Best Home Based Business – What Are the Best Home Based Businesses to Make Money Today?

What is the best home based business to get into right now? Ebooks and any digital product is the best way to go. What does this mean to you? It is the easiest and simplest way to make money with a tight economy. Here is how to get started in this business you can operate from home.A digital product can be an ebook, training seminar, course, or game. This means you do not physically touch the product. You do not at all need to store any inventory in your own home either. Another cool thing, normally you will not ever need to ship the product either to your customer.The best home based business is becoming an affiliate of the companies that are selling these products. Go to places like ClickBank and set up an account and go window shopping on products you would like to buy and sell.You will be given a code to use that has your own set of numbers and letters for your home based business. This code will change your life! Every time a customer buys from you, your code is embedded in the web browser address when they click to buy. This means you get credit for the purchase.You can be given text ads, banners, and so many more tools to help your home based business grow and be promoted. Take the text ads and place them in free classified ads. When a customer reads the ad and is interested, they will click and land on the site you are promoting. This is one of the best home based business opportunities to get into and start immediately.Now, let’s get your best home based business to grow even more. You need to have a website. There are plenty out there that are under $10 a month. A lot will give you thirty days free to try it out. Have one site for each category you are promoting and selling in your home based business.If you are a person that likes music, then you may decide your best home based business is an online music store. Take all your affiliates for music and put them at home on your online business website. Now, your customers have a wide variety to choose from. Take some of your ads, not all, and start pointing them to your website to build traffic. The more traffic you get to your site, the higher your site will rank in the search engine and can be found more easily.The next step, if you wanted to sell another category say books, then have another website for just books. Now, connect the two websites together and when your customer is at one site, they can see you have another site and go shopping there also. When a customer buys something and checks out, there is a thank you page that can redirect them to the other site. They could even bookmark it for later.So, the best home based business does not even cost you any money at all to get started!

3 Reasons To Start A Home Based Business

Owning your own home based business has many advantages, and can help boost your income, who doesn’t like that idea. What’s one of the most common answers when you ask someone what they wish they had more of?Money!Don’t we all. In fact in today’s tough times, we all need more money, but how do we get it and how much more do we need. While everyone’s answer will differ, the end result is still the same, we need more. whether it is just to make ends meet, or to have a better and more fulfilling lifestyle.So what are some of the reasons why people start a home based business:
More money.
Work your own hours. Ideal for stay home mums, who can work during school hours and be home for the kids.
You can work it part-time around your current job.
To meet people and make new friends.All good reasons, but let me share with you what I looked for when starting a home based business.
Personal growth
Lifestyle choices
Compensation plan.When looking to start a home based business it is very important to look beyond the basics. If you are serious about it and are going to put time and effort into it, make it count.You already work hard, long hours, possibly shift work, weekends etc. A home based business makes good sense, but what you need to do is think about how to work smarter, not harder. Look for a business opportunity that offers a personal growth and development plan attached, it will teach you how to think outside the square, and make you feel good about yourself and your abilities.Having a home based business will still require time and effort. You will have to put in the hours if you want to succeed and reap the rewards. Persistence is the key to success, like the old saying goes, winners never quit and quitters never win. If you have the passion to make a difference it will open the door to a lifestyle choice you never thought possible.Integrity, support, ongoing training and earning a residual income are all huge drawcards when starting a home based business opportunity. You benefit from your own efforts, and it’s a good feeling. And then you take it a step further and help others along the way, that’s a great feeling. To accomplish all this from a home business it requires a solid compensation plan.There is an abundance of home based business opportunities available, depending on what you are looking for, many that you could start part-time and then make it you main source of income, if you are prepared to work at it.

