I’m kind of a bit reticent in talking about this. In case it looks like I’m trying to shoehorn an opportunity into an event. (I’m not, honest!)
But have you considered how you could make some money from the 2012 London Olympics?
Now I know all the really big moneymaking opportunities have been carved up by multinational companies like Coca Cola and BMW. And quite likely the idea of selling vuvuzelas (or whatever the Olympics craze will be) in Trafalgar Square probably doesn’t appeal to you.
So what about some small, practical, Olympics-based projects you can operate from home, even if you live nowhere near London?
Well, over the last few days I’ve been poking around Amazon and eBay as you do. And I’ve noticed that the number of Olympics-related products being listed is swelling by the day, if not the hour. Some of them are best sellers already. And sales of these products are only going to grow and grow as the summer approaches.
It would be very easy to do something similar and set up selling your own Olympics-related products as a sideline. And plug into the absolutely massive search traffic that there is bound to be surrounding the Olympics.
Easy ideas for making money from the 2012 London Olympics:
* This is a pretty obvious one. Olympic flags. This is a best seller apparently. But it’s interesting to see that not many other sellers have jumped on the bandwagon as yet.
* Or how about this for an Olympics-related product that would be easy to do. It’s a very simple Flags of the World baseball cap. And there are Olympics T-shirts galore for sale by the way.
* You could just go for something easy like an Olympics-related book. Here’s an example of just one of the many being listed.
It’s a new book, but I’m sure there’ll be a good trade in collectable and interesting books on Amazon too.
* There are lots of Olympic related posters and prints. Some of them are being sold for well into three figures too. Here’s an example.
Posters and prints (or anything else for that matter) that are signed are likely to sell for lots more too.
* In this slightly cheeky but clever Olympics listing the seller is looking to sell 50p coins for several times what they’re worth! (But I can imagine overseas coin and stamp collectors would happily pay over cost price for UK commemorative stamps and coins that they can’t easily buy at home.)
* There’s even someone selling a Olympics Oyster Card wallet. Yes, just a wallet for a bus/tube travel ticket. Who knows, it could be a collectable of the future! In any case, I’ll bet there’ll be a good collectables trade in tickets, passes, programmes, brochures and similar memorabilia before long.
I could go on for ever with this, but I’m sure you get the idea. Just have a browse for yourself on Amazon and eBay. And you’ll see for yourself the wide range of products that are being offered, with varying degrees of success.
So how might you get started exploiting all this with some Olympics-related Amazon and eBay listings?
* First, think of a product you could sell. Most of these products are very simple things. As with the examples I’ve shown you Olympics-related books, commemoratives and collectables seem to figure highly.
Or here’s another related idea that might be worth thinking about: Creating and selling your own Olympics-related ebooks or guides. You can put them together yourself and get them up for sale in the Kindle Store in a matter of days.
* Your idea doesn’t have to be too clever. Think of the obvious. Bear in mind that while people in London will be able to walk down the street and buy almost anything Olympics-related quite easily people overseas won’t be able to. And the first places they are likely to search for whatever they fancy are eBay or Amazon.
* Source a supply of whatever product it is you want to sell. The Secret Source Finder can help you with this.
* Next prepare a great description of your product.
Don’t forget to make your listing appeal to overseas buyers. Consider getting it translated into various foreign languages. And make your listing available on foreign eBay and/or Amazon sites. Remember the Olympics is a global event with a massive worldwide audience and this could make up a substantial portion of your sales for these kinds of products.
Just to show how practical this is, Powerseller Profiteer Amanda O’Brien has had success recently selling some of her product range in France by writing her listings in French! It’s really clever and not as difficult as you might think. You can read how Amanda did it on the What Biz Opp site here.
* Remember to keep your finger on the pulse, and look for new trends that are emerging. For example, once the games arrive if a particular sport or competitor hits the headlines there could be a surge in interest in related products. And it could well last for months after the games too.
Tip. Just because something is Olympics-related doesn’t mean it WILL automatically sell for a lot of money. Do your research, look at other listings and completed listings and see what other sellers are being successful with.
One last thing …. this isn’t just a one-off flash-in-the-pan. I can imagine you thinking, but the Olympics are only running for a couple of weeks. Then it will be at least another four years before I can make any more Olympics-related profits on Amazon or eBay.
True up to a point, but consider this:
The Olympics is just one (very big) special event. Every year there are dozens if not hundreds of other special events and anniversaries. All of them create a demand for books, commemoratives and collectables and many other online products. So, practicing and refining your selling skills with the Olympics could lead to long term success on Amazon and eBay with many other event-related product lines too!
PS. By the way, if you’re running or thinking of setting up an Olympics-related business do email me and let me know what you’re doing. I’m always interested to hear from you.