My story

I thought that I would write a post to explain a little bit about my business, how and why it came about etc.  I was working in the construction industry as a brick mason.  Things were going well I was making more money than I had ever made before.   I had even been in charge of a project or two so management was definitely not out of the question.  My future looked really good, my job was secure... or so I thought.  Fast forward to the beginning of the recession/depression that we are currently in.  First our hours were cut, there were weeks when we did not work others when we drew straws to see who they would send home after half of a day.  It was clear that the economy was hurting business.  It finally got to the point where the owner could no longer compete for contracts because everyone was really desperate for money.  People were underbidding us at prices that we could not compete with, this went on for a while then the obvious happened.  The owner had to start letting people go, one of those happened to be me.  I started looking for a job, my main skills were construction, I really did not know how to do much else.  I put in hundreds of applications, noone was hiring full time work.  I took temporary jobs, seasonal jobs, part time jobs, whatever I could get really and we were hurting.  There were times when we had nothing coming in for weeks, then I would get a job that would last a few weeks, then nothing.  This went on for another month or two.  It was during this time that I came to a realization.  I am responsible for my own financial well being.  I can not really on people to create a job for me and pay me what I feel I am worth.  I knew I had to do something, but what?

I was sitting at home one day watching American Pickers and I asked myself what parts of that show are real?  I knew that it was somewhat scripted and that some of the finds if not all were possibly planted for the cameras.  Were there people out there making a living doing similar things?  And if they were could the average Joe go out and start doing similar things to make a living out of?  I spent a little time mulling over that then I went to You Tube and did a search for beginning picking.  Let's step backward just a bit to clarify my previous experience.  

When I was much younger I worked part time at a computer repair shop.  I loved it but it was a small shop and they really did not need another full time person.  I worked there on the weekends and in the evenings some while working full time elsewhere.  One day I was at this shop and they were cleaning some of their older stuff out.  The repair shop had gotten very cluttered, so they decided to get rid of the junk that is just collecting dust.  We were going through some of the stuff and I came across what I thought was a sewing machine.  It weighed around 40 pounds and was in a case similar to the ones the old sewing machines were in.  Curiosity got the better of me so I opened this case and realized it was a computer.  It was an Osborne computer, I do not remember much of the details, but I remember reading it was the first or one of the first portable computers.  It had like 3.5 inch screen, dual 5 1/4 inch floppies and it ran an operating system called CPM.  This was a massive beast, my wife had constantly been talking about how she wanted a portable computer.  I went to the bossman and asked if he was going to throw it away, he said yes.  I asked if he would let me have it and that I was going to use it as a practical joke on my wife.  He agreed so now I am the proud owner of this behemoth.  I drive home that evening and told my wife that I had a big surprise for her.  I bring that computer in and she says what is that.  I opened it up and told her that it was her new portable computer, we had a little laugh over it and I set it to the side.  Months went by and we kept moving this computer from one room to another, it was so bulky it was always in the way.  My wife finally said I had to get rid of it.  I went online and discovered Yahoo Auctions, ebay was either really new and not very well known, or it had not been invented ,  Anyway, I told my wife that I would put it on yahoo for $75, if anyone paid that for it I would sell it, otherwise I wanted to keep it.  My wife said noone is going to pay $75 for that piece of crap.  I listed the computer, got busy doing other things I checked the auction the next day and It was up to about $125.  I do not remember what the item sold for but it was well over 300 dollars.  thus a hobby was born.  I never viewed this as a viable way to make an income, it was just a hobby.  I started going to yard sales and thrift stores looking for old game systems, and old computers.  I was buying mainly atari 2600's.  At the time I would not pay over $3 for one, and I could sell them from $26 to $76 depending on condition.  My wife saw how easy it was to sell online and she started making clay chess sets.  She sold some of them for $800.  So she had a little side business and I had a hobby,

Now, with that experience in the past, and my need for income I started to seriously look at this as a viable business.  I downloaded the ebay app and amazon app for my phone and went to yard sales.  The first item I found was a scene it game new in the box.  I found it for 5.00, it sold on amazon for $34.  Sounds amazing right?  After fees, and getting burned by amazon on shipping I only made like $9.  Profit is profit, but I learned a lesson.  Do not sell heavy items on Amazon, they give you very little for shipping.  By the time you set your price so the item will sell quick, and pay for shipping you make very little profit.  So now I sell on Amazon and E-Bay.  I know which items to sell on each site, and I know it will sell before I buy.  This is a wonderful business, it is simple, not easy but very simple.  Do not sit there thinking you will make a lot of money with no work.  It is not get rich quick, and there is plenty of work involved.  I have recently started branching out and buying items wholesale to sell on ebay and amazon.  The profit margin per item is not as great, but I buy many of the same item, so for the same work I can sell 10 items.

There is a lot of work to this, for instance.  It takes an hour or more to write good ad copy on each item that I have never sold.  I have to research the item to find out what it is, find history of the item.  See what the most it has sold for, least it has sold for, how many have been listed that did not sell.  Then condense all of that information into an e-bay listing that compels people to buy.  I have to set the price, see if it sells, change the price etc..  until I find a price point that it sells at.  I spend hours researching a wholesale item before I buy.  I know what it will sell for, how long it should take to sell, how many I am likely to sell a week etc.  It is hard work, but well worth it in my opinion.  This is where I am at currently.  If you are inspired by my story, if it has helped you in any way.  Please help me to grow my business, I have started a crowd funding campaign on Rockethub.  Donate as little as a dollar, we also have some incredible incentives to donate more, check it out.

<a href="http://www.rockethub.com/projects/39929-grow-our-family-business-and-get-an-original-work-of-art">Grow my business and get a one of a kind signed work of art.</a>