When I first started selling on Amazon, there were times when a product just wouldn’t sell. It was frustrating, but I learned that there are several options to consider when faced with slow-moving inventory. Here’s what I did to turn things around and how you can too.

Evaluate Your Listing

1. Optimize Your Product Listing

One of the first things I did was revisit my product listing to ensure it was fully optimized. This included:

• Title: I made sure my title was clear, concise, and included relevant keywords.
• Images: I updated my images to ensure they were high-quality and showcased my product from multiple angles.
• Bullet Points and Description: I improved the bullet points and description to highlight the key features and benefits of my product.
• Keywords: I conducted keyword research to ensure I was using the best possible keywords to attract customers.

Reassess Your Pricing

2. Adjust Your Pricing Strategy

Pricing can make or break a sale. I experimented with my pricing to find the sweet spot:

• Competitive Pricing: I checked out my competitors’ prices and adjusted mine to be more competitive.
• Discounts and Promotions: I offered discounts, coupons, and deals to attract more buyers.
• Dynamic Pricing Tools: I used repricing tools to automatically adjust my prices based on market conditions.

Improve Product Visibility

3. Invest in Advertising

To increase visibility, I invested in Amazon Advertising:

• Sponsored Products: I ran Sponsored Product ads to boost my product’s visibility in search results.
• Sponsored Brands: If you have a registered brand, consider using Sponsored Brands to showcase your brand and product portfolio.
• Amazon PPC Campaigns: I optimized my Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns to target the right keywords and audience.

Enhance Customer Engagement

4. Leverage Customer Reviews

Customer reviews can significantly impact sales:

• Request Reviews: I used Amazon’s request a review button to encourage customers to leave feedback.
• Respond to Reviews: I responded to both positive and negative reviews to show customers I cared about their experience and to address any issues.
• Improve Product Quality: Based on feedback, I made improvements to my product to meet customer expectations better.

Offer Additional Value

5. Bundle Products

Creating bundles can increase the perceived value:

• Complementary Products: I bundled my product with complementary items to offer more value.
• Exclusive Bundles: I created exclusive bundles that were unique to my store, making them more appealing.

Explore Different Markets

6. Expand to Other Marketplaces

Sometimes, a product that doesn’t sell well in one marketplace might do better in another:

• International Markets: I expanded my reach to international Amazon marketplaces.
• Other E-commerce Platforms: I listed my products on other platforms like eBay, Walmart, and Etsy to reach a broader audience.

Liquidate Inventory

7. Liquidation

When all else failed, I considered liquidating my inventory to recover some costs:

• Amazon Outlet: I used Amazon Outlet deals to clear out excess inventory at discounted prices.
• Third-Party Liquidators: I worked with third-party liquidators to sell off unsold stock in bulk.

Analyze and Learn

8. Review Sales Data and Analytics

Continuous improvement is key:

• Sales Reports: I regularly reviewed my sales reports to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Customer Feedback: I paid close attention to customer feedback to make informed decisions about my product and listing.

Can anyone tell me how do these soles do on oily concrete? I work as a machinist for a living. Alot of standing around doing nothing, and safety toes are not required for what I do, but the floors are often very oily around the machines. I know I could just ask at the store, but the salesman will just try to sell me something else and call me mad for buying heritage boots for work. I know I should probably go with something else like the super sole 2.0, but I really want a top notch pair of chelseas like this that I can wear both at work and on weekends.
Ive got a pair of thursday legend boots with the rubber soles, but the one day I wore them to work last year, it was absolutely treacherous. Since then, I've been wearing to work the thursday explorer boots with the vibram soles. They're very comfortable, fantastic walking on slick, oily floors, and have held up amazing after a year, still practically brand new, but I want to upgrade
Thank you guys so much

Hello all, long story short, my friend (she is from India and so are her captors/employers) is a victim of "forced labor" human trafficking. She has gone to hell and back in the last 7 years and has finally mustered the strength to leave, I am picking her up tonight at 10:30 p.m. and I am terrified... If you're interested in reading more details about her ordeal, read the long paragraphs below, but in short... my plan is to drive her up to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, CA (she has recently talked to her sister in India who informed her that this is what she should do in order to go back to India, but what if she's wrong?) which is where she will get help and be on her way to India? Is this correct? I have never done this before and I am not sure what to do... The last thing I want to do is to drive my friend (who has zero money, an expired visa, no passport, speaks broken English, and is extremely vulnerable) to a place where she won't be helped and she has nowhere to turn to.
I met (let's call her Maria) Maria, about 2.5 years ago. We are both vendors at local Farmers markets here in Los Angeles, CA. From the MOMENT I met her, I knew something was very wrong. On my first day arriving at a specific farmers market, she and her boss were my next-booth neighbors. I asked Maria, "Hello, it's my first day here at this market, do you know if I can park at xy street or would I get a ticket??". She looked at me and immediately walked away. Her boss right away stepped up and said "Don't ask her, she wouldn't know, yes you can park at xy street". I thought well that's strange... why did she not let her talk... that girl looks scared. I had never seen such a tired and defeated looking human in my life. Most times her boss left her there to work while she went and worked other markets. Well I got to know maria and she became a very special friend of mine, she is caring, selfless and has all the good traits any good and decent human does. I don't know where to begin with describing what she's gone through. Her English is broken but I can understand 95% of what she tells me. I will try my best but I don't know every single detail.
She knows these people since when she lived back in India with her mom, dad, brothers, sisters. These suspects have businesses here in the U.S and over in India and employ both her father and uncles. They told Maria that they had an opportunity for her if she was interested. There was a man who was looking for a wife and they had told this man about Maria, he was interested. The plan was for Maria to travel to the U.S, marry this man, and employment with these suspects was guaranteed. Since her life was hard over there, she was intrigued and accepted. When she arrived they gave her the runaround...seems there was never a man for her to marry, instead they had her work endlessly on their business that is ran from a remote farming community here in Southern California. They threatened her by telling her they'd hurt her family back in India AND they'd lose their jobs, they'd hurt her, they'd do this, they'd do that. They have beaten her so many times, I've seen the bruises and begged her to let me take pictures that I would keep privately (but for proof if in the future they were needed) but every time I would ask, she'd always immediately refuse and said she'd have hell to pay if they found out. They have told her that she will never talk to her family back in India and she has not been able to do so since she left India.
They have her sleep inside a barn with the animals. They humiliate her, the husband and wife (and sister of wife) hit her so often and even broke her nose once. You can actually see where her nose healed crooked. There's been times where I did not see her for 2 or 3 weeks straight and sure enough, it was because she had some sort of injury she was healing (black eye, etc.). She has ran away several times only to go back several hours later because she has nowhere to go and is scared shitless. She basically works 24/7 too. She is not allowed to talk to anyone and when she and I are both at the same market (and her boss is dropping her off) we have to pretend to not know each other. Her boss picks her (and the equipment) up from the farmers market sometimes at 5-6 p.m. Mind you... all us other vendors have left at 2pm. So she just waits and waits to be picked up. She is not allowed to have ANY technology. She is not able to watch TV (she doesn't live inside a house anyway), when I was getting to know her... i realized she doesn't even know what is going on in the world (doesn't even know school shootings exist in this country). Her captors go through her things, they get extremely upset if vendor friends gift her items, (little pastries, gifts, etc. that they sell) or make conversation with her. For Christmas, my birthday, any holiday, she will go out of her way to give me a little gift (even if it's an insignificant little thing like a nail polish etc.) and she has given me her food when she knows I'm having a hard day and I'm upset (she knows I deal with an abusive husband and we bond over our difficult experiences) just to cheer me up. Little by little I have convinced her that she can trust me and that I would drive her to the airport and pay for her ticket, etc to get her back to India and escape from this abuse. I got her a cell phone that she only uses for internet that she has to keep hidden. Well with that cell phone and apps she was finally able to contact her family. She said that they said that they had not had jobs with these people for years and basically all the fear they put into her was B.S. They have for years been looking for her. She's still scared shitless but she says she cannot take it anymore. I have lost sleep over what my friend goes through. I don't know anyone who has suffered as much as she has. Again, what I described above is not all she has shared with me.. it's worse.
She doesn't want me to meet her at the ranch where she lives because she fears for my safety. She worries they will do something to me out of desperation (because they might be facing legal issues now), so I have to meet her in front of a store tonight, she will walk hours to get there. She doesn't trust the police, the last time she ran away she flagged down the police, told them the situation and basically said hey you don't have proof, there's not much we could do. I'd imagine that this distrust for the police is shared in these migrant-rich farming communities. I recently got a new job (in order to leave my own abusive relationship) and I will have to miss work to take her there, which I'm willing to do, I just want to make sure that we are going about this the right away. I also have two little kids at home (6 and 4 y.os) I am willing to pay for her ticket...I can make that money back. But gosh... I'm terrified. All these government offices are closed right now, since it's the weekend. I will make so many calls early tomorrow to make sure I know what my friend is getting herself into. Does anyone here have any advice? Tips? Anything that might be helpful.
I really hope she presses charges and these people pay for what they have done but I am discouraged by the fear I see in her. I can't blame her. I look forward to seeing their business crumble as they no longer have her endless help. Thanks for reading all this..

Warning: abuse
At 19F in the middle of active alcoholism 3 years after my mom went to jail for murder for hire, I was a SW (looking?) for a SD? - while out at a bar I got approached by a 43M that I found attractive and very charismatic. Thinking we’d end up having “fun”, I returned the honest sentiment of attraction. We stayed together 2.5 years after that. He was a Chemist who laughed and made light of everything, his alcoholism and drug addiction became apparent from the beginning, but not to the extent that it got to/really was.
Like all relationships, things started out fun, a very Glee movie summer-like love, very free-ing. He was a Doctor of chemistry and worked in the oil field prior to my meeting him, because of his living situation and luxury cars he seemed like he was doing well. He never was any type of SD. The night I met him, we made eye contact and never looked away. Our chemistry, pun intended- was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
I’m the youngest, not the smartest nor prettiest. I quit my jobs because I simply didn’t want to work sometimes, I made a lot of mistakes and I’ve been in the receiving end of family based bullying and school bullying, SA, R@p€, abandonment and trust issues, I’m bipolar, I practice/d SH, depression, GAD… things of the human condition that make it feel like I’m faulty.
This man was the first person that ever sat with me and listened to me vent to the extent that I did the first tight we spent together. We rarely had sex, but we shared breaths as we slept, (he inhales my breath as I exhale his breath, vise-versa and so on and so forth) to keep it brief and give example. He’s the most intimate partner I’ve ever experienced.
I notice others micro expressions and cater to their benefit if it seems they are troubled or asking for help.
I’m having so much trouble these days accepting the fact that I’m never going to meet him again. Specifically because he was so attentive and catering to my needs. He knew immediately when I was masking. I’m so confused and perplexed about the feeling of not having anyone in my life that has that interest in me. I felt so understood. That’s been my first and last experience with feeling understood like that.
He drank from morning to night nonstop. Together we became aware of what alcoholism was. Brown urine, blood, pain… regret that then led to arguments, accidents, threats, drugs, danger, fear turned to bonding, helping each other, trying to get better, failing. Trying again. Do it all over again. Fail. Again and again.
We managed to get sober a few days. His parents loved me. I understood and loved him. He hadn’t been sober for that long and trying for a long time. He was doing better, that’s what his mom would say.
Every relapse got harder, more dangerous medically and physically as well as economically.
Sleep deprivation was torture I hadn’t experienced before. I would be awoken with yelling because of delirium, anger and he would degrade me so badly. Use that bond we had against me, my own experiences turned against me he’d repeat the insults I shared with him to me. Yell those at me. Then love bomb. Then threaten me and my family with guns. I lived in fear when he blacked out. Felt lonely because with all of the yelling, smashing things around, being stared at by neighbors crying, being called an idiot dumbass in front of people and them witnessing me at a low point and then, agreeing with him? No neighbor knocked after crying and yelling to see if anyone was ok or dying. Public shame feels so. Fucking. Lonely. Isolation doesn’t help.
He stopped functioning. His body started giving out. I loved him. Took care of him cleaned his wounds after falls, his body after incontinence. He literally shed blood, shit and tears, regret and asked for forgiveness when I cared for him in his sober state.
In return, I’d receive non stop verbal abuse if I didn’t stop and do what he wanted me to at the time he wanted me to and how he wanted me to. If I didn’t give him my attention he’d end up getting it by threatening my family. And he would! Fight my brother and go after him with loaded guns. So there I would go do what he said. Forced to ride in a vehicle, with him locking the doors, blasting Phil Collins yelling at me. Driving erratically, dangerously. And I’d be so fucking scared of crashing. Just imagining the police report, “f19 dead alongside 43m after drunk reckless driving”. He’d speed in traffic so I couldn’t really jump out the car. I’d end up just drinking to numb the fear.
I had enough and attempted to sleepies forever by taking a sweet deadly cocktail of whatever handful of pills I could get my hands on. We had plastic gallon moving boxes filled with narcotics- he was a pharmacist too. I told him I was going to KMS he said go ahead, so I attempted and I filmed it.
From the setting up the phone in that closet, the one I color coordinated for him, his button-ups and suits in those dry-cleaning bags that hadn’t been opened since leaving the laundry shop… I watched my su!c!d€ afterwards. Out of morbid curiosity. “What a dumbass!” was what he said when he found me. I won’t go into detail of the full video but chest compressions hurt a lot, 10/10 would not recommend. And EMS left the AED stickers on my chest 🤷🏽‍♀️
After that 24hr watch, an awkward taxi drive to a crisis clinic that was understaffed and left me in a room by myself for two hours and walking in public with those see-through paper hospital clothes. Embarrassment is a light expression. When I was taken home, I didn’t have keys, or phone, or anything. Just my discharge papers and my cut vomit stained pajamas in a biohazard bag. - I lived in a gated neighborhood with key-fob-entry-only. I was fucked and waited what seemed like 4 hours for anyone to help me but no one showed up until HE did WITH MY BROTHER. The one who was threatened with a gun, that brother.
JFC the amount of insults, “what a fucking dumbass, what were you thinking? You’re a fucking idiot!” To summarize in the friendliest way. I was dressed in a see through hospital gown, I went straight to the shower, didn’t have the energy to get dressed when they kept just YELLING at me. INSULTING me- I had enough and wanted to defend myself. That’s when my brother pulled out his phone and started filming me pleading with them to let me sleep, calling me crazy, threatening to “show the family how fucking crazy you are!” - I threw my phone. Broke the microwave door. More insults, while still filming me, I was ordered to, “clean it up” - and at that moment. Completely detached, I did.
I put my brother on the soon-est bus to Mexico and sent him to rehab after 2 hell filled weeks of him living with us because he was so fucked in alcoholism he was homeless. To this day I don’t know how I did that.
I managed to leave my ex. 2 weeks later I receive calls from worried friends. Ryan was missing.
After investigating, (calls to police,hospitals, checking out the “usual” spots) - turns out he went to a Circle K looking for Peroni after the liquor store wouldn’t sell to him, tripped on the steps, hit his head on the pavement, STILL MANAGED TO PURCHASE ALCOHOL, left, got into a fight, and somehow miraculously ended up in his apartment where he tried to shower, fell face forward towards the water tap, (which left a softball sized bruise on his right eye and fractured his nose) he then tried to walk towards the kitchen? Passed out in the living room leaving blood all over the walls, puddles on the ground and the biggest blood clot stain on the floor ( we had to get crime scene cleaners). He apparently had a fit where he trashed the apartment by throwing my things, my plants, bottles of crown… anything. Everything was trashed when I found him in the apartment. I counted at LEAST 20 bottles of crown. He was so fucked up we thought he had been assaulted.
COVID hit and hospitals were in full lockdown. As an “essential worker” I could travel to the hospital to see him, and because someone somewhere said I was his wife/fiancée I was the ONLY one allowed to see him.
I snuck behind friends and family’s backs checking in on him at the hospital. Singing The Carpenters songs, wearing his favorite perfumes, reading Bill’s Story (IYKYK), playing Phil Collins. The whole 9 yards.
The last time I saw him, he was in Physical therapy/Rehab. He ended up moving back to his parents in California. Then February the next year, on Valentine’s Day - his mom let me know he passed.
She grieved very much attached to me. It was one of the saddest things I ever had to help someone through - alongside helping her son go through alcoholism.
I became a CNA as a tribute to helping him during those hard sober times where his body gave out. Helping others like that, bathing them, diaper changing, g-tube cleaning, hygiene essentials…
The classic grief started with what-if’s. Etc. it’s been hard lately because all my family is against him and his family resents me for being the only one with access to his medical records during COVID. I’m in a relationship now and our therapist told me to “put a break on it”. Recently. My mental illnesses keep getting worse and I feel like no other has taken such interest in me as much as Ryan did. He was so observant. So in-sync with me. And he was so shitty to me. He’s like the sweetest tasting radioactive flower that once was and will never be. And I’m grieving. And it’s so lonely out here.
I don’t know. I’m not suicid@l, I’m medicated and 4 years sober. It’s been hard and it’s getting harder to understand. I feel neglected and lonely. Anything helps please.

