Welcome back to another episode of the Resellers Mindset Podcast.
My name is Mike, also known as the used book guy on YouTube,
along with my friend and fellow full-time reseller, Johnny B.
We help people start and grow their reselling businesses from the ground up.
We also have a weekly zoom call and private discord for all YouTube members.
Head on over to youtube.com backslash use book guy to join the channel and gain
access to the full length podcast zoom call and private discord today.
Let's get into this week's episode. What is up everybody?
Welcome into another episode resellers mindset podcast,
use book guy Mike here along with Johnny and we've got another John J and J today.
John Muscarella. Everybody knows him as side hustle experiment, YouTube,
Instagram, Twitter, all the social media platforms he is on.
He has moved from bulk books to online arbitrage only.
So this is going to be very exciting because a lot of people that listen to this
sell media and somebody that, you know,
had a warehouse and kind of pivoted out of that, you know, what's it look like?
So I'm just going to throw it over to John here.
He's going to introduce himself kind of what he does and then me and Johnny,
I'll just kind of pick on what's up. John.
Going on. Thanks for having me guys. Um, it's crazy to be on.
I've just saw Mike from afar watching his YouTube. I was like, uh,
this dude's like in one of my thrift stores. Uh, what's this, what's going on?
Or at the time I was doing bulk, so I wasn't doing anymore, but I was like, oh man,
it's like,
I don't really have like a local bookseller that I've ever like knew or
texted or anything. So, um, but yeah, I've started thrifting books,
quit my nine to five, gotten to bulk books. Uh,
I had two storage units upgraded to a 4,500 square foot,
uh, warehouse, got the forklift, got employees, all that stuff.
That seemed cool, but it turned out that was a huge headache. Um,
restock limits happen. Uh,
I went from a limited storage down to like 20,000 to 10,000
at one time at 4,000, how to get rid of like 2000 books.
Then I was like, I guess I have to merge and fulfill, uh,
did not want to merge and fulfill. So that was kind of it for me.
And then I kind of got into online arbitrage.
A lot of people that kind of, everyone seems to start with books.
So like a lot of people like miles and mourner, um,
I started what they were doing with OA and kind of was like just talking to
them. I'm friendly with them and they kind of, you know, learn from them,
start watching YouTube videos. But then yeah, got to OA, um,
and yeah, sold over, I think that's like 1.8 million, um,
on Amazon. And that's like, I would, if it was all OA, it'd be so much higher,
but it's only like, what, a year and a half OA and then like books.
It is, uh, it is funny, right? So for those, I mean, me,
I probably could have went over to John's house and we kind of just would have
shared one microphone, right? It was right across the river from me. And, uh,
it, it's weird, right? So he gets out of thrifting thrift stores and starts bulk.
And then I come in and I'm literally thrifting all of the stores.
He used to thrift before he got a warehouse.
It's almost as if like the stars align that's like, Oh, John's out.
Here comes Mike. It's like, it's so weird. It's so weird to think about. Um,
but I did, I mean, I don't want to give you credit for my whole business, right?
But, uh, an interview you did with Roemer, I don't even know.
It might've been 2020, 2019. And, uh,
the title was like making money selling books in central Pennsylvania.
And I'm sitting at CBS. I'm like, wait a, wait a damn minute. What about me?
Right. So I do give you some credit to kind of inspiring me to,
to start the book business altogether. But, uh,
I'm just curious here, like what, so the restock limits hit you.
Like they always do. Um, I guess I'll kind of start with that.
Do you think there's going to be restock limits this year?
A hundred percent. Um, they do it every Q4.
It's they want fast moving toys and stuff like that. I mean,
I don't know. I'm no expert. Like no one knows what Amazon's going to do.
I mean, they came out with the email, I think yesterday or today, um,
saying that they're not going to raise like the surcharge fees.
They'll be the same as last year, uh, which is nice. But I mean, yeah,
I think, yeah, they probably will.
Um, and that's why it's kind of important like for OA anyway,
to kind of just be moving volume because you keep your space that way.
For those that don't know, like as media sellers, uh,
especially when you have a warehouse, you know, you're carrying 20, 30,
40, 50,000 units in Amazon at any given time.
So what happens is when restock limits hit,
you go from being able to continually send in pallets of books and media to
being able to send in nothing.
So he basically reached a point where he said, well, what do I want to do?
Do I want to have a merchant fulfilled business or do I kind of want to pivot
here and move to OA and you kind of hit it on the head, right?
There's a, there's a lot of other people out there. Miles Warner, um, just like,
give me, give me what was going through your head when you,
when you started to step away from books.
Cause I know for a while you were kind of doing both and you got to a point
where you're like, all right, this is enough.
Like what was the break at point for you?
For me, it was really just
to be honest, I think you have to always like, just pick your heart.
And for books, I had a good source.
Um, I think I did a poor job planning the move into bowl where it just seemed
cool. And like, that, like, for those who don't know, like what everyone looks at,
like, oh, I am wholesale now.
Like that was a book seller, like everyone and their brother, like the book sellers
were like the cool people at Amazon.
I'm not really like to not say you guys are cool or whatever, but like,
that's what everyone wanted to do and be in like thrift.
