Halina Zakowicz

Halina Zakowicz is a full-time freelance writer, investor and aspiring sci-fi novelist. In her spare time, she appreciates the finer points of zymology by brewing various hops-infused concoctions.

How to Start Your Own eBay Consignment Business

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With spring right around the corner, many individuals will be cleaning out their homes, garages and basements. Many more will be wondering how to cash in on their spring cleaning treasures.

Most people are aware of eBay as a place to sell their items; however, the effort involved in properly staging, photographing, listing and shipping items can be too cumbersome for many. Also, eBay sellers need to have an excellent feedback score.

Because of the work involved in selling on eBay, you can start you own eBay consignment business and make good money by selling other people’s things. Here is how you can start:

1. Obtain a seller’s eBay account.

Nearly anyone can buy stuff on eBay, but you need to have an account with a feedback score of at least 50, and that’s as close as possible to 100% positive, before buyers will trust you. Incidentally, you also need to have a 50 interactions before Paypal’s $2,000 buyer protection plan kicks in.

To this end, you’ll need to make some purchases on your buyer’s account first. Yes, this is an investment of time and money. However, if you already shop online, it just means diverting your preference to eBay above places like Amazon, Groupon Goods, etc.

2. Obtain business supplies.

Anyone who has sold items online knows that one of the most time-consuming steps involved is shipping. Standing in line at the USPS or other shipping service wastes valuable hours of your day, especially when there is a holiday and there may be dozens of people waiting ahead of you.

To alleviate this pain point, purchase a weight scale and digital stamps for home use. Doing this will enable you to weigh, package and pay for your shipments ahead of time. You then only need to drop them off at your local USPS or other shipping location.

If you don’t yet own one, you will need to purchase a good digital camera. eBay items should feature at least one photo, and expensive items normally feature a half dozen or more photos.

3. Price your services.

How much you charge for a commission will depend on what it takes for you to make a profit versus how much similar local services charge their customers. To find out what your competitors charge, go to the eBay Trading Assistant Directory and look up your state. In most states, the commission range is 20%-40%.

4. Start advertising your consignment business.

It doesn’t take a lot of money to advertise your business. For example, you could start advertising by printing and posting some flyers around your neighborhood and/or in the local newspaper. Tell your family and friends about your new business and offer a cut of your commission in exchange for a referral.

Don’t be afraid to tap local consignment shops, Goodwill stores, etc. These stores also often are stuck with merchandise they can’t sell or house and may be very willing to go online with their wares.

You might also consider creating a website and displaying it on your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media accounts, or just advertising your services directly through social media.

5. Pay some in-home/business visits to potential customers.

As you start getting interested customers calling or writing to you, the best way to assess the true value of their items is to visit them at their homes or businesses. Take your digital camera with you and catalog the stuff that you are being asked to sell.

When you return home, research those cataloged items on eBay and learn about their last selling price. This can be done by going to eBay’s Advanced Search area and checking ‘Sold listings.’

eBay Search
Doing this kind of research ahead of time will reduce your risk of listing items that never sell or that sell at too low of a price.

6. Create a contract with your customer.

Whether or not you end up taking your customer’s items back to your house or just listing them on eBay, you need to prepare a contract and have your customer sign it. Having a contract in place, complete with your commission rate and allotment for selling costs (e.g., eBay selling fees, Paypal fees) will protect both you and customer and help ensure that you both make money from this business arrangement.

7. Stage, sell and (optionally) ship your customer’s items.

If you haven’t done so, take photos of your customer’s items and publish those photos on eBay along with the product descriptors, dimensions, shipping information, etc. As each item is sold, record its purchase price, shipping, insurance and final value fees, and possible refund and damage information. This is the information you will eventually need to provide to your customer and use to calculate your commission.

Your customer may prefer to ship his own items in exchange for a reduced commission, or the items may be in a different geographic location and/or otherwise unable to be shipped (at least by you). Different business arrangements can provide you with much needed insight on which ones work best for you and maximize your profitability.

8. Invoice and pay your customer.

One of the benefits of having an eBay consignment business is that you pay your customer, not the other way around. This reduces your risk of being stiffed on payment. However, you should still maintain detailed records (with shipping receipts) and note every transaction as it occurs. This way, you’ll reduce the chance of suspicion by your customer, and it will also tell you if your business is actually profitable.

How to Make Money by Hacking Websites

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…he is the best guard of a camp who is best able to steal a march upon the enemy…he who is a good keeper of anything is also a good thief.

~Socrates, The Republic

Are you a whiz at cracking into systems and maybe even exploiting social media platforms like Facebook? You don’t have to admit to it here…but if you are a hacker, you can actually make good money while plying your craft.

And just who would be seeking out your services? Well, none other than social media platforms including Facebook, Pinterest and others. Major companies like Dropbox, Western Union and Tesla would also be highly interested in working with you.

Hacking for fun and profit

With crafty hackers constantly inspecting and injecting malicious code in an effort to hack passwords or obtain credit card information, companies have become increasingly alarmed about security breaches. To this end, they have invested in encryption, password verifications, etc. However, even these measures don’t always prevent a security breach.

One need only to think about the recent Ashley Madison reveal of user identities or the Target credit card breach to understand that, no matter how “secure” a site appears to be, there are always ways to get around that security.

This is why many companies have come to the conclusion that the best way to prevent hacking is to make friends with the hackers themselves. To this end, many companies are teaming up with hackers and asking them to deliberately exploit their passwords, platforms and systems. Successful hackers that manage to crack into Facebook, Pinterest, etc. are rewarded with money.

So-called white-hat hackers make anywhere from a few bucks to as much as $33,500 (according to Facebook’s payout to Reginaldo Silva) depending on the type of bug they find and report.

Here are some other companies that pay big bucks for bugs:

BitGo: $100-$1,000

Dropbox: $216-$4,913

Facebook: $500+

FastMail: $100-$5,000

Pinterest: $50-$1,500

Magento: $100-$10,000

Microsoft: $500-$100,000

Paypal: $100-$10,000

Spotify: $250+

Stripe: $500+

Tumblr: $200-$1,000

Western Union: $100-$5,000

Most companies have a security page on their website that describes their incentive program for finding and reporting security risks including the following:

· Cross-site scripting (XSS)
· Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
· Database injection
· Open redirection
· Mixed-content scripts
· Privacy/authentication
· Server-side code execution bugs
· Open vulnerability

Finding the big payers is hard work, and some companies won’t pay you at all, or will only acknowledge your efforts with a thank-you note and a T-shirt.

