With more and more people getting online, many of them are searching
for information on specific products that they are interested in
purchasing.

Thus one of the best possible ways to turn a profit online is
to find wholesale sources that will drop-ship thes products directly
to your customers who come to your website for more informatation.
Also you could set up ebay auctions to sell these products.

BUT….

Most of the wholesale sources ebooks, list of 10,000 drop shippers
etc. that you see being offered online just don’t cut it. Either
they are full of links that lead to websites that are no longer
active, lead you to wholesalers who carry junk products (dollar store
items, as seen on TV stuff), or the price are too high for you to
make any profits.

Actually most of the time the so called wholesale sources you find
in these ebooks and lists are nothing more than “middle men”. They
are buying from the real wholesalers and then reselling the products
to you at a marked up price so they will make a profit.

But what if you could cut out the middle men and find real wholesalers
of brand name products at prices that will be profitable for you.
Well you can do this but it won’t happen by depending on those outdated
ebooks and drop shippers list.

You need to find these sources your self. It could be as simple as
finding a porduct manufaturer or supplier and simply asking them if
they can drop ship the product directly to your customers. Some times
you may have to negotiate a deal to get them to drop ship for you.

Either way you’ll make more money because you can get the in demand
brand name products you want at a good price.

So how do you find wholesale suppliers?

Just use the links below and you’ll be able to find plenty of wholesale
sources that will drop ship for you, some of them in your own back yard.

http://www.yellowpages.com – Don’t over look this as your number one
lead to wholesalers. Think about it for a second. Just about every
brick and mortar business in the United States is listed in the yellow
pages including wholesalers. Just use the “Search By Word” option and
type in “Wholesale” along with selecting your state from the drop down
box. You can also do a nation wide search.

http://www.surplus.net – This website lists lost of overstock and
pallet lots of surplus and refurbished merchandise at very good prices.
Theres lot products listed here and sometimes you can get 50%-80% of
the wholesale price.

http://www.alibaba.com – This is one website where you will be able
to find tons sources for product to sell. This site it HUGE chance are
if you search for aproduct type or brand name here you’ll more than
likely find a supplier.

http://www.globalsources.com – The suppliers here are from all over the
globe. The majority of the suppliers here are the actual manufacturer
for the products they offer so you can get some really good prices.

http://www.ec21.com

This site is very similar to alibaba and the suppliers are located
all over the globe.

http://www.exportbureau.com -Legitimate businesses are listed here
and many of them are the manufactures of the products.

http://www.fashions.net-Clothing and fashion overstock, surplus and
salvage.

http://www.computers.org -Computers, Laptops, printers and related
product.

http://www.made-in-china.com-Suppliers and manufactures located in
china.

Other website worth a look are.

http://www.wholesale411.com

http://www.toysdirect.com

http://directory.google.com/Top/Business/Wholesale_Trade/

http://www.fleamarketguide.com/wholesal.htm

http://www.topwholesalesuppliers.com

http://www.wholesalehub.com

http://www.4wholesaleusa.com

http://www.wholesalecentral.com

http://www.andale.com – You can search for products here and it will
tell you the average selling price for of particular type of item
based on what is selling on ebay.

NOTES:

Always get a sample of the product you want to sell before you
actually start selling it to your customers. You need to inspect
the quality of the merchandise and make sure that your wholesale
supplier is actually selling the item or brand name that they say
they are.

This can be easily accomplished if your supplier sells individual
items.

If you supplier only sells in bulk try to get them to send you a
sample. If they won’t do this they may not be a company that you want
to deal with especially if they are located overseas.

And never pay for your items by wire transfer, if you supplier ask
you to do this it is just best that you walk away because wire transfers
are not traceable and if your supplier isn’t trust worthy you will not
be able to get your money back.

Business financing strategies for short-term working capital management are often overlooked because of an apparent preference for long-term business financing. Although long-term business loan options are frequently appropriate, there are several short-term working capital management possibilities that will be much more effective for business owners in achieving successful business financing results. Two of the most overlooked short-term working capital financing strategies are business cash advance programs and short-term commercial mortgage loan programs.

BUSINESS FINANCING EXAMPLE ONE – SHORT TERM WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT – Business Cash Advance Programs

For any business that accepts credit cards as a method of payment, a business cash advance is a critical business financing tool that is often overlooked. Even thriving businesses frequently need more working capital than they can borrow from a bank. One of the least-known business financing strategies for successful businesses is potentially the single best working capital management strategy for obtaining needed cash for growing their business: the use of a business cash advance or merchant cash advance program. The most likely candidates to benefit from this working capital loan strategy are retail stores, service businesses, restaurants and bars. The highly-recommended and highly-effective working capital financing strategy uses an under-utilized business asset (credit card receivables) to obtain business cash advances based upon a merchant’s sales volume.

