Are you tired of the daily grind, the stressful commute, the high gas prices, the enforced schedules, unpleasant co-workers, clueless bosses? Is the opportunity to savor your life, experience your family, and follow your dreams passing you by? Do you, by choice or circumstance, need to or wish to "opt out" of the insanity of the conventional workday world?
I "opted out" several years ago because I wanted to be home to raise my animals, I hate living on other people's timeclocks, I need my own space and solitude, and I had to create and live in my own world, not in someone else's. In this section of the site, I will show you exactly how I went about doing this. Maybe it will inspire you to do the same, or give you ideas to do something similar. I'm working on an extensive list of resources, but while that's being compiled, here are a few leads and links to get you started:

Income Opportunities
Ebay
Half.com
Surveys for Cash
eCommerce Resources
Advertising Resources
Home Office Resources
Articles

Income Opportunities

Ebay


This is your single-best, easiest-to-get-started, most consistently lucrative source for work-from-home income. The very best time to get started selling on Ebay is between September and December - that is, right now! Registration is fast, easy, and free.


99 Tips for Buying and Selling on Ebay
The quick basics, here is a great free list of tips, tricks, and secrets by Skip McGrath of Auction Seller's Resource. Grab your copy, and then be sure to look around his site for additional highly useful tools and info!


Some Recommended Books
Here are two that I really liked - they will take you from the absolute beginner stage to the advanced seller, in an easy-to-follow format. Keep in mind, though, that Ebay's rules and categories are constantly evolving, so that which is printed in a book from even a year ago, may already be out of date. Make sure you double-check on the site itself for the very latest info. Of course there are plenty of other Ebay guidebooks, and you can search for them in the box below.

Search for additional Ebay reference books

What to sell on Ebay?
Sure, you can clean out your basement, attic, or garage, but there are easier and better ways, which will give you a more consistent long-term income. Lots of wholesaler resources are listed in the following e-book, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to get started in the whole process. I think of it as the "Powerseller Training Manual":

 From eBay Zero to eBay Hero - by Mike Enos
This highly informative document shows you step-by-step how to make money on Ebay - how to get started, what mistakes to avoid, where to find inventory, how to drop-ship, and how to do it right. Lots of invaluable resources and tools included! What's more, when you purchase a copy, you automatically purchase the re-sale rights. In other words, you can go on to sell this resource on Ebay or on your own web site. Learn how you can even make money giving it away!
Your cost here is just $2.99 - or free with any other purchase from this site. Also free to the winning bidder on any of my Ebay listings! Your personal link to download the pdf file (approx. 41 mb) will be e-mailed to you upon payment.
Vendio
This is a nice auction-enhancing resource for smart Ebay sellers. They offer a number of tools and services, but the one I use is the Vendio Gallery, which inserts an eye-catching display of all your auction items into each listing. I've found it to noticably increase my sales! You can also use it on other auction sites. And the price is right: only $3.95/month to display up to 100 items ($6.95 for 101-200 items) in a moving marquee - or you can arrange your items in a slot-machine display or memory game. Have even more items to display? There are reasonable pricing plans for those as well! Go to the Vendio homepage, and then click on the Gallery link on the left menu bar.
Vendio

PayPal
As an adjunct, if you're going to sell on Ebay, from your own web site, or any other online version, you must - no exceptions, no excuses - must have a PayPal account. This is the age of instant gratification - buyers want to click a button and pay you right away, so they can get their stuff fast. If you don't offer that option, or you force them to use some convoluted proprietary checkout process, they will go elsewhere. Yes, PayPal will take a small commission of every sale you make - but the alternative is not making the sale at all. Sign up for your PayPal Business or Premier account today!
Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.
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Half.com

This is your absolute best site for selling books, CDs, movies, and video games. If you go to book fairs and garage sales to pick up boxes of books for a few dollars each, you can profit tremendously by listing them for individual re-sale. (If you have a lot to list, consider buying a barcode scanner to save you time and aggravation; surely you have more productive things to do with your time than typing ISBN numbers for hours! Believe me, I've been there and done that.)
Half.com charges no insertion fee, so you can leave your items listed indefinitely. I tend to leave mine up for several months; anything that still hasn't sold by then gets assembled in lots (say, 10 romances, 10 mysteries, 10 sci-fi novels, 10 alternative medicine volumes, etc.) and sells on Ebay. That makes room for more!
(Incidentally, the second-best time to start selling on Half.com is between September and December; again, right now! The best time? January. Especially for diet- and fitness-related books. Think of all those New Year's resolutions!)
Half.com...buy & sell books music movies games

