HI Patrick,
I have sold musical instruments also. Interestingly, I got them from a foreign company too..
I did it a bit differently. I basically imported them from Chinese companies..
And, I also know the struggles you are refering to.
What I can tell you is I have some good news for you!!
OK, HERE IS WHAT IS GOING ON:
1. Name brand is the ticket. I have sold non-branded musical instruments and a few other products and they simply are like the waves of the sea. One day, they can sell for a ton, the next, they are selling at lower prices. One day they could sell hand over fist, the next they are slow.
2. BUT, name brand product doesn't seem to really do this.. I have sold hundreds upon hundreds of name brand items as you
would see in the store and they are MUCH more consistant. MUCH.. They are much more predictable and reliable. They are not like the waves of the sea, but more steady and depreciate more consistantly over time..
I ALSO know where to get the name brand items for extremely cheap.. About 30% of wholesale. NO JOKE.
Matter of fact, here is one of the really good sources that I have bought from in the past:
You will not be able to read the manifests (lists) for each pallet until you sign a contract with them, fax it in and get the username and password..
But, i can tell you, its well worth it..
Basically, they show you a manifest like the below. You bid on what you think it is
worth. Generally, they sell for about 30% of the wholesale price. So, you multiply the below prices by 0.3 to get an idea of what it will cost you..
| BL#: | TP0010157 | Facility: | 309 GENCO.com Regional OH |
| Item ID | Description | Qty | Cost |
| 605500 | Dirt Devil Vision Breeze Vacuum - MO82500 | 1 | 85.50 |
| 629671 | Danby Deluxe Compact Refrigerator (4.3cu.ft.) | 1 | 120.84 |
| 719159 | Sunpentown 10,000BTU Portable Air Conditioner with | 2 | 734.16 |
| 719163 | Sunpentown 32" Remote Control Tower
Fan | 1 | 52.44 |
| 719906 | Sunpentown Air Cooler | 1 | 66.12 |
| 719924 | Sunpentown Air Cooler with Ionizer | 1 | 70.68 |
| 10291865 | Fujitronics Whirlwind 4-in-1 Portable Swam | 1 | 79.80 |
| 10299033 | Sunpentown 3.1 cu. ft. Freezer - S | 1 | 235.98 |
| 10299421 | Holmes Patton High-Velocity Fan - Gray | 1 | 30.85 |
| Total | 10 | 1,476.37 |
So, 0.3 x $1476 will give you an idea of what you would pay for this one..
| BL#: | WP0024729 | Facility: | 308 GENCO.com Regional OH |
| Item ID | Description | Qty | Cost |
| 01380304826 | Canon PIXMA iP1600 Color Photo Printer | 1 | 50.38 |
| 02580680343 | Dora the Explorer 13 | 1 | 81.85 |
| 03784993309 | Magnavox 20 | 1 | 94.69 |
| 03784995957 | Philips 20" Flat Screen TV, 20PT6245 | 1 | 134.00 |
| 05381823051 | Emerson 13" TV/VCR Combo, EWC1304 | 1 | 97.73 |
| 05381825015 | Emerson
27 Flat Screen | 1 | 329.64 |
| 05381858002 | Magnavox 13" TV/DVD Combo | 1 | 115.00 |
| Total | 7 | 903.29 |
So, the above one would be like $300 in the end..
Sincerely
Tony
Patrick Gill <durguin@aaaa.com> wrote:
Hi Erin,
Sorry for the delay but I was exploring your website to
better understand what I would like to talk about...
First, let me introduce myself... My name is Patrick Gill, I live in Canada and as you can see, I'm already a power seller on eBay... I'm selling musical instruments for a manufacturer from United Arab Emirates... The manufacturer is giving me 5% commission per sale, so this is not dropship but very similar... I'm not making a lot of money with this and I have some problems, the biggest one may be that I can't use paypal because it is not offered in UAE, and the payment have to be sent to the manufacturer with the least time and cost possible... There is also some defect items, some customs rpoblems, ..., ...
I'm telling you this so that you can have an idea of what I already know... I'm really not a beginner on eBay but the fact is that
I did not succeeded in finding what to sell for making good profit, and maybe making this my first money income...
While checking on your site, I have come to the salvage section... This is very interesting but is it a good option for someone living in Canada like me ? I have check the pages you put on your site and as I can see, they only ship to the US... The second problem is that if you want to have very interesting prices, you have to buy huge quantities and this is very expensive for me...
So, I don't really know what to check from that point... I'm sending you this email, hoping that you can give me some ideas or advices...
Thank you,
Patrick
<><><>
O'REILLY: All right, Lis ... I sell bibles in Tarzana, CA. Lenny comes in, & he's got a ... beard. He's wearing a dress ... I have to hire him?
LIS WIEHL: You can't not hire Lenny.
O'REILLY: Yes, but ... Don't you see my business point here? ... the state of Calif .. is forcing me to hire people that may be detrimental to my business.
LIS WIEHL: appearance shouldn't matter. When you're selling bibles.
O'REILLY: Ms. Rivers, you understand ... better than Lis because she went to Harvard Law School, and that disqualifies her from common sense.
<><><>