Yahoo Small Business – The Many Benefits

When a person starts a small business, there are many preparations to be made to ensure the overall success of the business. Some of these preparations include setting up a webpage, developing a domain, implementing emails for the business, getting internet access that is appropriate to the needs of your business, as well as developing a marketing strategy. If you implement the use of Yahoo Small Business, you can get all of this and more! In this article, you will be introduced to a number of benefits when it comes to using Yahoo Small Business.One of the main benefits of using Yahoo to assist you with your small business needs is the Yahoo Small Business Web Hosting service that is offered. With Yahoo, you can enjoy a multitude of wonderful features. The first being that you can design your website with a great deal of flexibility! You can also implement the use of the many professionally designed templates, or pull a template from a 3rd party.In addition to this, Yahoo Small Business Web Hosting service gives you a lot of web hosting space for your products. Each month, you are permitted to have an unbelievable 200GB of bandwidth in which data can be transferred to your customers. You can also enjoy a large 5GB of web space to effectively design your website.When you sign up for Yahoo Small Business Web Hosting, you can get a free domain name in order to brand your website. If you already have a domain name, that is no problem! Yahoo will allow you to bring your own name with you! In addition to outstanding features that come with your web hosting subscription with Yahoo, you can enjoy the comfort of knowing that there are specially trained professionals available to you every hour of the day of the week if you have questions, concerns, or issues with your service or website.Many small businesses enjoy the Yahoo Small Business Web Hosting service because the subscription runs on a month to month basis, and there are no contracts involved in which you must commit to a certain term of service. Furthermore, the prices are quite competitive. You can have all the benefits of this service for as little as $7.77 for the first 2 months, and then $8.96 per month thereafter! This is an exceptional value!When using Yahoo Small Business, you can enjoy a variety of marketing features. Marketing is a key component to the overall success of your business. One of the most popular methods that many business owners use is advertising in Yahoo! Local. You can display your business logo, describe your business, advertise your products, and more by implementing the use of this effective marketing strategy.Individuals who take advantage of the marketing tools in Yahoo Small Business can submit their website to the Yahoo search engine. Many business owners also submit their website to the Yahoo Directory, and promote their products in Yahoo Shopping. By using these various marketing tools, a business can gain exposure, increase their search engine ranking, and potentially earn an outstanding income. Yahoo Small Business works to make every effort to ensure that each business is successful in their endeavors.Internet access is often very important when it comes to the productivity of the small business. While there are numerous providers of internet service available today, if a business decides to use Yahoo as their one stop business solution, they can enjoy the collaboration of Yahoo and AT&T. This collaboration can provide you with an inexpensive way to ensure high speed internet access with great reliability. For as little as $14.95 a month, one can enjoy exciting features such as enhanced business security, effective and reliable connections, and many tools that allow you to communicate with your clients, customers, and coworkers.Email is an essential part of every small business. When you utilize the email service that is provided by Yahoo Small Business, you can enjoy many features, which include:- Unlimited Space on the Email Server- Your Domain Name on Email Addresses- Free Email Newsletter- Spam Solutions- Name Brand Antivirus SoftwareBy using this Yahoo Business Email service, you can assign personalized email addresses to individuals that conduct work within your small business. If you want to create a professional, high-quality solution to your email needs, Yahoo provides outstanding services that make this possible.As you can see, utilizing Yahoo Small Business can prove to provide many benefits to your small business. You can depend on this service to provide highly technological solutions for your business with outstanding reliability and customer service.Create a yahoo web site for yourself and see the excellent benefits and features that you can have for a great price. The Site Solutions tool alone will amaze you with how easy it is to build a web site. These features are a great beginning on why anyone should choose Yahoo Small Business.

5 Benefits of Working From Home and Having a Home Based Business

The trend to home based businesses is really exploding. And, with good reason. The flexibility and profitability of working from home is tremendous. Besides for the fact that you can get up when you want and wear what you want, there are many other advantages to working from home and having a home based business.

Benefit #1: Increased Productivity

Working from home allows you to have more time. More time for work, or hobbies, or your family. It eliminates the commute to work. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, the national average drive-time is 24.3 minutes. Americans spend over 100 hours a year commuting. Working from home not only eliminates the time spent commuting, it also eliminates time in the office spent socializing or leaving to get lunch. This time gained results in more productive hours and few hours spent “working.” Working from home also gives you the freedom to take a break to exercise or do something around the house. You’re home when packages arrive to sign for them. You’re home when the repair man comes and will only give you a four hour window. You are also more available to clients who need to reach you in the evening and on the weekends with a home based business. And, best of all, you’re home for your kids and pets when they need you. According to USA Today, people who work from form report having fewer sick days, improved morale, and improved productivity.

