=========================================
Auction Strategists Newsletter
Brought to you by Jenni Hunt
www.jennihunt.com
In this newsletter:
=========================================
1. Taking Control From eBay
2. Finding Inventory in This Economy
3. Heads Up:
– Miss Monday Madness?
– Offline Biz
4. How to subscribe or Change your subscription status
=========================================
=====================================
Last year when I started this Auction Strategists Newsletter, I promised to only send our a newsletter when I had quality content to offer. If you are like me – you are bombarded from every direction with all kinds of INFORMATION… the last thing you need is just another thing to read.
At the same time, you have probably been looking for ways to grow your eBay business in this crazy economy… I have spent most of the last year analyzing different strategies that I’ve used and that many of my mentors have used to grow their business and I’m really looking forward to sharing with you what I have learned.
More than anything – I have noticed a gap in the helpful information that is available to you as an eBay seller… there are some great resources for learning how to sell better and increase your bids/sales/etc. But, what if you want more? Any business owner recognizes that putting all your eggs in one basket (ie., eBay) isn’t wise. What if you want to add baskets or various revenue streams? Again, there are some fabulous resources out there that teach how to grow an online business… but, who do you listen to? I’ve spent 6+ years learning about internet marketing. I’ve bought into some cheezy stuff in that time… and I’ve learned who to trust. I am more than happy to share these resources with you… and often have; however, I’ve noticed something… and this is where that gap is. Many eBay sellers are having a difficult time applying the strategies that ‘internet marketers’ are teaching to their eBay business. It is likely that you understand that adding a blog, for example, is a good idea for your business – you’ve probably heard that many times… but do you understand the why? And, if you do… do you understand how to apply a blog to your current eBay business so that it grows what you already have going instead of starting over?
These are questions I hear all the time… and I’ve been wanting to help answer them for well over a year now — but, personal stuff has gotten in the way… until now.
I’m very excited to let you know that this is my focus… to help you grow your eBay business so that you are so dependent on the revenue that comes from selling through auctions. I’m here to help you build a strategy that will add a variety of revenue streams to what you already have going so that when eBay raises their fees… or does some crazy policy change, you won’t care so much because you won’t have all your eggs in that basket.
We are going to start with blogs… they are easy to implement… easy to generate income from… and easy to use to help grow your eBay income/business. Be ready to hear a bit about blogging… because I have a lot to say about it 😉 And, It is my hope that you will be able to glean some valuable information that will help you add baskets to your business… Isn’t it time you took control away from eBay? It is your business after all…
Stay tuned – and be ready to explode your business!
Jenni
=====================================
=====================================
2. Finding Inventory In This Economy
=====================================
I’ve started a series about finding inventory in this economy for my HuntedTreasure and MyToyGuide readers… but, it occurred to me that even if you aren’t selling children’s items you could benefit from the series as well.
I’ll include the intro to the series below… it’s all about how I find inventory at yard-sales for pennies.
—–
Last week my mom called me to let me know that she had picked up a bunch of Disney store princess dresses at a yard sale. She thought my daughter might want to wear one to Disneyland for our visit next week. Now, if you are one of my regular readers, you know that I consider my mom to be the queen of garage sale bargains! Seriously. You can mention something that you are looking for – and she will find it for pennies on the dollar within a week or two at a yard sale. I didn’t mention that we were looking for princess dresses. Actually, we decided to just do regular shorts and top for the visit… but, my mom couldn’t pass them up at $.50 each. Yes – the decimal is in the right place. That is 50 CENTS for EACH Disney Store Princess Dress… Sleeping Beauty, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and a couple of others. I am telling you garage sales are THE #1 place to find children’s items for resale! And, if you have little ones of your own – you can make it a morning out with the kids. I’ve found that my three kids absolutely love to go treasure hunting with me!
There are, however, plenty of people who have tried hitting garage sales and have let their disappointment discourage them enough that they won’t go again. If this is you – I’d like to ask that you stick around for a while. I have found that it really helps to have a plan… a strategy… when looking for inventory at garage sales. These next few weeks – I’m going to share my plan and how I have made garage sales work for me as an eBay seller.
