START A MAIL ORDER OR E-MAIL BUSINESS
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THE TRADESMAN
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Is Stuffing Envelopes A Scam Business?
By Brian Miner
You've seen the ads for years - Stuff Envelopes $5 each, become an overnight millionaire. Here's the goods.
Basically it's the easiest mail order business to start. You simply place advertising in magazines and newspapers
(stuff envelopes - $5 to $10 a piece for each envelope stuffed or mailed). Send $29.95 to (your P.O.Box or
mailing center). THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE. A letter about the same as above. You simply copy the letter and
mail it out and collect $29 bucks. Usually, your asked to split the profit with the one you got the letter from.
Is it legal? As long as both parties are happy but for just a few dollars you have a business. Most likely
you would have to spend $100 dollars in advertising to make $10 or $15 if you're lucky. A $1000 ad might bring
you your $1000 back plus make $150. These small ads are not always cheap. About $1500 hundred for a one inch
ad in a popular magazine. If you see the same ad in your favorite magazine by the same company all year, it
is most likely they are making money. Some marketing companies spend $100,000 on these low-tech ads and businesses
a week earning their money back and $15,000. A 5% return is still good. A 50% return is not unheard of.
Some grocery stores only get a 2% return. Scam? If you can start this business, why not just find a wholesaler or
distributer and sell the consumer a real product or service. A lot of mail order business's start out this way.
Can you make this legal? Of course. Stuffing envelopes involves a large range of options. All mail being sent
through the postal service is considered stuffing envelopes. From business startup info to ads, coupons and catalogs.
So don't be discouraged. When you see an ad for a business opportunity, and they ask to send money
with no idea what the business is. It's probably a plan to write a business plan. Basically, you get nothing.
Assembling products at home means you have to buy the supplies to make the product and sell it yourself.
Low-end mail-order opportunities magazines and publications are a good place to start advertising your own
opportunities because it's cheaper and all readers or subscribers are trying to start a business
or looking for a product to sell.
GOOD LUCK
B.B. Sunglasses
Years ago, there was an infomercial on tv. I'll call them BB sunglasses. It was a very good campaign.
They were charging $19.95 for 1 pair and $29.95 for 2 pair. I found the exact same sunglasses in a wholesale magazine
for $1000 for 1000 minimum purchase. Then department stores and grocers started getting smart and started
selling them for $15, then they went down to $12 to $7 then finally $5 and then the price got so low they
weren't worth selling anymore. Did they rip off buyers charging $19.95 a pair when they got them for a dollar a piece?
Is the price justifiable? Yes. If they charged $2 a pair and made a 100% profit, that would leave them $1 profit.
But it takes more than $1 to sell 1 pair. I would say it took $15 dollars to advertise and sell one pair.
That would be a profit of $4.95 ($3.95) for each one sold. Thats still over a 300% profit.
Don't forget about postage and handling.
Example on Alibaba
Blue Blocker Hard to Find Rimless Sunglasses.
Notice sample price $35. Your ad could be
Blue Blocker" $48 on sale for $29.95 plus shipping and handling
Customized packaging (Min. order 100 pieces) Start your own brand name
Mail Order Business
When you think of mail order you don't think of Sears, JC Penny or other mail order catalog companies.
You think of the start a home business type of opportunity or scams. Face it. You want something that you can put
in a regular size or page size envelope at your kitchen table that requires no inventory except envelopes and a
printer or a few reams of paper. First in order to advertise your opportunity you need to set a price. It would take
about $49.95 to $79.95 to sell your business opportunity by mail. What can you put in an envelope that could be
worth that much. money? I would say a home business startup plan or specialty information. Some directories
in specific industries sell for $1500 or more. The names and contact information of industry leaders.
Some fit in a page size envelope. But there's not that many potential sales opportunities. How many people are
looking for that specific information. You want something the entire population could be interested. in.
This is an Example of Buying Wholesale.
Pocket Ashtray - Alibaba $1.00 to $1.30 a piece. (click here)
This is the same product on Amazon for $2.99 (Black) and $3.99 for (colors) (click here)
This is the same product on Amazon for $7.99 (Black) (click here) - Notice there is no logo.
The company offers free logo's on orders over $2000. This would raise the selling price.
You can offer 3 for $19.95 ($6.65) each or 5 for $29.95 ($5.19) a piece plus shipping and handling
and you might be able to send one in a regular envelope with regular postage
Find A Product to Sell
thomas directory of american manufacturers - more categories
alibaba global manufacturing trade directory - main category page
global spec - manufacturer & supply directory - must register - free
trade key - manufacturer & suppliers - must register - free
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Back To The tradesman Home
ARTICLES
How to Start a Profitable Mail Order
Business in 11 Steps (February 2023)
How To Find A Profitable Product To Sell Online in 2022
By Helen Golubeva (November 2022) Xcart
Start Your Own Mail Order Business
By Rich Mintzer (entrepreneur)
How To Buy A Bar Code - WikiHow
RELATED WEBSITES
Home Business Magazine (buyer beware)
Entrepreneur Magazine
Inc Magazine
Mailing Lists
Will Design Print and Mail Your Postcards. We do it all.
You can also design your own. Post Card Mania
Mailing Lists - E-mail Lists - Data Axle
Mailing lists only. Chose category - PrimeChoice
Folder Inserters - Envelope Stuffing Machines - Paperfolder.com
Business Start-up Books
Business Start-Up Guides
Business Books (businessrocks.com)
Selling Online
Sell on Amazon
Advertise on Facebook
Advertise on Twitter
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