1. Amazon Store Rent
First, let's talk about the monthly rent for an Amazon store. Registering an Amazon store is free, but using a company registration instead of a personal one is recommended. This approach is safer and has a higher approval rate. After registering, you can choose between an Individual account and a Professional account.
Individual Account: This account has no monthly fee, but you'll pay Amazon $0.99 for each item you sell. It’s suitable for sellers who are just starting out and have lower sales volumes.
Professional Account: This account costs $39.99 per month, but you won’t pay a fee per sale. This option is more cost-effective if you sell more than 40 items per month.
Recommendation: If you’re just starting and your sales are low, opt for the Individual account. As your sales increase and you consistently sell more than 40 items per month, switch to the Professional account to save on per-item fees.

1. Product Selection Tools

Choosing the right products to sell is crucial for the success of your e-commerce business. Fortunately, there are several tools available to assist with this process, each offering unique features to help you make informed decisions.
Popular Paid Tools: JungleScout and Helium10
JungleScout: Priced at $49/month, JungleScout is widely recognized for its comprehensive suite of tools designed to help sellers identify profitable products, estimate sales, and analyze competition. Its features include:
Product Database: Allows you to filter products based on various criteria like price, sales, and competition.
Product Tracker: Helps track the performance of potential products over time.
Keyword Scout: Provides keyword research and optimization suggestions to enhance product listings.
Sales Analytics: Offers insights into sales trends and revenue estimates.
Helium10: At $79/month, Helium10 is another powerful tool that provides a wide range of functionalities for Amazon sellers. Key features include:
Black Box: A product research tool that allows you to find profitable niches.
Xray: A Chrome extension that gives you a quick overview of product performance metrics directly on Amazon.
Keyword Research: Tools like Cerebro and Magnet help you discover and optimize for high-ranking keywords.
Listing Optimization: Features like Scribbles and Index Checker ensure your product listings are optimized for maximum visibility.
Free Tool: 4SELLER
4SELLER: For those who are looking for a budget-friendly option, 4SELLER is a free tool that offers a robust set of features to aid in product selection and management. It includes:
Product Selection: Assists in identifying profitable products by analyzing market trends and competition.
Inventory Management: Helps track inventory levels, forecast demand, and manage stock efficiently to prevent overstocking or stockouts.
Supplier Finder: Aids in locating reliable suppliers, which is essential for maintaining product quality and consistency.
Why Product Selection Tools are Essential
Using product selection tools is vital because they provide data-driven insights that help you make informed decisions. These tools can save you time and reduce the risk of choosing products that may not sell well. They offer features that allow you to:
Identify Trends: By analyzing market data, these tools help you stay ahead of trends and capitalize on emerging opportunities.
Evaluate Competition: Understanding your competition is crucial. These tools provide detailed analysis of competitors' products, pricing strategies, and sales performance.
Optimize Listings: Well-optimized product listings are more likely to attract buyers. These tools offer keyword research and listing optimization features that improve your product's visibility on e-commerce platforms.
Manage Inventory: Efficient inventory management ensures you have the right products available at the right time, which is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and maximizing sales.
Whether you opt for a paid tool like JungleScout or Helium10, or a free option like 4SELLER, leveraging these tools can significantly enhance your ability to select profitable products, manage inventory effectively, and optimize your listings for better performance.
3. Initial Stock Costs
Purchasing your first batch of products involves a significant initial investment, and the amount required can vary widely depending on the type of products you choose to sell. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to consider when estimating your initial stock costs:
Factors Influencing Initial Stock Costs
Product Type and Price: The nature of the products you choose to sell will greatly influence your initial costs. Higher-priced items tend to have less competition but require a larger upfront investment. Conversely, cheaper products are more budget-friendly but often come with higher competition.
Quantity: The number of units you decide to purchase initially is another major factor. A common recommendation for new sellers is to start with 200-500 units. This range allows you to test the market demand without overcommitting financially.
Calculating Initial Costs
To estimate your initial stock costs, you need to multiply the quantity of units by the purchase price per unit. Here’s a simplified formula:
Initial Stock Cost=Quantity×Purchase Price per UnitInitial Stock Cost=Quantity×Purchase Price per Unit
For instance, if you decide to buy 300 units of a product that costs $5 per unit, your initial stock cost would be:
300 units×$5/unit=$1,500300 units×$5/unit=$1,500
Typical Budget Ranges for New Sellers
Low Budget: If you’re starting with a tighter budget, you might opt for products with a lower purchase price. For example, if you choose items costing around $2 per unit and purchase 200 units, your initial cost would be $400.
Moderate Budget: A more common range for new sellers is between $1,000 and $3,000. This allows for a balance between purchasing a reasonable quantity of units and managing the risk of unsold inventory. For example, buying 400 units at $5 per unit would total $2,000.
Higher Budget: With a larger budget, you can consider higher-priced items that might have less competition. For instance, purchasing 300 units at $10 per unit would result in an initial cost of $3,000.
Why Initial Stock Costs are Important
Understanding and planning for initial stock costs is critical because it ensures you are adequately prepared for the financial outlay required to launch your business. Here are a few reasons why this is essential:
Market Testing: Buying an appropriate number of units allows you to test market demand without over-investing. This way, you can gauge the product's popularity and adjust future orders accordingly.
Cash Flow Management: Proper planning helps manage your cash flow effectively. Ensuring you have enough funds to cover initial stock costs, along with other expenses like marketing and shipping, is crucial for maintaining business operations.
Risk Mitigation: Starting with a moderate quantity of units helps minimize the risk of unsold inventory, which can tie up capital and lead to losses. It’s better to start small, analyze performance, and scale up gradually.
Carefully estimating and planning for your initial stock costs is a vital step in setting up your e-commerce business. By understanding the factors that influence these costs and budgeting accordingly, you can make informed decisions that set the foundation for a successful venture. Whether you have a limited budget or can invest more significantly, strategic planning will help you manage risks and maximize your chances of success.
4. UPC Codes
UPC stands for Universal Product Code, a standardized barcode used by retailers, including Amazon, to track products. Obtaining UPC codes is a critical step in setting up your products for sale. Here’s a detailed explanation of why you need them, where to get them, and the associated costs.
What are UPC Codes?
Definition: UPC codes are unique identifiers assigned to products. Each code consists of a series of black bars and a corresponding 12-digit number that can be scanned by barcode readers.
Purpose: These codes help retailers manage inventory, streamline the checkout process, and track sales. For e-commerce platforms like Amazon, UPC codes ensure each product is uniquely identifiable, reducing errors and simplifying logistics.
Where to Buy UPC Codes
Official Source: GS1: The Global Standards 1 (GS1) organization is the official provider of UPC codes. Purchasing from GS1 ensures the authenticity and uniqueness of your codes, which is crucial for compliance with Amazon’s policies.
Why GS1?: While there are third-party sellers offering UPC codes at lower prices, these codes might not always be unique or compliant with GS1 standards. Using GS1 guarantees that your UPCs are globally recognized and legitimate, preventing potential issues with listing products on Amazon.
Cost of UPC Codes
Initial Purchase: GS1 sells UPC codes in packs. A pack of 10 UPCs costs $250 initially. This upfront cost covers the registration and issuance of the codes.
Annual Renewal Fee: In addition to the initial purchase cost, there is a $50 annual renewal fee. This fee ensures your codes remain active and your registration with GS1 stays current.
Breakdown of Costs
Initial Cost: For a pack of 10 UPC codes, the initial cost is $250.
Annual Renewal: The $50 annual renewal fee applies every year to maintain your codes.
Example Calculation:
If you purchase a pack of 10 UPCs, your total cost for the first year would be:
$250 (initial cost)+$50 (annual renewal fee)=$300$250 (initial cost)+$50 (annual renewal fee)=$300
In subsequent years, you will only pay the $50 renewal fee to keep your UPCs active.
Why UPC Codes are Important
Inventory Management: UPC codes play a crucial role in inventory management, allowing you to track stock levels accurately. This helps prevent stockouts and overstock situations.
Product Identification: Each UPC code is unique to a specific product, ensuring that Amazon and other retailers can correctly identify and catalog your items. This reduces the risk of listing errors and mix-ups.
Compliance and Credibility: Using GS1-issued UPC codes ensures compliance with Amazon’s listing requirements. This adds credibility to your listings and prevents potential issues that might arise from using unauthorized codes.
Efficiency and Automation: UPC codes facilitate the automation of various processes, including checkout, shipping, and inventory updates. This enhances operational efficiency and reduces manual workload.
Investing in UPC codes from GS1 is an essential step for any e-commerce business aiming to sell on platforms like Amazon. The initial cost of $250 for a pack of 10 UPCs, along with the $50 annual renewal fee, ensures that your products are uniquely identifiable and compliant with global standards. This investment not only helps in effective inventory management but also enhances the credibility and efficiency of your business operations.
5. Shipping and Distribution Costs
Shipping and distribution costs are critical components of your overall budget when selling on Amazon. These costs encompass various fees and charges that ensure your products reach Amazon’s warehouses and, ultimately, your customers. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to consider and how these costs can impact your business.
Components of Shipping and Distribution Costs
Shipping to Amazon’s Warehouse: This involves the costs of transporting your products from your supplier to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Factors influencing these costs include the size and weight of your products, the shipping method, and the distance between the supplier and the warehouse.
Packaging: Proper packaging is essential to protect your products during transit. This includes boxes, cushioning materials, and labeling.
Inspection Fees: To ensure quality and compliance with Amazon’s standards, you might need to pay for product inspections before they are shipped.
Import Duties and Taxes: If you are importing products from another country, customs duties and taxes will apply. These costs vary based on the product category and the country of origin.
Estimated Shipping Costs by Product Size
Small Items: For smaller products, shipping costs are generally lower. On average, you can expect to pay around $4 per unit for shipping.
Mid-sized Products: For larger or heavier items, shipping costs increase. These costs can range from $8 to $12 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight of the products.
Amazon FBA Fees
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Fees: Once your products are in Amazon’s warehouse, the company handles storage, packaging, and shipping to customers. Amazon charges FBA fees for these services, which are based on the size and weight of the product.
Small and Light Items: FBA fees for smaller items typically range from $2.92 to $6.13 per unit.
Larger Items: For bigger or heavier products, FBA fees can be higher, reflecting the additional handling and shipping costs.
Breakdown of Costs
Shipping Costs to Amazon’s Warehouse:
Small items: $4 per unit
Mid-sized items: $8-$12 per unit
Amazon FBA Fees:
Small items: $2.92-$6.13 per unit
Larger items: Higher fees depending on size and weight
Example Calculation
If you are shipping 300 small items to Amazon’s warehouse, with each unit costing $4 to ship and an average FBA fee of $4.50, your total costs would be:
Shipping to Warehouse: 300 units×$4/unit=$1,200300 units×$4/unit=$1,200
FBA Fees: 300 units×$4.50/unit=$1,350300 units×$4.50/unit=$1,350
Total Shipping and Distribution Costs:
$1,200 (shipping)+$1,350 (FBA fees)=$2,550$1,200 (shipping)+$1,350 (FBA fees)=$2,550
Why Shipping and Distribution Costs are Important
Budget Planning: Understanding and accurately estimating these costs is crucial for budgeting and financial planning. Unexpected expenses can significantly impact your profitability.
Pricing Strategy: These costs need to be factored into your pricing strategy to ensure you maintain healthy profit margins. Underestimating shipping and distribution costs can erode your margins and affect your competitiveness.
Customer Satisfaction: Efficient shipping and distribution are key to timely delivery and customer satisfaction. Using Amazon FBA ensures reliable and fast shipping, which can enhance your seller ratings and lead to repeat business.
Operational Efficiency: Managing these costs effectively can streamline your operations and improve cash flow. By optimizing packaging, negotiating better shipping rates, and accurately forecasting demand, you can reduce expenses and improve efficiency.
Shipping and distribution costs are a significant part of your overall expenses when selling on Amazon. By carefully estimating these costs, including packaging, inspection fees, import duties, and Amazon FBA fees, you can better manage your budget and pricing strategy. Understanding these costs helps ensure smooth operations, enhances customer satisfaction, and supports your business's profitability and growth.
6. Inventory Storage Costs
Inventory storage costs are a critical consideration when using Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. These fees are based on the size and quantity of your inventory stored in Amazon’s warehouses and vary throughout the year. Here’s a detailed breakdown of these costs and their implications for your business.
Amazon’s Storage Fees
Amazon charges monthly storage fees that depend on the size category of your products (standard-size or oversized) and the time of year. The fees are higher during the holiday season (October to December) due to increased demand for warehouse space.
Standard-Size Storage Fees
January to September: $0.83 per cubic foot
October to December: $2.40 per cubic foot
Oversized Storage Fees
January to September: $0.53 per cubic foot
October to December: $1.20 per cubic foot
Calculating Storage Costs
To estimate your storage costs, you need to know the cubic footage of your inventory. Here’s how you can calculate it:
Cubic Footage=Length×Width×HeightCubic Footage=Length×Width×Height
Once you have the cubic footage, multiply it by the applicable storage fee rate.
Example Calculation for Standard-Size Products
Let’s say you have 500 units of a product, each measuring 1 cubic foot. Your storage costs would be:
January to September: 500 cubic feet×$0.83/cubic foot=$415500 cubic feet×$0.83/cubic foot=$415
October to December: 500 cubic feet×$2.40/cubic foot=$1,200500 cubic feet×$2.40/cubic foot=$1,200
Example Calculation for Oversized Products
If you have 200 units of an oversized product, each measuring 3 cubic feet, your storage costs would be:
January to September: 600 cubic feet×$0.53/cubic foot=$318600 cubic feet×$0.53/cubic foot=$318
October to December: 600 cubic feet×$1.20/cubic foot=$720600 cubic feet×$1.20/cubic foot=$720
Why Inventory Storage Costs Matter
Budget Management: Accurately estimating storage costs is crucial for budgeting and financial planning. These costs can add up, especially during peak seasons, impacting your overall profitability.
Inventory Turnover: High storage costs can incentivize better inventory management practices, such as maintaining optimal stock levels and ensuring a higher inventory turnover rate. This helps in reducing long-term storage fees and minimizing the risk of overstocking.
Seasonal Planning: Knowing that storage fees increase during the holiday season can help you plan your inventory levels more effectively. You might choose to stock up on faster-moving items or reduce slower-moving inventory before the fees increase.
Cost Control: By understanding these fees, you can implement strategies to minimize them, such as reducing the size of your packaging, negotiating better storage terms, or using other fulfillment centers if necessary.
Strategies to Manage Storage Costs
Optimize Inventory Levels: Maintain a balance between having enough stock to meet demand and avoiding excess inventory that incurs high storage costs.
Seasonal Adjustments: Plan your inventory levels based on seasonal fluctuations in storage fees, ensuring you minimize costs during peak periods.
Efficient Packaging: Use packaging that minimizes space without compromising product safety. Smaller packaging reduces the cubic footage and, consequently, storage fees.
FBA Inventory Management: Use Amazon’s inventory management tools to monitor and adjust your stock levels based on sales data and forecasts.
Inventory storage costs are an important aspect of selling on Amazon using FBA. These costs, varying by product size and season, can significantly impact your business’s profitability. By accurately estimating these fees and implementing strategies to manage and reduce them, you can optimize your inventory management and control expenses effectively. Understanding and planning for these costs will help ensure a smoother and more profitable operation.