So, how do you quickly sift through companies and find those companies that pay the big bucks?

The advent of ‘bug finder’ websites

Recently, several “matchmaker” websites have launched with the goal of pairing white-hat hackers with companies looking to improve their cybersecurity. These websites accumulate hackers, coders and programmers and offer their crowdsourcing services to companies. In exchange, the companies pay the matchmaker website a user fee and a bounty to the hacker who finds and reports a bug in the software or online platform.

Here are four websites where would-be hackers can sign up and earn bug bounties:

Bugcrowd

This website pairs a community of over 22,000 white-hat hackers with major companies including Microsoft, Tumblr, YouTube, etc. Hackers can sign up on Bugcrowd’s website and then apply to work on listed projects. Hackers can also submit independent bug reports to the corporations via Bugcrowd’s secure platform.

HackerOne

This website pairs companies with a community of hacker researchers who send vulnerability reports whenever a bug or security issue is detected. The companies are notified privately, so that any security issues can be addressed and corrected before malicious hackers and other online criminals become aware of them.

Hackers are rewarded for their efforts with monetary bounties. Example companies that work with HackerOne include Twitter, LinkedIn, Adobe and Snapchat.

Cobalt

Clients like Optimizely, LendInvest, Auctionata, Nexmo and Weebly use Cobalt to set up and operate bug bounty programs that expose cybersecurity risks. Security researchers (i.e., hackers) can sign up to this site and work with its roster of clients to find and report bugs.

While this is a newer website and doesn’t have as many clients as Bugcrowd or HackerOne, it does offer decent sized bounties from its current client list, with many bounties ranging from $100-$1,000.

Synack

This recently launched company sets slightly higher IT standards for its “Red Team” members, and you’ll need to submit a resume and cover letter to apply for a position. However, if you have some IT training or experience, you should get some response. This is because Synack works with a team of cybersecurity experts who are paid bounties for discovering and reporting bugs.

The Bottom Line

Bug finder websites are a win-win for both the client companies involved as well as their hackers. The companies draw from a large pool of brainpower rather than one or two in-house IT experts. They also don’t pay by the hour but by the product, which in this case is the bug. The hackers, meanwhile, are paid a large sum of money for finding those security bugs and alerting the respective companies.

I’ve Tried That Reviews Tribe Writers 2.0

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This past Wednesday, I introduced Jeff Goins and his free e-book It’s Not Too Late.

In this e-book, Jeff defines a tribe, explains why every writer needs a tribe, and lays out the process of finding and growing that tribe.

Jeff bases his e-book on his personal journey to find his own tribe, which he succeeded in doing, but only after first quitting his blog of four years and starting a completely new one.

From 100 to 100,000 subscribers in 18 months

Jeff had maybe 100 subscribers when he started his new blog. Yet, within just 18 months, he went from 100 subscribers to 100,000. Six months into his new blog, he was being asked to sign a book contract.

This didn’t happen by accident or sheer luck. Jeff followed a methodical process of getting readers interested in his blog by first having them subscribe to his email list. Once subscribed, his followers received regular content chock full of value. Jeff also involved his subscribers in content critique and editing. This tactic not only provided Jeff with valuable feedback from his readers, it also provided those readers with a sense of pride in and ownership over what was being published.

By the time Jeff published his first book, he had amassed a loyal audience of over 100,000 readers who were more than happy to refer his work to their friends and family members. This prevented Jeff from experiencing the all-too-common problem of new authors- finding interested readers beyond a handful of close friends and relatives.

After all, the whole point of publishing is to actually publish, or to declare something to a wider audience.

But how does an aspiring author go about gathering this audience, or even declaring something worth hearing?

Welcome to Tribe Writers 2.0

The process of finding and growing a tribe is a bit more involved than what can be summed up in a single blog post- or even 10 blog posts.

To this end, Jeff developed a course called Tribe Writers that illustrates how one can go about finding, growing and nurturing a loyal base of followers.

Tribe Writers was so successful in its first launch that Jeff added even more material to the course and is now launching Tribe Writers 2.0.

I recently had the privilege of looking over this course and its materials. Jeff had granted me with full access behind the scenes and what I discovered has inspired me to pick up where I left off in my own journey to be an author. In brief, Jeff’s course was the kick in the pants I needed to get back in gear and finally publish my novel.

Tribe Writers 2.0 contains four learning modules comprised of the following subjects:

1. Honing Your Voice

In the first module, Honing Your Voice, you learn how your voice fits into the overall scheme of things. You learn that what you say isn’t as important as finding an audience with whom your message will resonate. And there is an audience out there for your message, so don’t worry about that.

Jeff describes how good writing is the kind of writing that some people will get, but not necessarily all. That’s because, in Jeff’s words, “If you’re writing for everybody, you’re writing for nobody.”

Also, good writing is brief and to the point. Finally, all good writing is actually copywriting, which is defined as writing with an outcome in mind.

2. Establishing Your Platform

In this module, Jeff states that you need to establish a platform in order to amplify your voice, communicate regularly with your tribe, and attain a level of legitimacy with your message. To this end, Jeff recommends starting a blog and, by association, a website.

Jeff identifies five different blogging platforms that you can choose from to identify your unique platform personality. After that, he discusses the process of finding your platform’s focus- in other words, what subject are you going to blog about?

The module finishes with Jeff teaching you how to write a blog post and how to craft a great headline.

But wait!

Before you leave this module, Jeff introduces his course-with-a-course, called Intentional Blog. Here, in a completely separate set of modules, Jeff offers valuable blogging lessons on topics like how to set up your autoresponder, write cornerstone content and guest posts, find and interview experts, and find photos.

This course alone spans five modules and 33 total lessons, plus four recorded coaching calls.

