FBA Summer Road Trip!
We’re already halfway through summer, but it’s never too late to hit the road for some FBA sourcing adventures! Whether you only travel a couple of times a year, live the RV life full-time, or something in between, great sourcing opportunities are everywhere if you know where to look!
How Do I Source From the Road?
Let’s start with the basics and list some of the major ways you can source some profitable merchandise:
-Retail Arbitrage – this can include chain stores, large box stores, specialty shops such as antique stores, thrift stores, and boutiques.
-Online Sourcing – with a laptop or smartphone, WiFi, or a hotspot and you purchase products from anywhere in the world.
-Auctions – check local papers, online classifieds, or just ask the locals when and where the closest (and best) auctions are held.
Tips to Keep in Mind
-If you’re traveling by RV or camper you can bring some of your more portable inventory with you (clothing, health & beauty, paper goods, etc.).
-If you’re traveling on a familiar route, especially if you live on the road and stay in one or several areas long-term, you can keep larger amounts of your inventory in storage.
-Look for stores, even large retail chains, that are in rural, less populated areas to find profitable inventory.
-If you sell any sports memorabilia or paraphernalia, hit up stores close to the home bases of professional football, baseball, basketball, and soccer teams. If you attend any games and you can get your hands on free giveaway items, you can sell those too!
-Buying on the road can help you break out of a sourcing rut and can inspire you to find new and exciting items to sell.
-Mobile sourcing gives you an excuse to see places you might not have seen before.
Where Should I Go?
The United States is approximately 3,119,885 square miles, so it’s up to you! Keep in mind that wherever you go, there’s sure to be a tourist attraction or national park within driving distance such as:
-The Grand Canyon
-Yosemite National Park
-Mount Rushmore
-Yellowstone National Park
Some other tourist-friendly places are also potentially terrific sources of rare and/or highly profitable items:
-Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall in Boston
-Disney World in Orlando, FL
-Disneyland in Anaheim, CA
-The Las Vegas Strip
-Times Square, 5th Avenue, and Greenwich Village in New York City
-The River Walk in San Antonio, Texas
-The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota
-The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
If you can’t decide where to start, just head to one of the largest cities in the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.
If you’re looking for a different kind of adventure, check out some of the quirkiest cities in the United States like Portland, Oregon, Nashville, Tennessee, Seattle, Washington, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Providence, Rhode Island, or New Orleans, Louisiana.
Wherever you decide to go before the last precious days of summer end, just remember to keep an eye out for exciting and unusual buying and selling opportunities.
And don’t forget your sunscreen.
Happy Selling!
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WorldTourismGroup
Great Article! I am enjoying the content here. I still think after the comparison that I d want to stick with Inventory Lab but mainly because I got in when it was in its infancy and still pay the lower amount but get all the upgraded features and only have to pay for one product. I switched to all online arbitrage so I would save money if I switched because I wouldn t need profit bandit so its definitely something to think about. Thanks for the taking the time to write this article.