| I know there are all kinds of "legitimate" business | | | | books I bought to resell amounted to about a |
| opportunities available on the Internet. You can join | | | | quarter cord of expensive firewood. I was just about |
| (read this as buy into) an MLM selling all kinds of pills, | | | | ready to give up when my son visited and taught me |
| potions, gadgets, etc., in the "health" industry, and | | | | how to find the books that are worth reselling. Up to |
| indeed some of them might be legitimate, but they all | | | | that point I was under the belief that if a book was |
| seem to want $500 - $2,000 from you up front. | | | | very popular, old, or a classic, it would have a good |
| They even tell you that the more you invest, the | | | | resale value, so I was paying $1 to $3 for them and |
| more you will make selling their products to your | | | | taking them home to learn they were only worth |
| friends, neighbors, and family members. Yeah, I am | | | | $0.01 online. To be blunt, I was self-teaching myself |
| sure the neighbor lady is going to appreciate me | | | | the expensive way and not learning very quickly. |
| knocking on her door and asking her if she is | | | | Once I knew how to find books worth reselling I |
| interested in losing 120 pounds before next summer. | | | | thought I had it licked, but the post office had other |
| That is probably not the best way to make friends, | | | | "learning experiences" for me. Since I was now selling |
| but it is probably a good way to be invited to a fight | | | | quite a few books, the post office felt it was time |
| with her husband. | | | | to teach me the importance of indestructible |
| There are also a number of other "opportunities" out | | | | packaging - or the "20 story drop test criterion." It |
| there promising - or at least implying - that you can | | | | sure seemed to me like the post office was |
| retire and make more than a brain surgeon as a | | | | determined to separate every book I shipped from |
| copywriter, all you have to do is pay them $2,500 or | | | | the package I put it in, so I set out to establish a |
| so to participate in their writing course where they | | | | method of packaging that pleased the postal |
| weed out the illiterate and turn the accomplished | | | | workers so they wouldn't try to put me out of |
| loose to find their own clients with an 8 x 10 | | | | business anymore. Believe it or not, I got some of |
| certificate of course completion, but alas, there are | | | | the best packaging tips from a postal clerk that I |
| no guarantees and they don't give refunds. | | | | vented my frustrations on. These I also documented |
| Of course, you could always "get paid to take | | | | in the form of pictures and descriptions lest I forget |
| surveys online," or "make $500 daily" if you will just | | | | how demoralizing it is to ship a book thinking it |
| pay so-and-so $25 to learn how to profit from | | | | profited me $50 only to have it "escape" in transit. |
| Google Click Bank, and my personal favorite is the | | | | The worst part is you aren't out only the $50 you |
| concept of getting rich by becoming a web affiliate. | | | | thought you were profiting, you are out the cost of |
| Never mind the concept of having a website with | | | | the book, you have to refund the customer for the |
| any content of value, all you need to do is be | | | | book and shipping, and while it may seem a trivial |
| everyone's affiliate. | | | | part, you are also out the packaging materials. |
| I am not interested in selling you any kind of system, | | | | At this point in the "challenge to be successful," I was |
| opportunity, franchise, or even an online business | | | | pretty sure I was going to make it. My postal |
| opportunity. What I will tell you is that you can | | | | "escapees" were almost non-existent, I was buying |
| legitimately make $5,000+ per month selling books | | | | good books for my inventory, and was actually |
| online through ABE, Amazon.com, Alibris, Barnes and | | | | realizing a good monthly profit, but that was not the |
| Noble, Half.com, ebay, etc., and you don't have to | | | | end of my challenges. My local library - one of my |
| pay anyone anything to get started! The opportunity | | | | best sources for inventory - decided to go online |
| already exists and I will not charge you $500 to tell | | | | themselves, and I was encountering an increasing |
| you about it, you can research and verify it yourself. | | | | number of competitors, so I had to learn to adapt to |
| I personally started selling books online about five | | | | better technology to be more efficient in my book |
| years ago and while I struggled until I got some help | | | | scouting adventures. |
| from my youngest son, a more experienced online | | | | I am telling you all of this and making fun of my |
| bookseller, I have never regretted getting into the | | | | experiences because I want you to understand that |
| business. My wife is Czech and every year we make | | | | making the decision to be an online bookseller is easy, |
| a couple trips to the Czech Republic to vacation. The | | | | but being successful requires having a good |
| online bookselling business has provided the | | | | knowledge of the business, the tools to be |
| supplemental income to make this affordable. Over | | | | successful, and it doesn't hurt to have a little |
| the course of those five years, I coached several | | | | guidance. Remember too that making money doing it |
| others that have become successful online | | | | is only part of being successful; you need to enjoy it |
| booksellers. I took good notes of both my | | | | and have fun doing it to really be successful. Being |
| experiences and those of the people I coached, and | | | | truly independent and having the flexibility to pretty |
| I wrote a book about it to help others avoid the | | | | much do what you want when you want certainly |
| costly mistakes made in a "learn it yourself" approach. | | | | makes the enjoyment and fun parts easier to |
| Don't get me wrong; it does take time, patience, and | | | | achieve. |
| dedication to be successful. The first 300 or so | | | | |