3. Expanding your reach

At this point, the assumption is that you’ve created your blog, chosen its focus, and have written a few posts. Now it’s time to build your email subscriber list.

Jeff goes over the email newsletter services that are available, how much they cost, and how you can use sign up forms on your website and blog to grow your list. He also talks about creating a unique incentive for people to subscribe, such as an e-book.

Granted, creating an incentive such as an e-book is a time-consuming process. Also, you have no guarantee that people will even want your incentive. How do you create demand for your promotional item?

By getting your fans involved in the process of generating it. This way, your fans are emotionally invested in your incentive and have a sense of ownership. Also, because they’ve helped you create this item, you’ve had to do a lot less work as a result.

4. Getting published and paid

The end result of all the time and effort you’ve spent setting up your blog, growing your subscriber list, creating your incentive(s), etc. has been to get published and paid for your book, article or other piece of content.

Jeff provides a process for doing this, including contacting editors at publications (e.g., magazines) and pitching them. If you want to publish a book, such as a novel, Jeff outlines how to create a book outline (i.e., a book proposal).

If you are unclear about whether you should self-publish or go with a traditional publisher, there is a full segment devoted to the pros and cons of either approach. Likewise, Jeff talks at length about literary agents and why having one is a good idea, especially as you start out in book publishing.

That leaves you with the final step- launching your book. However, you should not leave your tribe out of this phase. In fact, going to your tribe and involving it directly in your book launch (which is actually a three-phase process) is one of the best moves you can make in terms of successfully launching your book. Jeff outlines how you can approach your tribe for help- and turn your tribe members into your book’s best advocates.

What else does Tribe Writers 2.0 offer?

In addition to the 4 modules and 34 lessons provided in the Tribe Writers 2.0 course, and the course-within-a-course Intentional Blog, there is yet another meaty bundle here- a complete WordPress 101 course, which is divided into 4 modules and 23 lessons. This WP 101 course teaches you everything you need to know about setting up your WordPress-based blog and even integrating a custom Tribe Theme into it, which Jeff uses on his own website.

Add to this a member forum that is divided into separate discussion areas based on the individual modules provided by Tribe Writers 2.0. And finally, there is a separate resources area packed with interviews, additional lessons, free e-books, and product discounts and offers.

To keep everything straight and measure your progress through all these lessons and exercises, Jeff also provides Tribe Writers members with a downloadable workbook.

The Tribe Writers 2.0 tally

So, what do you get with Jeff Goins’ re-vamped Tribe Writers 2.0? Here’s the final tally:

Tribe Writers 2.0: 4 modules, 34 lessons total

Intentional Blog: 5 modules, 33 lessons total, plus 4 recorded coaching calls

WP 101: 4 modules, 23 lessons total

32-page Tribe Writers Workbook

Interviews including:

– Tim Grahl: Results-Driven Tribe-building
– Corbett Barr: It All Starts with Passion
– Brandon Clements: Using Amazon to Get Found
– Daniel Decker: Getting Published — What Does It Take?
– Joe Bunting: Living & Working as a Full-time Writer
– Marion Roach Smith: How to Get Published in Magazines & Get Featured on NPR
– Tor Constantino: How to get 12,000 Likes on Your Facebook Page
– Mary DeMuth: Managing a Fiction & Nonfiction Platform
– Paul Angone: Self-publishing Like a Pro
– Randall Payleitner: An Insider’s Perspective on Publishing
– Carol Tice: Freelance Writing & Building a Blog-based Business
– Sean Platt: Finding a Fan Base to Support You
Bonus interviews with Tim Ferriss, Seth Godin, and Michael Hyatt

Live Chat area

Tribe Writers Forums area

Learn more about Tribe Writers 2.0 here

If you would like to get a taste of Tribe Writers 2.0, Jeff Goins offers his e-book called Every Writer Needs a Tribe. This e-book provides a great introduction to his course. Best of all, it is completely free.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by reading this inspirational e-book, which will help you launch your own plans on how to become a successful and published author. Download it here.

How to Earn Extra Cash as a Senior Move Manager

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If you’re good at household organization and like to socialize, becoming a Senior Move Manager (SMM) might be for you.

What is an SMM?

An SMM helps older individuals relocate and (usually) downsize their belongings. Oftentimes, this involves helping a senior citizen move into an assisted care facility or other senior residence. The issue faced with such an undertaking is that there are a number of logistics involved, including the following:

  • Consolidating/reducing current belongings
  • Packing and transporting current belongings
  • Cleaning, repairing and staging the current residence
  • Finding a realtor and selling current residence
  • Finding a suitable new residence
  • Organizing movers and moving remaining belongings
  • Unpacking belongings and organizing belongings in new residence

Oftentimes, the family of the senior citizen undertakes such tasks; however, that is an ideal situation where family members live nearby and don’t have extremely tight schedules. When such a situation is lacking, the senior citizen may delay moving, or not move at all. This is not always ideal, especially if that senior has physical and/or memory issues that progress with time.

To this end, there are SMMs who step in and take care of house staging and selling, estate sales, moving, etc. They are paid by the hour and can specialize in a very discrete area of the move, such as consolidating belongings, or they can get involved in all aspects of senior moving.

Your actual SMM tasks may not be what you imagined…

You might be assuming that, as an SMM, you’ll be involved in a lot of back-breaking labor like moving couches or cleaning behind refrigerators. You may also be assuming that, as an SMM, you’ll be spending long weekends away from your home organizing knick knacks and pricing items for an estate sale.

In actuality, the role of the SMM is more of a manager of movers, cleaning crews, realtors, etc. Your primary goal as an SMM is oftentimes to simply convince the senior citizen that it’s in her best interest to move. Alternately, the client you are working with may be ready to go, but simply can’t decide how he will part with his extensive collection of art prints or trains or antique teapots.

To this end, your best work will often be performed by simply listening to your client and offering helpful suggestions. Remember that, as an SMM, you are not the POA or the family of the client. Thus, the hard task of consolidating precious heirlooms or keepsakes will not be for you to complete. However, in coordination with the family or the client, you can offer suggestions such as donating some items to charity, placing them into storage, or taking photos of the heirloom collections and displaying those photos instead of the actual items.