But now everyone wants to do like, oh, wait a prep or wholesale and prep or all
this other stuff.
Um, but yeah, for me, I was just like, you know what?
Like this is just way too much work.
And it was really the merchant fulfilling and getting help.
Like I don't, it's always hard to get help.
I mean, I was trying to get help in the pantry, but I was like,
I mean, I was trying to get help in the pandemic.
I'm paying like someone $15 to scan a book, which is, it just doesn't work like
that. Like it's ridiculous.
Like, yeah, everyone should get like a fair wage and all that other stuff.
But like, they're just like some stuff that just can't pay that much and kind of
use books is that it's a volume game and you have to get through it quickly.
And there really is no quick way to get through a gaylord of books.
I mean, we had a dumper, we had a table, um, and had like a good process going,
but like, unless you're going like the conveyor belt route, which is going to
cost you like 40, 50 grand.
Um, you know, there's only so many ways you can make it quick.
And that was kind of the thing in my head.
It was just like, you know what?
Scaling, oh, you're spending more money.
Skip to scale book business.
You could buy two truckloads, but you have to process two truckloads.
So now that means I need like four or five people for, oh, I, I'm just like
sitting there, swipe my credit card.
Like I can buy 10, I can buy 20, I can buy 30.
And then like, yeah, it's just too much work.
I was also doing eBay full time.
So like, it was just way too much.
I don't even know how I did it at this, like looking back.
So do you, are you currently a solo op or you have some staff on a smaller scale or?
I use a prep center.
Like, I guess I consider that like staff because, you know, they do all the
prepping and shipping to Amazon.
And then I have a virtual assistant who sources for me.
And then another one that kind of helps with content a little bit.
So nobody you see every day who brings you coffee.
No, no, no.
Okay.
And are you still doing eBay or are you out of eBay entirely?
Uh, so I'm partnered with this other prep center that will list
my returns on eBay for me.
Okay.
I have like mixed feelings about it.
It's like going, okay.
Um, but now that I have more space, I literally just moved into like a
house from an apartment.
Uh, I might like kind of take it back.
It's kind of, it was more of a hassle than anything else.
So a little eBay, but not really.
Gotcha.
I, um, I'm curious here, right?
Because it's just like all, all the OA people, right?
They show you your bars on your phone, right?
Oh, look at these bars.
Okay.
Just give me a realistic expectation.
If somebody starts online arbitrage of like a profit percentage, you know,
is it between like 10 and 25, like give me kind of the low and then the higher
end of like what you have seen since you started OA just so people have a real
expectation because a lot of people get caught up with the sales numbers and
not the profit numbers.
So the sales numbers.
Oh, that is one thing with OA that is really hard, like with books, so easy
to track, like you go to Goodwill.
Like, I don't know how you did it, but like with me, I used to do like the soft
back and then I got to a point where it's like whatever's in the bag, like we
split it, whatever the cost was.
And like, that's how we're doing it for OA.
There's lots of lost inventory, um, stuff that was at the prep center or stuff
that Amazon loses, like there's just money everywhere.
Um, so I'd say probably about like 10%, 10 to 15%.
It really depends if you're smaller, like you could definitely find stuff of like
30, 40, 50% ROI.
Um, but it's really hard to do that at scale.
Uh, you know, doing like 60, $70,000 a month in sales.
Um, it's hard to try to keep that margin up.
Um, but it's just, you just gotta, kinda gotta look at it.
I like to look at it more like almost to like profit.
It's like, there's some stuff, like I've seen a lot of people, um,
I'd rather make 20% on something and make $20 than have like something
40% ROI that I'm making $2 on.
Like I don't care.
Like, so I think you just have, it's a constant bounce of that.
And then it's like returns, like there weren't many returns in books.
I mean, maybe textbooks returns were a little higher, but yeah.
So there's just a lot to track and a lot to go on.
But again, like, yeah, like with anything else, it's just, you got
to figure out what you want to deal with and kind of go from there.
So most people in our group, they kind of, they don't traditionally do a,
there's a, oh, there's a couple of them.
So what would you say the startup costs for getting into OA and let's just,
let's keep it nice here in books.
What would that cost somebody trying to get into that in 2023 numbers to
clarify for people listening in the future?
That was the craziest part.
So that was probably the biggest obstacle for me to wrap my head around.
I was probably paying like four to $5,000 a month for books, like just
for inventory and like a helper and stuff like that for, like some days
that's what I spend in a day.
Like we're trying to spend like 40, $50,000 a month just on inventory.
So to get started, everyone says, oh, you started $0.
I don't really buy into that.
I would say ideally like two to 3000.
It's also depends on like how hard you want to make it.
Like you don't need inventory labs, but like it's a good idea to have that.
Like what are you going to do list on seller central?
I mean, I guess you could, but like, I don't even know how to do it anymore.
But like, so I would say like two to $3,000 and yeah, you just gotta like
that I would say that five, the more money you have, the better.
And I'd like to recommend that like, you don't rely on like a credit card
because like you're for sure losing money on your first like couple of buys
because like you're just learning.
It's just how it is.
It is.
