Collect Yourself Some Extra Retirement Cash
Collect Yourself Some Extra Retirement Cash
If you are one of those people who like to collect things, why not translate your passion into some supplemental income for your retirement? Whether you enjoy collecting small items like jewelry, pottery, knives and guns or larger items like antique furniture, cars and boats, there’s plenty of money to be earned.
Generally, it is simply a matter of changing your mindset. You probably already know which items are in hot demand and what their relative values are. There are several ways to catapult that knowledge into a profitable future!
To begin with, and to establish yourself as an expert on the subject, why not write a book? I’m not talking about becoming another Hemingway writing fiction novels. No doubt, if you took out a piece of paper right now, you could jot down 10 areas of discussion that could be written on your favorite collectible. Start out by considering them as the 10 chapters of your book. Now break each one of those subjects into 10 paragraphs of interesting facts, trends, issues, or stories. Walla! You’ve got the biggest part of a book on the subject.
With the internet, it is easy to self publish an electronic book, or e-book, on any subject. There are even clearinghouses on the net that stand ready to market your book and salespeople (called Affiliates) who are anxious to sell your book for you on a commission basis.
If you have developed a certain set of skills to locate, buy, restore, and sell items in your collection, you could produce a “How-to” DVD on the subject (or a series of DVD’s on several techniques, if appropriate). You can bet that there are lots of people around the world who are interested in learning about your collection techniques.
Of course, you could always use the internet to locate collectible objects to acquire and surely there are many places to sell them, too. eBay is a noted marketplace where millions of dollars worth of items are bought and sold each and every day. Many times, you can locate an item and before you have even received it, you could have located a buyer for it at a higher price. The manner of marketing and the words that you use to describe things may greatly affect the selling price of an object.
You know, the words “Expert” and “experience” are both derived from the Latin word “Experiencia” which means “to Try, to See”. If you have considerable experience in something, then you are already an “Expert”. You probably know more about your topic than 99.9% of the people in the world! Don’t undervalue your expertise!
With a little research, you can determine your prospects for success as an author or expert on your subject. You can Google your collection niche and study the results very closely. Do not be afraid of competition, either. They just go to prove that people are making money in your niche. Since each collectible is unique and different anyway, there really is no competition for your ‘products’.
Why not take the time to explore the potential retirement revenue opportunities? If it works, it will be a lot of fun and can produce the income of a full time job without all of the grind. If you find something you really enjoy doing, you will never again have to work for income.
Resources: Don Seibert is a retired business executive who, as an Expert Author, writes timely articles on many issues concerning sources of retirement income. Having retired three times, he now is the host of http://www.RetireToEasyStreet.com Visit the site for a complete discussion of Retirement Income Options