Many home-based businesses are built online, anyway, so it really doesn’t matter where you are; but there are particular benefits to being based in a specific area, just as there are specific benefits in living anywhere else. For example, if you live in a state than has a major tourist focus on gambling, there are more niches to promote other than just that one industry.Catering to the Tourist CrowdWhile focusing on highly publicized tourist industries in building a home-based business, remember that those industries are already pretty saturated, and the goods or services that you can offer are quite limited since there are already many businesses that focus on these. Tourist revenue can also sometimes be seasonal, and long-term customer relationships can be quite hard to maintain since your customers will be transients.Your business’ survival will depend mostly on referrals from satisfied customers. You are at an advantage if you are living in an area that relies on tourists when you build your home-based business; but remember to also make a point to set trends rather than just following them.Tapping the Local MarketThis route may present more of a challenge, but it will be a welcome home-based business. If the market for tourism is substantial in your locale and there are few that are delivering the products and services that they need, you have a great place to start. Again, if you are native to the area, you would know what the local population will need better than anyone else outside of the state. You will also know the local culture better and be able to communicate in local time.Another advantage of having a home-based business that caters to tourist industries already in place in your locale is that the delivery time will be cut a lot shorter and it will be less expensive. They can even opt for pick-ups should you wish to offer the option, which means that you can offer products that are bigger in bulk or heavier. They will save on the shipping cost, and you will be saved from the bother of having to ship it out.Use Your Location to Your AdvantageNo matter which option you choose, your best bet to make your business work is to keep an eye on the local trends. This would not be such a hard thing to do since you will have all you need right where you are. Watch local TV newscasts; visit a few famous local hotspots; listen to local radio broadcasts. This will help you fefine and create your own brand of a home-based business right in your own backyard.
A Home-Based Business Idea – Starting a Gift Basket Business From Home
If you enjoy making crafts and have outstanding creativity, starting a gift basket business could be perfect for you. People love customized products, so if you could cater for many popular occasions like engagements, wedding, birthdays, anniversaries, and festive seasons, your services could be in high demand all year-round.These days, many people looking for ‘rare design gift’ now are likely to choose customized gift because it can be made to suit the event. Thus, this home-based business has great potential to grow further. In addition, if you have many contacts, you probably would not have any problem on the marketing part. The best first target group where you can easily promote your product to is your relatives. After relatives, you move to your friends. If your friends and families were happy with your products, they would voluntarily promote it to their contacts as well. That is how a home business like custom-made gift basket tends to grow.Gift baskets not only popular among individual, but business organizations. Now, business organizations are sending it to their employees, business partners and clients, where they form a large part of the market for this home-based business.Before launching your new home-based gift basket business, you will have to make some important decisions. You probably want to decide on these things:
Do you have enough space for your business activities?
What kind of gift basket can you offer?
How much would it cost you?
Who is your target group?
How will you market your business?Although the prosperity of this business is greatly depends on your creativity, do not under estimate the importance of other skills. Success in running a business requires good marketing skills too, so if you have little time for marketing part, get someone that can help marketing your business.Good luck for your home-based gift basket business.
What Makes A Top Rated Home Based Business?
There are three very important elements that make up a top rated home based business. It should be internet based, have an automated marketing system and offer a quality high-end product. These elements can be key to your success.A top rated home based business will be internet based. This is important since one of the main reasons for working from home is so you don’t have to maintain a conventional storefront and deal directly with the customers. By using an attractive and professionally designed web site as your storefront, you can offer your product or products not only to local customers, but to customers worldwide. Sales are generated when you drive customer traffic to your web site through advertising and marketing, much the same way you would for a brick-n-mortar storefront. Using the internet, you can also build a permission based email list of your current customers as well a potential new ones making it easier to keep in touch with them and inform them of your future offers.The best businesses will include an automated marketing system. Since the internet never sleeps, it is important to be able to tap into that aspect of it. By using a top quality system you can automate your business to run 24 hours a day. Utilizing the latest in Internet marketing techniques like Search Engine Optimization, PPC and Social Media you can attract customers into your system, or sales funnel as it’s called, even while you are sleeping. A good system will not only track and sort the customers for you, it can even do the selling. It can help you completely manage your existing web site and even help you create new ones. System autoresponders will manage and implement your permission based email effortlessly. With a laptop computer, you can literally run your business from anywhere.Top home businesses will offer a quality high-end direct sell product capable of generating adequate revenues and even residual revenues. There are many people making excellent incomes online working from home selling all sorts of products. Many people work in MLM and some make great incomes selling relatively inexpensive products like juices and vitamins. But, all too often most people are struggling to even make a dime, since their success depends mostly on everyone else’s efforts in a down line more than it does their own. Many other people make money online as affiliate marketers. They make lots of small commissions from driving customer traffic to many different websites. A Top rated home based business will offer a product that is needed by most everyone and always delivers real value by giving solutions to everyday problems. These high-end direct sell products are usually priced at $1000.00 or above and pay out a substantially higher initial return.You can see that a business which is internet based has a distinct advantage over one that is not. Using the internet and a good automated marketing system will not only help you generate prospects, customers and sales, it will make the job a lot easier. Most importantly, by offering a high-end product which is in demand, you will attract more customers and make more income for your efforts.
