Anybody here thinking about being a toy seller?

[91WhiskeyM6]

No conspiracies to topple me Valkyrie-Exchange!

Just a thought

[Spiff]

I dont aspire to sell toys, but I do aspire to sell more resin parts and kits. When I have more time, but I would probly sell them through Valk-Exchange rather than doing all that stuff meself.

[yellowlightman]

I don't think it's a very easy job, lots of time spent working without much return.

I'm guessing Kevin has a day job, but I don't know for sure.

[ObiJ]

I've been selling Macross Toys and Anime Toys in general, in Mexico.

For the moment I stopped because I moved back to Dallas, I was living in Monterrey and while working there I was buying stuff for my colection and every time i got a box my coworkers gather around me to see what new toy I got, and they started asking me to order some for them, I did it for about 3 years, but now with my new job here I haven't found the time and since I want to keep sending toys to Mexico, I haven't figure out how to securely send them ovethere and don't have them lost or wathever.

If there is a ANIME Toy distributor or Store, outhere who wants to sell toys cheap for folks in Mexico, please let me know, At this point is all I need to start bussines again.

Edited November 12, 2003 by ObiJ

[VALKYRIE-EXCHANGE.COM]

Running a retail operation (whether it be toys or other items) has it's pros and cons....If one has a nice niche market, then it's probably easier. For toys as a whole, it's a tough business. IMHO, it's more a personal commitment/enjoyment for Valkyries than anthing else....

PROS

=====

- access to toys at a discount. That being said, wholesale prices for Macross toys are not as great as one may believe...Since US dealers cannot get Valks directly through Yamato, we are dependent on middleman and thus the discounts are not great.

- real world entrepreneurial work experience. I've started out on eBAY back in '95 and taking payments via check/money order. Then, PayPal and a simple shopping cart on VE came along and made it that much easier....Since then, I've been able to set up a more robust shopping cart and integrate taking credit card payments directly. At the same time, I've streamlined the mailing processes. Before I use to run to the post office everyday and wait in line. Now I print shipping labels from my PC and just drop off the packages while the people in line stare in great envy...

CONS

==========

- Having crushed boxes caused by careless airline and delivery companies

- High shipping cost. Sometimes you'll bring things in and sell at a loss once everything is done.

- Q/C issues that are not covered by the mfg. and absorbed as a loss

- Losted/damaged/stolen packages = upset customers. Filing a claim is a headache to do.

- In rare instances, difficult customers are hard to please...Somtimes you really bend over backwards...

Yes, I do work full-time and run VE on the side. It's a very trick juggling act that has gotten a bit harder this past year....Like I said, it's more personal enjoyment...

-K

[Mechamaniac]

- access to toys at a discount. That being said, wholesale prices for Macross toys are not as great as one may believe...Since US dealers cannot get Valks directly through Yamato, we are dependent on middleman and thus the discounts are not great.

Word.

I too run a small retail business on the side, but mine is in PC upgrade/repair, and IT consulting.

The thing to keep in mind here is that in order to achieve these discounts, you must first be appropriately licensed in your state, and have a federal tax ID. Doing this means that you will have to either incorporate yourself, or form a LLC. Both of these options cost about$500 bucks to do if you have them done professionally. In order to be "legal" your business must have its own bank account as well, which is a hassle to get going, as most banks dont want to open a "business" account with less than a $5000 dollar minimum balance. Then you have to keep up to date on taxes, both federal and state, and all kinds of other minutiae.

Once this is done, you have to establish accounts with distributors, most of whom are not used to, or willing to deal with the little guy. This means that they seldom want to sell you onesies or twosies etc, they want to deal in entire case lots or pallet loads, and want to deal with you on net terms rather than a personal or even a business credit card.

All in all, the whole process seems designed to weed out the little guy, or to weed out the guys that are only in it so they can get stuff cheap for themselves.

In the end, once you have blown all this dough to get started, you probably would have saved money just buying the friggin toys at retail.

So, moral of the story is, unless you are SERIOUS enough to get a small loan, like $10,000 or so, don't bother.

