Start a Lucrative Online Coupon Co-op Site
By Shawna Newton
I happened to run across an excellent article on the web while recently scoping out coupon
sites on the web. Today, many of those coupon sites are "print and clip" which makes subscribing
to the local paper just about a thing of the past.
A good friend of mine is so involved with coupon-clipping and gathering, she took it
a step further; she created an Excel worksheet to note the sales from ALL of the stores in our
area each week - down to the last tomato.
That is dedication to saving some big bucks if you combine the spreadsheet with the coupons.
I don't know of many other people such as committed to the "coupon game," except for
one other person. Her husband boasts about the fact that his wife has not spent much money
on tons of groceries and other items for a very long time. In fact, some of the stores
owed her money by the time it was said and done! She also keeps track of the money she saves
and, because she's a stay-at-home mom, those savings become her "mad money" - that she
thoroughly enjoys spending - with coupons - on her personal "goodies."
Both of these women are so good at their coupon-savings game that I absolutely think
they should start an online coupon business. Although it's illegal to sell coupons, it's not
illegal to create an online coupon site where people pay a small monthly fee to trade groups
of coupons, print and clip, and access a spreadsheet of weekly sales at various stores in the area.
How About a "Coupon Co-Op" for Your Area?
Starting a "coupon co-op" online for even just your area could not only be lucrative
but also a lot of fun; adding more fuel to your own "coupon addiction" while helping others
coupon more effectively.
More and more people today are back to clipping coupons, and the time it takes to do
so and really use them can save $100's of dollars on food and other items each week or month.
Setting Up a Coupon Site
Setting up a a business website certainly isn't hard; especially today when free website
builders and hosting abound including Google's new (and free) website builder and hosting program.
In addition, advertising tools such as free business cards through VistaPrint are available
to promote the business and its corresponding website. Additional advertising and promotion
can also be done by becoming an affiliate of other coupon sites or affiliate of a retailer's
site such as Omaha Steaks.
This is additional revenue you can obtain by adding these other features to your website.
What is Your Passion?
Use That Same Excitement for Your Online Business! Whatever your passions are can be
used to ride on the shirt tails of major online retailers.
Today, many online retailers offer opportunities to become an affiliate. This means if
someone purchases a product clicked on in your site, you will receive a portion of the sale.
So, if you like shoes, create a section just for ways to save money on them by having
coupon codes and other marketing tools provided to you by the shoe company's affiliate program.
There are endless possibilities for the promotion of any type of product or service. Take advantage
of what your free host and web builder tools have to offer. Also, by adding Google AdSense
to your pages you can make even MORE money because when people click on any of those ads, you
will receive a commission back.
With over 20 years of writing experience, Shawna Newton is a contributing author to
A Touch of Business which serves the
online community with invaluable Small Business Articles and Tips. If starting a coupon site is not
quite your cup of tea, there are many more to be found at
Business Ideas
- Need An Idea To Start A Business?
Webmaster's message: In her article Shawna Newton states that "it's illegal to sell coupons".
It is NOT illegal to sell coupons. It is however a violation of virtually all manufacturers coupon
redemption policies to sell or transfer their coupons.
Coupons are involved in a scam where some stores pay people less than face value for coupons
without purchasing any products and then the store redeems the coupons for full value from the
manufacturer. They get away with this because not all people use coupons and the stores
product inventory purchase is more than the number of coupons they present to the manufacturer.
There are also many scams on the Internet where people sell counterfeit coupons. And then
there's the coupon clipping business opportunity scam where promoters claim you can make
"thousands per month" clipping coupons (learn how by purchasing their "secret" information).
I assure you that, unless you're involved in one of the above scams, you will not get arrested
for selling coupons. However, the manufacturer has the right to refuse to redeem the coupon.
On the other hand, if the sale of the coupon results in the intended purpose (getting more
people to try the product), I think the manufacturer will be happy redeem the coupon.
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