Autobot032 wrote:
Packing materials (Packaging, box, tape, warning labels, etc)
Around $5.00 per shipped item (give or take, because some of those materials will have enough left over for other shipments)
Thats a big overestimation- you order large qtys of boxes and packing materials from places such as uline.com to reduce it down to $1-2 per item. Basically a couple sales pay for all your packaging.
Autobot032 wrote:
Importer: Providing a real service. Prices are high, but necessary. A reverse opportunist (I.E. Giving you the opportunity, and shouldering some of the responsibility of costs as well as the customer.)
Collector: Helping one or two friends, still not providing a service exactly. (No one really asked them to, they took it upon themselves to do it. So if it ends up costing them money, it's on their shoulders.) Prices are higher than retail, but not outrageous. (Though, if possible, they probably should just leave the rest of the figures for others to get. Unless specifically asked to grab some for a person.) Those buying the item with the intention of selling off (without being asked to) could be seen as an opportunist. Doesn't guarantee that the collector is a bad person though.
Scalper: Doesn't provide a service at all. Provides a product for way more than it's worth, or even humanly decent to charge. Prices are astronomical, and after removing the shipping cost and the cost of the item itself, a huge profit with nothing to worry about (like bills or employees) Is an opportunist, and exploits others to make money for little to no work.
So essentially it is okay to make a profit, but as long as you provide a service? kinda what so called scalpers do
Importers dont need employees or warehouses- trust me- I know a few very motivated individuals who do $100k in sales a month- with 15-25% being profit depending on month. They do it smarter, but as with ebayers they take a risk that it might not sell. Importers do not have to run around to every target, but rely more on communication than normal people- so its work, but very different. I will say this- I have recently probably purchased 2 TFs in-store and the rest (way more than just 2) were online or through yahoo/ebay auctions- not hard work; which makes me ask my next question- if someone buys out stock online of a certain item and resells it- are they a scalper? Even more complex than that- a smart ebayer with a large pocket could buy out all the auctions of a rare item and control most of the market- charging whatever they feel.