This working capital management strategy is also known as “credit card factoring”. Many businesses have relied upon a working capital financing strategy called “receivables factoring” or “receivables financing” which allows them to sell their future receivables at a discount. Most small businesses cannot adequately document their receivables in order to qualify for this kind of business financing. Many other small businesses (such as restaurants, bars, retail stores and service businesses noted above) simply do not have such receivables to rely upon as a commercial financing tool.

What these businesses do have in many cases is documented sales volume and documented credit card sales activity. It is this documented level of sales volume and credit card sales activity that becomes a financial asset to the business and its business financing strategies. Business cash advances from $5,000 to $300,000 can usually be obtained based on a merchant’s sales volume and future credit card sales. The business financing time period covered by a business cash advance is typically 12 months or less. For businesses that desire to continue the merchant cash advance program beyond this period, it is usually an easy matter to get an additional business cash advance once the initial one has been completed.

As with any successful business financing strategy, there will typically be only a small number of commercial lenders who are effective at implementing the working capital management strategy properly. There are also a number of problems to be avoided with business cash advance programs, so choosing the appropriate provider of this business financing service is extremely important to any business owner considering a business cash advance program.

BUSINESS FINANCING EXAMPLE TWO – SHORT TERM WORKING CAPITAL MANAGEMENT – Short-Term Commercial Mortgage Loan Programs

It is important to note that long-term business financing has a very important place for any business that owns commercial property. Business properties should normally not be financed with short-term funds. When longer-term business financing is appropriate, it is essential to obtain a long-term commercial mortgage of at least 15-20 years (and longer is even better).

However there will be many commercial mortgage loan situations in which longer-term business financing is not appropriate for the business owner. In such circumstances it is important for a business owner to realize that there are viable short-term working capital management options.

For business owners who expect to sell or refinance their commercial property within one to five years, it is especially advisable to explore short-term commercial mortgage loan programs. The most appropriate short-term business financing will have little or no prepayment penalties and “lockout” fees normally associated with longer-term commercial mortgage loans.

While we will not attempt to describe the technical aspects of commercial loan prepayment fees and lockout fees in this article, we will note that the absence of such fees in most short-term commercial mortgage loan programs is a very positive aspect of these short-term business financing options. The lack of such penalty fees could easily translate to a savings of 10% to 30% or more if a business owner needs to sell their commercial property during the time period which would have been covered by prepayment fees and lockout fees in a traditional longer-term commercial mortgage loan.

Although prepayment and lockout fees will typically be avoided with a short-term commercial mortgage loan, there are some trade-offs to be made if a business owner selects shorter-term business financing. When short-term commercial mortgage loans are available, the interest rate will frequently be in the range of 11% to 13%, the loan-to-value will typically be under 70% and such business financing will not be readily available for special purpose commercial properties. The most likely candidates for a short-term commercial mortgage loan are office, retail, multi-family, warehouse and mixed-use commercial properties. The business financing time period typically covered by a short-term commercial mortgage loan is six months to three years.

Just as there are very few highly-effective providers of business cash advance programs, there will typically be a very small number of commercial lenders who are effective at implementing the short-term commercial mortgage loan strategy properly. There are also a number of working capital management problems to be avoided with short-term business financing for a commercial mortgage loan, so choosing an appropriate provider is extremely important to any business owner considering a short-term commercial mortgage loan program.

Copyright 2005-2007 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

“I do not believe in communism any more than you do but there is nothing wrong with the Communists in this country. Several of the best friends I have got are Communists.”

Those words, famously spoken by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, seem archaic today. In retrospect, pre-dating the Cold War against the Communist Menace, they are also fatuously naive.

A common misconception is that, largely thanks to President Ronald Reagan, we overcame that menace and won that war when the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics collapsed, 1989-1991.

Here’s a newsflash. We may have won that war but we lost the “peace” that followed.

Most of us are aware that communist states are still around. Think China and the third rate countries of Cuba, North Korea, and Vietnam. However, Communism is no longer seen as a viable threat even if most countries do have communist political parties and dictators such as unavowed communist, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, make a lot of noise.

It’s important to realize that China, which supplies most of our consumer goods, and Russia, now headed by the puppet Dmitry Medvedev but actually controlled by former KGB officer Vladimir Putin, have never renounced Marx’s, Lenin’s, and Mao’s ambitions to rule the planet.

That reality came to mind when I stumbled on a document that was entered into the Congressional Record some 46 years ago which detailed the aims of the old menace.

If the Reds don’t seem threatening to America anymore, it’s only because they’ve already achieved most if not all of those aims. One last obstacle remains, the economic and moral implosion of the United States of America and President Obama is well on his way to facilitating those finalities.

The referenced document was entered into the Congressional Record (appendix pp. A34-A35, January 10th, 1963), by Rep. A.S. Hurlong, Jr. of Florida. The late congressman was a Democrat, long before that party was subverted by the likes of Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi.

That entry into the CR is capsulized here http://bit.ly/mMOKl.

Rep. Hurlong cited 45 aims of the Communist Party in America, including:

. “Free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.”

