Finding a legitimate home based business is not all that hard. I know there is a lot of talk and fear of scams on the internet today, but I am afraid it has stopped some people from actually living out their dream.You can find a legitimate home based business! How is it done? Do some research and take your time checking out a business that you are interested in. Putting the time in now will pay off for years to come.Here are some things to look at.1. Make sure you thoroughly understand how you will earn money by becoming involved in the opportunity and make sure it seems doable.
2. Do some research as to whether the company is selling a product that people want and need, and are willing to pay money for.
3. Check out the company with the Better Business Bureau. Make sure there are not unresolved complaints against them. If there are, there will a report that states that.
4. Do a Google search on the company + complaints or company + scam. Read through all the comments to see what the overall impression and experience has been with the company.
5. Make sure there is contact information on the website – a phone number and email address. Use them! Write or call and ask some questions. Observe the timeliness of their response and their attitude.A legitimate home based business will pass all of the above tests. Yes, it will take some time, but better to find out before getting involved (and spending money) that the company does not have a good reputation. You will be representing them, so you want to choose one that is in good standing.You can also start your own business from scratch (not joining an existing company.) For example, you can offer your services as a transcriptionist, proofreader, bookkeeper, web designer, etc. Or, if you create products, you can sell them. Things like wood products, jewelry, and crafts are things people are always buying. The learning curve will be greater if you are starting out on your own, but the rewards cannot be compared. You will be the boss and be able to offer something that is “yours alone.”A legitimate home based business can bring you years of profit and enjoyment. Don’t be put off by the thought of being scammed. Do your research, go in with your eyes open, and enjoy yourself!

Ah, the old-fashioned country auction! The idea of a country auction conjures up certain images for people. The image of a fast-talking auctioneer offering up an antique table or chair is a popular example.

People who are buying household goods or collectibles are looking to get their items at the lowest price possible. However, the people who are selling their items at auction are hoping for the highest price!

Unless a person is in the business of buying and selling antiques or other items, not a lot of thought goes into how goods are prepared for sale via the auction process. However, if you are one of the growing number of people using auction venues to sell your collectibles or other inventory, there are a few things to learn first about how to sell at auction before you bring a truckload of stuff over to the next event.

Tip 1: Make sure the things you want to sell are a good “fit” for the auction house you’ll be using.

Never bring a load to an auction house without actually having been to one of the previous auctions. It’s important to get a feel for the type of goods that the house sells. For example, at one very rural country auction it was common for the owners to sell live chickens, pots and pans, car parts, and farm equipment.

After close investigation, this would not be the right venue for selling your daughter’s “Hello Kitty” collection. On the other hand, the spare John Deere parts that you bought at last week’s yard sale might be just the right thing for the buying crowd at this auction.

Tip 2: Be sure you clearly understand the terms and policies of the auction house.

Visit with the auctioneer ahead of time. Call to find out what the best days and times are to visit. One of the worst possible times to drop in for an informational visit with an auctioneer is the day of the auction. Call ahead and ask. While you’re at it, find out what are the best days and times to drop your stuff off.

Once you have a little time with the auctioneer, you’ll be able to find out what type of commission he or she takes from consigners (which is you), and what type of paperwork might be needed. Some auction houses send out Form 1099 tax forms at the end of the year. An auctioneer may need to see your identification and have you fill out a W-9. Be prepared.

Find out what happens to your items if they don’t sell. For example, some auctioneers may have a minimum starting bid. If, for some reason, one of your items does not sell, it may be grouped with another one of your pieces. Know the auctioneer’s strategy beforehand so that you aren’t surprised on pay day.

Tip 3: Make sure the auctioneer knows what you’re selling.

It might be perfectly obvious to you that the signed print you are consigning is a rare and valuable piece of art. However, the auctioneer may not know this particular artist. Make a note of anything particularly special about your items, and leave the note with the piece. Be sure to tell the auctioneer about it as well. He or she might determine that this is something to highlight on the company website or in the newspaper listing.

Tip 4: Present your items neatly.

