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$100k 2017

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sparechange

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Why would I buy from you? What are you offering that I can't get anywhere else for the same price or better? Who are you, why should I trust giving you my money?

Before people in any numbers will buy from you they first have to trust you. Amazon can get sales with new sellers because they have a stringent screening process and guarantee's to backup their sellers.

You'd probably have more luck with what you're doing selling on Amazon and/or Ebay. You'd then be competing primarily on price. Which means you'd need to do your product research to find a product that you can get for a good wholesale price (likely sourced from China) and still make a decent margin on.

Just buying stuff at a discount at your local retail store and trying to resell it for a profit will in the end just be a huge time sink that will reap very few sales or profit. Just doesn't sound like a good business strategy that's going to work.

Given some people do make a living off buying things from garage sales and thrift stores, but they know what they're looking for. Which are rarer things that are valuable to collectors, not a solar backpack you can get off Amazon.


that is a good point about why should i buy from you, tbh i cant really answer that besides an impulse decision. although what im trying to do is build a brand on fb to build a long term customer base. some live events i believe can boost my brand (like hosting in the future)
 
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InspireHD

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i got the bed for 24 bucks usually theyre around 30/40+

Okay, so basically you bought the bed for what it was worth. Price points are probably all over the place depending on where you look.

If you want to make an online sale through retail arbitrage, say eBay or Amazon, it's as simple as finding something in a store that is selling for a lot less than on the online sites. You'll have to factor in the expenses to make sure you're getting the correct discount.

In 2015, I found a Tonka truck on clearance at Walmart for $10.41. I flipped it on Amazon for $18.99 + $5.49 for shipping. After fees, I ended up profiting $1.86.

Another example, in 2015, I found an old Darth Vader drinking glass from Burger King at a thrift store. I bought it for $1.16. I flipped it on eBay for $7.50 + $6.00 shipping. After fees on this one, I profited $4.95.

I was intentionally starting with a small amount of money and most people would look at that and say, "eh, $5 is nothing." I look at it like, I made over a 400% return on that $1.16. You don't find those returns anywhere. Your returns are going to start to shrink as you get bigger, but my point is that it's possible to do.

You'll be cross referencing a lot. I would sit in a thrift store with my phone out checking eBay prices. I'm sure the employees were watching me.

Sometimes you can get on hype items too like Legos or those talking Chewbacca masks, or those animals that cracked themselves out of an egg...whatever they were. But those require being on top of the market and quick to purchase when you see it developing.
 
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sparechange

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awesome returns! pretty neat
 

StevieB

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Say it took you 20min to get to the store, 20min to get back, $2 in gas, 15min to shop, and 10 mins to list.

You just made less than $3/hr.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
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sparechange

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no bites at 9.99
 

sparechange

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sparechange

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alright getting no traction rly, ill throw up a couple more ads and re-evaluate. feel not to confident right now
 

sparechange

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having dumb problem with fb, paid my ads and they say i owe them $30 so trying to load up another ad but since im trying to do another ad for a lower amount they cant process the $30 payment (when i already payed them)??

really not liking this online bullshit
 

sparechange

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ill have to get an instagram (need a phone) and have a physical presence in the community, thinking to organize some type of show/event related to the petworld. believe my efforts would be more efficient in the real world.

moving within the next few weeks so when im done that ill come up with something
 
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biophase

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ill have to get an instagram (need a phone) and have a physical presence in the community, thinking to organize some type of show/event related to the petworld. believe my efforts would be more efficient in the real world.

moving within the next few weeks so when im done that ill come up with something

Go donate the bed to a local rescue or shelter. Stop trying to use FB ads to sell it. You are just wasting money.

Last night I was trying to buy 2 23" monitors. I can find them online from a reputable store for $99 each shipped. I go on craigslist and people are asking $90 for a used one. WTF. Why would I buy from you?

1) I have to drive to meet you, I don't know if it works can we plug it in somewhere? If so now I have to bring a laptop to plug it in, I have to look for dead pixels. Then fork over $90 cash.

or

2) Click a button, the NEW monitor shows up tomorrow at my house, pay with credit card, get 2% cashback, can return if it breaks... and spend $8 more

You have no value proposition so you aren't getting any sales.

If you can't sell at $10, you should toss it.
 

sparechange

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thanks for the reply, been getting more views on facebook but no dice.

ill need to think of another product to sell.

@biophase is the traffic on amazon much higher than ebay? would like to know your thoughts on that
 

biophase

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thanks for the reply, been getting more views on facebook but no dice.

ill need to think of another product to sell.

@biophase is the traffic on amazon much higher than ebay? would like to know your thoughts on that

I don't know, but why does that matter to you?
 
