Quote:
Originally Posted by sb1
For every hour of that, there are five of scanning and five more of shipping, not all that glamorous or entertaining  |
+1.
Sounds like most small businesses, where you're working more hours than you ever expected, spend too many hours dealing with a small few unreasonable customers, and at the end of the day, find you're making way less per hour than you should, given teh workload.
Stephen, I admire your dreams, but you're not exactly coming into this with eyes wide open, and a fresh new idea. Like many fresh faced, it always appears to be much easier than it actually is. And much harder to complete.
It's one thing to sell some items on eBay, quite another to run a production like a full fledged auction house. Perhaps even start with getting some software written or purchased that will properly run the auction side of the business first. Integrate that software with your accounting software. Set up an agreement with FedEx to get your items shipped to you and from you under your insurance. Get a storage facility with the proper 24 hour security, where you can store your consignments. Work on marketing and promotion to get your consignments, and a solid customer base.
This is just off the top of my head, and I know nothing about how the auction business works. But of course, I could easily run one. As Fr@nk Burke++ said in a post, "I want to be an architect. What kind of pencil do I need?" (I use that line now, it says it all)
To prove your grassroots ideas to everyone, and your "StickToItNess", stick to your first venture here which was trading up a paper clip (or something) for a '52 Mantle. When you complete that task, I'll believe in the seriousness of your next venture, starting up an auction house.