Page 199 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

bought a pile of second-hand magazines from a storage warehouse which was
selling out the stored possessions of people who had not paid their storage
rental.”

After starting this type of store, the next move of the McIntyres was to decide
on where they were going with it. While the sale of used magazines might
tide them over the depression, to make a big business of it and to build for
permanence and the future required a definite objective. They considered
ways and means and finally they decided just to be “different.” They would
carry a file of back numbers as far back as they could, build up this file as a
reference file, and at the same time build up a wholesale business in used
magazines. Of course, they didn’t accomplish this aim overnight. Like so
many beginners, they made many mistakes and, too, they had a great deal to
learn.

Watching Out for Profits

“The most important thing I discovered,” continued Mrs. McIntyre, “is that
everything you sell must be sold at a profit. As long as you make a little
profit on every sale, you can’t lose anything. In acquiring the used
magazines, we accidentally got hold of books, sheet music, and unframed
pictures and sketches. We did not want these things, but they were often
forced upon us. When we had a number of old books and pictures, we sorted
them and placed price tags on them. People entering the store for magazines,
often bought a book or two, or inquired about books. We also found that the
old sheet music had a cash value. So we decided while building a file of back
numbers of magazines for reference, to build a back number file of songs.
This requires patience and everlasting work, but it is worth the effort, for
soon you build up a reputation for your shop. We came to be depended upon
to deliver back numbers of many magazines, and we received orders from
bookstores, libraries and collectors for back issues, as well as complete files
of magazines. The price ranges from a nickel to two dollars and a half for
each magazine.

“We obtain the magazines from the janitors of apartment buildings, hotels,
and rooming houses. We also make frequent trips to the furniture storage