What Really Sells in Mail Order Magazines

You can only make money with the Mail Orderdealer who does, dealers will pay to put their names
Magazines if you understand exactly WHO readson the lists. You can advertise you name listing service
them. The Mail Order Magazines are trade papersin any mail order magazine and get orders for it.
read almost exclusively by Mail Order Dealers or by11. COMMISSION CIRCULARS - There are circular
Opportunity Seekers, who are in reality aspiring Mailmailers who watch every issue of every mail order
Order Dealers. They will only buy merchandise that willmagazine, always looking for new sources of
help them in the operation of a Mail Order Business.commission circulars. There is no better way to
It is almost always a waste of money to advertiseadvertise commission circulars than by placing ads in
merchandise which is intended for general consumptionthe mail order magazines.
in the Mail Order Magazines... unless you are offering it12. COPY WRITING SERVICE - If you have a natural
on a wholesale or drop-ship basis.flair for writing ads, sales letters and circulars... and if
Below is a brief description of 22 products or servicesyou have a good basic knowledge of mail order selling
that can be sold successfully through the Mail Order, you can sell your services through many of the better
Magazines.mail order magazines. There are very few good mail
1. RUBBER STAMPS - Every Mail Order Dealerorder copy writers at present. Here is a very basic
purchases at least one name and address rubberneed... can you fill it?
stamp. He also purchases "stock stamps" with slogans13. AD DESIGN - Another service which is greatly in
such as "Big Mails Wanted", "Commission Circularsdemand, the commercial artist who can create
Wanted", "Third Class Mail", "Your Ad Solicited", etc.eye-catching ads and circulars which dealers can use
Rubber stamps sell well in the Mail Order magazinesto sell their products. There are only a few dealers
because dealers use them in the conduct of theirwho are now offering this service, but there is room
business.for a dozen or so.
2. MAILING LISTS - Mail Order Dealers constantly buy14. TYPESETTING - Most mail order printers and
mailing lists of the ever present Opportunity Seekers,magazines now require "camera-ready" copy. This
New Mothers, Book Buyers, Gift Buyers, etc. You canhad created a big demand for dealers who offer a
sell mailing lists on plain paper or gummed labels.quality, reasonably price typesetting service. At present
Naturally you can charge more for the lists onthere are dealers who do mail order typesetting that
gummed labels.have so much business they don't even bother to
3. BIG MAILS - Anyone who regularly advertises "Bigadvertise..
Mails" in the Mail Order magazines will get orders forRelated to typesetting, are the "clip-art" books which
them. Big Mails consists of envelopes full of Mail Orderare used by dealers who prepare their own
Magazines, Adsheets and circulars of every imaginable"camera-ready" copy... Right now as always, you'll find
kind. The "Big Mail Order Dealer" earns his profit byclip-art books advertised in mail order publications.
selling a variety of sizes of ad space and subscriptions15. PEN PAL, LONELY HEARTS MAGAZINES - For
in the publications which he co-publishes. He alsosome reason, you will find that the mail order
makes money from the items offered on the circularsmagazines have always been good places to sell
which he includes in his big mails.these types of publications. It may be because they
4. CIRCULAR MAILING SERVICE - Set up an efficient,are the only kinds of magazines, other than the mail
and a good dependable mailing service so that dealersorder magazines that are co-publishable.
can get their circulars into the hands of real Mail OrderMost mail order magazines will accept ads for
buyers, advertise it regularly in the Mail Orderlegitimate matrimonial and pen pal magazines; however,
Magazines. and you will soon have all the circularvery few will accept any "adults only" ads. Too many
mailing business you can possibly handle.readers object and some mail order dealers are
5. PRINTING - Every mail order dealer buys printing. Heminors.
buys envelopes, sales letters, circulars, booklets,16. HOBBY MAGAZINES - You can sell almost any
catalogs, adsheets, brochures, price lists, letterheads,kind of hobby publications through the mail order
mail order magazines and a thousand other things. Ifmagazines. This is because many dealers handle
you do mimeographing, letter press or offset printing,hobby merchandise and are always looking for new
advertise your service in the mail order magazines. It isways to sell it. Many dealers and readers are
probably the mail order magazines' Number Onehobbyists and collectors themselves.
