HOW YOU CAN MAKE BIG MONEY IN SPORTS MEMORABILIA Part 1
been greater than it is today. Collection of such items is not
limited to youngsters, either. Adults have discovered trading
cards as a lucrative investment field. Prestigious auction houses
in
Autographs, bats and balls, team clothing, ticket stubs and game
programs are bought and sold by sports fans worldwide. You can
cash in on the growing interest in sports collectibles by opening
your own sports memorabilia shop or mail order operation.
You can choose to open a retail facility in your city, or you may
decide to operate a mail order business specializing in sports
keepsakes. Both can be established for a small investment and run
for minimal costs. If you choose to open a retail outlet, you will
need an adequate supply of stock to draw customers into your store.
If your stock is slow in the beginning, offer to sell merchandise
on consignment. You will display a customer’s item in your
showcase, handle the sale and pocket a pre-arranged percentage of
the amount. The advantages of a mail order operation are many.
You can begin as a trading club with a monthly or bi-monthly
newsletter, featuring the items other members have for sale or
trade. Once you have personally gathered a large number of items
to serve as a stock supply for your business, you can branch out
and begin a retail outlet.
Establishing a retail outlet can be relatively simple. Find a
small, inexpensive location in a neighborhood strip mall. You
don’t need a lot of interior amenities either. Several glass
showcases can serve as your sales counter and display area. Place
some shelves on the wall behind your counter to display larger
items. Framed pictures or plaques featuring autographed items that
you have for sale can be hung on the walls around the room. Other
counters or table space can feature collecting supplies such as
binders, card cases, storage boxes, pages for holding cards, etc.
Sports posters can fill up any bare spots on your wall.
Contact a local magazine distributor and arrange to have a wide
assortment of sports magazines and newspapers for sale in your
shop. Include magazines featuring sports news as well as those
that pertain to collecting trading cards and keepsakes. The
magazine distributor will also be able to put you in contact with
the publishers of pricing guides for sports memorabilia. These
price books will sell especially well, because they are updated on
an annual basis and will create repeat purchases by customers.
If your city has a minor or major league team, check with the front office
about having one or more players visit your store for
special autograph sessions. Fans can come and have the players
autograph their cards, programs, etc., or they can purchase some of these
items to be autographed from you at a special discounted
price. While folks are in the store to get their autographs, they
will have the opportunity to browse through your stock, make some
purchases, and get to know you better. While many teams charge for these
special appearances by players, you should be able to recoup your expenses
through the added sales the event will generate. Also, having an
opportunity to become acquainted with your customers and their likes and
dislikes will serve you well further down the road.
Getting employees to work in your shop will not be difficult.
Teenagers are wild about sports collectibles and would be willing
to work for minimum wage. Of course, you will want to have at
least one adult on duty at all times to handle any problems that
might arise. This type of job is also a great second job for many
adults. Many collectors would enjoy part-time work of this sort
simply because it will pay for time spent with their hobby. Don’t
worry about getting help. You’ll be swamped with folks applying
for work in your store.
As mentioned above, you will want to serve as a consignment shop
for folks looking to sell valuable items from their own
collections. Have a sales contract written up that specifies that
you are taking the described merchandise on consignment for 60
days, ad that the seller will receive X amount for the sale of the
item. Of that sale price, you will subtract 25 percent for
negotiating the sale. If the item does not sell within the
allotted time, the seller will have the option of removing it from
your store or lowering the asking price. You should be able to
greatly increase your available offers and make a good profit from
consignment sales.
Place an advertisement in your city newspaper or local shoppers’
guide informing readers of your location and that you take
merchandise on consignment. Your ad might look something like
this:
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Sports World
Trading Cards and Sports Memorabilia
We buy and sell all kinds of sports keepsakes:
* trading cards
* autographs
* balls
* uniforms
* Baseball * Football
* Basketball * Hockey
* Golf * Tennis
Complete Sports Newsstand–Magazines, Books
Consignments Welcome
657-6545
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