There are specific steps you must take before you can succeed with your home based business. Specifically, you will have to establish and operate a system that ensures success. Does this sound like you? Are you the kind of person who hates giving a reason why something did not or could not work?Someone who will not accept anything less than continuing success? Do you set goals and press on till they are met, no matter what? One who refuses to accept less from others than you accept from yourself? Then you are going to give home business a serious shot.It is not going to be totally easy, of course, but with these traits flowing in you, you can meet the challenges required to succeed with a home business.Give It Your Time: It does not matter if your home business is not your main source of income at the moment, having decided to start one, you must treat it as something truly important to you.Now, when someone or something is important to us we spend quality time with them, right? Your attitude toward your home business cannot be any different.Probably you can only devote a few hours per week to your home-based business. But work on it EVERY SINGLE DAY. There is really no substitute for persistent dedication in this business. No one who gives it only the odd hours can see success. It has never happened for anyone. A casual attitude towards their home business is one reason why over 95% of newcomers soon exit.Select the Right Company: We are constantly assaulted these days to join one network opportunity or the other. Opportunities seem to abound everywhere. But their genuineness is another matter. To make your home business work, however, you have to be very selective about the company you decide to join. It is really strange how casually people treat this matter.Many seem to act as if it does not matter which company a person joins, as if all network marketing companies are just different roads leading to the same place! How mistaken! Do not join any company unless the answer to all the questions below is yes:Does the company possess the fundamentals for continuous long-term growth? Is there a large and expanding market for their products? Are their products things that people GENUINELY need?Will people have to re-order the products at fairly quick intervals (as opposed to one-time sales)?Do their products attract positive feedback from users?Other things to consider include the nature of their support system, availability of cheaper alternatives to their products, as well as how easy it is for new members to duplicate their sales methods.Teach Your Downline: If your home-based business involves recruiting new members, then bear in mind that your success is intricately tied to theirs. This is both an asset and a liability.There seems to be this baseless notion among most persons that in network marketing one can go on to prosper without doing much of anything at all. Well, I am sure you do not believe any of that crap.Meanwhile, ensure that the people you recruit do not believe that either. Otherwise they will not work for their success, dragging you down with them. Insist that they commit themselves to following a success plan, just like you. Train them on ways to grow in the business.Above all, do not recruit and abandon your downline! Have Some Money? It is often been said that it takes money to make money. Forget what you have been told: home business is no exception.Yes, the financial requirements here may not be in the thousands. But you DO need some money to begin with. You will surely need to pay to register with the company, to make monthly product purchases, prospect for and follow up on leads. All these call for money. In my opinion you will need an average of $200 per month to meet these obligations. And they are important to building your business.Home-based businesses are not inherently difficult to run. You only need to have a system in place and adhere to it. You should also teach those your recruit to do the same. In that case, you can make a home business work for you and your team.
Online Home-Based Business: Is It for You?
Without doubt, home-based business is the current “fast ticket” item these days. Thousands are driven into it daily, lured by the promise of earning millions from the comfort of their homes. Many, indeed, made it. But a lot, lot more struck nothing but dirt.Home-based business looks deceptively easy. All you need is a computer, an Internet connection and a product to sell. But is it?Well, not quite. Home-based business is not for everyone unless you have the following:
- Strong belief in yourself and your capabilities;
- Strong desire to have something more, i.e., more freedom, more time for oneself, more money, more adventure, more fun,
- A never give-up attitude.That being said, look into yourself to see if you’ve got what it takes.On the flip-side, people want to go into home-based business for the following reasons:To manage oneself, not be managed:
We all want to be our own boss. But not all of us are born to be bosses. A lot are destined, and are happy, to be subordinates. It is not easy to be a boss, especially of oneself. A high degree of self-discipline is necessary. If you are capable to do that, half your problems are solved.Freedom from organizational rat-race:
No matter how small, organizations always have their own internal strife. Bringing different people together in the close confines of an office will always bring out the best and the worst in people. If you cannot stand that, a home-based business is a good option.Job security:
Our educational system has wired us to believe that employment is the key to job security. The advent of the Internet has proven this wrong. Millions of employees have been laid off because of company re-location, re-engineering, down-sizing and other buzz words. Job security is a myth in the current realities. Nothing is more secure than your own home-based business.Better paycheck:
Even if you work your butt off, at the end of the pay period you get nothing but what you agreed in your employment contract. An equivalent amount of effort in your own home-based business will definitely earn you more.No travel time:
The expense and travel time to commute, to and from the office, is a big factor for a lot of people who have gone into home-based business. Not counting the variety of office wear you need to have in your closet.More quality time with the family:
I once worked with a guy who practically lived in the office to span the time difference with our corporate headquarters. It nearly broke his marriage. People who are into home-based business are free of the rigors of overtime and holiday work schedules. They, generally, are not stressed out and have better quality time with their families. in this area of making a living. They have more money and quality time with their families.There can be myriad of reasons why people are rushing into home-based business. Not all will succeed but it definitely is worth giving a shot at. Besides, those who did and succeeded are all smiles on their way to the bank.Is it for you?