. “Recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.”

. “Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind.”

. “Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.”

. “Get control of the schools.”

. “Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.”

. “Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity.”

. “Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as ‘normal, natural, healthy.’ “

. “Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools.”

. “Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs.”

. “Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.”

Two addenda were later appended:

. “Import anti-white racists from the Third World, via an open-borders policy.”

. “Feminize and disarm both the citizenry and military; especially disarm white males.”

If none of those ring a bell, the reader should read more. If all ring bells, the reader knows that the goals of the Communists have been accomplished, in spades!

A popular topic to talk about is the globalization of business. The terms international companies, multinational companies and exportation seem to be in every edition of the Wall Street Journal.

A popular complaint among many Americans is that outsourcing to China has a negative affect on the United States. Unfortunately most of us living in what used to be the most “powerful and respected country on the planet” are often easily convinced by politicians looking for a vote that China is bad for American economics.

This is easy to say, but hard to justify when you consider the facts.

The economic expansion of China and their increasing trade and investments in the United States have resulted in a Chinese and US economy that are largely interdependent. My father used to say figures lie and liars figure. While that may be true, based on my research, I say thank god for Chinese trade with us…and for the wonton soup.

The point of this article is to identify the significant areas where this interdependence has been beneficial to the US economy and where China’s growth has had a positive impact on every citizen of the United States.

Fact #1 – Cost Savings resulting from Outsourcing of Manufacturing and Services

The phenomenon of outsourcing manufacturing and services sector activities to markets such as China used to be a consideration for American companies that were faced with the challenge of reducing costs. Now outsourcing is a necessity. And I can promise you, companies who are not outsourcing are jeopardizing American jobs.

China’s vast pool of low cost labor ensures that almost any industry can achieve greater rates of return even after transportation and export fees are considered. China’s cost advantage translates into as much as a 70% savings over US salaries.

- While China’s low-cost infrastructure leads to foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, the mass products and services produced are primarily intended to be exported back into other markets. China’s artificial exchange rate controls ensure that while its vast labor pool offers cost-efficiencies, its exchange rate creates cost-advantages to ship these product and services back into the US at prices that US-based manufacturers simply cannot meet.

American consumers benefit greatly from the inexpensive goods coming from China. The many US firms that have outsourced production and manufacturing to China have remained competitive and profitable and thus are able to repatriate earnings back into the US as well as pay corporate taxes on those earnings. Hey Mr. and Mrs. Main Street…what would you do without your 4 TV’s, 3 DVD players, fancy stainless steel refrigerator and scooter in your garage?

It is economics 101 – A company that makes more profits-largely due to lower expenses as a result of outsourcing some operations to China-pays more taxes due to a larger amount of taxable income. This certainly helps the US economy, right?

Fact #2 – Consumer Spending and its Effect on the Economy

US consumers have benefited from a glut of cheap, Chinese manufactured goods and services for many years. These goods provide the basis for much of the US economy’s consumer activity. This has kept consumer sentiment positive and mitigated the effects which the recession could have had on consumer spending in the US. Yes George W, we are in a recession.

Consider the following:

- “Cheap goods and easy access to them is critical for consumer sentiment which can assist the US economy to weather economic contractions related to job growth declines and gross domestic product (GDP) contractions”
Stephen S. Roach -Chief Economist, Morgan Stanley

- According to Catherine Mann at the Institute for International Economics, globalized production of I.T. hardware — that is, the off-shoring of computer-related manufacturing — has accounted for up to 30 percent of the drop in hardware prices. The resulting increase in productivity encouraged the rapid spread of computer use and thereby added some $230 billion in cumulative additional GDP between 1995 and 2002.

- Even when cheap Chinese goods are imported, there are benefits to the American economy. As most American consumers realize, most of the products they purchase at Wal-Mart are made in southern China by low-skilled laborers working long hours. In fact, of Wal-Mart’s 6,000 suppliers, 5,000 are Chinese. When they buy these cheap imports, American consumers save billions of dollars each year. A Morgan Stanley report claims American consumers have saved $600 billion in the past decade via Chinese imports.

- New opportunities are not only being created for American workers, but for shareholders as well. Starbucks CEO Howard Shultz announced that by 2008 the company hopes to have more cafes in China than in the United States. Similar stories can be told for McDonalds, KFC, Coca Cola, or Motorola. There are now 94 KFCs in the city of Shanghai alone, and the number is increasing every month. On a sunny Sunday afternoon, they are often jam-packed with people, young and old, enjoying sandwiches and sundaes

Fact #3 – Effect of Chinese Investments in US

China’s overall investments in U.S. firms increased to $9.8 billion in 2007, up from $36 million in 2006, according to Thomson Financial. By comparison, U.S. investment in China was $2.6 billion in 2007, down from $3 billion in 2006, said China’s Ministry of Commerce.

