaneous. I can then usually sell it for between $850 and $1,100. Once your asking price goes over a thousand dollars you will start to get a lot more sales resistance. You are basically selling low cost transportation. Try to pick a reliable car, a car that has a good reputation for reliability will keep you ahead in the game and will make you feel more comfortable when you are selling it. Consumer Reports Magazine can give you the most trustworthy data on which older cars were the most trouble free.

Most cities have car auctions associated with either the police department or the city works department. These auctions are frequented by a larger amount of people and the prices are usually much higher. You still may want to attend these to see how they operate in your area. If you are good at mechanics, this part of the business can easily grow into a much more profitable permanent business. If you look in the newspaper every week there are literally thousands of cars for sale in any major city. There is an extremely large demand for inexpensive used cars. By learning how to purchase, detail and market these cars you will have a very profitable lifetime job skill. A good, inexpensive place to sell your car is at Classifieds2000.com.

I have been talking mostly about automobiles in this section, but I have also found some extremely good bargains with boats at these auctions. I am a bit of a boat nut, and I know more about boats than I do cars. I have bid on some boats where the trailer alone was worth more than what my winning bid was. Boats are easier for me to bid on because there are less variables. You do not to need to start them up and drive them around. What you see is pretty much what you get. I am talking about sailboats though- for motorboats you still have the problem of guessing about the engine condition as you do with the cars. In fact, you have a bigger problem, because at these auctions you don'tnormally get to start up the boat engines.

Chapter THREE   Government Auctions

GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS!

The local auctions that I covered earlier are not the only auctions to be found in your area: US Government Auctions take place all over the USA, and the world. Anywhere we have a military base there is surplus property to be disposed of. The military is required to list for sale everything before they dispose of it- from empty oil drums to Condos in Hawaii.

You don't need to buy any extra information from any third party to buy surplus Government property. If you click on to their sites you will get all the information you need to view and bid.

Some categories such as Real estate and surplus boats and vehicles will have photos to view the item. I can not believe how much Real Estate the military is always selling. Right now they are selling a small parcel of land in Hawaii near a National Park overlooking the Pacific. It looks very isolated but idyllic. They recently sold some property with a log cabin on it. It was on an island in Washington State. Two of the nice things about these surplus items is that they are often of high quality and you can usually purchase them in large lots and increase your profits

Don't forget the US Customs auctions either. They are held frequently in my area and have a wide assortment of items- just be careful though, a lot of the Customs items can not be sold here and have to be exported, but if you are familiar with exporting then you should definitely attend. :

These are some of the Agencies that have auctions you can participate in.

U.S. Marshals Service

U.S. Customs Service

US Government Surplus Auctions

Defense Reutilization Marketing Office

General Services Administration Reutilization

U.S. Postal Service

U.S. Government Seized Property Auctions

Internal Revenue Service

Small Business Administration

U.S. Government real-estate

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Small Business Administration (SBA)

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

INTERNET SITES for GOVERNMENT AUCTIONS

GSA Auctions http://www.gsa.gov/public.htm

GSA Property Auctions http://www.gsa.gov/property.htm

US Customs Auctions http://www.treas.gov/auctions/customs/

United States Postal Service http://www.usps.gov/consumer/auctions.htm

FCC Auctions http://www.fcc.gov/wtb/auctions/Welcome.html

IRS Auctions http://www.treas.gov/auctions/irs/

SurplusUSA http://www.surplususa.com/

Defense Reutilization & Marketing Service http://www.drms.dla.mil/

FDIC http://www.fdic.gov/index.html

Tax lien Research Center http://www.investorsnet.com/taxliens/tlcs-rc/index.html

Abamex http://www.abamex.com/

Larry Latham Auctioneers http://www.lathamauction.com

Financenet http://www.financenet.gov/sales.htm

Lone Star Auctioneers http://www.lonestarauctioneers.com/

McCormack Auction Co. http://www.auctionweb.com/mccormac/

SWICO http://www2.cy-net.net/~swico/index.html

BEL Auctions http://www.bel-auction.com/

Erkelens Sales & Auction Co. http://www.erkelens.com/erkelens2.htm

TNT Auctions http://www.tntauction.com/

WW-Sales http://www.ww-sales.com/

Tampa Machinery Auction http://www.tmauction.com/

Manheim Auctions Government Services http://www.govservices.com/guns.html

You can buy goods at these stores that do not always appear at auction. Let me know if you find any bargains.

U.S.GOVERNMENT RETAIL OUTLETS

This listing of info can be found at:

