Pricing Your Displays...
    I am in the process of changing my pricing structure and do not have a track record yet on the new method I am using, so I will cover both here.
    The method I have used for the last five years did not take into consideration any sales to re-sellers. The customer base I was developing was end users. I charge $10 for the design and printing of the backing, the frame, and the affixing of the relics. I then take the maximum I pay for the individual relics and double that price. Finally I add $1 for packaging and the actual shipping charges. In other words, if I have a display that contains four different bullets - two costing me $1 each, one costing me $1.50 and one costing me $2.00 and a saber hanger that cost me $2.00, I would double that total relic cost of $7.50 and double it to $15. To that I would add my $10 for the design and frame and $1 for packaging, coming up with a sales price of $26.00 plus shipping. This works fine for sales to individuals, but there is little profit remaining to enable a discount to resellers.
    The new method I am working on using is to multiply my present price of $26.00 by a factor of 1.25% giving me a retail price of $32.50 for the display. From that price, I can offer resellers a 20% discount giving me the $26 I need to make my margin of profit.
    When I post a display on an auction site like eBay, my starting price will be about 80% of my present price - the $32 price. That means my starting price would be $25.60, but since the eBay listing fee break is at $24.99, that is the price I start it at.. Even after listing fees and commissions I will make a little on the item even if it only gets one bid, but often I will receive a number of bids, driving the price up to well over the new price of $32.00.
    In looking at a six month auction sales history, I end up with an attractive profit after all expenses. Plus, every time I ship an auction item I include information noting that many similar items are available on my web site - more on that in the marketing area of this tutorial below.
    Keep in mind that my customers are not collectors. They are individuals who simply want an interesting conversation piece to display in their home or office or, ones who are looking for a special unique gift for someone. A collector looking for $15 worth of relics often is not willing to pay for the added value I give these relics but my customers much prefer my ready-to-display items.

Marketing Your Displays...
    We’ve got the “fun” part behind us. Now we need to get to the business end of your new home business. Unless you get some cash flow started, you are going to end up spending a lot of money that is tied up in displays laying on your storage shelving.
    I put together a little 28-page booklet that describes what I do, where my relics come from, details on the major battle areas my relics came from, maps of the areas, and several pages giving details on most of the bullets I generally include in my displays. I print this booklet as needed on my duplexing (prints two sides) office copier. I then fold the sheets in half and staple them with a tabletop saddle stapler. I also do a Certificate of Authenticity, guaranteeing the authenticity of the items on my displays. I leave a space in the lower corner to affix a serrated gold seal and then emboss the seal with a hand embosser that has “The Cy Stapleton Collection - Lufkin, Texas” around the outside of the seal and my logo or printer’s mark is n the center. It makes a beautiful and professional looking certificate. I print the certificates on a 2-to-a-page gift certificate blank I get from the local office supply store or sometimes I will create my own.
    I also have a one-page letter inviting the reader to visit my web site. On that letter I have the URL to each of the 11 major areas of my web site. That goes in every order that goes out of my shop.
    I feel that a web site is an absolute must for this type of business. They are a lot easier to create than you think. I use Microsoft’s Front Page for mine. After two years of working on improving my 200+ page site I still no nothing about HTML. With Front Page I don’t need to. A decade ago I decided I needed a web site and after shopping around for prices it soon became obvious that there was no way I could afford to have someone else create mine. I trotted down to Best Buy, looked over their various applications and decided upon Front Page (the same program several friends had recommended). Within a couple of hours I had my home page ready to post - but had no idea how to post it where anyone other than myself could see the fruit of my labor. I started making a few phone calls to internet providers and finally decided upon “iland.com” because their server had all of the “FrontPage extensions,” whatever that means. I’ve been totally satisfied with their service and their loow monthly fee. By this time I had 3-4 pages completed so with Iland’s help, I got them posted. I then waited, and waited, and waited. Several months later no one had come to my party.
    Posting a web site is the easiest part of a web site. Getting traffic is a lot more difficult. You have really got to work on that. I searched the web to find out how to get listed with the various search engines and began to send them the information about my site. The most important thing is the “key words” you use. You need to put a lot of thought in the key words people might use when searching for your site. This started paying off. As time passed my traffic started to build to the point that I have well over 1,000 visitors per month now and in some areas I am the first one listed in a search. But, all of that traffic did not come from search engines.
    I have been active on several online auctions and occasionally participate in an art & craft show, trade days, or miitaria show. I have business cards and flyers that include the normal info plus my e-mail address and URL. Those are passed out to everyone who will take them at the shows. The auction sites will not let you link to your web site, but I email each bidder that link. I have a downloadable catalog in Acrobat format
    In addition to the auctions and shows, I also will periodically take a small booth at a craft mall. These smaller booths cost about $40 per month and I can display 20-25 of my items. I also keep a plentiful supply of business cards and flyers in that booth.
    Also, when I come up with something new I will take a picture of it, write a news release, and send it to area newspapers. Occasionally I will write a 4-500 word article and submit it, along with a couple of photos, to appropriate special interest magazines - always including my URL and email address in the article. Most of the time these are ignored, but the local media has run enough of them to make it worthwhile continuing.