Chinese manufacturers, particularly those that import parts or raw materials from the US, are also investigating the establishment of assembly operations in the US. They would save on shipping costs, said Karen Shen, Washington State’s trade development representative in Shanghai since 2000. US States are now trying to capitalize on the growth in China:

- More than 30 states in the U.S. have staff members or representatives in China, according to the Council of American States in China. With the U.S. economy slumping and unemployment rising, even some tough critics of China and outsourcing are courting Chinese money. In March, a Missouri delegation included the governor, two U.S. senators, the mayor of St. Louis and two dozen other officials and businesspeople, with an aim to get Air China and Chinese officials to back Missouri’s bid to create an air-freight hub in St. Louis.

- Few states have been as aggressive in reaching out to China as South Carolina. In recent years, 10 Chinese businesses, including appliance maker Haier, have expanded into SC and created about 2,000 jobs, said John Ling, managing director of South Carolina’s China office.

Fact #4 – Impact on US Interest Rates

China realizes that to maintain its own economic growth and stability it needs to continue to support US economic policy through the continued purchase of US securities allowing it to artificially control its currency’s value vis-à-vis the US dollar. China’s currency policy seems to be indicative of a pervasive foreign policy that is increasingly more aligned with the US market’s own demands.

China’s use of the partial peg of the Yuan to the dollar may act to support its export market. However, in order to secure this artificial valuation, it purchased a great amount of US securities, helping to keep interest rates low, again, benefiting the US consumer greatly, especially so in its recently-ended real estate boom.

Therefore, it can be said that after American consumers pay for Chinese imports, much of the capital gets recycled back in the form of investments into government Treasury bonds. This foreign capital in turn helps keep interest rates low, so American consumers can continue to enjoy cheap financing for cars, homes, and college educations. As long as the Chinese have confidence in their American investments, this positive cycle will continue into the foreseeable future.

I wonder how many people who daily criticize outsourcing to China even consider this point…a point of great magnitude for all Americans.

If the US economy sinks and Americans stop buying Chinese goods, then it will compound the US slump as China first stops buying US bonds that have inflated the American bubble and then moves on to selling them. This would be an “uh oh” moment.

Fact #5 – Benefits from Rising Standards of Living in Developing Countries

Population in developing countries like China and India, now doing jobs outsourced from America, are seeing a rapid rise in their wages and standard of living. In the process, they are becoming more Americanized, which is translating into demand for American goods and lifestyles. Thus, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, for every $1 outsourced, the economic gain to the United States as a whole is $1.12 to $1.14; whereas the country to which a job is outsourced gains just 33 cents.

I am not a mathematician but it seems like this is a 3.45X advantage.

Okay you speakers of supposed truth, without research of the basic facts…to me a 345% advantage over China and other developing countries seems like a good thing and not something to fear.

You want something to fear? Fear the fact that American students are not just falling behind, but have fallen so far behind than other countries in Math and Science. Maybe Mr. and Mrs. Main Street should stop watching their 56 inch imported television for a few hours a week so that they can help their kids with their homework.

We will most likely never (notice I did not say never…can’t come back to me in 2025 and point out my error) be internationally competitive in manufacturing. Therefore, we must continue to lead the world in innovation. We also need to realize that a key commodity in 2008 is information. Imagine life today without Google.

Please American citizens, realize this big planet is actually a small trading village. We are interdependent and rely on each-other. Many people who claim that China and specifically outsourcing to China is a bad thing would be offended if they were called racists.

I think we can all agree that a base ingredient of racism is naivety and false assumptions. As we welcome people as one, let’s welcome economies as one, based only after research of facts. My fear? Those false assumptions by unformed politicians (that is not a stretch huh?) will negatively affect out positive relationship with China. Talk about a real China syndrome.

This article is the first of a two part series. The next article will address the responsibility of US companies outsourcing labor to produce quality products as well as ensuring the ethical treatment of the workers.

We discussed with the Ux Consulting president from which countries future uranium supplies may come, and who is going after those supplies more aggressively. He warns about the risks and rewards of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, looks to Africa for supplies, and talks about Russia’s expansion.

StockInterview: How do domestic uranium prospects rate in the eyes of U.S. and foreign utilities?

Jeff Combs:
I don’t think that utilities expect the U.S. to be a major supplier of uranium. What you’re seeing with China and other countries, where nuclear power is growing, is that they’re definitely looking to secure supplies. The Chinese are going to Kazakhstan and also Australia, where there are a lot of uranium reserves, a lot of potential for growth. I think there’s some potential for growth in the U.S. But if you had a fast growing nuclear power program, I don’t think the U.S. is the first place I’d look. I believe that you can look for some opportunities in the U.S. But in general, the U.S. utilities are basically in competition with some of these newer entrants into the market for available supplies. Those are primarily outside of the U.S., as U.S. utilities also depend on imports for most of their supplies.

StockInterview: It appears many countries are racing to secure uranium supplies outside their borders.

