"alternative Income Stream"

[micksterbs]

Ok, I've been in the Kingdom now for about 18 months and I'm gradually picking it up. I retired at 50 and draw a modest company pension. My Thai wife is a teacher and we all know how well they're paid. I can see the logic of periodically returning to the UK to top-up the funds but I don't really want to do this unless it's unavoidable. A friend in England said "Yeah, just buy a couple of Rolexes now and then and flog them on eBay!" which, on the face of it, is sound advice. Trouble is, if I could afford even one Rolex right now, I probably wouldn't be writing this!

Would love to hear your ideas/advice please, everyone. Many thanks.

[tattoodrob]

ive never heard that one before....buy a rolex and put it on ebay.......some of the rolexs here at the second hand shops are more expensive than what you would get on uk ebay.i would understand if he was talkin about copies.

i think everyone would like the answer to your question.............

[capco1]

I would think they were talking about buying the high quality copies and reselling them as the real deal! turn $50 into $2500 in seven days.

[sgunn65]

I would think they were talking about buying the high quality copies and reselling them as the real deal! turn $50 into $2500 in seven days.

I would not waste your time. I have collected watches and bought several on E bay. You can usually tell which are the laddo's trying to pass fake off as real before you even start looking at the pics. Then anyone serious about buying a rolex will want serial no's etc. Unless you know what you are doing watch wise you will never get away with it.IMHO

Buy a good copy and sell it as a very good copy you will make money but not the amount you think you will.

Why not do a little teaching yourself?

[apetley]

It's easy to buy a fake watch for 10-20 quid at Pratunam and sell it back in the UK for 50-100.

Trouble is you have the risk of being caught at the airport and eBay will not let you list these days.

If you can sell one or two to your mates it's some spending money for when you have a trip back 'home' but otherwise the hassle involved just isn't worth it.

[JSixpack]

German guy in Jomtien was doing the fake Rolex gig on Ebay a couple of years ago (friend of mine installed his network router and so got acquainted with him and his line of work) and eventually he was arrested and did jail time in Germany. That was so utterly predictable.

Edited December 21, 2007 by JSixpack

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

I bought a fake Rolex on Sukumvit about 4 years ago. It really looked great and ran like a top for 6 months then it had a rattling sound and quit running. I wa curious about the value so went into cash converters in surfers paradise and ask what it was worth. They said they needed to see the Rolex sales certificate. They said the only way to tell for sure was to take the back off. Still have it somewhere. It cost 2000 baht.

[jackr]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

[jackr]

Bought a Rolex in Singapore 10 years ago and it too worked fine until I got it wet and the gold fell off the hands jamming up the works.

[ronw]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

[chicowoodduck]

Bought a Rolex in Singapore 10 years ago and it too worked fine until I got it wet and the gold fell off the hands jamming up the works.

I think I got the twin..........when mine broke the good part was that it had the right time at least twice a day!

[sbk]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

I believe it is yet another money making opportunity that would find the OP in legal difficulties.

[micksterbs]

I cited the Rolex idea merely as an example. Actually I just want to hear any ideas, you know? DO NOT want to have to go back to Blighty if I can avoid it. This is where I want to be now. Just came back from there. Stayed for three weeks to get a new "O" visa amd to see family and friends. Yep, it was great but England seems like someone else's home now.

[altman]

a lot depends on how much you have to start with. it seems from your post that you haven't much, so your options are limited.

consider what people want and offer it to them.

a condo that 2 ex-pats can share at different times of the year and which you rent out on a short term basis when they aren't using it.

an export business. consider what you know about and start with that.

take a look at the thai coinage and see if there isn't some room for profit there in the european market. maybe in making necklaces or what-not.

buy stuff you like here and take it back to sell at the markets yourself. or get a friend there to do that part for you.

or, do as is recommended at euthanasiaclinic.com; live today knowing you will die and don't worry about how long your money will last as it will last as long as you do.

[freitag1]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

It means a website "Made For Adsense" and you can get visitors via Google Adwords and just match low cost Adwords to high payout Adsense Ads and you will make a profit. The whole thing goes also under the term "arbitrage". Anyway this is not something a complete newbie could pull off right away as it needs some time to get used to Adwords and you will have to pay some bucks to experiment.

Google is great and also pays for my life but I do it in a different way (community driven sites for some niches). You can also do some affiliate stuff or sell your own information products if you are an expert in some area. PM me for more info.