Top Home Based Businesses For 2010
The top ranked home based businesses change over time. Mail order businesses and the service franchises come to mind. Being recognized as this year’s hottest franchise opportunity or next year’s super hot career to aspire to have always attracted interest in that direction from anyone aiming to be a franchise entrepreneur or the struggling student basing their path on what others think is a super hot career. As far as the top home based businesses, today’s opportunities exist with computers and the internet.Home Based Businesses – Top Picks for 2010SEM/SEO services. Content writers can work with small businesses to improve traffic to their websites using search engine optimization and marketing. There is such an opportunity for home based businesses because the majority of small business owners only know how to operate and run their small business and do not have any time to, first, learn how search engine optimization works and, second, implement it on their website. The market is wide open to SEM/SEO specialists. Since original content rules the web, a website is only as good as the newness of its content. It is not a do it and forget it task.Affiliate Marketing. Being an independent commissioned sales person on the web requires a different skill set than face-to-face sales but the concept is similar. If someone buys a product that you supplied the lead for, you are paid a commission. There are systems to introduce you to products to sell; manufacturers’ provide online marketing materials; and there is no inventory to stock. Find the keyword set that attracts visitors to the products you are trying to sell, get them to buy and you’ve earned a commission. Expect high commissions on digital products and lower commissions on physical products.Drop Shipping. You sell the product to your customer, collect the money, and then place an order for your supplier to ship directly to your customer. The company handles stocking all inventory and shipping all orders. There are plenty of companies willing to drop ship product one item at a time to your customer’s address. Your sales channel can be through online auction sites, your own website, or any other online marketing resulting in sales.Use the skills you already have, the experience in industries you have worked in, the hobbies that you are attracted to and the willingness and desire to create your own home based business to search and learn what will work for you. Just because the three ideas listed above have such a promising future doesn’t mean that it is what you have to do to succeed. Your home based business might have nothing to do with affiliate marketing, drop shipping or working for a small business. You may find that your home based business begins as one type of entity and evolves as time goes on.
Home Based Business Ideas For Women
In today’s economic climate of global recession it is tough to find a job and it’s especially tough when you want to go back to work after starting a family. When we see the words ‘Home Based Businesses’ many of us are skeptical, and rightly so- with all of the scams and fly-by-night get rich schemes it can be disheartening to really find something out there that works, that’s similar to jobs you have before starting a family. This can be especially so when you have small children, which is why it’s important to separate true home based business ideas from ones that do not work.There are several ways to find true home based businesses that work for women, but there are a few that are easy to learn and ones you can implement immediately. Here are 3 simple tips for Home Based Business ideas for women:1) Mindset. When you find a home based business idea for women, and it looks like a solid business and professional opportunity, go for it. You have to believe you can pursue a professional business from home as well as raise children. So, take action and believe you can. But, once time goes by and the buzz of ‘something new’ wears off, make sure you don’t put it to the side and never do anything with it. Over 90% of people give up on new business ventures, especially online from home. Stick with it, and give it all that you’ve got (within the time and energy you have available for working.) If the home based business idea works, it’ll work for you with the right mindset and effort. If not, don’t be discouraged, there are plenty of more opportunities for women to find business ideas online.2) Verify and Vet. When you come across a work from home idea, verify the opportunity and vet those involved in it. Google search the company name, and the names of those involved. Google search the company name and the word ‘scam.’ (But don’t forget to verify and vet those who claim ‘scam’ too, they could just be a few sour apples.) Find out if people are actually happy with the company or service. Also, it’s always a good sign if those involved in the opportunity update and communicate often. It doesn’t have to be direct communication; it can be something like a blog, email, tweets, Facebook posts, newsletter, or forum post. Also verify if they have good customer support and your questions and concerns are dealt with in a timely manner. The more legitimate online opportunities will have more positive reviews than bad, and more available contact and support.3) Resources. Discover all the various resources available to you in your field. Search in your field for business tips and strategies, forums and blogs to connect with others, and listings and directories to advance your goal. You can also find available opportunity for work by searching. The internet is a resource and you have to mine it.There you have it! Three simple tips that will help you find your opportunity to work from home on the internet. Keep your eyes alert for home based business opportunity, make sure the opportunity checks out and isn’t a scam, get involved and stay focused, and you’ll see success in your endeavors. You can work from home and make a living while raising a family, so get started today.