    Let’s expand on each of these areas...

Search Engines...
    Since the search engine info changes on a regular basis, rather than giving an address, I suggest you use your favorite search engine and look for - “search engines” +listing - which will give you a good start for places to submit your listing and suggestions as to what to include. Put “search engines” in parens, space, and follow that with +(no space)listing. This will search for sites with info on search engines that also include the word “listing.” Also look for suggestions on what to include and what not to include on your various pages. Some of these services are beginning to charge to be listed. Many others are still free. In time “spiders” will find you and list you automatically. These spiders are programs that constantly surf the net looking for new sites. Somehow they figure out what keywords to use. I’ve submitted my site to maybe a dozen or so sites, but when I search for my name or my web site, I find I am listed over 500 times. My favorite and fastet search engine is “alltheweb.com” with Google being a close second. Most search engines have a link where you can submit your site. Meta Tags in your pages are also important but I don’t know enough about them yet to talk about them.

Auctions...
    Online auctions are the fastest way to start making sales. eBay.com, with all of its failings, is the Rolls Royce of all auction sites. I will occasionally place auctions on Yahoo and Amazon.com, but results are nothing to brag about. If you decide you want to try eBay, an absolute necessity is their Blackthorne software. This outstanding auction software is eBay specific and was developed by Blackthorne as Auction Assistant Pro (AAPro). Recently eBay acquired Blackthorne and changed the name to BT and BTPro. Enhancements are added on a regular basis. Initally you can get by with BTBasic, but if you start listing numerous items, you will want to upgrade to the Pro version. Once you get your auction descriptions entered into the software, you can post them on eBay - along with any graphics - with the click of a button. I will list as many as 100 auctions a week and when I’m ready to post them I simply click on the “post” button and go fix me an adult beverage and wait until the software does its thing. The end of auction is just as easy. The software captures the details on your sales, and a click on the Correspondence Studio button sends notices to all of your buyers. You then can select the items that did not sell and do the free re-posting of those items. As the money comes in, you simply note the payment has been received and have the software generate a mailing label and send a shipped notice to your buyer. It also lets you print an invoice/packing slip to send with your shipment. It really makes selling on eBay a breeze. A couple of really nice new features in the software is the ability to inventory your items. As an example, if I create 5 displays of CW001, I simply note that I have 5 copies in stock. As I post one, it reduces my inventory by one. If I accidently try to post a 6th one, I get a notice that I am out of stock. “Do you really want to post this item?” The other dynamite feature is the ability to automatically add something to your running auctions. As an example, if you have 50 auctions running and get called out of town for a week, it only takes a couple of keystrokes to add that notice to each of your running auctions. Also, the software will automatically post your feedback.
    I have one bank of shelving to use for my running auctions. As I post an auction, I pull that item and put it on the auction shelf. When my auctions close, I remove any unsold items from my auction shelf to my stock shelf - leaving only those items which had buyers.
    As my payments come in, I print an address label and invoice; pull the item from my auction shelf and stack them on the floor of my office for my part-time helper to package and ship every Friday - my normal shipping day. I use USPS Priority Mail boxes for the vast majority of my items. While you can get small quantities from your local post office, I order a variety of sizes off the USPS web site (www.usps.com). On some smaller items like my collections of special interest stamps or books, I use either regular envelopes or stiff mailers. I stock two sizes of stock mailers - 6" x 9" and 10" x 12". I order these direct from the manufacturer - Calumet Carton at www.calumetcarton.com. The best supplier I have found for shipping supplies is Uline (www.uline.com)..
    As far as I am concerned, the major benefit to online auctions is the ability to drive potential buyers to my web site.