[tattoodrob]

I cited the Rolex idea merely as an example. Actually I just want to hear any ideas, you know? DO NOT want to have to go back to Blighty if I can avoid it. This is where I want to be now. Just came back from there. Stayed for three weeks to get a new "O" visa amd to see family and friends. Yep, it was great but England seems like someone else's home now.

hello again........i think you are asking the 6 million dollar question.....or whats the meaning of life.!!!

there is no easy answer...everyone here wants to earn a decent buck or two....or pound for that matter.not a lot of jobs/opportunities out here for us farang...if there was then the place would be stacked 6 deep.i know im not being very helpful but just trying to get you to understand that none of us want to go back home(or ex home as should be known) and that there are not any legal ways of making reasonable income here unless you are extremely lucky .as the saying goes......how can you make a small fortune here........answer:start with a large fortune!!!!!

if you could join the police force here that would be a good start or if you owned a hospital that would be a good moneyspinner but if you have no large investment then expect little return,you cant make something from nothing!

i suggest the best opportunity is to buy a lottery ticket every week and keep your fingers crossed.

good luck and i hope someone cheers you up with ...without suggesting sending fags(and i dont mean gays) back in little parcels.

[jackr]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

I believe it is yet another money making opportunity that would find the OP in legal difficulties.

Nothing illegal about it at all my dear.

The only thing that may happen will be that the search engines, namely Google, may, or may not, dilute said paid-for links, but there is nothing in the rule book to say buying links is wrong. Many successful sites do it... wouldn't be surprised if TV had one or two decent ones

Although MFA sites are the bane of the internet, people can and do make a shed load of money this way, and fast. Don't necessarily need to mess with Adwords either.

[PeaceBlondie]

Actually, if your Thai wife's been teaching for very long, she should be making 20K to 35K per month, especially if she's been obeying her boss and doing private lessons or holding cram courses in the evening. Find something you're good at, that not many folks are doing. Teach science or math if you're qualified. Almost anything you try to do on an O retirement visa should be illegal, unless it's online and you're a bit of a (computer) geek. Don't go back to England every year; renew your visa and stay in Thailand, as I finally did.

Good luck. What are you especially good at doing?

[Dakhar]

You never did list you assets, tallents, skills etc. The trick is harnessing those in Thailand. If you can do that... you may have a chance at gaining a better financial situation.

[jonniebkk]

I retired at 50 and draw a modest company pension. My Thai wife is a teacher and we all know how well they're paid. I can see the logic of periodically returning to the UK to top-up the funds but I don't really want to do this unless it's unavoidable.

Sounds like to me you may have jumped the gun a little on the early retirement thing...a common mistake amongst foreign expatriates in LOS. As PB says, with your visa status, basically you can not work. As it doesn't sound like you have the funds to invest in/start your own business, maybe the ole standby of teaching is your best bet. Change your visa status, take one of the better teaching courses, and then off you go...

[OlRedEyes]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

I believe it is yet another money making opportunity that would find the OP in legal difficulties.

Nothing illegal about it at all my dear.

The only thing that may happen will be that the search engines, namely Google, may, or may not, dilute said paid-for links, but there is nothing in the rule book to say buying links is wrong. Many successful sites do it... wouldn't be surprised if TV had one or two decent ones

Although MFA sites are the bane of the internet, people can and do make a shed load of money this way, and fast. Don't necessarily need to mess with Adwords either.

Actually, it means you have no idea how to do something useful in order to make money, so you flood the net with useless crap.

[Beardog]

I myself would stand way clear of the Rolex scam!

Anyone with brains would know if you bought a very lowend rolex for $6000.U.S. & sold it for $5,500 it would still be a not so awesome deal. Copies are common & as stated by a previous poster (ALL ROLEX'S) come with certified numbers not only on the back but also marked in other obscure areas to catch the crooks- same in Automobiles you can change the Vin numbers door tags But unless you cut the frame in the 3 special spots(added for the police & the insurance companies. You are so dead in the water! Better to check with your home country on custom Requirements.

I have 3 friends that go up to Indonesia every year & buy arts & craft items. They are required by customs to pay legal duties on them.

In Maui Hawaii you can resell the item as made in Maui if you have altered the object with native things by I believe it was 10%( I could be wrong on the exact % as it was not my gig so I did not listen to deep to the numbers-may have been 2%) All they do is add Pine cones from the higher elevations & Eucalyptus seeds to the items & mark them up 300%.And label them made in Maui. They have paid for their surf adventures this way for over 10 years. If you use your intellect & stay away from the "if it sounds to good to be true scams"you can probably make a small amt. of dosh back. for the bigger tickets. Remember any fool or wise man or woman will be in agreement it takes money to make money!

