FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS!

So as the title says FOCUS!.  What do I mean by this?  Figure out what you are interested in and excites you and go for it.

Why am I writing this?  Well I got into this and checked out the videos on YouTube.  There are a lot of them and it can be too much.  So much it gave me a temporary case of ADD.  Clothing, electronics, video games, glassware, LEGOs, VCRs, printers, coffee makers, puzzles, and every other form of low hanging fruit.

Basically my mind was in a free for all.  I was going after everything.  Now I have all this stuff and crossed the line between reseller and horder.  Time to refine my game and FOCUS.

Here is my plan:

• 30% Retail Arbitage.  Why so low?  It bores me.  Scanning is just no fun to me.
• 10% Books.  Why so low?  Same as above.  Will scan for cash.
• 55% used Amazon and eBay items.  Used is my bag.  It is like a treasure hunt and never boring.  I don't need "quick flip" or "turn and burn" type sales.  Yeah I want income and profit but it does not rule my life.
• 5% take a chance, gamble on a item

How am I going to get there?

• Figure out 5-10 fields I will specialize in.  Stop the free for all and FOCUS on certain items.
• No longer than a 7 day period from buy to list.  Preferably buy and list the same day.

So why am I doing this?

• Need to pay off some high interest debt.
• Need to fix my house and sell it.
• Need to propose to my girlfriend.  She deserves better than me but I am going for it!!

So there it is.  FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS.  Do not spread yourself too thin.  Make time for your business and personal life.  Both are very important.  FOCUS on your family and relationships.  Without those two you have an empty life.

Reason I have not been posting

I don't think I have any followers on this blog.  But to those who do stumble upon it, posting to this will be sparse.  I need to rethink what I want to do with this blog.  My intentions were to post my experiences with reselling on eBay and Amazon.  But I have joined the Green Room, a paid Facebook group.  Since that is a paid group they expect you to keep the knowledge learned in the room.  So tips, BOLOs, and information like that I cannot share.  I am also a member of The Reseller Society and FBA Rockstars on Facebook.  Those are open groups and I can share that info here.  But trying to keep the source of what info I learned where strait may be hard.  So going forward I will have to figure out what I want this blog to be. 

Thanks to everyone who has checked this blog out and hopefully I will do something with it in the future.

Brian.

All I want is $1000.00 a month.

All I really want is $1000.00 a month extra past what I earn at my day job.  This is my current goal.  At the beginning of 2016 when I started this I thought it was never going to happen.  eBay was the platform of choice to start out with.  In the middle of quarter 2 I started with Amazon.  My second month on Amazon I kinda changed my business model.

My original business goal was to sell on eBay and have the sales generate income to buy more items and pay for shipping supplies.  It was to be self sustaining.  It took about 4-5 months to happen.

eBay is hit and miss for selling.  For used stuff it is great.  It is the online yard sale and has been for years.  Not that it is not great for new stuff.  The first part of my adventure into reselling was with garage sales and thrift stores.  Looking up sold listings on eBay.  Made some killer profit on some items.  But honestly it was not consistent.  Nowadays I use it for selling my huge Star Wars action figure collection.  And let me tell you what that is good.  Right now it is my default niche. Along the way I learned you have to research a lot.  You cannot just go to yard sales, buy things, get money and ship it.  You have to have a real plan.  You need to research yard sales with craiglist or a smartphone app to find the best sales.  You need to know the products, you need to find several things you are good at.  You cannot just buy stuff and expect it to sell.

You must research, enter YouTube...  There are endless amount of resellers on this site.  Some are crap, some are excellent and want to help.  Here is a short list of those people, the helpful ones:

• Golden Finger Picker
• Bonafide Hustler
• Raiken Profit
• Book Bandit
• Reezy Resells
• Harts Pickers
• Craigslist Hunter

This is just a short list.  Avoid people who just are full of hype and want to sell you stuff.  The above listed have great information.  They offer it freely to help others out.  Some are part of paid FaceBook groups like "The Green Room" and others have free groups like "The Reseller Society".  Both have helpful and friendly people.

So what have the past 31 days on eBay been like?

Not great but better than nothing.