Home Based Business Seekers Have A Financial Advantage
Home Based Business Seekers Are On The Right Path In years past, starting a home based business was little more than formalizing a hobby. For many, it would become a limited source of some supplemental income for an individual or a family, but few expected to get rich or even fully satisfy all of a family’s financial needs. During the decade of the 90′s, seventy percent of new home based business seekers cited “having more control over their lives” as an important reason to start a home business. This would seem to indicate that, at this time, more people were beginning to view home based business as a potentially significant source of income. Fortunately, the reservoir of home based businesses ideas has never been larger. Home Based Online Business Opportunities are leading the way!The New EconomyThe global economy has been reshaping itself over the past 40 years as the United States dominance in manufacturing output and world trade has waned. With the growing economic fortune of other countries, millions of solid, good paying jobs (even complete industries) that enabled millions of Americans to enjoy comfortable lifestyles have vanished. So far, there are no signs that these jobs will be replaced. The financial outlook for a startling number of “Middle Class Americans” has turned bleak! Many have either lost employment or are worried about their ability to keep their jobs. Those who already had productive home based businesses are fortunate if their business profits somewhat cushioned the loss of salaries or wages. The overall outlook is not likely to improve in the foreseeable future so we will have to adapt to the new economic landscape. Becoming a home based business seeker can help.Change Your MindsetRecognizing that because of the New Economy in America, the lifestyle of you and your family may be in serious jeopardy, you must start considering what actions you can and will take to sustain your lifestyle.If you currently have a job, consider yourself fortunate and strive to be a most valuable employee. In fact, become the perpetual “employee of the year” and always be in position to be promoted. Simultaneously, as you manage your work career, begin establishing additional income streams from the creation of home based businesses. If you are married or have a partner willing to work as a team, it will enhance your experience and heighten your chances for success in operating a home based business.Consider Your OptionsAs previously noted, the ideal situation is for you to have a paying day job plus one or more streams of income from one or more home businesses. If and when you reach a point of absolute confidence in the ongoing viability of your home businesses, you may decide to quit your “day job” and totally focus on your home business endeavors.Work From Your HomeThere is, however, one way for you to have the best of both a job and home businesses. If you can find a way to work your day job from your home, you will be in a great position to become a home based business seeker.In addition to the Internet making it possible for many people to launch home businesses, it has also created opportunities to become a paid employee of a company and work your day job from your home. Many companies are extending telecommuting options to personnel who only require a computer and a telephone to perform their jobs. As a “telecommuting” employee, you are still responsible for satisfactorily performing your job functions and will likely have a reporting relationship to someone in company management. The key advantage is that you may be able to plan your work schedule in a manner that allows you to both perform your day job functions and operate your home based business.How To Find A Work From Home JobOne of the oldest and most reliable databases to search for legitimate work from home jobs is homejobstop.com. This job bank is an active job board specializing in telecommuting and work from home jobs. In addition to the large job bank, other work from home job search services are available. A web search for “work from home jobs” will yield additional sources.Embracing the strategy of income diversification is critical to sustaining and improving your financial status.