Jeff Combs:
Even Russia, which was a major exporter of uranium in the 1990s, is looking to secure additional supply sources, first to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, former republics of the of Soviet Union, but also to Africa. Russia has an extremely ambitious reactor expansion program, as well as a desire to greatly increase its exports of reactors to countries like China and India. As it stands now, most of the growth in nuclear power is expected to take place in China, India, Russia, as well as Korea and Japan to a certain extent. All these countries are really looking outside their borders for uranium supplies that are going to sustain them for quite a long period in the future. None of them are blessed with very rich and extensive uranium deposits.

StockInterview: Is Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to create something on the order of a Wal-Mart Super Center for the nuclear fuel cycle?

Jeff Combs:
Well, you see them doing a joint venture in Kazakhstan. They’re trying to do something with Kyrgyzstan. They’re definitely looking at how they can shore up their supply through imports, in addition to investing a billion dollars in their own internal production. In this respect, they are trying to draw from their old supply chain arrangements. This is to meet their internal needs, as well as the needs of countries to which they have traditionally supplied reactors and the fuel to run these reactors. As Russia looks to expand its reactor sales to countries that don’t have established fuel cycles, they want to be able to supply them with fuel – possibly even lease them the fuel. This means that they have to be prepared to take back the spent fuel. This is due at least in some measure to nonproliferation concerns, in that you don’t want these new entrants building enrichment or reprocessing plants. While Russia has enrichment capacity and the ability to expand this capacity, they also need uranium to be able to supply these countries with enriched uranium. This is why they’re currently focusing on the uranium side of the equation.

StockInterview: Let’s talk about some of the target countries, where those with the more ambitious nuclear energy programs will want to secure uranium.

Jeff Combs:
We have recently done a series of reports, looking at countries where major production is taking place, or could take place. Of course we’ve done them on Canada, Australia, Namibia, South Africa, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. I think the next country might be Mongolia because of the exploration and development activity that is taking place there. Mongolia’s mining laws are very favorable to foreign companies. Mongolia is also located in that part of the world where the bulk of nuclear power expansion is taking place. The problem in Mongolia now is the lack of infrastructure – the location of the exploration sites relative to roads and rail lines, and the ability to connect to the electricity grid and water lines.

StockInterview: There has been so much press and chatter about Kazakhstan. Is there substance in these commentaries, or is it mainly hype?

Jeff Combs:
They’ve got a lot of uranium resources and reserves. They’ve also got a commitment to expanding production there and a pretty big customer in China. The hype might be related more as to whether they can do it as quickly as they say, as opposed to whether they can eventually get to the levels they’re talking about. One of the things that will slow them down is the infrastructure, including the skilled work force, needed to expand at that rate. They have increased production. They definitely will continue to increase production, but perhaps not at the rates they are advertising. They’ve produced a lot in the past, in the old Soviet Union days. I think they can get back up to those production levels, but it’s going to take some time.

StockInterview: What will be required to get things going in Kazakhstan?

Jeff Combs:
It appears they’ve been able to attract capital. A large part of it is just the time is takes to build the infrastructure, including training workers. You can have all of the investment in the world, but it still takes time to get things done, especially if the infrastructure isn’t well developed in the first place. If you look at Kazakhstan on the map, it is very close or adjacent to Russia, China, and India, where the major part of nuclear growth is occurring. I don’t think there will be any shortage of demand for their output.

StockInterview: Where does Japan fit into the current uranium bull market?

Jeff Combs:
Japan is definitely a factor in the market. Their growth might not be as rapid as it once was, or once was expected to be. With Japan you have a country that does not really have any indigenous uranium resources to speak of. They really need to import uranium. To facilitate this and to secure future supplies, Japan has historically developed different supply relationships around the world, both by taking positions in uranium mines and by nurturing long-term relationships with producers. I think that it’s likely the case that this recent price rise caught them somewhat off guard, but recently Japanese utilities have put more effort into shoring up their supply options.

StockInterview: There are countries, which get little media coverage, such as Namibia. How does this country rate?

Jeff Combs:
I think Namibia will definitely have an important role in supplying uranium. I don’t think it’s going to have the expansion potential of Canada, Australia, or Kazakhstan, but I think South Africa, Niger and Namibia are going to be an important component for uranium supply in the future.

StockInterview: You mentioned Niger, which was the world’s third largest uranium producer, and has now fallen to number four, behind Kazakhstan.

Jeff Combs:
The funny thing about Niger is that in a way it’s sort of fallen off the radar screen. It produces, but it just doesn’t get the press as other places. If the price increases, it really changes how people look at all these different projects going forward and a lot of things, which might not have been looked at 20 years ago or so, are being reinvestigated. Obviously, there is uranium in Niger. It’s quite important to the economy there. As I said, they haven’t really been on the radar screen as much as a lot of other regions in the world. Perhaps this is because production there has been controlled by the French for a long time. There are some Canadian companies exploring in Niger now. Since this activity is fairly recent, it won’t likely bear any fruit for five to ten years down the road.

