Happy New Year! Good to see that I am starting to attract a little attention, and as the year goes on, I hope that the growth continues.
Because of the holidays, the schedule of Tuesday/Thursday tips has been interrupted. So to make up for no tip yesterday, I am posting today Wednesday, January 2nd 2008.
The tip for today - FIND A NICHE!
It's a fundamental business strategy and can be used when you're buying and selling. When you begin, engross yourself into just one area. Whether it be 1911's, Remington shotguns, Colt revolvers, old Derringers or anything else... become more than familiar with it, get intimate.
By achieving an area of expertise, you can find better deals when looking to buy, and will be able to price your item more competitively when selling.
This strategy will also make you a seller to rely on when a person is in the market for a certain type of item. For instance, when I am in the mood for a 1911, I type that into a GunsAmerica search, and then get all of the sellers. If I then see that a seller has multiple listings in this search, I am 10 times more likely to view all of their listings.
People also give great references. "Hey where'd you get that Colt?" "Oh this, I picked it up from [YOUR SELLING NAME HERE] on GunsAmerica, (or on Ebay, or whatever)."
The final perk that comes from this tip is that when you are an expert on something, people keep coming back to ask advise, or for information. This keeps you on the top of their mind, and will give you better buyer feedback. Other people selling similar items may start watching your items, and if priced well enough may buy from you to sell in their own shop.
Now, just to clarify, you do not need to ONLY buy and sell one type of gun to make money, this is just a tip to help you MAXIMIZE your experience.