Small Business Thrive In Roorkee In 2018
The city of Roorkee is known for its various unique qualities like Marine Drive, Aqua Duct, Can’t. Area, IIT, etc. but one of the things often overlooked is its trading base. Small business can thrive in Roorkee in 2018 in fields like mobile and mobile accessories, automobiles, education, various factories, transport, etc.Ideas for Small Business Thrive In Roorkee In 2018ï Stationary Supplies
These stay in-demand for whole of the year, making sales a no concern. Whether it’s children for study purposes or employees for office purposes the demand remains constant. This business success in Roorkee in 2018 is pretty, much a guarantee.ï Jewellery
Even though here the sales are mostly women-based, now-a-days, men too are coming up, showing more interest in accessorizing themselves. Since India is cultural yet a fashionable place jewellery small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018 show some long term promise.ï Fast Food Restaurants
Everyone loves a Mc Donalds or a Dominos or a Pizza Hut but what they forget while starting up that even these fast food juggernauts started small. One up one restaurant and then more branches as you build up a base. Remember Rome was not built in a day.Menus don’t need to be exuberant, start small and simple. Good food and exceptional customer services remain a key factor here irrespective of the menu. Will your restaurant be the next big small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018?ï Wooden Furniture Making
If you have skill, put it to use! This kind of venture can earn you high amounts of profit if you have the right skills. Good relations with nearby people and customers just might be your trump card required here.ï Paintings
Again if you are skilled, painting is another venture worth taking up. Gifted artistic talent is always paid well.Starting A Venture1. Choose an industry
Key to small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018 is- choose an industry according to your skills and area of expertise and then work your way up to become the next Ambani or Birla.2. Research
Research is always a key factor in failure and success. It’s the step to take once you know the industry you want your small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018 in. Make sure you have what is required and don’t rush in.3. Make a Business Plan
Failing to plan is planning to fail! Irrespective of your field of work, a plan is always a necessity. Without a good business plan no small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018 is possible. Due to tough competition in today’s world, good planning is a must.4. Join Professional Networks
Isolation helps none. Partner up with professional networks for mutual benefit and reach new heights for small business thrive in Roorkee in 2018.5. Creating a Website
Internet is the newest craze of the century, use it for your benefit. A website will let more people find out about your business and boost your sale, helping you reach new horizons.
Why You Should Consider Looking At Starting A Home Based Business
Why are more Americans starting their own home based businesses? The numbers have been out the roof with the number of people who own and operate their own business from home. What a great time to start one for yourself! With the high unemployment rates and threats of layoffs people are starting to realize that the days of job stability are over. Some people think that home based businesses are rinky dink companies selling cheap products that no one buys. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Majority of home based business opportunities are with reputable companies with superior products,services, and they allow you to make a great income selling their products or services from home. Some of the top home based business company’s make over $1 Billion dollars in sales every year. Even Bill Clinton fully endorsed the industry because of the opportunity it gives to Americans to live the American dream through financial freedom, and business ownership.
Types Of Home Based Businesses
Product Based Companies
Product based home businesses sell products to consumers directly through a independent distributor which would be you. There are thousands of companies that sell anything from nutritional products, makeup, juices, to Tupperware. The sky is the limit with the amount of different companies that sell different products that you can choose from.
Service Based Companies
Service based home based business opportunities sell a service versus a consumable product. These companies include insurance,electricity and natural gas,internet,mobile phone,legal, and many other services.
Unlike product based opportunities you are offering a service to people instead of selling a product. These services offer substantial savings to consumers and gives you an opportunity to earn a great income just for referring their particular service.
Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs are similar to ones I listed above but the only difference is how you get paid. With an affiliate program you get paid a % on the sales that you make when you sell their product or service. These do not offer any type of residual income that the other companies pay. Residual income is when you get paid over and over again for selling a product or service once. Affiliate programs pay you one time for every product or service you sell.
Benefits Of Owning A Home Based Business
Low Start Up Costs
Starting a home business is the cheapest and easiest way to start your own business. Most traditional brick front businesses cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get started and takes years to get into profit. The great thing about a home business is that it’s really affordable from $100 and up to get started and your up in running in minutes not months.
Your The Boss
When you start your own home based business you are the boss. You work when you want and how often you want, but if you treat it like a hobby it will pay like one. So treat your business like a multi million dollar corporation because it can pay you like one.
Unlimited Income
The sky is the limit with the income potential that a home business can generate. There are people making millions of dollars in the industry. Instead of earning a hourly income you are earning a weekly or monthly residual income and once it’s up and running you are getting paid regardless if you work or not. That’s the freedom that a home based business can allow for you.
Tax Benefits
When you start any type of business including a home business you get tax breaks that regular employees do not. Here are a few examples of tax breaks:
Mileage- Write off mileage when any kind of business trip is made.
Utilities-Cell phone, internet
Travel- Let’s say you go on vacation. You can write off the expenses as a business expense if you do it right. Why not have a business meeting in Hawaii?