StockInterview: Do you foresee realistic nuclear energy expansion in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East?

Jeff Combs:
Frankly, I haven’t focused on that very much. I know that Turkey is looking to do something. At some point, I think you would see more nuclear power in the Middle East just because the oil supplies aren’t going to last indefinitely. We do a headline news service, and it’s packed full of stories on different countries that are looking at nuclear power. It seems like there is a new country added to the list every day. I know, for instance, that Vietnam is looking pretty seriously at nuclear power. It would not be surprising there would be interest in the Middle East. There is a lot of focus on the problems associated with Iran. Overall, I’m a believer that if you have more nuclear power, then you’re going to have fewer problems with energy and more economic development, higher standards of living, and that’s going to be a big positive that will outweigh the negatives in situations like Iran.

StockInterview: Speaking of Iran, what is Washington’s sentiment toward nuclear energy, aside from the Bush Administration’s endorsement?

Jeff Combs:
I think there is a growing recognition, even among Democrats, that you need nuclear power as part of the energy mix. You’re not going to get there just by renewable energy sources. With the environmental and overall energy challenges we’re facing now, with higher and higher natural gas and oil prices. From the U.S. standpoint the vulnerability with respect to secure energy supplies, I think there is a growing recognition that nuclear power is part of the solution, and this thinking extends outside of the Bush administration. I’ve talked to people, and they believe that even if a Democratic administration came in that you really wouldn’t necessarily put a damper on nuclear power.

StockInterview: What about the Hillary Clinton Factor, if she becomes the next U.S. President?

Jeff Combs:
I haven’t really asked her for her views on nuclear power recently. I think the story for nuclear power is not so much what happens in the United States, which certainly could add more reactors. The rest of the world probably looks to what the U.S. does to a certain extent. I think the real growth in nuclear power, and what’s likely to drive the market in the future, is on the part of the developing countries in the eastern part of the world. These would be China, India, Korea and Russia, where economies are growing a lot more quickly, not the really mature economies like in the U.S. and Europe. Although I would expect to see some growth there as well. In this respect, having a Democratic president would not derail what’s happening in nuclear power or the uranium market. As mentioned earlier, I think that you see a more general acceptance of nuclear power across party lines, in Europe as well as the U.S., although there are still some factions that are virulently anti-nuclear.

COPYRIGHT © 2007 by StockInterview, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Before doing any type of business in China one must get familiar with the Chinese business culture. According to Hofstede’s analysis, China ranks very high in long term orientation, very low in individualism, high in power distance, and average in masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. In my opinion I still believe these behaviors or cultural dimensions are very accurate.

The culture here believes in overcoming obstacles over time which is part of Hofstede’s long term orientation dimension. This factor shows the Chinese society’s view towards time and their attitude towards perseverance. This analysis provides a great deal of importance when making business deals. In China slow and steady wins the race for business deals. Building strong, reliable, lasting relationships is key for the Chinese. A certain amount of trust must be gained before any decision is met. It may take three to four times the length of time to finish the business deal compared to your cultural standards. So if you do not come to a fast agreement, don’t be discouraged, make the client feel comfortable and show your patience. The Chinese never like to rush into things.

Low individualism is also important for learning the Chinese way of thinking. This trait shows their close loyalty to stay close with groups such as family, work, team, etc. This links back to their high long term orientation above. They also have a collectivist attitude referring back to the Communist rule compared with individualism. Chinese business habits tend to stay with the same partners or suppliers to keep loyalty and not deteriorate relationships. So when doing business with others it is a good idea to select a good strong partnership that has potential to last a long time. It is looked down upon if you frequently change business partners.

The power distance remains high in China, whether it is within the company or in society. When doing business in China one must be aware of this large hierarchy gap. It is often hard to move up on their corporate ladder compared to other cultures.

The last two dimensions are masculinity and uncertainty avoidance. Both are average so most likely these factors are similar to your customs and you need not worry about them.

Knowing about these dimensions can tell you a lot about the country of China, society of China, and especially how to do business with China. This isn’t everything. This is just a quick business analysis using Hofstede’s dimensions. Hope it helps.

Business has such a versatile scope, any thing considered in the point of view of earning money can bring a new idea for a business. Specially for a small business one does not need to go very formal strategic planning but the crucial part is financing. Before starting business one should be aware of financing options and their comparative merits and demerits. There are mainly eight types of financing options for small firms. They are listed below with their advantages and disadvantages:

(1) FAMILY LOANS:

Advantages:

1) No security is required.

2) Profit is distributed among the family members so it stays at home.

Disadvantages:

1) Since there is no security required so it can strain the family relationship if repayment is not made as expected.

2) If business fails, entire family suffers.

3) Family members? unwanted interference is unavoidable.

(2) BANK OVERDRAFT:

Advantages:

1) Its flexibility is specialty of such financing. Once agreed, it can be availed on demand.

2) Interest is payable when the borrower uses it so it saves cost.