Benefit #2: Tax Savings

Working from home means a home office. A home office means deductible business related expenses such as Internet, phone, office space, subscriptions, and insurance. The IRS allows you to deduct a percent of your mortgage or rent payment, depreciation, property taxes, insurance, and utilities. The percent you may deduct is calculated by the number of rooms or square foot of your home you use for your business. For example, if you use one room of a four bedroom house for your home based business, you can deduct 25% of the homes’ operating expenses. However, this space must be designated specifically for your business on an on-going basis. According to the IRS, in order to deduct something as a business expense the “business expense must be ordinary in your business and necessary for operation.” Ordinary just means an expense that is accepted and common in your business. Necessary means those that are helpful and appropriate to maintain your business. The IRS requires you to separate your personal and business expenses and then only the business expenses can be deducted.

Benefit #3: Flexible Hours

Who wants a strict 9-5 job? It’s wonderful waking up and starting your day on your own schedule. Time to read the paper, get the kids to school, exercise all before you begin work. You have the flexibility to switch gears when you like. If you can only get a mid day doctor or hair appointment, that’s just fine with a home based business. It provides the flexibility to make it to your childrens’ school events, stay home with a sick child, or work late after the kids are in bed.

Benefit #4: More Family Time

One of the most fulfilling benefits of working from home and having a home based business is the ability to gain control over your life. Parents who work from home report a much higher level of family time and a much lower level of stress. If you chose to quit at 3:00 when the kids come home and work at night after they are in bed, that is now a choice of your own accord. Home based businesses allow for balance and the freedom to take the day off to golf or spend it with your kids without having to check in with someone.

Benefit #5: More Profitability

You will save money on rent, meals out, gas to commute, and the cost of work clothes. More importantly, instead of having a boss tell you when you have to work, when you can take vacation, when you’ll get a raise or a promotion, you make those decisions yourself. Your advancement and income is directly related to your own productivity. As a result, you’ll likely want to work harder and smarter since you reap the benefits directly.

Types of Outdoor Advertising and Its Unfailing Impact

In the present consumer driven market, advertising has become the need of the hour. However, with so many brands competing in the same market, for the same set of consumers, how will your product stand out? This is a million dollar question that troubles almost every brand. That’s why in addition to the traditional advertising tools, entrepreneurs are now investing into outdoor advertising.

Outdoor advertising, the term in itself is self-sufficient to give out a meaning. It is nothing but advertising done at outdoors like ads on buses, bulletins and so on. Now that the meaning is quite clear, let’s shed some light on types of outdoor advertising.

Billboard advertising

Placing an advertisement of your products on a billboard hanging right up at the major roadways is one of the most effective ways of promoting a product or service. The stats of traffic movement on the roads are not hidden from anyone. Thus, you know you can reach a considerable number of people with this type of outdoor advertising.

Moreover, those who end up in a great traffic jam have no choice but to stare at the billboards. In this way, you reach to masses either knowingly or unknowingly.

Wrap advertising

A billboard is stagnant, while wrap advertising is mobile. It includes partial or complete wrapping of vehicle in an advertisement. Generally public vehicles are used for the purpose like busses and cabs. I remember witnessing bus wrap advertising so many times. It was done so beautifully that I couldn’t take my eyes off the bus.

Street furniture advertising

In addition to billboards and vehicles, advertisers are now making the best possible use of street furniture. They put ads on kiosk, bus shelters, benches and urban panel. In this way, they enhance the visibility of the advertisement.

These are some of the top types of outdoor advertising that help to market products and services. The reason to why this type of advertising is earning rapid growth is because people now-a-days spend more time in commuting (be it for fun, work or whatsoever random reason); thus, if you wish to hit them, you will have to hit them at the right place.

Choose your outdoor advertising partner wisely

On the whole, outdoor advertising is not only cheaper on cost, but also unfailingly effective on impact. What matters is the caliber of the company that you choose to serve your purpose. The internet may be of immense help to you while choosing the best outdoor advertising partner for your products and services. Just conduct an independent research online to be able to reach the best. If possible, you can try some references also to stay assured that the company you are going to choose serves your purpose all the way.