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sparechange

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sparechange

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Are you using Facebook ads to drive traffic to your eBay listing?
Yes, also have a very tiny organic following that has been almost impossible to grow that see my fb store , no sales at all! Definitely need new products
 
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biophase

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Was just curious

That’s your problem right now. No direction. If I answered Amazon or eBay, would that answer have changed anything in your life? What does that question have to do with your progress thread?
 

sparechange

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That’s your problem right now. No direction. If I answered Amazon or eBay, would that answer have changed anything in your life? What does that question have to do with your progress thread?
Just thinking mb me not being on amazon could be a problem
 

Merging Left

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Yes, also have a very tiny organic following that has been almost impossible to grow that see my fb store , no sales at all! Definitely need new products
I think it will be difficult to drive traffic from Facebook to eBay. People don't really go on Facebook to shop.

If you have a decent product at a decent price, you shouldn't need to run ads. A keyword-rich title and some nice images, plus a professional looking listing should be all it takes to get a sale on eBay. Just stop the Facebook ads. You're burning money.
 
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sparechange

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Ran into some bad luck, hilarious how money fixes everything but managed to break my longboard going down a hill whilst holding my laptop which screwed it up. ( I fell) Will be moving in the next month or so, and resettling in calgary or banff. Meantime I'm banking money at my job.... When I get to a new place I'm thinking to import some products (no idea yet) but sticking with pet industry. Got an email from an old kijji ad for my bed but prospect hasn't replied lately, did offer bed at $10 . Will do some writeups on some life experiences in the future. No sales in the past month and a half!!!!!!
 

Merging Left

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Be careful just ordering random things to import. You have demonstrated that you have a lot to learn in terms of market research. Since you're starting to steer yourself towards a private label/FBA route, you'd best start reading up on it. Check out Scott Voelker's podcast, The Amazing Seller.
 

sparechange

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Will do some homework for sure !
 
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sparechange

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Still haven't sold anything at cut prices.
 

jclean

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Why didn't you worked hard on your landscape business ?
Now you want to sell dog beds..

It seems to me that you still lack focus.
Pick something that people really need and start selling/working hard.
Learn from the progress.
And dont stop to start a new business..
To start and grow a business takes time (years not months) and effort.
100k in 2017 dont see that happen anymore.
Focus in finding a real need in the market and go for it in 2018.
 

sparechange

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Didn't acquire as many customers as I imagined I could with landscaping. Also with all the effort I put in (pushing a lawnmower) many hours a day seemed not so efficient. Fun to learn customer service and door to door sales but not something that will make me "unscripted ". My focus is now online sales (epic failure) A measly low 4 figure number in total sales can throw me into the 5 and 6 figure range, which seems extremely realistic and doable with the right product. If I could break the number of $1k a month i can literally "retire" as in never goto a**** job ever again in my life I am free.
 
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sparechange

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Which reminds me I should go over unscripted again, lent it to my friend and I don't think he's even read it..
 

sparechange

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Raining everyday for the week in vancouver.. Excited to be working outside!
 

sparechange

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Hopefully my move to calgary will be smooth, quitting my job shortly
 
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I Am I Said

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Hopefully my move to calgary will be smooth, quitting my job shortly

If there's one word I suggest you remove from your vocabulary it's "Hopefully"

Just read your thread (well, the first two and last two pages of it) and I think that sums up your struggles. Whether you're planning a business experiment or a move to Calgary, you're going to have to figure out what makes a smooth move and do it.

I have to say I admire you sticking around here all this time, so you do have some persistence, but like a lot of people say you lack direction.

You need to learn a bit about business. Business hasn't really changed much in the past couple of hundred years. Really! The scale is different and the speed is different, but other than that there are some basic principles that remain the same.

One of my biggest failings has been believing that somehow, somewhere, there's an algorithm that business can e reduced to, and I just have to find it. It's not like that. In the end it's about providing value. As a development roadmap, the successful entrepreneurs I have met have followed pretty similar paths.

They worked in an area that they could understand;

they stuck to that area;

they developed a product that encapsulated their knowledge (even Amazon sellers - I know a guy selling $25,000 a month of action cameras, but it's because he's into biking and go-carts and other off-the-beaten-track stuff, and knows how to capture the memories).

Then they built an audience, whether organically, through advertising, word of mouth, whatever.

Then they scaled - this is where you dropped your landscaping idea, right?

Somebody on this forum reminded me of this book the other day The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman and it's excellent. I bought it a few years ago and it really tied the whole thing together in my mind.
 

sparechange

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I guess I'm sort of a chicken running around with no head, have been failing at the online sales and am not exactly sure how to go about it. Certainly need to get a good product going, can see how my current ones don't provide as much value, and perhaps the market is to saturated, also thought about a custoner wanting my items, and the simplicity of just going to the store..( I might be biased but I've never bought something online )
 

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