1. Platform Commission

When selling on Amazon, it’s essential to account for the platform commission, known as the referral fee. This fee is a percentage of each sale and varies by product category. Understanding these fees is crucial for pricing your products and calculating your profit margins.
Amazon’s Referral Fees
Amazon charges a referral fee on each sale made through its platform. The percentage varies depending on the product category. Here are some common examples:
Electronics: 8%
Beauty Products: 15%
Books: 15%
Clothing and Accessories: 17%
Home and Kitchen: 15%
How Referral Fees Are Calculated
The referral fee is calculated as a percentage of the total sales price, which includes the item price and any shipping or gift wrap charges.
Referral Fee=Sales Price×Referral Fee PercentageReferral Fee=Sales Price×Referral Fee Percentage
Example Calculations
Electronics: If you sell a gadget for $100, the referral fee would be: $100×8%=$8$100×8%=$8
Beauty Products: If you sell a skincare product for $50, the referral fee would be: $50×15%=$7.50$50×15%=$7.50
Why Platform Commission is Important
Pricing Strategy: Knowing the referral fee helps you set your product prices appropriately to ensure you cover costs and achieve desired profit margins.
Profit Margin Calculation: Understanding the commission allows you to accurately calculate your net profit after deducting all fees.
Category Selection: The commission rate can influence your decision on which product categories to focus on. Lower commission rates in certain categories might lead to higher profitability.
Competitive Pricing: Factoring in the referral fee ensures your prices remain competitive while still being profitable.
Impact on Different Product Categories
High-Commission Categories: Categories like beauty products and clothing with higher referral fees require careful pricing to maintain profitability. High fees can significantly impact margins, especially for low-cost items.
Low-Commission Categories: Categories like electronics with lower referral fees can offer better profit margins, but these categories might also have higher competition.
Strategies to Manage Referral Fees
Optimize Pricing: Adjust your pricing to ensure it covers all costs, including the referral fee, while remaining attractive to customers.
Product Selection: Consider the referral fee when selecting products to sell. Products in categories with lower fees might be more profitable.
Bundle Products: Creating product bundles can help increase the average sales price, potentially offsetting the impact of the referral fee.
Platform commission is a significant cost factor when selling on Amazon. By understanding the referral fee structure and calculating these fees accurately, you can make informed decisions about pricing, product selection, and profitability. Properly managing and accounting for these fees ensures your business remains competitive and financially sustainable on the Amazon platform.
8. Advertising Costs
Advertising is a crucial component of your e-commerce strategy, driving visibility and sales for your products on Amazon. Effective advertising can help you reach potential customers quickly, but it requires a financial investment. Here’s a detailed breakdown of advertising costs, strategies, and their impact on your business.
Types of Advertising
Amazon Advertising: The primary form of advertising on Amazon is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads. These ads appear in search results and on product detail pages, allowing you to target specific keywords and audiences.
Sponsored Products: These ads promote individual product listings and appear in search results and product pages.
Sponsored Brands: These ads feature your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products.
Sponsored Display: These ads target audiences both on and off Amazon, helping to re-engage shoppers who have viewed your products.
Off-Amazon Advertising: To broaden your reach, you can also advertise on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms allow for targeted advertising based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Budgeting for Advertising
A typical budget for new sellers on Amazon ranges from $700 to $1,000. This budget should cover various advertising strategies, including PPC campaigns and social media ads.
Cost Breakdown
Amazon PPC Ads:
Sponsored Products: These are the most common and can cost anywhere from $0.10 to $2.00 per click, depending on the competitiveness of your keywords.
Sponsored Brands: These ads generally cost more per click due to their higher visibility and brand promotion capabilities.
Sponsored Display: Costs vary but can be effective for retargeting potential customers.
Social Media Advertising:
Facebook Ads: Costs typically range from $0.50 to $2.00 per click, depending on targeting options and competition.
Instagram Ads: Similar to Facebook, Instagram ad costs range from $0.50 to $2.00 per click, with the advantage of visual storytelling through images and videos.
Example Budget Allocation
Let’s allocate a $1,000 advertising budget across different platforms:
Amazon PPC Ads: $600
Sponsored Products: $400
Sponsored Brands: $150
Sponsored Display: $50
Social Media Ads: $400
Facebook Ads: $200
Instagram Ads: $200
Why Advertising is Important
Increased Visibility: Advertising ensures your products appear in front of potential buyers, increasing the likelihood of sales.
Competitive Edge: With many sellers on Amazon, advertising helps you stand out and reach customers who might otherwise not find your products.
Sales Velocity: Effective advertising can boost your sales velocity, improving your product rankings and increasing organic visibility over time.
Strategies for Effective Advertising
Keyword Research: Use tools like Amazon’s Keyword Planner or third-party tools to identify high-performing keywords for your PPC campaigns.
A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad creatives, headlines, and targeting options to find the most effective combinations.
Monitor and Optimize: Regularly review your ad performance data to optimize your campaigns. Adjust bids, pause underperforming keywords, and allocate more budget to high-performing ads.
Leverage Social Media: Use Facebook and Instagram to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your Amazon listings. Engaging content, such as videos and customer testimonials, can enhance ad performance.
Advertising is a vital part of your e-commerce strategy on Amazon and beyond. Allocating a budget of $700 to $1,000 for advertising can significantly enhance your product visibility and drive sales. By utilizing Amazon PPC ads and leveraging social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can reach a broader audience and increase your chances of success. Effective advertising requires continuous monitoring and optimization, but the investment can lead to substantial returns in terms of sales growth and brand recognition.
9. Returns and Refunds
Managing returns and refunds is an inevitable part of selling on Amazon. While they can impact your profitability, understanding the associated costs and implementing effective management strategies can help mitigate their effects. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the costs and considerations involved in handling returns and refunds.
Amazon Return Processing Fees
Amazon charges a return processing fee that varies depending on the product’s size and weight. This fee is applied when a customer returns a product, and it covers the cost of handling and processing the return.
Standard-Size Products: Fees for standard-size products are typically lower due to their smaller dimensions and weight.
Oversized Products: Fees for oversized products are higher because of the additional handling and storage space required.
Example Fee Structure
Standard-Size Product Return Fee: Approximately $2 to $5 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight.
Oversized Product Return Fee: Approximately $5 to $20 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight.
Additional Costs of Returns and Refunds
Restocking Fees: Amazon may charge a restocking fee for certain returned items. This fee is deducted from the refund amount and can range from 10% to 20% of the item’s price.
Return Shipping Costs: In some cases, you may be responsible for covering the cost of return shipping, especially if the return is due to a defect or error on your part.
Product Condition: Returned items that are not in resellable condition may need to be disposed of or liquidated, leading to additional losses.
Why Returns and Refunds Matter
Customer Satisfaction: Efficient handling of returns and refunds is crucial for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and positive reviews. Poor management can lead to negative feedback and damage your seller reputation.
Cost Management: Understanding and anticipating the costs associated with returns can help you better manage your budget and pricing strategy, ensuring you account for these potential expenses.
Inventory Control: Effective return management helps maintain accurate inventory levels and reduces the risk of overstocking or stockouts.
Strategies to Manage Returns and Refunds
Clear Product Descriptions: Provide detailed and accurate product descriptions to reduce the likelihood of returns due to customer dissatisfaction or misunderstandings.
Quality Control: Implement rigorous quality control measures to minimize defects and errors that could lead to returns.
Customer Service: Offer excellent customer service to address issues promptly and potentially resolve problems without necessitating a return.
Return Policies: Establish clear and fair return policies that balance customer satisfaction with protecting your business from excessive costs.
Example Calculation
Let’s consider you sell 100 units of a product, with an average return rate of 5%. Here’s how you can calculate the potential costs:
Product Price: $50 per unit
Return Rate: 5% (5 units)
Return Processing Fee: $3 per unit
Restocking Fee: 15% of the product price ($7.50 per unit)
Return Shipping Cost: $5 per unit
Total Return and Refund Costs:
Return Processing Fee=5 units×$3=$15Return Processing Fee=5 units×$3=$15 Restocking Fee=5 units×$7.50=$37.50Restocking Fee=5 units×$7.50=$37.50 Return Shipping Cost=5 units×$5=$25Return Shipping Cost=5 units×$5=$25
Total Costs:
$15+$37.50+$25=$77.50$15+$37.50+$25=$77.50
Handling returns and refunds is a necessary aspect of selling on Amazon, and the associated costs can add up quickly. By understanding the fees and implementing strategies to manage returns effectively, you can minimize their impact on your profitability. Clear product descriptions, stringent quality control, excellent customer service, and well-defined return policies can all contribute to reducing return rates and associated costs. Efficient return management not only helps maintain customer satisfaction but also supports better cost control and inventory management.

1. Miscellaneous Expenses

In addition to the primary costs associated with setting up and running your Amazon business, there are several miscellaneous expenses that can significantly impact your budget. These costs, while often overlooked, are crucial for creating a professional and efficient operation. Here’s a detailed breakdown of these potential expenses and their importance.
Graphic Design for Product Listings
Importance: High-quality graphics and well-designed product listings are essential for attracting customers and conveying professionalism. Poorly designed listings can deter potential buyers.
Costs: Hiring a freelance graphic designer can cost between $50 and $200 per listing, depending on the complexity and the designer's experience.
Services: Graphic design services might include creating product images, infographics, and enhanced brand content (EBC) that highlights your product's features and benefits.
Professional Photography
Importance: Professional photos can make a significant difference in how your product is perceived. High-quality images help build trust with customers and increase conversion rates.
Costs: Professional product photography can range from $100 to $500 per product, depending on the number of images and the photographer’s expertise.
Services: This may include standard product shots, lifestyle images showing the product in use, and detailed close-ups of key features.
Virtual Assistant (VA) Services
Importance: Hiring a virtual assistant can help manage various tasks, such as customer service, inventory management, and order processing. This can free up your time to focus on strategic growth.
Costs: VAs typically charge between $10 and $30 per hour, depending on their skill level and the tasks they perform.
Services: Tasks handled by VAs can include responding to customer inquiries, updating product listings, managing social media accounts, and handling administrative duties.
Other Potential Miscellaneous Expenses
Subscription Services: Tools and software subscriptions for keyword research, inventory management, and sales analytics can cost anywhere from $20 to $200 per month.
Legal and Accounting Services: Professional advice for legal and tax matters is crucial. This can include incorporating your business, trademark registration, and tax preparation, costing several hundred dollars annually.
Packaging Design: Custom packaging design can enhance your brand image and customer experience. Costs can range from $100 to $500, depending on the complexity of the design.
Marketing and Promotional Materials: Additional marketing efforts, such as email campaigns, social media ads, and promotional giveaways, can also add to your expenses.
Example Budget Allocation
Let’s break down a potential budget for these miscellaneous expenses:
Graphic Design: $150 per listing for 5 listings = $750
Professional Photography: $300 per product for 3 products = $900
Virtual Assistant: $20 per hour for 10 hours per month = $200 per month
Subscription Services: $100 per month
Legal and Accounting Services: $500 annually
Packaging Design: $300
Marketing and Promotional Materials: $200 per month
Annual Costs:
Graphic Design=$750Graphic Design=$750 Professional Photography=$900Professional Photography=$900 Virtual Assistant=$200×12=$2,400Virtual Assistant=$200×12=$2,400 Subscription Services=$100×12=$1,200Subscription Services=$100×12=$1,200 Legal and Accounting Services=$500Legal and Accounting Services=$500 Packaging Design=$300Packaging Design=$300 Marketing and Promotional Materials=$200×12=$2,400Marketing and Promotional Materials=$200×12=$2,400
Total Annual Miscellaneous Expenses:
$750+$900+$2,400+$1,200+$500+$300+$2,400=$8,450$750+$900+$2,400+$1,200+$500+$300+$2,400=$8,450
Why Miscellaneous Expenses Matter
Professionalism and Trust: Investing in professional services like graphic design and photography enhances your product listings and builds trust with potential customers.
Efficiency and Focus: Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to delegate time-consuming tasks, enabling you to focus on growing your business.
Operational Smoothness: Subscriptions to essential tools and professional legal and accounting services ensure your business operates smoothly and compliantly.
Brand Building: Custom packaging and marketing materials contribute to a strong brand identity, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.
Miscellaneous expenses, while sometimes overlooked, play a vital role in the success of your Amazon business. By budgeting for high-quality graphic design, professional photography, virtual assistant services, and other essential tools and services, you can create a professional and efficient operation. These investments not only enhance your product listings and customer experience but also free up your time to focus on strategic growth, ultimately contributing to your business's long-term success.
Summary
Setting up and running an Amazon business involves various costs that need careful consideration to ensure profitability and efficiency. Here’s a summary of the key cost components:
Product Selection Tools: Essential for choosing profitable products, with popular tools like JungleScout ($49/month) and Helium10 ($79/month). Free alternatives like 4SELLER also provide valuable features for product selection and inventory management.
Initial Stock Costs: Depending on the product type and quantity, initial stock costs can range from $1,000 to $3,000. Starting with 200-500 units is recommended to test the market without overcommitting financially.
UPC Codes: Necessary for product tracking, these should be purchased from GS1. A pack of 10 UPC codes costs $250 initially, plus a $50 annual renewal fee.
Shipping and Distribution Costs: Includes fees for shipping products to Amazon’s warehouse and Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees, which range from $2.92 to $6.13 per unit. Shipping small items might cost around $4 per unit, while mid-sized products could cost $8-$12 per unit.
Inventory Storage Costs: Monthly fees for storing products in Amazon’s warehouse vary by size and season. Standard-size storage costs $0.83 per cubic foot from January to September and $2.40 per cubic foot from October to December. Oversized storage costs $0.53 per cubic foot and $1.20 per cubic foot during these periods, respectively.
Platform Commission: Amazon takes a commission on each sale, typically between 8% and 15%, depending on the product category. For instance, electronics have a referral fee of 8%, while beauty products have a fee of 15%.
Advertising Costs: To drive visibility and sales, set aside $700-$1,000 for advertising. This includes Amazon PPC ads and potentially social media ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Returns and Refunds: Handling returns incurs costs, including Amazon’s return processing fee, restocking fees, and return shipping costs. These fees vary based on product size and weight.
Miscellaneous Expenses: Other costs include graphic design for product listings ($50-$200 per listing), professional photography ($100-$500 per product), and virtual assistant services ($10-$30 per hour). Additional expenses may include subscription services, legal and accounting services, packaging design, and marketing materials.
In total, you'll need at least $5,000 to start an Amazon FBA business today. Plus, you'll need to spend a lot of time managing your store and optimizing your product listings. This includes continuously monitoring your sales performance, tweaking your advertising strategies, and keeping an eye on competitors to stay ahead in the market.
By understanding and planning for these costs, you can effectively manage your Amazon business, ensuring it remains profitable and efficient while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