It is weird to kind of think about, right?
Like you go from going to your warehouse, like, you know, how six, seven days a
week to now you can basically the room you're sitting in, right?
You can get off this call and you can go source products.
Like has that changed in like your environment?
Like if you have times where you're like, damn, I wish it like, I could just
like go sit in the warehouse by myself, like somewhere outside of like your, your
house to source, like, do you do that?
Like you go to coffee shops and whatnot, just as like a change of scenery.
I will like, yeah, sometimes it's like nice.
So sometimes now it's really nice.
Cause like I have all this whole like space down here.
But yeah, I'll go to like Panera where like Barnes and Noble is some coffee
shops just to like break it up.
Yeah.
It's weird, like not leaving the house and like just kind of like sitting
out of a computer all day.
But yeah, sometimes I think I miss eBay a little more than anything else.
Cause we were doing like the rare, like high end books.
Like I started to really get into that.
It was like a love hate because I remember, I think we did like 50 K and
sales in a year and I'm like, Oh, this is amazing.
Like, and now like we do that on Amazon in like a month and you're just like,
wow, I took you a whole year.
Like it's just very different.
Obviously the profit and stuff is much better on eBay on like a 50 K sales.
But yeah, it's just, do you need a prep center for OA?
Like say, like say somebody like myself, you know, and even like yourself, right.
And books, you're kind of doing all the prep work yourself.
Like is it feasible because the big thing right is, oh, way you can travel the world.
You can do what you want and it goes to a prep center.
You don't even touch this stuff, right?
Like, so how feasible is it to like have a prep center?
Do you recommend having a prep center when you start or is there like kind of
like a timeframe where it's like, okay, build your business to this point.
Then you can think about a prep center.
So I think for prep centers, you should know, you should be doing all the prep
yourself at first, just because you have to know how the process works.
Like I thought a big, oh, you sell books.
It's going to be easy to do online arbitrage, but it was an obstacle.
Like it's nowhere like the issues and headaches.
Like it's just like anything else.
Like you have it with books and like, I didn't realize, I thought I was going to
like smooth into it, like no big deal.
But yeah, I mean, I think you should do all the prep yourself and you just kind
of got to look for advantages.
So like for instance, in like Pennsylvania, like you don't pay tax on food, like
grocery store items, like vitamins, some health stuff.
So those are clothing, you know, so those are really good items to go around.
Cause one of the best things about a prep center is in a tax free state.
So you don't pay sales tax or usually that is a good one to go with.
But I mean, you should, I did a ship in myself the other day.
I actually like went really deep into something and was just like, it was a
good opportunity.
So it's like, I'm just going to prep it myself and get it there quicker.
So there's pros and cons, but I definitely think you should start.
When should you get one?
I think it just like depends on your time.
You know, if you, the theory behind it is, you know, if you could spend, if you
spend to your time sourcing, you can make more an hour than you can prepping.
But they'll come a point where you kind of need more time to source potentially.
And that's usually the time to get one.
I feel like probably on a 20, 30 K in sales, maybe start looking for one.
Plus you have to realize that it's like costs, like it's upfront, like obviously
you're not doing the work. I feel like sometimes everyone's like in such a rush.
It's like, Oh, I want to be like, cool.
And, you know, have a, and I did too.
And like, I lost like $5,000 in inventory.
So I didn't know what I was doing when I hired the prep center.
And like, it turns out that like, I was like, yeah, I'm going to do this
book business full time.
Like I need to outsource to prep.
And then like, I had no idea what I was doing with OA and it turns out like the
prep center was bad and like everything got messed up.
Everything got screwed up and like, I wasn't sure if it was normal, like just
all this stuff happened.
So you definitely need to like, there has to be a balance of how much work like
you're willing to do and how much you can outsource.
I feel like, like I'm one to like, I guess, kind of like to work, which is weird.
Um, but yeah, it's just really hard.
I think it just depends on the person.
Now, if you have like a full-time job, I feel like that's a little bit of a
different story, like you're going to have to hustle and like prep, but then
like, it might make sense for you to outsource that sooner than it would for
someone who's like just doing a full time.
So what do you consider to be the biggest problem in OA right now?
Uh, there are a lot of problems right now.
Number one, what's at the top of your list?
Uh, for OA, I think it's getting inventory, like banned from
stores, like I pretty sure I talking to Mike, I just got banned from like one
of the biggest websites I was like ordering a lot of stuff from.
Um, so like you spend a lot of time like learning how to give around stuff.
Um, you know, the sales cycle for that site and all this other stuff.
And then like you're banned and then you're like, damn, like I gotta
do this again at another store.
Um, so I think that's probably like one of the hardest obstacles to overcome,
but there are definitely stores out there that you don't have this
issue with and categories.
Like I used to be really big into apparel and you could get like tons of
apparel like without a lot of issues, but the returns are higher.
So like I, all the time I like go back and forth and maybe I should just
like get back into apparel.
Um, but yeah, I'd say that's probably one of the biggest ones.
Uh, I'm curious here because you've been doing OA for a while now.
Like, uh, there's people that sell like leads, right?
