$1742.20 in One Day from Leftovers? Amazon – Quick & Dirty Guide II
Leftover Gold - How to Profit from Overlooked, Under-Appreciated, and Odd-ball Items
Imagine you're looking for products to sell on Amazon, have you been ignoring:
- Cassette tapes?
- Cookbooks?
- VHS Tapes?
- Video Games?
Do you just ignore the clearance shelf at your local Walmart or Staples?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions - you are probably missing "leftover gold."
My $1742.20 Day - Two Stores
Normally, I don't calculate the value of my "finds" at the end of a day of scouting for products. However, last week I did.
I only went to two stores, and the (conservative) total value of the products I picked up was $1742.20.
The funny thing is: there were lots of other people at those stores - many of them selling the same things as me. Many of them are also selling on Amazon. Plus, I picked up a bunch of my items AFTER they had already gone over the merchandise.
Why did they miss those valuable items? And why did I spot them?
A lot of it has to do with these three things:
- Methods - It dawned on me that by doing some things differently than my competition, I was finding some great products.
- Attitude - While watching some of the other shoppers, I noticed some things that showed how they view people, and products. Then I did the opposite.
- Equipment - I watched seller after seller pile items in their basket on a hunch. Then I followed behind and picked up their leftovers - it was like putting cash in a basket.
Was that just an exceptional day? No - it was a good day, but pretty typical. I'm a bulldog when I scout - my goal is to never leave empty-handed. I will squeeze some profit out of every sale or store I visit.
"Leftover Gold"
Did you know that the "Forty-Niners" didn't get all of the gold in the 1849 California Gold Rush?
Some miners went home broke - leaving gold that was right under their feet. Why?
- Methods - They didn't know how to find the gold.
- Attitude - They were looking for quick and easy riches. They didn't want to dig!
- Equipment - Some just didn't have the proper equipment, and didn't want to invest in it to get the gold.
Sound familiar?
Does it sound like you? Don't feel bad, I used to have every single one of those problems.
But I have figured out the solution, and just as I did with the first Quick & Dirty Guide to Amazon - I have written from my own experiences in the new Amazon - The Quick & Dirty Guide II, Leftover Gold.
This new 82-page guide is based on the three areas that make the difference between finding the gold or leaving it behind.
My goal in writing it is to help you look in areas you may currently be missing. It's not all about selling books - this information works with anything you can sell online. You'll also see several items from my $1742 day.
Inside you'll find out:
- Why Amazon Prime customers should be your prime targets - and how to reach them
- Why I sincerely hope booksellers continue to ignore cookbooks
- How to approach local merchants and get more inventory than you can handle
- Why some VHS tapes will still bring hundreds of dollars - (I used this information to get over $155 in VHS tapes - and I only spent $7.25)
- How you can get all the "leftover" products you can handle, right in your hometown
If you've ever been discouraged because you couldn't find valuable products to sell on Amazon or eBay - this book will help.
If you've ever arrived at a sale late - only to find things picked over - you'll see why you can relax and still pick up profitable items.
Get your copy of Amazon - The Quick & Dirty Guide II, Leftover Gold right now.
Buy it right now for only
$19.97
As always with my products, if you're not satisfied just let me know. You will receive a full refund.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Steve
Like Thomas, I would be interested to know the answer of some similar question.
if we can get some information on how sale depends on he sales rank, number of Items offered etc that would be great. Mainly items like new and used books, toys, cookware, CDs, DVDs etc.
Like for book–whats the good sales rank to sell it in the minimum time? Is it lower than 50,000? Or lower than 25,000? When is it possible to sell it within a month?
For toys: whats the threshold sales rank for selling it within a month?
Also for the CDs and DVDs
I know it all depend on many factors, still if we can get a list of these ranks comparison for some popular item, I think that would be nice. Specially if we can get it from an experience seller like you.
I am currently trying to join Amazon but just not 100% confident yet. should I just start with self fulfil and then start FBA? Also does this scanner help the seller who are not on FBA? Is FBA only good for the seller who wants to sell for long time?
Hope to read your 2nd book soon. I am really very short on money which is pushing me back everytime I try to step forward. Really not in a position to lose money. Thanks for the nice support.
What is a good pricing trigger to use if you are going to sell on FBA?