Art & Craft Shows, Trade Days, etc...
    At 68 years of age I try not to do too many of these, but they are an excellent source for both sales and leads. You can set up a really nice display in the normal 10' x 10' booth space. I always try to get an outside booth if at all possible and I lay out my booth in advance. Most of these events will rent you 6' or 8' tables for a couple of bucks each. I will get two 8' tables for the sides and one 6' table to go in the back of the booth and have a set of table covers for this configuration. I also have a number of aluminum folding picnic tables for those shows who do not offer tables. I had a seamstress make covers for these folding tables.
    Signs are important and I invariably have the best sign when I go to a show. The total cost of the sign and poles cost me less than $100. I had a local sign shop make me a 3' x 6' vinyl sign - yellow with black and red letters. In huge black letters is “Civil War Relics.” In smaller type under that in red I have “fossils, minerals, ancient artifacts, postage stamps.” Below that in black I have my company name, city and state. The vinyl sign has a loop at the top and bottom. My stand is made from 4' lengths of rigid PVC plumbing pipe with couplings to make it stand 8' in the air. At the top of the two uprights I have an elbow that lets me connect two more joined 4" pieces of the pipe. I slide the sign onto the cross piece and to hold the sign down, I slip in the final 4' joint of pipe. At the bottom of the two uprights I drilled two holes and got two large “C” clamps, which I drilled two matching holes. I bolt the “C” clamps to the bottom of the uprights with a bolt and wing nut. This sign will not work on my light aluminum picnic tables but it works beautifully on the heavier rental tables. To make it stand out even more, I drilled a 3/8" hole in each of the elbows and insert a horizontal “flagpole” into each. On these flagpoles I have a CSA Stars and Bars on one side and a US Flag on the other. You can use any type of flashy flag or banner. I have a diagram of my sign at the end of this tutorial.
    I have a number of inexpensive white plastic 13” x 32” break down shelves I bought at Target. The legs are 1.5" dia. x 15” long PVC tubing and they do not take too much space. I set them up on my tables 2-shelves high, which gives me significantly more display space. I use four of the legs and two of the shelves. That way I have the space under the shelves plus the two shelves.
    At the front of my booth I have a take-one box that is filled with my flyers and a business card box. I also stand at the front of my booth and pass out business cards and flyers to everyone who will accept one. I always make enough sales to justify the trip and the booth space, but my real business comes in the next couple of weeks when people visit my web site and purchase an item or two.
    I bought three lightweight plastic “footlockers” to store everything in and a lightweight aluminum 4-wheel dolly. That way I can carry everything except my sign in one trip. I had an upholstery shop make me a bag to store and carry my sign and poles.
    If the show is several days long, when I shut down I cover my tables with opaque plastic painter’s drop cloths and then enclose my booth using white plastic picnic table cloths, clipping the ends of the cloth to the top of my plastic shelves using large spring clips.
    At the end of the show, I can pack my displays, table covers and signs in short order and within 15 minutes have my car packed and am on the way home.
    If you are working a show alone, you will want 5-6 little signs to set out if you have to leave your booth. On mine I have “Gone to Necessary Room! Back in 5 minutes.” I also have several signs I put up when the show closes for the evening. They say “Booth Closed! Please come back tomorrow.” I use spring clips and clip them in whatever obvious place I can find.
    Take as much advantage of the show as is possible. If I am not talking to a prospect, I am at the front of my booth in the aisle passing out my flyers. I also have a “guest book” where I write the name and address of anyone who makes a purchase. I have gotten several large plastic candy jars from a local drive-in grocery store and have a supply of 3” x 5” cards for people to sign up for my free newsletter. At the end of each day I will have a child draw one of those cards and I will mail the winner one of my inexpensive displays. I post those winners for all to see.
    Don’t forget to bring along a chair a waste basket and a broom. I also carry what I cal my “Show Care Box.” It is basically a fairly large plastic tool box that has everything I can think of that I might need. Electric drill and other small tools, tape measure, adhesive back Velcro tape, masking tape, markers, Post-it notes, a small spiral notebook, digital camera, and even a WalkMan cassette player with a couple of audio books.
    I will also often bring along a small cooler with drinks and a few snacks.
    The most important thing is do not carry more than you will need - except for your product.