Hello all, long story short, my friend (she is from India and so are her captors/employers) is a victim of "forced labor" human trafficking. She has gone to hell and back in the last 7 years and has finally mustered the strength to leave, I am picking her up tonight at 10:30 p.m. and I am terrified... If you're interested in reading more details about her ordeal, read the long paragraphs below, but in short... my plan is to drive her up to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco, CA (she has recently talked to her sister in India who informed her that this is what she should do in order to go back to India, but what if she's wrong?) which is where she will get help and be on her way to India? Is this correct? I have never done this before and I am not sure what to do... The last thing I want to do is to drive my friend (who has zero money, an expired visa, no passport, speaks broken English, and is extremely vulnerable) to a place where she won't be helped and she has nowhere to turn to.
I met (let's call her Maria) Maria, about 2.5 years ago. We are both vendors at local Farmers markets here in Los Angeles, CA. From the MOMENT I met her, I knew something was very wrong. On my first day arriving at a specific farmers market, she and her boss were my next-booth neighbors. I asked Maria, "Hello, it's my first day here at this market, do you know if I can park at xy street or would I get a ticket??". She looked at me and immediately walked away. Her boss right away stepped up and said "Don't ask her, she wouldn't know, yes you can park at xy street". I thought well that's strange... why did she not let her talk... that girl looks scared. I had never seen such a tired and defeated looking human in my life. Most times her boss left her there to work while she went and worked other markets. Well I got to know maria and she became a very special friend of mine, she is caring, selfless and has all the good traits any good and decent human does. I don't know where to begin with describing what she's gone through. Her English is broken but I can understand 95% of what she tells me. I will try my best but I don't know every single detail.
She knows these people since when she lived back in India with her mom, dad, brothers, sisters. These suspects have businesses here in the U.S and over in India and employ both her father and uncles. They told Maria that they had an opportunity for her if she was interested. There was a man who was looking for a wife and they had told this man about Maria, he was interested. The plan was for Maria to travel to the U.S, marry this man, and employment with these suspects was guaranteed. Since her life was hard over there, she was intrigued and accepted. When she arrived they gave her the runaround...seems there was never a man for her to marry, instead they had her work endlessly on their business that is ran from a remote farming community here in Southern California. They threatened her by telling her they'd hurt her family back in India AND they'd lose their jobs, they'd hurt her, they'd do this, they'd do that. They have beaten her so many times, I've seen the bruises and begged her to let me take pictures that I would keep privately (but for proof if in the future they were needed) but every time I would ask, she'd always immediately refuse and said she'd have hell to pay if they found out. They have told her that she will never talk to her family back in India and she has not been able to do so since she left India.
They have her sleep inside a barn with the animals. They humiliate her, the husband and wife (and sister of wife) hit her so often and even broke her nose once. You can actually see where her nose healed crooked. There's been times where I did not see her for 2 or 3 weeks straight and sure enough, it was because she had some sort of injury she was healing (black eye, etc.). She has ran away several times only to go back several hours later because she has nowhere to go and is scared shitless. She basically works 24/7 too. She is not allowed to talk to anyone and when she and I are both at the same market (and her boss is dropping her off) we have to pretend to not know each other. Her boss picks her (and the equipment) up from the farmers market sometimes at 5-6 p.m. Mind you... all us other vendors have left at 2pm. So she just waits and waits to be picked up. She is not allowed to have ANY technology. She is not able to watch TV (she doesn't live inside a house anyway), when I was getting to know her... i realized she doesn't even know what is going on in the world (doesn't even know school shootings exist in this country). Her captors go through her things, they get extremely upset if vendor friends gift her items, (little pastries, gifts, etc. that they sell) or make conversation with her. For Christmas, my birthday, any holiday, she will go out of her way to give me a little gift (even if it's an insignificant little thing like a nail polish etc.) and she has given me her food when she knows I'm having a hard day and I'm upset (she knows I deal with an abusive husband and we bond over our difficult experiences) just to cheer me up. Little by little I have convinced her that she can trust me and that I would drive her to the airport and pay for her ticket, etc to get her back to India and escape from this abuse. I got her a cell phone that she only uses for internet that she has to keep hidden. Well with that cell phone and apps she was finally able to contact her family. She said that they said that they had not had jobs with these people for years and basically all the fear they put into her was B.S. They have for years been looking for her. She's still scared shitless but she says she cannot take it anymore. I have lost sleep over what my friend goes through. I don't know anyone who has suffered as much as she has. Again, what I described above is not all she has shared with me.. it's worse.
She doesn't want me to meet her at the ranch where she lives because she fears for my safety. She worries they will do something to me out of desperation (because they might be facing legal issues now), so I have to meet her in front of a store tonight, she will walk hours to get there. She doesn't trust the police, the last time she ran away she flagged down the police, told them the situation and basically said hey you don't have proof, there's not much we could do. I'd imagine that this distrust for the police is shared in these migrant-rich farming communities. I recently got a new job (in order to leave my own abusive relationship) and I will have to miss work to take her there, which I'm willing to do, I just want to make sure that we are going about this the right away. I also have two little kids at home (6 and 4 y.os) I am willing to pay for her ticket...I can make that money back. But gosh... I'm terrified. All these government offices are closed right now, since it's the weekend. I will make so many calls early tomorrow to make sure I know what my friend is getting herself into. Does anyone here have any advice? Tips? Anything that might be helpful.
I really hope she presses charges and these people pay for what they have done but I am discouraged by the fear I see in her. I can't blame her. I look forward to seeing their business crumble as they no longer have her endless help. Thanks for reading all this..

Oh boy. Where do I even begin. I'm a head cashier at a retail store. Kind of like a supervisor, but not as much authority, more just an on-site team lead. I got a couple of new people in recently and I connected with a girl, going to call her A, (19F) who's close to my age (21F). Two weeks ago she was helping close down registers as I needed someone to walk me with the cash to the cash office. I don't remember how the conversation started, but we started talking about our sexual trauma. You know, girl talk~. I expressed to her that a pedophile who had seduced me online when I was 17 just got sentenced to 10 years in jail, and that I'm just generally depressed because I like to pretend he never existed. A expresses to me that her uncle drugged her and her friends at a sleepover to take explicit pictures of them when she was little. We talked a little bit about how our individual experiences led us to having hyper-sexual phases. She mentions that, since she just broke up with her boyfriend, that she's thinking about making an only fans. Especially since her mom (her mom has worked at the same store for longer than me) told her that an ex-coworker of ours has an only fans and IS making a lot of money off of it. I asked her if she really wanted to talk about this, since this conversation isn't work appropriate, y'know, "you're not going to report me over this conversation, right?" and A said she "wouldn't even know how to anyways." I offer to help her if she really delves into it, I mean, my hypersexual phase was sending nudes to strangers for attention, lol. A says we should totally start a business together selling nudes on OF. We laugh about it and move on.
Immediately after this, we're still walking towards the cash office with the money, she drops on me that another head cashier, B, (50 something? F) told A that I MUST be having sex with my boyfriend if I'm taking birth control. I mean, I am lol, but it's no ones business that I am at work. I tell her that I'm probably going to report that woman for harassment because that's an inappropriate way to talk about me. She asks me not to, since she'll know she told me. I tell her I'll think about it. Then she tells me that a curbside associate, C, (18F) is making advances on her even though she's expressed she's not into her, and cornered her in the LADIES RESTROOM to apologize. I advised her to talk to management about it because that is serious. She didn't want to. After I relieved her from guarding me with the cash, I immediately went my assistant store manager about both situations. I was very emotionally distraught that someone would talk about me in that fashion... even though B is known to be quite the gossip. ASM advised that I should probably be more private and not tell people about the medications I'm on, but the conversation that happened between A and B was not and he'd investigate it. He even asked me what action he should take since he didn't want to put more attention on that subject if I didn't want it. I told him I'd think about it, then I had been called to help someone somewhere.
C, who wasn't working that night, later comes in with her girlfriend. Not a huge deal at this point in time but it comes up later. I say hi but continue working, keeping my distance because I'd just heard that she was harassing A.
For the next two weeks I kept my distance from B, even though she somehow found out that I knew about her and A's conversation and kept trying to say that A was a liar. She would say that she even had a recording of her saying that she never talked about me like that. I assume that B manipulated A into saying that, because I think B would definitely lie and manipulate to cover her own ass. I've also been keeping A and C apart as much as possible. I personally was harassed by someone who worked curbside and my then supervisor laughed at me about it because "he was nice to her". I really felt like I was making the difference that my supervisor couldn't be bothered to.
This Friday I tell B that I've been keeping A and C apart, since I was going to lengths to make it happen that day and it impacted both of our shifts. She reminded me that A is a liar, like how she lied about that conversation they had, and that I should be handling the situation with skepticism. She said that she posted on her facebook years ago that story about her uncle abusing her and her friends. She moved on to tell me that A had told her a bunch of peoples secrets, specifically how I offered to help her if she actually planned to make an OF.... Honestly? I was shook. There was no point in lying so I told her yes, that happened, but A had said she was fine with the conversation and even brought up the topic herself... She also told me that A said that I was crying that night two weeks ago because C brought in her girlfriend and that I was in love with C...
After calming down a little bit, but not enough honestly, I texted A and told her that I'd be blocking her phone number and on Facebook for discussing my private information with B and that my private life isn't todays gossip. Without letting her reply, I blocked her, y'know. A little later I run into C and I clarify with her that the rumor about me being in love with her is false and that B said A made it up. C says that she hadn't heard that rumor, but she doesn't talk to A anyways, since multiple people have told her that A is "messy". I bring up that A reported C for harassment. Naturally C is pissed, she doesn't do anything to A that I know of. Just ignores her.
A texts me on the work phone and calls me childish for not talking to her about the situation and is mad at me for telling C about the case and that "they almost had it worked out". I've had two sexual harassment cases, or, three now I guess, and I've never been told the status of my cases or how they were handled. I tell her that I'm not putting up with her manipulation, and she needs to apologize to me for telling B about me offering to help her start an OF. She does apologize to me. I tell her that I can't apologize to her, because the situation triggered my trauma and I wasn't in the mindset to apologize. Now I'm just mad that she made me empathize with her and turned my empathy into a weapon to use against me.
I know I'm in the wrong professionally and that I'm totally getting punished for this but, AITAH?

To start, I have been with my girlfriend for two years.
Since meeting her she's always held a part-time position at a place called "(insert local town here) Nutrition."
I would come in and see all these shakes and "energy teas" she'd be making, and all the customers who requested additions like "fat reduction" or "collagen" in these drinks, and I didn't really think much of it, but behind the counter all the products are from one company, which happens to be Herbalife.
The owner of the shop proposed for my girlfriend to take over another local store which also happens to be using Herbalife products, which seemed sweet and possibly a good business opportunity, so we went and checked the location out and the store is pretty hidden in a shopping center so we decided not to do that.
Queue my research: I quickly found out Herbalife is an MLM company and realized she won't be making much money from selling their products, only if she starts to get other people to sell in a downline.
I've warned her about what she's getting sucked into but she only responds to my precautions with anger and tells me about how this could buy us a house, retire our family, blah blah blah. On the note of family, her parents are now actively aiding her in getting into this MLM business without doing any research on the company and are speaking to realtors to find a store location so that their daughter can open up a brand new Herbalife front, looking at $2,500-4,000/mo in rent.
Just based off calculations, cost of product, expected sales, etc, I really don't see this making much more $$$ than a job paying $15/hr, but any job she's had since she's been with me she has walked out on.
So her parents are going to foot the bill for the startup costs (looking at about $15-20k) and she's going to be working 54-60 hours a week to run it. I don't doubt that this will end badly, so could anyone give me any advice? She's repeatedly tried to loop me into this and I don't want any part of it because I can see through the get-rich-quick, be-your-own boss bs that the company peddles.

