~ Ultimate Guide to Earning Extra Money
New Weekend Coupon at Overstock.com
Overstock.com has a new Weekend Coupon for $15 off $250 [Exp 9/29]. Other coupons for September: $5 off $100 [Exp 9/30], $20 off $350 [Exp 9/30], $10 off $175 New Customers [Exp 9/30], and $30 off $500 [Exp 9/30]Private Sale with 10% off Almost Everything at Sears.com
Sears.com has a private sale that is only available through this link, giving you 10% off almost everything. Also valid with coupon code APRIVATEOFFER [Exp 10/2]. It stacks on top of exising sale offers to get you an even better deal than normal lackeys. Some exclusions apply (listed on promo page).New Coupons for October at Overstock.com
Overstock.com has several new coupons for October: $40 off $600 [Exp 10/6], $5 off $100 [Exp 10/31], $15 off $300 [Exp 10/15], $10 off $175 New Customers [Exp 10/31], and $25 off $450 [Exp 10/31]48-Hour Sale Friday-Saturday at Sears.com
$5 off $25 in-store printable coupon at PetSmart
PetSmart has this $5 off $25 in-store printable coupon [Exp 10/5] valid at PetSmart retail locations. Valid for $5 off $25, $10 off $40, and $15 off $50 purchases. A good coupon for your pet supplies.New Weekend Coupon at Overstock.com
Overstock.com has several new coupons for October: $20 off $400 [Exp 10/13], $5 off $100 [Exp 10/31], $15 off $300 [Exp 10/15], $10 off $175 New Customers [Exp 10/31], and $25 off $450 [Exp 10/31]25% off purchases at AllPosters.com
AllPosters.com has 25% off with coupon code HELLO25 [Exp 10/16]. Start your browsing at their poster sale for best values. Popular Posters: College : Museum Art : Movies : Photography.New Weekend Coupon at Overstock.com
Overstock.com has a New Weekend Coupon for 10% off Camping and Outdoors + $1 Shipping [Exp 10/17]. Other October coupons: $5 off $100 [Exp 10/31], $10 off $200 [Exp 10/31], $10 off $175 New Customers [Exp 10/31], and $25 off $450 [Exp 10/31]Free Tall Coffee At Starbucks On Election Day
Today, on
Election Day, Starbucks is offering a free tall (that's 12 oz. for you
non-Starbucks folks) coffee if you just ask for one. They initially
were going to give out the free coffee to just the people that said they
voted. However, that would be illegal because you can't "pay" someone
to vote. Starbucks made a quick decision and now EVERYONE who asks today
on Election Day, can have their free cup of joe.
Why Start This Blog
This isn't
my first entry as you can see. My first entry was about Starbucks giving away a
free, tall cup of coffee on Election Day. Since this blog is about how I
support my specialty coffee habit, I thought it fitting to start with an entry
about Starbucks.
Most everyone has heard of the "latte" factor. If you haven't, it's where you spend money on a regular basis on unneccessary items such as lattes, lunches, snacks, or whatever it may be that can add up to a somewhat significant sum each month instead of saving that money and perhaps investing it. Well, I'm not prepared to give up my specialty coffee habit. I like it too much and quite simply...it makes me happy. However, it does add up. I can easily spend over $100 a month on coffee. I wanted to see if I could find a way to pay for this habit without taking the money out of the "family" earnings. This blog is about the different ways I do that and how I'm going to do that. However, it is more than that. I love a good deal, so I'll also be sharing with you all the great deals I come across. I'll also share ideas on how you too can make extra money for whatever your "latte factor" is.
Be sure to visit often; you never know where this journey will take us!
Most everyone has heard of the "latte" factor. If you haven't, it's where you spend money on a regular basis on unneccessary items such as lattes, lunches, snacks, or whatever it may be that can add up to a somewhat significant sum each month instead of saving that money and perhaps investing it. Well, I'm not prepared to give up my specialty coffee habit. I like it too much and quite simply...it makes me happy. However, it does add up. I can easily spend over $100 a month on coffee. I wanted to see if I could find a way to pay for this habit without taking the money out of the "family" earnings. This blog is about the different ways I do that and how I'm going to do that. However, it is more than that. I love a good deal, so I'll also be sharing with you all the great deals I come across. I'll also share ideas on how you too can make extra money for whatever your "latte factor" is.
Be sure to visit often; you never know where this journey will take us!