Meals- Write off your meals when you are doing business and this includes on vacation.
Check out a book called Lower you taxes big time! By Sandy Botken. He use to work for the IRS and gives you loop holes you can use for your home based business to take advantage of the tax breaks.
Overall I hope you get an idea of why it’s a great idea to start your own home based business. Imagine earning thousands of dollars every month and getting to spend more time with your family and doing the things you love. The supplemental income can have a great impact on your bank account and you will have more money to spend or save or do whatever you want to! So I hope you make a decision to start your own business and cash in on the American dream!
How To Choose The Right Banner Advertising Sources
An online advertising banner is a graphical advertisement embedded on a webpage with the intention of attracting traffic to the website of that particular advertisement. It usually utilizes technologies such as flash, shockwave, or java to make it more interesting and interactive for the viewer, at the same time catch their attention.
You can approach individual websites or online banner network that allows you to display your ads within their group of website. With numerous online advertising sources available, it is very difficult to find what constitutes the perfect banner advertising source marketers would want their online advertising banner to be posted on. Online advertising banners cost real dollars. You’ll want one that would maximize the selling potential of your product. How can we choose the right banner advertising sources? Here are a few tips:
Choose online banner advertising sources that give control. Choose online banner advertising network that allows most hands on approach to the design. An online advertising banner with a pre formatted design or templates, while makes it easy for you, may not give you the results you need. You won’t be able to put your desired design and it could yield unsatisfactory results as well. The best sources are the ones that could give a personal touch to the design and layout of the online advertising banner.
Online banner advertising sources should have reasonable costs. Price is also a factor in choosing the right online banner advertising source. This does not mean that the cheaper the cost of the online advertising banner, the better. This simply means that a higher advertising banner cost should yield satisfactory results and provide a great positive impact on the marketing company. Most of the time, you’ll be charged a CPM or cost-per-thousand-impressions – that is, the amount per thousand times your ad shows up. You’ll want to measure the cost of displaying your ad versus your ROI (return on investment) to ensure that you’re getting your money’s worth.
Transparency in your results. You need to be able to measure your results in such a way that you can use the data to see how successful your banner is (or isn’t.) An online banner advertising network that allows you to track your results is a good place to start. This way you can make any changes to give you the results you want, or you’ll want to totally remove your advertising banner from website that just drain your ad budget.
With lots of products being marketed in the web, it is important that the product you sell is advertised strongly and with an edge against competitors. Choosing an effective online advertising banner source is one essential element that can boost online sales. Combined with other marketing strategies, online banner advertising is an important tool to help you gain online customers.
The Finer Points of Internet Auctions
WHAT IS A PENNY AUCTION?
Penny auctions have exploded in popularity with the massive growth of the internet. However, few people know the true origins of penny auctions.Beginnings actually stretch back to the Great Depression. Those were hard times for everyone, but even harder for farmers. Farmers struggled to bring in steady income because of droughts and crops not selling as well as they had previously. As a result, the banks would foreclose on the farmers who couldn’t keep up with their mortgage payments.
The banks weren’t satisfied with just repossessing the house, they wanted to raise as much capital as possible, so they resorted to selling off the possessions of the owners of the repossessed houses. There was not much the farmers could do about it so they began bidding ridiculously low prices, pennies, on the items while threatening others who dared to bid higher than a few pennies.
The auctions of today hardly resemble their tremulous beginnings. Being part of a penny auction today is exhilarating, fun, and addictive. It combines the selling format of auctioning with a little bit of chance factored in.Auctions are a game of strategy but also a game of luck.
The premise behind penny auctions is giving people the chance to win an item at a drastically reduced price.Auctions make that possible by spreading out the cost of the product among multiple bidders. In order for a person to take part in an auction, they must pay a set price for each bid. For example, if a person wanted to bid on a fifty dollar Amazon gift card then he would spend a dollar for each time a bid placed. If he ended up winning the gift card, then he would only have spent a few dollars for a fifty dollar gift card. Usually penny auctions sell bids in packages.
HOW PENNY AUCTIONS WORK!
The main foundation of penny auctions is the pay-per-bid format. It is the key that allows bidders to win items at the fraction of their retail value and allows the auction owners to keep their site profitable. Most y auction sites run on the same premise: people pay a set amount for each bid, whenever a person places a bid within the closing seconds of the auction time will be added, the last person left with a unique bid after the clocks runs out will win the item. There are a large variety of items that can be won, but they tend to be popular electronics or gift cards to popular stores.
