No, Im not President Obama but I may have just enough experience about the auction business to give a state of the union address on the auction world and whats going on.
The best way to buy things continue to be live auctions. Many agencies have moved to online auction format which reduce the likelihood of insane bargains of the past.
Housewives are still your worst enemy at live auctions. Not to mention the new buyer who doesnt research and bid too much for everything. Important Note: Before you buy anything, research is your best friend and will save you $ and lots of heartache.
Online seller marketing has shifted to social networking sites and ability to drive unique buyers to your selling venue. Achieved by connections to twitter, facebook, image hosting sites, etc.
Many online sellers agree that ebay is in a state of transition and decline as it continues to abandon small sellers that made it successful and focus on retailers. Amazon.com is confidently moving into a new wave of growth by innovating and investing. Other auction companies are getting a share of online marketplace by niche marketing maneuvers such as handmade or collectibles only. Moves that take away a big share of what historically was a huge moneymaker for ebay.
Buying for resell strategies vary from buying items to keep for personal use. We can highlight the obvious of buying low and selling high but rather focus on intricasies that casual buyers may overlook. Look for higher volume sales such as bankruptcies and store closings in areas where its possible to get large amounts of inventory for small costs. Areas closeby offer better value if transporting items is a factor. Abandoned storage lockers were once a moneymaker but popular reality show about Storage have newbies driving up prices. Dont overlook the neighborhood estate sale. 2011 ended strong with vast amounts of merchandise seized and confiscated.2012 is gearing up to be a banner year for merchandise. There will be great amounts of merchandise available as more businesses lose inventory due to slow economy.