You only get out of eBay of what you put into eBay, I am paraphrasing what the Golden Finger picker constantly says.  If you don't list a lot don't expect a lot.  List stuff people won't buy, don't expect sales.

So eBay earned me some capital.  Do I invest in more thrift store and garage sales items or do something else.  Enter Amazon FBA, fulfilled by Amazon.  I decided to change my business plan.  Sell on eBay and use the capital to sell on Amazon FBA.

What is Amazon FBA.  Basically you purchase a product, ship to Amazon then they list it on their site, collect the money and ship it.  Amazon FBA fees are higher than eBay but there is a trade off.

Pros:

• Items are stored at a Amazon warehouse.
• Items are listed on Amazons site and can be sent next day by Amazon Prime.
• Sales rank can indicate how fast and when an item can sell.
• Third party seller apps can help with buying decisions.  FBA Scan... 
• Don't have to make daily trips to the post office.
• Don't need a lot of shipping supplies.

Cons:

• Fees are higher.  Expect to make about 1/3rd profit of the final sale on average.
• Getting paid every two weeks, like a paycheck.
• Sometimes having to ship to multiple warehouses.
• Professional account costs $40 a month.
• Third party seller apps are $10-40 a month, maybe higher.
• Repricing by other sellers can create a "race to the bottom" 

In the end I like Amazon FBA.

This is my past 30 days.  It has been outta sight.  I take all my eBay profits and spend them on retail arbitage for Amazon FBA.  Do yourself a favor and get FBA Scan for your smart phone.  It makes getting up to speed on FBA really quick.

Bonafide Hustler in the area, I tag along!

So Chris the Bonafide Hustler was in town and sent out an open invite to go garage sales.  I am still very new at this and jumped at the opportunity to tag along and learn.  Several members of the Green Room also were there.  If you are new to this and Chris is in the area and sends an invite, GO.  You will pick up a hell of lot of knowledge by observing a real pro in action.


Check out the Green Room and learn from experts about selling on eBay, Amazon and Craigslist.

I bought Ink but can't give it away, now what?

I have had good luck selling ink on eBay.  New and out of date sell very well, but not all.  Cannon, HP and Dell have all sold super fast after listing.  Researching before you buy is a must.  Check the eBay sold listings on your eBay app.  Factor in the cost vs what they sold for to make a rough calculation of profit.  My personal preference is a 'turn or burn' sales model.  Here are some examples of what I have sold:

• Cannon PG240, my cost $2.69 sold for $16.99 for a profit after fees of $11.64
• HP 15, my cost $0.25 sold for $4.01 for a profit after fees of $3.08
• Dell series 9 black, my cost $1.05 sold for $7.99 for a profit after fees of $5.28
• Dell series 9 color, my cost $1.05 sold for $7.99 for a profit after fees of $5.28

Just a few examples.  Most are not super home runs but they are profit.  Don't be scared off from inks with expiration dates.  Those are really not expiration dates but warranty dates.  HP will warranty the ink to work until that date.  It does not mean it will not work past that date.  8-10 year old sealed inks will still work and do sell.

So what happens when you pick up some that don't sell.  Here is what I do.  Unfortunately I picked up some third party Cannon inks along with some refills.  I can't give these things away.  Fortunately I only paid 9.99 for the bundle of 21 inks.  If you have an Office Max you can turn them in for $2 a piece credit up to 10 a month.  So that is where these are going. 

Lesson learned.

1. Don't buy second party ink if you don't research it first.  If you don't see it selling don't touch it.
2. Remember research all inks.  Just because it is an HP does not mean people are buying it.

The "State of My Union"

So long time no posts.  I have been struggling with this business.  May have bitten off more than I can chew right now.  But in the end "that which does not kill me makes me stronger".

Lets start with what I have been doing wrong.  

I have fallen victim to the thrill of the hunt.  By that I mean I really like the buying part of this business.  I have a pile of unlisted items, that is unacceptable. My plans to fix:

• List 5 items a day.  That is not hard and in a month can be 150 items.
• Have boxes and shipping supplies on hand.

Use what I have and don't let things I don't have stop me.  By that I mean is I started selling clothing.  However I did not list until I got a mannequin.  I could have used what I had.  Just get it out there and listed.

Buy better items.