EXample:
Ranking- 1,000,000
Price- $1.00
How many offered- 100
I read the book and it really open my eyes to how much more than books could be sold on Amazon. I download the app for the FBA scout for doing books then the other day (after reading this book) I was at Office Depot getting some things for work and I walked over to the clearance table and found some cell phone metal covers that where on clearance for $3.98 and the lowest FBA seller was $13 with most selling for $15 plus, I bought 6, then I picked up a universal notebook power adapter that was priced for $7.99 and lowest FBA listing was $22, I bought it. The next day I was at Dollar General and saw I classic board game for sell at $8, I scanned it and the low FBA seller was listed at $19 and 5 of them was just sitting there for the taking. All of these items had good rankings and believer they will sell quickly.
Before reading this book I was walking right past things like this every day, but not even more, now I find myself scanning things everyday and finding a few things everywhere I go. I am finding gold everywhere!
I hate to admit it, but now when my wife is going shopping I ask if I can come along, as long as I can carry my FBA scout with me.
Hi Steve, I want to just reconfirm FBA Scout, it’s wonderful. I just got it for the Iphone (it just came out a few days ago) Used it on Friday night and found a few toys on clearance at WalMart which I immediately sent into FBA. The ranking was 354!!
There’s a nice library sale in my area this weekend and I’m going for sure! Looking forward to reading your book (I’ve read your other one and it was great, too) I love this biz!!!
Hi Steve,
I am interested to know how your methods will work in the U.K.
My thoughts are that Amazon UK could be very profitable with the right products.Your comments would be appreciated.
Cheers David.
Hi David, I actually tried to consider my readers in countries outside the U.S. when I wrote this ebook. Human nature being what it is, the concepts will work nearly anywhere.
Thanks Steve
Hi Steve,
At what point does a person decide to switch over to FBA? I’ve got about 235 listing on Amazon at the moment and I’ve got a ways to go in order to get my inventory up.
Would my stuff sell faster using FBA? I know there is a $40 fee per month but would it make sense to eat it now as opposed to waiting until I have 2,000 listings and then converting it?
I’m trying to be competitive on price but things aren’t selling as fast as I’d like.
Thanks
aj – I switched to FBA when I had around 200 listings. I especially hated packing and shipping orders. But, I also found that everything began selling much faster and my business really took off from there. The Pro Merchant fee ($39/mo.) is insignificant at this point. I wouldn’t go back to the old way for anything. I say, take the leap.
What about used paperback romance novels. I have a chance to purchase 2000 or so at .05 . Is there any mkt for these online. Can I make any money with these? Please advise.
Hi Rob, I have sold lots of the paperbacks and made a good profit. If you use FBA, and you sell them for $3.75 to $4.00 minimum, you could earn around $1.50 a piece. Some may sell for more. They cost next to nothing to ship to Amazon, and the storage charge per book is super low. One thing to watch for though is the rank. If they are ranked 1million or worse, they will sit for a looong time.
I use an AsellerTool scanner, and when I get a big batch of books cheap, I consider the condition, the rank, how many are already offered, and the price – in that order. If the rank is pretty good, and there are only two or three dozen listed, chances are not bad that you’ll be one of the only FBA sellers, and yours may sell ahead of the competition. I just kind of go by my gut when weighing those various factors.
Wow! I’d like to hear more about Cynthia’s FBA Scout. Also, my biggest challenge to selling on Amazon or elsewhere is the FTP process of uploading images. Anybody able to help?
Thank you.
Steve is right on with this book. I really appreciated his first one, too. If you sell on Amazon, you are no longer just a bookseller. Recently I’ve discovered a comprehensive scout tool that lets me scan everything with a bar code and compare it to Amazon. It is FBA Power’s new FBA Scout, I can now sell virtually anything on Amazon (some categories require pre-approval by Amazon like clothes) and scout for it real-time without having to wait an hour to download the latest information on my previous scout tool. I no longer consider myself a bookseller, but an Amazon seller. I sell toys (I bought hundreds of dollars of brand new toys at a library book sale the other day for only $1 to $2 each), electronics, games, videos, CDs, DVDs, oh, and yes, books. I can shop everywhere, not just at book sales and thrift shops. When I get home, all my purchases are automatically uploaded into my FBA Power software and all I have to do is price, label and ship to Amazon. This is the most amazing part-time business ever!
Hi, do you need to have read the first book in order to benefit from this one?
Hi Colm, No, the first Quick & Dirty Guide is not a prerequisite to the second. The first discusses where to find books, CDs, and DVDs and how to profit from them. The second covers more non-media, and items that are commonly overlooked when scouting for things to sell. Of course, I recommend them both though!
Hi Steve,
There you go letting out the secrets again! I have found the gold just as you have described in ad copy. So as you can expect…. I am buying the book to see where it might be so obvious that I am missing it. I have loaded up 2 grocery carts before.