Wholesale Sales...
    This is an area I am just beginning to get into so I do not have a lot of experience I can share. At the present time I have very few wholesale accounts, but I am working to increase the number. My first accounts came from auction customers who purchased my items for resale in their stores. I worked out special pricing for them and several are purchasing a few displays on a fairly regular basis.
    When I have a buyer whose address is near a Civil War battlefield or park, I ask if they would mind getting me the contact information for some of the appropriate gift shops in their area. That has resulted in some interest. Also, a customer will let me know that they are going to visit a battlefield. I ask them if they would mind sending me the contact on any gift shops they might run into. In my travels if I pass near a Civil War battlefield or park, I will pay a visit. While national parks cannot sell authentic artifacts, in every case where I have brought in some of my displays to show the gift shop manager, that manager has given me the contact information on some private shops that might be good prospects. Unfortunately in most cases when I visited those shops the owner was not in, but I do have the information to contact them later. Also, I am building a list of shops by searching several online “Yellow Pages.” I have worked up a color brochure that I will be mailing to these shops. I do not intend to do a mass mailing, but rather will write a personal letter to each - mailing 3-4 each week. I have not started that yet.

Free Advertising...
    Far to few craftspersons take advantage of the huge amount of free publicity that is available to them. Every month or two I will write a news release about something I have done and send it along with a couple of pictures to all of the newspapers in about a 50 mile radius of Lufkin. If I am going to participate in an out-of-town event, I will write a news release that tells who I am and what I do, along with a couple of photos and my contact info and will send it to the business or life style editors of the newspapers in the area of the event. Often those newspapers need something to fill space and they will run my release. On two occasions the last year or so a reporter came to the event to interview me and their paper ran a really nice feature on me after the show - giving my full contact info.
    There are a huge number of special interest publications - both printed and electronic on the net. It will not be long before you gain a lot of knowledge about your area of interest. These publications are always looking for new material. Many will not pay for your article, but they will give you credit along with your full contact info and web address. If you do not feel you are an accomplished enough writer, there is plenty of help available. I’ll bet a local high school or college journalism or English teacher would love to help you compose and edit an 800 to 1,000 word piece. Be sure and include several appropriate photos.
    Exchange web site links is another great way to build traffic. I exchange links with anyone who will exchange with me. Some sites like Paypal.com will let you set up a web store on their site if you are a subscriber. I get some nice and unexpected sales through my Paypal store.
    There are a huge number of sites on the web offering free classified advertising. Just search for “free classified advertising” and you will find over 5,000 pages.

Payment Options...
    You want to give your customers the widest range of payment options possible. Ideally you want your own credit card merchant accounts, but that is often difficult to get set up unless you have a brick and mortar storefront. Contact your banker to see if he might be able to help you get set up. I got my merchant accounts several decades ago when I owned my printing company and continued them after I sold the company and retired. There are some excellent online services. My favorite is PayPal (www.paypal.com). It is a very easy to use and secure site. I’ve run into sellers who have nothing at all good to say about PayPal, but my experience and the experience of many I have talked with is flawless. They pay me interest on the funds I leave on deposit with them and when I want to transfer some of those funds to my checking account, I can do it 24/7 with a few keystrokes. Plus you can easily set up a free web store through PayPal, linking to your site. There are many services on the web offering to set you up with a merchant account but I know nothing about these other than their rates are a lot higher than the 1-2% I pay.
More Sources
    On my web site you will find the contact info on hundreds of different special interest clubs that may give you ideas of what type of displays to create as well as possible customers. If when trying to contact one of the listed clubs and you get the message the number is not a working number, be sure to check the area code to see if it has changed. I am not updating this list. I had intended to include the list of clubs in this booklet, but it is far too lengthy - over 50 pages in itself.
    I have been quite successful in selling books that loosely relate to my displays. I do not look for the books one might find in the retail book stores, but rather the more obscure ones. I especially like the smaller special interest publishers and those larger publishers, like Dover, who reprint old or rare books. I also go to every Friends of the Library library book sales that I can find. I can always find 20-30 books fit into my area of interest - most costing in the neighborhood of $.25 to $.50 each. You can also search the web for booksellers.. This is a great way to find books your customers may be looking for or give you an idea of what other booksellers are selling a particular book for.
    Dover, by the way, is an excellent source for special interest copyright free artwork that you can use on your display backing.
    Most book publishers will offer you a 40% discount once you are set up as a book dealer with them. Occasionally used book dealers will offer a small discount but most I have dealt with do not. You will have to pay their price and add your markup to the book. If you want to offer books, be sure to check out the Government Printing Office as well as other government agencies. They have some incredible titles covering almost every area of interest from Agriculture to Zoology.

In Conclusion...
    That’s about all I can think of that might help you get started.
    I hope you have found this little tutorial helpful. I would appreciate it very much if you would keep in touch with me and let me know how your efforts progress.

Picture Pages
    I had intended to include pictures in this tutorial, but can't figure out how to do it. You can see examples by checking my auctions. My eBay username is heroautographs_com.