For many SMMs, the work is more a calling than just another job. You will be called upon to be not only a manager but a listener and even a counselor. You might form close friendships with some of your clients or their families. As with caregiving, the clients you work with will depend on you for guidance and assurance as they transition from homes they may have been in for over half a century. Thus, it pays to have a caring heart and a sympathetic ear.

How much money do SMMs make?

In some states, SMMs are able to charge from $40-$125 per hour. If you choose to work with an established franchise, the basic starting rate is $9/hour but quickly increases with training and experience. Overall, you’re better off starting your own franchise and hiring people as you advance in experience and number of clients.

Where can you learn more about being an SMM?

Just like with most work-at-home professions, SMMs can undergo training from a variety of organizations on the nuances of getting started, networking, marketing their services and pricing services accordingly. There are at least four well-known online resources:

NASMM– The National Association of Senior Move Managers is a trade association that offers not only education and training on becoming a SMM, but even a yearly conference. The NASMM also operates an accreditation program that reviews other SMM companies and accredits them accordingly.

Caring Transitions– This outfit operates in 35 states and has 116 franchise locations in the USA and Canada. With CT, you can launch your SMM business in just six weeks and start marketing to area nursing homes, hospitals and senior centers. Best of all, the training and work can be conducted from home.

Smooth Transitions– The ST organization operates offices in 26 states as well as Canada and New Zealand and is both a training center and license provider for people who are starting their own SMM businesses. With Smooth Transitions, you can get a head start with your SMM business, download workbooks, learn about setting your rates, and lots more. In exchange for this know-how, you’ll pay a start-up and licensee fee to ST. You can also purchase your NASMM membership at a discounted price on their website.

eSMMART– This organization conducts training of new SMMs, as well as certification of SMMs who have been in the business and conducted at least 40 invoiced moves. eSMMART offers lots of useful courses on topics like dementia, hoarding, aging in place, and the senior living industry in both the USA and Canada.

How much does it cost to get trained?

The training sites that specifically state how much training and licensing will cost estimate around $5,000 total. While this is a pricey sum, keep in mind that the senior population is booming, and there is a very real need for people to help seniors.

Summary: Should you consider being an SMM?

If you like working with seniors and consider yourself to be a good negotiator, you will likely thrive in this arena and make a decent living too. In time, you might even outsource your tasks to employees and function in a more business lead generator role. While being an SMM does take some training as well as patience, the rewards (monetary and otherwise) can be worth it.

RIP Amazon Product Ads and Text Ads- What This Means For Sellers

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This summer, Amazon announced that it would discontinue its Amazon Product Ads (APAs) program and replace it with Amazon Text Ads. Then, in a somewhat unexpected move, Amazon announced that it would also discontinue its text ads. Both the product and text ads are due to be discontinued this October 31st.

Typically, the product ads were purchased by sellers who did not necessarily have an Amazon store. Oftentimes, this was due to marketplace restrictions, budget concerns, etc. The one major advantage to having the APAs was that consumers would be redirected to the sellers’ sites instead of completing their purchases on Amazon.

Another advantage was lower cost: As opposed to Amazon marketplace sellers, who had to pay a percentage of their sales revenue to Amazon, APA sellers only paid for their click costs.

APA products could appear side-to-side with Amazon products, thus actively competing with Amazon for sales. APAs could even appear all alone on a product page if Amazon sold no comparable product of its own. Thus, the APA seller who researched which products Amazon didn’t sell, and then marketed them on Amazon, could gain a real advantage.

And all for the price of a click.

Amazon Product Ads end on Halloween

Although Amazon doesn’t explain exactly why it’s ending its APA and text ads programs, the reasons listed above suggest that the engine was seeing too much competition from sellers who were merely paying for clicks and directing traffic away from Amazon. In fact, according to the 2015 Online Retail Survey published by ChannelAdvisor, over a third of advertisers noted APAs as providing the most return on their investment.

Perhaps when Amazon was smaller and in need of revenue from any possible source, the APA program was a good idea. But now that Amazon is the 800-lb gorilla in the online shopping world, it is saying goodbye to its lower revenue generators.

What’s a retailer to do?

While the demise of APAs and text ads will leave a hole in many a retailer’s arsenal of sales tools, there are alternatives that can take their place.

Amazon Sponsored Ads

Amazon Sponsored Ads (ASAs) still operate on a pay-per-click revenue model where sellers bid on keywords and pay only when their ads are clicked. The difference between ASAs and APAs is that the ASAs keep the consumer on the Amazon site. Otherwise, the ads look almost identical.

sponsored ads

Google Product Listing Ads

A while back, Google sat up and took notice of Amazon’s highly profitable advertising format. The result was Google’s Product Listing Ads (PLAs), which had a similar look and feel to the APAs and ASAs. These ads are now a great way for sellers to direct consumers to their own websites while still just paying for a click.

google plas

eBay Commerce Network

eBay is another massive shopping site that some sellers don’t immediately think of as an ecommerce platform. However, the eBay Commerce Network (ECN) enables sellers to feature their products not only on eBay and Shopping.com, but affiliated blogs, online magazines, and ad exchanges.

shopping

Bing Product Ads

According to ComScore, Bing gets 15% of all searches compared to Google’s 66%. While Bing is certainly not the search engine behemoth that Google is, it does have some unexpected market advantages, including exclusivity deals with Apple and the Amazon Kindle devices. As a result, it is more likely to be used on iOS-powered mobile devices.

Bing Product Ads make it easy for sellers already using Google as their advertising platform- there is a process in place that enables product data to be imported from AdWords.

Nextag

Another alternative to consider is Nextag, which not only gets over 30 million unique visitors/month, but also seems to garner an exclusive audience of shoppers that don’t shop anywhere else.

nextag

Nextag product ads have an eBay look and feel to them; however, they direct the shopper to a third-party site. Sellers deposit a starting amount of money to get started on a campaign, then pay only when shoppers actually click on the product ads.

Facebook Ads

Facebook Ads, which are operated under Facebook for Business, enable sellers to target product ads to audiences based on age, gender, geographic locale, and interests. Much like with Google AdWords, sellers can set spending limits and obtain reports of how well their campaigns are doing.

