Ways To Make Cash Online: Selling Books, Music and Other Products
Amazon.com and eBay revolutionized e-commerce in the 1990s. Since then, countless individuals have made money selling books, movies, clothes and every other commodity under the sun.
E-commerce is becoming easier than ever, and the complications of arranging payment over the Internet are disappearing fast, Spector says.
"A lot of the uncertainty is taken out of the equation thanks to the technology," he says. "You're going to get paid before you send out the product."
Spector, author of the book on Amazon.com, says sites like Amazon can help small-volume sellers reach a wider audience.
"(Amazon) makes it easier and more beneficial for small book collectors who obviously have either rare or out-of-print books to do business ... it's worth it for them to give Amazon a little piece of that business in order to be in a very high-profile space," he says.
Mick McClain has been selling music on the Internet for 10 years. He sells everything from rare and out-of-print compact discs to new releases and used albums.
McClain uses eBay and Amazon.com to market his products. He also operates a Web site where potential customers can peruse his collection.
The San Diego resident says his startup costs were minimal. He had to spend to buy a "little bit better computer" and to build up his inventory, 90 percent of which comes from brick-and-mortar stores.
For newcomers to e-commerce, McClain recommends sticking to something you know.
"Your mind has to be a database," he says. "That's why I have never gotten into anything other than music because I would get eaten alive by the people who were the authorities on (other products)."
Spector offers two tips to aspiring e-merchants.
"First of all, have a unique product," he says. "There needs to be something separating you from your competitors."
Spector's second tip is to make sure you can deliver on your product promises.
"Live up to what you promise," he says. "If you promise a book,...in a particular condition, at a particular price, and guarantee it to arrive on a particular day, then do that."
