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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.

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How To Finance Your MLM Home Based Business Through The Government

So you just started your MLM home based business and you’re wondering how you are going to finance it. You need to pay for advertisement either through traditional advertising or on the internet. From promotional materials, product samples, internet access fees, website fees, business cards, etc. it can add up to a reasonable sum in a hurry. But don’t stress it. All these expenses normally can be 100% tax deductible. In fact any expense you can incur in the pursuit of your home based business is probably tax deductible. The biggest deduction to your business may be the keys to your car. Many who have a MLM home based business can honestly and legally deduct $4,000-$5,000 or more a year. All you need to do is keep a 90 day log once a year showing destination, date, purpose, and miles traveled for each trip. These are the only records you need to keep. Even family trips may be tax deductible for your business. Yes, you can combine business with pleasure if you know the rules. Travel costs, hotels, ground transportation, tips, all can be 100% tax deductible. Even 50% of all meals can be deductible. For your vacation to qualify for a deduction more than half of the days you spent on vacation need to qualify as business days. Travel days be counted as business days. Any meetings no matter no matter how long they last count as business days.The health care costs for your entire family can be tax deductible from your home based business. Regular taxpayers can only deduct health care costs that only exceeds 7 1/2 % of their taxable income. Owning your own business gives you the option for writing off non-reimbursed health care costs for you and all of your family members.Your probably thinking, “yeah this is great but I don’t want to wait until April 15 to get my refund”. Fact is, you don’t have to wait until April 15 to benefit from the tax savings. You will be able to collect your additional refunds throughout the year. This is how it works. If you have $1,000 per month withheld from your regular job you will be increasing your refund by about $4,800 a year. That would mean you now need to have $400 less per month withheld from payroll taxes.So how do you qualify for these MLM home based business tax deductions. There are only three basic requirements needed to qualify for home based business deductions. 1. Be trying to produce a profit. 2. Work your business on a regular basis. 3. Keep good records. Note: you don’t need to make a profit to qualify for these deductions. You just need to be working toward making a profit.A final disclaimer- I am only a MLM home based business person like you so be sure to consult a licensed professional accountant before implementing these deductions when doing your taxes. I am only giving you tips and ideas on how to get started on creating a very profitable home based business. Wouldn’t an extra $400-$500 a month get you started on a profitable business venture. I’m sure it would!Get my 7 free training tutorials that are packed with some of the best MLM strategies all in simple step by step instructions.

5 Important Tips To Excel In Home Based Business

Who doesn’t want to be a boss? A home based business gives you the chance of being a boss of your own business and flexibility to work without being away from your family. Work from home is a good concept for moms, retired persons and for unemployed youth.

When we conduct a search online, there are a number of excellent home business opportunities out there. As it is true that every business requires planning, there are particular aspects that need to be considered carefully before starting a home based business.

1. Evaluate Each Business Opportunity w.r.t Suitability:

A basic research is necessary. Indeed one can find a large number of places to search for the best home based businesses, including magazines, business publications and the internet. Out of which, the information on Internet is the best bankable source. No doubt, Internet is the home to a number of excellent home based business opportunities, but it is important to carefully evaluate each business opportunity for suitability.

2. Plan A Successful Home Based Business Based On Your Interest:

Thanks to the supremacy of the internet it is no longer necessary for every business to have mass appeal. One can excel in their niche businesses. Chances are high, if one can create a successful home based business centered on his interest.

3. Know About The Home Based Business:

After you have determined which type of home based business is suitable for you, then know about the business to make it easy for you. Any first hand information or review could give you more information.

4. Test The Home Based Business Idea:

As every business involves risks and thus failures, so it is necessary to conduct feasibility study even on home based businesses. Figure out the profitability of business on varying parameters like time, money and other important resources.

5. Check The Legitimacy Of Home Based Business:

Don’t fall under the prey of work at home scams. There are many home based business scams that attract people and cheat them. So after conducting all feasibility studies and undergoing the proof tests, check the legitimacy of the home based business.

If your favorite home based business passes all the tests, then it is sure that you could make the home based business dream, a reality. Get the support of your family and be with them when they need it with the aid of home based business.