Selling Used Books On Amazon For Profit-Great Home Business!
I first got the idea to sell used books online from an article I read in Entrepreneur's 2007 eBay Startup Guide. The person interviewed for this article explained how he quit his full-time job in just a short few months to sell books online. The article also explained how he went on to write a book about his experience selling used books online, so I bought it-as well as two other books so I could fully understand what it takes to make money selling books on the internet.
The first thing I did was to look around my house at all the books I accumulated over the years and thought I could make a few extra dollars by selling them on Amazon. I had a lot of business books to sell. I already knew how to sell different items on eBay and felt comfortable in that "environment," however I was intrigued about the opportunity to sell books on Amazon because of the apparent ease at listing them.
I had a good number of books and knew that it could take me a long time to take pictures and write descriptions of all the books I had to sell if I was going to list them on eBay. However, as I soon found out, Amazon's catalog of books, videos, DVD's etc. is so extensive that I could list my own inventory in very little time. As a busy Mom of two children; I liked that part!
I also learned that eBay has its' own catalog of books and media products that doesn't require you to take pictures of your items but their catalog isn't nearly as extensive as Amazon's. At this time, I decided to move forward with listing my books Amazon. In addition, I bought three books from Amazon's website about selling books online so I could learn all there was to learn about the "business." I enjoyed all three books because I learned different things from each one. The following are the three books I purchased:
Registering for an Amazon.com Payments Account
If you want to sell on Amazon, the very first thing you will need to do is register for an Amazon Payments account. You can't sell or get paid by Amazon without an Amazon Payments account. The application is easy and only takes minutes to complete. Be sure to have a check handy if you want your funds deposited directly into your bank account. Amazon Payments is convenient. When you're paid via Amazon Payments, there's no need for you to do anything but ship your item. Amazon.com deposits the buyer's money into your Amazon account and notifies you via e-mail. In addition, Amazon collects the shipping fee from the buyer and this is included in what is deposited to your account (less Amazon's small commission). Funds in your Amazon account are deposited directly into your bank account every two weeks, or you can go into your account and transfer your funds at anytime.
Where To Get Books
Everyone wants to know where to get good books to re-sell on Amazon (or eBay). And like other book sellers, I won't give away all of my secrets! However Frank Florence does! He created an ebook called, "Creative Sourcing For Booksellers" that gives away his book sourcing secrets. If you want to get a head start in the book selling business, Frank's book is a must read. Whereas a lot of books out there concentrate on how to setup your book selling business on Amazon, and just touch upon where to find books, "Creative Sourcing For Booksellers" is your bible to finding books to sell. Without inventory, you have no business, right?
Below is just a short list of the places I visit on a regular basis to find my inventory. It's nothing like what Frank tells you about in his book, however, it's a start. Obviously you want to get books either at no cost or for very little money. I started by selling the books on my bookshelf. Good sources of inexpensive books include:
- Goodwill
- Thrift Stores
- Family/Friends
- Friends of Library Sales
- Ongoing Library Sales (these are usually in a separate room in a library)
What Types of Books To Sell
There are many different types of books you can sell. You can specialize in one or more niches, or you can sell all different kinds of books. I suggest when you first start selling books, to sell whatever you can. Once you get some experience, you may at that time decide to specialize. It's also acceptable to take smaller profits in the beginning. Basically, don't be too picky; sell what you can to start seeing a profit. It's important to have some success from the beginning--this will get you excited to keep going!
Here's a small list of the types of books you may want to sell:
- Books that were popular but are now out of print
- Niche subject books, and dvd's and videos (I stick to self-help videos or video courses)
- Some cookbooks (old Betty Crocker cookbooks, some special edition Southern Living cookbooks)
- Some audio and DVD special sets such as motivational or self-improvement series
- Some children's books
- recent text books (and I stress RECENT)
With all of these subjects, you still need to check what the going used price is on Amazon which brings me to my next subject:
Listing Items For Sale
The next thing you do is search for the item on Amazon.com that you want to sell and click the Sell Yours Here button. Make sure you have the correct product; one title can have several editions or formats. You can search for the title you want to sell, or you can search for the 10-digit ISBN number located on the back or on the inside of your book (you can also use an ASIN or UPC identifier to sell your item). If you are just searching to the title of the book, be careful that you have the appropriate copyright year as many books have several.
