How to Start a Home Based Antique Book and Magazine Business

Have you ever found a rare Ford catalog from the early 1900s? Many people do and make a living off of selling antique books and materials such as these. Finding rare prints and selling them is a great opportunity for those seeking to work from home. Many of these types of books can be found almost anywhere and can be purchased at a low price to be able to make a substantial amount of profit. Doing your research and properly establishing your business, with the right market tools and advertising, can make your home based business succeed.

Dig them up

Most people's ideas of finding antique reading material is that of an archeologist digging in the ground in the middle of a dessert, for days, to find that one manuscript. However, these books may be closer than you think, but still require a bit of digging. Digging through garage sale and bookstore boxes that have been left in the back of the room, neglected is a way of life for antique book dealers. Oftentimes, these antique books may go unnoticed by your local bookstore or garage sale, simply because no one knows the value of these books. What would a local teenager want with an antique farming catalog from the 1800s? However, taking advantage of these opportunities can provide you with a plethora of valuable inventory.

Do your research

As many opportunities as there are, to find antique books, many of them can be worthless. In fact, the biggest problem antique book dealers may encounter, is how to find the antique books that people want.

The age of a book may not simply be enough to get your book sold. Many other factors need to be put into account. How rare is the book? How relevant is the book? Have these kinds of books sold before? These are important questions to ask yourself before you consider selling any antique print.

It could be wise, to ask other book sellers or even your existing customers how a particular book will do. Many other book dealers may be able to give you advise as to any experiences they have had selling the type of book or even how much the book has sold for in the past. This type of research can present a foolproof way of purchasing material without wasting money on valueless material.

Sell your inventory

Now that you have gathered your inventory, it is now time to sell. As a home based business, you want to find the best way of doing so, with the least amount of start up costs as possible. Online retail sites such as eBay and Amazon, are great market sites for antique book dealers. A large amount of book dealers find these sites a great resource for marketing their items to the whole world.

These sites allow you to list your books for little to no start up costs. While eBay requires listing and selling fees, Amazon only charges you when your item has sold.

Expand your market

So with all of your inventory and advertising, you have built a client base and have steady business. So, how do you expand your business even further?

Because the antique book market may have more demand than supply, at times, dealers can find great opportunity in this. Making copies of these rare finds can increase your sales. Whether in the form of reprinted copies or digital versions on CD, can provide a cheap alternative for those who are interested in your material but may not be as interested in paying too much for the original. This can offer an unlimited supply to your buyers.

Starting an antique book business, doesn't have to include any expeditions. Many of your rare finds, can be found almost anywhere. Doing the proper research and marketing your material properly, can be a great way to succeed in your new found home based business.

Source(s) cited:
Fees for Selling on eBay
Amazon Help: Fees and Pricing