Home-Based Business

AmyLiz · Sep 22, 2003

Hi there!

I tried selling stuff once. Make up. Didn't work for me. If you don't have a lot of people you know that you can start with, it's very limiting. At least it was for me. I ended up losing money in the process.

Not to say it doesn't work for some folks. There are all those pink caddies out there for some reason.

One thing that I have seen work though...medical transcription. One of my cousins worked for a doctor's practice & she would pick up tapes at their office, take them home & transcribe them, then take them back with the transcriptions when she picked up the next set of tapes.

Just a thought.

Oh...and welcome to the board! :)

CarVsTree · Sep 22, 2003

I have my own online store selling cloth diapers. It is definitely NOT a living. Perhaps it will be some day, but it is certainly not reliable. I was doing about $1000/month in sales (not profit mind you, but sales). Until around Memorial Day. Now I do about $500/month. Which means a profit under $200/month.

It is a labor of love and is definitely NOT a living. Selling candles or soaps is nothing unique on the net so there is a lot of competition (just like selling cloth diapers believe it or not).

I'm going to try to keep my biz going while in school, but I may need to abandon it. My family comes before school and my biz, so if one thing has to go, it will be my biz.

At least a job is guaranteed money.

Sorry to sound negative, but wanted to be truthful.

God bless,

renerian, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2003

I tried the mary kay thing and avon and neither worked for me. I just ended up with alot of stuff I could not sell.

I had a friend who did candles, party lite and loved it.

renerian

Rustyhammer · Sep 22, 2003

I am currently working 3 12's. On my off days I head up to the Mts and cut firewood. I sell it in the fall and that pays for Christmas, vacations and gives me a little walking around money.

I really like getting out there and working physically. Last year I made around $4,000.This year I hope to do a little better. I know this isn't a viable method for most but it's what I do.

-Russell

Cynthiann · Sep 22, 2003

I tried the home business thing before going to school. All I can say that it was a waste a lot of time and money. Like someone else mentioned, you can only really sell stuff if you know a lot of people. My neighbor does Avon and she sells to a lot of people at her church, but still doesn't make a whole lot. I don't know a very much people (haven't lived here very long) and the people I do know mostly aren't interested in buying anything. The only thing that I was able to make some money doing was selling on ebay, you don't have to worry about having buyers if you have the right product.

Bigmama · Sep 23, 2003

Thank you all for your responses. You all pretty much validated what I was thinking about selling stuff. I don't know alot of people either and the companies always want you to buy a ton of stuff to get started.

AmyLiz- The medical transcription sound interesting, I did think about that at one time a few years ago, I'll do some more research on it.

Russel_ I have a friend who cuts fire wood for extra cash also. That is a good idea, especially if you love the outdoors and the physical aspect of it, (although not for me!!!)

Thank you all so much for your input. I really appreciate it.

NuyoricanSoul · Sep 28, 2003

Don't do it unless you know a whole lot of people who will buy from you on a regular basis. It may be home-based but very time consuming. Canvassing, getting customers, calls, getting orders, making deliveries, etc.

RN_2_B_5/2004 · Sep 29, 2003

I can't say it enough, sell stuff you aren't using on e-bay. I have sold clothing, dishes, jewelry, purses, you name it, including a car just to make ends meet. It is a good away to get rid of your junk and make some extra cash. I also buy nice clothing and shoes at re-sale stores and sell it for a good profit, usually I double what I paid for the item as a starting price. Try it!!!

http://www.ebay.com

smk1, LPN · Sep 29, 2003

chiming in about selling on ebay...DO IT! lol just go through your kids old clothes that are in good condition or jewlrey, watches, books, cds anything! it can really help!

Cynthiann · Sep 29, 2003

I mentioned ebay in my first post, too. It's the only thing I ever did that really made money and I've tried a few different things. During my break from summer school before fall semester, I found a bunch of books at my school book store that they were selling for $0.25 or $1.00 and resold them anywhere from $8 to $25. That money helped me get by until I got my student loans. I just wish I had time to still do it now.

fnimat1 · Sep 29, 2003

If you know people with babies or have a lot of ob/gyn offices in your area you might want to consider being a distributor for Over The Shoulder Baby Holder. This is what I do. They make quality baby slings that are easy on the back and you can use them up until age 3. Their website is http://www.otsbh.com

Fatima