• Use my tools.  Smart phone and scanning tools
• Learn my products better and stop buying what I am unfamiliar with.
• adopt "if i would not buy it personally why would anyone buy it from me"
• Watch youtube videos but don't buy into the hype.

Walk before I can run.

• Don't try too many things at once.  Well the cat is out of the bag on this one.  Have 2 eBay sites and joined Amazon FBA.

Things I have been doing that work.

1. Prompt shipment.  I offer 1 day shipping on eBay and I do it without fail.
2. Take as many pictures as I can.  Good pictures, well lit and in focus.
3. Accurate descriptions.
4. Professionally package items and use suffocation warning bags.  I don't have to use those but I do and has been commented on in my feedback.

eBay Turbo Lister

Have been using this free eBay application on Windows 10 for a little bit now.  Once you figure out with Windows 10 you have to wait over 1 hour for it to load the first time it is not bad.  Creating templates is an awesome feature if you are listing like items.  I personally have over 300 Star Wars auction figures.  My time is cut down to about 5 minutes an auction with Turbo Lister.  Download this app if you have been listing manually.

Amazon FBA

I have started with Amazon FBA and am in the middle of making my first shipment.  FBA is very user unfriendly until you get to know the system.  It is also hard to find the information you need to be successful from the Amazon site.  It took me a while to figure out printing barcode tags on a DYMO 400 Turbo printer.  Once I had figured this out it went a bit faster.  Hopefully I will have a shipment done by the end of the day.

This posting is total BS

Just a quick post to let you know I am still here.  Have a had a rough couple weeks that have prevented me from updating this blog.  I will have something cool in the next couple days.

Thanks.

Goodwill Thrift Stores

Goodwill Industries

Goodwill is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization.  They provide job training, employment placement services and other various programs for those with disabilities.  They operate a network of retail thrift stores stocked with donated items to run their organization.  It was founded in 1902 by Reverend Edjar J. Helms of the Morgan Methodist Church of Boston, Massachusetts.  Today Goodwill operates over 2600 stores and an online auction site - shopgoodwill.com.  In 2014 they did over 5.37 billion dollars in revenue.  

Shopping Goodwill

Goodwill uses a color coded price tag system to manage their stock.  It rotates in this order:

• BLACK    
• CLEAR
• BLUE       
• YELLOW  
• GREEN    
• RED         

Every Sunday they change the color and for that week that color is 50% off.  So look at the tags when shopping.  I mostly check out 50% off neckties.  After 6-7 weeks anything that is really good is usually long gone with some exceptions.  Around where I am at Inkjet printers and ink seem to go overlooked, if you know what store to look in.  Below are some examples of the tags.

Usually is it pretty easy to tell what color the tag is but see below.

All three of these are considered 'blue'.  The one on the left is the normal 'blue' tag for clothes.  In the middle is a 'clear' tag with a blue sticker and blue plastic price tag holder.  This is also blue.  The blue price sticker is like what you will find on something bigger like a puzzle or houseware.  The one on the right is also a 'clear' tag but it has the 'blue' plastic price tag holder.  Pay attention to the tags. 

Pricing consistency 

As far as I can see there is none.  It seems to be up to the individual store or employee.  Most notably is in the clothing section.  One store will have neckties for $1.99 and others $3.99.  Some will consider "Polo by Ralph Lauren" a premium shirt while others will not.  I have found a complete working Keurig coffee maker for $19.99 at one store and one in pieces, same model $29.99 at another.  Puzzles can go for 99 cents to 4.99 for no reason whatsoever. 

Preferred Customer Card

If your purchase is over $10 it is good towards a stamp on a 'Preferred Customer Card".  Every $10 gets you another stamp.  Once 10 stamps are on the card it is good for $10 off.  They staple the receipts to the card and need those back.  Photocopy them to keep for your own expense records.

To find Goodwill stores near you just type in "goodwill near me" in the Google search box on your smart phone.

Accomplishments February 2016

I did not get much done on my 2016 Q1 Goals.  Number 7 "Beer on weekends only by April" I did mark.  I got a Keurig at Goodwill and now am drinking more coffee and tea and less beer.  It is a step.  Put number 3 on hold for a couple reasons.  I don't know if in the eyes of the IRS I can keep my business and personal eBay accounts separate.  Number 1 is also on hold due to injuring my right knee while servicing an ATM.  Three weeks later and I cannot kneel on it still.

