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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.

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Government Grants for Small Business: Finding Them and Getting Them

Starting or expanding any kind of small business is difficult, but it can be especially difficult if you don’t have enough capital. Raising capital for start-up or expansion is often your biggest challenge. If a loan is not possible for you right now, and if you haven’t been able to line up any investors, don’t give up hope. There may be a chance that you qualify for government grants for small business from the U.S. federal government.

Small businesses have historically played a significant role in the U.S. economy. That’s why the government has an interest in facilitating the growth of small business with government grants for small business. Even though small business is central to our economic health, the bureaucrats in Washington are not necessarily just waiting to give out government grants for small business. The government normally uses grant money to encourage business development in certain fields or specific locations, or to level the playing field for everyone. But there are quite a few bona fide government grants for small business and they can be substantial.

Government grants for small business are available to new business start-ups and existing businesses. As you might suspect, you’re probably not the only small businessman looking for help in the form of government grants for small business. Be prepared for competition if you qualify and apply for a small business grant. Attention to detail in the application process can often make the difference between winning and losing government grants for small business.

Depending on the amount of money involved, application procedures and forms for government grants for small business can be long and complex. The trick is to break the application into manageable pieces. If you don’t already have an existing team of business partners to help you, consider outsourcing some of the application work to a consultant or freelance writer. When it comes to government grants for small business, application deadlines are firm and turning your application in late is not an option.

You can do some basic research on the availability of government grants for small business at the Small Business Administration’s website. The SBA is mandated with helping small businesses succeed, but they normally don’t give grants directly. Government grants for small business are usually provided by other agencies, depending on what the grant is meant to accomplish.

If you’re interested in starting a small business or expanding your existing business, then you should start finding out all you can about government grants for small business. You may want to opt for an online directory service to help you figure out which government grants for small business you might qualify for. The structure of government can be mystifying sometimes, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on a grant you’re qualified for just because you couldn’t find it. You’ll soon learn that the secret to your small business success is to concentrate on doing what you do best, and outsource the rest.

Best Home Based Business – Home Party Industry Vs Online Business – Which One is Right For You?

Could you use an extra stream of income? A home based business is a viable option but how do you know which one is right for you? A few areas to consider when trying to decide on the best home based business is your personality, time available and profit potential.-Personality: When considering the best home based business, your personality can steer you in a general direction. Many direct sales companies recommend having home parties or one-on-one meetings as their main focus for selling products. This requires contacting friends and family to host a party. If you have trouble talking to people face-to-face or in groups or don’t want to impose on those people closest to you, the home party industry may not be for you. However, it’s not to say you can not overcome your obstacles and have a successful career in the home party industry.On the other hand, a strong and outgoing personality easily fits the criteria for that industry but does not limit oneself to just the home party type of company. All personalities lend itself well to online businesses for two main reasons. First, no matter if you are shy and quiet or friendly and outgoing, many online companies have extensive training to guide you every step of the way taking fear out of starting a business. And second, if you fear talking to people about an opportunity, many companies are automated in which your only job would be driving people to your website. Some online companies even offer online assistants who will close sales and help lead you toward success.-Time: Another factor in choosing the best home based business is time. The home party industry typically promotes having parties during the day, evening or weekends. This could be difficult to schedule around your family’s needs. The online industry is more flexible. If you choose, you can work in the middle of the night and not disturb anyone. Can you imagine asking your home party host if you could start the party at 10pm after the children are in bed? The host would think you are crazy!-Profit Potential: If you are going to spend your time and energy building a business, choose the best home based business that fits your expectations for profit potential as well. Home Party businesses generally offer 30% to 50% in profits. The online industry is usually 50% but the sales are in larger quantities and in some cases provide residual income where you can continue to get paid an override on a sale you made in the past. Online businesses open a huge market far beyond the number of friends you have or the size of your family. All you need to do is learn how to capture online sales and plug into an organized system that guides you to the path of success while working from home.I would recommend exploring your options based on your personality, time available and profit potential when deciding which is the best home based business is for you. Whatever direction you choose to go, keep in mind that the most important ingredients to being a success are consistency and persistancy…take action every day!

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