Here is a booming business in the offline world that may surprise you. Thrift shops are moving from the dusty places we used to sneak into to brightly lit stores, that are even getting franchised, that are so popular that even teens like them! If you are not familiar with the new wave in second hand shops, you may want to read this: Thrift Shops Are In!

How Can Second Hand Shopping Be A Good Home Business?

Look, the simplest form of this is hardly new. I used to know a couple of people who woud snatch up great deals at garage sales, and then hold their own garage sales with markups to earn money! They had learned what sorts of things peope who shopped garage sales wanted to buy, and had learned how to find them fast at other sales. This was a simple form of on the street arbitrage!

But I am not suggesting you do this. I am suggesting that this is a great idea of an ecommerce website or even EBay store.

Lower Profit Margins Still Equal More Profit

In an upscale used clothing store, for example, they may sell gently used brand name clothes for about 1/3 of the retail price. In return, they will buy those items for 1/3 to 1/2 of that. Those stores have a lot of overhead like rent, utilities, and employees. You, on the other hand, have less overhead if you do this from home on the internet!

So where they may pay $8 for a $60 pair of Abercrombie jeans (that has been gently worn), and then retail it for $20. You may be able to profit by paying a bit more and selling for a bit less. Just remember you will have to recoup shipping charges most of the time. So you could pay $10, and sell for $15 with a $3 shipping charge. You are still coming in for less, and paying more. You can probably operate at a lower profit margin than a big brick and mortar store can!

Consider a Second Hand Online Business!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. Dropshipping Business Opportunity For Home Business Dropshipping as a Home Business Model What is dropshipping? You...
2. Home Business Idea – Notary Public Notary Public – Important Work with Quick Training I am...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I am always on the lookout for home business ideas that are fairly quick to train for, but which can be run as actual full or part time businesses. I just got a call from a friend who is a full time para-legal, but who runs a commercial notary public business in the evenings, one week-ends, and on alternate Fridays which his flex hours give him off. Now, I understand that is is common for para-legals, and other types of legal assistants, to act as notaries. But I was still interessted enough to do a little more research.

How Much Do Notaries Make?

You may have taken advantage of free notary services at your bank or place of business. Some companies keep a notary on their staff, and they provide free services to their customers or employees. This is because fees are regulated at a state level. Individual fees are fairly low. But commercial transaction fees are higher, like $100, so some notaries make a business as a signing notary. Some are mobile notaries, and they will travel to different offices, like title companies, to put their seal on contract.  Even though fees are strictly regulated, it may be possible to also charge for travel expenses.

Here is an example of a Houston Mobile Notary website.

Notary Public Training and Certification

Notary Training requirements may vary by state, but even in states where it is not requires, most associations recommend it. We found an online notary course which can be completed in about 3 hours for $25. We also found a reference to a 1 day course which was given in a college setting.

Notary Certification requires also vary by state. In some states you will need to pass a state test, but in other states you just have to apply, be over 18 years, have no felony record, and be a legal resident of your state. You will have to pay a fee for your state application, be bonded, and pay for some supplies.  Notary associations also recommend purchasing an E&O policy to protect yourself against any claims of eerrors.

This may seem like a lot of requirements, but I found information that one association sold a package for Texas residents which only cost $79 for everything. Even if you add in another $25 for an online class, your initial investment is only a little over $100. This can almost be recouped in your first commercial transaction.

More Information

This website has a lot of information on becoming a Texas notary. You can certainly find similar online information for your state.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. Home Business Idea – Thrift Shopping Thrift Shop From Home Here is a booming business in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

What is dropshipping?

You can find suppliers who will allow you to order products after you have sold them! You will pay more for these products, ordered one at a time, than you would if you purchased a bulk lot of them. But you should be able to find distributors who will still sell at wholesale prices so you can make a profit when you sell them retail. In return for making less profit, you do not have to store a large inventory, and you do not have to risk a large sum of money to buy products before you sell them.

Where to Sell Products?

Of course, EBay is a popular market for drop shippers. The large online auction website brings in traffic and provides a lot of tools for sellers to research markets. The downside is, of course, is that the market place is very competitive. Since you already know you will be paying a bit more than bulk buyers, you need to find products that are unique and in demand.

