Becoming a Trading Assistant

[mandy]

Some tips and best practices, gained from talking to some of the best trading assistants in the business, will help you do things right the first time:

Be Fair to Yourself
There's no standard procedure for how much to charge clients who give you merchandise to sell on consignment on eBay. People who've never sold before have no idea of how much work is involved. Make sure the transaction is worth your time and effort. Charging 25 to 30 percent of the final selling price is common. There's no reason why you should pack and ship for free; you might charge the owner $1 or $2 as a handling fee.

Be Clear
Define your terms clearly and stick to them. Write out an agreement and have the other person sign it, even if (or especially if) it's your Mom or daughter. You don't want to have disagreements with your clients after the sale; you've got enough trouble completing transactions with your buyers.

Be Confident...

full article: http://auctionbytes.com/cab/abu/y206/m03/abu0162/s03

[iron_chick]

I saw an ad for ISOLDIT on the TV at the gym the other day.
They were advertising that there are franchises for sale.

Think I'll have to take a pass on that one . . . .

[amy]

[quote author=iron_chick link=topic=2919.msg10436#msg10436 date=1141662677]
I saw an ad for ISOLDIT on the TV at the gym the other day.
They were advertising that there are franchises for sale.

Think I'll have to take a pass on that one . . . .
[/quote]

What will it cost me to open my iSold It franchise store?

Your initial investment consists of the franchise fee, "Store-in-a-box", deposits, permits and working capital.

Our "Store-in-a-box", is a turnkey store build-out and set-up solution including millwork, counters, interior graphics, shelving, flooring, computers, software, computer network equipment, security cameras and related equipment, and exterior signs necessary for initial construction. It also includes a startup inventory of supplies, such as bins, boxes, and packing supplies. Freight and installation of counters, interior, graphics, shelving, flooring, computers, phone system, electricity and data lines are bundled in the package price. Grand opening marketing materials are included but will ship separately. Cost varies based on the physical dimensions of the space lease, local sign codes or landlord requirements to comply with governmental or shopping center requirements. The package does not include unforeseen, non-standard development expenses. A breakdown on the estimated initial costs required to open an iSold It store is shown below.

The estimates for construction will vary based on a wide range of store sizes, configurations and regional variations in construction cost. Please see our Uniform Offering Circular for a more detailed disclosure of the range of costs.

Expense As Low As As High As
Franchise Fee $22,000 $22,000
"Store-in-a-Box" TurnKey Build-Out Payment $59,500 $79,000
Lease Deposits (Internet & Utility) $1,000 $7,000
Permits & Licenses $500 $1,000
Training (Travel & Lodging) $500 $2,000
Installation (Phone & Data Lines) $1,000 $1,500
Professional Fees $1,000 $3,000
Additional Funds $20,000 $40,000
TOTAL $105,500 $155,500

http://www.i-soldit.com/faq2.asp

I wonder if you could sell an iSoldIt franchise store to Net2Auction?  Probably not.  ;D

Net2Auction Announces Acquisition Plans to Fuel Its eBay Drop-Off Business

The Company invited potential acquisition candidates to submit RFP's (request for proposals) to have their eBay drop-off company or chain of eBay drop-off locations acquired by Net2Auction.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060306/20060306005464.html?.v=1

Net2Auction has 3 types of franchises available: http://www.net2auction.com/open.html

[landofsmiles]

OMG! Can you just imagine the poor soul who buys one of those franchises? 

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=landofsmiles link=topic=2919.msg10438#msg10438 date=1141664165]
OMG! Can you just imagine the poor soul who buys one of those franchises? 
[/quote]

Considering the number of recent highly publicized eBay drop-off store/chain failures, I'd rather not imagine them.  eBay drop-off chains are like any other franchise--you better hope that you have a great location and few local competitors...and that's just for starters.

[DecorativeDishes]

I thought it was a doomed concept long before eBay got saturated and they raised their fees. There is not enough margin on most stuff. Not to mentioned dealing with people who think their stuff is worth a fortune.

I was trying to throw away some stuff that I didn't think was eBayable. My husband couldn't stand it and took it to the eBay store across the street for them to sell it. They took it, listed it (with lies about what it was), and I got a check for $18. They listed way more than actually sold so they couldn't have made anything with the listing and fvf. Then there is their rent and overhead. I saw they were trying to sell the business, but they are still there. I don't know how.  Kim

[iron_chick]

$100,000?

And people PAY that?

Wow. 

[accentnepal]

In the California Gold rush some people got rich -
Mostly the folks selling shovels.

[amy]

[quote author=accentnepal link=topic=2919.msg10524#msg10524 date=1141800720]
In the California Gold rush some people got rich -
Mostly the folks selling shovels.
[/quote]

Sounds like the average franchise business.

[accentnepal]

[quote author=amy link=topic=2919.msg10559#msg10559 date=1141865090]
[quote author=accentnepal link=topic=2919.msg10524#msg10524 date=1141800720]
In the California Gold rush some people got rich -
Mostly the folks selling shovels.
[/quote]
Sounds like the average franchise business.
[/quote]
Actually a franchise business would be a shovel-store-in-a-box with custom shovel selling banners ($200 each), shovel racks, special shovel-friendly flooring and counters, shovel tracking software and corporate logo shovels (wholesale $45. each).

The guys who made money bought a wagon load of shovels in Kansas City, rode it to the end of the trail in California, and sold to the guys just arriving who forgot to bring a shovel.