Wondering About Financing Small Business Loans?
Many small companies in the US expect some growth opportunities in the next year. That is the great news! The bad news? Financing opportunities are looking bleak, particularly if the business owner has less than great credit, or a new business. Why would you need to know about financing small business loans? The main reasons for small business financing are to receive working capital and funds for capital expenditures.It used to be that applying for business cash for a smaller business was fairly straightforward. You’d pay a visit to your local friendly banker and talk about your business needs. You’d discuss what you needed and they would help with financing a business loan – yours, to be exact. Then, the financial crisis hit, and banks closed ranks and decided that loans for small business were too risky. Business cash almost dried up. The big losers? Small business owners.Now, we see the result of lack of financing: many small companies are either struggling to stay afloat, or are finding it almost impossible to capitalize on upcoming opportunities. In a recent Year-End Economic Report published by the National Small Business Association, nearly 40% of small businesses report they are unable to acquire adequate means for financing small business loans they deem necessary for their business to continue and grow.What are the options for companies to get the business cash they need? The large corporate bankers and small locally owned banks are not the alternative they have traditionally been. You may feel that your business is a captive being held by the current economic situation and credit crisis. What you may not know is that there is a great source of alternative lenders who can provide working capital for small businesses. It is possible for loans to be secured against cash flow or your accounts receivable. In addition things such as inventory and purchase orders can be considered. Do you own property, machinery or equipment? These things as well may be leveraged to secure loans for small business.What happens when your long time banker tells you there is no money for your business? Don’t give up and think that all is lost. There is help just around the corner for you. Business lending has changed. It may seem a little different to do business on the internet, but that is the new way. You just may be able to get the financing you need when the bankers say “No way.” Asset-based lines of credit may be the way to go in this Brave New World.Typical banks are just no longer willing to extend traditional financing to the small company owner. There are many reasons for this, some of which are tightened federal requirements, as well as skittish investors who only look at the bottom line. These factors combine to make it seem that any loans for business may seem quite impossible. But don’t believe that! There is a whole new world of private banks and small business lenders who welcome your business. Once the level of risk of the business being financed is determined, you may be pleasantly surprised by the rates and terms you may be offered. Take advantage of the growth opportunities for your business. Grow your business just as you’ve dreamed.
Introduction To Fishing
The Thrill Of The Catch
If you haven’t fished before, you don’t know what you’re missing. If you did, you would be a fisherperson.
Not only does it bring you closer to nature, there’s the thrill of the catch. Imagine standing on the bank of a stream on a beautiful day, your rod bending under the weight of a good catch. This one’s a fighter and you take your time, allowing the fish to tire itself out before reeling it to shore. When you finally land it, you realize you’ve just caught the biggest fish of your life. It’s a great feeling and 1 you’ll never know until you give fishing a try.
Learning How To Fish
Now that I have your interest, perhaps you realize that you don’t have a clue how to go about fishing. Well, that’s what I’m here for. If you want to learn to fish, here are 5 easy ways:
* Ask a family member or friend who is an experienced angler to take you along the next time they go fishing — they will be thrilled to have a new fishing buddy
* Research online — there are hundreds of websites with instructions on fishing gear, bait, and fishing tips
* Go to your local library and check out how-to fishing books and magazines
* Check your local conservation or wildlife service — they often hold a fishing day where beginners can learn the basics of fishing.
