How to Start Collector Store - Rare Books and Record Finder Home-based Business

There are many people online who collect rare books, memorabilia, and antiquate items. A large number of these people direct to the internet in search of what they want. If you’re an hobbyist in this area, what better way to make some additional money than using your knowledge of the subject to help others out in their search? The Internet is one of the first places people go to look for these types of items these days. You could also set up all or part of your site as an auction site where people can sell their items on your Web site. You would take a commission of the final sale or require users to pay an up-front fee (safer) to list their item.

You would need to have an comprehensive knowledge of rare books, memorabilia, music, or other collectors’ items, and would need to know their value and where to find them. The costs to start this business will include a computer, scanner, appropriate business software, Web design, development, and hosting, as well as storefront software. Total budget for the aforementioned could be $3,000 to $10,000. Other costs may include purchasing product for resale, and these costs are all depending on what you carry and how much you carry as inventory. You might also want to consider buying a digital camera to capture graphics of the items you have available for sale.

This is a business you will likely run as a one-person operation; it can even be run on a part-time basis.There is lots of international potential in this business.

For online marketing techniques, build up a comprehensive link strategy. Music website, book website, rarity website, collectibles website, and so on, are all appropriate locations to get yourself linked. Don’t ignore relevant meta-indexes either.

Join in newsgroups, discussion forums, and mailing lists related to collectors, rare books and coins, memorabilia, and music with a clev­erly designed signature file. Practice permission marketing by asking visitors if they would like to be notified via e-mail when you offer new products of the type they are interested in. Develop a mail list with news on new products and articles of interest to collectors. Conspicuously display your Subscribe button throughout your site. Provide a “Tell a Friend” program that would allow visitors to send an e-mail regarding any of your products to their friends.

Links from cybermalls that focus on collectibles would be very appro­priate for this type of business and could lead to significant traffic. Joining Web ring should also be considered. There are all kinds of Web rings that focus on these types of products.

Think of all the items that go along with the territory. You can sell artwork reproductions or antique audio equipment, and maybe even perform restora­tion services if you have the needed skills. Consider establishing your own online publication too!

Online example, record Finders http://www.recordfinders.com A publication, but they also sell paraphernalia for out-of-print vinyl records and the music industry. Bibliofind http://www.bibliofind.com, They have a huge selection of old and rare books.