You can also build an ecommerce website that displays products you have dropshipping sources for. In fact, I would suggest combining EBay sales with a personal website. You can use the online auction website to bring in new customers, but mention your website for future orders when you communicate with buyers. This way you can avoid fees in the future, and maybe you can even offer a discount if customers make future purchases on your website. You can link to your website on the About Me Section of your Ebay advertisement, but are not allowed to link to it in the advertisement.

Where to Find Wholesale Dropship Suppliers?

Most of the lists you find are not very good. And many services that claim to offer products probably won’t offer prices that are low enough to allow you to profit in a competitive market. However, one service that provides a lot of valuable training and carefully researched list of dropship suppliers is WorldWideBrands. In fact, they are the only EBay certified dropshipping list. Membership is expensive, but if you are new to the business, I believe it is a good investment.

Learn more – What Is WorldWide Brands?

This website has some great tips for people who are considering their own EBay Dropshipping Business.

Related posts:

1. Home Business Idea – Thrift Shopping Thrift Shop From Home Here is a booming business in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Stay-At-Home Resume Article Starts Here. It was originally published as Tips On Writing A Resume for Stay At Home Moms.

Experts in the field say moms reentering workforce are becoming more recognized as the hidden pool of talent they are, so don’t apologize for the gap.

Begin with a strong cover letter and the decision makers name in the salutation and talk about how you can benefit the company. According to Barbara Corcoron a successful businesswoman (The Corcoran Group a $5 billion business) employers form their initial opinion from the cover letter.

She advises you emphasize how the skills you learned as full-time administrator of you household – time management, budget management and volunteering will translate to workplace skills. If you organized an event you can write about it in terms of skills used – staff management, marketing, budgeting etc.

Don’t go with the chronological resume, use a summary of your skill sets you have acquired as stay at home mom. Barbara strongly advises no silly titles for yourself (ex. domestic godess).

End your resume with a short chronological section outlining your education, places, and dates of employment, and job titles. Also, add a sentence about what you’ve done while you have been out of the workforce. Example – 2001 to present: Full-time homemaker, PTO Treasurer, community volunteer.

Corcoron says by the time your prospective employer is done reading your resume they will be so impressed with your skill set and accomplishments, the employment gap won’t matter.

Want more help with problems that plague working women? Visit us atWomanwork.net. We also have helpful information about employment stay at home jobs for moms

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Home offices can be deducted for:

One – Exclusively and regularly as either: your principal place of business, or as a place to meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business. Where there is a separate structure not attached to your home, the regular and exclusive use does not need to be your principal place of business as long as the use is in connection with your trade or business.

Two – On a regular basis for certain storage use — such as storing inventory or product samples — as rental property, or as a home daycare facility.

So if you have a room that you use for your business (i.e. a home office) or you have a storage space you use for your business, you should be able to satisfy one of the criteria.

In general, you can dedcuct the percentage of your home expenses that is the equal to the percentage of your home you use. For example, if your home is 2200 square feet, and your home office is 220 feed, you would be able to use 10% as the amount of certain home expenses you can use to deduct.

Advantages of Building a Home Office

This plan has worked out for a couple of types of home business owners I know. Rather than renting office space or using space inside their homes, they built an outside structure on their property. They could take advantage of the home office deductions (read the IRS guidelines for clarification), and use their money to increase the asset value of their home because of the home office building!

Do you have more home office tax tips or comments? Sign up for free to post.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

If you are looking for an “at home job“, do not overlook freelance work. Even though a contract job will not have benefits, you can make good money, find lots of clients, and keep a flexible schedule. Freelancing is not for everybody. But many freelancers I know started out doing it to tide them over between jobs, and then decided they loved the lifestyle and turned it into their full time business.

Who Wants to Write? Almost everybody I know has dreamed about writing in one form or another. And freelance writing can be very satisfying, as well as lucrative. In fact, one freelancer I know said she had joined writers groups because she dreamed of writing a book one day. As with many budding authors, the book never got written or published, but she still is happy to have found a way to get paid for writing!