First of all, don’t think it is too early or too late to get started. Garage sale season tends to pick up in the spring and through the summer… even into the early months of fall you can find a number of sales in most neighborhoods; however, you can hit garage sales any time of the year. We live in a society where people have a lot of stuff. Too much stuff, in fact! And, we keep getting more! Moving sales happen any time of the year — and the good thing is that, even though there might not be as many sales during the off-season, there are less shoppers which makes finding a good bargain easier.
Not only are garage sales a great place to find inventory during any season of the year… the present state of the economy provides a huge opportunity if you are looking to grow your inventory. People are desperate to generate some sort of income – and one way to do that is to sell your stuff. I have a feeling that this year is going to be a hot one for yard sales simply because people need to get rid of their stuff to make ends meet.
Finally, I have to say – you can find almost anything at yard sales! I’m always amazed at what kind of ‘junk’ people have and want to get rid of… but, more than any other thing else, I see children’s items – and lots of them – at sales! Children need a new wardrobe every year and they outgrow their toys in just as much time. Parents don’t have a reason to store the clothes if they don’t have younger children (even so… many parents want new clothes for the next in line) so they have a sale and sell them for pennies on the dollars… PENNIES! (Remember those Princess dresses I mentioned earlier? Just to give you an idea… here is a dress JUST like one she picked up http://tinyurl.com/ct23ft)
Children’s clothing, books, toys, gear — they are all plentiful at yard sales… and can usually be found in decent condition because kids grow before things wear out.
Have I convinced you that yard sales are one of the top places to find inventory for children’s items that you want to resell? Well, if you are still on the fence – take a peek at these items:
1. Medela Pump In Style – I picked one up at a yard sale for $50. Check out this auction for one that is identical: http://tinyurl.com/dz8wa9
2. Found one of these for $40 – the Kelty back pack stroller combo:
http://tinyurl.com/ctspk8
3. I paid $10 for this… and it kills me that I didn’t take the time to resell it on eBay after my kids enjoyed it. I knew it would have done well – but, was lazy and brought it to consignment where they sold it for a whopping $15! (Consigment stores are another great place for inventory – they usually don’t have a clue about eBay values of their inventory): http://tinyurl.com/cx5zsr
4. This Little Tikes Grand Mansion dollhouse usually does better than this auction – http://tinyurl.com/c2egth ($69 sold) – but, I picked up a LOADED Grand mansion for $40. It came with people, decorations for the different seasons, furniture… for $40! I’ve seen these sell for way over $100 with all the stuff that can go with it. We still have ours – but, I’ll be selling it when my daughter is older.
I could go on and on… We found a paper grocery bag stuffed with GI JOE action figures and accessories for $5… a huge bin of Star Wars figures and ships for $10 (the bin would have sold for that without any of the toys in it!)… A box full of girls costumes for $5 – including Disney, Dorothy, etc…
You can find these kinds of deals too… You just have to know how to plan a strategy and what to look for. At the end of these next few weeks – you’ll have a plan in place and be ready for the busiest yard sale season of the year.
I want to make sure I’m answering your questions about hitting yard sales with a plan for building your inventory. If you have a question – please send it my way and I’ll be sure it gets addressed!
========================
3. Heads Up
========================
***HEADS**UP***
=================
Monday Madness is changing a bit…
Watch for Monthly Madness 😉
We are going to be offering a great resource at an incredible discount – always 5 bucks (or less!).
Stay tuned for the next Monthly Madness – If you are in the market of children’s items you won’t want to miss it.
=================
***HEADS**UP***
=================
I have found that in this economy businesses that are ‘offline businesses’ are much more open to creating strategies for growing an ‘online’ arm to their current business. Just understanding the value of having an online presence puts you leaps and bounds ahead of these offline businesses… and it means you can likely help them out!
Jim Cockrum has put together a site that coaches you with how to help these offline businesses generate online revenue – and it is a great resource!
Parts of the forum are available to non-members – so you can check it out and see what it is all about… but, there is a huge opportunity out there to help these businesses tap into what is online and get paid top dollar for it too.
You can learn more here:
http://www.helpofflinebiz.com/
=============================
Thank you for subscribing!
=====================
Copyright 2008 Jenni Hunt, www.jennihunt.com
You MAY reprint any of the articles in this newsletter for any purpose as long as no portion of the article is modified without permission.