Check out the wholesale market for low prices and great deals.
Own a business? Buy for large groups (scouts, students, family)? Allergic to paying retail? Any of these reasons is good enough for you to explore the world of buying wholesale.
Hard Core Buyer or Casual Shopper?
If you always buy large quantities of merchandise, it would be a good idea to obtain a business license and reseller's license. Some wholesalers will not sell to you without these permits.
In addition, the licenses are your ticket to trade shows that are not open to the public. Here, you can find a multitude of items priced below retail. You can also get on the mailing list for major trade shows. These events sell everything from furniture to the latest fashions at wholesale prices.
When applying for a business or reseller's license, make sure you understand what fees, taxes, and bureaucratic red tape are required to keep you out of trouble. Depending on the state, you may be able to get a reseller's license for free. However, you are responsible for collecting sales tax on products sold within the state. Assess the cost verse expected savings from buying wholesale to determine if it's worth the trouble to obtain licenses.
To get a business license, you must be in business or planning to start one. You can legitimize your business status by turning a hobby or talent into a business venture. For example, a weekend furniture maker sells a few pieces to friends and a business is born.
Even the casual shopper may benefit from obtaining business and reseller's licenses. You get access to non-public wholesale events and wholesalers that don't sell to the general public. In addition, you can make a little money off the deals you find. Buying wholesale usually means purchasing large quantities. While you don't need three dozen cashmere sweaters, you can keep a few and sell the rest to friends, or, via online auctions and at flea markets.
No License, No Problem
Although business permits give you more access to buying wholesale, you don't have to have a license to get wholesale prices. Wholesale businesses often have special times they open to the public. Prices will be a little more, but you still pay less than retail. Check the Yellow Pages to find local wholesalers and ask if they have public sale hours.
Consider buying wholesale from liquidators. Liquidators buy huge quantities of product from manufacturers and retailers. These items are usually discontinued, damaged, or from a previous season and prices are often below wholesale. You can find liquidators in the phone book or on the Internet.
The Internet is also a good source for buying wholesale merchandise
especially for those who don't want to bother with permits and buying in bulk. Many Internet wholesalers don't require a minimum purchase.
Another option is to join an association that buys in bulk. The combined purchasing power of a large group lowers the cost of merchandise. Warehouse clubs such as Sam's Club and Costco are another good source for prices that are close to wholesale.
Wholesale Grapevine
Use your network of friends, associates, and family to find wholesale buying opportunities. Your interior decorator neighbor may grant you access to her wholesale contacts. The local florist may be willing to let you in on a sweet deal on dried flowers. Beware though - these folks may require you to engage their professional services in exchange for buying wholesale through them. Weigh the cost of doing business with them against potential savings from buying wholesale.
Sources
"How to Buy Wholesale," (ehow.com)
"Five Secrets to Buying Wholesale," (majon.com)
If you are a stay at home mom you may be getting the urge to do something more with yourself. You may want to make a bit of money while staying at home with the kids all day. One of the best ways for any stay at home mom to make money is by using eBay. This may sound a bit far fetched, but the fact of the matter is that thousands of people have turned eBay into a full-time job. And to take this a step further, there are many people who have become millionaires by using eBay to buy and sell items. If you work hard at it, you can be next in line for the profits that are being made on eBay everyday of the week.
At this point you may be wondering how eBay can make you money. This is something that a lot of people have on their mind. Using eBay to make money is quite simple. You will list items for sale, and then wait for other people to bid on them, or purchase at a predetermined price.
But in order to get started with this you will need to have items that you can place for sale on eBay. There are a few ways that you can go about getting these items.
1. To find items to sell on eBay you may want to become a regular at garage sales and flea markets in your area. At these events you can buy items for cheap, and then turn around and sell them for a large profit on eBay. This is one option that a lot of stay at home moms opt for when looking for items that they can sell on eBay
2. Another option to consider is making your own products, and then listing them on eBay. For instance, some people make crafts such as candles and then list them for sale. You may not think that there is a large audience for this type of thing, but there are many people that make a lot of money doing just that.
3. Stay at home moms can get their start on eBay by selling items that they have laying around the house. Chances are that your garage or attic is full of junk that you no longer use. But just because you think that the items you have are junk does not mean that somebody else will. By just selling items that you have in your home you may be able to get your start on eBay. And with the money that you initially make, you can then in turn buy more items. Pretty soon you will notice that your profits are growing.
posted by Chris Simpson
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Saturday, September 16th 2006
How many times have you heard about a great home business opportunity? Probably more than you care to remember. But to go along with this how many of these home business opportunities ended up being a scam? Again, probably quite a few. Hopefully, you were never the victim of any of these scams. But unfortunately there are others who probably fell for these "opportunities". The fact of the matter is that these scammers would not be wasting their time if they were not making any money. And as long as people continue to get mixed up in this business, these scammers are going to stick around to trick more and more people.
The best way to avoid a home business scam is to thoroughly research each opportunity before you move forward with it. This means doing much more than simply reading a bit about it online. You may get lucky and end up with a good home business opportunity, but chances are that you will not. Not only will you want to read what is available on the site itself, but you will also want to search for other information as well. Check with third party review sites and on message boards and forums. You may find out soon enough that a certain company has been reported as being nothing more than a scam.
You may also want to check with the Better Business Bureau if you are thinking about getting involved with a home business opportunity that you are not sure of. They will be able to tell you if they have any complaints on file. If they do, you will want to avoid the opportunity at all costs. But if it appears that a company is doing business the right way, you can continue your research.
Before you decide to do anything, attempt to get in touch with the company that you are interested in. Can you get them on the phone? Do they respond to your emails? If you cannot even talk to a company before you start, there is not a chance that they will be around when you need them. This is one test that you can run early on in order to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable company. If you do happen to get an employee on the phone ask them questions in order to get some feedback on the company. Anything that will give you better insight into the home business opportunity is a good question.
Overall, home business scams are all over the place. Do your part in putting them out on the street by not falling prey. The best way to do this is through extensive research and questioning.
posted by Chris Simpson
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