* If you go on vacation in fishing country (which is darn near anywhere), check with local fishing stores — they often know local professionals who will teach you how to fish.
When To Go Fishing
Anytime is a good time to fish; you never know what you might catch.
Some species are more active near dawn and dusk when they are feeding, while others will bite any time of the day.
Certain times of the year are best for certain species. Fishing is a pastime you can enjoy all year round.
Getting Your License
Fishing licenses are required in most places, which you can buy at fishing tackle stores or Conservation and Wildlife Centers. The cost varies by location. Licenses for children are usually not required.
If you want to fish on private property, be sure to get permission from the owner. Otherwise it is trespassing.
Pack Up And Head Out
If you’ve read this far, it may be a sign you’re getting interested in fishing. Just follow the above instructions and soon you will be enjoying your favorite new hobby.
Settle Your Small Business Taxes With a Peer-To-Peer Loan
Like the saying goes, “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.” Unfortunately, small businesses know this saying all too well.
Unlike employees who look forward to their refund every April, small businesses loath the approaching spring, knowing they will have to pay Uncle Sam its share of their profits. Each year, small businesses struggling to turn a profit in an increasingly competitive business environment must pay taxes in order to keep their doors open.
With dwindling profit margins and tightened lending restrictions, however, many small business owners find themselves between a rock and a hard place when it comes time to pay the tax man. Although a business may have steady sales and revenue or thousands of dollars in inventory, banks and traditional lending institutions simply aren’t handing out small business loans like they were in year’s past, leaving small business owners with few funding options to pay their tax bill.
Thankfully, peer-to-peer lending, or social lending, has solved this growing dilemma. These modern social lending marketplaces have connected millions of borrowers with individual investors. Borrowers receive low-interest, fixed-rate loans that can be paid off in two to five years, while investors are able to benefit from decent returns in an economy with sinking bond and savings rates.
Thus, it’s a win-win situation for both small business owners in need of immediate funding and investors looking to make a small profit while helping others.
From Desperation to Exultation: One Man’s Venture into Peer-to-Peer Lending
John Mitchell is an Ohio-based small business owner who found himself in such a predicament just last year. As the owner of the only hardware store in a small town, John’s store flourished the first few years it was open.
After getting his inventory levels, pricing models, and management just right, he decided to expand his business by opening a second location in a neighboring town. John sunk all of his profits into opening his new store, which meant he was short on funds come tax time. However, knowing the success of his business, he thought he would simply get a small loan from the bank that housed his accounts and provided him with the initial loan he used to launch his business four years earlier.
Unfortunately, he witnessed first-hand the effect the recession has had on lending regulations as the banker he’s known for years denied his loan application. If he couldn’t get a loan there, where could he?
On the brink of despair, John took to the Internet to research loan options. After digging through forums and trying a few different searches, he ran across peer-to-peer lending. In less than a week after going through the quick and easy application process, he received a personal loan at a low rate for the amount he needed. A week later, John sent a check for the full amount to the IRS, and less than eight months later, he was able to pay off the loan with the profits from his new store!
If you are a small business owner who has found yourself in a similar circumstance, peer-to-peer lending can do the same for you as well, but how does peer-to-peer lending work?
How Peer-to-Peer Lending Works
A breakthrough product or service emerges every generation, and in the early 2000′s, the emerging breakthrough was social networking. From helping in the organization of overthrowing political regimes to staying in touch with friends and family members, social networking has had a profound effect on our daily lives. Now, it’s changing the small business financing landscape as well.
Peer-to-peer lending is a modern social networking solution for small businesses in search of a way of securing alternative funding. The goal of peer-to-peer lending sites, such as Prosper and Lending Club, is simply to connect individual investors with those in need of funding, and these sites are becoming an increasingly useful tool for small business owners who are unable to secure funding from traditional lenders.
Rather than jumping through endless hoops only to be denied by a bank, small businesses can receive funding via peer-to-peer lending in no time at all by following three simple steps:
Step 1: Create a Profile and Loan Listing
There are a myriad of peer-to-peer lending networks to choose from, so your first step is to research the best ones and create a profile and loan listing on the site you choose. The loan listing is essentially a cost-free ad that indicates the amount of money you need and your desired interest rate.
