Benefits of Traveling while Sourcing

When I first started selling books on Amazon, I traveled to every single library sale I could attend.  Every weekend was a different city filled with new faces, new food, and new scenery.  After a few years, I got burnt-out, and I focused on some online sourcing techniques.  Lately, I’ve got back into travelling again.  So for this post, I’m going to list the benefits of traveling while sourcing.

1)  You get out of the house.

2)  You can write off the mileage.  A 1000 mile road trip would probably cost $100 in gas.  But at the same time, you can write off $565 in tax deductions with the current 56.5 cent per mile rate.  I am by no means a tax expert, so please contact your accountant for tax advice.

3)  Explore new cities and play tourist.

4)  Meet new people and schmooze with like-minded sellers.  Yes, many sellers are quiet, secretive, and competitive.  But if you’re willing to open up to them, it’s a good opportunity to exchange ideas and form friendships.

5)  Opportunity to try new local food.  Instead of just going to Wendy’s you can try some local Mom and Pop restaurants.

6)  Visit friends and family that live out of town

7)  Listen to Podcasts, audio books, and other inspiration programs while driving.  Smart Passive Income and Entrepreneur on Fire are my current favorite podcasts.

8)  The margins are much higher in local spots like library sales and thrift stores compared to online sourcing.  From my experience, the average return on investment (ROI) for local sourcing is around 500%.  The best opportunities online are usually 100% at best.  Again, this is my experience.

9)  You get a lot of exercise.  Carrying books around and hauling them to your car and home is a good chance to burn some calories.

This is by no means a definitive list.  Of course, there are some disadvantages as well but this will focus on the positives.  Feel free to correct me or add more benefits by commenting on the post.