http://www.6com.com/govern.htm

**Call store for exact address and confirm hours of operation before visiting.**

*All stores closed on government holidays.*

STATE TOWN DAYS/HOURS OF OPERATION PHONE# ================================================================================== ============== Alabama Huntsville Wed 0730-1130 205-842-2570 3rd Sat 0700-1130 Montgomery Th&F 0800-1430 334-416-4196 Every other Sat 0700-1100 ================================================================================== ============== Alaska Anchorage Temporarily closed 907-552-3766 Fairbanks F 1230-1330 907-353-7334 ================================================================================== ============== Arizona Huachuca Tu, Th 0800-1200 520-533-7027 Luke M-F 0700-1400 602-856-7144 Yuma M-W 0800-1300 520-341-2748 ================================================================================== ============== Arkansas Little Rock M 0800-1200 501-988-3720 ================================================================================== ============== California Edwards F 0800-1400 805-277-2209 March AFB Tue, Wed, Th, 0900-1400 909-655-7118 and 1st Sat of ea month ================================================================================== ============== Colorado Colorado Springs W,F 0900-1500 719-526-4382 ================================================================================== ============== Connecticut Groton M-Th 0800-1300 203-449-3523 ================================================================================== ============== Delaware Dover F 0800-1200 302-677-3201 ================================================================================== ============== Florida Eglin M,W,F 0800-1200 904-882-2822 Jacksonville T,Th 0900-1200 904-772-9249 Patrick AFB T,Th 1000-1400 407-494-6507 Pensacola W 0800-1200 904-452-2451 Sat 0900-1500 Tampa F 0800-1200 813-828-2872 ================================================================================== ============== Georgia Fort Benning F 0800-1500 706-545-6020/3497 Forest Park F 0900-1500 404-363-5117/5118 Fort Gordon Call for dates 0900-1500 404-791-3749/2487 Fort Stewart Call for dates 0900-1500 912-267-4645 Warner Robins F, 1st Sat/Month 0800-1200 912-926-2164/3437 ================================================================================== ============== Guam Guam Call for dates 0800-1530 011-671-339-2187/7147 ================================================================================== ============== Idaho Mountain Home Th 0800-1600 208-828-2306 ================================================================================== ============== Illinois Great Lakes M,W,F, & 3rd Sat 1000-1400 847-688-3655 Rock Island M,W 1000-1400 309-782-1617 Scott AFB M-F 1000-1400 618-452-4464 ================================================================================== ============== Indiana Crane F 0800-1100 812-854-1554/1728 Indianapolis 1st & 3rd Sat 0800-1400 317-377-5175 ================================================================================== ============== Japan Okinawa 1st Sat/Month 0800-1330 011-81-098-879-0042 Sagami Call 1st 0900-1500 011-81-427-55-8279 ================================================================================== ============== Kansas Fort Riley F 0800-1300 913-239-0535 McConnell AFB F 0900-1400 316-652-4098 ================================================================================== ============== Kentucky Fort Campbell 2nd Th-Sat 0800-1400 502-798-4762 ================================================================================== ============== Louisiana Barksdale Tu-F 1000-1300 318-456-8638 Polk F 0830-1230 318-531-4068 +++++Closed on Gov't holidays. Please call the DRMO for store hours. ================================================================================== ============== Maine Brunswick NAS Call for dates 207-921-2627 ================================================================================== ============== Maryland Aberdeen W 0930-1230 410-278-4785 Sat 0900-1200 Edgewood F 0900-1200 Last Sat 0900-1200 Fort Meade Tu 0900-1400 301-677-3595/6368 Th 0900-1400 Patuxent River Tu-Th 0900-1200 301-342-3316 ================================================================================== ============== Michigan Selfridge ANGB F-Sat 1000-1700 810-307-5191 ================================================================================== ============== Minnesota Duluth W 0900-1300 218-722-2536 ================================================================================== ============== Mississippi Columbus Last F each mo. 0900-1300 601-434-7466 ================================================================================== ============== Missouri Leonard Wood W 0900-1300 314-596-0390 Whiteman AFB F 0800-1200 816-687-3308 ================================================================================== ============== Montana Great Falls M,Tu,Th,F 0800-1400 406-731-6347 ================================================================================== ============== Nebraska Offut F 0800-1000 402-294-4964 ================================================================================== ============== Nevada Nellis AFB Tu,Th 0800-1300 702-652-2005 ================================================================================== ============== New Mexico Cannon W 0900-1400 505-784-2435 Holloman Th-F 0800-1400 505-475-3749 Kirtland W 0900-1400 505-846-6396 ================================================================================== ============== New Jersey Lakehurst M-Th 0800-1500 908-323-4079 ================================================================================== ============== New York Watervliet Call for dates 518-266-4112 ================================================================================== ============== North Carolina Camp Lejeune Th 1100-1330 910-451-5613 Cherry Point Call for dates 0900-1200 919-466-5826 Fort Bragg Call for dates 1000-1300 910-396-5222 Goldsboro F 1000-1300 919-736-6695 ================================================================================== ============== North Dakota Grand Forks AFB M-F 0700-1400 701-747-3780 ================================================================================== ============== Ohio Columbus Sat 0800-1500 614-692-3468 Wright-Patterson M-F 1000-1400 513-257-4291 ================================================================================== ============== Oklahoma Fort Sill F 1000-1200 405-442-3415 ================================================================================== ============== Pennsylvania Mechanicsburg W-F 0800-1300 717-790-3592 Philadelphia W-F 0900-1300 215-737-3723 Sat 0900-1500 ================================================================================== ============== South Carolina Ft Jackson Th 0800-1500 (Furniture) 803-751-7716 4th Th 0900-1200 (Retail) Parris Is Call for dates 803-525-2335 Shaw 0900-1200 date of sale 803-668-3556 ================================================================================== ============== South Dakota Ellsworth AFB Call for dates 0900-1400 605-385-1021 ================================================================================== ============== Texas Fort Bliss Th,F 0800-1500 915-568-8582 Dyess W,Th 0800-1300 915-696-5287 Fort Hood Tu-Th 1000-1400 817-287-8824 Reese F 0800-1530 602-750-3320 San Antonio W-F 1100-1400 210-925-7766 Sat 0900-1300 ================================================================================== ============== Utah Hill AFB M-F 1000-1700 801-777-6557 ================================================================================== ============== Virginia Fort Belvoir Tu,F 0900-1300 703-806-5501 Norfolk M-F 0900-1500 757-444-5366 Richmond W,F 0900-1300 804-279-4407 St Juliens Crk Th,F 0900-1500 804-396-0136 Williamsburg W 0900-1200 804-887-7261 ================================================================================== ============== Washington Fairchild Th 0900-1300 509-247-2350 Whidby Island Th,F 0900-1500 360-257-2501 ================================================================================== ============== Wisconsin Sparta Tu 0900-1300 608-388-3685 ================================================================================== ============== Wyoming F.E. Warren F 0800-1300 307-775-3970 ==================================================================================

More Local Auctions

The State Surplus Agency is listed in the Federal GSA site. Most states are required to list and offer for sale all surplus property to let other State agencies acquire it first, and then any qualified non- profit organization. If you are a non- profit agency then this is a great place to pick up items, even real estate.