The best thing about listing items for sale on Amazon is that it's free! You only pay a small commission to Amazon once your item is sold. Amazon takes their commission automatically and all that you have to do is ship your item to the buyer.
If you have lots to sell, then you'll want to check out Amazon's Pro Merchant Subscription. This is great for sellers that expect to sell more than 40 books per month because the subscription costs $39.99 per month. With this subscription, Amazon waives the $.99 per transaction fee.
Book Hunting Tools
The easiest and most inexpensive book hunting tools at this time can be found as apps on your smart phone. I now use the Book Bandit for my Android phone (you can read more about this app and the Profit Bandit app on my post, "Make Money Fast on Amazon With These Mobile Phone Apps." I used to use a Sprint Treo phone, and after that--a Palm Pre when I was book hunting. These tools were invaluable and definitely paid for themselves. I can't tell you how much money I saved by checking the prices of books before I bought them. Once I was out book hunting and I came across an older children's book. I wasn't sure what it would be worth as I was still honing my skills in the children's book arena. I used my Treo to look up the book on Amazon and found that the book was listed used for over $100. Another children's book I had in my hand was listed used at $.47. Guess which one I kept?
Some book hunters use scanners that scan a book's ISBN number to see what the book is selling for on Amazon.com. With the Smart phone apps, I don't believe you need these anymore. I used to use both a scanner and my Sprint Treo or Palm Pre phone. ASellerTool.com is the company with a book scouting tool to be used with a PDA and a scanner. You can learn about ASellerTool.com and what it can do in my post titled, "Use This Tool To Make Money Selling Books, DVD's & CD's!" It's up to you which tool you use, but as I update this post on September 29, 2011, I think you know my preference.
Amazon requires you to send out your packages within 2 days or risk being de-listed as a seller. It's very important to adhere to this rule and package your book appropriately. I use large manila envelopes that you can buy at any office supply store like Staples, OfficeMax, or Office Depot. I believe they are around $14 or so for a pack of 100. I do not buy specialized bubble wrap envelopes--that's just me. I wrap my books with my own bubble wrap that I can get for free (You would be amazed what you can get for free just by asking around!).
One of my methods for free getting free packing material is to go to my local large furniture retailer and knock on the back door where the loading dock is. Right inside the door is a trashcan where they stuff all their packing material they're throwing away. They don't mind at all when I ask if I can have it.
I know it's faster to put a book in a padded envelope, but I'm saving money by wrapping the book myself. Yes, it takes a couple of minutes more, but every little bit adds up in the beginning of your book selling career. Besides, I've never had a complaint and at the time of this writing, I'm a 5-star seller on Amazon.
Another reason to make your customers happy is that they have the option of leaving feedback about their experience buying from you. But unlike eBay, sellers don't leave feedback for buyers. Not everyone leaves feedback. In fact, just a small percentage of customers leave feedback. However, when I was first starting out, I didn't find that having no feedback was a deterrant. If you have a book someone wants and you don't have much competition, chances are you'll sell the book. However, if you have the same price and a book is in the same condition as someone else's book, feedback could play a role in whether someone chooses to buy from you.
When you first start out, taking a package or two to the post office won't be a big deal. However, if you start to sell a lot of books and have a need to visit the post office on a daily basis like I do, you may want to invest in a postage service like www.endicia.com or stamps.com. I've used both. Endicia's premium service costs about $15 a month, and Stamps.com costs about $17 a month for a basic plan. With both services, you can print postage directly from your computer, place them on your packages, and take them to the post office. All you have to do is take them directly to the counter and drop them off. I no longer have to wait in line with my packages!
If you have a lot of packages, your local post office will usually have a side door to receive packages. It's good to get to know the postal workers at your local post office. They are very helpful and they like receiving your items!
In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed this overview on how to sell books on Amazon.com. If this work from home opportunity interests you, I highly recommend reading the books I have listed at the top, as well as Frank Florence's "Creative Sourcing For Booksellers." They will help you avoid making mistakes in the beginning, and can help save you a lot of time and money.
Thanks and Happy Book Hunting!
Get Coupons From Coach!
Do you want
a Coach handbag but don't want to pay the full price? I'm lucky enough to live near a
Coach outlet so I never pay full price, but maybe you're not so lucky. Here's a
little secret....go to www.coach.com and
sign-up to get emails from Coach.