Business wise I am out of the gates.  My Sole Proprietorship is 100% legal.  I got an EIN from the IRS.  City and County Tax receipts.  DBA and the legal notice in the local paper.  State of Florida DDR1 for collecting taxes.  And finally a business checking account.

I did my first listing on February 16th.  It was a 7 day auction and did not sell.  I relisted it as a 30 day buy it now with a make offer.  My first sale was a Pelican i1015 case for a iPhone 4-5 and my second sale came soon after.

 

It was a busy month finalizing the legal stuff and going around getting things to sell.  I made 41 trips to various thrift stores, 63+ garage sales and a couple flea markets.  My eye is getting trained and I am learning what to look for.  I seem to be zero'd in on Keurig coffee makers!

Social media marketing was also started on Twitter and also Pinterest.  Twitter is pretty easy for me but I am still baffled by Pinterest.  Soon...

Next month

Getting signed up for Amazon FBA is the big one.  I have a ton of books that must go and a bunch of puzzles I have found thrifting.  I am also excited about retail arbitrage.

Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Flea Market Hauls WE 02-28-2016

These are the finds I had this week.

These three come from the North Fort Myers Flea Market.  A Maxell TC-30 VHSc camcorder tape, TDK Hi8 MP120 video cassette.  Both new in packaging.  Also a Ball Ideal mason jar circa 1922-33.  Overpaid for that one and hope to break close to even.

Keurig K40 coffee maker.  Bought at Goodwill for $19.99 plus tax.  Was filthy but after an hour of cleaning it works perfectly.  I have been using it all week and will probably keep it.

Star Wars C-3PO Thermos brand "FUNtainer"  10oz stainless steel food container.

Two balsa control line or free flight model kits.  Open but all pieces present.  Also a Goodwill find.

Both from the same garage sale.  A "Fisherman's Crutch" and Xena the Warrior Princess costume sewing pattern.  My girlfriend rolled her eyes when I picked that one up.  It is worth $20+.  Also had a Scrabble board game that day.

And finally another Keurig B31 small coffee maker.  Still have to clean and test it.  Will take some time to clean but hope it works.

That is the high lights for this week.  Hope to have many more this coming week.

First Sale as a business

So today I had my first sale as a business.  My first listing was for a Heineken wooden shoe.  It started as a 7 day auction.  But it did not sell.  I relisted it for 30 days as a 'buy it now' sale with a 'best offer' auction.  Currently there are 45 views and no watchers.

What sold was a Pelican i1015 cell phone case.  Went for the price I asked for.  Which is good.  I had a 97% return on my investment which is good.  Was not the best but anytime I am not in the red it is a good day. 

But it did not stop there.  I sold a Texas Instruments TI-83 Plus graphing calculator.  It was working but had a problem with the screen.  It was disclosed in the auction details and pictures.  The ROI on it was 520%.  That is awesome!  Now to repeat!

It took me 13 days before I sold something which did have me worried.  If you decide to get into this just wait it will happen.  Research the completed and sold listings and price accordingly.  Take condition into consideration and you will be successful. 

North Fort Myers Flea Market

The North Fort Myers Flea Market is located at the old Northside Drive-In theater on Old 41.  2521 Tamiami Trail North, North Fort Myers, Florida 33903.  It is open on Wednesdays at 6am.    They don't have a website so they may be open other days.

As a drive-in theater it closed in the early 90's.  It was neat watching films here.

The Flea Market

I consider this a real Flea Market.  It is not like some of the big ones with permanent booths filled with as seen on TV stuff, Chinese imports and tacky art.  It is rows of people with folding tables full of used stuff.  Lots of antiques, old items, junk and colorful people.  There is also a huge amount of produce. 

The place was packed with vendors and customers.  It is a very basic setup.  Rows of cars and folding tables.  I estimate there were 150-300 vendors.  Some of the stuff was absolute junk and should be in a landfill but there were plenty of good stuff as well.  Next time I am going to pick up some produce as well.  It was really awesome looking.

If you have time hit this Flea Market up sometime.