With Facebook Ads, sellers can achieve many different marketing goals, including promoting a post, Facebook page, or video, sending viewers to their own website, increasing downloads of an app, etc.

Twitter ads

Twitter ads have taken a while to really gain momentum, but they are now a staple of Twitter and offer sellers yet another viable platform for offering their wares. With Twitter ads, sellers can promote their brand, website, promotion, etc. Shoppers can be redirected to the seller’s website or Twitter page. Best of all, the ads can be retweeted, enabling them to go viral.

twitter

Summary

While the sad reality is that APAs and text ads are going away, the good news is that there are plenty of other platforms to fill the void. A savvy advertiser need not worry about losing significant market share, even if a giant like Amazon is getting tighter with its advertising allowances.

How I Figure that 7 Figure Club is a Scam

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“You’re about to make $1,000,000 in the next 27 days. Guaranteed.”

So starts the spiel of Martin Taylor, the spokesman for the 7 Figure Club. Here’s a photo of Martin.

martintaylor

After we see some glowing customer testimonial videos, Martin’s spiel continues. “I want to make ten invites into millionaires within a month.”

In fact, Martin says that, if you’re not a millionaire in 27 days, he’ll pay you $10,000 out of his own pocket.

7 Figure

Why is Martin being so generous? He doesn’t say. How does Martin plan to pay you $10,000 of his own money? He also doesn’t say.

And just how are you guaranteed to become a millionaire?

By using Martin’s state-of-the-art binary options trading software, apparently. This software “requires zero financial knowledge, sets up in a few clicks, and operates on autopilot.” It’s also completely free to use.

Martin notes that you could “take your daughter to dance recital, stop by the grocery store, and come home to find that you’ve made $358,900.” That’s how automated this automatic software really is.

After you input your name and email, you see a second sales video. Here, Martin explains how you’ll be earning your cash.

Oh, what a tangled web 7 Figure Club weaves…

Martin explains that you’ll be making money by, in essence, riding the financial coattails of automated binary options trades. “You just register, for free, when a new guaranteed profitable trade is available and you get paid that money into your account.”

It took me some time to understand how this would work.

Somehow, if you register your account when a trade is about to be placed and- I assume- won, you get to keep the money from that binary option trade.

But wait!

Before you can proceed with your registration, Martin has some bad news: All ten spots have been filled.

Or, maybe not…

Martin then goes on about how you can still register for an account before all spots are filled. Huh?

You’ll also need to register an account with Martin’s recommended broker. Why? Because Martin’s software is “built to interface with my broker’s system,” and so “he’s the only one with compatible software to mine.” In fact, “anyone other than my broker will not be able to connect, which means they can’t make trades and collect your binary profits.”

Martin notes that his broker is ISA authorized, which increases security and better protects your investments. What is the ISA?

I searched “ISA certified brokers” on Google but was unable to find anything that defined ISA in terms of brokers. I did locate information on customs brokers, however, and how U.S. Customs and Border Protection asks them to complete importer self assessments, or ISAs. But how does this relate to trading software?

There’s a method to the madness

Once you input your name, email and phone number into the form on the second sales page, you are directed to Martin’s recommended broker. In this case, it is Bee Options.

Once on the Bee Options page, I learned that in order to activate the 7 Figure Club software, I would need to make a deposit of $600.

7 Figure Club 4

The fact that you must pay $600 to use the 7 Figure Club software already tells me that this freebie isn’t really free.

I also learned something else: 7 Figure Club is offered as an affiliate product on Clicksure.

clicksure

When a product offers affiliates a $250 commission per sale, is it any wonder that there are at least three pages of search results sporting “positive” reviews for 7 Figure Club? Also, these reviews all contain affiliate links such as the following:

http://7figureclub.co/?clickID =2010888350&aff=enator&c=US&tid=102cabad89db56762f53f5289a6d10&aff_id=5584

What else is askew with 7 Figure Club?

7 Figure Club features several customer testimonials, including the following:

7 Figure Club 6

jerry s hart

Upon closer inspection, it appears that the happy customers are actually actors who sell their testimonials on Fiverr at the rate of $5/testimonial.

7 Figure Club 7

7 Figure Club 8

There are also these “security measures” that the site provides:

7 Figure Club 2

There are no links associated with these security seals, which makes them essentially ornamental. The same can be said of the following news announcements- if you can’t click on the trademarks and find the associated story, then the announcement might as well be imaginary.

7 Figure Club 10

The website shows the following countdown of spots left available:

7 Figure Club 9

This counter eventually goes to just one spot left available. However, if you refresh your page, you again have “9 spots left” on the counter.

Summary

The 7 Figure Club proposes that it will make you a millionaire in under a month, but provides no strategy on how that will happen, just actor-based testimonials. You are also told that you will be paid $10,000 from Martin Taylor’s personal funds if he fails to make you a millionaire- yet again there is no strategy provided or even how you would receive those funds. Furthermore, you are on the hook for $600 of your own money if you try the software out. This is nothing but a plain old binary options scam, and the only winners here are the affiliates and brokers, not you.

Beware of These Mystery Shopping Fake Check Scams

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Even though it’s been a while since my car wrap scam posting of 2013, I see that fake check scammers are still going strong.

Yesterday was a “red letter” day for me; I received not one, not two, but three fake checks in my mail box.

Fake check scam #1: Mystery Shoppers Agent

The first fake check scam involves mystery shopping through the company website Mystery Shoppers Agent.

mystery shoppers agent2

At first, I wasn’t sure if this company was also a scam or just caught up in the cross hairs of the scammers’ ploys. You see, when it comes to fake checks, scammers don’t hesitate to “plug” legitimate businesses into the mix. Completely legitimate banks and retailers will appear to be sending cashier’s checks, and USPS or FedEx envelopes will feature actual return addresses.

In the case of Mystery Shoppers Agent, however, the stench of scam was almost immediately apparent. Aside from the site’s broken English, it states that it offers a “Minimum amount for each assignment is $600 USD, payable by check.” Also, on its application page, you find the following statement: “We would like to inform you that you will be handle two assignment per week and the minimum payment for the each assignment will be $600 which make it $1200 every week.”

