My Guest Post on Shoemoney - Have a Laugh

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

I just wrote a guest blog post (and got a free Verizon mifi card for doing so) on the world-renowned internet marketing site Shoemoney.com

Jeremy Shoemaker and his first big Adsense Check for $130K

If you don't know who Shoemoney (Jeremy Shoemaker) is, he's probably one the brightest (and most trusted) Internet marketers in the industry. A few years ago (right before he became a multi-millionaire), he practically tripped over Google Adsense (in the early days, when Google Adsense made folks lots of money) and got at least one check for $130,000 in Adsense earnings. (By comparison, I think my highest Adsense check was $100).

(I'm not endorsing anything that Shoemoney.com offers here because he primarily teaches Internet Marketing (not selling on eBay or Amazon) - his programs do work, though)

Anyway, Hope you can get a laugh by reading my post (especially my 'bio' at the bottom).

-J.B. Malik, Founder of FBAFinds.com and HonestOnlineSelling.com

Why Selling Toys Online Won't Suck This Xmas

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

Despite the fits and starts of the economic recession, it is a good time to be an online retailer. Why?

- A recent Wall Street Journal article states that higher fuel bills are forcing customers to reconsider driving to the big box stores (i.e. Walmart) to buy stuff; and they are even buying more of their consumable goods (goods they would normally buy at those stores) on online sites like Amazon.

- Another recent Wall Street Journal article confirms that if a double-dip recession occurs, "online-only stores shouldn't fret as much as their brick-and-mortar counterparts"; and finally

- (You knew this already) Online sales year-over-year growth continues to beat the daylights out of brick-and-mortar retail growth.

So if you want to cash in this Christmas like I did (by selling mostly Toys on Amazon), here are some tips:

TACTIC: SIGN UP TO SELL on AMAZON or EBAY NOW (If you haven't already)
Sign up to sell on Amazon soon because their Toy and Games restrictions will kick in if you don't start selling toys, like, now. You can loophole (for the most part) these restrictions when you sign up for Fulfillment by Amazon, or 'FBA' (Where Amazon does all the shipping directly to your customers). I recommend signing up for FBA whether you sell Toys/games or not. The cost for selling via Amazon FBA versus shipping the item to the customer yourself is pretty minimal, and FBA frees you up from the grunt work (i.e. boxing individual items and haggling over customer service issues). (If you need to get up to speed quickly to learn how to "sell like a champ" on Amazon, take this course (it has a 100% Money Back Guarantee if you're not satisfied for any reason). Or learn the basics, FREE, on your own with this guide).

TACTICS: GET YOUR INVENTORY EARLY
Preparedness pays:

FREE TIP #1: When you see local (or online) toy store sales and/or clearance, snap up toys from some of the more traditional brands - Legos, Barbie, Toy Story 3, Disney Pixar Cars, Bratz dolls. etc. These almost always sell for 2x to 3x (or more) their 'off-Season Sale' prices when Xmas draws near close. Stay away from faddish-toys with no brand history.

FREE TIP #2: Hang out in the online sales forums like Slickdeals.net and bookmark sites to learn what other folks are trying to get their hands on this Christmas.

FREE TIP #3: Talk to your friends who have little kids and take notes of what Toys the kids think are 'hot' right now. If you find a common product (i.e., if every boy mentions the Hot Wheels Video Racers, out this Fall), well chances are that toy will be a hot pick - and very hard to find - this Christmas (which mean you should find those products now, preferably on sale, and plan to sell the 2x to 3x their current retail price).

FREE TIP #4: Talk to your local mom-and-pop Toy store. Tell them you want to 'surprise your niece' this Christmas with a toy that is predicted to be a winner, but you have no idea what to buy. These toy stores have already ordered their inventory and they know what's in predicted to be hot and in demand.

FREE TIP #5: Hang out in the local 'big' Toy Stores (i.e. ToysRUS) a couple times a week and see what they're sold out of. Again, chances are those hard-to-keep-in-stock toys will be even hotter this Christmas. So take note what's sold out and buy it online or at the same store when it's back in stock.


TACTICS: PREPARE to "STAND OUT" FROM OTHER ONLINE RETAILERS
Whether you sell on Amazon, ebay, or anywhere else - do you have a strategy to stand out? You can take my ideas:

FREE TIP #6: include brand new batteries for every toy that requires them, and make sure you say that in the product description or title.

FREE TIP #7: IF YOU SHIP your products (versus Fulfillment), promise your customers a "Get it by December 20th or IT's FREE" Guarantee, like I do. (You can pick a date other than the 20th if you wish, of course). I've never had a problem promising this. Some customers are PRAYING they get the gift late so they can get it free, but I had a late delivery maybe once or twice in the past 3 years. Just make sure you ship your packages out well ahead of the 'Get it By' date.

FREE TIP #8: IF YOU SHIP your products (versus Fulfillment), give your customers a free upgrade to USPS PRIORITY shipping. (I have found that,  for most average-sized packages weighing between 13 ounces and 3 lbs, that Priority shipping is frequently just a little more $ than parcel post.)

FREE TIP #9: Pre-owned Toys (as long as they're clean and neat) sell extremely well, too, year round - and for even more profit during the Holidays. So hit your local thrift stores/yard sales NOW and find some complete toys and/or games for $1 or $2 (Make sure they have all the pieces/parts, and get batteries if they're needed). NOTE:  If you want the extra assurance to know EXACTLY what pre-owned toys to look for, you can buy this guide. (Note: subscribers to FBAFinds.com get that guide for free) Stick the games/toys in the closet so you can sell them in November/December on eBay or Amazon.