So like you have a list of things and like, uh, I've heard stories of like,
uh, VA's like, uh, Johnny's both your and my VA, right.
And you're kind of like, does that happen often?
Like, I feel like, I just feel like if it's like a bot that's sourced
sourcing these leads, like the bots probably all do the same thing.
So it's like, Oh, you get on this leads list and you think, Oh, you're
going to make this money and that's kind of like the easiest way to do it.
And a lot of people do it, but I do think like, give me some nuances when
it comes to like leads list and VA's like, have you ever had like a VA
that worked for you and somebody else?
I did.
And I had to fire him.
I was in this group called arbitrage ops and they ran like a service that
you could like submit your VA to like, and he started doing like, really
like kind of crappy and like, wasn't doing a good job and I just happened
to like submit it and they're like, Oh yeah, like that guy's worked for like
three people and then, so like I go to hire another one.
And he applies because like, you would see like the history of like the
applicants and I was like, Oh my God.
But yeah.
So I feel like for leads lists, it's like anything else, like that's like
one of the hard parts about it's I like definitely envy you because it's so
much in the terms of like content creation was so easy to make content
about books and like, Oh, I have this big warehouse and there's books
everywhere and like making like 20, $30 a book or sell a book on eBay for $500.
But if we know that like, you can't really share anything.
Like people get real mad.
I'm actually just joined the leads list to kind of like test it out.
It's definitely interesting more.
So a leads list works best when you don't buy anything that's on the
list, you use it to like, be like, Oh, like targets having a sale.
Like they're like, Hey, this water bottles on sale on target.
You're like, Oh, are there any other water bottles on sale?
And that's kind of how like the best way to use it.
Cause a lot of the leads, like people are just going to buy it.
Like they're just going to buy it and then they're going to panic and freak out.
So if you're using the right way, I mean, I guess it, it could be beneficial.
I kind of like to be on the list too.
Cause like, I like to know what's being put on the list to like stay away from
that kind of stuff.
Um, there's definitely some like things where you're just like, wow, like
this is a great lead.
And then it just goes to crap and it's like, Oh, like, yeah, I was on this list
or whatever.
So it kind of can help you like not buy as heavy if you know it's on the list or.
Yeah.
So leads lists, I mean, it's a good way to like get some ideas of different
stores or sources that are probably a little less unknown than others.
Um, but overall, I mean, it just really depends on what you're trying to do.
It's always best to source yourself.
That is like, I guess I'll leave it at that.
Like it's always best for you to figure it out.
Um, but I could understand why people would want to go with the leads list.
Absolutely.
So repeat more people jumping into OA.
Um, I mean, the gateway is a little high for people to start two to three K.
And then some people don't have 2000 and even in their savings account.
So once they get there with more people jumping into OA, where do you see
people like yourself staying ahead of the curve in the OA market?
What, what lay is in the future for you?
So for me, it's really, I think it's really the future is like almost
like keep a product finder.
So a lot of what's going on now, a lot of people are trying to talk about it
and giving away their strategies.
It's a very interesting time in the OAS space as somebody who creates content
and has like kind of sells coaching and like might do some other stuff.
I mean, it almost seems like that's like the move for a lot of people.
And that's why so much stuff is being shared because it's like, you share
this juicy tidbit of like a lead or something.
And I'm like, the idea is like, oh, like they're going to join the discord
or whatever the hell they're doing.
Um, so, I mean, I think there's like that, but I think it comes down to
just like creativity and I think just knowing, um, like, I don't know,
it was kind of like related to.
Like when you guys do books, so like, you just have like time.
So like, you have a lot of experience, you scan a lot of books.
And like, you just know where not to go.
So like if me and Mike went into a thrift store and I'm new, like he's
going to go to a certain spot, I'm not going to really know where to go or what
to do, and I think they're just stuff like that, like you just build on your
experience and just kind of like staying on top of like the curb.
And it's really comes like just listening and being part of the community
because like it's real obvious, like where people are pointing people,
like everyone's pointing people to like apparel.
So like that's like, okay, like everyone's going there.
So like, maybe I shouldn't go there and just knowing what like leads are being
shared, having like an inside ear with like, you're tight with some people,
like what's actually going on in some situations.
Um, but I mean, there's so much opportunity to like, to buy stuff.
I mean, geez, like there's just sales all the time.
And I just think you just have to be like, sound like a little more edge.
I guess.
Like you're just keep learning and kind of, I always like, I still this day,
like by courses, like I remember like signing up for one and someone's like,
what are you doing in here?
It's like, you know, like getting a refresher, like sharpening the edge.
Like, I don't know.
Cause like, you just see like these little tiny tweaks and I think like those
little tiny tweaks when you apply it to what you already know, like instead of
like just getting like so-so results, you get these crazy results.
Cause like, you know, 90% of it, it's just like this little tweak that like
takes it to the whole another level.
It is, uh, it is interesting.
I'm curious, like, cause I feel like if I did OA right.
And I'm like, maybe I find like this hot item or like this hot website, you
know, this kind of one-off thing.
Like, do you have like, you don't gotta tell me who it is, but do you have like
an inner circle of like, maybe like four or five people where like, if you find
something, maybe you're like, Hey, this is a good deal right now on this.
