Retirement....Then What?

nortong

The value of private pensions and savings in the doldrums combined with a state pension which is just a ludicrous insult compounded by Mrs Thatcher removing the pension indexation one wonders about the government's mentality, Labour and Conservative. Sadly, the only conclusion I can derive is that after the age of 50 we become a 'non-person' who at best is just an irrelevance to society and at worst an unwanted burden to the tax paying majority. But worst of all on retirement, miraculously have no need for money.

So.....keep the faith, brother, this time next year we will all be internet millionaires or lottery winners or.....

Pityme1

nortong wrote: »

The value of private pensions and savings in the doldrums combined with a state pension which is just a ludicrous insult compounded by Mrs Thatcher removing the pension indexation one wonders about the government's mentality, Labour and Conservative. Sadly, the only conclusion I can derive is that after the age of 50 we become a 'non-person' who at best is just an irrelevance to society and at worst an unwanted burden to the tax paying majority. But worst of all on retirement, miraculously have no need for money.

So.....keep the faith, brother, this time next year we will all be internet millionaires or lottery winners or.....

On the scrap-heap wondering how to make ends meet?

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I agree with soolin

I was / selling vintage clothing etc for a long time and then it became very trendy. For all etc and the high street jumped onto the vintage fashion styles.
More and more vintage fairs popped up and more and more people jumped onto the bandwagon thinking they would make money.

I sold a warehouse full of vintage/ retro clothing last December ..for a few reasons. 1, I had had enough. So eBay buyers saying they hadn't received their item. 2. I envisaged the following year( this one) to be a tough one and people would be spending less, and the bubble of vintage clothing would possibly well and truely burst.
3 , I could see it would be better to have a lump sum of money and sell as a job lot, rather than sales getting quieter etc..

All I can say is , a good little business normally stems from an interest, hobby etc. That way you have more passion, product knowledge and as soolun said you know the market and prices of things etc..

Or you could just take pot luck go around car boots and buy some cheap things and plonk them on eBay and see how they sell??

I started off on eBay selling books too lol

barnaclebill

I enjoyed working so did not retire until 68 and soon found the pensions are not going as far as I hoped, considered ebay selling or a part time job and realised the job may be better but not easy to get, even the local B&Q wanted people but it was an on line aptitude test and I was not successful.
Now I will be 70 next month and I think it's only something like ebay I will be able to do but same as you, what to sell?

soolin

barnaclebill wrote: »

I enjoyed working so did not retire until 68 and soon found the pensions are not going as far as I hoped, considered ebay selling or a part time job and realised the job may be better but not easy to get, even the local B&Q wanted people but it was an on line aptitude test and I was not successful.
Now I will be 70 next month and I think it's only something like ebay I will be able to do but same as you, what to sell?

Start with what you know, once you get an initial idea the rest often falls into place.

If you have a hobby for instance, what about the bits you buy to 'do' that hobby, you know what you pay for them so you have a head start in getting an idea what you need to source them at. Look to buy something in bulk- don't go mad, getting stuck with 100 of something that doesn't sell isn't fun, but maybe look at smaller quantities a dozen or two that can be split and sold at a profit.

Do your research though, I am on various groups and forums and in many cases see people making a loss who don't realise it. All they see is that they buy at £5 and sell at £8- hurrah they have made £3 profit, except they have forgotten all fees, costs to post and allowances for dead or lost stock.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

Also think outside the box..

I have a line that I sell at farm auctions, and soon will be putting some on eBay etc which is a waste product to some forms.. So I am allowed to take what I want for free..

I don't make a lot, but what ever is left after selling costs is pure profit.

nortong

Pityme1 wrote: »

Completely sympathise with that, it's impossible to identify what is real help and what is bulls**t.

What's really daft about all this internet selling is the never ending vortex of desperate people like me being continually sucked down the gurgling plug hole of jam-tomorrow promises and lies of failed con artists who 'started life as penniless out of work losers on the verge of bankruptcy and due to be evicted from their rat infested attic bolt holes but at the eleventh hour formulated a simple multi-million pound business empire on the back of an envelope and subsequently give their employer a two fingered wave goodbye.'

Even though they profess to make £100,000 a week with their idea they still find it more profitable to sell their plan to us as a $27 WSO on the Warrior forum.

Pityme1

So, these people on Ebay that sell T-Shirts or Baseball Caps or cheap watches and have hundreds of thousands of sales....how are they doing that. There are sellers with enormous amounts of feedback who haven't been trading that long.
I've done the boot sale thing a few times with some success but that's earning a few quid here and there rather than making a living. An idea is great but surely it's all been done to death.

soolin

Pityme1 wrote: »

So, these people on Ebay that sell T-Shirts or Baseball Caps or cheap watches and have hundreds of thousands of sales....how are they doing that. There are sellers with enormous amounts of feedback who haven't been trading that long.
I've done the boot sale thing a few times with some success but that's earning a few quid here and there rather than making a living. An idea is great but surely it's all been done to death.

If they buy cheaply enough and have a good mail discount for postage it is easy for them to make money by selling in volume.

winspiration

As others have already said, many people start by dealing in what they are already familiar with as a hobby. If you can find a niche of some kind that may help, and I agree with Cooltrikerchick that thinking out of the box is good too - although depending on what it is, you may attract copy cats.

The suppliers that you can easily find on the net can be easily found by anyone else too. If they are undiscriminating and sell to anyone, then there's nothing to stop others undercutting you in a race to the bottom on price. If only it was as simple as finding the right product and watching the money roll in, we'd all be millionaires by now, Rodney :rotfl:

What I would suggest is that if you haven't sold on ebay before, you might starting out by selling some of your unwanted stuff, clearing your garage etc. This will give you a feel for the practicalities of presenting your listings and posting stuff. Also dealing with questions and issues both before and after purchase - this could give you a good indication of whether you want to go any further with the idea. Some categories attract more demanding customers and potential issues than others. There can be quite a bit of hassle involved anyway - not just from customers, but also from ebay (or whatever selling platform) policy changes etc. There is a danger in getting too reliant on one platform - ebay has been known to bring in major policy changes (which might at worst ban you or what you sell) at the drop of a hat.

Obviously it can be done, but I think if I was you, I'd also be considering other ways to potentially boost income - for example, could you do any freelance consultancy work related to what you do now, a part time job or possibly offering services like gardening / DIY / computer troubleshooting etc in your local area.