The Finer Points of Internet Auctions

WHAT IS A PENNY AUCTION?

Penny auctions have exploded in popularity with the massive growth of the internet. However, few people know the true origins of penny auctions.Beginnings actually stretch back to the Great Depression. Those were hard times for everyone, but even harder for farmers. Farmers struggled to bring in steady income because of droughts and crops not selling as well as they had previously. As a result, the banks would foreclose on the farmers who couldn’t keep up with their mortgage payments.

The banks weren’t satisfied with just repossessing the house, they wanted to raise as much capital as possible, so they resorted to selling off the possessions of the owners of the repossessed houses. There was not much the farmers could do about it so they began bidding ridiculously low prices, pennies, on the items while threatening others who dared to bid higher than a few pennies.

The auctions of today hardly resemble their tremulous beginnings. Being part of a penny auction today is exhilarating, fun, and addictive. It combines the selling format of auctioning with a little bit of chance factored in.Auctions are a game of strategy but also a game of luck.

The premise behind penny auctions is giving people the chance to win an item at a drastically reduced price.Auctions make that possible by spreading out the cost of the product among multiple bidders. In order for a person to take part in an auction, they must pay a set price for each bid. For example, if a person wanted to bid on a fifty dollar Amazon gift card then he would spend a dollar for each time a bid placed. If he ended up winning the gift card, then he would only have spent a few dollars for a fifty dollar gift card. Usually penny auctions sell bids in packages.

HOW PENNY AUCTIONS WORK!

The main foundation of penny auctions is the pay-per-bid format. It is the key that allows bidders to win items at the fraction of their retail value and allows the auction owners to keep their site profitable. Most y auction sites run on the same premise: people pay a set amount for each bid, whenever a person places a bid within the closing seconds of the auction time will be added, the last person left with a unique bid after the clocks runs out will win the item. There are a large variety of items that can be won, but they tend to be popular electronics or gift cards to popular stores.

There are two types of auctions: lowest unique bid auction and highest unique bid auction. Lowest unique auction sounds confusing but it is actually quite simple. A unique bid is when only one person has a bid at a certain price. Bids usually start at one penny, a bidder can then place a bid at two pennies. Until another bidder places a higher bid, the most recent bidder will be the lowest unique bid because that was the only bid at two cents and nobody bid higher. However, penny auctions generally don’t stop at one penny. It is not uncommon to find auctions that end up at a couple hundred dollars based on the popularity of the item being auctioned. However, the same principles apply for those auctions. Highest unique bid auctions follow the more traditional auction format such as eBay. The person with the highest bid at the end of the auction wins the item.

Auction site owners turn a profit by selling bids. Say twenty people are bidding on a ten dollar gift card at one dollar per bid, at the end of the auction if there were twenty bids placed in total then the site owner would have made twenty dollars with a ten dollar profit.Auctions do seem like a win-win situation:The site owner makes money while the bidder gets an item for dirt cheap. However, not everyone wins in penny auctions. The people who paid one dollar each bid but left with nothing to show for their investments will not be so happy.

HOW TO WIN!

Penny auction has a lot of chance mixed into it, but one can incorporate strategy that will help raise the chances of winning. Playing smart can make all the difference between gambling and auctioning.

The first crucial tip to winning penny auctions is to know how to manage your bids. Your goal should be to win as much as possible without spending a ton of money buying bids. Managing your bids means that you should already know how much you are willing to risk in order to win an item. The amount of capital you are willing to risk will determine how many bids you can use. Once you know how many bids you have to spend on an item, then you will be better able to manage how and when you place a bid. That will keep you from blowing away all of your bids in the first few seconds of the auction.

The next tip is to practice time management. When fighting in the trenches of penny auctions, you have two enemies: other bidders and time. Knowing when to bid is a must if you want to have success. Placing a bid when there is a lot of time left on the clock is never a good idea. You have to remember that the key to winning a penny auction is being the last one standing when the clock runs out and that each bid increases the amount of time left. It would be a good practice to wait until the last few minutes of the auction before you begin to bid.