I’ve been a mystery shopper since 2010; several of my friends have been mystery shoppers for 10+ years now. No one in my immediate group has ever heard of assignments paying $600.

Also, for high-paying assignments of $60 or more, mystery shop assignments came with pages upon pages of instructions. However, read the letter I received and posted below for an assignment that supposedly pays $300:

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For this “assignment,” you are requesting wire transfers to two individuals living in the Philippines. You are then generating a report about the “customer service professionalism.” No directions are provided on how to generate this report.

But it gets even better- I received not one such letter from Mystery Shoppers Agent, but two! In one day, I found the exact same letters addressed to me and sitting in two identical 2-Day Priority Mail USPS envelopes. Along with those two identical letters were these two identical $3,775 checks:

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The same day, I also received the following email from Jo.DanieLS@Kash.info. His questions and my replies are posted below.

> Subject: First Task
> From: Jo.DanieLS@Kash.info
>
> First task is to be delivered to your address today or Tuesday at the latest and your assignment info and instructions would come in the mail along with your salary,please kindly follow the instructions that came in the mail along with your Paycheck…Did you recieve the payment yet?please reply back…thanks

On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 4:23 PM, Halina Zakowicz wrote:
Yes I did.

From: jonathan.daniels1950@gmail.com
did you made the deposit yet and when would u send the funds?

On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 4:26 PM, Halina Zakowicz wrote:
I deposited the funds this afternoon.

From: jonathan.daniels1950@gmail.com
when would u send the funds?

On Mon, Jun 22, 2015 at 4:38 PM, Halina Zakowicz wrote:
I’m going to do it later this week. Probably Friday.

From: jonathan.daniels1950@gmail.com
why friday?the check would clear tomorrow…so you should send the funds tomorrow please…also,i have been calling you and you didnt pick your calls

What I found interesting was that never during our email interchange did “Jonathan” ask about the actual review that I was hired to complete. No, it was all about sending the money ASAP.

Two days later, Jonathan was texting me about the money. I’ve copied our conversation below and highlighted my answers in green:

Have you completed the assignment. Please reply now

Yes

Can I have the details for the assignment the ref no for each name

Hello Why did you stop replying

The first number 65189544

I got the first number. I hope you sent the funds to the new details I sent to your email please ?

I called moneygram. It says the first number is invalid

Sorry about that. Let me check

And why are you not picking up your calls? And what’s the ref no for the second one What’s goingon

Ok, I need to check with moneygram again about those numbers.

You are a liar. Why are you lieing ?

You can’t even pick your calls. You didn’t even send the second number. This is bad of you

Please check this link

Which link

Tinyurl.com/p77xuoy

Stupid woman

I’ve also filed this scam with the FTC

I should add that the phone number of this California-based operation is (657) 529-0008. If the “business” is based in California, why are the checks originating from Arkansas? And also, why are the USPS envelopes coming from New York & Company at 2655 Richmond Ave., #1070, NY, NY 10314?

mystery shoppers agent

Fake check scam #2: Walmart Money Transfer

The other fake check scam came to me courtesy of “Joshua Baumfeld” of Secret Shopper. The email that I first received from this Joshua went as follows:

Dear Secret shopper ,

This is an update on Your first secret Shopper assignment which has been mailed and will be delivered  today or latest tomorrow  via USPS.Your secret shopper assignment will be done at any nearest Walmart store close to you,which will include shopping and testing other services available at Walmart.

Instructions on how to proceed and email your first assignment report has  been included along in the packet.

Kindly notify and verify that you have received this email,and also notify via email as soon as you have received the assignment.

Regards,

Joshua Baumfeld
Head of Recruitment.

About a week later, I received an official-looking 2-Day Priority Mail USPS envelope containing a letter and a $1,680 cashiers check.

Joshua wanted me to deposit this check and then make a “Walmart to Walmart Money Transfer.” I was also supposed to report on such details as “smartness of the attendant(s),” “reaction of personnel under pressure,” and “rudeness and agents inefficiency to customers.”

There are many obvious red flags in this letter, including poor English, sketchy directions and a payment of $200 before I even do my job. Another point of concern is the state (Grenada) and city (Mississippi) names being reversed. Meanwhile, the address on the envelope states that the correspondence is originating from Joshua Baumfeld, 7072 Wnchester (typo included) Rd., Memphis, TN 38125.

Finally, Walmart has stated that it doesn’t engage in any Secret Shopper services.

The entire contents of my letter and check are provided below.

IMG_3693

IMG_3691

What is the point of these fake check scams?

When you receive a fake check from scammers, the point is to have you deposit that money into your bank account- and then withdraw or wire most of it to the scammers (or their associates). The deposit and withdrawal must be completed within 1-2 days or ASAP.

By doing so, you and your bank won’t catch onto the fact that the check is actually fake and will bounce in roughly 3 days.

By the time your deposited check bounces, the scammers will be long gone, as will your withdrawn or wired funds.

If you don’t yet believe me, please click on the following list of complaints from duped secret shoppers.

The lesson to be (hopefully not) learned here: Don’t fall for these fake check scams.

Bonus: Halina’s fake check collage

I just wanted to show off my assembled collage of fake checks to all our I’ve Tried That readers. In total, I’ve received $21,835 now in fake check money. Woo! Also notice that some of these checks are made out to my cohort Hugh G. Rection. I’m sure my mail carrier was highly amused.

IMG_3696

 

Should You Trust Preston Ely’s Real Estate Mogul?

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If you haven’t heard of Preston Ely before, he is the name behind various real estate investment and other entrepreneurial products including Flip Your Way to Financial Freedom, REO Rockstar, Wake Up Wealthy and Instant Guru. He’s also authored several books including No B.S. Real Estate Investing, Instant Probate Profits, How to Steal Houses From Banks. The guy also has his fingers in fitness, Internet marketing, fantasy sports, gold investment, and personal development.

It goes without saying that this guy is everywhere. But for this review, I’m looking strictly at the real estate side of Preston Ely, and namely, his product called Real Estate Mogul.

What is Real Estate Mogul?