Step 2: Let the Bidding Process Begin
After your listing goes live, investors have the opportunity to begin bidding on your listing, providing you with the interest rate and loan amount they are willing to offer you. A major advantage of this bidding process is the fact that it can intensify as more and more lenders begin competing for your business.
When this happens, interest rates will begin dropping, potentially allowing you to obtain a much lower interest rate than you expected. It’s important to note, however, that your credit score, income, and debt-to-income ratio plays a role in the lending decision process.
Step 3: Funding and Paying Back the Loan
Another benefit of borrowing from peer-to-peer lenders is that you can accept several bids to receive your requested loan amount. For instance, if you ask for $10,000 in your loan listing to pay your business taxes, you can acquire the amount from collecting $2,000 from five different borrowers.
This makes it much easier for borrowers to receive the money they need. However, instead of making five separate payments, you would only make one payment, because the peer-to-peer lending site is responsible for dispersing the money to lenders until loans are repaid in full. They simply charge a small fee for this service.
With increased lending regulations, banks are tightening their purse strings more than ever before, making it much more difficult for small businesses to receive the funding they need to expand their business or even pay their taxes. Thankfully, peer-to-peer lending has proven to be a worthy competitor in the small business lending marketplace. If you are a small business owner and find yourself unable to pay your taxes as April approaches, or backed taxes for that matter, a peer-to-peer loan is an ideal option.
The Finer Points of Internet Auctions
WHAT IS A PENNY AUCTION?
Penny auctions have exploded in popularity with the massive growth of the internet. However, few people know the true origins of penny auctions.Beginnings actually stretch back to the Great Depression. Those were hard times for everyone, but even harder for farmers. Farmers struggled to bring in steady income because of droughts and crops not selling as well as they had previously. As a result, the banks would foreclose on the farmers who couldn’t keep up with their mortgage payments.
The banks weren’t satisfied with just repossessing the house, they wanted to raise as much capital as possible, so they resorted to selling off the possessions of the owners of the repossessed houses. There was not much the farmers could do about it so they began bidding ridiculously low prices, pennies, on the items while threatening others who dared to bid higher than a few pennies.
The auctions of today hardly resemble their tremulous beginnings. Being part of a penny auction today is exhilarating, fun, and addictive. It combines the selling format of auctioning with a little bit of chance factored in.Auctions are a game of strategy but also a game of luck.
The premise behind penny auctions is giving people the chance to win an item at a drastically reduced price.Auctions make that possible by spreading out the cost of the product among multiple bidders. In order for a person to take part in an auction, they must pay a set price for each bid. For example, if a person wanted to bid on a fifty dollar Amazon gift card then he would spend a dollar for each time a bid placed. If he ended up winning the gift card, then he would only have spent a few dollars for a fifty dollar gift card. Usually penny auctions sell bids in packages.
HOW PENNY AUCTIONS WORK!
The main foundation of penny auctions is the pay-per-bid format. It is the key that allows bidders to win items at the fraction of their retail value and allows the auction owners to keep their site profitable. Most y auction sites run on the same premise: people pay a set amount for each bid, whenever a person places a bid within the closing seconds of the auction time will be added, the last person left with a unique bid after the clocks runs out will win the item. There are a large variety of items that can be won, but they tend to be popular electronics or gift cards to popular stores.
There are two types of auctions: lowest unique bid auction and highest unique bid auction. Lowest unique auction sounds confusing but it is actually quite simple. A unique bid is when only one person has a bid at a certain price. Bids usually start at one penny, a bidder can then place a bid at two pennies. Until another bidder places a higher bid, the most recent bidder will be the lowest unique bid because that was the only bid at two cents and nobody bid higher. However, penny auctions generally don’t stop at one penny. It is not uncommon to find auctions that end up at a couple hundred dollars based on the popularity of the item being auctioned. However, the same principles apply for those auctions. Highest unique bid auctions follow the more traditional auction format such as eBay. The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item.
Auction site owners turn a profit by selling bids. Say twenty people are bidding on a ten dollar gift card at one dollar per bid, at the end of the auction if there were twenty bids placed in total then the site owner would have made twenty dollars with a ten dollar profit.Auctions do seem like a win-win situation:The site owner makes money while the bidder gets an item for dirt cheap. However, not everyone wins in penny auctions. The people who paid one dollar each bid but left with nothing to show for their investments will not be so happy.