County Tax Lien Auctions are a good place to get a very high return on your money with almost no possibility of loss. You bid on the interest rate the city or county will give you to pay someone's delinquent property tax. The property owners have to pay your money back with the interest rate you bid on or the owners lose the entire property. So long as you don't bid on an a toxic waste dump and end up owning it and the accompanying lawsuits you can't lose.

There are some extremely costly websites charging over a hundred dollars for their Secret info on how to participate in County and city tax auctions.They assert you can pick up property for nothing with their advice, Maybe you can , but take my free advice and go see the County clerk and they will be happy to give you all the information you want for free. The more people that show up at the auction the better it is for the County or City.

The local Police also have pretty neat auctions; mostly cars and bikes and expensive small items that are easy to hock after they are stolen. Call and see if they won't tell you when the next one is. If they tell you they don't have one then ask them what did they do with your car that was confiscated when you tried to rob that Bank last fall? ============== HOME

 

Chapter FIVE Advertising 101

Having a small business and selling your own merchandise on the net is a wonderful way to learn advertising, one of the most important business tools you can learn.

Many people think that the business they are in is something different from what it really is. Crafts people take pride in making their products and think of themselves as crafts people, they think their businesses is making crafts. Writers think their business is writing books, artists think their business is making art. They are all wrong. Your primary business, if you are in a business, is selling and merchandising your goods, crafts or service.

One of the most important aspects of any business is the advertising of that business. Most beginners overlook this area. Some of them even think that this area is beneath them, that they are above the lowly commercial aspects of selling their products. Any time that you spend thinking about your customers, why they would want to purchase your product, and what type of advertising you could provide that would make them want to buy is time that will repay you greatly. The subject of advertising is really not that difficult and for our purposes , can be kept at a very simple level.

Many large corporations are finding out that they have made expensive mistakes by not keeping their millions of dollars spent on advertising connected to any basic advertising fundamentals. Some recent ad campaigns by billion dollar companies have won numerous advertising awards and have been recognized by the general public as extremely entertaining and tasteful. Unfortunately, studies done after this advertising appeared could not correlate any rise in the sales of their products.

These corporations spent millions of dollars on advertising and did not increase their sales at all, and in some instances sales actually went down. Some corporations have started to rethink their advertising logic. They are beginning to think that maybe they have strayed too far from the basic principles.

The most basic and perhaps the oldest principal of advertising can be summed up by the acronym A I D A. This stands for, grab their Attention, create Interest, generate Desire, and motivate to Action. Nearly every affective advertisement will have these four principles, with the last principle being, obviously, the most important , but the one most often missing in much advertising that you'll see.

Let's think about your ad. It's very obvious that you need to create attentionand you probably have thought of several ways to do that. Just by doing this you have gone farther than most of your competitors on your auction site. So many of them assume that putting their ads online is sufficient and they leave it at that.

Some advertisers on eBay go to the opposite extreme. They highlight, exaggerate, and capitalize everything in their heading. Not one thing in their header is less significant than anything else. The product or item that you are selling should always be capitalized or emphasized in some way. It should be set apart from the rest of your header Having done that, don't hide it by making everything else in your header capitalized or big.

The advertising objective of your header should be to set it apart from all the other ads. Use key words to pique people's interest. There are some words that will create an interest when they are scanning your advertisements header. Since so many people use the same words they lose effectiveness over time, but you can still get a good response from certain ones. The words free, secret, you, rare, unique, and bonus, have proven successful for many in the past.

Hot words will come and go- you need to scan all of the ads and see what words appeal to you and trigger your interest and use similar words in your ad,not the same words. It helps if you can stand out from the pack and not use the same words as everyone else. I think for a short time, half of the ads I saw were using the word banned in the header. One seller was getting a good response from this so it created a lot of copycats .

Some people use contrary words to promote puzzlement, or curiosity to get people to click on their ads and open it up. Since the cost to put your product for auction on most internet auctions is so low , you can experiment vigorously and see what words get the best responses for you in the header. Even if you have had great success with an ad in the past you still should change it from time to time to see if you can improve it even more. Don't change the focus if it is working- only the wording.

Once you have created a perfect header to make people pay attention to and click on your ad, you need to create interest immediately. As soon as possible, you should let your customer know how he or she is going to benefit from your product or service. Immediately! Sum up in one sentence exactly what you are offering and put it right out on the table so your customer knows what he is looking at. You want to present this information in the most flattering and beneficial light as possible to spark the interest.

This is where most people lose their readers. They haven't thought about what exactly they're selling, or why the customer would want to buy or what makes their products different or more beneficial compared to everyone else's. If your product is unique, a better value, or can save them a lot of time or money now is the time to say what benefit your customer will receive from buying your product. Try to answer the question-"What's in it for me?"Save the specific details for the third part of your ad, which is to create a desire. p>You have now created attention and interest in your product. Congratulations. Now comes your chance to create a desire for your merchandise. What would make anyone want your products? The customer, looking at your ad, decided they wanted a "widget." They looked at the header and they read the beginning and were interested. They then read your advertisement and you seem to be selling a pretty good "widget."Your potential customers realize they need one now, but why do they need this one in particular? What makesyour " widget"special? What makes it bigger, faster, smaller, newer, cheaper, quicker, more robust, more luxurious, more refined, more economical, more unique or rare? If you mentioned a quality in your header this is where you can go into depth about it.