Pinterest, using for eBay advertising

Ok so I had a hard time with this one.  Pinterest I just did not get it.  It seemed to be focused towards women and just did not compute with my way of thinking until I got into it.  

What it is.

It is basically a virtual cork board you can pin ideas to.  You find something on the internet and choose to pin it to your board.  People like your board and they get updated.  The more specific your board the more people will seek it out.  Take Star Wars, people will find this board.

How I am using it.

I created a board called my eBay auctions.  Basically all my auctions are getting pinned there.  Don't know if this is right but I have seen my eBay auction views go up in the past hour.  Will have to monitor too see if this if right.

Garage Sales and Thrift Haul WE 02-21-2016

I am going to start doing weekly haul blog posts.  If there is too much it will be just the highlights.  Some people don't like them but I find them fun.  So here we go.

This may be the best find of the week.  It is a Keurig B40 coffee maker.  Don't know if works or not but I really don't care.   Parting it out I can make 40-50 bucks if does not work.

Bought this on a hunch at a Salvation Army.  An Anchor Hocking pint sized mason jar.  It was cheap so I did no research on it, just snagged it.  Researching eBay I found some being listed for 19.99 but being sold with the make offer.  It is on eBay now the same way.
 

 

I am not a video game person but I picked it up.  It was really cheap, in great condition and complete.  eBay did not have great prices on this so hopefully I can do better than breaking even.

Always pick up new obsolete blank media, or so they say.  I listed this one a few minutes ago andinstantly had 6 views.  This was put with 2 others to make a 3 pack.

 

Puzzles!  I found these at both garage sales and Goodwill.  New sealed puzzles.  Who buys these and does not do them?  Some are listed on Amazon for up to $30.  Have to open my Amazon FBA account soon as I already have some 18 puzzles now.

 Lego "Creator" set.  Makes three different vehicles.  I spend more on a sausage biscuit and 2 hash browns at McDonalds then I paid for this.  Box is smushed but it all seems to be there.

Risk board game, Lord of the Rings - Trilogy Edition.  Picked up at a garage sale.  Hardly looks like it was played with.  Like new condition.

Italeri F-14A <<Bombcat>> model kit.  Found at a Goodwill the box was crushed and had been opened.  Checked the contents and all the pieces are present including the instructions and decals.  Will be a great 'builder' model kit for somebody.


Also found other stuff including lots of baseball caps.  Above is just the highlights.  Now have to research and list things.  So far I don't have much listed yet as it is taking me a lot of time to do so.  Will have to refine my processes or find a software solution to speed things up.  One thing is for certain I will be listing things when I find them.

The power of Twitter and #hashtags

This was a little experiment with Twitter.
 I know I am not the first and am probably late to this game.  Earlier in the day I was thinking of ways to drive traffic to this blog.  But then it hit me, why not use Twitter to drive traffic to my eBay listings?  Every eBay listing has a share button and an option for Twitter.  But sharing alone will not do it.  Currently on my Twitter account I have ZERO followers.  I posted the following tweet:

 

I had 9 views on this item when I tweeted.  In less than an hour this is the amount of views I had.

 

That is a huge increase.  Now to re-tweet during the important daytime hours instead of the middle of the night.  Doing so may turn them into bids.  One of the most important things to do was to research the #hashtags.  I just typed them into a Google search box with "heineken hashtag" and looked at the results.  Doing this with several ones gave me such data as how many views I could receive and how popular a #hashtag was.

Twitter is a powerful tool and I will continue to learn to use it more effectively.

Planning out what garage sales to hit.

So I don't have to go into my day job until 1pm, figure I will hit up some garage sales in the morning.  But how do I find garage sales?  Well there is an app for that!

My personal cell phone is a iPhone 6 so I use the IOS version but it is available for Android as well.  Basically the app interfaces with Craigslist and searches for garage sales.  It is not perfect but it is way better than driving around blindly looking for signs on the road.  

When you bring up the app it shows where you are.  The blue dot is you.  It will list the garage sales within a 20 mile range.  I had 92 sales listed.  You can research the sales by clicking on the red bubble.

