• Import/Export Business -- The import and/or export business is wonderful for auctions. You are dealing with unique merchandise that is not widely distributed. Remember, people are willing to pay more for something that is exclusive.
If you have ties to suppliers in other countries, there is a wealth of merchandise that would make perfect niche products to sell. And there are all kinds of folks from other parts of the world looking for someone to represent their products outside their home countries. Of course, the import/export business has its own rules like everything else and it is necessary to know what you are doing before you rush into it.
You can receive offline help from...American Association of Exporters and Importers, 11 West 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10036, 212-944-2230
American Import Shippers Association, 662 Main Street, New Rochelle, NY, 10801, 914-633-3770
National Association of Export Companies, PO Box 1330, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY, 10156, 718-596-5110
United States Chamber of Commerce, 202-463-5460
U S Trade Information Center, 800-872-8723, http://www.ita.doc.gov/tic
World Trade Centers Association, 1 World Trade Center, Suite 7701, New York, NY, 212-432-2626
And there are many magazines to help you find merchandise and contacts...Business America, US Department of Commerce, 202-783-3238
The Business Advocate, The US Chamber of Commerce, 1615 H Street, NW, Washington DC, 20062, 800-293-6582
Export News, Canadian Exporters Association, 99 Bank Street, Suite 250, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 6B9, 613-238-8888
The Export Practitioner, 1920 N Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20036, 202-463-1060
202-463-1060
1060
The Exporter, 6 West 37th Street, New York, NY, 10018, 212-563-2772
Exporter Magazine, PO Box 1330, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY, 10156, 718-596-5110
Global Trade Magazine, North America Publishing Company, 401 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19108, 215-238-5300
Let’s add a few books that are recommended by authorities in this field...Building an Import/Export Business, 2nd Edition, Kenneth D. Weiss
Import/Export: How to Get Started in International Trade, Carl A. Nelson Starting an Import/Export Business, Entrepreneur Magazine
How to Build an Export Business, Nelson T. Joyner Import/Export Can Make You Rich, Laura Lanze
The No Money Down Import/Export Trade Formula, Jacob The
Start Your Own Import/Export Business, Joann Padgett
• Business Expansion -- Jana Lynne and Georgina run their own partyplanning business. At first, their business was strictly local but as they added more and more choices for their customers, there were more and more products to sell. Some of them were suitable for mailing, and many were not.
So they created some “party planning modules” to sell on their Web site and at auctions. This offers the customer a design for an entire theme party and accounts for every detail. Of course, many of these products mentioned in their modules were available only from them. They also sell supplies at reduced prices. The two women use eBay’s regional centers to promote their local services.
Jana Lynne and Georgina are demonstrating an important marketing strategy... provide one-stop shopping for the buyer. If a customer gets the plan from one place, it’s simply easier to get all the supplies there, too.
The two women have supplies, such as tablecloths, cutlery, plates and cups, unusual food items, fireworks (in some states) balloons of every kind and variety. They can supply such things as moon walks, personnel such as clowns, jugglers, fortune tellers, comedy troupes, look-a-likes, dunk tanks, a petting zoo and the list goes on.
You might argue that if you are a party planner in Seattle, you can’t supply personnel for one in Baltimore. But you are overlooking a huge profit center, if you don’t. You can get on the phone and make contacts in Baltimore and collect a referral fee -- another potential profit stream. You could end up with contacts all over North America, creating income streams in every city.
For ever-greater profits, keep adding to your product and service list. Net auctions allow you to expand with very little risk involved.
It is so easy to create all kinds of profit streams with a little creativity and ingenuity. For example, suppose someone wants a murder mystery party. What could you offer?
There are costumes and fake weapons, such as daggers and knives. You could offer “Poisoner’s Pie” and “Murderer’s Roast Beef.” All of the guests could receive a copy of a Miss Marple book as a party favor -- and you supply the books, naturally!
And here’s another “expanding” example... Anne was fed up! Every time she walked into her closet she became depressed because of the clutter and mess. (I know exactly what she means!) Every morning when she got dressed for work, she couldn’t find anything. Her clothes were a mess. A missing shoe was common.
One Saturday, she took action. She was at the home improvement store when it opened and bought everything on her long, long list. At home, she dragged everything out of her closet, into the guest room, and began “project closet renovation.” When she finished, she was so thrilled she started on her husband’s closet and then on to the two kids and from there to the linen closet and the pantry.
Anne’s family had a tradition of a Christmas Open House. Her closets were finished shortly before this annual tradition. Her proud family bragged about their new space and every guest at the party had a closet tour. The result was four separate requests from friends wanting her help to fix their closets. Others mentioned her efforts to friends who told others, who... we all know how effective word-of-mouth is.
Less than one year later, Anne was a full-time closet consultant. She was making almost twice the amount of money that she had made in her office job, and having a wonderful time. Much of her success results from the fact that she spends a lot of time understanding exactly what the closet owner wants. This, of course, meant that her business had to be strictly local. Until now, that is. Anne developed an information product which teaches her principles and outlines focus questionnaires. (For more information about how to develop your own information product, please check out http://myks.sitesell.com/)
Where do you think she began selling this product? Right on the auctions, of course! She built a Web site so that she can continue to grow her business profile. She perfectly exemplifies how it is possible to start at the local level and through the auctions, expand your business and reach a much larger (and more global) audience.
Site Build It! builds Web sites that work -- sites that attract potential customers in your region or from around the world (depending upon your business.) To see SBI! sites in action, visit http://results.sitesell.com/
• Move Store Inventory -- Net auctions are a great way to move inventory “virtually.” A retail furniture store has an auction listing that features only a bed...
But notice the night stand in the picture. This is an “extra” in their listing. eBay would have a fit about this because they wouldn’t receive a commission on this sale.
The seller also offers an incentive for buying this bed off the auction site. The price in the auction ad was $265. However, on their Web site, the identical bed was $379…
• eBay’s Regional Centers - Regional centers are more suitable for larger, expensive items which have more complex shipping requirements. Your buyer can have a hands-on look at what you are selling via an auction listing.
Bottom line for this chapter? Develop your whole promotion plan to pull target customer traffic in both directions -- from auction listing to Web site and from Web site to auction listing. Increase traffic and then increase profits by offering your visitors different solutions from your Web site. The key to a successful online business is making every visitor count. How?
By putting the customers’ needs first, you will know what kind of information they are seeking -- what they need to meet their wish or reduce their pain. And then you can provide the appropriate solutions.
The next chapter will introduce some interesting and strong role models to follow...