Disadvantages:

1) It is repayable on demand. Terms are not fixed.

2) It needs security against business assets.

3) It requires sufficient security, due to lack of which, it can?t be granted.

4) Rate of interest is usually higher than loans.

(3) BANK LOANS:

Advantages:

1) Terms of loan is fixed i.e. it is not repayable on demand.

2) Interest and capital repayment are fixed and known in advance so it helps borrower to plan the amount and terms for borrowing.

3) Rate of interest is usually lower than Bank Over- Drafts.

Disadvantages:

1) It needs security against business or personal assets.

2) Sufficient security is needed otherwise can be refused.

3) Require good cash flow for repayment.

(4) FACTORING & INVOICE DISCOUNTING:

Advantages:

1) Security is on debts generated by sales so increase in sales increases finance availability.

2) Interest and charges are deducted from the profit of the firm so no chances of missing repayment.

Disadvantages:

1) Rate of interest is usually higher than that of bank loans.

2) Certain conditions are imposed including checks on new customers.

(5) LEASE & HIRE-PURCHASE:

Advantage:

1) Security is on assets purchased so no extra security is needed.

Disadvantages:

1) Rate of interest is higher than Bank Loans.

2) Adequate Cash-flow is required to meet regular repayment.

In the free market system, when demand exceeds supply, prices rise, and there’s excess profit. So, new supply is created, until excess profit disappears. This is a mechanism to keep supply and demand in equilibrium. “Speculation” helps keep future supply and demand in equilibrium, to prevent future shortages.

The price of oil has risen from $50 to $135 a barrel over the past 18 months. In the 2000s, the U.S. underproduced and overconsumed, while export-led economies overproduced and underconsumed. The price of oil is linked to the value of the dollar, i.e. a negative correlation. For example, when the U.S. Fed increases the money supply, economic growth is stimulated. So, demand for oil increases. China’s economy is linked to the U.S. economy. Consequently, when the U.S. economy is stimulated, China’s economy is also stimulated, i.e. when the U.S. raises actual output towards potential output, China overproduces even more. However, China is adding “fuel to the fire” by subsidizing oil, which adds to overproduction.

The U.S. has made the proper adjustments. On the production side, U.S. firms became substantially more energy efficient. However, on the consumption side, there was less energy efficiency, because U.S. houses, autos, etc. became even larger. However, China has not made the proper adjustments to slow its overproduction. Instead, it continued to subsidize oil, with dollars, including shifting the flow of dollars from U.S. Treasury bonds into barrels of oil. China continues to squander its gains of trade to maintain high output and employment, while the U.S. has captured its gains of trade. The free market system has allowed the U.S. to either gain the most or lose the least, in the global economy, while Chinese economic policies created a lose/lose situation in China.

The free market system contributed to least three major booms in the U.S. during the 2000s. U.S. households had a consumption boom, including the housing & related goods booms (through rising incomes, abundant & accessible capital, low interest rates, and low prices). U.S. firms had a profit boom, because they offshored low profitable goods for higher profits, imported those goods at lower prices, and shifted limited resources into higher quality/higher priced/higher wage/more profitable goods. The U.S. government basically was able to refinance its debt at lower interest rates. Consequently, U.S. living standards rose at a steeper rate, while the U.S. economy strengthened substantially.

Are you trying to start your own eBay business but finding it more difficult than you expected?

If you are then you will probably be interested in finding eBay Wholesale Products. It can be very difficult to find the products that you want to sell at prices cheap enough where you can make a profit. Lots of wholesalers take advantage of eBay sellers by charging inflated prices. This makes it very difficult to actually make a profit on these items.

Searching on the Internet

The Internet is an extremely valuable source of eBay wholesale products and you cannot ignore it. There are some great places on the Internet where you can buy products in bulk. You can even shop on eBay itself for wholesale deals. If you want the best cost savings then you should consider dealing with suppliers in China.

Importing from China isn’t actually that difficult and as long as you spend some time learning what to do you shouldn’t have any problem with this. You need to teach yourself how to import products and then you should be able to do this easily.

The most difficult part will be to find out what you need to do to import products into the UK. If this is your first time importing then you might want to hire the services of a professional import broker.

Finding Suppliers

When finding suppliers in China this is very easy and a great source of eBay wholesale products. There are plenty of sites that can be used to track down suppliers you like.

Of course it can take a couple of months to get your products made and shipped to you. This means that you will have to plan well in advance to make this possible.

When importing from China it is essential that you are very careful. While it is possible to have some good experiences and make large profits there is also a risk that you will be conned. It’s a good idea to make sure the manufacturer knows exactly what you want. You should also request samples to ensure that everything is right and up to scratch.

If you look hard enough then you should be able to find some reliable and honest Chinese suppliers who will be able to provide you with the quality products your business needs to survive.