Hey! I’m heading out on a vacation soon. I was trying to find places to pick up a new pen while traveling. I’m having a hard time googling stores that sell fountain pens.
What do you search when trying to find physical pen/stationary stores when going to new places?

When I first started selling on Amazon, I faced a steep learning curve. As a novice, I quickly realized that optimizing my product listings was crucial for success. Through trial and error, research, and plenty of late nights, I discovered some key strategies that can help any new seller thrive. Here's a guide based on my experience on how to optimize your Amazon listings.

Understand Amazon’s Focus

Amazon's core philosophy is customer first. This means the platform prioritizes the product over the store and the customer over the seller. Your listings must reflect this focus to succeed. Optimizing your listing isn't just about making it attractive; it's about ensuring it meets Amazon’s standards and appeals to potential buyers.

Key Elements of a Good Amazon Listing

To create a compelling Amazon listing, you need to pay attention to four main elements: the title, five-point description, keywords, and images. Here's how to get each one right:

1. Crafting the Perfect Title

The title is one of the most critical parts of your listing. A good title should include core keywords, your brand name, key selling points, and product features. Here are some tips:

• Core Keywords: Include relevant keywords that potential customers are likely to use in their search.
• Trademarks and Selling Points: Highlight your brand and the unique features of your product.
• Product Features: Mention essential features that make your product stand out.
• Capitalization: Capitalize the first letter of each word (excluding conjunctions, articles, and prepositions).
• Relevance: Place the most relevant keywords at the beginning of the title.
• Clarity: Avoid cluttering the title with too many words. A concise, clear title performs better.
• Compliance: Do not include price, shipping cost, or contact information. Avoid using special symbols.

2. Optimizing Product Images

High-quality images are vital for attracting customers. Amazon has strict guidelines for product images, which include:

• Format: Use TIFF, JPEG, GIF, or PNG.
• Content: Images should be real photographs of the product, not drawings or diagrams.
• Background: Use a pure white background (RGB value 255, 255, 255).
• Focus: The product should occupy 85% of the image space and be free of other items that could cause confusion.
• Main Image: Must be pure white, with no text, logos, or watermarks. The product should take up about 85% of the space.
• Alternate Images: You can include up to eight alternate images. These should show different sides and details of the product.
• Size and Ratio: The long side of the image should be between 1001 and 3000 pixels, ideally 2560 pixels to use Amazon’s zoom feature. The recommended aspect ratio is 1:1.3.

3. Writing the Five-Point Description

The five-point description highlights your product’s features and advantages. It's crucial for convincing buyers to make a purchase.

• Unique Selling Points: Emphasize what makes your product unique and how it solves customer problems.
• Customer Needs: Address common questions and concerns, particularly for technical or electronic products.
• Prioritization: List the most compelling selling points first.
• Simplicity: Use clear, concise language that is easy to understand.

4. Utilizing Keywords

Keywords help your product get found in searches. Use keyword research tools to find high-traffic, relevant keywords. Place these strategically in your title, bullet points, and product description to improve visibility.

Monitoring and Optimizing Performance

When your product first launches, initial sales might be slow. This is normal, but don’t let it discourage you. Use Amazon’s backend tools to monitor click-through rates and conversion rates. Poor performance in these areas can indicate issues with your title, images, or descriptions. Adjust these elements based on the data to improve your listing.

Promotions and Launch Strategies

New products get a visibility boost from Amazon, but this window is short. Promote your product aggressively in the first two weeks to capitalize on this. High sales volume during this period can significantly improve your keyword ranking and visibility.

Final Thoughts

Optimizing your Amazon listing is a continuous process. Always be on the lookout for new trends, customer feedback, and performance data to refine your approach. By focusing on the key elements of your listing and continuously improving, you can increase your chances of success as an Amazon seller.

Yeah.... So, recently. I decided to hit up one of the thrift stores(one of the big chain ones) to see if I can find some shorts. Not only found a pair but also found some display shelves I've been wanting(target used to sell them for $5) marked at $4 each. This is relevant, I promise.
So I'm in line, there's a customer being helped and up walks boomer lady behind me. The conversation is fine at first. She's asking me about the shelves, the price and I mention what they were originally priced. We end up talking about what we're purchasing and I'm using the risers for my crystal collection. Boomer talks about her own crystals and so on. Just a general decent conversation.
That was until it was my turn to check out. Boomer lady apparently took great offense to the price of the shelves and asks the cashier how can they charge so much when they used to sell for $5. I tell her that corporate sets the costs and the cashier says inflation. That turns into the three of us complaining about how much inflation sucks(which is valid because it fucking does)
But then boomer lady decides to rant about... Homeless people getting free food on the weekends from restaurants and in her words "They eat better then I do!" I say "Well at least you have a home." She then tells me that, she had at one point been homeless with a child. The conversation thankfully ended there when I finished my purchase and left the store.
But in hind sight I'm thinking, this lady was at one point homeless as well, but yet is complaining about homeless people getting a bit of decent food on the weekends?

My brother is in Ontario and he brought his dog into the vet this morning because she had an irritation on her neck. He was sitting in the waiting area room and had an allergic reaction to the cats, so he ran to the store down the street quickly to grab allergy pills and left her in the car for no more than 10 minutes with the windows rolled down, and proceeded to bring her back to the vet. Unfortunately, he was not aware this was not legal and an aggressive person called the cops on him while she was in the car. He’s back at the vet now, and has not heard anything from local police. What should he expect from this situation? Is there anything he should be aware of or prepare? Her city license also has expired and has not been renewed, since she was my mom’s dog and my mom passed away recently, the ownership was not moved over yet. Thanks in advance.

Just a warning, this is going to be very long! I (21F) and my brother (15M) were abandoned by our mother when I was 11 or 12.
For context, she was a teen mother, with a lot of mental health issues (bipolar, BPD, depression, i can only assume some form of sociopathic behavior), and she addicted to hard drugs. My father was a little rough around the edges, but overall a hardworking guy who went into the relationship with a "I can fix her" mentality. For the first few years of my life, I was oblivious to all of the issues going on in my family, I just enjoyed the first 5 years of my life as a happy child. My mother hid her drug addiction well enough for a 5 year old not to ask any questions, and I thought weekly screaming matches were normal and "mommies and daddies fight sometimes". Unbeknownst to me, my mother was cheating with dozens of people, and emotionally/financially/physically abusing my father, he put on a happy face to try and give me a good childhood. He worked 5am- 5pm at a bagel store (no car, only a bike) and never came home empty handed; always a toy, or a piece of candy for me as "sorry" for always being gone and working all day. I thought my mother would always bring her "friends" (men and women) in the house while dad was at work, and they would spend hours "playing" in her room with the door locked. I pretty much had to raise and take care of myself from the time I woke up to around 6pm, so I ended up becoming pretty smart by entertaining myself with my mom's fantasy novels (Harry potter, princess of mars, lord of the rings, etc.) On days she had college classes, our landlords (amazing people) would babysit me. My mother did give me affection, and I loved her very much, but she was very hands-off.
Granted, I wasn't the easiest child to deal with, I had ADHD, undiagnosed autism, among some other things.
When she got pregnant with my brother, (also adhd+autism) I noticed things started to change. My parents would fight more often, the house smelled like smoke, and the electricity to the apartment would be out for weeks because we couldn't pay the bills. Shortly after my brother was born, my parents had the hugest fight I've ever seen, I don't even remember what it was about (probably cheating), but it was the first time it hit me that everything in my life wasn't as happy as I thoughts. I sat clutching my baby brother as she beat my dad with a chair and started screaming. He grabbed a knife and ran outside and tried to end his life by stabbing his wrist. I was screaming and crying my landlords name, hoping my baby sitter would come and save me, he bolted downstairs, pried the door open, and grabbed the two of us and took us into his top floor of the apartment. He gave me some chocolate milk while him and his wife called the police. That was the day my parents split up, and my mom was able to spin the whole thing on my dad, taking custody and he was granted only visitation rights. My mother was kicked out of the apartment, and my aunt (dads sister, but my mother had taken a liking to her and allowed us to see her often) had a feeling something fishy was going on when no one would tell her anything about the details of that night. She went to my old house and asked my landlords what happened, they told her, so she let us sleep over with her whenever we wanted as a safe haven from our mom. She didn't go to court with any of the information she got, out of fear that my mother wouldn't let her see us again, because she was now our only place of complete safety.
My life became a living hell from that point onward. A week a later, my mom told us that her "new boyfriend"(probably a guy she cheated on dad with but I was like 7 and didn't know better) was letting us move in with him. He was the most horrible piece of shit. He got my mother addicted to even more drugs, and they both constantly talked badly about my dad, and when I cried, covered my ears, and said I didn't want to hear it, he would hit me and tell me that I needed to know. He was basically unemployed, and would sometimes sell drugs, or take antiques out of abandoned houses to sell. I hated him. My mother made an entire personality shift, and would defend him even if he said horrible things to me or hit me. She saw no fault in him. She stopped reading me bedtime stories, and stopped telling me she loved me. The only time she was nice to me was when we were in front of other people like school functions... she would kiss up to all my teachers.
I was left to take care of my baby brother on my own, and my father was in and out of mental hospitals from the trauma, so everything he said about how horrible my mother was fell of deaf ears because he was labeled "crazy".
We had no money, it was all spent on drugs, I went out by myself several times to dig through dumpsters just to get food, and I stole baby formula from supermarkets. This one nice homeless lady knew my situation, and would walk me into the stores "as my grandma" so I wouldnt get stopped to ask why a child was all alone. She would poke around the store and buy a $1 candy bar, while I stole formula, and some cold cuts for her. She showed me all the best dumpsters, where delis would throw put perfectly good food at the end of the day. We had an alliance of sorts. I was less than 9 years old.
Her boyfriend became sexually abusive to me around that time. I'll spare the details.
My mother was starting to go off the rails completely. Doing anything for drug money. I clearly remember the time that she told me to get naked and she took pictures of me, up close in all my private areas "to send to the doctor" or else "I would have to go in person and they might give me a shot" (she knew I hated needles.). She never mentioned that event again, but I just know she sent them to some pedophile for money. It makes me sick to my stomach when I think about it. Her bf would try and hurt my brother, I would always step in and get beat instead. We saw our father and aunt maybe once a month, and I was threatened not to say anything to the school or my dad/aunt or else he would kill my mom. I said nothing. I told my aunt all the bruises were from bullies at school, my teachers were taking care of it... or that I was climbing trees, some excuse. I think she knew the truth, but was too scared of losing us to say anything. Everytime they went to drop us back off at our mom's, my brother would have a tantrum. He cried so much the blood vessels in his face would pop. He now at 15 has permanant, freckle like, spots of red on his face from crying so much so often.
She got pregnant again with his twin girls. She gave birth prematurely, and they came out very very sick. She gave birth at home... I was giving most of their care. After the "ohhhh new baby" feeling wore off for her, of course I was basically a mother of 3 at 10 years old. They didn't last long, less than a year. I was in complete despair and that was the first time i tried to end my life. I filled the bathtub and tried to drown myself by repeatedly hitting my head underwater in attempts to pass out under the water. It didn't work, and I was left with neck pain and a migraine that lasted 4 days. I attempted about 5 times, different methods, by this point I haven't been to school in a week. When I came back to school, the teachers noticed something was wrong. I kept looking off into space, detached. I would lash out and act aggressively when anyone would try and talk to me. I would have 2 hour "bathroom breaks" where I just stared at the wall inside the stall and acted rudely when anyone came to get me. What did they do? Not call CPS, of course, they sent me to a special school because of my "sudden behavior issues". I was in a class now with students I could not connect with in any way. I had no friends. All the other kids in my new class had severe learning disabilities and talking to my brother who was 6 years younger than me was more of a conversation. They couldn't read, most of them were almost non-verbal.
My mom broke up with her bf because he cheated, and we were going to lose the house. He still lived with us for a few days but stayed silent. My mother blamed me, saying that I ruined everything by being a bad child and now we were going to be homless. He tried to touch me one last time and I snapped and stabbed him deeply with a BBQ screwer, he just walked away. later that night he killed himself, I saw it. I'll never get that image out of my head.
I lost it, I had an outburst at school, crying and screaming that I wanted to kill myself and for God to just let me die. They sent me to a hospital, and the school called my mom to say I was having an outburst of psychosis. I spilled everything to the hospital about what her bf was doing to me (I couldnt bring myself to talk about my mothers abuses for some reason), and after a while, it was my dad who came to get me... apparently my mother had taken off, leaving my brother alone in the house after the school had called her. I had so many questions. But I was so happy to finally be able to live with my dad and his side of the family.
I was so traumatized, as well as neurodivergent, I acted strangely and dealt with some bullies at school but that was it, it was like heaven on earth. My father didn't even know the full scope of what went on, but the more I told him the more guilty he felt. He started spoiling us a bit out of guilt, so we were happy to be with a parent who loved us.
We never knew where she went. Until I was 18, and she reached out to me on social media. Initially I didn't want to answer. I left my DM sitting there for a few days but... I felt this unexplainable pull. I hated her all these years, but for some reason when the option to take her back into my life came up... something in me missed her. I kept thinking back to the few happy times, and the curiosity was killing me. I finally messaged back, my father told me not to, but he said he couldn't stop me, I at least deserved some answers, and to get all my pent up hatred out at her for some closure. We awkwardly chatted for a few minutes, she told me that her father in West Virginia picked her up, she started a new life, joined narcotics anonymous, but stayed low and didn't let herself be known. She met a genuinely good man at NA, who had convinced her to right her wrongs, quit drugs, and fix her family. They had 2 kids together (one with down syndrome), and she was a present, active mother. I felt a vicious jealousy. Why would she go and have 2 more kids when she had 2 that she abandoned? Why were they treated with love and a loving home when we went through hell...? Why didn't she make it up to us before she went and had more kids..?
My mind did weird things then. It made me need her approval. I kissed up to her, saying I forgave her. That I always knew everything was always her ex bfs fault and not hers.That we were sad when she left. I planned a trip to see her a month later and her new family, my friends all begged me it was a bad idea, to please please not go, and at least to not tell my brother about it. I listened to them, and didnt tell my brother any of this, I told him I was visiting a long distance friend.
I went, we had a pretty good time. Her kids were cute, and I absolutely adored her new lover. He was a good southern man, my gut told me that. He took me fishing, and let me talk through all my feelings. I finally had the relationship with her that I always craved. It felt sickening good, I was estatic. I didn't care about all of the weird signs, like the weird friends she had (looked like crack addicts), and how she managed to get a kind rich southern guy to take her in. I didn't even care. I was just happy to finally feel like I had her approval. I have a habit of bedwetting time to time from anxiety, I ended up having an accident and I was mortified. I cleaned it all up, but told her and, she said it was no big deal. She used to scream at me or hit me as a child for wetting the bed, and now she was reacting normally. It was like a new woman.
My trip was cut short by a week, she had to be rushed into hospital because her appedix was about to explode, she needed to recover and wouldnt be able to do anything fun with me for the remainder of the trip. I watchd her get taken by the ambulance, and was freaking out crying, I was so relieved when the surgery was a success. Her new man apologized profusely for all he stress and bought me a plane ticket back home to NY. He hugged me saying he would be so happy to see me again over the summer, and he had so much fun fishing with me. That he wanted to be a good step dad. He was a nice dude, just like my dad (a good guy she manipulated) I felt it in my gut. They both were at the airport, my mother in a wheelchair, and hugged me off. She said she loved me and to text her when I landed
I did, and got no response. Another day passed, nothing. I started to freak out and called her, only for it to go to voicemail. I messaged one of her friends sons who she Introduced me to. Asking if she was okay. He said he would get back to me once she responded to him, but them he too ghosted me. It was like she was never there. I called her partners work, and they said they would tell him to give me a call. Nothing. I was in despair. I assumed the worst, that she had died or something because of a surgery complication. I was so confused. I pushed it all out of my mind, wrote it off as a mystery even though it ate up at me. I always just justified it as a death, even though it made no sense. She was still following me on Facebook, but there wasn't activity for months when she was once super active. I deleted facebook a few months later because it just hurt.
It's been about 3 years since then. I needed to re-download facebook because my aunt wanted me to check something on matketplace... and I looked up her name just out of curiosity... shes been posting for over a year now. She's okay. She posts her kids, her fiance... she never once responded ro any of my messages yet. Not on text, not on Facebook messenger, no where.... I scrolled and scrolled, crying. I saw she got a new tattoo... a rose for each of her kids.... one for each of her two new kids, one for a miscarriage she had...two for our sisters who passed away... NONE for me or my brother. Like we don't even exist to her.
I don't know what to do. I want to know WHY. We finally had a good relationship, I finally forgave her. We finally could have been okay, saw each other a few times a year... she said she was happy to have me back in her life.... WHY? I'm so heartbroken and confused. I miss her. Was it because I wet the bed? I don't know. I know shes horrible, but I can't help but miss her so much it hurts. Should I continue trying to reach out, or just let her go..? How do I process thos? Any advice, or maybe a theory/explanation/comfort. Anything would help. I just need help. I don't know what to do...

