Back in olden days, before the Internet, selling physical products from home was a real chore. You either went door-to-door, spent money on classified advertising or packed up your goods and headed to a flea market or swap meet. Of course, there was always the garage or yard sale on the weekend, too. Thanks to computer technology, the World Wide Web and package pickup & delivery services, you can sell your products online and never have to leave the house to complete a sale.



In addition to auction sites like eBay and others, many people are carving out thousands of niche market Web sites in different areas and product lines. Party goods, lingerie, LP vinyl records, recipe books, collectibles, musical instruments, vintage clothing and a host of other products and services are being sold for a good profit by enterprising folks with a bit of imagination and a flair for connecting with people online.

Most of the successful home-based businesses have a "high touch" approach to their market. They personalize their business and enjoy contact with their customers as much (or more) as they do turning a profit. Word of mouth advertising, in today's social networks, means your business could be recommended by someone half a world away from your new prospect, who shares gossip and chat on a social networking site.

Blogging is another way the smallest home businesses develop a worldwide reach and following. By sharing good content and information about their passion and interests, these little businesses can grow into major operations in a relatively short period of time.

The key is to get your blog noticed by using targeted keywords and social bookmarking sites like Technorati, MyBlogLog, del.icio.us, Digg and others. With the right exposure, you could become an overnight sensation. Video sharing is another "viral" method of getting yourself noticed and driving traffic to your offers.

Product "sourcing", or getting something to sell, is also made easy via the Internet. If you specialize in yard sale "junk", you won't be able to hit every yard sale in the world. Thanks to the 'Net, you can find the best sources of wholesale "junk" for resale without ever leaving your home. You can also find bulk quantities of just about any consumer goods at a fraction of the price you can resell them for, in sizes and quantities that appeal to regular folks.

Dropshipping is becoming a major source of income for both resellers and the dropshippers. By offering name brand consumer goods that you don't have to buy and store at home, you can avoid having to "pick, pack and ship" your sales yourself. It takes a bit of research to find the best deals and companies to use as dropshipping sources. Some require a sign-up fee, or monthly membership fee. Make sure you ask around and find out who's good and who to avoid.

If you're more enterprising and have a local source of merchandise to sell, you can buy at wholesale and store your inventory at home. Then, as your orders come in, you pack them up and ship them out. Along with UPS, FED-EX and DHL, the US Postal Service is willing to swing by and pick up your packages right at your front door. With online postage and shipping fees being totally automated, you can create shipping labels and pay your delivery fees online. Tracking services and signature-upon-delivery means that you can control your package deliveries just like the big guys.

No matter where you are or what your interest, you can be sure that someone out there is making money selling things in your area of interest. Why not explore the possibilities of doing that yourself?