The final tip for successful auctioning is to keep your emotions under control.Auctions have a lot of similarities to gambling, and just like gambling, your spending can get out of control. If you keep your emotions level, it will keep you from making rash decisions and blowing loads of cash. Keep your mind clear so that you can gage the behavior of the other bidders and outsmart them.

HOW TO AVOID SCAM SITES!

Penny auctions are a great addition to the web whether you want to win an item that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to afford or if you simply enjoy the thrill that comes with bidding in auctions. Unfortunately, scam sites have tarnished the reputation of the legitimate penny auction sites. However, there are ways that you can protect yourself from scamers and enjoy your auctioning without having to worry about losing your money due to dishonesty.

Checking the reputation of the auction site before you start spending your hard earned money is always a good idea. Chances are other people have tried the site before you and some of them have left reviews. The reviews are your way to gage whether a auction site is trustworthy or not. If a site is getting overwhelmingly negative reviews, then that is a clear indication that you should steer your business elsewhere.

Another tool you can use to protect yourself is checking the Alexia ranks of the auction sites. Alexia rank will give a solid view of how much traffic the auction is getting. If you see a huge difference in the amount of traffic Alexia is projecting and the amount of active bidders on the site, then warning signals should be ringing in your head. Some auction sites have been known to set up robots that automatically bid on projects in order to keep the auction going and inflate the price. That is known as shill bidding. You can sniff out those sites by comparing the traffic the site should be getting to the amount of users using this site.

CONCLUSION!

New legislation may come out later down the road that will officially make penny auctions gambling, but until then, it is a fun, exciting auction that allows one to win the item they’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford.Auctions are also quite lucrative for the site owners because of the pay-per-bid strategy they’ve incorporated. Penny auctions had humble beginnings with farmers who just wanted to get back at the banks who kicked them out of their house. More recently, auctions have enjoyed an explosion in popularity with the rise of the internet.

There are two main formats fora auctions, lowest and highest unique auction, however they both run on the same premise where the last unique bid wins the item. Winning a penny auction will require a certain amount of mental tactic and a bit of luck. However, you can increase your odds of winning by practicing certain techniques such as managing your bids wisely, learning how to work with the time, and keeping a level head and your emotions under control. When you combine those three strategies to your bidding plan, you will find that you win a lot more often.

It is important that you do your due diligence to protect yourself when participating in auctions. Not every auction is run by honest and trustworthy people. There are people out there who just want to take your money. You can protect yourself by ensuring that you only bid on sites that already have a very positive reputation from real users.

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.

Hiring An Auction Company

Estimating your assets value:

Typically, one of the first questions a business owner will ask me is, “how much will the assets bring at an auction”. After taking the time to review the assets, the auctioneer should give the client a conservative estimate of the sale based upon his experience and the current market trends. It is important that the company give realistic expectations so the seller can make informed decisions based on their best interest.

Compensation and Expenses:

Is the company you are considering working for you or against you? The agreement you decide may determine this.

A business owner should carefully consider how the auction company is compensated. The most common commission structures include: straight commission, outright purchase of assets, guaranteed base with a split above to both auctioneer and seller, guaranteed base with anything above going to auctioneer or a flat fee structure.

In a straight commission structure, the company is paid an agreed upon percentage of the total sale.

In an outright purchase agreement, the auctioneer simply becomes your end buyer. The company purchases your assets and relocates them. While this can be an option in some unique situations, keep in mind that they will want to purchase your assets at a very reduced price to make a profit at a later date.

In a minimum base guarantee, the auction company guarantees the seller that the auction will generate a minimum amount of sales. Anything above that amount either goes to the auction company or split with the seller. While a seller might feel more comfortable doing an auction knowing that he is guaranteed a minimum amount for his sale, keep in mind that it is the best interest of the auction company to secure a minimum base price as low as possible in order reduce their financial liability to the seller and secure higher compensation for the sale.

In a flat fee structure, the auctioneer agrees to show up for the sale and call the auction. There is no incentive for the auctioneer to get the best prices for your assets. The auction company is compensated regardless of the outcome of your sale.

