 |
Sell Hobby Items by Mail
You 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 Wire
Once 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
consideration:
"Railroad Timetables, 1940's
Four different - $4.00 postpaid..
"Old Children's Books and Texts. Stamp for List."
"85,000 Comic Books, Movie Magazines, Funnies, etc.
1900-1957. Catalog $1.00 (Refundable)."
"Original Movie Poster, Press books,
Stills, 1919-1975. Catalog - 50 cents"
"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 Sat. December / 21 / 2024
|
|
|
Related Hobbies - Crafts articles:
Need A Scrapbook Journaling Idea?
Try using song lyrics in your next layout. Song lyrics can
be a great source of title and page inspiration for a
scraper.
A Look at Cloisonné Lapel Pins
Cloisonné lapel pins are the most traditional, if not
the most collectible of the lapel pin types. Most of the
older lapel pins are either die-cast metal or
cloisonné.
Discover the Truth about Comic Book Collection; Nerdy Geeks or Shrewd Investors?
It is unbelievable when one says, yeah, I collect comic
books, what the general public response might be? Oh no, a
slightly off the wall geek. Here is someone who has lost
touch with reality.
Comic Book Supplies, Necessities of the Serious Collector
If you want to keep your comic book collection in tiptop
shape, comic book supplies will become part of your
collecting life. As soon as a magazine is printed there are
natural environmental forces going to work to try and
destroy the ink and the paper.
Scrapbooking Ideas for Kids
Many times at auctions, or estate sales, a box of books
will turn up a real treasure, like a scrapbook that was
kept by someone in their youth and sometimes through their
adulthood. The book could be 50 or 60 years old, and a
source of great fun to look at the pictures, news
clippings, and personal mementoes.
What Is A Reverse Painting?
Welcome to the world of Reverse Painting on Glass. Reverse painting on glass has been considered a popular 'art of the people' for many centuries.
Depression Glass Companies
Just before the advent of the Great Depression, more than a
hundred companies manufactured glassware in the United
States. At the end of the Depression, fewer than fifty
percent of these companies remained in business.
Jewelry Making: Measuring for Bracelets Without a Tape
Your cousin's friend in Saskatchewan has asked you to
design a custom bracelet for her. You have all the beads,
materials, and tools, but you're stumped about the length.
Cleaning Silk Bouquets In 3 Simple Steps
How To Clean A Silk Bouquet. A Silk bouquet can last a lot
longer than a bouquet made of real flowers, but it will
still droop, and get dusty, over time. Fortunately a little
bit of preventive care can go a long way towards keeping
your bouquet looking like new.
A Playtime Project: The Memory Quilt
A friend recently suggested a use for my daughter's first
wardrobe, which I've dutifully saved in the back of the
closet, and lugged on two long distance relocations. Turns
out she's done the same thing with her daughter's first
clothes, and we've decided to make memory quilts.
Money Making Hobby - Do You Have One?
Everyone has a hobby. We love all kinds of music, sports, movies, books.
Beautify Your Stamped Cards with Creative Coloring
Stamping is one of the most versatile crafts around because
there are so many different options that you can use to
enhance even the most basic stamp. When you look at some
colored stamped images, you may be overwhelmed by how
beautiful they are.
Gift Baskets - Create Simple Easy Gifts For the Person Who Has Everything!
Have you ever thought about giving a personalized Gift
Basket? Is it just me or do you also get excited when you
give a gift to your friends and family and you know they
love it! The downside you give a gift and you just know they
hate it! Unfortunately you can't always get it right
because what seems right and the appropriate gift for you
isn't always right and appropriate for the person you are
buying for. Take my mother for instance, if you don't buy
her a gift say for Mothers Day you will be in the bad books
for weeks.
Wax Pencils, Stickers, and Rubber Stamping in Your Scrapbooks
Another important writing implement for scrapbooking is a
wax pencil. Wax pencils are soft pencils designed to write
on glass, plastic and photographs.
When It Comes To RC Airplanes You Can Choose From Ready to Fly, Almost Ready to Fly or Scratch Built
Soaring through the air, watching the clouds and the birds
fly by. No, you are not flying your own private plane, but
you are doing the next best thing.
How to Create a Reverse Painting on Glass
Introduction: Glass is a non-absorbent painting support
which does not allow paint to easily adhere to it - apart
from through the paint's own drying process. For this reason
the outlines of a subject painted on glass need to be
simplified when applied to an extremely smooth glass
surface.
Create A Gift Basket For A Dog Lover!
The choice of what gift to give your family and friends can often be a difficult one. One of the best gifts that you can give is a gift basket.
Craft Fairs, Bazaars & Flea Markets? Oh, My!
Many names are associated with events such as these. Craft Fairs, Bazaars, Flea Markets and Swap Meets are a few names you can find.
Make Your Own Lampshades
When redecorating your room, you may be faced with looking
for new lampshades (or perhaps a lampshade you currently
have has gotten damaged). So why not make your own! If your
lamp currently has a lampshade on it, half of the battle is
already won! You have a base to start building your new
shade.
Why You Should Race RC Cars, and Not Just Bash
For those of you who have been racing your RC cars for
years, and have a friend or two who you have been trying to
get out to the RC tracks, this article is for you. Feel
free to forward it to them.
|
|