I can't remember how many emails I actually got from them (I guess not many), but I do remember the coupons I got in the mail! The last coupon I got was for $50 off a $150 or up purchase. The coupon has to be used at a regular Coach store (not an outlet store) and on a regular priced item.
I can't remember how many emails I actually got from them (I guess not many), but I do remember the coupons I got in the mail! The last coupon I got was for $50 off a $150 or up purchase. The coupon has to be used at a regular Coach store (not an outlet store) and on a regular priced item.
Earnin' My Mocha Money
Okay
folks. I earned my mocha money yesterday by completing two mystery shops
for a total of $38. If you think this is chump change, well, you'd kinda
be right. However, the two mystery shops were in the same mall and it
only took me a little over an hour to complete both. Yes, I have to fill
in the surveys which will take about an hour to do, so I earned a little under
$20 for an hour's worth of work. Not only that, I learned a ton about high-end
watches, and I think I found the curtains I needed for my bedroom! In
addition, it was just plain fun!
How To Get A Discount On A Jaeger Luxury Watch
Are you
wondering if you can get a discount on a Jaeger watch? The answer is yes!
The other day I went to luxury watch store to see what kind of discount I could get on a Jaeger-LeCoultre brand watch. I wasn't going to actually buy the watch, I just wanted to see if a disount could be had.
The saleswoman was very good. She was able to answer any question I asked her about the different Jaeger watches. First I asked her about a Jaeger Master Control for $5,850. I asked her how much she could discount the watch. She said nothing unless I was willing to buy the watch that day. I told her the watch was a 40th birthday present and I was going in on it with a group of people. I needed to get the "group's" consent before I could commit to buying the watch. I asked her if I could get a discount if I came back the next day with the consent from the group. She said if I came back to buy the watch the next day then she could probably do something for me. She then went to ask her manager. Lo and behold, she came back with a new price of $5,050--almost a 15% discount.
I then proceeded to ask the saleswoman for a discount on a much more expensive Jaeger watch; the Master Compressor Chronograph for $10,200. Again, she said she couldn't give me a discount. I asked her once again if I could get a discount if I came back the next day with my group's consent on the watch. She said she would ask the manager. She came back with a price of $8,775; again, almost a 15% discount! My goal was 20%, and if I was REALLY buying the watch, I would have pushed for that number. However, I just wanted to see if a discount was a possibility, and the answer was YES.
I thanked the saleswoman and told her I would think about it.
If you have had any luck in negotiating luxury watch discounts (especially on a Panerai because I hear that they don't discount), please leave a comment! I'd love to hear your story!
The other day I went to luxury watch store to see what kind of discount I could get on a Jaeger-LeCoultre brand watch. I wasn't going to actually buy the watch, I just wanted to see if a disount could be had.
The saleswoman was very good. She was able to answer any question I asked her about the different Jaeger watches. First I asked her about a Jaeger Master Control for $5,850. I asked her how much she could discount the watch. She said nothing unless I was willing to buy the watch that day. I told her the watch was a 40th birthday present and I was going in on it with a group of people. I needed to get the "group's" consent before I could commit to buying the watch. I asked her if I could get a discount if I came back the next day with the consent from the group. She said if I came back to buy the watch the next day then she could probably do something for me. She then went to ask her manager. Lo and behold, she came back with a new price of $5,050--almost a 15% discount.
I then proceeded to ask the saleswoman for a discount on a much more expensive Jaeger watch; the Master Compressor Chronograph for $10,200. Again, she said she couldn't give me a discount. I asked her once again if I could get a discount if I came back the next day with my group's consent on the watch. She said she would ask the manager. She came back with a price of $8,775; again, almost a 15% discount! My goal was 20%, and if I was REALLY buying the watch, I would have pushed for that number. However, I just wanted to see if a discount was a possibility, and the answer was YES.
I thanked the saleswoman and told her I would think about it.
If you have had any luck in negotiating luxury watch discounts (especially on a Panerai because I hear that they don't discount), please leave a comment! I'd love to hear your story!
Getting A Black Friday Deal
Black Friday is quickly approaching and I'm excited! I love Black Friday deals! Call me insane, but every Black Friday, I get up at 5:00 a.m. and arrive at the mall or whatever store I want to "hit" first by 6:00 a.m. Unfortunately, sometimes I'm too late for the deal that I'm chasing. There are always plenty of other people getting up earlier than me for that same deal and they always seem to beat me. However, I refuse to get to the mall before 6:00 a.m.; I'm crazy, but not that crazy!