I've googled different descriptions of the skit and looked through old youtube playlists to see if I could find the link it was late 2020 and I was watching comedy skits on Youtube, when I found this particular skit about this girl trying to make commercial but the things she was selling were all satanic, like she tries to sell these gingerbread cookies but they scream when you eat them, or she tries to sell this big nutcracker but he starts spouting nonsense while his eyes glow. she gets mad at him for ruining the commercial again and says he's 50 bucks. The skit was filmed on a stage, with black curtains. There were a few pillars to hold what she was selling and a tv screen to show where the store was located which was one of the jokes because the map was a giant pentagram. The pixel resolution was really low, so it was probably filmed on someone's phone. plus the lack of props made it look like the budget was small so it was probably a college performance. from what I can remember the girl in the show was short and a bit fat with brown hair, but I have trouble remembering faces so I could be wrong.

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SIEM T - Enigmatic (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 135, 6:12, MP3 15.23 Mb
SIEM T - Enigmatic concept (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 136, 6:11, MP3 15.15 Mb
SIEM T - Enigmatic dream (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 133, 6:19, MP3 15.49 Mb
SNOOKO - Funny Beet (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 130, 5:57, MP3 14.69 Mb
SNOOKO - Paco Di Bongo (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 128, 5:02, MP3 12.50 Mb
STRØBE - Dreamscape (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 80, 2:41, MP3 6.58 Mb
S_Zer0, SAKKO - Man of the Year (Club Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 125, 3:45, MP3 9.60 Mb
Santiago Krenz - Computer System (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 142, 5:25, MP3 13.05 Mb
Santiago Krenz - Oxigeno (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 150, 6:50, MP3 16.45 Mb
Sarah Berg - Sunset Dance (Original Mix) / Key C, BPM 118, 2:15, MP3 5.84 Mb
Sascha Dive - Time for a change (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 123, 6:15, MP3 15.32 Mb
Schiela - ALL NIGHT, BABY! (Benjamin Fröhlich Remix) / Key Am, BPM 122, 5:15, MP3 12.83 Mb
Schillist, Kxne, Daniel Best - Life Be Like (feat. KXNE) (Extended Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 124, 3:52, MP3 9.64 Mb
Schindergrimm - After the Silent (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 132, 7:16, MP3 17.59 Mb
Schindergrimm - Lost in Time (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 138, 6:46, MP3 16.36 Mb
Schindergrimm - Missing Link (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 133, 8:16, MP3 19.95 Mb
Sean Harris (UK) - Matter (Extended Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 128, 5:39, MP3 13.91 Mb
Sean Harris (UK) - Matter (Radio Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 128, 3:01, MP3 7.61 Mb
Sean Tyas - Lift (Chris Voro & Ode ReChill) / Key Dm, BPM 115, 6:18, MP3 15.40 Mb
Sebastiaan Hooft - Magazine (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 135, 6:42, MP3 16.44 Mb
Sebastiaan Hooft - Void (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 140, 2:45, MP3 6.72 Mb
Sebastian Darez - M87 (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 124, 6:50, MP3 16.75 Mb
Sebastian Darez - The Winter Is Coming (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 125, 6:55, MP3 16.94 Mb
Sebastian Davidson - Safe and Sound (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 100, 3:34, MP3 8.72 Mb
Segler - Kesäyöt (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 140, 6:26, MP3 15.81 Mb
Self Deception - Cat's Dreams (Original mix) / Key Fm, BPM 113, 4:02, MP3 10.14 Mb
Self Deception - Purple Fields (Original mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 110, 4:27, MP3 11.03 Mb
Selomi - Igwe (Tomahawk Bang Remix) / Key Fm, BPM 122, 6:37, MP3 16.38 Mb
Senbei, MGHN - Saji (feat. MGHN) (Gavrosh Remix) / Key Em, BPM 127, 3:18, MP3 8.39 Mb
Sentin, Wout Vantieghem - A Wall Of Glass (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 124, 6:17, MP3 15.43 Mb
Sergii Petrenko - Tropical Breeze (Format Groove Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 128, 6:30, MP3 15.72 Mb
Sergii Petrenko - Tropical Breeze (Techno Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 135, 6:10, MP3 14.91 Mb
Sevdavision - For Now (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 129, 5:24, MP3 13.09 Mb
Sevdavision - OK (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 106, 3:17, MP3 8.02 Mb
Sevdavision - Osoti (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 106, 2:54, MP3 7.08 Mb
Sevdavision - Pazar (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 91, 5:07, MP3 12.41 Mb
Sevdavision - The Old Goes (Original Mix) / Key B, BPM 100, 2:39, MP3 6.51 Mb
Sevdavision - Will We Meet Again (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 96, 5:40, MP3 13.75 Mb
Sharapov - Pictures (Instrumental Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 118, 5:17, MP3 12.91 Mb
Sharapov - Pictures (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 118, 5:17, MP3 12.92 Mb
Shelby Zyxx - Love Love (Original Mix) / Key B, BPM 145, 2:29, MP3 6.14 Mb
Shokh - FPM (Edit) / Key B, BPM 130, 5:22, MP3 13.17 Mb
Shokh - Pepper (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 130, 5:16, MP3 12.91 Mb
Shokh - Pur (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 138, 7:16, MP3 17.70 Mb
Shokh - Tonka (Original Mix) / Key Bb, BPM 125, 5:31, MP3 13.53 Mb
Shunus - Where's the Party At? (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 130, 5:18, MP3 12.95 Mb
Sillaz - The Pill (Extended) / Key Cm, BPM 131, 1:32, MP3 4.05 Mb
Silvertone (US) - Life's a B!tch (Extended Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 128, 5:34, MP3 13.92 Mb
Silvertone (US) - Out My Mind (Extended Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 128, 4:38, MP3 11.67 Mb
Simon Pagliari - Kiss Like This (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 130, 5:43, MP3 13.87 Mb
Simon Pagliari - Kiss Like This (Radio Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 130, 3:43, MP3 9.06 Mb
Singular Anomalies - I'll Tell You Tomorrow (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 137, 5:43, MP3 14.06 Mb
Singular Anomalies - Implant (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 137, 5:43, MP3 14.06 Mb
Singular Anomalies - Latent Heat (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 136, 5:46, MP3 14.16 Mb
Sinkix - Mermaids Of Osiris (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 121, 7:41, MP3 18.62 Mb
Sinkix - Mount Shipton (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 122, 7:09, MP3 17.34 Mb
Sir Soundbender - 1 4 Da Money (Miggedy's Full Count Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 8:10, MP3 19.84 Mb
Siskin - Fly Away (Hel:sløwed Extended Remix) / Key Em, BPM 124, 5:47, MP3 14.15 Mb
Skatman - Unchained (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 125, 5:56, MP3 14.37 Mb
Skurilla - Roll (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 140, 6:42, MP3 16.44 Mb
Slash Eleven - Sun God (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 130, 4:09, MP3 10.33 Mb
SleepCycle - Reflection (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 120, 3:28, MP3 8.59 Mb
Slygui - Devin (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 130, 7:58, MP3 19.68 Mb
Smilla - Bad Lost (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 139, 6:55, MP3 16.98 Mb
Soalex - Music Never Done (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 122, 3:17, MP3 8.75 Mb
Social Assassins - Restrain this (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 144, 5:47, MP3 14.21 Mb
Sofus Wiene - After The Beep (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 125, 2:58, MP3 7.32 Mb
Sofus Wiene - Xtasy (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 125, 3:23, MP3 8.30 Mb
Solc - Where Am I (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 128, 6:04, MP3 15.25 Mb
Solma - Stomatal Conductance (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 136, 6:12, MP3 15.16 Mb
Solma - Sugar Snake (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 138, 6:20, MP3 15.50 Mb
Solntsev - Watch Me Dancing All the Time (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 127, 6:26, MP3 15.69 Mb
Something Else DR - Abusadora (Extended) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 4:08, MP3 10.28 Mb
Something Else DR - Abusadora (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 2:40, MP3 6.78 Mb
Sonic Flash - Fly Away (Remix) / Key Dm, BPM 140, 4:56, MP3 12.14 Mb
Sonny Fodera, Blythe - Mind Still (feat. blythe) (Tita Lau Extended Remix) / Key Bm, BPM 130, 4:59, MP3 12.01 Mb
Sophie Nixdorf - Kiko (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 130, 6:35, MP3 15.88 Mb
Soul& - Ain't No Beauty (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 116, 4:27, MP3 11.03 Mb
Soul& - All The Doors Are Open (Original Mix) / Key A, BPM 95, 6:08, MP3 15.10 Mb
Soul& - Someday We Will Win (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 102, 5:31, MP3 13.62 Mb
Soul& - The Sailor (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 129, 3:23, MP3 8.47 Mb
Soul& - Those Blue Eyes (Mata Biru) (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 112, 3:39, MP3 9.14 Mb
Soul& - War (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 95, 4:36, MP3 11.42 Mb
Spaces Between - LaVey (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 120, 5:12, MP3 12.58 Mb
Spaces Between - Lineside (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 141, 4:09, MP3 10.08 Mb
Spaces Between - Summer 94 (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 165, 3:07, MP3 7.59 Mb
Spaces Between - Wilgefortis (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 122, 3:04, MP3 7.46 Mb
Speedman, Techno Cats, Hyper Hamster - Dirty Talk (Extended Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 148, 3:47, MP3 9.37 Mb
Speedman, Techno Cats, Hyper Hamster - Dirty Talk (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 148, 2:25, MP3 6.10 Mb
Spektrx - Chaoswave (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 133, 6:32, MP3 15.90 Mb
Spektrx - Confusion (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 131, 6:53, MP3 16.72 Mb
Spektrx - Particulas (Original Mix) / Key C, BPM 133, 7:16, MP3 17.63 Mb
Spring Rolls - Architecture Conceptuelle (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 130, 5:55, MP3 14.58 Mb
Spring Rolls - Etude Preliminaire (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 121, 2:59, MP3 7.53 Mb
Spring Rolls - L'Invitation (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 135, 5:21, MP3 13.21 Mb
Spring Rolls - La Porte Derobee (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 131, 7:05, MP3 17.38 Mb
Spring Rolls - Mixture Melodique (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 134, 6:13, MP3 15.28 Mb
Spring Rolls - Une Balade Sournoise (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 128, 6:45, MP3 16.58 Mb
Spring Rolls - Vibration Harcelante (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 134, 6:27, MP3 15.85 Mb
Spring Rolls - Violence Percussive (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 134, 5:44, MP3 14.14 Mb
Squeeze DJ, Vito Raisi - Analog Aura Adventure (Explorer Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 126, 6:38, MP3 16.16 Mb
Squeeze DJ, Vito Raisi - Analog Aura Adventure (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 126, 6:51, MP3 16.70 Mb
Stagz Jazz, Da Vynalist - Soft Landing (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 116, 6:54, MP3 16.91 Mb
Stefre Roland - Close Your Eyes (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 120, 3:18, MP3 8.13 Mb
Step2Sun - Dance With Me (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 130, 7:13, MP3 17.51 Mb
Step2Sun - Nice, Very Nice (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 128, 7:07, MP3 17.24 Mb
Steven Liquid - Sunset Coast (Sunny Island Freaks Remix) / Key Abm, BPM 124, 6:01, MP3 14.74 Mb
Stoked - It's the Groove (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 132, 6:02, MP3 14.60 Mb
Stoned Chicken - Mood Developer (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 126, 6:10, MP3 14.84 Mb
Store P - Det Kunne Begynt Å Brenne (Boge Remix) / Key Abm, BPM 127, 4:13, MP3 10.37 Mb
Subcisco - Reset (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 124, 3:25, MP3 8.40 Mb
Sunlounger, Betafish - Beachwalk (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 160, 3:22, MP3 8.37 Mb
Supaderb - The Days (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 126, 5:36, MP3 13.59 Mb
Super-Secret - Cappuccino (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 126, 5:36, MP3 13.60 Mb
Super-Secret - FrenchDarkProg (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 126, 6:06, MP3 14.81 Mb
Super-Secret - Mister Techno Cox (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 126, 6:06, MP3 14.81 Mb
Svarog - Psalm (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 131, 6:07, MP3 14.80 Mb
Sven Neawolf - In meinen Gedanken (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 160, 3:57, MP3 9.66 Mb
Sven Nielsen - You (Andy Lizard Pres. LZD Melodia Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 124, 6:43, MP3 16.50 Mb
Sven Nielsen - You (Andy Lizard Pres. LZD Melodia Vocal Intro Edit) / Key Gm, BPM 124, 6:46, MP3 16.61 Mb
Sven Vath, Gregor Tresher - Flashback (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 135, 7:14, MP3 17.85 Mb
Sven Wegner - Rollercoast (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 120, 5:17, MP3 12.82 Mb
Swomp - Balance (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 145, 2:59, MP3 7.43 Mb
Sym Bioz - Celestial (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 132, 6:36, MP3 16.18 Mb
Sym Bioz - Cerebral (Original Mix) / Key A, BPM 132, 6:42, MP3 16.40 Mb
Sym Bioz - Disinhibition (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 132, 6:40, MP3 16.32 Mb
Sym Bioz - Latency (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 132, 6:38, MP3 16.25 Mb
Sym Bioz - Megahertz (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 132, 6:40, MP3 16.32 Mb
Sym Bioz - Ultra (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 132, 6:38, MP3 16.25 Mb
T.Markakis - 1979 (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 123, 5:20, MP3 13.06 Mb
T.Markakis - Deeper Thoughts (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 123, 7:09, MP3 17.44 Mb
THE.PROVIDER - Resonate (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 135, 6:12, MP3 15.13 Mb
TRFN - Plain Jane (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 145, 2:16, MP3 5.98 Mb
TURN X - Nine Is God (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 123, 6:06, MP3 14.92 Mb
Takairo Oishi - Beyond the Odd Grid (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 138, 6:44, MP3 16.37 Mb
That Kid Chris - Tonight (Apache Tribal Mix (Remastered)) / Key A, BPM 134, 9:03, MP3 21.87 Mb
That Kid Chris, DJ Mada - That's It! (Hyperdrive Mix (Remastered)) / Key Am, BPM 134, 8:22, MP3 20.23 Mb
The Bestseller - Moments (Extended Mix) / Key Am, BPM 114, 3:52, MP3 9.53 Mb
The Bossline - Take It (Ibiza Chill Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 114, 2:36, MP3 6.52 Mb
The Dudes [COL] - Colera (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 130, 6:39, MP3 16.12 Mb
The Dudes [COL] - La Libertad (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 126, 6:13, MP3 15.08 Mb
The Notwist, What Are People For? - illusions (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 159, 4:47, MP3 11.77 Mb
The Phantom (CR) - Do You Remember Love (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 132, 7:26, MP3 17.94 Mb
The Phantom (CR) - Tribu (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 128, 5:53, MP3 14.23 Mb
The Populists - Step Inside (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 127, 6:53, MP3 16.84 Mb
The Regular Guy - Everlasting Love (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 124, 6:47, MP3 16.51 Mb
The Sleeper, Lju Je - Pod Room (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 120, 8:23, MP3 20.29 Mb
Theodor Nabuurs - Feels Like High (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 125, 4:58, MP3 12.26 Mb
Thomas Baumhauer - Juno (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 125, 5:22, MP3 13.10 Mb
Thorkell Máni, 2 HANDS - Yellow Jacket Boys (Addi Stefansson Remix) / Key Em, BPM 128, 5:44, MP3 14.11 Mb
Thorkell Máni, 2 HANDS - Yellow Jacket Boys (G.Roy Remix) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 6:10, MP3 15.15 Mb
Thorkell Máni, 2 HANDS - Yellow Jacket Boys (SKYN Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 94, 6:02, MP3 14.83 Mb
Tier Ra Nichi - Beats & Rhythm (Original Version) / Key Fm, BPM 120, 7:28, MP3 18.15 Mb
Tier Ra Nichi - Deeper, Let's Go (Let's Go Deeper Voxstrumental) / Key Gm, BPM 125, 5:38, MP3 13.75 Mb
Tier Ra Nichi - Lab In The Am (The Late Night Operation Imprint) / Key F, BPM 123, 6:46, MP3 16.48 Mb
Tier Ra Nichi - Mars On Tap (New Direction Instrumental Imprint) / Key Fm, BPM 125, 6:16, MP3 15.28 Mb
Tijn Driessen - In Bloei (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 118, 5:48, MP3 14.33 Mb
Tim Baresko, RAYZIR, Daniel Orpi - Takin' Over (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 132, 5:25, MP3 13.19 Mb
Tim Olsson - Is It Really Love (Original Mix) / Key G, BPM 114, 2:01, MP3 5.40 Mb
Timothy Allen - Rapture (Extended Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 135, 5:40, MP3 13.75 Mb
Tokyo Cartel - Theme From Tokyo (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 122, 4:45, MP3 11.70 Mb
Tokyo T, Jay Cara - Do It Like Me (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 128, 6:30, MP3 15.77 Mb
Tokyo T, Jay Cara - Tranquilao (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 128, 6:38, MP3 16.07 Mb
Tomas Bisquierra - Beatz Up (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 128, 6:04, MP3 14.93 Mb
Tommy Crash - Don't Sleep (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 125, 4:40, MP3 11.34 Mb
Tommy Crash - Don't Tell Me Your Name (Original Mix) / Key C, BPM 126, 5:28, MP3 13.23 Mb
Tommy Crash - She Bad (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 127, 5:45, MP3 13.94 Mb
Tony Deledda - Everybody (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 120, 5:46, MP3 13.94 Mb
Tony Deledda - Something Intense (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 125, 6:43, MP3 16.23 Mb
Tony Ess - Just a Packet of Crisps (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 140, 5:29, MP3 13.32 Mb
Tony Postigo - Take It Over (Extended Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 124, 6:29, MP3 15.89 Mb
Tooloud - I Still Think About You (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 125, 2:51, MP3 6.91 Mb
Toru S., Benign Polypupu - A Day Before My Birthday (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 124, 5:56, MP3 14.54 Mb
Tough Art - Caribean Swag (Extended Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 129, 6:18, MP3 15.42 Mb
Tough Art - Ghetto (Extended Mix) / Key Em, BPM 128, 5:06, MP3 12.54 Mb
Traumer - Lemerci (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 128, 6:25, MP3 15.64 Mb
Traumer - Rodage (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 127, 6:50, MP3 16.64 Mb
Tree Threes - Change with Me (Original Mix) / Key E, BPM 121, 5:56, MP3 14.32 Mb
Tree Threes - Stone Turned (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 124, 6:07, MP3 14.79 Mb
Treibsand - Muchacho (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 128, 5:46, MP3 14.20 Mb
Tren - Closing Loop (Original Mix) / Key F#, BPM 118, 4:45, MP3 11.66 Mb
Tren - Essays in Idleness (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 124, 4:43, MP3 11.57 Mb
Tren - Tensor (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 124, 5:45, MP3 14.05 Mb
Trentemøller - A Different Light (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 130, 5:50, MP3 14.22 Mb
Tripolism - Good Times (Extended Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 122, 6:21, MP3 15.38 Mb
Truncate - Remember (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 138, 5:08, MP3 12.64 Mb
Truncate - Remember (V2) / Key Gm, BPM 142, 4:46, MP3 11.78 Mb
Truncate - That Chord Again (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 142, 4:35, MP3 11.32 Mb
Tueba - Last Forever (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 128, 2:23, MP3 5.90 Mb
Tumbian - Kulya (HUGEhands Remix) / Key Abm, BPM 125, 6:20, MP3 15.41 Mb
Tumbian - Kulya (Leeman Brothers Remix) / Key Cm, BPM 124, 5:54, MP3 14.37 Mb
