Home-based business will be on the rise again as the U.S. economic recession deepens. Home-based businesses of course have much lower overhead; there's no one to fire you and you can set your own hours. However, most businesses run from home quickly make the owner aware that 8-5 was a much less-demanding work schedule and getting started in a home-based business requires cutting through a lot of red tape.
Starting a consignment business in your home doesn't or may not require a lot of start-up capital. These days, with Internet resale capability, it's possible to run a business from home from a hone office. No store front is needed but a vehicle is. So here's the idea:
Find things to sell on eBay, preferably small items that are easy to ship and stand little chance of providing reasons/excuses for buyer dissatisfaction. Jewelry is a very popular item and items are small, inexpensive to ship. Furniture and clothing are popular items but make poor online items. Furniture of course is impossible to ship cheaply and clothing is wide open to controversy (condition, accurate description) and dissatisfaction. Take pictures of each item. Itemize them. Get an agreement signed do your best to protect yourself and avoid confusion and disagreement. If you wish to handle larger items, you can post pictures on the Internet and make it the owner's responsibility to deliver and deal with customer acceptance.
