thinking of starting a side business. need input from you guys.

[chad]

because you are the target market, kind of.

i have access to sand and glass bead blasters via my buddy's fabrication shop. i also have access to industrial solvents, a shop, etc.

i have been going around to garage sales lately and buying old, rusty cast iron and restoring them to new. lately, a few people have offered to pay me to restore their items.

i have some free time in my work day, and i'm thinking of setting up a site where you pay $30 or so, ship me your ruined cast iron, and i restore it and send it back in a few days. if you had some really cool item, would it be worth it to you to mail it to me for $30 and have it restored instead of doing it yourself?

this pretty much won't cost me anything more than $20 or so to set up, since i can have free use of the shop and do all of the website coding myself. i just don't want to waste a bunch of my time.

what do you think?

[osoab]

How would you set up to avoid paying any state taxes either now or in the future?

I would assume that Wi taxes would have to be paid/collected. In the future, they will make you pay/collect taxes for the out of state stuff too.

[chad]

How would you set up to avoid paying any state taxes either now or in the future?

I would assume that Wi taxes would have to be paid/collected. In the future, they will make you pay/collect taxes for the out of state stuff too.


i already have to do all of that via my existing business, so no biggie. just another quickbooks data set for my cpa.

[Libertytree]

Question for ya Chad....I ran across 3 cast iron skillets, they're all in good condition except for the fact that they were in a paint shop and have been subject to over spray, but not visibly. Is my best bet to have them sand blasted or to put then in a big fire to cook off the residue and then re-seasoning them?

[SHTF2010]

watching American Pickers, there seems to be a collectable niche for cast iron items

and from Pawn Stars, i remember the cast iron coffee grinder

cast iron is made to last, that is one of it's appealling qualities

when you talk about " restoring " the item
are you just sand blasting, and/or repainting in the original color scheme ?

the only thing that worries me is the shipping cost/weight to and fro from the customer
shipping cast iron both ways could take the appeal out of restoring an item for a customer
of course this doesn't matter for the rich customer

imho


my landlady has an old chimera stove, rusting away outside
a little sandblasting and paint and it would look nice in a corner inside

[chad]

Question for ya Chad....I ran across 3 cast iron skillets, they're all in good condition except for the fact that they were in a paint shop and have been subject to over spray, but not visibly. Is my best bet to have them sand blasted or to put then in a big fire to cook off the residue and then re-seasoning them?


sand blasting is quicker, but it weirds some people out. once you are done, they look like aluminum. not to worry though, re-seasoning them a few times will return them to black. if you have paint on them, you can also hook up a bronze or steel wire brush to a drill and sand them down. i only do the fire method if i am extremely bored and need to drink a six pack.

[sunnyandseventy]

How much will people be willing to pay for shipping heavy cast iron two ways?

[milehi]

I've been buying and flipping vintage collectibles for several years now, including cast iron. I personally wouldn't want anything refurbished(or reseasoned for that matter) but I'm sure there are those that do. Saturday, I found a brass vase at a garage sale that turned out to be 105mm shell casing trench art. It would look nice all shined up, but will fetch much more with the patina intact, if it was for sale. A Griswold Spider could be worthless if it was refurbished by someone who didn't know what they were doing. There's a Griswold/Wagner website somewhere on the web where you might get a better a answer. Having said all that, I have a couple everyday skillets that could use a cleanup.

Good luck.

Edit-I just remembered the Griswold Scotch bowl I found on the banks of the Kern River in the Sierra as a kid. It really needs attention. I'll post pics later.

[chad]

How much will people be willing to pay for shipping heavy cast iron two ways?


a lot of the smaller stuff would fit in the flat rate usps boxes, but thats a good question...

[Ponce]

What ever you do........DON'T GET A BUSINESS LICENSE......to you is only a hobby and the head ache for having a license will not make it worth while.

[madfranks]

How much will people be willing to pay for shipping heavy cast iron two ways?


a lot of the smaller stuff would fit in the flat rate usps boxes, but thats a good question...


I'm not sure a cast iron skillet will fit in a flat rate box, plus I could be wrong but I've read that the flat rate boxes do have a weight limit of 70 pounds. I think cast iron is just to heavy to be able to ship two ways and remain cost effective.

[MAGNES]

If you have skills/tools and minimal start up cost you should go for it.

[BabushkaLady]

I love side businesses . . . My .02 from a few of them:

-Don't get the business license for a side business (like Ponce said!)
-Skip the website til you see if it's worth it--I'd post on Craig's List for customers (you'll get more cash sales that way)
-Shipping will invariably need insurance--those items will become "priceless" as soon as the USPS loses it
-Find a niche; maybe the middlemen who sell items and don't want to clean up their finds
-Collectors/dealers may refer customers to you if you toss them a few finds occasionally
-Talk with some decorators/designers--outdoor iron furniture is everywhere; or are you thinking just cookware?
-Do some projects "half way" so they can see the big difference and benefits
-Arrange all shipping/receiving at an alternate location for privacy
-Word of mouth marketing and Always Ask for referrals


-Have fun!

[gunDriller]

one other idea - contact local estate sale companies.

often, in a situation like that, they will have a BUNCH of old metal-ware that needs to be spiffed up.

besides, then you have the opportunity to make an offer on old jewelry ... "10K ? i think that stands for 10 kangaroos. you know those crazy Aussies and their crazy jewelry. give you $1 for it."

i would diversify beyond iron and do all metals. silver especially, the contrast between tarnished and buffed & polished silver is very dramatic. plus it is a reliable market - it always re-tarnishes.

if you can get the contract to buff up everyone's silverware in town ... more than pay for your gas money ... maybe.