When you touch the listing it brings up the Craigslist post.  These are posted by the people who are hosting the garage sales.  Some might be very descriptive and some are very cryptic.  In the ad there should be the sale days and hours.  Also hopefully a usable address.  You can research the listings the night before and change the colors of the bubbles by clicking on the pallet box on the bottom of the screen.

You can also create a route by clicking on the star.  Do this in order, the first one you click will be #1.  Next being number 2 and so on.  If you want directions from your current location to the next sale click on the square with a right arrow in it.  Once clicked it will bring up the Google Maps app. 

Advantages of using this app. 

1. Easily lets you browse and research what garage sales you want to hit.
2. Updates every time you start the app.  Often finds new listings.
3. Allows you to organize what sales you want to hit by color.
4. Uses Google maps to guide you to the next sale  

Negatives of using this app.

1. Info is only as good as the user inputs it.
2. Finds a lot but not all listings.
3. Can only search on Saturday and Sunday.  No option for Friday.  They need to fix that.
4. User has to put in a regular address.  Often people put in on the corner of this and that.  Not helpful for Google maps.

In conclusion, this is an awesome tool.  I have been using it for a month now and have rarely been let down.  Sometimes an old ad is left in Craigslist and creates a wasted trip.  But all in all a useful tool.

  

It starts with a wooden shoe...

My first eBay auction:

So that is item number one.  I like beer and have drank more than the population of Germany in my time.  It seems fitting to choose this to list first.  The first item is the hardest to list as you have to set all of your options.  Since I am in Florida I have to collect the 6% sales tax if bought by another person in Florida.  That was hardest to figure out.  After many Google searches I managed to figure it out.  Bad thing with the Google searches is it brings up posts from all years.  Information that is outdated is abundant.  But in the end I figured it out.  It is a 5 day auction that will end on Sunday night.  From my research Sunday is the best day to end auctions.  We shall soon see.  Wish me luck.

One note, the image above is a screen shot from my iPhone 6.  It is using the eBay app.  I have found this to be a frustrating app.  It at times does not display the information correctly.  In the above picture there is 1 of 1 pictures, but in fact there are three.  A visit to eBay with FireFox confirms this.  Always use more than one platform for viewing your auctions.  I am fortunate to have Windows XP, 7 and 10 along with a Macbook Pro, iPad, iPhone 6 and Samsung Android.  It is stuff I have from my day job and computers I have collected along the way.

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Business Start

As of February 15th 2016 I am officially a registered and licensed business in the state of Florida.  I still do not have anything listed on eBay as of yet but I will be in full swing by Sunday.  So far I have 72 items in my inventory ready to list.  Spreadsheets have been made and are being filled out.  Can't wait to fill out and file my Florida tax collected form on March 1st. 

Starting an eBay Business in Florida

I am in no way a legal expert or CPA.  Take this as just an outline.  I did not find it all that hard to do the research and find the info.  If you are anyway unsure consult a professional.   This list is in the order it needs to be done.

This guide is for setting up a Sole Proprietorship.

Registration of Fictitious Name - (DBA)

     This step is optional.  I chose to do this as it also allows me keep my business and personal finances a little more easily separated.  To register a DBA you need to go to the following website:

https://efile.sunbiz.org/ficregintro.html 

You will need to follow the instructions on the page and fill out the online application.  The filing with the state costs $50.
     The second part of this process requires you to list classified ad in the legal section of your local paper.  It must be the locality you intend on doing business.  My local paper charged me $59.04 for the ad.
    Registering a DBA does not mean someone else cannot also register it as well.  It is not a trademark.  It is just so you can operate a business under a name other than your own.

Employer Identification Number - (EIN)

     A EIN is just like a Social Security Number.  Basically you are creating a SSN for the business.  For a sole proprietorship it keeps your personal and business taxes somewhat separate.  To get an EIN you register online and is free from the IRS. Be warned the IRS computers take off the evening and weekends.  You can apply M-F 7am-10pm at the website below:

https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Apply-for-an-Employer-Identification-Number-%28EIN%29-Online

 Florida Business Tax Application (DR-1)

 

     If you sell an item on eBay to someone in Florida you are required by law to collect sales tax.  DR-1 is the form you fill out to register with the state to collect these taxes.  This can be done online at this website:

http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/taxes/registration.html

Go down the page to "Register" and select "Start a new registration".  Follow the instruction and fill out the form.  Once the form has been filled out it will take 7-10 days to get the registration by mail.  You can goto the website in 3 days and get the registration number by using your confirmation number.  This filing does not cost anything.  Be sure to read the following PDF:

http://dor.myflorida.com/Forms_library/current/gt800013.pdf

This will give you an overview on how and when to pay the state their taxes.  You must file on time even if you don't have any Florida sales taxes collected.  If you don't it can result in a $50 penalty.