So I hope that helps you - let's get ready to CRUSH IT this Xmas! Questions? Post away....

J.B. Malik, Founder
HonestOnlineSelling.com and FBAFinds.com

Peek at my Amazon Sales; and a New Secret to Book Selling

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

I've shown you some screen shots of some of the ridiculous profits I get for selling used books on Amazon -  books that cost me $1 and sell for $20 to $30 and up (= a return on investment - or ROI - of 2000+%).

Here's more proof - Click  here, here, and here. I bought these books at a local library and a couple book sales.  

I know 2,000% and 14,000% Return on Investment (ROI) sounds like I'm on crack, but the numbers are real. Walk into your local bank and tell the manager you want your CD to earn more than 3% ROI and call me when he's done laughing at you.

So you're convinced (I hope) that selling used books can be 'big business', as it is for me. But it can be hard to find enough places to buy profitable books. You'll remember that I addressed that by referencing Frank Florence's Creative Sourcing for Books e-book ($27, and still a steal).

I called Frank's book the 'S.W.A.T.' guide to used book inventory. And I didn't think Frank could top that.

But he just did, with BookSalesFound.

BookSalesFound lists the little-known upcoming book sales in your area, including ones that are not advertised on free sites like BookSaleFinder. The problem with BookSaleFinder.com  (unrelated to Frank's BookSalesFound) is that it all the booksellers access this free site to find the major book sales only - thus you'll likely get 50 other sellers like you showing up with their scanners at those sales.

So BookSalesFound is my new secret weapon for finding those 'under-advertised' book sales. 'Under-advertised' book sales mean lesser (or no) seller competition, which means more 'book gold' for me!

There's more. BookSalesFound also lists library book stores in each state. See, many libraries have their own store where they're selling books year-round! Not many other book sellers know about that.

I'm embarrased - because Last year, it took me a couple months to find and document the local, little-known libraries that regularly sold books. And that's just in my area (Long Island, NY). If BookSalesFound were around then, I would have saved a TON of time.

Frank's BookSalesFound comes with a 7-day free trial, and its introductory rate is $19.99/mo. That's incredibly cheap and delivers a lot of book sale intelligence to your fingertips. $19.99/mo is all you'll ever pay (you'll be locked-in, forever). For people who don't sign up, the price will go up to $67 after the introductory period is over.

Do you need to subscribe to BookSalesFound? Absolutely not! Just go to all your local libraries in the region, sign up for their 'Friends of Library' mailing list (which costs about $5 to $15 per library, per year) so you are 'in the know' before every one else. But if you have a lot of libraries in the area, like me, that's a lot to keep track of. Instead, BookSalesFound tells me when and where all the local library sales and library stores are.

- Remember, there is a 7-day FREE Trial of BookSalesFound. If you try it and don't like it, cancel within 7 days and pay nothing.

I'm personally adding MY OWN GUARANTEE to the offer. If you try BookSalesFound and, within 30 days, you decide to cancel, contact me via this blog, and I will refund you via paypal for the entire month's billing. That's how much I believe in BookSalesFound! (Disclosure - This guarantee is MY OWN - it is not offered by the owners of BookSalesFound.)

Have fun!

-J.B., Founder, HonestOnlineSelling.com

My Prediction - a Hot Toy to Resell This Christmas

NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com

I get the question all the time from online sellers: "What will be the hot toys that I can sell on eBay/Amazon this Xmas?"

And my answer is "Avoid the new fads, stick with toys in the traditional brands/franchises - Disney Cars, Barbie, Batman, Disney Princess, Marvel Spiderman, Disney Toy Story, etc."

That's because fads are unpredictable: last Xmas. the much-hyped Sing-a-ma-jigs and Squinkies were lousy toys to resell (=no or little profit to buy and then resell online). But the predictable franchises (i.e. Batman, Disney, etc.) do well every year because, quite simply, kids' demand for the toys frequently outstrips supply and/or the perception of buyers is that the toy will not be in stock if they wait too long.

But I think I *may* have a predicted winner here - the My Keepon -  *IF* you're able to get your  hands on it (it will only be available this October  - you can't get it now). There are 4 reasons why I'm predicting this will be a boon for online resellers:

-- Exclusivity. ToysRUs will be the only official retailer. That means scarcity. Scarcity mean low supply, and low supply drives up price for resellers like you.

-- Truly dynamic technology in the toy. Sing-a-ma-jigs and Zhu Zhu pets lost their appeal - and their price premiums - quickly because the novelty wore off. They were essentially 1-trick-pony toys. My Keepon has advanced software in it that makes the toy more 'human' and random in its movements and 'communication.'

-- Personalization - creators of the toy intend to make it customizable by other 'programmers' (not sure if that is everyday folk who can program it, or software geeks), and any product that can be sold and then personalized can command big bucks.

The price point is supposed to be around $50. My suggestion:  Keep your eyes peeled for this at your local ToysRus in October and snap a few up. Then list them on Amazon or eBay for $150 each and watch the competitive pricing closely. Adjust pricing accordingly - the worst thing that could happen is you break even or sell them at a slight loss - or return them if they're a total flop.

Again, I can't guarantee what's going to happen with this toy, but all indications point to a truly robust 'winner' that will be very hard to find as Christmas draws closer. So if you can get your hands on them in October (expect Toys R Us to limit you to (say) '2 per person'), you may be able to profit really nicely from them.

Do Great Stuff!
-J.B.