Looking for small business ideas? How about an online used book store?… Used book stores are popping everywhere these days. Wherever you look, offline or online, there are new used book stores being born every day. It must be a profitable business since so many stores are being born left and right. How would you like to get a piece of this huge pie?…
You may ask, why wouldn’t people just go to the public library and pick up a book for free? Well, the problem with public libraries is that most of their books are donated by individual and organizations and often times these donations don’t include current best sellers. And lets not forget the fact that going to library cost time and gas. Considering the current high gas prices, most people would rather use that gas money instead to buy a book right from the comfort of their own home and they keep the book forever.
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The good thing about used books is that even in this though financial situation, people will buy them. Why?… It’s simple – used books offer a cheap and enjoyable way to scape the harsh reality we all are facing in our every day lives.
Staring an online used book store is not as hard as you think. If you are thinking about a home based business that doesn’t require thousands of dollars in investment, a used book store could be your answer. Here are 7 easy to follow steps you can take to start your own online used book store for less than $100:
You can start an online used book store for under $100!
1- Stock Up On Books
The first step is to get free books for your store. There are several ways to do that. Ask your friends and family to give you any books they don’t want any more. Check out flea markets, thrift stores and good will stores. Often times you can get books for pennies on the dollar in such stores.
2- Pick A Name For Your Business/Website
Choose a name for your business/online used book store. Pick something that is both relevant and short and memorable. Don’t forget, the name you pick for your store, is going to be the domain name of your website. So make sure the domain name is available. Although you don’t have to have the same domain name as your store name, but having one name as your store name and website name will be much more professional and easier for your future customers to remember. A domain name will cost you less than $10 a year to register.
Before you buy your domain name and settle on your business name, make sure to check and see if anyone is already using the same name. If, so you are going to have to pick another one as you will not be able to register an already registered business name.
3- Register Your Business Name
For legal reasons you will have to register your business name. Here is an easy way to see whether or not your business name is taken… Go to Google or any other search engines and type in “state business name search.” It will bring up a site run by your state where you can search. You can also use the same site to get information on who to easily register your business name, if its available.
4- Get A Federal Tax ID Number(free)
You have to get a Federal Tax ID Number for your business. It won’t cost you any money, but it is a must if you wanna take your home based business farther. It’s basically like a social security card for individuals, but EIN (Employer Identification Number) as its called is unique 9 digit number that is assigned to your business and is used for permits, tax returns, and in any other situation where you have to identify your business.
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5- Buy Your Business License
You will have to go to your city hall and pay a fee (about $25 or so) to buy a license to run your business in your state.
6- Find A Host For Your Site
Find a hosting company top host your website. You can find reliable hosting companies for around $7 a month. Of course, you can also use free hosting as well. There are a few good ones with little to no restriction out there.
7- Open For Business
You are almost there. In order to make money as soon as possible, get your site up and running as soon as you can. Of course, you don’t have to confine yourself to selling only books. Many book stores also sell DVD, video games, CD and other types of content.
Every new business is going to have its ups and downs. Don’t give up! Commit yourself, work hard and push through obstacles and before you know it, you will be making good money with your own home based business of used book store.