Business and Investment sidenote

Selling on eBay has proven highly profitable for many, many people and lots of them make a tidy little income as Trading Assistants. Those are people who makes money by selling one of a kind things for individuals. You may have seen their flyers posted at the supermarket or drugstore or seen an ad in your local paper. Word-of-mouth is another great way they find clients. Those who want to work from home but only have limited hours to commit to their business find this a more than acceptable option, especially if they are looking to make what our grandmothers might have called “pin” money.

On the other hand, you may not want to find yourself constantly looking for new clients with only one or two items to sell at a time. Plus Trading Assistants often go through periods of drought and need to be willing to go at least a month or so without bringing in any money.

If your goal is to build an ongoing at home business on eBay you’ll want to work with a real business, real people and real products. Luckily, there is a huge untapped market basically at your fingertips. It is so exciting and so underserved that the possibilities are endless!

This big opportunity lies in becoming a BUSINESS TRADING ASSISTANT who makes a living working with local businesses. that basically have an unending supply of inventory to offer. Many small and mid-size companies near you actually have excess product be they boutiques, antique shops or multi-location stores working with more high tech goods. Even those few who might have already considered using the internet to lower levels of stock don’t have the time or staff to even look into the opportunity.

That’s where you come in!

By approaching these businesses to see if you can sell their inventory for a percentage, you have immediate access to profiting through their buying power and their vendor sources. So, whether you decide to serve on a consultant basis or buy product outright there is a tremendous opportunity awaiting you. As a point of fact, you only need a few clients to make a full time income on a part time basis.

Plus, perhaps the most exciting thing about this money-making opportunity is that once word gets out among the businesses in your community – i.e., that you came in and started generating an extra stream of revenue for them (or maybe even an entire new division of revenue) — it will spread quickly.

You will have more business than you know what to do with!

Select your top priority vendors prior to your arrival. All trade shows have websites listing the exhibitors. Research the product offerings of all, and have list of must visit booth numbers. Arrive with your trade show plan in hand. As an attendee on a mission, you will come away with a better understanding of the market.

Trade shows are a great way to meet manufacturers, touch and feel their products first hand, and place orders on the spot. Traveling to trade shows is a significant investment, but you can deduct the cost of your trip from the business. Trade shows are excellent for networking and learning from others in your industry.

Most business owners only visit trade shows within the U.S. If you are interested in placing large orders, look into trade shows overseas. China has become the factory of the world in the past few decades. Trade shows in various parts of China are becoming larger and more popular every year. The Canton Fair is one of the largest trade shows in mainland China with hundreds of thousands of attendees and tens of thousands of exhibitors. It is such a huge show that it has two phases, each one week long.

Manufacturers at Chinese trade shows expect larger orders than exhibitors at U.S. based trade shows. A huge international trade show is an exhilarating experience. It may be your best option to find an inexpensive manufacturer for your products. Be careful about protecting your product. Patent it before you take it to China for manufacturing. Make sure the factory understands that you have a protected product, and they are not permitted to make the same product for any other company. Taking the manufacturing of your product to an inexpensive overseas factory is risky business, so consider it carefully.

Every significant industry has some trade publications targeted manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers. They are packed with sales advice, industry trends, business profiles, and advertisements. Many offer business directories that list suppliers and other key players. You’ll find information about industry events such as trade shows and conferences. You can even call the publication and ask for advice over the phone.