Sell Hobby Items by MailYou can, if you are ambitious, start a Mail Order Business selling collectables to hobbyist by mail. To begin, you must first find a hobby that appeals to YOU. Next, you must spend several weeks researching that hobby. You must learn what collectors want and how much they are willing to pay for it. You should also know what other dealers are willing to pay for the merchandise which they sell. And you must be willing to pay the same amounts. Perhaps you already know exactly what you want to sell. If you have been collecting old Valentines, then start a Mail Order business buying and selling old Valentines. Or Stamps. Or Comic Books. The first rule of Mail Order selling is to sell what you yourself would buy. To give you an idea of what collectors buy and sell by mail, here is a partial list of today's collectables: Phonograph Records, Cigar Label, License Plates, Beer Labels, Circus Posters, Music Boxes, Salt/Pepper Shakers, Greeting Cards, Old Pencils, Atlases, Military Medals, Sheet Music, Doll Clothes, Menus, Cigar Boxes, Train Photos, Old Calendars, Maps, Street Car Tokens, Buttons, Postcards, Fruit, Car Tokens, Fruit Jar Labels, Old Magazines, Gun Catalogs, Paper Currency, Cartoon Books, Theatre Programs, Political Buttons, Baseball Cards, Children's Books, Stock Certificates, Old Toys, Gems, Minerals, Belt Buckles, Airplane Photos, FBI Posters, Newspapers, Coins, Arrowheads, Old Jewelry, Boat Photographs, Advertising Cards, Dog Pictures, Movie Magazines, Autographs, Dolls, Hunting Licenses, Valentines, Cookbooks, Beatle Items, Stamps, Indian Relics, Railroad Books, Fishing Licenses, Comic Books, Thimbles, Automobile Manuals, Diaries, Railroad Passes, Antique Barbed WireOnce you have selected your field, start a file. Keep copies of all the ads selling your kind of merchandise. Also keep ads showing the dealer's buying prices. If price lists are offered in ads, send for them and STUDY them. MAKE YOURSELF AN EXPERT IN YOUR FIELD. Try to locate any publications that deal with your field. Often, you can locate small mimeographed publications and newsletters which will give you all kinds of useful information. Your next step is to look for merchandise in your own community. Here are some suggestions: Start by attending flea markets and antique shoes. Don't be afraid to make inquiries of dealers. They often have what they consider "junk" stashed away, assuming that it isn't of much value to anyone. I once discovered a fabulous stamp collection that way! Browse around through Thrift Shops. Study the garage sale ads in your local newspaper. Visit any that sound promising. (Sometimes, it pays to telephone first. Also, by telling people what kind of merchandise you are looking for, they may be able to direct you to others who have exactly what you need!) Place "Wanted to Buy" ads in your local newspaper. Be sure to list your phone number. It is amazing what you can find in your local community if you work at it. However, if you can't find enough merchandise locally, run ads in the Collector's Magazines listed above. Their rates are very, very low. And you will soon discover that they are widely read! Once you have accumulated a decent stock of merchandise, you are ready to begin selling it. If there are publications specializing in your field, by all means advertise there. You have a ready-made audience! Also run ads in the big hobby magazines. Type up a list of what you have and have an Instant Printer make a hundred or so copies for you. Hobbyists don't mind typewritten, mimeographed, or Xerox copies . . . it's half the fund of collecting. Then run your ad. Your ad can merely offer your list to interested collectors free (or for a stamp, to weed out coupon clippers). Or you can offer to make a sale straight from the ad. If you do the latter, stick in your price list with the merchandise. It will be read . . . eagerly! Here are a few sample ads run by hobby dealers for your "Railroad Timetables, 1940's "Old Children's Books and Texts. Stamp for List." "85,000 Comic Books, Movie Magazines, Funnies, etc. "Original Movie Poster, Press books, "Sleigh Bells! Stamp for list." "Sheet Music. SASE for list." Just in case you are not familiar with the phrase, "SASE" means "Self-addressed, stamped envelope". As you progress, you will learn continually. Most hobby dealers will tell you that they learn more from the collectors who buy from them than they could ever learn from any other source. Copyright 2004 by DeAnna Spencer