There are two types of auctions: lowest unique bid auction and highest unique bid auction. Lowest unique auction sounds confusing but it is actually quite simple. A unique bid is when only one person has a bid at a certain price. Bids usually start at one penny, a bidder can then place a bid at two pennies. Until another bidder places a higher bid, the most recent bidder will be the lowest unique bid because that was the only bid at two cents and nobody bid higher. However, penny auctions generally don’t stop at one penny. It is not uncommon to find auctions that end up at a couple hundred dollars based on the popularity of the item being auctioned. However, the same principles apply for those auctions. Highest unique bid auctions follow the more traditional auction format such as eBay. The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item.
Auction site owners turn a profit by selling bids. Say twenty people are bidding on a ten dollar gift card at one dollar per bid, at the end of the auction if there were twenty bids placed in total then the site owner would have made twenty dollars with a ten dollar profit.Auctions do seem like a win-win situation:The site owner makes money while the bidder gets an item for dirt cheap. However, not everyone wins in penny auctions. The people who paid one dollar each bid but left with nothing to show for their investments will not be so happy.
HOW TO WIN!
Penny auction has a lot of chance mixed into it, but one can incorporate strategy that will help raise the chances of winning. Playing smart can make all the difference between gambling and auctioning.
The first crucial tip to winning penny auctions is to know how to manage your bids. Your goal should be to win as much as possible without spending a ton of money buying bids. Managing your bids means that you should already know how much you are willing to risk in order to win an item. The amount of capital you are willing to risk will determine how many bids you can use. Once you know how many bids you have to spend on an item, then you will be better able to manage how and when you place a bid. That will keep you from blowing away all of your bids in the first few seconds of the auction.
The next tip is to practice time management. When fighting in the trenches of penny auctions, you have two enemies: other bidders and time. Knowing when to bid is a must if you want to have success. Placing a bid when there is a lot of time left on the clock is never a good idea. You have to remember that the key to winning a penny auction is being the last one standing when the clock runs out and that each bid increases the amount of time left. It would be a good practice to wait until the last few minutes of the auction before you begin to bid.
The final tip for successful auctioning is to keep your emotions under control.Auctions have a lot of similarities to gambling, and just like gambling, your spending can get out of control. If you keep your emotions level, it will keep you from making rash decisions and blowing loads of cash. Keep your mind clear so that you can gage the behavior of the other bidders and outsmart them.
HOW TO AVOID SCAM SITES!
Penny auctions are a great addition to the web whether you want to win an item that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to afford or if you simply enjoy the thrill that comes with bidding in auctions. Unfortunately, scam sites have tarnished the reputation of the legitimate penny auction sites. However, there are ways that you can protect yourself from scamers and enjoy your auctioning without having to worry about losing your money due to dishonesty.
Checking the reputation of the auction site before you start spending your hard earned money is always a good idea. Chances are other people have tried the site before you and some of them have left reviews. The reviews are your way to gage whether a auction site is trustworthy or not. If a site is getting overwhelmingly negative reviews, then that is a clear indication that you should steer your business elsewhere.
Another tool you can use to protect yourself is checking the Alexia ranks of the auction sites. Alexia rank will give a solid view of how much traffic the auction is getting. If you see a huge difference in the amount of traffic Alexia is projecting and the amount of active bidders on the site, then warning signals should be ringing in your head. Some auction sites have been known to set up robots that automatically bid on projects in order to keep the auction going and inflate the price. That is known as shill bidding. You can sniff out those sites by comparing the traffic the site should be getting to the amount of users using this site.
CONCLUSION!
New legislation may come out later down the road that will officially make penny auctions gambling, but until then, it is a fun, exciting auction that allows one to win the item they’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford.Auctions are also quite lucrative for the site owners because of the pay-per-bid strategy they’ve incorporated. Penny auctions had humble beginnings with farmers who just wanted to get back at the banks who kicked them out of their house. More recently, auctions have enjoyed an explosion in popularity with the rise of the internet.
There are two main formats fora auctions, lowest and highest unique auction, however they both run on the same premise where the last unique bid wins the item. Winning a penny auction will require a certain amount of mental tactic and a bit of luck. However, you can increase your odds of winning by practicing certain techniques such as managing your bids wisely, learning how to work with the time, and keeping a level head and your emotions under control. When you combine those three strategies to your bidding plan, you will find that you win a lot more often.