Most advertisers on auction sites I have seen put the least amount of information required in their ads. This is a mistake. If someone is interested in your product they will read three pages, and more if you have them. If someone is not interested in your product it's unlikely they would have even opened it up to look at it. Normally, advertising is extremely expensive so we are used to seeing small amounts of information in most ads. Don't be stingy with your words here, spend an extra few minutes describing your merchandise, and most importantly, describing yourself, your business and the way you do it. You are not just selling your product but you are also selling yourself.

The last step of this process is action. This is where most people get confused. A surprisingly large amount of people think they know what they're trying to sell or get people to do in their advertising. Think about what you are trying to do. You probably think that you are trying to get a person to buy your" widget". Most people think that. To make your advertisement stand out and be more effective than anyone else's yo

 

Chapter SIX CATEGORIES

PROFITABLE CATEGORIES TO LOOK FOR

1. Cameras and Photographic Equipment

There has been a resurgence of interest in certain fields of photography and film making that make certain cameras and photographic equipment very collectible and profitable for you to locate and sell. Many of these items would have been difficult to sell recently and due to the fact that many people are unaware of their new value you can profit easily from them.

A renewed interest in film making by a growing number of film students has created a demand for superior, quality used Super 8 mm film equipment. To some extent, there is also interest in 16 mm film equipment but you will not find it as often. How long this demand lasts is anybody's guess, but pound for pound, and dollar for dollar, Super 8 mm film making is still one of the most inexpensive ways to learn the craft of film making. There is still film stock being made and available for these cameras, and the auxiliary equipment that was manufactured for them was very durable and simple to use.

I have to caution you that your focus needs to be only on the premium, quality, high end film making equipment. Most of the equipment you will find will be plain consumer models in fairly decent shape. Stay away from them. You want only the best models in very good or excellent shape. Thankfully, most of the places that you will find selling this equipment have no knowledge of the difference between the really worthless equipment and some of the best equipment ever made.

Projectors:

You will probably come across a large amount of projectors. Without exception, I would not buy any of them except an Elmo projector. I have found good Elmo projectors sitting right next to a Bell and Howell, and the Bell and Howell was being sold for twice what they were asking for the Elmo. (note: the Bell and Howell is good-but not profitable.) The Elmo projector is one of the best projectors ever made. You will sometimes find the 16 mm Elmo-C L for $10 or $20. It is a $1,600 projector. If it is in excellent condition, then you should be able to get over $200. These projectors are very robust and if it runs properly at the store and the lens is in perfect shape it is definitely worth buying. Most of these projectors were used in schools or businesses, and were stored away in a closet somewhere when video took over in the 70's. If your projector needs a minor repair there is still a factory representative in New York. This is also a good selling point,

Film Cameras

I have found hundreds of film cameras of nearly every make, model, and description. I only wish I could tell you that I've sold every make, model, and description. The most popular models, and those that sell for the highest money, are the ones that have been used by professionals. These are not generally consumer models. The 8 mm model that is sold the most frequently, and usually gets some of the highest prices is the Nizo. This camera, however, is not often found because it was made in Germany and sold primarily in Europe. When you do find one, it will be sitting right next to the Kodak that you can't give away and they will probably have the same price, with perhaps the Nizo even being sold for less.

Another good camera, and expensive, is the Beaulieu This make, like the Nizo, is not often found as the Beaulieu was made in France. The two most likely cameras for you to come across would be the Minolta, or Canon. Both of these companies manufactured a selection of high-end consumer and professional models that can be resold profitably. The Canon 1014 XL-S is considered to be one of the best 8mm cameras ever made. The Canon 814 XL-S isn't too shabby either.

These can be tricky items to buy and resell. I would never purchase any of these cameras unless the price was very low, and the camera was in pristine condition, especially the lens. Never purchase any film camera, no matter how small the price, if the lens is not perfect. Just walk away.

Some cameras are in excellent condition with the exception of their automatic zoom function. If the are no other problems then this will not hurt your resale price very much. If you don't actually shoot and develop a roll of film to verify that the camera is working %100 you need to give a very liberal return policy or sell it only as is and get a reduced price .Always let your customer know if you have tested it or not so they can test it themselves. If you have several cameras you can use one film cartridge to test all of them to reduce your testing costs considerably.

I always carry spare batteries to test all of the motors. The condition of the battery chamber is also critical, any corrosion or rust or poor wiring is not a good camera candidate. These cameras are very sturdy and other than the zoom and the cartridge motor they usually have very few electronic functions to go wrong.

There is one feature I confirm that all my cameras have or else I don't purchase them. That is a time lapse, or an intervalometer function. Many people are interested in time lapse and animated film and will purchase your camera just for that function alone. The Minolta Autopak models have an intervalometer that can be purchased separately and used to give their cameras a time lapse capability. This is a good selling point for this model.

There are some film cameras I purchase that I know I can't resell, but because they are so well made or were of such an unusual design, and their prices are so low, that I find myself buying them compulsively. In another section I talk about what items might be collectors' items in the future and would be good bets to purchase when prices are still low and there are few collectors. This is one such item.

Photographic Equipment

With a few exceptions, such as the ones I have mentioned, you don't want to buy and resell any photographic equipment, projectors and cameras , unless you are extremely knowledgeable and expert about what you are buying. Projectors and cameras however, can be tested prior to selling them and in many cases if the price is low enough they can still profitable be and sold as is. It's worth taking the risk and paying $10 for an item that you may be able to sell for $200 to $300. The photographic equipment you find will not be profitable for you to resell if it is not in perfect condition .You're going to end up being stuck with it for a long time if it's not in perfect shape.