Last year, I convinced my friend to come along with me. As long as I drove, she was willing to be a participant in the madness. The deal I was chasing was a $199 12" digital frame at Radio Shack on sale for $99. If you know the prices of digital frames, you know that this is a good deal. I thought I could also use a $5 coupon I had from a school fundraiser coupon book to bring the price of the digital frame to $94 before tax.
The first Radio Shack I went to was sold out at 6:00 a.m. If I wasn't convinced it was a great deal before, I was now convinced. This Radio Shack was across the street from the mall so not all hope was lost because I had two more to visit in the mall before I gave up hope. The first Radio Shack in the mall was sold out of the digital frame as well. I readied myself for a sprint through the mall to have one last shot at the last Radio Shack I was going to visit. Panting, I walked into the store and asked--no pleaded--with the salesman if they had any more of the 12" digital frames left. He said, "No, we are all sold out." I believe he sensed my disappointment and followed up his first statement with, "However, I'm going to get some more in this week so what I can do is sell you the frame at the sales price, and I can call you when the new shipment arrives." Finally! A creative salesman comes to my rescue!
So that's what happened. I paid the sales price of $99 for the 12" digital frame plus used my $5 coupon. I ended up paying $94 plus tax. That frame was a gift for my Dad. I have been looking for a 12" digital frame like that one for almost a year and haven't found that deal again.
So, if anyone comes across a deal on a digital frame like I just described, please let me know. Next time, I'll make sure I'm first in line!
Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feed so you can be updated as soon as a new post is written. Who knows, I could post about the deal of the century!
Who Has The Best Deals On Airfare?
My husband and I wanted to take our kids to Phoenix this upcoming spring break. However, with the economy the way it is, we wanted to make sure we got the best deal on airfare.Since there are four of us, we knew it would be expensive, but it was definitely worth seeing what kind of airfare deals we could find.
I did a Google search for "best airfare" and Expedia.com came up number two in the search results. Expedia is a name I know, however I never booked a flight from Expedia before. I clicked on the link and began to build my "trip" to see what rates I could get.
For two adults and two children flying from Philadelphia, PA to Phoenix, AZ nonstop, leaving on a Thursday and coming home the following Wednesday, I received a rate of $420 per ticket (base airfare without taxes). We would be flying United through USAir. My husband doesn't care too much for USAir, so he asked me to check the rates for Southwest Airlines. I thought that was a good idea. I like Southwest and never had a problem flying with them. USAir on the other hand has caused us some problems in the past.
When I went to the Southwest website, they were only booking flights up until the beginning of March. I thought that was odd, however it said that on November 5, they would be booking flights up until May. I figured I could wait a few extra days to see what their rates would be so that's what I did. On November 5, I went onto the Southwest website and entered my trip in for the same days and around the same time as I did on Expedia. Southwest's rates were higher--$493 per ticket (base airfare without taxes).
I also visited bestfares.com. The airfare was very similar to Expedia, but there were only two seats left on the outgoing flight (in addition, I didn't think bestfares' website was as easy to navigate as Expedias'). In fact, most of the times for the outgoing flights to Phoenix had only two seats remaining. The returning flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia for the time I had selected, did have four seats, but that wasn't going to do me any good if we couldn't all travel together on the outbound flight.
My experience with booking my flights through Expedia was better than I expected. The website is easy to use, the flights were easy to find, and I was able to add additional services to my trip if I so desired. Such as trip insurance, a hotel, a Grand Canyon Tour, a desert jeep expedition and more. Basically, it's a one-stop shop for all your trip needs.
Who has the best deals on airfare? My recommendation would be to check out Expedia.com next time you need to book your trip. You may just get the best travel deal on the internet!
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What To Sell On Ebay? Easy To Find Items That Will Put Cash In Your Pocket!
Are you an eBay newbie or an eBay veteran looking for easy things to sell? Read on to find out some of the things I've sold on eBay over the years.
I have been selling on eBay for about ten years. I find eBay one of the best ways to earn my Mocha Money. It's not my only way, but it's definitely one of my favorite ways. Perhaps it's because after all these years, I know what will sell and what won't. It's not that I'm an eBay expert, but more of a serious observer. After all, in order to afford my specialty coffee habit, I have to know where my next $3.21 is coming from.
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