Got a hobby? Not everyone does, but hobbies, interests and specialties, or things that we just enjoy doing, are potential areas for a business. Why not do something you enjoy and get paid for it at the same time? I remember one time scanning some of the eBay auctions and coming across someone who was selling a special type of glass bead that they made. Something really unusual had happened for this specific auction that I had never seen before. People had sent emails to the person conducting the auction thanking them for finally coming back to the eBay marketplace after an apparent long absence. This person was away ill, but their specialty was recognized (and missed) by those who purchased these types of glass beads on a regular basis. In a way, it was exciting to see the communications smartly included at the bottom of the auction. It not only made me, the visitor, appreciate this person and the credibility they had built in their market, but helped me to realize that even a hobby can become a viable business.
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What do you do during the week on your job? Have you made contacts that can supply you with products you can sell at a reasonable markup? Do you get to travel as a part of your job? While you’re away from home do you occasionally come across great deals at flea markets or garage sales that you could pick up and ship home? Do you ever travel out of the country? There are many great deals abroad to be had if you take the time to check out the merchandise. For instance, in many countries various textiles are available at next to nothing when you compare their cost here in the USA. Why not pick up 20 or 30 of those silk scarves and auction them on eBay. When I traveled a lot early on in my career, I would always visit the pawn shops looking for deals on cameras and guitars. I have a friend that I grew up with who traveled the country playing in a rock band at various night clubs back in the early 90’s. In every city he went to, he would scour the want ads for deals on guitars and rock band equipment. One time he came across a vintage Les Paul guitar; pearl white with gold Humbucker pickups. It was in perfect condition. The guy selling it had run on hard times and needed $200 fast. SOLD! I bought my first Gibson ES-335 the same way. The deals are out there.
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Like to quilt? One of the ladies where I go to church loved to make quilts by hand (as did my grandmother and great grandmother). When she died unexpectedly, her husband donated her quilt to be sold to raise money for a new play area for the children at church. I was able to sell the quilt for close to $1,000 on eBay a few years back at a time when all competing quilts were only bringing around $100 - $300 each.
My wife and I like antiques. She is a compulsive garage sale shopper and has come across vintage jewelry, Maxfield Parrish prints, Grandfather clocks, furniture, lamps, etc. Does she find something at every sale? Nope, but that doesn’t stop her from hitting the trail every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday looking for deals. Many of our auctions contain items we have found at area garage sales. When we travel we search the newspapers for interesting sales. If we don’t see something of interest in the paper, we’ll leave our relatives sitting at the breakfast table and hit the roads in search of that next great deal.
Do you start to see how you can make something you enjoy profitable? And you don’t have to resell everything you buy. We don’t. Keep the best and sell the rest as someone once put it.