[do not disturb]

i considered doing it but the mark up on toys is so small(15%-25% if you're lucky), you have to move alot of inventory if you wanna see some profits. i've called people here in the states as well as making contacts in japan and china, and as Mechamaniac said, its just not worth it.

i offered to buy in casepacks and still the discount is minimal if any, from vendors here in the states any way. i also tried to make the same offers to some folks i met overseas and it was the same deal. it cost less, but overall the same, once the middleman takes his cut(inevidible) and then pay for shipping costs to the states you'll be paying $110-$120 or so for a valk, depending on what the shipping rates are at the time.

so that being said, even if you sold 12, 1/48's for $150 each(that nobody would buy at that price), i'd be lucky to get a free 1/48 for myself. so is it really worth it to try and pretend to start a business so you can get 1 free valk? i don't think so...

i've arranged some trading which is alot better and easier since each pays for shipping, and both traders could've gotten deals and not have to spend some ridiculous amount of money. i'm trading some lego sets for some 1/48's and other assorted madness.

my buddy is into lego, and i got the hook ups on lego, in turn, hes got the hook ups on yammies. we both agreed not to make a profit off one another and therefore, i'm not paying inflated prices nor is he. whats the point? if he jacks up the price, i'll jack up the price and we both end up paying the same amount in the end. as long as you can meet someone who isn't a completely selfish a-hole, trading is cool.

[dodiano]

Hi, I´m the only Macross seller in my country El Salvador basically only Yamato line, please check my site

www.ztoys.com.sv

Take care

[robokochan]

Of course most of you know that I sell also. Like Kevin said, it has it's ups and downs. I mostly sell on ebay and I do have a web-site (although I don't get much business from it ). But my main job is being a Kindergarten Teacher. Which is even more time consuming.

Bottom line if you want to sell toys you have to have a lot of patience, and alot of time.

Rob MN

[wingcommander]

I'd love to sell. I'm into all sorts of things. I buy sell and trade all sorts of collectables on ebay and this forum too. I have someone in HK but I'm not sure how to approach it. I just love to collect. I work out of the house as it is. I allready have all the tax stuff from my own business. So to add something else to fuel my collecting passion would be great.

ALEX

[CID]

I think that VE and others have pretty much cover what I wanted to say. If your motive is to make enough money by selling toy as a primary source of income, it probably won't work out. Unless, you invest heavily and order large (Meaning $100,000s) quantities to be competitive on the price with other sellers or you have idea that will make your store competitively advantageous.

Toy selling is basically "Labor of Love".

There are few other statements I would like to add:

1. Some people might get into toy business thinking that "Well, I will keep some of the toys I bought at wholesale price and save some money". Well, this is legal only if you pay sales tax on the portion you keep as your own personal property, unless you plan to pay sales tax on the items and report the gain on the tax return, it is illegal (Just buy it at the lowest retail price to avoid headache)

2. When you do decide to sale toys as retailer (This does not mean selling several toys on ebay or other online auction to sale off what you do not need or to recouped your cost, including selling on sales forum or alike) get appropriate license and report the income as required by respective State and, of course, the IRS. I know that several members are actively selling on this site without appropriate license (This does not apply to overseas sellers). It is not too hard to figure out because they do not charge state sales tax and their price is fraction of what it would cost to buy the item from overseas vendors (If they were selling the toys and reporting the income as required by law, they can not sale at the price they offer, because of their fix cost.). Unless, they are charitable people and they are selling their inventory at less than their cost for the benefit of members.

I know that I try to get best deal for my collections and when I have time, I spend hours searching ebay and others to find the item at lower price. However, when it comes to unlicensed sellers, there is actually greater implication to the US economy as a whole, then most people would think. In Macross term (Economic term), the legit sellers (VE, twin moons and others) that are selling toys are disadvantage from the gecko. The fix cost (Regulatory fees and others) incurred by the legit sellers makes it hard to compete with the price offer by illegal sellers, in the long run, this will force some legit sellers to either quit their business or to join illegal sellers way of doing business (I hope that this does not happen). In addition, the revenue generated by sales tax will be loss by the Govt. and a lot of the services that we take for granted will be reduced.

If you're a seller who knowingly sales multiple number of same items and not licensed and/or reporting the income generated by the “Business” activity. I hope that your luck does not run out soon. It can result in civil fine or if the amount involved is large enough, it can lead to criminal offense and time in jail. It just isn’t worth it.

If someone finds this post offensive or feels that it is bias, since I also sale toys. You can take it as it is. I am posting what is the fact. Whether you accept it or not is your choice.