I've been thinking of starting an E-business, selling certain products and goods, such as comics, and action figures.. It would be nice to make a few extra dollars while being in highschool. I know a good amount of php and html, so designing the layout and backend will not be much of a problem, but before i start i'd like some information, which is why i have come to this forum. I was wondering, how should i go about gettting the products? Do i make somekind of deal with company to work on comission? I'm very lost with that. Also if anyone have tips and advice, and what to do and what not to do, good articles/tutorials, suggestions. Also i was wondering, is selling comics a business that sure to not do well?
Old or new comics? It all depends on what brand, titles, collectibility, etc. Some comics aren't worth 50 cents while some rare, older ones are sometimes hundreds or thousands of dollars
If you can find rare products that aren't easily found offline, there's a good chance you could make this work. As a consumer, I can go out to the mall and have a huge selection of comics, action figures, etc.
But if I were a collector looking for some toy or comic I remember as a kid that *isn't* available at the mall - online would be a good place to look.
Before you get ahead of yourself and start building a site, look around for unique products and create your niche - a specialized area with less competition. You'll never match the big guy's prices and make a profit, so find your own area.
I know very little about comics and action figures, so I don't know of anywhere specific you could look for them. Maybe go into your local shop and talk to the owner, ask where they purchase from.
It might be a good idea to try selling through eBay at first, instead of jumping into a website. There's a lot less work involved in selling through eBay, and the customers are already looking around.
If you'd like to discuss your ideas just email me (mike@getajoke.com) I'm certainly no expert, but am more than happy to talk.
If you plan on going the collectible route I would start by hitting up the local Salvation Army, Goodwill, thift stores, garage sales, etc. I've seen TONS of comics for extremely low prices 10 for $1.00 around my area. I'm in the book business (not comic) so have no idea what is worth what. However, if you have some expertise you'd be able to discern whether the 1983 X-Men edition 242 (madeup) is worth anything.
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