Finding Antiques And Collectibles To Sell On eBay

Many people who decide to make a living selling collectibles on eBay soon fail. I meet them in the line at the post office. They tell me they just quit their job in order to sell things full time on eBay.

I ask them, "What are you doing to find more items to sell?"

Only the people who can answer this question last more than a few weeks. The others soon run out of things to sell and just give up.

I got started buying trains and toys when I was in grade school.

My dad and I collected toy trains and we built up quite a collection over the years. We didn't have a lot of money so we ran ads, put signs up, handed out cards, networked and tried all kinds of methods to get people to sell us their trains to us.

We bought lots of trains and kept what we wanted then sold the rest in order to keep the cash moving.

Over the past 23 years we have refined a system that constantly generates calls. Here's a short list of ways to find and buy antiques and collectibles. These 10 strategies will get you thinking about ways to get sellers to call you.

Remember, you are always better off making someone call you rather than competing with everyone else to call a seller. My system is all about getting your phone to ring with sellers on the line.

When you go to yard sales, auctions and antique malls, you are in a race against all the other collectors and dealers. When people call you it is because you have made them think about converting their unwanted items into cash by selling them to you. You are in control.

Sure, you can go to yard sales and rely on luck. But if you are serious about selling on eBay you need to have a steady stream of collectibles coming in. You can't rely on blind luck or getting there before the other dealers.

You need a system to get a constant stream of new items coming to you to sell.

Here are 10 quick ways to get people to sell you their antiques and collectibles. These will get you thinking about ways to make your phone ring. I buy and sell toy trains, but so you can better focus on what you specialize in, I have substituted the word widget for toy trains.

1. Develop a marketing plan outlining exactly how you are going to make your phone ring.

2. Have a strategy that will make the seller want to take your offer. This is the psychology of buying and creating a win-win situations. Nobody wants to lose. Make every seller feel like they are getting a good deal and they'll bring you more business.

3. Ask the person in line behind you at the post office, bank, and supermarket if they have any widgets for sale. Being shy doesn't make you money!

4. Show off the widgets you have. There are MANY ways to do this. Let people enjoy the widgets you have and your phone will ring with others wanting to sell widgets to you.

5. Run ads that say "Top Dollar Paid For Widgets."

6. Send a letter to local real estate agents telling them you pay cash for unwanted widgets. They often encounter people anxious to sell.

7. Tell other widget dealers you will buy any widgets they don't want.

8. Pay others to find widgets for you by offering a finders fee to anyone that helps you buy widgets.

9. Send Thank You letters to everyone you've bought widgets from in the past, and remind them you pay cash when they get their friends and neighbors to sell you widgets.

10. Network, network, network. It's not as hard as you might think it is to spread the word in a community that you are the person to call when someone has a widget to sell.

About the Author

Terry Gibbs is a collector/dealer of old toys and trains, and teaches others how to buy and sell antiques and collectibles. Gibbs is the author of two best selling eBay books "The Auction Revolution," and "The Complete Guide To eBay Consignment Sales." He has also written numerous other books about buying and selling antiques and collectibles. Learn more at his website: http://www.news.iwantcollectibles.com

 Online Auctions: 5 Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Online Auctions

Online auctions are now the new gold rush on the internet.

It seems as if everyone is talking about online auctions. And why not. There are thousands of online auctions on the internet with more popping up everyday.

People love them because they can usually find great bargains. Businesses are now also seeing the benefits of online auctions.

Below are five ways your business can benefit from online auctions.

1. Get Rid Of Excess Inventory

You could sell your excess or discontinued products at an online auction. Your unsold inventory is doing you no good sitting around, collecting dust. It's an effective way to make extra income and it won't be a total loss for your business. You could even get lucky and make a profit depending on how much people will bid for. . . .
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 Online Auctions: How To Generate Fast Traffic From Online Auctions

Have you ever participated in any online auctions?

Yes, people are making piles of cash from online auctions.

And you can take advantage of this new gold rush to generate a lot of traffic to your own website.

There are thousands of online auctions on the internet.

People love them because they can usually find great bargains.

If you have an online business, you can use them to increase traffic to your web site.

You could create an electronic book or report that relates to your online business, then auction it off at an online auction.

You could increase traffic to your web site by placing an ad for your web site in the electronic publication.

Some online auctions will even allow you to link directly to your web site.

Electronic publi. . . .
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 Home Business Guide To Finding Your Own Online Business

Because tens of thousands of people all across the world want to know how they can work at home and earn enough money to run a household, there is a special need for this report. Today the need for women to work out of the home is stronger than ever. According to recent surveys, almost 70% are married and contribute up to 50% and more to the family income. Because family responsibilities play such an important part in the lives of men and women, millions of individuals and couples are seeking ways to make money online at home.

In the past decade online money-making, home-based opportunities that match a person's skills, interests, abilities, and ingenuity have become almost limitless. The purpose of this report is to show you that it's simple and easy to join the ranks of success-. . . .
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 Making Money Online: What You Really Want To Know

So you've been thinking of doing some internet marketing or you've done some and you're not making money yet. What does it really take? Even more importantly, how long does it take and how much does it cost? Isn't that what you really want to know?

The problem with this question is that there isn't a black and white answer. It's not like you can spend $500 and you will definitely get a specific result. For some reason though that's how people think it works.

A lot of folks buy this or that "how to" product and think it's going to magically make them money. The key ingredient to making money from these products you buy is to take action and do what they tell you to do.

Just like buying a piece of excercise equipment won't make you lose weight, buying the greatest "how t. . . .
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 Online Auction Sellers - Seize Control Of Your Business!

As the online auction model of business continues to evolve toward a more commoditized, corporate marketplace, it is time for online auction sellers to seize control of their business, before it’s too late.

In this article we will highlight some effective steps you can take to shift control back to your own business.

Why is it so important to seize control?

There are three Mega-trends that have the potential to hurt online auction sellers:

1. Increased expenses across all services that cater to online auction sellers. eBay recently increased their fees, Yahoo Auctions recently began charging fees for listing auctions with them. The U.S. Postal Service recently raised their postage rates. Auction Management services are increasing their fees. Free p. . . .
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