MORE RESOURCES updated Fri. April / 26 / 2024 The Benefits of Gentler Hobbies Next Avenue The nostalgic crafts that are making a comeback Yahoo Movies UK 6 Craft Hobbies Everyone's Talking About In 2024 Country Living UK Crafts retailer Joann files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as consumers cut back on pandemic-era hobbies The Macomb Daily Lancaster Countians win PA Farm Show ribbons for crafts, hobbies, plants, square dancing LNP | LancasterOnline Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being Harvard Health Craft and hobby classes in St. Louis St. Louis Magazine New restaurant and new crafts store planned for Bradenton shopping center development Bradenton Herald Joann fabric and hobby stores enter bankruptcy; post-pandemic craft decline cited - The Mercury News One Tank Trips | AdhDiy Craft Cafe KSHB 41 Kansas City News The Latest Craze in Hobby Crafting: Becoming a 21st-Century Blacksmith The New York Times 8 Craft Hobbies Set To Be Popular This Autumn And Winter Country Living UK The 20 Most Relaxing Hobbies to Try This Year Country Living UK 4 Craft Hobbies To Try Out This Summer | Best Summer Crafts 2023 Country Living UK Joann craft retailer files for bankruptcy St. Louis Post-Dispatch The Alphabetical Guide To Craft Hobbies | A-Z List Of Crafts Country Living UK Hobby Supplies: How to Organize Your Hobby Room with ADHD ADDitude magazine Rug Tufting: An Old Craft That's New Again Next Avenue Best new hobby deals for 2024: Lego kits, DIY jewelry making, ClassPass subscriptions, and more Mashable Union Township man nets 34 ribbons at Bloom Fair; locals get 156 ribbons Shenandoah Sentinel 8 new hobbies to try in the St. Louis area Ladue News Second Saturday event at Factory attracts shoppers, crafts: in photos Columbia Daily Herald Six Independent Craft Stores to Visit in Around Boston Boston magazine Meet Mike Larisey, owner of Maritime Hobbies & Crafts Ltd Downtown Halifax Looking to pick up a new hobby? Indigo Studio is here to help. inputfortwayne.com Craft fairs, Hobby Con in Williams Lake this weekend Williams Lake Tribune New Year New Skills: 31 Hobbies To Pick Up In 2024 Outlook India Cobblestone Crafts listed for sale after four decades for $679K HollandSentinel.com London Named UK's Craftiest City | The Most Creative Areas Country Living UK The Heritage Crafts On The Brink Of Extinction Country Living UK OPINION: A love letter to arts and crafts Indiana Daily Student Where to try new hobbies in San Diego County in 2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune The Best Craft for Each Zodiac Sign Best Life The Hobby Lobby Controversy, Explained The Mary Sue Katie McAllister has a multitude of hobbies that all correlate to crafts The Central Trend Bored at home? Now’s the perfect time to pick up a new hobby CNN Underscored As It Turns Out, You Don't Actually Need to Be Good at Your Hobbies Apartment Therapy Business Intel: Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts Roanoke Times West Virginia Hobbies & Crafts: A 25-year success story Huntington Herald Dispatch Leny Handy Crafts: How a hobby became a business Manila Bulletin Handicrafts and hobby store giant Milbby to open its first branch in the province on the Costa del Sol Surinenglish.com Endangered Crafts and the Destinations Keeping Them Alive (Published 2019) The New York Times How to Keep Hobbies Organized — Using the Kit Method for Hobbies Apartment Therapy Best craft classes for adults in Los Angeles Los Angeles Times Yo! Easter offers skills, sports and hobbies for everyone | City Of Wolverhampton Council Wolverhampton City Council Best craft kits for kids that could inspire a new hobby Evening Standard Hobbies and Crafts Theme Cruises Cruise Critic Hobby Lobby vs. Michaels: Which craft store is better? Business Insider 30 Best Hobbies for Women - Creative Activities to Fill Your Free Time Good Housekeeping The 16 biggest controversies in Hobby Lobby's five decade history Business Insider From Poesy to Carrot Carnations The Smart Set Business Intel: Salem Hobby Shop Roanoke Times Dawn's Folly grows from hobby corner to shop selling handmade goods Port Clinton News Herald Crafts & Hobbies City of Aurora Lost trades: The industrial origins of crafts and hobbies National Science and Media Museum 103-year-old-Columbia woman stays active through crafts and community Columbia Daily Herald After 40 years, Herb's Hobbies & Crafts closing The Intelligencer
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