What is the best option for business owners? In my experience, an agreed upon straight commission structure. This puts the responsibility on the auction company to offer the best outcome for everyone involved. There is an incentive for the auction company to work hard for both parties, set up and run a professional sale, get the highest bid and sell every item on the inventory. Successful auctions translate to a higher bottom line for both the seller and the auction company.

Auction Expenses:

In most auction agreements the expenses to conduct an auction are passed to the seller. If the auction company pays for the expenses, it is simply absorbed in higher commission rates.

All expenses should be agreed upon in advance in a written contract. Typical expenses will include the costs of advertising, labor, legal fees, travel, equipment rentals, security, postage and printing. A reputable auction company will be able to estimate all expenses based upon their experience in previous auctions. An agreement should be actual costs charged as expenses, not an estimated amount.

Advertising is typically the highest cost in conducting an auction. The auction company needs to set up an advertising campaign that will promote the sale to its best advantage and not overspend to simply advertise the auction company.

Once the auction is complete, the auction company should provide a complete breakdown of all expenses to the seller, including copies of receipts within the auction summary report.

Buyer’s Premium:

What is a buyer’s premium? If you attend auctions regularly, you are very familiar with this term. The auction company charges a fee to the buyer when they buy an item at auction.

The buyer’s premium has been around since the 1980′s and is standard auction practice. It was first used by auction houses to help offset costs of running brick and mortar permanent auction facilities. Since then, it has spread to all aspects of the auction industry. It is prominent in online auctions and allows auction companies to cover added expenses incurred from online sales.

It is the responsibility of the auction company to provide clear disclosure of the buyer’s premium to both the buyers and the sellers. Those not familiar with auctions are often taken back by the buyer’s premium. They looked upon it as an under handed way for the auction company to make more money. Reputable auction companies will provide full disclosure within the auction contract, advertisement and bidder registration.

Typically, an auction company will charge online buyers a higher buyer’s premium percentage than those attending an auction in person. Extra fees are incurred with online bidding and are charged accordingly to online buyers. This provides the seller a level playing field for both online buyers and those attending the auction in person. Without the buyer’s premium, there is no way to do this.

Pre-Sales:

We’ve all been there. We’re looking forward to attending an auction only to find that some items were sold prior to the auction date.

As an auctioneer with over thirty-six years of experience, I can honestly state that pre-sales will hurt an auction. When a company decides to liquidate their assets, it is easy to sell off high-end pieces of equipment through online sources, equipment vendors or to other businesses. The seller receives instant cash and avoids paying a commission to an auction company.

Auctioneer’s find themselves appearing to acting in a self-serving capacity when potential clients say they are planning to sell off parts of their inventory prior to an auction. It’s hard not to consider the auctioneer’s commission when they warn you not to pre-sell anything. Yes, the auctioneer wants to earn a commission on those sales but it is more important that the auctioneer protect the sale from potential negative backlash that comes from pre-selling. The buying public knows when an auction has been “cherry picked” prior to the sale and it reflects in their bidding. It becomes a sale of “leftovers” and that impacts prices.

A buyer who purchases prior to the auction usually does not attend the sale. They already bought equipment at a good price with no competition. If they do attend the auction, they tend to let others know of their great pre-sale purchases which again, impacts prices and the overall excitement of the sale.

It is important to understand that auctions work best with a complete inventory. You want competition on your higher end equipment. The easy to sell items make it possible to gain respectable prices for hard to sell items.

When a business owner decides to liquidate their equipment assets, there is only one opportunity to do it right. Hiring a reputable auction company will assist you with a professional, orderly and timely liquidation.

Five Tips for Selling at Live Auctions

Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.

People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!

Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.

Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.

Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.

After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.

Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.

Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.

Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.

Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.

Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.

It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.

Tip 4: Present your items neatly.

No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.

There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.

While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.

Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.

The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.

Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.

If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.

Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!

The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.