Tumbian - Kulya (Original Mix) / Key Ab, BPM 126, 5:08, MP3 12.53 Mb
Twin Scream - Que Soy (Extended Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 126, 3:57, MP3 9.74 Mb
Twin Scream - Que Soy (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 126, 2:58, MP3 7.40 Mb
Tydra - Touchdown (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 130, 4:28, MP3 11.06 Mb
UMIIN - Fraction (Das Ton Remix) / Key Cm, BPM 115, 5:17, MP3 12.92 Mb
UMIIN - Fraction (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 108, 5:29, MP3 13.40 Mb
Uncertain - Close (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 143, 4:29, MP3 10.83 Mb
Uncertain - Different (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 140, 5:07, MP3 12.36 Mb
Uncertain - Donna (Mark Broom Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 143, 4:02, MP3 9.74 Mb
Uncertain - Donna (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 143, 4:32, MP3 10.96 Mb
Uncertain - Extreme (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 141, 4:06, MP3 9.89 Mb
Uncertain - Physical (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 141, 4:20, MP3 10.46 Mb
VDMV, Then Ruloks - Trust (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 140, 6:23, MP3 15.58 Mb
VE/RA - All Night (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 93, 5:14, MP3 12.84 Mb
VNDM - Flash (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 135, 6:03, MP3 14.76 Mb
VNDM - Look at Me (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 131, 4:48, MP3 11.76 Mb
Valentino Favetta - Shake That (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 125, 3:35, MP3 8.81 Mb
Valjus - Luxury Vacation (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 120, 5:36, MP3 13.70 Mb
Vallilo - Get Money (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 129, 5:17, MP3 13.10 Mb
Vandermann - Lifeline (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 132, 4:33, MP3 11.18 Mb
Vanillaz - Lets Get Lost (Freudenthal Remix) (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 124, 7:05, MP3 17.30 Mb
Vanstone - Close to Me (Club Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 125, 5:19, MP3 13.36 Mb
Victor Moreno - Paradise (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 124, 7:14, MP3 17.54 Mb
Vier Equis - Mentor (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 120, 8:40, MP3 21.14 Mb
Villano - Back to the Oldschool (Extended Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 128, 5:03, MP3 12.17 Mb
Villano - Back to the Oldschool (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 128, 4:16, MP3 10.31 Mb
Vinback, JUNAR, Madaë - Everything (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 150, 3:00, MP3 7.69 Mb
Vincentsnap - N'oublie Pas (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 124, 8:48, MP3 21.38 Mb
Vinsent D. Vanitas - Splatter Spread (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 145, 5:23, MP3 13.36 Mb
Visage Music, Ragie Ban - Time After Time (Extended Mix) / Key Em, BPM 124, 5:29, MP3 13.43 Mb
Vitorino - Alchemy (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 141, 5:02, MP3 12.70 Mb
Vitorino - Dark Tape (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 146, 4:56, MP3 12.45 Mb
Vitorino - Isolate (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 147, 4:51, MP3 12.24 Mb
Vitorino - Red (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 144, 4:56, MP3 12.45 Mb
Vitorino - Survive (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 140, 5:02, MP3 12.68 Mb
Vitorino - Time Machine (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 146, 5:22, MP3 13.50 Mb
Vittorio Brena - Rimini By Night (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 126, 5:41, MP3 13.73 Mb
Vittorio Brena - Start (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 126, 6:20, MP3 15.29 Mb
Vivaro, BLOTE - Penthouse (Extended) / Key Cm, BPM 126, 3:49, MP3 9.54 Mb
Vivienne WU - Rave All Night (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 138, 6:02, MP3 14.67 Mb
Vivienne WU - You Forgot Who I Am (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 140, 5:36, MP3 13.64 Mb
Volodia Rizak - Shaker (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 130, 6:02, MP3 15.04 Mb
Voost - Drums (Extended Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 128, 5:38, MP3 13.99 Mb
Vortex - Auto Erotica (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 127, 7:27, MP3 18.05 Mb
Vortex - Garuda (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 128, 7:38, MP3 18.51 Mb
Vortex - Pressed (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 122, 7:28, MP3 18.09 Mb
Vortex - Salt (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 5:27, MP3 13.25 Mb
Vortex - Shard (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 128, 7:16, MP3 17.61 Mb
Vortex - The Fly (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 127, 6:34, MP3 15.94 Mb
WONGA, Sohowt - Enter The Rave (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 138, 5:28, MP3 13.40 Mb
Wally Lopez, German Brigante, Sarah Carter - Touch (German Brigante Extended Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 123, 5:38, MP3 13.60 Mb
Wally Lopez, German Brigante, Sarah Carter - Touch (German Brigante Instrumental) / Key Ebm, BPM 123, 5:38, MP3 13.60 Mb
Wally Lopez, German Brigante, Sarah Carter - Touch (German Brigante Remix) / Key Ebm, BPM 123, 2:57, MP3 7.16 Mb
What Are People For? - criminals r snoozing (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 115, 4:48, MP3 11.82 Mb
Whirl, Engelbert - Petrichor (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 120, 5:28, MP3 13.22 Mb
Whirl, Pentia, Engelbert - ADSR (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 124, 6:20, MP3 15.29 Mb
Whirl, Pentia, Engelbert - ADSR (Those Shadows Remix) / Key Dbm, BPM 123, 5:58, MP3 14.42 Mb
Whitesquare - Ephemeral Eyes (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 127, 6:54, MP3 16.67 Mb
Whitesquare - XPR (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 124, 6:33, MP3 15.83 Mb
Will Møller - Unaffected (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 126, 3:05, MP3 7.60 Mb
Wlack - Claps (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 137, 5:40, MP3 13.87 Mb
Wlack - Loverdose (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 136, 5:36, MP3 13.73 Mb
Wlack - Perc Beep (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 137, 5:12, MP3 12.75 Mb
Wlack - Time (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 137, 5:43, MP3 14.01 Mb
WolmeR - Chrono Synthesis (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 132, 4:38, MP3 11.39 Mb
WolmeR - Nebula (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 133, 5:12, MP3 12.74 Mb
Womp-Life - Pegasus (Club Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 125, 5:38, MP3 14.02 Mb
Womp-Life - Pegasus (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 125, 7:01, MP3 17.32 Mb
X-Statik - Rapture (Edit) / Key Em, BPM 134, 4:06, MP3 10.16 Mb
XAAV - Mind Connection (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 124, 5:14, MP3 12.98 Mb
XAAV - Take It Back (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 127, 5:02, MP3 12.45 Mb
XENEZE - I Can't Let You Go (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 105, 3:12, MP3 7.79 Mb
Xerxes-k, Isse Maraà - Bound to Break feat. Xerxes-K (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 125, 7:08, MP3 17.35 Mb
Ximena, Ali X, Pvlomo - Pastillitas (Ali X Remix) / Key Gm, BPM 125, 6:59, MP3 17.08 Mb
Ximena, Ali X, Pvlomo - Pastillitas (BadWolf Remix) / Key Em, BPM 120, 5:59, MP3 14.70 Mb
Ximena, Ali X, Pvlomo - Pastillitas (Phunkadelica Mitsubishi Mix) / Key Em, BPM 125, 5:36, MP3 13.79 Mb
Ximena, Ali X, Pvlomo - Pastillitas (Shorter Version) / Key Em, BPM 120, 6:43, MP3 16.44 Mb
Ximena, Ali X, Pvlomo - Pastillitas (TH3OS Remix) / Key Fm, BPM 132, 4:40, MP3 11.54 Mb
Xrolac - Inhuman (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 128, 10:02, MP3 24.27 Mb
Xrolac - Xrolac (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 136, 7:11, MP3 17.43 Mb
YAAS - Where Have You Been (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 125, 3:15, MP3 7.96 Mb
Yan Cook - Freak Show (Original Mix) / Key F#, BPM 128, 5:42, MP3 13.71 Mb
Yan Cook - Loophole (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 129, 6:20, MP3 15.26 Mb
Yan Cook - Quatro (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 129, 6:09, MP3 14.80 Mb
Yan Cook - Rose (Original Mix) / Key Ebm, BPM 130, 6:35, MP3 15.83 Mb
Yanamaste - 8 Tone (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 145, 4:53, MP3 11.78 Mb
Yanamaste - All night (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 145, 5:20, MP3 12.84 Mb
Yanamaste - Dance (Original Mix) / Key Em, BPM 140, 5:03, MP3 12.16 Mb
Yanamaste - Trojan (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 145, 5:00, MP3 12.05 Mb
Yannick Weineck - Mandelbrot (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 141, 5:00, MP3 12.14 Mb
YolcuBeats - Et si tu n'existais pas (Original Mix) / Key Dm, BPM 95, 3:27, MP3 8.67 Mb
Yooniq - Come & Get It (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 126, 3:58, MP3 9.71 Mb
You Man - Birdcage (Original Mix) / Key E, BPM 109, 5:39, MP3 14.06 Mb
You Man - Birdcage (Theus Mago Version) / Key Bm, BPM 124, 4:39, MP3 11.64 Mb
ZARROUKI.YFGD - Simple Mind (FREE DOWNLOAD) (Original Mix) / Key Am, BPM 125, 7:37, MP3 18.70 Mb
ZUCC (BR) - I Like That (Original Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 126, 6:06, MP3 15.03 Mb
Zakari&Blange - Control Data (Original Mix) / Key Bbm, BPM 135, 6:38, MP3 16.30 Mb
Zappa, Henry Sour - Alien (Original Mix) / Key Fm, BPM 126, 3:18, MP3 8.04 Mb
Zerevo, AMRND - Hey Bitch (Extended Mix) / Key Em, BPM 125, 3:04, MP3 7.59 Mb
Zerevo, AMRND - Hey Bitch (Radio Edit) / Key Em, BPM 125, 2:18, MP3 5.75 Mb
Zoogy Bless - Que Ma (Extended) / Key Cm, BPM 126, 4:36, MP3 11.19 Mb
Zoogy Bless - Que Ma (Original Mix) / Key Cm, BPM 126, 3:14, MP3 7.91 Mb
shotobi - Impostor (Original Mix) / Key Abm, BPM 126, 4:22, MP3 10.60 Mb
sloli - Trainer (Original Mix) / Key Dbm, BPM 143, 5:33, MP3 13.54 Mb
Émilie Rachel - Get Low (Extended Mix) / Key Gm, BPM 124, 5:02, MP3 12.13 Mb
İsmail Uluçay - Blind (Original Mix) / Key F#m, BPM 140, 2:51, MP3 7.01 Mb
Забавка і Дмитрик - Винокурня (Original Mix) / Key Eb, BPM 113, 1:32, MP3 4.01 Mb
Забавка і Дмитрик - Музика і матюки (Original Mix) / Key D, BPM 132, 1:12, MP3 3.19 Mb
Забавка і Дмитрик - Шимпанзе (Original Mix) / Key Bm, BPM 86, 1:24, MP3 3.69 Mb
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Lights out. Lights on. Lights out. Lights on. Vincent strained to keep his eyes open. Indeed, it wasn’t him blinking, it was the sun. It flickered mid day.
He was jobless again, and was trying to take his mind off it. He’d left the apartment, which would soon not be his, to get away from its suffocating evocation. Eventually his mindless sauntering led him to a nearby park, where he found a soft patch of grass to lie in, and perhaps just die there.
The allure of fresh cut grass in the sun had attracted others as well, but everyone was quiet, thoughtful. The recent AI revolution had put many in the same boat as him. It had been something spectacular, at an unprecedented rate the productivity of mankind soared, dwarfing the industrial and digital revolutions. In a mood of euphoric optimism, it enveloped the planet as a swarm of fruit flies with viagra.
In the beginning, managers and mid-managers were ecstatic, finally they would have the type of workers they dreamed of, ones who didn’t moan and complain about every poorly thought out decision they made. And with them gone, a huge useless drain on profit would be removed. Money would be redistributed, recognition at last, with them taking a major chunk to match their exceptional qualities, their uniqueness among their peers. AIs only needed electric power after all.
Of course, that was all a managerial fantasy, and following a brief time of delusional bliss, they themselves got promptly replaced or simply removed. For the people higher up in the hierarchy, who kept their jobs, it felt like removing your socks after a long trek.
The optimists claimed that this was the long awaited transition to a post scarcity society, utopia in the making. Reality, being a pessimist, had other plans. Wealth discrepancy deepened, and suddenly most societies found themselves with two castes: the wealthy, people who still had income and money, and the destitute who had nothing. The penniless made poor consumers, so business stopped catering to them. Governments were already designed to represent the rich anyway, so they lacked political power as well. They became outcasts, people left to die in the streets. They couldn’t even rebel effectively, since soldiers were getting paid, which made them partial to the upper class, and civilians going against modern military forces was somewhat iffy.
In a spasm of altruism, the elite figured that starvation of more than half of the population would be inhumane. Therefore bread and potatoes became free, which fit nicely well below the 1.3% of global GDP that went for charity. Some of the affected wondered whether that was some sort of a cruel joke. They felt like the roach being kept alive as food for the wasp’s progeny.
Since getting laid off, Vincent dreaded his eventual transition to the outcast class. He had not found a job in time, and now he was being evicted. Not much he could do now but join one of the sprawling tent cities, but luckily, he already owned a tent having bought one for just such an occasion.
These new cities, built within the old ones, were slowly becoming their own authorities. It started when people formed gangs to raid large grocery stores. These soon went out of business, since the stratum they served had perished. The stores that remained, that sold to the rich, had big enough margins to afford armed guards, so the gangs had to become larger and tougher. As history teaches us, government is an euphemism for the biggest bully in town, and these gangs were growing into big bullies themselves. Eventually, they started to refer to themselves as tribes, separate entities from their origin countries. And you didn’t want to meet tribesmen when you were going home at night.
The original administrations made several half hearted attempts to suppress these new states, but what was it supposed to do? Kill what it claimed to be its own citizens? Ultimately, citizens who couldn’t afford to consume or pay taxes were not desirable ones, so they gave up.
Vincent was self aware enough to know that he wouldn’t make a good tribesman. He was soft, pudgy, and often out of breath. As the main source of wealth for these people was raiding, he wondered what niche he could fill, but he avoided thinking about it too hard.
And now the sun was flickering. How unfortunate it would be, he mused, if it turned off one of these days, but he knew it wasn’t that. He was surprised to find out that it saddened him it wasn’t.
The remaining governments had their coffers empty in the end, since the populace paid politicians directly, bypassing them entirely. In a new plan, one of managerial cunning, indeed one that only a government clerk can come up with, they decided to block out the sun. Then they would sell sunlight as a service; it was the new SAS model. Proponents of this plan argued that obviously they deserved sunlight for free, but they were not so sure about the tribal riff raff that beat them senseless when they met on the street. The rich didn’t care, because it was a small fee, and hey, the money would go toward fixing the parks. It could even fix climate change!
Since there was no opposition, the decision was made, and the project undertaken. At first, people could hardly believe their reality. Such was the case with Vincent as well, he had indeed forgotten about it until now. A myriad of small robotic satellites were launched with reusable rockets, each with its own AI and at all times connected to a massive computational center via relays. There the monumental computation of where each robot should stand was made, so that any unsubscribed person would get shaded. It was akin to a Dyson swarm, but unfortunately, on the wrong celestial body.
And there it was, the last sunray to ever touch him; it blinked out. Vincent looked up, and saw the sun as in an eclipse with only its corona visible. Unhappily, he brought his gaze down, and examined the other lawn loafers. Nearly the whole place was in the dark, but two people had their own personal god rays. The chosen ones glanced around nervously. Death stares shot back at them. They left in a hurry. Vincent walked home depressed, while a robot shrouded him from orbit.
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness.
Months passed, and Vincent found himself the third wife of a tribe chieftain. It was the Sunset Boulevard tribe, named after the street it had occupied during its inception and not after recent events. The area was now almost permanently shaded, and vegetation had completely died out, but humans found ways to persist. Even in darkness, people managed and found things to put value in. Food, water, and shelter had become precious, while electronic gadgets lost all meaning. Vitamin D supplements were the unofficial currency.
Being the third wife had its benefits. It provided uncommon security, and his chores were simple. He had to keep the tent in order and take care of the chieftain’s many children, who were from the man’s other wives.
Vincent had come to accept this existence, which his past self would’ve found intolerable. He fell into the routine of his new life, and the days strung along, but change was inevitably brewing again behind the curtain.
It turned out that blocking large portions of sunlight made the climate go haywire. Giant planetary superstorms became a thing, and the Atlantic was consumed in a never ending hurricane of continental magnitude. It effectively cut off the Americas from Europe, which miffed the rich a bit. Although travel was restricted, they still found their lives largely unchanged, an infinite stream of AI generated entertainment and whatever else was left for money to buy paved the way to a lifetime of hedonism.
For the tribesmen life grew rougher: winters were colder, springs rainier, and summers gloomier. But people persisted. Among them, Vincent had recently become a grandmother. His new routine created distance between him and his old memories of the world that had been, a dream is all it was. As life became harder, and food became scarcer, and the planet itself grew more hostile, his chores expanded to consume more and more of his time. They left him with no time to think or reflect on what was and what could’ve been. Oddly, his present situation fulfilled him, and at the end of the day, when he lay on his roll-up bed under the rotting tent roof, he fell asleep happy.
Conditions worsened across the globe, and officials started to argue that maybe they’d been wrong in removing the sun from the poor. Perhaps, it was said, the divine disagreed with SAS. Such voices remained a minority however, because neither clerks nor politicians were prepared to separate themselves from the sweet cash inflows it produced.
Tsunamis drowned the coasts, and it rained debris from humankind’s abandoned cities across the world. At last, twilight shone over the rich as well. Their assets were submerged and ruined, but they still had money to spend. And where there’s demand there’s supply. Luxurious underground bunkers, offshore platforms, deep sea hotels, and offworld apartments were hastily constructed with the poorly understood technology of days past.
Relentless, time marched on, unperturbed by humanity’s plight, and Vincent lay on his deathbed after a long, long life. A coup had ousted the chieftain, and he no longer had the same status, but was largely left alone to his own devices out of respect for his former husband. The tribe had migrated high up on the Rockies to evade the boiling ocean. He’d even managed to convince a woman to be his wife in his later years, and had a couple of children of his own. Presently, they all sat around his disintegrated roll-up bed, in his decayed tent, and a woman he barely recognized held his hand, and a young man held a palm over his shoulder. The deep sorrow of a final goodbye lingered in their eyes. He tried to remember where he’d come from and how it had all begun; he tried to remember the sun, but his aged brain faltered.
He closed his eyes for a final time, and while his mind dissolved, one thing remained clear to him. As people drowned in their underwater havens, suffocated underground, and their bones grew weak and their flesh rotted in space, he was here, happy, with his family.