How To Find Freelance Writing Jobs

It really isn't that hard to find this type of work at all, and even though many jobs are declining, the demand for freelance writers is actually increasing! Why? Internet sites need content, and many webmasters pay for articles. Also, as companies cut back on employees, they still need work done, and so they look for freelancers.

Freelancer Job Boards – These are quite popular all over the internet. You can find general job boards, and you can find job listings and websites that are devoted to freelance writers.

Webmaster Forums and Websites – Most websites that provide webmaster communities, like webmaster forums, will have a help wanted/jobs wanted section. You can find that section and post your services there, being careful to follow any set guidelines. You may want to offer a special price to the first couple of people who take advantage of your service in order to get a good reputation and attract new business.  Some people have built a steady stream of business from webmaster communities, and others have actually gotten hired for full time jobs.

Writing Contents – You can also find writing contests that you can enter for publicity and cash prizes.

Start your ow blog or website – We have already discussed the advantages of having your own website. You can profit from it with sponsor ads. Or you can use it to showcase your work and the services you offer. Even if you look for work in other places, it helps to have a website for potential clients to review. If you do not have a lot of previous experience, your website or blog can be your online resume too.

Want more?

I'd be very happy to see your comments and questions. So sign up and post away!

Join the forum discussion on this post - (3) Posts

Related posts:

1. Home Job Group Review Is Home Job Group For Real or a Scam? Visit...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Where Do Internet Visitors Come From?

Search Engines – For most of us, the bulk of our visitors come from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. These people enter search terms and see a list of topical websites returned to them. But for many swearch terms there are thousands of pages that come back, and it is very important to be on the first page of results. How many times do you bother to go to the send page of results, and do you ever go past that?

Search engine results can either be free or paid (sponsored results). The things that a webmaster does to get natural (free) traffic are called SEO (search engine optimization), which paid traffic usually comes from PPC (pay per click) programs. So research on those topics should be at the top of your to-do list if you want the search engines to send you visitors!

Other Websites – Do not discount the value of visitors who come from other websites either. There are some free ways to get your link listed so it can, hopefully, attract some traffic. Let me list some of the easiest way to spread some link love around the net!

• Forums and Blog Comments. Find internet forums and blogs on topics that are related to your niche. Make helpful posts and comments and figure out how to drop a link back to your own website there. This can be time consuming, but once you find some good places to participate, it should pay off. Always follow the rules, avoid looking like a spammer, and try to build your credibility.
• Social Websites – Both social neworking websites, like Facebook, ad social bookmarking websites (i.e. DIGG) can be great places for you to find visitors.
• Article Directories – I am a big fan of article directories. If accepted, your article will be posted on the directory, plus it will probably also be picked up by other websites who are looking for content. You will be alllowed to have a resource box which can be a plug and a link for your own websites.  A free article directory example is PublishMyself.net. A paid service which I like is Submit Your Article. This service will distribute your article to dozens of other websites, and will even allow you to create unique articles from one “seed” article in a very simple way.  Provide interesting information in your articles, and don’t just write a sales pitch. If you can do that, interested readers will follow your link through to your own website and some will be warmed up to buy!
• Offline Marketing – You can also attract visitors with offline marketing. Include a link on your business card or stationary. If you have a budget, try the radio or local tv spots. I have seen people with signs on their cars. Your ability to advertise offline will only be limited by your creativity.
• Email Signatures – Almost every email system allows you to add a signature to the bottom of your email posts. Add a link and short plug for your website. Why not bring in people who are already communicating with you?

Paid Link Building Services – If your business already generates income, you may do well to pay for some link building. A service I have used is Compbizz Link Building. These people are very good at what they do, have affordable package rates, and have been reliable 100% of the time for me!

This list of ideas is not meant to be all inclusive or detailed. But it should you give you the basics to learn more about generating free internet traffic the way the pros do. Now that you have a starting point, it is up to you to test and research these ideas.

We’d sure like to hear more of your ideas about internet marketing too! Feel free to register and comment here.

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Related posts:

1. How to Start Internet Marketing – The Real Google Profits Plan Would You Like to Make Some Money on the Internet?...
2. Explain Affiliate Marketing – The Cycle from Web Browser to Income! ----- -----Stay updated or Participate - Register or Login...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.