And like, you know, like, Hey, it's Mike, he's not going to tank the list.
And I can give him this lead.
Do you have like a trust in like inside circle where you kind of like share stuff?
I definitely share stuff with some people.
I probably could do a better job, like building that circle.
Um, I definitely have like a couple of people that I'll share with.
Um, it's always hard because it's to be like an influencer or whatever we're
called or whatever, um, you know, you're a big target.
So like anytime, like, you know, you're driving around or like, I don't know
if you guys know, but like, sometimes like people share stuff and I was like,
I know exactly what website that is.
Like they just took like a little picture and it's like, well, I know
like the color of that checkout button or that's the text or like every email
they send out has this, like there's just little stuff like that.
Um, we're like, I think a lot of people get their store like burned.
Um, when they brag, like, oh, I like sold a hundred of these and like go to
Target, you're like, okay, like knowing what I know, you can go to their
store or find it, like everyone uses their Instagram handle, like, well,
I don't know why they do that.
For what?
Like the Amazon seller name?
Yeah.
Their Amazon storefronts, like their Amazon, like their Instagram handle
or like something like in their Instagram name or just like, okay, like
this is definitely this person.
Um, so yeah, I mean, it's always, you gotta constantly be like changing
stuff up, but yeah, it's always good to share.
I mean, I love to share with the community, like even I'm not
getting anything like back for it.
I think it's like, for instance, like there's just so much stuff to buy.
And like, even if I like had infinite capital, like still, I don't know.
There's so much out there to get.
That is, uh, I think there's so many little nuances that go into OA.
It's not just going to the Amazon storefront.
It's not just going to the website and just buying it.
Like you actually have to sit there and like, Oh, you need a reprice or
you need to do this and you need to do that.
So like, I'm curious, like what's your angle for like, uh, like give me your
YouTube, give me your YouTube story, like why you started YouTube and like what
the future is of like your channel, because you're, you just shoot it
straight with OA, right?
You shot it straight with books.
And it's like, there's not many people out there that kind of be like, well,
this is how much I made.
These are the mistakes I made.
Don't do this.
Don't do that.
So like, give me why you started YouTube, where you want to take it.
So I started YouTube really to, so Instagram, I started like to kind of
document the journey, like that whole kind of thing.
I wish I had documented so much more, but I had like a nine to five and
like stuff like that could get dicey.
Like the owner of that company was always kind of like, I don't know,
Hugh definitely pissed.
Like if he like saw that I was doing it on the side, like, I don't know.
I thought that it comes up like questions, like, what are you doing at work?
Like all this like shit comes up.
So I'm just like, I don't want to do that.
And then like, I was just kind of driving and I was like, I wanted to
make content and like Instagram was just like, it was just hard.
Like, I feel like you just had to write a lot and I don't know.
It just wasn't my thing when I first got started and I was actually
listening to a podcast and Russell Brunson, who he's like an internet
marketer, he runs, he owns ClickFunnels.
He was just saying, Oh yeah, like I had no time to make content.
So like on my commute to work, I would just like film and like do the podcast.
Cause I had like a 10 or 20 minute commute.
I was like, Oh, kind of like a 10, I have like a 20 minute commute.
Like if I just go and like film a video driving home, like that would work
because it would be easy.
I just upload it.
As I thought, I didn't realize like you need to make a thumbnail
and like all this other stuff.
But yeah, that's kind of why I started, like just to give back to the community
and just, I don't know, I feel like it's always hard and a lot of people
like help me for free.
And like, I'm like friends with these people now, like we text
regularly and meet up.
So I feel like to give back, help other people.
I mean, I hated my job.
So like, I know there's a lot of other people out there.
So like even, and then like selfishly, it just feels good when someone
like comes up to you and they go, Oh, like I quit my job because of you.
Or, you know, you helped me do this or I made like $2,000 when I implemented this.
So I feel like stuff like that just like really feels good.
And like, it's more rewarding than like orange bars and money.
And I kind of want to put more of a focus on that, that this year, like
it's always hard for me anyway.
Cause like, when you kind of do that, we're like, Oh, I'm going to put more
of a focus on community and helping other people.
People are, Oh, your Amazon business sucks.
Like you're just doing it for months.
Like it's like this whole stigma.
And it's just like, all right, like go watch like the three or
400 videos that are out there.
Like if you still truly feel that, then like whatever that's on you.
I'm like, it is what it is, but yeah, it's always kind of like that.
And it's what I enjoy the most.
Like I would do this like all day.
Like I love selling on Amazon, but doing podcasts, making YouTube
content and just like helping other people.
I mean, I feel like that's just so much more rewarding.
So when you're getting started in your journey, how supportive were your
friends and family before you were a success?
Yeah.
It's funny how that kind of changes.
Like even like now, cause when you post numbers and stuff, people are like,
like, especially if they're not in the space, like they don't know what that
number means or like what is even at the end, like I don't even think my parents
know exactly like how much money I make.
Like there was like, Oh, it's like everything.
Okay.
Like just want to make sure like, are you eating okay?
Do you need money?
Yeah.
