Michael,
Thanks for those 7 Steps. That's Ingenius in its simplicity. Excellent!!
I'm wondering - and Duane, might like to chime in on this - how you'd go to Combine a couple of things.
The 7 steps work for a MLM product. That's cool (more than cool, but you know what I mean). How could they go applied to Top Sellers found on ebay?
For example: Following another breadcrumb trail and seeing what Other Items a seller has, I found a seller who is doing a nice Little business selling... Retractable Clotheslines - 6 line and 4 line.
His Completed show 8 listings with 5 sales and a gross of $368 for the last 10 days. (This is Australia ebay.)
So using the 7 Steps you'd Source a Retractable Clothesline, become a reseller and build a website specifically around that one product. And then, instead of competing on ebay - which you could do in addition - is run some classified ads offering these clotheslines via mailorder - buy over the phone or visit the website.
RETRACTABLE CLOTHESLINES. 4 or 6 line. Cheap cheap.
Visit www.retractableclotheslines.com or call 555-5555
(BTW, the above domain is for sale for $1,650. Looks like a DomainName Speculator bought it.)
A Domain bought through Doteasy
http://www.doteasy.com would cost you $25 for the name and a year's hosting!. No CGI, but if you accept Paypal and use an outside free email bot like maybe FreeAutoBot
http://freeautobot.com then you don't need CGI, right?
I found a guy on Ebay who sells Makita parts - drills without batteries, batteries without drills, chargers by themselves and so on. If you combine the items - drill, two batteries and a charger - so they make the same as the Kit you get from a harddware store, you are better off buying from the hardware store. But you cannot buy the separate items from most hardware stores.
His last 50 feedbacks - which covers around 8 to 10 days of sales - shows a gross of over $13,000 in sales. I don't know the markup on those items. But even if all he got was 20% he's doing $2,600 net for those sales. Probably closer to $4,000. Interesting. Parts Supplies.
Anyway. Mike... Duane... any Thoughts on that Twist.
Also, I'm thinking, a MLM that CURES a problem would be a Better Seller than a MLM Preventative. Like - and I'm spitball'n as I don't know if MLM sells these - a Cure for Tinea or would sell better than Tinea Prevention Cream.
Your thoughts on that?
A note about getting MLM Product KnockOffs made - most MLMs are Consumable. So if you are getting them made OS, make sure the ingredients used can be brought into your country without too much hassle. This is especially true with anything with a chemical in it - and has CAS Number - and Herbs.
E.g. Australia has some CAS Numbers which can be brought in in unrestricted amounts. Others can only be brought in in X Tonnes (at maybe a tenth of a gram or less per item, that still allows a lot of idividual SKUs). Others need a permit to bring in. And some are outright banned. You will NOT be allowed to bring an item in unless all CAS numbers have been checked against the NICNAS register.
With herbs, to stop Blight, no Oranges or products with Orange peel can be brought in - unless treated upon arrival by Customs. Who will charge $52.50 (I think the current fee is) per treatment - regardless of the size to be treated (one small packet of herbs or a whole pallet load).
So check the ingrediets list Before you have something made OS and then brought into the country. Otherwise you could be in for a nasty $$$ surprise cost which might blow your $ per SKU out of the Profitability Zone.
Michael Ross