City Business Tax Receipt

     If you live in a city that is incorporated you probably have to file for  'City Tax Business Receipt'.  I live in the city of Cape Coral and this is a simple one page form.  Cost $56.25 and was needed before I could get a County Business Tax Receipt.

County Business Tax Receipt

     If you don't live in an incorporated city you at least do live in a county.  My county required me to have the City Business Tax Receipt before filing for the County.   The hardest part of this form was sitting in the waiting room.  Just bring all the above paperwork above, minus the DR-1.  They don't need that.  Cost in my county was $50.

Free Business Checking Account

     This is the last step.  You need a bank account.  Many banks have free business checking for small businesses.  Most I have seen you will need to bring your EIN, DBA and then sign a affidavit stating you are a business.  Google "Free business checking" and you will come up with many options.  There should be a link that lists these in all 50 states.  Pick the best bank that meets your needs.

Hopefully this should get you started and on your way to starting an online eBay business.  Even if you don't live in Florida this guide may be a good outline to help you find the information you need in your state.

Guide for Attending a Garage Sale

This guide is just a set of guidelines for going to a garage sale and not being a total clod.

Showing up at the sale.

     Parking your vehicle is your first impression.   Keep it on the street, as in the blacktop.  Don't park in the grass and run over a sprinkler head.  Don't compact the grass.  Park on one side of the road and don't block the neighbors driveway.  Someone has invited you to their home, be considerate. 

Make small talk.

    Butter up the sellers.  Comment on the weather, compliment the lawn or the house.  A first impression goes a long way when it comes to negotiation.  Don't come off as combative.  Negative comments come off as combative.  Keep it positive and people will be more likely to deal with you.

Bring small bills.

     I know better than everyone that ATM's mostly have $20 bills in them.  Try during the week to get singles and fives.  A bit of pocket change will help as well.

Dress down.

    Do not dress like you have money if you expect someone to give you a deal.  If you wear high end clothes you will look like you have money, you won't get a good deal.  Dress like you shop at thrift store and you play on the sympathy of the seller.  No jewelry, no high end watches and no Nike shoes.  You don't have to be a bum but don't wear a suit either.

Bundle.

     Grab several items and haggle a better price for the entire lot.  This works.  Watch the TV show "American Pickers" and see.  I do this all the time.

Smile.

     Just do it.  People like dealing with happy people rather than sour pusses.

Bottom line is this is not rocket science just a little common sense.

Guide for having a garage sale.

This is a guide for garage sale sellers.  If you are wanting to have a sale and clean out your house of unwanted stuff this guide is for you.  It will instruct you how to get buyers like me to purchase your stuff.

Why have a garage sale and what is the purpose?

     Garage sales are the last step before your stuff either gets donated to a thrift store(Goodwill, Salvation Army, Church, etc.) or gets put at the curb for trash collection.  This is clutter, things you don't use.  I have a personal rule that if I have not touched it in 5 years I don't need it.  Your goal is to get rid of this and maybe make a little cash at doing it.  If you ask too high of a price you will not sell anything.  Don't give it away but don't expect 90% of retail either.

Advertising the sale.

     You can list the sale in the news paper but lets be frank, nobody reads the paper anymore.  News papers are a thing of the past with internet taking over.  Craigslist is your friend here.  Other online resources can be found with a "Google" search.  Any of your professional buyers are going to be using smart phone apps to find your sale.

Putting signs out at the road.

     Do not make them small!  You need to be able to read them from 100 feet away.  Four-Five inch letters are a must.  Brightly colored poster board is a real eye catcher.  Make BIG arrows pointing to where you live.  Where I live we have a lot of canals and dead ends.  The easier you make it for people to find you the better the sale.

Hours of operation.