Polaroid

One of the most interesting developments in finding and reselling cameras is the Polaroid situation. Although some people think that garage sales and Thrift stores were made solely to get rid of Polaroid cameras that no one wants anymore, there has been a renewed interest in certain old Polaroid cameras .

The Polaroid SX 70, that I continue to find for $5 will fetch $30 to $50. I shoot one exposure of pack film to make sure it's still working before I purchase it. This only costs a little over a dollar and is worth it. The SX 70 is becoming a cult item, and there are even some people establishing Web pages that focus just on them.

The other collectible Polaroid camera, I should say groups of cameras, are the Polaroid Land film cameras- models 100 to 400 that shoot film that peels off- not the pack film. Most of the cameras that used pack film are no longer worth buying because there is no film available for them. The Series 100 to 400 though still have film available and they are now being used by a growing assortment of people who are using them for the Polaroid transfer process.

The Polaroid transfer process allows you to take a photo and then remove the emulsion image and apply it to etching paper. In some cases, this creates a beautiful piece of artwork. Polaroid also sells a machine, that costs over $300, that you can photograph slides onto the Polaroid film without using the camera. Many people who want to inexpensively try the process are interested in purchasing an older Land camera to try it. When you sell these cameras on your auction site you want to let people know about this feature, otherwise they may think it's just another old camera that is obsolete. If you were to include a photo showing the completed transfer process you would increase your bids and prices a lot.

Polaroid has a phone number you can call to find out just about anything you would want to know about their product-1-800-225-1618

Another type of camera that has its own, or several web sites, is the PXL 2000 Camcorder made by Fisher Price, who makes toys. This was an extremely unusual film camera that used audio tape to take a video image. I purchased one new for $79 many years ago, and now they are being sold used for over $300. Several commercial films have been made in the last 10 years that used the PXL 2000, which was essentially a toy, to provide them with an image that only the PXL 2000 can provide. You get a degraded video image when you use this toy camera, but the novelty of it and the low cost is such a thrill that you only wish that they had caught on and lasted longer. There is a also a PXL 2000 film festival in California every year. These cameras are not often found either, but when they are the prices are usually extremely low. They are so simply made that if the audio tape rewinds and goes forward then there is usually little else to go wrong.

Rare and Expensive Cameras

There are a dozen volumes devoted solely to finding, collecting, and repairing old and antique cameras. There is not enough room in this book to go into detail on this matter. You do need to acquaint yourself with some of the more expensive brands in case you do, come across them. I would purchase anything with the name Leica, or Hasselblad. Especially if the price was low enough. Some cameras, like certain Leicas sell for over $10,000 and there are people making a living purchasing Leicas and reselling them.

WEARING APPAREL

Wearing apparel has many things to recommend, and very few things against it. It's quite easy to determine exactly what you are buying and the quality and condition of it. There is a consistent demand for certain high-quality items that you should be able to resell easily once you have found them. The downside is that there are very few profitable items in this category that you will be able to find. The desire for these items does change over time and needs to be watched closely for changes in taste.

My four biggest selling wearing apparel items have been certain ties, Hawaiian shirts, Armani jackets, and boots. All of these items are quick and easy to spot and should take very little of time, with exception of the Armani Jacket.

Armani Jacket

You will occasionally find some other man's jacket that sells, but the one designer jacket that sells more often and for higher prices than any other is Armani. Some sellers are even including the name Armani in their titles, such as, 'not Armani,' just to draw people to their item. I once found two Armani jackets in a thrift store that I had given up hopes on, and which I never seemed to find anything. One day I decided to go through their jackets one by one just to see what was there. I found two Armani coats for $6 apiece, and a Hugo Boss I bought for myself. If you want to gamble on any used clothing- before you do, research previous sales and results. I think you'll save yourself a lot of time if you just stick with Armani.

It takes a long time to go through coats and look at their labels but after a short while you can just look at or touch an expensive coat and tell it apart from the rest. Some of the stores I go into have several hundred to choose from. Looking at each coat and the label and material is a quick education in coats.

I have tried other coats, Trench coats, Camel Hair Coats, overcoats, Brooks Brothers, Calvin Klein, and the only other designers that comes close to Armani in resale value is Hugo Boss. You are still taking a gamble though even with Boss. If you try to sell a designer other than Armani make sure you have reviewed the latest prices for similar items. A designer I would pay attention to would be Versace, particularly since his much publicized and recent untimely demise.

TIES

When I first started selling I knew of several stores that sold ties for almost nothing, and I thought for sure I would be able to make a profit with them, but after doing research and trying some sales I only found two types to be profitable. After months of intermittent research on this particular category, I can tell you that the most profitable tie you can sell is the Hermes tie made in France. You are almost guaranteed to get 40 or 50 bucks for Hermes. The only problem is, I have never seen one in over a year of looking. And in fact, the only ones I have ever seen happen to be online- not at thrift stores. If you do run across any Hermes you need to grab it. There is, however, one type of tie that you can be almost guaranteed to get $20 to $30 for and is easy to locate if it is in the store. These ties are the collection of Beatles ties.

I have found these ties fairly often and have always been able to get $20 to $30 for them, especially if they are advertised in the Beatles collectibles section. The nice thing about these ties is that they are so easy to find because they stand out from the other ties. They have a graphic design on them that is representative of one of their songs. This means that they will have an item that you can identify instead of a pattern or abstract design typical of most ties .Whenever you see a tie with something that is recognizable as an object or thing then you need to look on the back of it and to see if it isn't a Beatles tie. By having this type of design that is different from all other ties they are found quickly if they are in the store. Instead of searching through ties one at a time and looking on the back of them, you can be done in seconds.

