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TWENTY GREAT
Things to Sell by Mail
We've all heard stories of mail order fortunes being made by those
around us. All too often however, fortune eludes the rest of us:
we instead find ourselves struggling in a business which boasts
dubious honour as having one of the highest drop-out rates amongst
newcomers to its ranks. So exactly why do some enjoy magnificent
success, while others find dismal failure the only end product of
their sojourn into the world of mail order?
The most likely answer lies not in expertise or presence of
business acumen, as much as in careful selection of the product or more likely products - offered for sale. Sometimes one product
can be relied upon to produce a steady income, especially if it's
one for which the operator is sole supplier or prime source; a
product for which no acceptable alternatives are available
elsewhere. More likely however, a range of products will be
needed in order to offer any realistic hope of a reliable and
regular income for the operator. And if that range of products
should comprise one or more of the acknowledged best-sellers of
mail order, then so much the better.
This manual aims to identify just a few of the more profitable
goods and services suitable for distribution by mail. But before
we do that, we might consider a few of the characteristics that go
towards making an item suitable for selling by mail order.
A compact, lightweight product will of course keep packaging and
postage costs down, with obvious benefits to the operator's profit
margin. If the product or service fulfils an ongoing need and no
suitable alternative can be obtained via high street shops or
other retail outlets, then we're getting closer to identifying a
really profitable mail order product. If a worldwide market
exists for what you offer, you could make a fortune. And if you
offer a range of suitable products or services, related or
otherwise, you stand to earn a place for yourself among the really
big names of mail order.
Now let us look at some of the most profitable mail order lines,
any one or combination of which you might incorporate into your
own business venture.
1 Accommodation Address and Mail Forwarding Agency
For a variety of reasons, accommodation addresses and mail
forwarding agencies prove popular with a wide range of business
and private clients. From the businessman's point of view, the
use of a mail collection and forwarding service might be designed
to preserve the privacy of the individual and his or her family.
This service also appeals to the mail order operator, who for
If you think a success story can not be repeated once someone has
capitalised on whatever product or service is involved, why not
consider introducing the British buyer to something as yet
available only in America? Be careful you don't fall foul of
copyright or patent laws though, and make sure the item or service
actually has a market outside of its country of origin.
Remember the golden rule of mail order - Test. Test. Test. Then
go in for the kill!
3 Newsletters
An article in a recent issue of an up-market British women's
magazine brought the next proposition to mind. The article
referred to a couple who, having enjoyed the era of the 'yuppie'
and spent their earnings as quickly as they received them, were
forced to come down to earth with a bang when recession put paid
to both sources of income.
They were forced to look around for bargains and all-in-all budget
in much the same way as those of us used to a far less affluent
form of lifestyle. In doing so, they discovered a latent talent
for budgeting, and also found they could acquire decent goods and
services for far less than they would previously have been happy
to pay. The final phase in their growth programme was to produce
and distribute a newsletter revealing their ideas and identifying
sources of quality - but not costly - goods and services. It
sells like wildfire! Clients pay an annual subscription for the
monthly newsletter, and into their second year as publishers the
couple found the majority of their customers renewed their
subscriptions promptly.
In the United States - where else? - another newsletter publisher
has made his fortune from a somewhat more unusual approach. His
monthly offering, known amongst other things as 'Meanies'
Monthly', provides tips and techniques for making subscribers'
money go further - not by normal budgeting methods however - this
newsletter is dedicated more to the budding 'Scrooge'. Scrooge
and fellow scroungers will be told by what means to avoid paying
for a round of drinks; how to prevent family dream holidays from
becoming reality; how to avoid guests dropping in for drinks and
snacks; how to turn teenage children against fashion, and so on.
To understand why newsletters can provide such a useful source of
income from their publishers, we might consider the fact that just
one tip or piece of advice can in itself save the reader more his
subscription costs. A few good tips in each issue make repeat
subscription a virtual foregone conclusion.
A wide variety of newsletters are available to guide readers
through sometimes complicated procedures, changes to the law, or
provide information it would simply be too costly and
time-consuming to acquire on one's own account. Financial
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