forgetting the most important bit

soolin

I had a real head banging moment yesterday. For a few weeks a friend of a friend has been going on about how she is going to give up work to run an ebay business. I've exchanged a couple of basic emails with her on things like registering for tax, keeping records etc and she is doing everything by the book.

Apparently she has even told work that she is out of there as soon as her first months sales come through as she has worked out she can earn the same as her currently poor paying part time job. She has also assured me that she is now completely set up and ready to go, ebay shop details worked out, tax registered, NI set up..then I come home to an email last night for one last bit of advice ..wait for it...

'"can you please give me a couple of websites where can buy cheap unlocked Iphones (I don't mind if they are the older model) as I'm all ready to start listing them.

I hadn't previously asked her what she was selling in any great details and just assumed she had her stock sorted out. I fear she may well now be eating humble pie at work.

I do wonder though how she managed her profit forcasts without a starting price and have emailed her back to see whether she did have a stockist that has fallen through or whether she has made an assumption about wholesale prices. I have also gently sugegsted that she may want to find a different line of stock rather than go for something that cannot be legitimately sourced wholesale

richardvc

Brains of a rocking horse is the phrase that springs to mind.

Some people think running a business is simple and that you don't need any talent - this proves otherwise !!

soolin

richardvc wrote: »

Brains of a rocking horse is the phrase that springs to mind.

Some people think running a business is simple and that you don't need any talent - this proves otherwise !!

Yep I know. Usually i would ask whether they had stock sorted, but this woman was so well organised she had even bought a software package to do basic accounting. I'm more used to the ones who have stock and then about 6 months later say 'I have a letter from HMRC should i have registered for tax or anything?'.

Brooker_Dave

soolin wrote: »

I had a real head banging moment yesterday. For a few weeks a friend of a friend has been going on about how she is going to give up work to run an ebay business. I've exchanged a couple of basic emails with her on things like registering for tax, keeping records etc and she is doing everything by the book.

The most important bit is remembering that ebay/paypal could pull the plug at any moment, for any reason, leaving your friend with no business and no income.

Perhaps you could helpfully suggest that a back up Amazon account and her own website might be in order.

Pembroke

Fair Point Dave but I think you 'may' have slightly missed the general thrust of this thread ?

cyberbob

Brooker_Dave wrote: »

The most important bit is remembering that ebay/paypal could pull the plug at any moment, for any reason, leaving your friend with no business and no income.

Perhaps you could helpfully suggest that a back up Amazon account and her own website might be in order.

Your missing the point of this thread. Yet again

I would suggest Dave you actually read what the thread is about rather than trying to turn it into another one on your pet subject.