No one likes to have to dig through a box full of grimy and greasy car parts to see what treasures might be in there. Separate the parts and lay them out on a flat, or use more than one box to de-clutter the lot.

There is no need to buy fancy display boxes. It’s easy enough to go to the local convenience store or supermarket and ask if you can have the emptied boxes or flats that they are discarding.

While it’s good to present clean items, take care not to ruin the value of anything by over cleaning. For example, if you find some old cast iron cookware, clean the obvious dirt and grime, but don’t scrub it to its original finish. For many people, this ruins the value of the item. So, clean and tidy and organized is the key here.

Tip 5: Don’t complain to the auctioneer if your stuff doesn’t sell for as much as you’d like.

The phrase to remember here is, “You win some; you lose some.” That’s just the way it is. There are some days where an auction house is loaded with people who all seem to want what you’re selling. There will be other days where the crowd is sparse, and the bidding is simply not competitive.

Remember that it’s in the auctioneer’s best interest to sell your things for the highest possible hammer price. But sometimes, it’s just not going to be a stellar sale. The auctioneer is only human, and is also disappointed if a sale doesn’t go as well as planned.

If you notice that every time you bring a bunch of goods to sell that you’re not realizing as much as you think you honestly should, try another auction venue and compare apples to apples. That is, bring the same types of items to the new auctioneer and compare the results.

Unless the auctioneer is particularly disagreeable or inconsiderate to you or buyers, there is no reason to confront him or her about a sale. If you find you just don’t care for an auctioneer’s style or methods, find another one. Believe me, there are plenty of them out there!

The primary thing to remember as you learn how to sell at auction is that the business is unpredictable at best. You will have good days, some not-so-good days, some great days. The more you sell, the more experience you will gain, and the more enjoyable the business will be.

The title of this short article asks the question: Home Based Businesses, are they real? Well, a bit of a silly question you may think. Of course they’re real. But, with one caveat…if they work for you! What I mean by that is, there are an abundance of Home Based Businesses out there, some better than others, but the one critical criteria will always remain, will it work for me?Let’s take a step back before we move forward. Most of us are in the ‘Rat Race,’ right? We are destined to work for approximately 40 hours per week, for about 40 years of our lives and then retire on approximately 40% of what we used to earn if we are very fortunate. In reality, most of us will stumble through painful periods of our work life and almost certainly never attain that magic 40% income in retirement. So, the upshot is we work with someone else pulling our strings, dictating our time off, the holidays we take, the car we drive and ultimately the amount of money we can have when we retire. Remember, this is a version of a good scenario; it’s still a very real version of ‘The Rat Race.’Now, back to Home Based Businesses, are they real?Well, that is subjective. How much do you want to get away from ‘The Rat Race’ and how much are you willing to put up with it like the majority of your neighbours? Right there is the determining factor. That question on its own will separate the wheat from the chaff, the boys from the men, so to speak.You see, of course there are some scams out there in the big wide world of Home Based Businesses or Online Businesses BUT, almost without exception, for the real opportunities that are available to virtually everyone; it’s your level of desire, your ‘want,’ your determination, that will ultimately decide whether or not a Home Based Business is real.Do you get it? I mean it, do you really get it? Without wishing to labour the point, if anyone goes at ANY business half-heartedly, they will, without exception, fail. There is no grey area here, commit or don’t even bother getting started, is my strongest advice.The problem with Home Based Business you see is that most of us are actually conditioned to be satisfied, almost to the point of believing we are utterly secure, with ‘The Rat Race’ and today more than ever, nothing could be further from the truth, what an economic mess the world is in! Whilst we have this ‘warm feeling’ that ‘The Rat Race’ gives us, then almost any Home Based Business that an individual may start or get involved in will simply not work and therefore will be labelled as ‘not real.’They are of course very real in most cases, but until an individual takes a massive, and I mean massive, attitude adjustment and realise that Home Based Businesses won’t work whilst you’re still holding tightly onto the promise of a pitiful pension from ‘The Rat Race,’ then the internet and the TV watchdog programmes will be littered with reports that Home Based Businesses aren’t real or are some kind of scam. They’re wrong.