sorry for another ebay post but.....
man, check out the killing this guys makin selling
somewhat styled nursery stock. Makes me think Im
in the wrong business!

http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...ack&userid=jv69



hope this is the right place to post this. opinion?

__________________



Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.

-Morihei Ueshiba

Well, fair play to the seller. He/she is obviously feeding a demand in the marketplace.

I had a quick look at some of the items, and there seems to be some decent stock, but hard for me to say if it is value for money, since I have no benchmark for Nursery prices in the U.S.

Having said that with 252 feedbacks in 12 months, at lets say an average of $100 per tree - thats a tidy income of over $25,000. I just saw one sold at over $ 200, so maybe $ 35,000 + is not an unreasonable guess of turnover !

Even better if it is a "part-time" business.

Regards,
Ian.

I am sure he has material and labor costs too, and eBay eats a chunk of the gross.

Regards,

Matt

Matt,

Agreed, of course its not all profit. Maybe you should contact him to post up stock on bT Auctions, where the costs are cheaper. That will increase the margins.

I often wonder, just how much your IRS and our Inland Revenue watch such auctions. That seller is still "small fry" to some of the businesses being run. They must have a level at which they start to investigate that ALL is being declared.

Just a few years back they started putting V.A.T (sales tax) onto the listing and final sales fee costs, but how much actually gets declared in final year tax returns.

Oh, the complexities of the internet !

Regards,
Ian.

He's been on Ebay for many years now. Looking at his location and some of the stock trees he's sold in that time make me think he's one of the major dealers in Florida- i.e. Jupiter Bonsai, perhaps?

Not all of it is lower end. He's sold very advanced collected and styled material....

So, sure if you want to be making $25,000 a year after a decade of dedicated work be my guest... your kids weight too much anyway...

Jim

Not Jupiter Bonsai.
This guy is in Ocala. Could be that Brantley fellow ;O)

yeah , but has costs as well of buying stock as well as other costs so Im sure he aint makin nearly that 25,000 projected. ANd from talking to him , he works a lot more than "part time" for what he gets . and he does have both lower end stuff and higher end. also , he has been workin ebay for years , id say years longer than most , actually . SO its takin a long time to build the customer base he has . I say good luck to him

Income less Expenditure = Profit divided by hours = pay that only each individual can weigh if it is worth the reward one gets, either in Job satisfaction or money. Just like running any small business

Regards,
Ian.

Not to split hairs, but whether the labor is done by the owner or a worker, labor costs should be included on the expenditure side of the equation, then profits can be truly estimated. As Ian is suggesting, the monetary reward is probably smaller than we first imagine, but that's true of most labors of love.

Barry, I totally agree.
I merely worded it that way, since a lot of Bonsai Businesses are part time, and as such - do not have a "set wage". They trade and then are left with what is in the bank at the end of each month. If its positive and increases you are doing well. If you need to see a Bank Manager or extend an overdraft, start to get concerned that it is not really worth the time and effort and stick with the day job. It is different to a "business" that might need to invest in the longer term and employ labour to achieve the turnover required to be ultimately profitable. That also needs deep pockets and nerve in what is a very niche marketplace.

Good luck to all those who try

Regards,
Ian.