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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.

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Home Based Business Ideas For Retired People

For a variety of reasons, retirement may not be an attractive option once you have entered that world. With medical advances, most people live longer and healthier lives. As a result, many retirees have too much energy and passion for life to simply do nothing. If you have spent the majority of your life in the work place, retirement can result in boredom, loss of enthusiasm or loneliness. You may find yourself missing that job you dreaded. Other retired people immediately realize their retirement savings just won’t be enough, especially with an uncertain world economy. So, what next?Have you ever dreamed of having your own business? Believe it or not, there are definite advantages for retirees that want to start a home based business. In fact, home based businesses in general are increasing and proving to be very successful. If you structure the business correctly and remain in compliance with the Internal Revenue Service guidelines, you will qualify for numerous tax benefits.As you think about ideas for a home based business, consider your options and do your research. There are, unfortunately, numerous scams and dishonest people that prey on senior citizens. Exercise caution but do not let the fear of a scam keep you from launching your own business.Start by making a list of your hobbies, your work experience, special skills, talents and passions. Often hobbies can be easily converted to a profitable home based business. A few ideas to get your brainstorming started: photography, accounting, handyman service, crafts, pet grooming, cake design and decoration, web design, selling products on eBay, online tutoring. Once you start brainstorming and as you review your list of specific talents and skills, your list of possibilities will expand.After you have selected two or three home based business ideas, do your research. Research can be done at the public library, online and discussing your ideas with trusted friends or family. Make a list of your goals before your start researching. Do you want to or need to supplement your income? Are you simply interested in staying active, feeling useful and maintaining contact with the world outside your home? Will you need help with the business? If you have a partner, this may influence your final selection.What about startup money? You may already have the equipment needed to get started. For example, if you select photography, you may own the necessary equipment. A word of caution at this point is necessary. Be sure you possess the skills and talents required for the business; owning an expensive digital camera and being the family photographer is probably not enough. On the other hand, if you have a passion for photography, consider taking a class at the local community college and learn the skills and techniques needed. Or, find a part time job with a local photographer and learn from a professional. This word of caution applies to any business idea you may choose.Keep in mind that the Small Business Administration can be very helpful. The SBA funds loans for home based businesses as well as brick and mortar businesses. As long as you meet the established requirements, you may qualify for a loan.Another huge advantage for retired people starting a home based business is your maturity and years of experience. Our current economy has often been compared to the Great Depression; it is interesting to note that many profitable businesses were started during the Great Depression. Do your brainstorming, complete your research and get started!

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Advantages of a Home Based Business Franchise

The trend towards creating a home based business is not a novel concept. During the last few years, more and more people have sought a solution to the rising threats of unemployment, long commutes and unbalanced family life that traditional business and full-time employment brings. Everyone understands that they need to generate an income but many are now becoming more creative in how they achieve this objective.

Creating a home based business is often seen as the solution to this challenge. A home based business gives the person more control over their time and allows them the freedom to work around family commitments and personal preferences. In the case of some parents, it allows them to spend more time with their children and arrange their work so they can be a more engaged parent. In other cases, it allows the person to live in the location of their choice without having to settle for a location simply because their job demands this from them.

However, moving from employment to a home based business is a huge move. The person needs to understand technical and computing issues, business law, banking requirements, business taxation, marketing as well as the details of the particular business that they are entering into. It is for these reasons that many who are in the process of researching home based businesses are attracted by a home based business franchise. Some people sometimes refer to this concept as a ‘business in a box’. A home based business franchise is typically internet based, but not always. It basically outlines the steps that the newbie buying the franchise or the opportunity needs to take to get started and to create a successful business. In most cases there’s a step by step training guide that shows the person exactly what needs to be learned. This is often in the form of videos, webinars, or simple instructions. At a time when there are countless other tasks for the new business owner to master, a home based business franchise aims to simplify the business part as much as possible.

Typically there is often a forum within these groups. The forum allows everyone to communicate freely, ask questions, give recommendations and post comments. It is invaluable to a new person setting up a business to have this level of support and to have a dedicated resource where their many questions can be answered. The person’s learning curve is extremely steep during this time and a community like this can speed up the learning process. It helps the newbie avoid the mistakes and possible pitfalls of those that have already gone through the process. In addition, they often have physical events where all members meet up and exchange information and successful strategies. This is a far cry from the experience of those who don’t take the home based business franchise route. It is much more difficult to gain momentum when you literally have to create everything from scratch. In many cases, the business owners who do this are ‘reinventing the wheel’ and often times get caught in the ‘busy’ trap. This is when they are extremely busy but aren’t focussed on income producing activities.

In addition, a home based business franchise often provides marketing templates, sales assistance, mindset training, supplier discounts and updated software. Although the costs of these are covered in the initial fee and in the monthly subscriptions, they certainly make it easier for the new member to become more successful in a shorter timeframe.

From my own experience, when I decided that I wanted to move from my traditional business as a business coach to a home based business, I was very focussed on finding a home based business franchise. I loved the work that I was doing as a business coach – training teams, coaching business owners and creating marketing campaigns for my clients. However, I was driving over a thousand miles a week, working extremely long days and constantly stressed out due to poor diet and lack of exercise. I decided that I wanted to be home based while still doing the type of work that I loved. One of the opportunities that allowed me to do that was YourNetBiz. In addition to the mentoring from my YourNetBiz sponsor, this system provided the step-by-step framework to get started. It provided the products, taught me about online marketing and it continues to provide leading edge support, software and community interaction.