All-Time Profit Maker.17. FORMULAS - Dealers buy formulas for two
6. INFORMATION FOLIOS - Mail order dealers willreasons. Some dealers reprint the formula and sell it by
always buy information that will help them succeed inrunning ads in national publications. ("Sure way to kill
the mail order business. Folios that deal with anycockroaches", etc.) Some even manufacture the
practical aspect of mail order selling can be soldproduct itself and sell it by mail.
through the mail order magazines. If you haveClosely related to formula selling is recipes selling. If you
produced your own folio and are willing to drop-shipcan create new recipes or have exceptional ones, you
orders for other dealers you will definitely makeadvertise and sell recipes over and over again.
money.18. CATALOGS - If you can produce low cost
7. DROP-SHIP AND WHOLESALE OFFERS - If youcatalogs which dealers can mail to their customers
have a large stock of merchandise which is suitableoffering books, novelties, gift items, baby merchandise,
for mail order sales, and are willing to supply it on aprinted forms, etc., you would be well advised to offer
drop-ship (single order at wholesale prices) or on ayour services in the mail order magazines.
wholesale basis, then you should advertise in the Mail19. UNPRINTED DEALERS MERCHANDISE - If you
Order Magazines. Dealers are constantly looking forcan supply merchandise which the dealer can use in
new products to sell by mail. If you plan to sell on ahis mail order business, at bargain prices, you can sell it
wholesale basis only, you should offer your product inprofitably in the mail order magazines. Examples:
very small wholesale lots, if possible. Most Mail Orderunprinted envelopes, typewriter ribbons, addressing
Dealers are part-timers and do not have vast sums oflabels, stencils, scratch pads, etc. There are a few
money to invest in untested merchandise.successful dealers who even sell large, bulky items like
8. SAMPLE COPIES OF MAIL ORDER MAGAZINEStypewriters, mimeograph machines, file cabinets, paper
- Mail order dealers have a very insatiable appetite forcutters, and printing presses by mail.
new mail trade magazines, which is why hundreds of20. AD SPACE - Every mail order dealer buys ad
them come into existence and then disappear everyspace. If you publish or co-publish a mail order
year. If you publish or co-publish a mail order magazine,magazine, tabloid or adsheet, you can sell ad space by
advertise sample copies of it in other publications andadvertising it in other mail order magazines.
you will get requests for it.21. ADS TO RUN UNDER YOUR OWN NAME - Can
Regard your sample copy as a "leader item" or as ayou supply ready-made ad copies which other dealers
"good will builder". It should be your way of getting yourcan run under their own names and fill their orders on
other offers into the hands of a very manya drop ship basis? If so, print up your ads and sell them
prospective mail order buyers. You will probably sellthrough the mail order magazines. If you can supply
some ads, but do not expect to sell too many"camera ready" ads and circulars, so much the better!
subscriptions. Except for a few of the leading22. MAIL ORDER PLANS - Opportunity seekers are
publications, very few people subscribe to mail orderalways looking for new mail order plans. If you have
magazines.some practical legitimate workable plans that others
9. GUMMED LABELS - Labels of any kind arecan use to make money by mail, print them up and
"naturals" for many of the Mail Order Magazines.advertise them in the mail order magazines.
(Name and address labels, shipping labels, addressingYou will find that 99% of all the ads in the mail order
labels, slogan labels, etc.)magazines fall into one of the categories listed above.
10. NAME LISTING SERVICE - Whether he admits it orIf you are selling a product or service that fits into one
not, most every mail order dealer is a "Big Mail Addict".of these categories, you can safely advertise it in the
If you compile mailing lists and work with anothermail order magazines.