In a nutshell, Real Estate Mogul (REM) is a real estate “school” and member forum that offers daily lessons, spreadsheets, tools, scripts, listings, and member support for people looking to invest in real estate.

In essence, members are taught how to become real estate wholesalers, paying cash on-the-spot for foreclosed or otherwise distressed properties. The purchased properties are then renovated and either rented or sold. If sold, the properties are priced to make a significant profit for the seller.

The plans offered by REM are as follows and range from free to $197/month.

realestatemogul1

You get quite a bit of quality information even with the free REM plan. Since my signup on May 23rd, I’ve received (roughly) weekly emails like these:

realestatemogul2

REM offers a large range of helpful products and tutorials in its paid plans. Within its elite plan, members gain access to a number of experts, including those on commercial and multi-family properties, foreclosures and REOs (real estate owned), private money, short sales, and marketing. The plan also offers life coaches and rehab specialists, plus two “market insiders” who have ties to lawmakers in Washington, DC.

These experts regularly publish posts and lessons in categories including deal-getting, funding, investing strategy, market news, etc. One example of an expert-authored post is “As a wholesaler, what’s the best way to handle HUD closings?” Another example is “Private money demystified Part 1: Targeting the right people.”

There are also weekly training calls that are offered through the REM platform.

Another feature of REM is its real estate listing area. Here, you can look up properties that other members own. You may wish to buy these properties, or you can use the area to list your own properties as well.

Finally, REM offers a ton of generated forms, contracts and scripts for members to copy and use. Some of these items include attorney letters, buyer scripts, commission agreements, invoices, and REO cancellation letters. These items help newbie investors ease into the world of real estate negotiating, purchasing, renting and selling without having to hire a lawyer to create every single required document.

forms

Within the REM area, members are awarded “Mogul points” for reading content, watching training videos, etc. These points help the members rise in the ranks of the REM social platform. When sufficient Mogul points have been earned, these new experts can now also create and post lessons and other content.

One such expert is Chris Bruce, who has posted numerous videos on both REM and YouTube about his experiences in real estate buying, selling, assessment, negotiation, etc.

Real Estate Mogul negatives

As with any product, there are some drawbacks with REM. To begin with, there are several concerns about the recommended tactics for buying/selling real estate at wholesale.

One example is REM’s recommendation to use bandit signs to advertise real estate buying intent. You’ve probably seen bandit signs at some point- they are the signs on poles that say “We Buy Houses!” or something to that effect.

The problem with using bandit signs is that they are illegal in many states and communities.

Another criticism of REM is that members receive extensive instruction on how to buy distressed properties but not enough information on how to rehab these properties after the sale. This is an issue because home renovations can quickly lead to mushrooming costs for the buyer. Furthermore, it’s not difficult to obtain a loan to purchase property- but it’s a huge hassle to convince a bank or other lender to finance the renovation of property that the buyer has no intention of living in.

Preston Ely, the figure behind REM, has actually bought only a handful of properties, according to other criticisms. One critique even points out that Preston Ely doesn’t like real estate investment!

Finally, REM does’t offer enough information on actual marketing. For example, what are the best tactics for purchasing a FSBO (for sale by owner) property- flyers, phone calls, business cards? While the REM platform provides many forms, it doesn’t clearly state which forms work best with a particular property sale and when they should be sent.

Should you invest in Real Estate Mogul?

REM is not the cheapest product around; the elite membership will cost you almost $200/month. However, you do get a lot of advice and support from a number of experts. You also get templates to use during your own negotiations with house sellers and buyers.

As a result, REM is a worthwhile product to purchase if you’ve been exploring real estate investment and require sage advice and information. While there are some kinks with the product, it appears that, overall, REM is a sound investment.

Is Paid2Save App the Business Opportunity It Claims to Be?

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Recently, I received the following email in my inbox from a person praising the Paid2Save app:

You recently filled out a request to be matched with a business opportunity and I am THRILLED to be able to share this information with you!!  You have come across an INCREDIBLE opportunity at the RIGHT time!!

Paid2Save is an incredible, innovative Mobile Technology Company.  There are fascinating things happening as we speak!  This is a HUGE opportunity to make money on your own terms and this is a ground floor opportunity!

I’m always leery of companies or associates advertising massive “opportunities,” complete with lots of exclamation points. So, I decided to dig further into the Paid2Save business opportunity.

What is Paid2Save?

Paid2Save is both the name of a company and a mobile app that has existed since 2012. The company is based in California and is owned by David Hart of Hart 2 Hart Marketing. The app is a downloadable piece of software that customers use to get discounts to local merchants. As such, the app works akin to the business structures of LivingSocial and Groupon.

p2s

Unlike LivingSocial and Groupon, however, Paid2Save has a grand total of one employee, which might be David Hart himself or Linda Hart (data derived from Hoover’s).

Where does the rest of the workforce originate from?

Welcome to the world of MLM

Paid2Save operates via a referral structure of brand associates who work to recruit new merchants as well as app users. In order to become a brand associate, you purchase either the Business Starter Pack for $199.90 or the Business Builders Pack for $399.90.

Both of these plans provide you with an Ultimate Club Membership, enabling you to qualify for discounts at local merchants like dentists, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. You also obtain one or more DreamShares, which is like timeshare ownership.

You also qualify to earn income via retail sales and recruitment of new members. In fact, if you fail to recruit others into the program, you will no longer receive bonus and residual income.

p2save

This means you’ll soon be bugging local businesses and your family and friends to download the Paid2Save app or sign up for its different membership plans.

These plans cost $14.95, $29.95, or $49.95 per month for the Travel, Premier or Ultimate Club subscriptions, respectively. There is also a one-time $9.95 application fee.

As you sign up new members, you will start to build what’s known as your “downline.” This downline will kick up some of their member subscription commissions to you once they recruit their own new members. You will then rise up in the ranks of the organization and earn a new title (e.g., Brand Partner, Brand Supervisor) plus additional bonuses and commissions.

Is the Paid2Save app worth it?

While I’m not a big fan of MLM-style businesses, my bigger hesitation with Paid2Save is the product itself and how it can realistically make money for the company and its brand associates.

Paid2Save is not a real product.