Things have never been better.
Um, so yeah, I feel like at first it was, it was always, I didn't really tell anyone.
So the first, so I started flipping furniture locally and feel like sometimes
you just should just like keep some stuff to yourself and like figured out yourself.
Um, because a lot of times I feel like my parents are super supportive, um, of me.
I'm like, I love them and all that stuff.
But I feel like if they're like, what the hell are you doing?
Like bringing like a table and chairs, like what, like, what are you doing with that?
And I think like those like little things, like as dumb as it sounds, like could really
like, like get someone like not to do it.
They're like, Oh, like this thing's, this is dumb or like, uh, like they're probably
right or something like that.
So I think when you start and go out and you're like, yeah, yeah, it's going all right.
I mean like, you know, 500 bucks.
And they're like, Oh, what?
Like, it's like when you have that little proof to kind of like go up and like kind
of combat some of these arguments.
And like my parents are super supportive.
Like my dad was like an entrepreneur.
So like he gets it.
But like, yeah, I think for most people, like family and friends could like almost be their
worst or their best.
Um, like as it got out a little more, like, you know, my like aunt's, her uncle's big,
Oh, like we have this or that.
Like, are you interested?
So like it was good, but like, I think at first, like it's like anything else.
It's like, you think it's dumb until you see like one of your friends doing it and you're
like, Oh damn, like they're actually making money doing that.
Like I thought it was stupid, but I think that it's sad, but I feel like that's just
how it is.
It's the same thing like on social media platforms, like, Oh, you get a certain amount of Instagram
followers.
Like you're over 10 K or you're over a thousand.
You just, it just gets very different.
It's, it's hard to explain.
It's, uh, it is pretty weird when you think about it because like friends, and like you
said, like they could be, how do you have like any family members or like close friends,
like reach out and be like, John, can you teach me how to do what you do?
Yeah, they never do it.
Same with me.
They're like, yeah, you could go to here, like you buy this, you could buy that.
Like you just have to sign up for an account and then they're like, oh, they go back to
do whatever they're doing.
Uh, I think everyone loves the idea.
It's like anything else.
Like everyone loves the idea of like making like passive income and like, yeah, but like
when you like break it down, it is a lot of work.
Um, especially upfront and it takes a certain person.
I think for a lot of people, it's like, if you can't stomach losing like $500, like it's
not going to work for you.
Like it's just not like this is a business where like you like, I consistently lose on
ASINs, but you know, most of the time I win.
So you're always going to be losing.
And I think people just can't feel like if you want to make like quick money, like flip
on Facebook marketplace, like locally.
All right.
I need, uh, something then like, I need a testament from you for all the people out
there that are thrifting media from thrift stores that say, I want to get into buying
gay lords of books and they can just roll them into their storage unit or their warehouse.
And they think that, you know, it's just going to be, it's just going to be magical and they're
going to make millions of dollars.
So I need you to give me like a few paragraph here summary of the actual hard work and all
the overhead and everything that goes into having that bulk business when you had it.
Yeah. So it always seems good on the surface.
Like, oh, if you're going to buy only got 10 cents a book, like, oh, I'm more than like
triple the money.
It's like, yeah, like I would, let's be honest, probably 90% of that is you're going to have
to like donate back or get rid of it somehow.
And like, you're not rolling anything.
Like you need a pallet chat, like for sure.
And you probably need like a plate if you're doing that, a storage unit, because like there's
a lip.
And like, I learned that the first time, like, like, yeah, like, how is this going to work?
So I think like on the surface, it's, it's good.
It's like shiny.
It's like the cool thing to do, but you're going to have to get rid of like 80 to 90%
of what you're getting.
And to get rid of that, oh, everyone loves to read.
Everyone loves books.
Like, well, not everyone could like haul a Gaylord out.
Like, and if you want to box it up, it's going to take like 50 Home Depot boxes to box it
up.
And then like, no one wants to haul that either.
And you're literally taking all the good stuff out.
Kind of obviously like it would books, like some people love romance novels, but like
to find that person, they don't want 20 boxes of them now.
So I feel like there's just so many logistics you have to think about.
Like when I did bulk out of a storage unit, I literally had a moving company, like picking
up the books at the thrift store, rented a pallet jack for the first couple of times,
because like, I didn't know if I wanted to do this.
Didn't really fit in my Jeep.
So like, I would just drive like with the Trump Bundy down.
Then like, you have to pay for the Gaylords and the pallets.
So it's like 15 each.
And like, you eventually like recycle them like in, if you keep buying from someone.
And then you go through all the books and then, yeah, you got to get rid of them.
It's like, you almost have to do it if you're not doing it regularly in like a day or two.
Like when I got my first load, I got like a Penske truck and I got, I had a person help
me, literally got the Penske truck, scanned all everything.
I think we did it that day and we literally did it in the truck.
And there was like so many like bad things.
We're like, all right, because like you don't want to pay for the truck rental twice or
for two days because it's expensive.
It's like, it's at least 250 bucks, I feel like.
So by the time you do that and then, so you have to get the books, go through all the
books and then get rid of the books.
So you don't have to pay for like two days of the truck because like you're paying like
probably 500, 600 for the books.