HOW TO WIN!
Penny auction has a lot of chance mixed into it, but one can incorporate strategy that will help raise the chances of winning. Playing smart can make all the difference between gambling and auctioning.
The first crucial tip to winning penny auctions is to know how to manage your bids. Your goal should be to win as much as possible without spending a ton of money buying bids. Managing your bids means that you should already know how much you are willing to risk in order to win an item. The amount of capital you are willing to risk will determine how many bids you can use. Once you know how many bids you have to spend on an item, then you will be better able to manage how and when you place a bid. That will keep you from blowing away all of your bids in the first few seconds of the auction.
The next tip is to practice time management. When fighting in the trenches of penny auctions, you have two enemies: other bidders and time. Knowing when to bid is a must if you want to have success. Placing a bid when there is a lot of time left on the clock is never a good idea. You have to remember that the key to winning a penny auction is being the last one standing when the clock runs out and that each bid increases the amount of time left. It would be a good practice to wait until the last few minutes of the auction before you begin to bid.
The final tip for successful auctioning is to keep your emotions under control.Auctions have a lot of similarities to gambling, and just like gambling, your spending can get out of control. If you keep your emotions level, it will keep you from making rash decisions and blowing loads of cash. Keep your mind clear so that you can gage the behavior of the other bidders and outsmart them.
HOW TO AVOID SCAM SITES!
Penny auctions are a great addition to the web whether you want to win an item that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to afford or if you simply enjoy the thrill that comes with bidding in auctions. Unfortunately, scam sites have tarnished the reputation of the legitimate penny auction sites. However, there are ways that you can protect yourself from scamers and enjoy your auctioning without having to worry about losing your money due to dishonesty.
Checking the reputation of the auction site before you start spending your hard earned money is always a good idea. Chances are other people have tried the site before you and some of them have left reviews. The reviews are your way to gage whether a auction site is trustworthy or not. If a site is getting overwhelmingly negative reviews, then that is a clear indication that you should steer your business elsewhere.
Another tool you can use to protect yourself is checking the Alexia ranks of the auction sites. Alexia rank will give a solid view of how much traffic the auction is getting. If you see a huge difference in the amount of traffic Alexia is projecting and the amount of active bidders on the site, then warning signals should be ringing in your head. Some auction sites have been known to set up robots that automatically bid on projects in order to keep the auction going and inflate the price. That is known as shill bidding. You can sniff out those sites by comparing the traffic the site should be getting to the amount of users using this site.
CONCLUSION!
New legislation may come out later down the road that will officially make penny auctions gambling, but until then, it is a fun, exciting auction that allows one to win the item they’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford.Auctions are also quite lucrative for the site owners because of the pay-per-bid strategy they’ve incorporated. Penny auctions had humble beginnings with farmers who just wanted to get back at the banks who kicked them out of their house. More recently, auctions have enjoyed an explosion in popularity with the rise of the internet.
There are two main formats fora auctions, lowest and highest unique auction, however they both run on the same premise where the last unique bid wins the item. Winning a penny auction will require a certain amount of mental tactic and a bit of luck. However, you can increase your odds of winning by practicing certain techniques such as managing your bids wisely, learning how to work with the time, and keeping a level head and your emotions under control. When you combine those three strategies to your bidding plan, you will find that you win a lot more often.
It is important that you do your due diligence to protect yourself when participating in auctions. Not every auction is run by honest and trustworthy people. There are people out there who just want to take your money. You can protect yourself by ensuring that you only bid on sites that already have a very positive reputation from real users.
How to Find Great Live Auctions for Resale Items
Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.
Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.
There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.
There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.
Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.
There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.
Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?
Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.
Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.
A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.
Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.
When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.
When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.
Hiring An Auction Company
Estimating your assets value:
Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.
Compensation and Expenses:
Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.
A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.
In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.
In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.
In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.
In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.
What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.
Auction Expenses:
In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.
All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.
Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.
Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.
Buyer’s Premium:
What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.
The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.
It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.
Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.
Pre-Sales:
We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.
As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.
Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.
A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.
It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.
When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.