Companies make revenues on actual products, not access to discounts from third-party vendors. This is one big reason why Groupon has struggled for years to make actual revenue and maintain solvency.

Sure, the app does make money via merchant transactions- 10% of each merchant transaction is paid back to Paid2Save. But a merchant will typically run a promotional discount once or twice a year, not constantly. Also, many merchants will cancel their plans after they’ve promoted their business and/or found the app to be unprofitable.

Paid2Save faces stiff competition.

LivingSocial and Groupon are free to use for customers and it’s only the merchants who must pay for the services. Many online discount and daily deal sites are free to use. It’s going to be difficult to convince frugal shoppers to pay up to $50/month for discounts that they could otherwise find for free, even if those discounts are really good.

Paid2Save has MLM competitors.

Even in the world of MLM, the Paid2Save app is not alone. Similarly styled apps like FlexCom, Lyoness and BeepXtra also operate by recruiting members and offering access to discounts as their product. ZeekRewards is yet another such MLM-based app, which is now undergoing litigation for being an illegal Ponzi and pyramid scheme.

You must pay for a membership.

As you move up the Paid2Save ranks to brand manager, you must also pay for an Ultimate Club subscription. That’s a business cost of almost $50/month just for being able to recruit new associates and collect a portion of their commissions.

The deals just aren’t that good.

After I downloaded the Paid2Save app and checked out its deals, I saw the usual merchant discounts that I would also find via Ebates, TopCashBack, etc. For example, I found online deals for 1.2% cash back from 1-800-BASKETS and 4% cash back from 1-800-FLORALS.

In the local deals area, I found a Pay $20, Get $30 Worth of Food/Beverage deal at a golf center and a free evaluation offer at a chiropractic center. These are the same kinds of deals that I see in my mailbox circular.

The Paid2Save Bottom Line

The Paid2Save app might be a worthwhile app to have at your disposal when you are shopping or out on the town. However, because customers must pay to use this app’s bigger benefits (through paid Club subscription plans), there is going to be limited product interest even if the discounts are good.

My recommendation is to keep clear of this business opportunity and look elsewhere.

Need Money and Have a Rugrat? Consider Starting Your Own Daycare

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According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, parents in the United States pay an average of $11,666 per year for daycare. Nationally, daycare prices range from $300 to $1,564 per month, and can even be as high as $2,000 per month in expensive cities like Boston or San Francisco.

Cost alone is why many parents choose to start their own daycare at home. However, you need not be a parent in order to start a daycare; at-home daycare can also be a lucrative business.

How to Start Your at-Home Daycare

  1. Find out your state requirements.

Daycare licensing regulations vary greatly state-to-state, so don’t assume that what’s OK in one state is OK in another. The biggest difference between states has to do with required caregiver licensing as a function of the number of children in your care (that are not your own). In some states like South Dakota, you can care for as many of 12 children without needing a license, while in states like Texas, you must have a license to care for even one child.

  1. Get registered.

Even if you don’t need to be licensed in your state for the number of children in your care, all states do require that you at least register as a family daycare provider. Luckily, most state registration forms are easy to fill out and require not much more than your name and insurance company information. Speaking of which…

  1. Get insured.

Kids are prone to fall, get injured and generally get into trouble. Protect yourself, your business and your assets by buying daycare insurance early on. Most major insurance carriers offer daycare insurance, which is really just a form of business liability insurance.

  1. Get incorporated.

Along the lines of protecting yourself, you should become incorporated as an LLC to protect your personal assets from being seized in the event of a lawsuit. If you operate your at-home daycare as a DBA (doing business as) or sole proprietorship only, you risk losing your home and other personal assets to a court judgment made against you. By having an LLC in place, you only risk losing your business.

  1. Perform necessary home improvements/adjustments.

For a variety of reasons, you should childproof your home. Install gates in areas leading to stairs, cover all electrical outlets, and lock your firearms. You should also keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. If you have a backyard, it will probably need to be completely fenced in and safeguarded from physical dangers like a swimming pool and/or fire pit.

  1. Get CPR and first aid trained.

Despite your best intentions and preparations, kids are prone to choking on things as well as cutting and/or injuring themselves. To prevent a possible tragedy, you should get trained in lifesaving techniques like CPR and first aid.

  1. Prepare for a site inspection.

If you opt to become licensed, the state’s department of health will pay you a visit at your established daycare facility to make sure your environment is up to code with state safety and cleanliness requirements. Some states will periodically inspect your home even if you are only registered and not licensed.

Common inspection points are listed on your specific state’s inspection application, such as this one offered by the State of Connecticut. Keep in mind that staff and child immunization is also considered part of facility safety.

  1. Check your contractors and/or employees.

Most states require that hired employees pass a background check and not be felons and/or convicted sex offenders. This means that you will need to conduct background checks on anyone you hire and pay for services.

Additional at-home daycare considerations

While these are the most basic requirements for starting an at-home daycare, they are just the beginning. The following items should also be considered, especially if you wish to maintain your business for many years and be profitable.

Revenue. As with any business venture, you’ll want to calculate how much money you need to generate per month/year in order to make revenue and a decent profit from your venture. Knowing this amount before you start your business is ideal because it will help you plan for licensing (or not) and negotiate a fair price for your services.

Marketing. It’s easy to forget that your business should always be undergoing some kind of marketing. You can advertise your at-home daycare by buying an ad in the local newspaper, by putting up flyers in stores and other public buildings, or even by using email sign-ups to disseminate your services and messages.

Education. Although it’s not absolutely necessary, you could eventually consider taking early childhood classes. By having this education under your belt, you’ll be more qualified for your job and thus more justified in commanding a higher price per child. Likewise, knowing how young minds work will help you better manage your brood and keep everyone in line (as opposed to destroying your house).

Finally, education opens up additional career directions to you; for example, you might wish to apply your newfound skills and open up a preschool or an after-school structured study program. You might offer early education tutoring as well as daycare. All these added options help raise your daycare rate.

Summary

Home daycare businesses can be lucrative and allow you to take care of your own kids by staying at home. While there are some hurdles to overcome in getting started, at-home daycares actually don’t require a lot of startup capital. Furthermore, the business can be started by nearly anyone.