However, there are three things of absolute importance that must be considered before you begin. The first consideration is your product, then there's your capability to advertise, and finally you have to have a handle on your operating costs. One of the most profitable and easiest products to sell via mail order are short, no-nonsense reports and folios that guide or instruct other people in how to make money. Reports such as this one. But with an honest mail order business, your real profits or losses will depend almost exclusively on your advertising.
Classified ads are the safest and simplest way to get started.
Start out by running this ad in as many of the mail order publications as you can afford, keeping your costs as low as possible. With this kind of plan, you'll be building a mailing list which you can rent out or sell as soon as you've accumulated a thousand or more names. At the same time, you should clip off the postage stamps from all your incoming mail. When you've acquired a shoebox full of these stamps, you can sell them. Save them, and when you've acquired a box-full or more, ask around and see who wants to buy them from you.