Real Estate Auctions – The New Land Rush

On a sunny afternoon in Florida, an energetic crowd gathers on the lawn of a high end luxury estate. A loud and eager banter between an auctioneer, a group of bidders and bidder assistants fills the air. For several minutes the auctioneer asks for the next highest bid and the bidders respond. Suddenly the bidders grow silent. The high bidder holds his breath in anticipation of winning the auction. The auctioneer calls for one more bid. In a loud clear voice which rolls over the audience he says, “Fair warning, last chance” the auctioneer pauses, “SOLD!” And in less than 10 minutes another multimillion dollar estate has changed owners.

Successful real estate auctions like the one above are happening all over North America and the Caribbean. Recently real estate auctions have been on the rise, the increase in popularity is partly driven by growing inventories and fading buyer confidence. Properties that were selling in weeks using traditional methods are now languishing on the market unable to attract buyers even as seller’s lower prices. Many say the real estate boom is over but savvy buyers and sellers are profiting from real estate auctions.

Real Estate Auctions Work in Up or Down Markets.

Regardless of trends or market cycles, real estate auctions provide an open and transparent process for buyers and sellers. Properly conducted real estate auctions attract ready and willing buyers and motivate them to act now.

The auction method removes the “wait and see” attitude which serves to further depress real estate values. Buyers are always concerned about overpaying. Buyers gain confidence with their purchases at real estate auctions because they can see what others are willing to pay.

When market demand is high and inventories low, real estate auctions can deliver selling prices well above what a willing seller would have accepted in a negotiated private treaty sale. In good selling climates many property owners using traditional real estate methods; negotiating with one buyer at a time, leave thousands of dollars of equity on the table. During up markets real estate auctions are the best way to establish top market price.

Evaluating Your Real Estate for Auction

Not every property or seller for that matter makes a good candidate for auction. First of all sellers must be ready to sell now and for the current market value. Also a real estate auction will not fix problems caused by a downturn in market value of your property, if you owe more than a willing buyer will pay, be prepared to come to closing with your check book.

Properties that do well in real estate auctions have a high uniqueness factor. Ask your self, “What makes my property different from most others?” Maybe you own a resort property or high end luxury home, commercial properties and land do very well at auction. Real estate auctions thrive on uniqueness. If your property is like everyone else’s, the best thing you can do is offer the most competitive price.

Most importantly sellers must be reasonable about setting a minimum bid. A seller must look at the lowest, most current comps and price below that to generate the interest and urgency necessary for a successful real estate auction. Once the auction begins and qualified bidders start competing against one another you can watch the selling price increase.

Locate a Qualified Real Estate Auctioneer

Start by checking with the National Auctioneers Association, the best real estate auctioneers belong to this organization. These real estate auctioneers are well trained and adhere to a standard of practice and a code of ethics. Many attend the annual International Auctioneers Conference where the latest techniques and innovations in the real estate auction industry are presented.

Find out if the company you are interviewing is a full time real estate auction firm. Many real estate agents are getting auction licenses yet have no experience with the auction method of marketing. Conducting a successful real estate auction is nothing like (private treaty) traditional real estate sales. Go with a real estate auction pro.

You’re probably better of with an auction house that specializes in real estate auctions. There are many qualified auctioneers who have generations of experience selling personal property; furniture, dishes, lawn equipment and the occasional rare painting. Selling real estate at auction is a complex matter that should only be attempted by full time experienced real estate auction professionals.

Commissions and fees may vary, sellers must pay all marketing expenses up front and buyers typically pay 10% of the sales price to the auctioneer of which a share goes to participating real estate agents.

Types of Real Estate Auctions

Auctions are effective because they create a seller’s market. Professionally conducted real estate auctions create urgency, a reason to buy today and competition for the property. Terms and conditions of sale are established ahead of the auction. Real estate auctions will follow one of these three approaches:

Absolute Auction

The property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of price- using this process often returns the highest sale price.

Minimum Bid Auction

Seller agrees to sell at or above a published minimum bid price – this method is useful for internet auctions.

Seller Confirmation or Reserve Auction

With a reserve auction, the seller “reserves” the right to accept or decline any bids usually within 48 hours of the auction. Reserve auctions are used when there is a lien on the property from a lender or a court ordered sale with a minimum selling price.