The one thing all of us will agree on for the most part , Thailand is a very difficult place to make money, but by all means keep it legal- you can't spend it in the pokey! And E-bay is increasingly getting better at finding the scam masters. If There was an easy way to do it we would all be on the bandwagon!

Good luck on your endeavor. It is not a impossible road to travel But i do believe with enough thought it can be done. I tried a beauty salon & lost. not much but you need something unique that not many have & everyone wants.

P>S> if you find a good deal on some chain link fence lot of dosh in it! PM me & you make some dosh.

Hardware is the toughest items to find here & any Farang building a house would pay dearly or should I say fairly(not 5000 baht for a weber BBQ!) but for all the materials that are impossible to get! If I overstepped the lines & sounded like I should be in the wanted section Please mods just strike the fence comment as I am only trying to make a point!

At any rate I wish you well my friend as well as all of us hoping to make a baht somehow!

Cheers

Beardog

Edited December 22, 2007 by Beardog

[jackr]

Construct an MFA site (not Ministry of Foreign Affairs) with a couple lines of text including lucrative keyword, bung adsense on there and spend a couple thousand quid on related inbounds per month. Watch the dosh roll in. Once that site gets shafted, repeat

Exactly what does this post say ? I have fair command of the English language.....but this is mere gobbledegook !( or should I say "geekspeak"?

I believe it is yet another money making opportunity that would find the OP in legal difficulties.

Nothing illegal about it at all my dear.

The only thing that may happen will be that the search engines, namely Google, may, or may not, dilute said paid-for links, but there is nothing in the rule book to say buying links is wrong. Many successful sites do it... wouldn't be surprised if TV had one or two decent ones

Although MFA sites are the bane of the internet, people can and do make a shed load of money this way, and fast. Don't necessarily need to mess with Adwords either.

Actually, it means you have no idea how to do something useful in order to make money, so you flood the net with useless crap.

So the idea is to make money and be useful at the same time...

I agree regards mfa crap and have not personally subscribed to this method of web-related income, but this is one way to make money. This method can obviously be used on a genuine site to get the thing up in the serps, but as the op clearly hasn't got one, this is one option. Regards 'flooding the net with useless crap', one need look no further than dear ole TV where a serious purge wouldn't go amiss

[chiang mai]

If you're in bad financial shape now at age 50 probably best to go back to the UK, earn some more money and come back again when your finances are in better shape. The alternative I'm afraid is to delay the inevitable and who knows if you will still be able to earn income at a later date. Sorry, not the answer you wanted to hear but probably the best one for your circumstances I would guess.

[micksterbs]

Thanks for your feedback, people. I'll probably try a few things, teaching amongst them.

I think my friend's Rolex idea was related to genuine Rolexes. I reckon he assumed that they are less expensive here than in UK/Europe and a profit was there to be had. I admit that I haven't researched this as I can't afford one anyway! I'll let you all know what I come up with. But feel free to continue with the ideas, I really do appreciate it. I wouldn't want to live in a part of LOS full of farangs but I'm really glad I found this forum.

[micksterbs]

If you're in bad financial shape now at age 50 probably best to go back to the UK, earn some more money and come back again when your finances are in better shape. The alternative I'm afraid is to delay the inevitable and who knows if you will still be able to earn income at a later date. Sorry, not the answer you wanted to hear but probably the best one for your circumstances I would guess.

Sorry to double-post.

I'm not in dire straits but I just don't want to have to worry about money. It's lovely not to owe a penny to anyone; a novelty after living in England. Finances were pretty healthy when I arrived. House sold, car sold but a divorce to stump-up for. And then, of course, all the expense that comes with starting again over here. I think I should've stayed in England another year and just saved like crazy but hey, hindsight is the only perfect science.

[blizzard]

open a buznit is the advice thais would get. i dont see why you cant follow this advice................

[freitag1]

If you don't start an online business now you miss out big time. It's still time to conquer some niches for yourself. Check out guides like this one http://internet-starter-guide.com/ that explains you step by step what to do. This guy also talks about Thailand and I wouldn't be surprised if he also lives here. It makes so much sense to work online plus its also fun because you decide in what niche you are working.

Edited December 30, 2007 by freitag1

[meom]

Would love to hear your ideas/advice please, everyone. Many thanks.

How about trying to live life with less instead of looking out for more?

[uptou]

I'm still kicking myself that i didnt put my money into gold when it was $550 per ounce a year or so back,& now a mega $838 per ounce ,but i was too chicken,& all i knew for certain was that the chinese & indians are getting richer & buying more gold,& didnt feel i had the knowledge to gamble.

My advice would be to get the missus out selling thai style grilled chicken,& som tam,of a night when she finishes teaching for the day.