Is this acceptable? - Selling my advice

pitkin2020

gohan2091 wrote: »

Wouldn't that be the case for any method of sale? hmmm, this is tough. Even if make a website with my personal story, someone could steal that information anyway and sell it. Perhaps if I advertise on ebay but the only way to purchase it was to phone me? I can then judge the person. A fradster wouldn't bother phoning I don't think.. not for a few pounds. This could breach eBay rules though... so maybe not.

Yes anything can be copied and resold, thats why it comes back to the way it is presented. The problem your facing is that your info is freely available, you can't legally protect the content only the way in which it is presented. You need tothink long and hard about the way in which you do this to maximise your income and protect yourself.
Selling through ebay and over the phone wont protect and you just make the sale complicated and messy. Your also not going to be able to tell by talking to someone on the phone if they are just going to copy it and resell it at a later date.


I do a bit of both and I'm sure most eBayers do the same. This weightloss advice is my own possession, it is my own knowledge that I am sharing. If you can sell possessions on eBay without declaring it, then why not the same be true for advice?
A little bit here and there people tend to turn a blind eye, legally they should still register with HMRC but even HMRC are aware people don't. The problem will arise when you don't register and they pick you up for selling a lot of stuff that is clearly new, then they will be asking questions and you could end up being fined. Remember you only pay tax on your profits not your turnover and you also don't pay tax until you reach the threshold, (around 6k).

Perhaps I should just offer the advice for free and I could put at the bottom, if this works for you, a donation would be most welcome. This isn't going to earn me hardly anything though

Remember not every product is the main source of income!! Take a look at this site for example and think about it.

Anyway people, I have to go now. My monitor is faulty and it's being collected tomorrow by the manufacturer so I have no PC for about a week. I will check back here when the replacement monitor arrives.

Responses above.
Before doing anything with this idea take some time to write down what you want to achieve from sharing this information, apart from making money. Whilst I do think you have an idea I dont think your going to be rich next year but could make some good money from this if you go about this in the right way, if you don't think this through you could easily make nothing expect maybe a fiver. It all depends how much you want it and how much you are prepared to put into it.
As with any business you will only get out what you put in!!!!

geordie_joe

gohan2091 wrote: »

I don't have to pretend I am overweight and put myself in an overweight persons shoes, I've already been there.

I know you have been there, I read your post. What I meant was put yourself in one of your potential customers shoes, they get a leaflet from you offering to tell them how to lose weight, they then go and look for what they can get for free.

It was meant so you find out just what is available for free, so you can compare it with what you want to charge for.

gohan2091 wrote: »

It is common sense but people are not aware of it, and if they were, everyone would be slim.

I'm sorry to have to say this, but that is a fatal flaw in your idea. People are not fat because they don't know your method of weight loss. Whatever your method is, simply telling people about it won't make them lose weight. People are over weight for many reasons, and people don't lose weight for even more reasons.

Some don't want to lose weight, some don't care about losing weight, some have tried and failed then given up, some can't be bothered, some know that if they give up cakes and chocolate they'll lose weight, but they don't want to give them up.

Some know that if they don't drink so much beer they will lose weight, but they don't want to give up drinking so put up with being over weight.

You have lost weight, and think that simply telling others will make them lose weight, it won't.

History is littered with people who found something amazing and thought that if they tell others then they will follow.

The person who discovered that smoking causes cancer, thought "Just wait until people know about this, they'll all stop smoking"

The person who discovered drinking destroys your liver, thought the same thing.

The person who discovered that being over weight can cause you to die prematurely thought the same thing.

In reality it does not happen. Telling people how to do something does not mean they will do it, even if they want to.

There's not a fat person on this earth who doesn't know how to lose weight, there's not a smoker who doesn't know how to quit. But they don't do it!

gohan2091 wrote: »

I am not sure how to tackle this but a website with my personal story is a good idea, although I am not sure how to start this and put ads etc (although I know how to make websites, the graphics etc)

I would stick with this idea if I were you. If you have something you think people will want then go for it. But please don't think you have a miracle cure that will cure everybody. Because most people won't beleive you, or want to be cured.

gohan2091 wrote: »

Exactly, people are lazy, some don't even know how to use the Internet or other sources effectively. Diets don't work long term for a lot of people.

I agree, but you have to remember people don't always want what you are selling.

The world is full of doctors telling people why they should lose weight, and how to do it, and those people just listen politely, nod in the right places then go down the cake shop.

Pursue your idea by all means, but don't think simply telling them about it will make a difference.