Non Beatles ties that have unusual graphic images can also be sold- but not as profitably: ties with fish on them can be sold to fishermen and ties with bikes on them might be sold to a bike store owner and so on. Just don't count on it to pay very much. Most of my ties are bought for less than $2 and are sold for over $20 to $30.

Hawaiian Shirts

The Hawaiian shirts are also easy to identify and save you a lot of time. Just go down the row of men's shirts and look for the traditional Hawaiian print. If you find one, and they are becoming harder all the time, look in the label and it should indicate it was made from silk or rayon. After awhile you can tell by just touching. Preferably, the label should indicate it was manufactured in Hawaii or California. The colors should be vibrant, new, and standout boldly. The larger sizes sell much better.

Some of the shirts go for over a hundred dollars. Do not buy anything that is polyester or even cotton. Stick with rayon and silk and made somewhere in the USA. If the pattern has designs that can indicate it is from the 40's or 50's then that is even better.

BOOTS

I have consistently made more money with men's boots then most other items. Men's boots, particularly cowboy boots, are one of the few items that do not have to be in perfect condition to sell them. Many men will consider a used cowboy boot to be broken in and actually better then a brand new pair. The prices I get for them are fairly stable since it is not a fad item and the prices are not so volatile like other items. The supply is fairly consistent, although I expect the prices and supply to dry up in the future as more people become aware of them.

Cowboy boots are not the only ones that sell well however. Motorcyclists, such as Harley-Davidson sell extremely well although are not very common. Other motorcycle boots and engineers boots are good bets if in excellent shape. English riding boots are also extremely profitable. You will usually find these in excellent shape since they were never walked in very much.

The best men's cowboy boots would-be Lucchese, Nocona, Justin, and Tony Lama. I would buy the Lucchese no matter what shape they were in because they have approached a fad item in price and demand, and although they are the most expensive available some people buy them just for the name, and not for their condition or appearance.

The condition of your boots should be explained clearly in your ad and your photos should show any imperfections so your customer will not get any surprises. If you have a choice of colors, pick one that is not black. Black never shows up well in your photos, and tends to look very plain and ordinary. Any fancy work, tooling, or special type of material should be a prominently mentioned in your ad.

Women's Boots

Woman's boots sell as well as men's but with certain conditions. The prices will not be very high and even then you won't be able to move women's boots at even giveaway prices unless they are of one of two types- Italian and in Perfect shape. The supply of merchandise is also so large that you will face stiff competition for your prices. Your best bet is to buy the best brands in perfect condition and research what other similar merchandise has sold for and price accordingly.

The best Boots to buy are almost always Italian and all leather. The best brands right now are Prada and Gucci. You will not to be able to sell many women's boots unless they are flawless and the most expensive brands available. Occasionally, you can slip in a pair of 9 West if it's a pair that someone doesn't have. Just don't count on it. For the woman's cowboy boots I would stick with the same brands as the men's, although 9 West does make some decent and profitable cowgirl boots.

SPORTING GOODS

Sporting goods are one of my favorite items. There is little debate or concern about what I am buying. The condition and brand is readily apparent. The prices when bought new are easily determined. The profit I will make by buying it and reselling is easily determined. Plus, I just like sports.

Getting to play with the sport equipment before selling it is part of the fun. Buying and reselling certain sporting goods makes you a lot more aware of other sports than you had been previously.

I had heard the English term 'sticky wicket' before but until I stumbled across a giant bag of cricket equipment I never really knew what a wicket was. If you are going to sell something you need to find out more about it. That's the fun of this little business. You are forced to keep learning new things.

Sporting goods are an excellent category because so many people are constantly taking up and quitting different sports that there is a constant flux of used equipment becoming available at very good prices and the demand for used equipment is fairly constant. There are also some closely related areas of sport collectibles that are heating up tremendously but it is so rare to find any sports collectibles or memorabilia that, although it's important to know that they exist and what they look like, it's unlikely to run a cross them so I will not go into them in any detail.

All of the sporting good equipment that I mention are items that I have found and sold consistently, and are items that you should expect to find too.

Golf Clubs

I only buy complete or fairly complete sets of expensive clubs, clubs of a recent style or brand with good grips and in very clean shape. There are so many sets available it doesn't pay to buy dogs. In fact, the only way I have found to sell sets of older, less expensive clubs is to offer them with another item, such as a well-known brand of golf shoe likeNike or Foot Joy.

There is a growing interest in the very old and rarer clubs as more people are getting into the game and I think that soon they may become an even hotter collectible.

In some stores, I can get used older clubs for as low as a 85 cents a piece. They will not always be matched but I can get a good supply of putters and wedges at this price. For some reason, most sets that I come across do not have any putters in them. Whenever I see putters that are very cheap I always pick them up. Always try to have one or two extremely good clubs or accessories if you are trying to sell a set of low-end clubs. This will make the set a lot more attractive. You must also be careful about the size of your clubs. Some drivers are extremely long and it is difficult to find boxes to ship the set with those big drivers. I once had to buy a lamp box from the Ryder Truck rental store just to ship a set.

Sometimes you will find golf accessories very cheaply, like balls, tees, indoor putting sets, retrievers, or even umbrellas. If these are extremely low and cost they make good bonuses to use with your merchandise. This will make your sets stand out from everyone else's. It will be hard to sell the lower cost sets unless you can make it stand out from all of the others. If someone is new to the game and doesn't want to spend a lot of money to start out, by offering a low cost set in good shape you should have no trouble selling it if you include some extras. Having a large supply of different size quality golf shoes to add to an inexpensive set of clubs can help sell them.

