how you can make money with Sport Memorabilia Part 2
This is part two of how you can make money with Sport Memorabilia.
Keep your ad simple. Don’t overload it by telling everything about
your store. Simply include enough to let the reader know that you
have a shop that offers materials in which he will be interested.
Also, remember that your ad should be simple enough to attract
teenagers as well as adults. Younger collectors will see your ad
and prompt their parents to take them to your store. Allow the
reader to come by and check out your offers for himself. Once he
gets to the store, then you can determine where his interests lie
and what items in your stock will appeal to his desires. Your ad
is designed to capture interest–not close the sale.
If you choose not to start out from a retail facility, but opt
instead to sell through the mail, there are a few things to keep in
mind. Decide first how you will market collectibles by mail–will
you sell exclusively from your own collection, or will you serve
as a clearing house to bring buyer and seller together by mail? If
you plan to sell only your own materials, you will need to develop
a catalog listing of what you’re offering. Divide it by sport and
item type. List all the trading cards, autographs and other
collectibles under separate headings. Briefly describe each item.
You may want to develop a code for describing the condition of the
materials to include the description: M=Mint Condition;
E=Excellent; VG=Very Good; G=Good; F=Fair. Cards can be listed by
player name, year of issue, company issuing the card and condition
with the price out to the side. If a card also carries a player’s
autograph, include that information as well. A typical
description might read:
Ruben Sierra, 1991, Topps, M………………$12.00
Ruben Sierra, 1991, Topps, E, w/autograph…..$18.00
If you don’t have a large enough collection of your own, start a
trading card and collectibles newsletter. While you will want to
include two or three short columns describing recent trends in
collecting sports items, price trends or forthcoming collectors
items soon to be made available, the main feature of your
newsletter will be the trader’s section. Much like a shoppers’
tabloid, your newsletter will include classified ads from folks
selling their own items or seeking others who are selling items
they want to buy. You charge a small price per word, line or ad to
include the listing in your newsletter. Readers will contact each
other directly. You will make your profit from subscriptions, your
personal sales of memorabilia offered in the newsletter, and the
sale of classified advertising and any display ads that readers may
wish to place in your newsletter.
You can establish a reader base by advertising on local bulletin
boards, in school newspapers, or a small notice placed in the
classified section of national sports or trading card magazines.
Your ad might read:
Free issue “Sports Memorabilia
Newsletter.” Brings buyers and
sellers together. Latest news. SASE
to: Collectors, Box 11000, Anytown,
USA 10001
Along with the first free issue of your newsletter, include a
subscription coupon and instructions on how to place a classified
ad. You will also want to leave a stack at each of the retail
trading card outlets, at the neighborhood newsstand, and in
convenience stores that sell trading cards. The ads in the first
issue can be placed free of charge by friends and acquaintances
with material to sell. Offer to let a retail memorabilia store
place a display ad in the first issue for free. The response to
their ad will encourage them to buy an ad in a future issue. The
important thing is to fill up your first issue, making it look
attractive and professional.
Your newsletter can be easily typed up on your personal computer.
Many software packages are available with templates (sample
layouts) of newsletters of two to eight pages. Simply choose a
format you like and type your information into the existing
columns. You can even plug in your own graphics for a professional
touch. If you don’t have access to a laser printer, visit a local
print shop and have your newsletter printed out on a laser. The
quality will be excellent and will only cost around $2 per page
printed.
Published bi-monthly in a 4-page format, you can have 1,000 copies
of your newsletter printed up for about $80. Charge $15 per
classified ad or $75 for a one-third column display ad. If you
feature 2 pages of classified ads, 3 columns wide with 10 ads per
column, you’ll have space for 90 ads bringing in $900. Add to this
$150 income from two display ads placed elsewhere in the
newsletter, and you have generated a total of $1,050. Plan to
leave 200 copies at various locations in town and mail the
remainder to prospective subscribers. The first issue will be
mailed to prospects in the self-addressed, stamped envelope they
provided in reply to your ad. However, subsequent issues will be
mailed at your expense through paid subscriptions. Mailing 800
copies via Third Class would cost $160. Your gross profit per
issue will be approximately $810. This doesn’t include any sales
generated by your own advertising.
Selling sports memorabilia can be highly profitable. A trading
card purchased for pennies can bring profits thousands of times the
original cost. More than ever before, youngsters and adults alike
are collecting sports keepsakes. You can grab a share of this
lucrative market and parley your position into a profitable part-
or full-time income. The decision is yours. Step into the
batter’s box and take a swing at success, knocking one out of the
park! Good Luck!
Popularity: 3% [?]
August 30th, 2007 at 10:44 am
[…] how you can make money with Sport Memorabilia Part 2 This is part two of how you can make money with Sport Memorabilia. Keep your ad simple. Don?t overload it by telling everything about your store. Simply include enough to let the reader know that you have a shop that offers materials in … […]