Did you ever get the thrift stores database downloaded to your GPS to save time in finding the not so obvious ones?
Jim
Timothy,
Thrift stores are not really the #1 place to depend on for merchandise. They are lower on the rung. What is the #1 source of merchandise are the library book sales. They are everywhere and are always happening throughout the year. You just have to use a combination of sources: book sales, thrift stores, garage/estate sales, and auctions to keep the inventory flowing. It has to be constant and have to be proactive to continue to look for it everywhere. One place should not be your only and prime source. That would not be reliable nor successful.
If the same thrift store continues to net you duds, then it is not worth going there again. It’s not worth your time and energy to spend it there. Put a value on your time, focus on the places that have consistently given you good finds.
A lot of “commercial” thrift stores – like Goodwill do sell their valuable products & books online. There are plenty of lesser known thrift stores that do not sell anything online – Salvation Army stores in my area are great for online sellers. In addition, you can find inventory at places like Cosco if you know what you are looking for.
I have found one thrift store that does sell the good stuff first; so, I just don’t go that one anymore. Another thrift store that I go to had lots of gold! Last Friday I went to that one and found 3 textbooks; did the scan and almost fell over! I bought them each for $1.91 and they sold within 48 hours of being listed for $94.95, 90.25 and $119.95!!! “There’s gold in them thar stores”!! Keep exploring – you’ll find gold!!
I like a lot of Steve’s stuff but I am a little leery of clearance stuff at Walmart. Usually there is a reason Walmart has to put it on clearance: It didn’t sell cos no one wanted it. I have a lot of things I bought off those shelves and could never sell on ebay or amazon. Amazon used book sales are a hard sell too. $1 profit doesn’t make it worth the hassle in my opinion. Sure occationally you get a lucky find but the stores and most private sellers are smart and look up value before selling their stuff.
Cedric, As “Leftover Gold” points out, there can be many reasons why something goes on clearance. It could be last year’s model, the store may end a relationship with the vendor, or it could be a seasonal change. Even if “nobody wanted it” at a particular store, Amazon and eBay offer a worldwide market. There is a good chance clearance items will sell online when they would not sell in a local market.
Regarding your statement that “Amazon used book sales area a hard sell…” – well, maybe this isn’t for you.
Hi Timothy,
Many thrift shops now list some of the rarer books online themselves, but many of the more common books are still worth selling. I have found books that are of little value on Amazon sell at a higher price on eBay. I often sell books in lots on eBay by author or subject for books that would be non-profitable to sell individually.
Tami, I believe Adam use a creative strategy like craigslist or certain types of advertising etc.. to bring books to him. It’s not very hard or common to have books to come to you. Hope this helps…good luck!
Steve I need your help. I bought the first quick and dirty guide. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO MAKE MONEY. I GOT THE ASELLER TOOL FOR MY CELL PHONE. I TOOK THAT STEP. HERE IS MY PROBLEM , EVERY THRIFT STORE I.’M VISITING ALREADY COMBS THROUGH THERE STUFF AND SELL THE VALUABLE STUFF BEFORE THEY PUT IT ON THE SHELF. I HAVE ASKED THEM AT THE COUNTER IF RHETORICAL DO AND ALL OF THE STORES ARE SAYING THAT THEY SALE ALL THE VALUABLE STUFF FIRST. THEY HAVE A PRIVATE PERSON COME IN AND LIST ALL THERE VALUABLE STUFF. THEN THEY PUT THE CRAPPY STUFF WITH HIGH SALES RANKING ON THERE SHELFS. I MEAN I GO INTO AND SPEND HOURS SCANNING EVERYBOOK. AND EVERY BOOK HAS A BAD SALES RANKING. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST.
Timothy – I had the same problem at first. I’ve since pretty much discarded scouting (not that the professionals would necessarily recommend it). It just takes to long for this bootstrap budget business of mine. And I couldnt’ afford the PDA tools. I just started buying books in lots (50 – 100 at a time) a few weeks ago. So far I have not been refused my “reasonable” offer. Not a big profit yet; but it has helped reduce the amount of stress, and put a little bit of money back into my business. Good luck.
Adam- I don’t follow your comment about “I bring all the books to ME !” ???? please explain…..
Remember that going out scouting is not the only way to make some nice money in this business. I bring all the books to ME!
Hi Steve. As you know, I’m a big fan, and your books have changed my life. I’ve even corresponded with Skip McGrath about how you have helped me. I’m going to buy this new book now, without even reading the ad copy. That’s how much I believe in your wisdom and the quality of your information! Rock on, Steve! — James