It is important that you do your due diligence to protect yourself when participating in auctions. Not every auction is run by honest and trustworthy people. There are people out there who just want to take your money. You can protect yourself by ensuring that you only bid on sites that already have a very positive reputation from real users.
How to Find Great Live Auctions for Resale Items
Hi, my name is Walt. I’m an auctioneer with 25 years of experience in the auction business and licensed in the state of MA. I own Quick Auction Service, a company that specializes in building and running custom auctions, I’m also the webmaster of my own site and have been on eBay for 8 years. Besides eBay, the types of auctions I run most frequently are antiques and on-site estate auctions, although I’ve run everything from business overstock auctions to charity & special event auctions.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge and stories of the auction business. My goal for article is to help folks get the absolute most out of their auction experience.
Whether your fresh out of the package or a seasoned dealer I think I can offer something in this article to help you with your auciton adventures.
There may be as many reasons to attend auctions as there are types of auctions to attend. Maybe you want to attend an auction to buy items for re-sale on eBay, or some other market. Maybe you want to furnish your home with wonderful antiques, or you want to furnish your home as inexpensively without sacrificing quality.Some folks are just looking for a fun night out. With a little perseverance all these things are possible.
There are antiques and estate auctions, auto auctions, overstock auctions, absolute and no reserve auctions, real estate auctions, specialty auctions where only one genre of items are sold, tailgate auctions, live auctions, online auctions, sealed bid auctions, silent auctions, charity and fund raising auctions and many more.
Can you really buy for pennies on the dollar at an auction? You bet! Many times I’ve seen folks buy and re-sell at the same auction on the same night for a good profit, although be advised, this should only be done after the auction is over.
There are a lot of ways to find an auction, but here are some tips on how to find and attend the best ones.
Visit the genre of shops in the area that apply to the type of auction you want to attend. IE: If your looking for a good antique auction to attend, stop in the local antiques shops and ask for what there are for good auctions in the area. Sounds obvious right? But listen to what they don’t say as well as what they do say. Oftentimes when a dealer speaks poorly about an auction he or she attends, it may be likely that they are trying to keep a good thing secret. Think for a moment, why would a dealer keep attending a lousy auction?
Newspaper ads: I personally like to find ads in the classified ad section rather than flashy display ads. Flashy ads are usually indicative of an auction that will be high priced, may have reserves, (a set price on an item), and usually an enormous crowd. While any auction can be profitable to attend, it is usually best to steer clear of the glitzy ones, at least for the beginner.
Here’s the minimum you want to find out before you go. If there is a phone number in the ad, call and ask for the terms of the sale. What forms of payment do they accept? Is it an absolute auction? An absolute auction is one that has no minimum or reserve bids on items. These are the best auctions to attend! Is there a buyers premium? A buyers premium is like a tax that everyone who makes purchases at that auction must pay above the winning bid price. Most auctions these days do charge a buyers premium, 10% is not unreasonable but I feel much more than that is greedy, and the auctioneer that charges over 10% is counting on most bidders not doing the extra math as the bids quicken in pace.
A fair auction will have ample time to inspect the merchandise, usually at least 2 or 3 hours. Find out when inspection starts and make sure to attend! Never attend an auction if you can’t make the inspection, not unless your prepared to gamble. Most auctioneers sell at a rate of about 100 items per hour, which is why they sell “as is”. They simply don’t have the time to give a detailed description of all the items. Since almost all items at auction are sold AS IS, there are sure to be some damaged, refinished, fake and incomplete items at any given auction. Beware of any auctions that offer very little or no inspection time.
Good auctions will usually have 150 to 400 lots. A lot may be one item or a group of items. The exception to this are specialty auctions, auto auctions, real estate auctions etc.
When you attend your first sale, take note of the 1/2 dozen or so dealers that buy the most often. See if you can find out about other area auctions they attend.
When you do find an excellent auction, attend it as often as possible. By frequenting good sales, you help increase the bottom line of that business. It’s difficult for many auctioneers to keep the quality of merchandise consistent, so good attendance certainly helps. And when an auctioneer gets to know you as a buyer, he/she will go out of the way to accommodate you, to keep you coming back.
Hiring An Auction Company
Estimating your assets value:
Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.
Compensation and Expenses:
Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.
A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.
In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.
In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.
In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.
In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.
What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.
Auction Expenses:
In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.
All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.
Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.
Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.
Buyer’s Premium:
What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.
The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.
It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.
Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.
Pre-Sales:
We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.
As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.
Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.
A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.
It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.
When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.