Golf Shoes

I have been lucky to come across a large quantity of high quality, low price golf shoes. These, as I have said, have helped resell the clubs I have put up for auction. The shoes by themselves have also sold very well. The easiest to sell are Nike, and Adidas. The Foot Joy also sell well but for a lower price. This is a case, however, where I think people are just buying brands. The Foot Joy, in my opinion, is a much better shoe and has been around for a long time.

The selling point for the shoes is the usual, such as name-brand and condition, but some shoes have removable cleats which is a plus and should be noted in your advertisement Some shoes also have plastic cleats as opposed to metal, and this is also a desirable feature. Golf shoes in top shape can be found in my area for $2 to $6 and can be sold for $20 to $35.

Tennis raquets

Tennis raquets, along with ties, were one of the first items that I tried to sell, and they bombed. There are literally thousands of wooden tennis raquets cluttering up the stores everywhere. The prices were so low I thought I had to make a profit on them. I bought five perfect wooden raquets in one of my first hunts for the web business. I still have four of them. They are beautiful pieces of equipment, and I think someday people will come to appreciate them, but right now I think that the best thing that anyone can do to market them is take the string off of the raquets and make them into a landing net for trout fisherman Who knows, they just might sell. ( I just might do it too :)

The one good thing about tennis raquets is that the prices for them are so low that occasionally an expensive racket will pop up in your rounds and you can make a profit off of it. Three of the better models you might want to keep an eye out for PRINCE Thunder graphite, the WILSON Hammer Titanium frame, and the HEAD Titanium S7. You can occasionally run across the best raquets and purchase them for the same price as the dogs.

Ski outfits

You would not believe all of the ski outfits I run across in Miami. I never paid any attention to them before, in fact they were quite invisible. If you've never gone skiing and only seen snow once you don't pay a lot of attention to winter sports items. Than one day, it dawned on me, that maybe someone might be interested in these. Let me tell you, the prices for ski outfits in Miami are pretty darn good. The first suit I sold was an Obermeyers man's ski suit, and it went for over 50 bucks- it only cost me $6. They are no longer invisible.

The man's suits sell for more than the women's suits but the men's suits are less common. The women's ski suits must be flawless to sell, and are almost never found without some imperfection unfortunately. You must also encourage the store that you shop at to use a different method of affixing their prices other than a big flat black ugly permanent magic marker. It's disheartening, and baffling, to find a suit in perfect condition imported from France, no less, and it will have a big black $10 mark dyed into the collar with their marker. It seems to bring the selling price down a little in my auctions.

If that suit you are buying for resale has an unclear size you will, without a doubt, get a dozen emails from people asking you to measure and guess at the size. None of them will buy. Get a tape measure and include every measurement you can think of for the suit. Try to make the photograph as flattering as possible so you don't make the suits look faded and worn. These items ship very well and take up little space. Just remember that the women's suit has to be perfect, and the sizes for both the men's and women's need to be as specific and accurate as possible.

Ice skates

Ice skates are the cheapest items that I find a with the possible exception of men's ties. I also sell them very cheap and don't make a lot of profit on them, but I get a kick out of selling ice skates from Miami. I don't come across them too frequently, but when I do I buy the best. I don't buy any skates unless they are made in the US, Canada, or England. No Taiwanese or Chinese skates are worth it, or at least the ones I have seen.

There are some competition skates like Coronation Ace that are more expensive and you can afford to raise your prices for these accordingly. For me, ice skates are just a bread and butter item that pay my gas and lunch money for the day. Do not buy any skates if you cannot determine the size. Unless the price is very cheap and you are willing to make a physical measurement of the size and you don't mind the risk having the darn skates returned.

Old Baseball Gloves

I have not sold any old, rare, and antique baseball gloves but I did find one. This glove was black, unlike the brown and tan leather ones you see today. I gave it to a friend who later determined it was from the 40's. There is a growing demand for these old gloves but they are not very common. I can't give you any specific information on these gloves but if you run across any glove that is black or is made like a mitten instead of a normal glove then you might want to take a chance on it. Especially if the price was low.

Nike Basketball Shoes

Hail Nike! Nike's Air Jordan basketball shoes are a collectible and a consumable item and a sport icon. They represent marketing genius and are a sign of our times. Certain editions of Nike Air Jordan go for over $400 used! I know people spend hundreds of dollars on certain mania driven collectibles, but when you can get over $400 for a used pair of sneakers I am in awe.

You will not find Air Jordan's commonly but they do show up, and it would pay you to look at the photographs of the different editions being auctioned on eBay to acquaint yourself with the different styles. The one easy to identify mark they all have is the little red Jordan player leaping into the air on the soles of each them.

This is a highly collectible item with a semi recognized grading system among people who trade in them. I would be careful buying because the prices you can get for them at auction is somewhat volatile. I also don't know how much longer the demand will continue but the supply of these editions was finite and limited, and for now the prices have only been going up.

The demand for the other Nike shoes is not nearly as strong, to put it mildly. You can usually get a very decent price for Nike golfing shoes but that is about it. I tried selling the hiking shoes and running shoes and cross training shoes and got poor results. Stick with Air Jordan.

When Japan's economy was on fire there were a lot of people making excellent money selling used Nike items to Japan. This market has all but dried up. Some of the older, and early Nike sportswear with the big wheel insignia, can still be found very cheaply and sold for very good prices. The condition is paramount. For some reason Adidas and Reebok never assumed a similar collectible demand as Nike.

Diving wet suits and equipment

I occasionally run across these, and seem to be finding more lately than in the past. The prices for these are not very high and I don't think I will get into them too much unless I learn more about them. If you are in the sport then it's an item that you might want to keep an eye out for especially since you should easily know if it's a good bargain or not.