If you want to make large profits from eBay then it’s important you are able to source quality eBay wholesale products. You don’t actually need to import unless you want to and have enough money to do so. You can actually use wholesalers based in the UK. However eBay is very competitive and this can make it a challenge to make a profit. Importing and sourcing eBay wholesale products from China might be a solution to this problem.

Importing does require a significant investment and is slightly risky. It does however make it possible to earn some of the biggest profits possible because you can get the products as cheaply as possible.

It’s that time of the year again, when many people are considering purchasing an RV. When I was a sales manager and finance manager for an RV dealership I would get asked lots of questions about financing RV’s. I organized some of these questions and included them in the RV financing section of my book, “The RV Book”. Here is an excerpt from my book on RV financing FAQ.

Will one RV lender offer better interest rates than another RV lender?
Interest rates change frequently. If the prime rate goes up RV finance rates will go up too. RV lenders send updated rate sheets to RV dealers whenever their finance rates change. RV specialty lenders watch each other closely and if one lender lowers rates the other lenders will generally follow suit. They will usually stay within a quarter to a half point of each other.

Are there other factors that will determine what interest rate I get?
Yes, there are several factors that will determine the rate you get.
1) It depends if the RV is new or used. A used RV (normally over 3 or 4 years old) will get a higher interest rate than a new RV.
2) Your down payment will affect your interest rate. If you finance the RV on a zero down program the interest rate will be higher.
3) The term of the loan will affect the interest rate. The shorter the term the higher the rate, the longer the term the lower the rate.
4) The amount financed will affect the interest rate. The lower the dollar amount the higher the rate, the higher the dollar amount the lower the rate.
5) Your credit history (credit rating or score) will affect the rate. The higher your credit score is the lower the interest rate will be.

Should I shop around for a better rate, or will the rate a dealer offers be the best rate I can get?
You should be aware of what the current rates are for RV loans, and based on the criteria listed determine if you are getting the best possible rate you can get. If you think you qualify for a lower rate, by all means try securing a better rate elsewhere. There are several RV specialty lenders on the internet that would like your business and will offer competitive rates. Do not however let too many lenders run a credit check on you to try and get a lower rate. This can backfire so be selective about who, and how often your credit is being checked.

Can you explain more about financing an RV with no money down?
There are usually a couple of RV lenders that will offer no money down finance programs. These programs will have certain guidelines to qualify. The type of RV, dollar amount, term of the loan and your credit rating can all factor into these types of programs. The finance rate will usually be higher too.

What length of term can I expect to get on an RV loan?
The term of the loan will be based on the dollar amount financed and the age of the RV. Some RV lenders are offering 20 year loans on new RV’s with financed amounts over $100,000 and loans ranging from $25,000 to $99,000 can qualify for 15 year loans. Loan amounts between $10,000 and $25,000 may qualify for 10 to 12 years loan terms.

Why would anybody want to pay the interest on a 15 or 20 year loan?
Nobody wants to, but the biggest advantage of a long term loan is you get a lower monthly payment. Financing $100,000 for 240 months at 7% interest would be $775 a month. The same loan for 120 months would be $1,161 a month. You save almost $400.00 a month. But keep in mind you will have little or no equity if you try to trade within the first several years.

Can I finance an RV with below average credit?
RV’s are basically considered a luxury item, so the criteria to finance an RV are more stringent than it is to finance an automobile. There are lenders that will finance below average credit but interest rates will be higher.

How is the interest on an RV loan calculated? The majority of RV loans from RV specialty lenders are simple interest fixed rate loans. What this means is you will only pay interest on the principle owed, and in most cases there is no penalty for paying the loan off early. If you choose to pay more than your required monthly payment you can shorten the term of the loan and save on interest.

Can I write the interest off on my income taxes? Yes, a fully self contained RV is considered a 2nd home and the interest paid is deductible, if you are not already deducting the interest on a 2nd home. At the time of this writing an RV is considered a qualified residence if it is one of the two residences chosen by the taxpayer for purposes of deductibility. To qualify it must provide basic living accommodations; meaning it has cooking, sleeping and bathroom facilities with fresh water and waste water holding tanks. Talk to your tax advisor about what is required to write the interest off on your RV.

Will I need a down payment and if so how much? Down payments will vary slightly between RV lenders but 10 to 20% down, in the form of cash or a trade-in, is usually the range. There are programs that offer low down, or no down payment but this will usually increase the interest rate. Most banks want to see your good faith commitment to the loan.

Do I need to have insurance on the RV to get a loan? Yes, insurance is required when you close on the loan. The bank will not loan the money until they have proof of insurance.

Should I finance the RV or pay cash? It is my personal opinion that it makes more sense to finance your RV purchase. If you finance the RV you can maintain your personal financial status without liquidating any assets. You can also take advantage of writing off the interest on your income taxes if the RV qualifies.

These questions don’t cover everything you need to know about financing an RV, but hopefully they will provide you with a good understanding on the subject and help you when it comes time to purchase your RV.

Happy Camping,
Mark

Copyright 2007 by Mark J. Polk owner of RV Education 101