WAHM > Stay at Home Mom Work Ideas > Traditional Product > Start a CD Selling Business

Start a CD Sales Business

What you will be doing. Music is a big part of our culture. Compact discs have taken the place of records as a way to present music to the public. The sound is cleaner and more engaging. Compact discs have not stopped there. CD-ROM’s are used for educational materials and games for children and adults.

If you do a buy back business for people that want to exchange CD’s you will need to listen and inspect the merchandise for scratches. Deciding ahead of time what you will pay and/or the exchange rate for CD’s will keep you from having to do spur of the moment calculations that could slight you on a profit.

How to start. Now that you have decided to sell CD’s you need to decide what you will offer. Higher prices will be paid for music CD’s that are harder to find. Finding a reputable music dealer who will discount when buying in quantity will ensure that your product is good.

If you offer educational CD’s, choose ones that are in demand. Visit bookstore websites to see what types of educational tools are currently being sought after. Educational CD’s can be marketed to home schooling programs, colleges, and tutorial programs. Students may be looking for a way to get extra help without paying a lot of money for the materials.

Keep a separate inventory of CD’s that you exchange or buy from customers. Operation of this part of the business can be done at flea markets or fairs. The CD’s that you exchange can then be sold on eBay as previously used.

Start up costs. You will need inventory to start this business. Including advertising, you could start your business around $500. This number reflects the cost of advertising, website set up, and cost of CD’s.

Starting with a small inventory gives you a chance to see what will sell and what takes a long time to move. Partnering with a network of music and CD-ROM wholesalers can cut the amount of inventory that you keep on hand and will defer some of the shipping costs.

CD’s will need to be shipped in protective packaging so that products don’t arrive damaged. Investing in a postal setup for your home business will save trips to the post office and money on shipping supplies.

Skills needed. People in any area of the music and entertainment industry need to be knowledgeable about trends. Trends make or break this type of business. Customer service skills will get you just as many sales as your product alone.

Knowledge of the products you are selling makes for profitable conversation with potential customers. If they buy one religious CD from you, suggest a few others that you have in stock that are similar to the one they are buying. This will help future sales with that customer and others.

Marketing. Educational magazines and music publications have ads in the back. If you know that the magazine is well read, spend the money to advertise your business. Join music forums to get an idea of what people are saying about the latest music. Forums may have a place for members to advertise their websites and business ventures. Take advantage of the free advertising to get your name out there.


With a CD sales business, the field is wide open as far as areas to specialize in. You can carry a general selection of music compact discs or you can specialize in one area. Making your own special CD’s from tapes and records would provide an entirely new niche to your CD business.

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