Like the truck is going to cost you $500 if you have it for like two days.
So like you got to go like super quick donating.
Like it was such a disaster.
Like I went to the Goodwill outlet and like we had it like all boxed up and like it didn't
even occur to me to like see if they would like take them in pallets.
And like I was like, would you ever like take it in pallets?
We're like, yeah.
So like me and this other person, like literally there's probably like two or 300 like medium
home jewelry boxes that we were just like dumping in gay lords.
It took us like an hour or two just to do that.
And like it was so terrible.
But like, yeah, getting rid of the books is probably like the hardest thing.
And I think like anything else, it's just like, like imagine like, I think for people,
it's like, imagine you had to buy the entire, all the books in the thrift store.
Like that's what you're doing.
That's essentially what you're doing.
Like you're better off just like scanning and going to more thrift stores and taking
that on because two, like you don't know, like especially if you're buying from a thrift
store, like you have people like probably like Mike or like just like dumping crap like
at the thrift stores because like he's getting it from the library and he doesn't want to
like, you know, throw them back to the library or, you know, he's dumping it in another city
because like he doesn't want to dump it into his thrift.
Like all that stuff, like he's dumping garbage.
They're putting it on the shelf.
No one's buying it.
And that's going into a Gaylord.
So like, you just never know where it's coming from.
And it's always like, so is a crap sheet, but like both books seems like cool and sexy.
And I always tell people, like, oh, I just want to test one.
I was like, you're going to lose a ton of money.
Like, what are you going to do?
You're going to pick up one.
You're going to run a truck to pay a hundred bucks.
You're going to run a truck to pay a hundred dollars.
Like if someone saw me one, you're like paying like three times the price, most likely of
getting one.
Like you should be paying like five, five to eight cents a pound for per books.
So like probably 60 to 70 bucks a Gaylord.
If you're paying more than that, like that's a bad deal.
Because like, unless there's like a gazillion textbooks in there, like it's just not happening.
So how much has networking transformed your business dealing with people asking questions
and stuff?
Because we've got a lot of people that are background lurkers and we never see them except
every now and then.
But how vital do you think networking is?
I think it's so important.
Just like to be part of the community and just like showing your face.
It's just, I don't know, there's so much opportunity that I've had.
Just it's like one thing where it's kind of sounds so bad, but like I can literally probably
get a hold of anyone and like resell them just because of what I put out.
Like if I have a question or if I want to get into wholesale, I wanted to do something
else, I could probably get like a call with one of the top people like doing that.
And I think it's just like one of those things where it's just like, oh, like you're in the
community, like they're giving back, you're giving back.
And I think when you're willing to give, like people are like really willing to help you.
And it was crazy.
I was at a conference with Jameson.
I don't know if you know Jameson, Philippi.
Some girl like came up to us like, because me and Jameson have like a similar story,
like we were depressed and like went through all that stuff.
And like she was like, you guys have no idea.
Like I never commented.
I don't, never DM'd you guys, but like you guys basically like saved my life.
Like just hearing your story and like how you were able to overcome it and like I'm
about to do seven figures.
And you're just like, damn, like I have no idea who this person was.
Like they've been watching all the YouTube videos and you just never know who's watching.
And I feel like that's kind of like the cool part about it or like going to meetups and
people are like, oh, I watched this video.
I don't know if you guys ever have this where you're like, people like watch it.
Like, it's just like this weird thing where like people are coming up to you and you're
just like, yeah, I guess people like, yeah, it gets views.
So yeah, obviously people are watching it.
So I mean, I think it's always good to like network because like you're going to need
help at some point in the journey.
And people are like super friendly.
Like I have an inbox full of people want to make reels for me or they want me to do Amazon
Automation or all this crap.
Like not a lot of people are asking for like fundamental help.
Like I'm always happy to help.
So I feel like the inbox isn't crowded for like legit people.
I will say like if you're going to reach out to someone, like do some homework, like don't
ask like, hey, like how do I start OED?
There's like probably five different videos like on my YouTube.
Like you just type that in and like side hustle experiment and like go watch that and then
say, hey, I watched the video about this.
Like what do you think about this?
And it's like, okay, like they watch something like, all right, let's talk about it.
I once had someone ask me, I have like a video.
It's like, oh, like 10 great places to buy.
And I was like, oh, like here's the link.
There we go.
What are good places to buy stuff from?
I was like, oh, here's the link.
All right, can you send me the list of the stores?
And I was just like, what?
I was like, what is going on here?
And I was like, I'll stop talking about them.
But all right, I don't need an explanation, but you have to choose.
You can't go wish you watch you 50 50.
What community is better, the book selling or the online arbitrage community?
I have to say, I feel like the people are more friendly.
I mean, the book community is awesome.
And like, obviously I was a big part of it.
And I think there's more, probably more like complaining and more like shaming of like
people, I don't know, not knowing stuff or I'm not really even sure.
Like, I mean, there's like plenty of like bad stuff going on on Twitter with OA and
people like being mean and stuff.
But I feel like sometimes it's, I don't know, it's just, I think the booksellers have like
a lot to complain about because it's a tougher game.
