Why YOU Need this Education Conference!

This is not directly related to making money online with auctions, but most of the speakers at this conference own online businesses. Many of them started at eBay and grew their businesses! You will love my favorite online mentor and best friend in the whole world, Rhea Perry. While many of us are learning now what it means to think "outside the box" and struggling with re-teaching our thinking processes, our children have an advantage. If they learn early on how this phenomenon called the internet works in making them some money, they will be miles ahead of us who are just now tapping the money fountain online.

Don't set your kids up to be laid off.

If you are concerned about the job market for your kids or for yourself for that matter there is something you can do to ensure their financial security.

Obviously, not everyone knows what that is or our economy wouldn't be where it is.

Well, veteran homeschool mom of 7, Rhea Perry (pictured with my Dh to the left) , has invited educational experts and veteran homeschoolers to give you their secrets of success, educational insight and encouragement to help you protect your children from ending up living a sub-standard existence. If you don't know how to do that, here's help.

Parents and teens from 30 states, including California, are already registered toattend what is being called the education event of the year.

Next weekend, March 3-5, 2006, history is going to be made in historical Nashville, Tennessee as a team of experts spend 3 days revealing the secrets of educating teens to think entrepreneurially at the only event of its kind.

And it's not too late to make plans to join them! Read more here: Education Conference

Book Sale Strategies

At a Friends of the Library sale it can get quite overwhelming.

Be informed before you go.

If it is a large sale it will be tempting to grab books and throw them in your bag. We have learned with experience to be a little more discerning (even if you are going to look them over later). Do your homework and know which books sell best.

We usually will plan a strategy of who goes where. My boys know the boys’ series titles that do well, so they’ll head to children’s chapter books or young adults. My hubby knows cookbooks well so he’ll head there. He’ll head over to the specially priced books and do a quick scan since most of the time they are overpriced or really not worth their asking prices. The FOL volunteers usually use Abe’s high end prices to justify a title’s worth. Then my dh will head over to the non fiction money or business and look for real estate and stock market courses. My daughter knows designing books and some non fiction so she’ll head there. I go to the children’s picture books. Then they will loop back around and help me go through every box, one book at a time, on the children’s tables since that is our selling niche. We do a quick scan and grab titles that we know, and then we go through individually.

If you are going on the pre-view night then you will want to arrive early to be near the head of the line. Take along totes with wheels, if at all possible, or be sure to have outer garments to toss over your book bags/boxes if you place them in a corner to hold. Not every FOL sale will allow folks to pick their books up and sort later to decide to buy, but most do. We usually park an older child near our boxes since some folks get mixed up and end up rifling through your finds. (Not sure they are mixed up when you have your personal belongings covering them.) Some people have bags or boxes that say “sold” on them so others will know they are not just sitting there to be gone through. When you sort try to go to a out of the way corner (not always possible) smell and flip throug gh all the pages. I can’t tell you how many times we have forgotten to thumb through the books and brought home broken and/or torn paged books.

Julie Anna

Helping book sellers stay informed through research services!
http://www.familybusinessideas.com/ebaylinksubscription.html

What Do You Love?

Here is another way an eBay seller can stand out and become quite successful; through niche markets. I was reading about eBay niches. I especially love the topic of sub niches but let’s stick to the basics since I am only learning here.

A niche can be defined as a specialty. When people talk about a niche market they are referring to a specialized market. There are thousands of categories on eBay. Additionally, there are many more sub-categories. It would take several lifetimes to barely scratch the surface to become even a little knowledgeable in only a few niche markets on eBay. So what does an eBayer do?

Look at your dreams. Yep, sit back and dream a little. That’s simple, no? What would you like to be doing right now besides reading this wonderful blog? J Hold that thought! Did you think about a loved hobby? Did you imagine yourself creating something? Perhaps doing something? What were those thoughts revolving around? Did your mind gravitate towards a book which highlights an interest you love to read about? Aha. Write them down. We’ll get back to that later.

Specialist defined:

One who is devoted to a particular occupation or branch of study or research: “Specialists... tend to think in grooves” (Elaine Morgan).

Is that a rut? Absolutely. A niche or specialty is a focus, devotion, an obsession, perhaps. Lots of folks don’t realize it but they “study” their hobbies. How many folks do you know who devour every how to book on their particular hobby? They sign up on email lists or internet boards, along with others who love, what they love and they chat. They glean information about their hobbies by just talking, reading about and doing. Is this not research?

Here’s where it gets really nice. You’re already miles ahead of the game since you know something about your niche, or area of interest. Not only do you know something, you enjoy it. See, how this is getting better by the minute. Other people are like you and have the same interests. They are collecting information, products, or items to indulge their whims in their hobby. They may not have all the resources you have. This is where you can make money. You will be making money through being an expert or resource to others in the same area of interest as you. The bonus is you have fun, too! What else can one want in life?

So, now back to the dream list. Look at the three most interesting areas you dreamed about. Use single or short phrased words to describe those fields of interest. Write these words down. They will become your keywords in which you will research to find which particular interest is the most profitable and worth your time to pursue as an internet business.

Examples of these keywords might include; mod decorating, boating, biking, nature walking, painting, handmade jewelry … in reading; science fiction, children’s books, education … in collecting; bears, cats, tea pots, antiques, dolls

Now research. Plug these words in, or derivatives of the words that may apply, into eBay’s advanced search. Be sure to check “completed auctions”. Voila. What popped up? Would it be worth your while to find items revolving around this interest to sell? Can you find additional items related to this subject to sell?

Hopefully the wheels are turning. I hope to post later in continuation of this subject.

Michael & Julie Anna Schultz
Collectors and consultants of fine out of print children's literature
Owners of Book Jewels for Children
http://www.BookJewelsForChildren.com

Email us at: Clan4God@rochester.rr.com