Hi Everyone. I'm looking for some advice on whether or not to purchase a business that's for sale in my city.
Here's the TLDR version - we want to expand our antique booth business into an antique store/mall. We are debating between purchasing a vacant building and starting from scratch, or buying an existing but mismanaged store with inventory. I'm not sure if either is worth leaving my full time job for.
For some background, my dad and I have ran a successful antique booth at someone else's antique mall for several years. In the last year, we've averaged $1000 in sales, with around $300 in expenses each month (buying merchandise, and renting the space). We spend probably 4-5 hours a week sourcing merch, researching, pricing, and maintaining the display.
Unfortunately, the owner of the mall was ready to retire, and sold the building to an unrelated business, ending the good thing we had going. We had the opportunity to buy the business from her, but she wanted over a million and we just couldn't swing it. There are a few other antique malls in our area, but all have long waiting lists to get in (one has over 100 vendors waiting!) And all charge a bit more in rent/commission than we were paying at the place we were at.
Anyway, long story short we see a need/opportunity in our market for another mall, but finding a building that meets our needs and is affordable for us has been challenging. We looked at several for rent but the price and uncertainty of rent increasing as time goes on made us look more at ownership.
We then found a 7500 sq ft building listed for sale for 260k, and we think we could possibly talk them down to 200ish. It's 2 floors (not super desirable for an antique business as elderly people sometimes struggles with stairs) but we considered that the lower level could be rented out to a contractor type business, as it has its own entrance and garage door. The other drawback is parking - the lot is tiny and only fits like 6 cars at once. I drew up a crude map of how we could divide the space for vendors, and I think we could net 5-6k a month in booth rent, plus a % commission on sales, plus renting the basement out, plus continuing to sell our own items.
Lastly, we stumbled upon an existing antique business where the elderly owners are ready to retire and are selling their business, including the building and fully stocked store. The building is 4500 sq ft, and on a busy road with ample parking. They own all of the merchandise in the store, as they do not use the "mall" model, which they explained is due to them not being able to keep to set hours because of their health. They're asking 300k, which from my super limited knowledge seems in the realm of reasonable for the building and merchandise. We asked them about the property taxes, utilities, etc., but didn't ask about sales - mainly because I don't think their sales numbers would be relevant since they've been running the business like a hobby for years now, not being open set hours, not bringing in new merchandise, refreshing displays, or advertising at all. Their merchandise is also priced a lot higher than we typically sell things for.
Our plan would be to host a "going out of business" sale for most of the merchandise in their store currently, marking everything to 50% of what they've priced it at. Then, after we've hopefully sold off a large chunk of the product we "close" their store, and open ours in it's place with a new name, and condense our stuff down to half or less of the store and start renting out booths to other vendors.
The main problem I run into with both the vacant building and the established business is that it's just so hard to determine how much money we can actually make. We have the data from running our booth, but does that scale at a true multiple when we increase our space? I have a full time job that, frankly I would love to leave if I could make as much money elsewhere. I know that for a while as we are getting established I would have basically 2 full time jobs and I'm okay with that, but I'm worried that it won't ever make enough to justify leaving my current job and I'll be working 80 hours a week for the rest of my life. My dad, who would be my business parter, is retired but mostly wants to stay that way - again, he will put in the hours now but would like to scale back his time eventually, plus we need some time to go out and source new merchandise.
Neither of us have ever owned a business (and my dad has never even worked a retail job before...) so I know there are probably some key things I'm overlooking - please be honest with me and tell me what I'm missing and whether or not you would consider taking the leap or if this is the stupidest idea in the history of business.