Sports Memorabilia

As I said earlier, you will come across sports memorabilia only very rarely. It is an area though that you want to be aware of so you can take advantage of it if you do run across it. There have been some extremely profitable purchases in this area. I only like to give details about purchases and sales that I have had, but I would like to note that one of my neighbors made a tremendous buy in sports memorabilia at a local flea market recently.

A seller was getting rid of all his extra household items at a flea market and had started to display certain sports trading cards when my friend made him an offer for his entire lot. Evidently, this seller had no knowledge of what these cards were worth and sold the lot for $300. Several of the cards from this lot went for over $300 alone. My neighbor made over $4,000 on that one purchase.

I feel awkward about someone taking advantage of the ignorance of someone else, and am not sure if I would have done the same thing. However, it's easy to talk until it happens to you. I just feel a lot more comfortable about the idea of finding something of great value at an auction or thrift store. If a hundred other people walked by something and didn't get it then why not buy it if it's a bargain. Your only advantage in this business is your knowledge and you should get paid for it. OK, I'm done now. Sorry for the lecture.

SMALL APPLIANCES

The profit for these items is none too great, and you run the risk of purchasing something that does not work correctly unless you can test it thoroughly before you purchase it. This is rarely an option. However, there are some items that are so simple, and have such few things to go wrong with them that they make good items to gamble on. There are always new appliances coming into the market and displacing older ones that still work extremely well but are no longer fashionable. You want to stay away from those older items. You will only sell what is fashionable or what has become fashionable again. There is an exception for some antique appliances that I will go into later, but if you just stick to the four items I will tell you about you should do fine.

The most profitable small appliance you can purchase is the electric vegetable and fruit juicer. Sometimes, people go on a health kick and want to change their habits overnight. Usually they start noticing some unpleasant medical symptoms and start thinking that if only they start living and eating right those signs will go way. I know. That's what I did.

One of the first things I did when I thought I was having heart problems was to go out and buy a juicer as quickly as possible to start taking a advantage of all of those wonderful vitamins and nutrients in vegetables that I hadn't been eating for decades. LOL. To be honest with you, I wished I had purchased a juicer sooner because of the juice really is delicious. A good juicer is one of the best consumer items you can buy. The carrot, apple, and celery juice, when ice cold, tastes like cold melted ice cream to me. It's incredibly delicious.

Juicers, when they are new,can be quite expensive, but they hold their resale value extremely well. One of the best juicers you can get for resale is the Juice man and his Juice man Jr. juicers.I pick these up for $10-$15 and sell for $50-$85. They eject the pulp and make your cleanup extremely easy. The HP rating of their motor is higher than many similar brands. There is a big following of the Juicemans' juicing books and this has also created quite a demand for this particular brand of juicer. You do not find his juicers too often. The juicers you often find are the ones that eject the pulp into a small container that must be emptied often when you are juicing.

Vita mix makes another brand of juicer that is quite expensive and sells for over $100 used.There are some brands of juicers that are identical to the Juice man but not as well known. If you get these to resell you need to make it clear in your ad that the juicer you are selling has the same features as the Juice man to help your sale.

If you turn the juicer on in the store and it runs well without making a lot of rattling noises then it should be fine. Take it apart and look at the bottom of the screen basket to make sure the plastic has not been stripped where its slot fits onto the head of the machine. If it looks new and runs steady and well it is more than likely OK to buy. You don't want to spend a lot of money on your purchase of these but remember that you are likely to get close to 70 percent of the retail value when you sell it.

Another small appliance is the pasta machine. This is a low profit item, but one that you can readily determine if it is working properly. If it is, and still in the box and complete as many of them are you can easily make a quick profit with these. It is not unusual to find pasta machines in an unused condition. The imported ones seem to sell better than the domestic ones. By imported I mean Italian.

Bread makers will be found frequently and are also easy to determine if they are working probably. Sales are best if they are still in the box. This indicates they were a gift to someone and they were rarely or never used. I only buy bread makers if the price is very low and the model sold for a very high price initially. The prices have come down on bread makers so much that it doesn't pay to buy any of the lower priced models. The larger one-and-a-half or two pound models with many features will be the ones that sold for the most, although that doesn't make them any better machines. In fact, some of the lower-priced ones make superior bread in my opinion.

Antique appliances

The only antique appliances that I have come across and been able to sell with any profits have been electric fans. I know that there is a growing amount of interest in this area but since I grew up with a lot of these items it's hard for me to pick up on them for some reason. I seem to walk right by them. Even when I'm holding a waffle iron from 1929 it's hard for me to imagines anyone in their right mind would really want one of these and end up putting it back on the shelf anyway. It's sort of like the Nike sneakers. When I see someone finally pay $600 for a 1930's toaster then maybe I'll wake up. The reason I focus on the old fans is because I know I can always use them in case my air-conditioning breaks. The fact that I'm able to sell them is so much the better.

I haven't seen any focus on particular brands of antique appliances. The focus seems to be solely, right now, on design, the way it looks. The Art Deco highly stylized look is more important than any particular brand. You want to keep an eye on this category though because I think it has a lot of potential to go up.

......................................................................   Dear Reader, if you would like to read the entire book I can sell it to you as a book on a cd for ten dollars with free shipping and handling. I take cash, checks, money order or Paypal. I will also give you a free book on cd just for asking if you buy any other item from me on my webpage or ebay store.   Paypal can be sent to my email address cdbob@bellsouth.net   ebay store is at www.stores.ebay.com/mrhulot   checks or money orders at   Robb Moffett 9473 Abbott AVE APT#1 Surfside, FL 33154 USA       Here are just a few comments from the customers that have bought this book on eBay. To see more please view my other eBay feedback.   User: sanjo@infoblvd.net (3) Date: Aug-06-00 18:59:54 PDT
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