Have you ever wanted to have a side business or do something related to motorcycle riding that can earn you some money? You can do several things. If you're mechanically inclined, you can work on people's bikes. However, this does require being licensed to work on specific bikes. Another option is to do custom paint jobs for people's bikes. However, one type of side business does not involve any particular skills, reselling patches. You can sell these patches online or at biker rallies, and it's fairly easy to do.
Purchasing Patches
The first step to being a patch reseller is knowing where you can get your patches. One of the best websites to order from is The Cheap Place. You can buy single patches in large bulk orders. Buying in bulk actually saves you money, the more you purchase, the cheaper each individual patch is. This is also a great way of adding to your inventory. The Cheap Place also offers wholesale accounts. Anyone can sign up to be a wholesaler, and those who do get a discount on patches. The only downside is that you have to order at least $100 for each wholesale order, but that's not a problem if you're just starting your business or if you need to stock up on a lot of patches.
Another reason to shop with The Cheap Place is that we only sell patches through our website, we are not on eBay, nor do we set up booths at any rally. We will not compete with those who want to buy and resell patches. This means you can buy with confidence.
Your Start-Up Inventory
Once you've created your wholesale account, you have to decide which patches you want to buy. You'll want to look for patches you know appeal to many motorcycle riders. Some sayings patches, cool patches, and lady rider patches are always good to start with. Don't forget some military and Christian patches. Flags are also a pretty popular choice.
In addition to patches, The Cheap Place also offers stickers, pins, jewelry, and more. Stickers and pins take up very little room, so they're good options to add to your inventory. You might also want to get some key chains, zipper pulls, and guardian bells. All three are popular items that will not cost you too much and are usually popular.
Launching Your Reselling Business
Once you have your inventory and have completed any necessary paperwork in your state, such as getting a tax ID, you're ready to start selling. For those who travel to many biker rallies, it makes sense to take along some patches and get a booth. There's no real need to do any advertising or any work in between shows except checking your inventory and reordering any patches or other items youre low on. You'll also need to research upcoming rallies, reserve a booth at them, and make any travel and lodging arrangements.
The main work will be at the rallies themselves. You'll probably need to arrive earlier than most attendees so you can set up your table, get your patches arranged just as you want them, and make certain all of your paperwork is in order. You'll also want to bring along another person to help you run the booth; otherwise, you won't really be able to take any breaks.
The downside to selling patches at rallies is that you have to sell a good amount of money to make up all of the costs associated with travelling. If the rally attendance is very low or if there are a number of other people trying to sell patches there, you may not be able to do this, and so you'll lose money.
Selling Online
The other option for reselling patches is to do most of your work online. Many people list patches on auction sites like eBay. You can sell patches at any time of the year, and you don't have to worry about overhead costs like travel, lodging, and booth space. Of course, there's a lot more competition online. You also won't make a large amount of money in a very short amount of time as you would at a rally. However, you may make a more steady income.
While you aren't at risk of losing a lot of money as you would at a disappointing rally, you do have a few extra costs associated with online selling. You have to keep in mind that eBay and other sites will take a cut of your profit (how they do this varies from site to site). You'll also have to make certain you include shipping costs in your pricing, and you'll need to be prepared to make several weekly trips to the post office.
Do Both
If you are really serious about being a patch reseller and making a good amount of money at it, you'll want to do both online sales and attend rallies. This lets you keep up your business even when there aren't many rallies going on, but you also will get the high number of sales a rally tends to have.
This does mean that reselling patches will become like a second job for you. While it may not take up a whole lot of your time on a daily basis, it will take some ongoing effort. You will need to operate it like a business, keep your receipts, file business taxes, do marketing, etc. There's more than just posting your listings online and going to rallies. You might want to spread the word about your business by creating business cards with your main eBay page on them, for example.
A Fun and Easy Job
While it's a job, it's also pretty fun and easy. There's not a lot of stress involved, and you are your own boss. If you need some extra income each month or are retired and want something to do, being a patch reseller is a great opportunity.