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Surveys for Cash

This is probably the quickest way to earn an easy $20 on the net. Fill out the free offers first, and you should get a check in a couple of weeks. After you've gone through the free surveys, pick and choose among the rest according to your interests and the offered payments. There are lots of these sites out there. In the interest of reducing mental clutter and inbox spam, I like to limit myself to just a few. The following are, to my mind, the best. Most of them will give you a sign-up bonus just to register; then you do have to complete a few surveys to reach your minimum pay-out:
  • GroBux - this one offers the most potential for income, IMO.
  • SnapDollars - includes reading e-mail for cash.
  • SurfBounty - claims to be "the highest paying rewards site."


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e-Commerce Resources

Need a reasonably-priced web host with lots of options and great customer support? My first choice is 1&1, which hosts my own sites. I also hear good things about GoDaddy .

Banner Register Domains at GoDaddy.com 120x60

Check the availability of your domain name. Get yours from 1&1 for $5.99 today!

 
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Advertising Resources

Ultimately it's all about advertising - getting the word out about your product or service. While a good web site with an active link exchange is the key factor, you also want to bring people to your web site in other ways. Your business cards should include your web site URL. Also consider promoting your business with brochures, flyers, magnets, and other attention-getting items.
The best place I know to get it all done at once is VistaPrint. They will even print a set of free business cards for you! You do have to pay the shipping, but it will cost you far less than using your own ink to print them yourself, or even than stopping by the local Office Depot to get them done. If you want something fancier for your cards (I certainly do!), you can design a premium version for a very reasonable cost. The same is true of flyers, brochures, and promotional giveaways.
VistaPrint - Save 30% to 60% Off!

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Home Office Resources

Part of the appeal of working from home is added comfort - so don't sabotage yourself by using substandard equipment! The following is a list of sites that provide computers (hardware & software), printing and shipping supplies, filing and storage media, ergonomic office furniture, and everything else you will need for a productive home office:

Computers, Electronics, & Office Supplies

  • HP Laptops/Notebooks and more!
  • Toshiba
    Check out their special offers on laptops, financing options, and free extras!
    Toshiba - Toshibadirect.com
  • eCost - the Online Discount Superstore
    Compare many brands for lowest prices: computers, laptops, printers, mp3 players, software, cameras, cell phones, cameras, TVs and monitors, satellite radio, electronics!
  • CompUSA
  • TechDepot
    Over 100,000 name-brand products from hundreds of premier manufacturers. Computers, software, storage, memory, cameras, printers, and so much more! Ink, paper, office supplies, etc.
    Tech Depot - An Office Depot Co.
  • Office Depot
    Check out the Office Depot Private Brand ink and toner, file cabinets, furniture, folders, and more. Office Depot Brand products offer the same quality as the national brands, but are regularly priced much lower. Plus, all Office Depot Brand products are backed with a 100% performance guarantee, so you save money without sacrificing quality!
    Office Depot, Inc

Office Furniture & Accessories

  • Home Office Solutions
    Ergonomic office chairs, computer desks, home furniture, lighting, office accessories. Popular brands include Herman Miller, Knoll, Steelcase, Humanscale, Bodybilt, Vitra, BackSaver, and many more!
  • OfficeDesigns
    Office chairs, home furniture, massage & ergonomic chairs, ergonomic office accessories. Popular brands include Aeron (the original online Aeron dealer since 1996; free FedEx shipping), Steelcase, iJoy, Eco-Friendly Chairs (the "green" collection), and many more.

And a Recommended Book:


 Comfort at Your Computer: Body Awareness Training for Pain-Free Computer Use
Anyone who thinks sitting all day at a computer is pain-free and restful, has never done it on a regular basis! Poor posture, habitual tension, and substandard equipment can cause muscle strain, eye strain, fatigue, repetative stress injuries, and further maladies. This excellent book by Paul Linden, Ph.D., will show you how to work at your computer in a mentally and physically alert, relaxed, and strain-free manner, and set up your workstation so it enhances your comfort and productivity. By gaining a greater understanding of the human body and the computer workstation, you'll be able to avoid computer stress and injuries, choose proper workstation equipment, save money on equipment, reduce medical bills and lost work time, and increase job satisfaction and productivity. This book will help you find simple, low-cost solutions that are easily put into practice and take very little time. But their positive impact is immense!
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Articles

Here I will re-print or link to articles of value to the work-from-home entrepreneur. Keep checking back, because I will update these and add new ones on a periodic basis!
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E-mail Raksha@dreamtimepets.com