Like it's definitely a tougher game.
And I think people are maybe a little older and crankier.
And I'm probably gonna get killed for this.
But like, whatever.
I do think that's the case.
And there's a lot of people that were like, yeah, like, I just did it by eye.
And now like you could like whiz by them with like, scout IQ or whatever using the scan.
And I think there's definitely like some like resentment there.
And I think like, some reason I feel like there's more people who are like, yeah, there's
no money in books.
Like they're saying that to like key people out.
I don't know.
It's like a weird.
Listen, I never been in the Facebook groups anymore.
So I'm not like, but like, I do remember like, people would be like, oh, like, the old, the
famous one of it, oh, we're gonna get keywords of books.
And these people would get crushed, like 30 or 40 people would be like, you're so dumb,
like, find your own source and all this stuff.
Like, oh, I'll sell you those like 300.
Like, oh, like, damn, like, just scroll by.
I never like, I'm not a part of really any OA communities.
But I can say for a fact that the book, the book community is not as nice as people make
it out the scene.
I think that's kind of why a lot of people gravitate towards me.
Because if you go just post a question and you know, like any of the Facebook groups
for any of the softwares, right.
And even if it's the most noobiest question, should I buy this book?
You don't understand how this what you're looking at is like, it's so toxic.
So I do agree with you there.
I was just curious what your take.
I knew your answer what it was going to be.
But it's also like super apparent to me.
It's like, I don't know how like much you're like on YouTube with OA.
But like, we're always together.
Like me and Michaela, we do a show and like, we always have someone on.
Like I feel like it's crazy to me, like, especially just in the thrifting, like, world of books.
Like you guys, like, you could share everything.
And like, someone in Florida, like Max is not coming to Pennsylvania.
Like to like, look at rare books.
Like, he's like, Mike, you go find them and ship them to Florida.
Like, you guys like have this like amazing thing where you could like share basically
everything and like all win.
Oh, it's a little different.
Like, we share like a lot of information, like actual ASINs are not really but like,
you could literally be like, oh, like buy this first, be on the lookout for this first
edition.
And like that wouldn't hurt them at all.
And it's just crazy to me that like, there's not like that mesh.
So if you could take you now and go back to until year one, you reselling one piece of
advice, what would it be?
Get started sooner.
Like, I feel like it's always like that.
I probably would have went into a much sooner.
I feel like I think it's like who you surround yourself with.
I feel like now when I first started, it was like, do books, like, don't get distracted.
Like it was like, books is amazing.
Retail arbitrage, you're just going to go to Walmart and buy something and it's going
to tank and you're going to lose money.
No one is really talking about online arbitrage.
And wholesale was like for people like, if you crushed your book selling business, like
maybe you could transition to wholesale like five years away.
Now it's like totally different.
But I think yeah, get started sooner.
And just like, I think it's just take action.
Like it's just so sad.
Like I like literally made a YouTube video.
Like someone came here to put together furniture for us and he was like, oh, like we're just
talking and it's like an Uber for like furniture or something.
Like you pick your job or whatever.
And he's like, yeah, I thought about it.
Oh, like, you know, right around the pandemic.
And I was like, dude, like you would have like been retired.
Like if you like sourced the pandemic, like you could literally sell anything at once.
Like Walmart for like triple the price on Amazon.
And it's just like now it's like kids a little harder.
Like, so I feel like you just have to like take action and like no one wants to lose
money, but I don't know.
It's going to happen.
Like just get over that.
Like just do it.
And then to see what happens.
And I feel like you don't have to like go all in, like just try it.
Because like I feel like a lot of times too, it's like a lot of people will be like, yeah,
that would be amazing.
And then they do it.
And it's like not amazing.
It's like, well, you just wasted like two years.
You could have found out two years ago, like this sucks and it's not for you.
So I mean, I think just taking action and like just do it.
Don't tell anyone about it.
Just do it.
And if you lose 500 bucks, like no one else has to know about it.
You lose 500 bucks at the casino real quick.
Only a few spins, right?
You got a high rolled room.
You're done.
You're broke.
You're out the door.
I think we're going to wrap it up here.
But John, where can people find you plug all of your YouTube and Instagram and all that
stuff?
Yeah, you guys can find me on YouTube, Instagram, side hustle experiments.
Just type that in and I'll pop out.
He's an open book.
So like maybe you're selling media now or maybe you're doing RA.
Shoot him a message.
He'll give you a straight up answer.
No, no fluff or none of that kind of BS.
We appreciate you hanging out with us today.
And it was a fun time.
We look forward to the future of you and OA and, you know, building your YouTube out here.
So we appreciate having you on.
Thanks for having me guys.
This is fun.
We'll talk to everybody in next week's episode.
Welcome back to another episode of the resellers mindset podcast.
My name is Mike, also known as a used book guy on YouTube, along with my friend and fellow
full time reseller, Johnny B. We help people start and grow their reselling businesses
from the ground up.
We also have a weekly zoom call and private discord for all YouTube members.
Head on over to youtube.com backslash use book guide to join the channel and gain access
to the full length podcast zoom call and private discord today.
Let's get into this week's episode.