      The latest start time should be 8am.  When you set up in the morning you should be ready to sell an hour before your start time.  DON'T TURN AWAY EARLY BIRDS.  You want to get rid of your stuff, don't turn down a sale!  Two-Three hours before the sale is a bit much but an hour should be acceptable.  If you don't want people contacting you early don't put your phone number in the advertisment.

Pricing Items.

      Put price tags on your items.  Don't make people ask.  A lot of people will not ask if there is no price.  It is just basic human nature.  If you have a box of baseball caps put a sign with "baseball caps $1.  A sign saying DVDs $2 a piece, or whatever.  It is a starting point.  If you don't put most people won't ask.
      Have this all done at the beginning of the sale, the night before.  Don't still be pricing things when your sale starts.  You want people to walk in and know what you want for this.

Negotiating your price 101.

     Don't be offended if someone offers you a lower price than listed.  It is not an insult to get a low ball offer.  Do not take things personally, this is business.  Meet half way.  If you have something listed for $10 and some one offers $5, make a counter offer half way at $7.50.  If they offer less than that think about it.  Do you want to put that item back in your house or donate it?  If you want a few bucks take the offer.  The offer/counter offer can go several rounds.  It is fun for many people, buyer and seller.  Bottom line don't get emotionally attached to items.

Having change on hand.

     Have a good selection of one dollar bills on hand along with fives and coins.  Bottom line is most ATM's are only stocked with $20 bills.  Not many people visit a bank these days.

Customer service.

     This is the last but most important!  How you act and your body language can either make a sale or turn off a customer.  SMILE!  Say hello and make a little small talk.  Comment on the weather or complement their vehicle, dog or whatever.  Don't treat these people like they are invading your privacy, you invited them here!  A person who is comfortable is more likely to spend money.  Stair at them and give them the stink eye and they will be uncomfortable and leave.

Resellers.

     I am one of them and there are a lot of them.  Some people don't like us because we are buying from you and reselling it online.  A lot of people make there money this way.  Some come and buy stuff they know.  These people you will not notice.  Some will be scanning bar codes with their smart phones.  Either way these people are giving you money for unwanted items.  But bottom line is you want it gone.  Don't get offended at the guy scanning bar codes.  Be offended by the person being a pig and making a mess.  Most resellers are respectful.
     Bottom line is if you don't like it, research eBay and sell it online yourself.   Do you know how to do the research?  Do you like shipping items?  Do you have a seller account with a good reputation?

  I will say this about people asking to buy old and unused gold jewelry.  Don't sell to these people they will not give you proper prices for these items.  Take that stuff to a Jewelry and Coin store.  They will give you a fair price.

Different Strokes for Different Folks.

     Alright this one may be a little bit racy.  Different people of different cultural backgrounds act differently.  Around my parts we have hispanics of every nationality and Haitians.  People of different cultures are brought up differently.  Patience is a virtue and that is all I will say about that.

Accomplishments January 2016

Alright so the first month of 2016 is over. I pretty much stuck with the plan.  Here is the month broke down:

I listed personal items on eBay 3/4 weeks.  One was missed due to running out of shipping supplies.  Lesson learned on that one.  I was able to get out to garage sales twice.  One weekend I found only 3 things.  Last weekend I found 13.  Things are picking up.  I visited thrift stores pretty regularly.  Goodwill, Salvation Army, Kiwanis, St. Vincent DePaul, St. Mathews House and few others.  All of them have there ups and downs.  Also learned that each one has different pricing.

Of my Q1 goals number 4 was completed, a second eBay account was opened.  After further research I am thinking another two will be needed.  My main one will be BNZ_Sales.  It will be for general items.  Electronics, housewares, toys and such things.  Another will be needed for men's clothing.  Possibly a third one for something else I am working on.  

Number 8, start a blog.  Obviously this has been done.  Number 9, buy a couch.  Bought one on Craigslist for $99.  Really nice for the price.

These are my buisness goals:

I was able to register a DBA with the state of Florida.  I was going to register a EIN as well but the IRS site takes the weekends off.  So Monday I will do that.  Also created a Twitter and Periscope accounts.  Links are on the right in the sidebar.  Please add your name to my e-mail list below if you would like to receive updates on this blog.  Thanks and onward to February I go!