posted August 06, 2004 03:09            

[This message has been edited by maniladreamin (edited August 10, 2004).]

posted August 08, 2004 09:51            

quote:

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Originally posted by sync2112:
You have missed the point. Micky-d owners pay a one time fee. They then have too buy the food they sell from the resterraunt. Same as all fast food chains. Thats how the parent company makes there cash. Now this model is much different. They have to pay a continued fee over and over. Its a terrible model with zero comparison too any fast food chain. The fast food chains food can only be bought at ther respective stores. Imagine any joe blow selling the exact Big mac or whopper for less than the original.........the original would not be in buisness long. Many have tried this model and most have failed. Hey many of you are missing the point. Still lots of cash to be made on auml. Its just a momentum play. It will not see a red cent for a long while. In the meantime the share price will take a steep dive. They all do after a run like this. Enjoy the moment!

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posted August 08, 2004 12:41            

quote:

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Originally posted by HAMMER33333:
Where did you get this information on their business model? I wonder how there could be 7,000+ interests in such a dumb model. Or maybe this is all a front for an illegitimate company?

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posted August 08, 2004 16:39            

They initially went public with 60 million shares. During this time, with the current O/S it was trading at $3+, giving it a market cap of over 180 million dollars on a company that has 0 revenue, 0 assets, and just a potentially successful business model. After the 5 for 1 split, at 90 cents a share, the market cap is 270,000,000 dollars.

Now.. let me run some numbers for you, since I've been doing this business for about 9 months now, have a few franchise offers, and know exactly what it takes to have one of these become profitable.

1 auction mills store would need to have average annual revenue of at a minimum, half a million dollars to sustain itself. Let's break it down:

500,000 revenue
an average of 30% commission = 150,000 profit
Average rent for a decent 2,000 sq/ft retail location in most cities, average 2,500/month or 30,000 a year.
Utilities such as internet access, phone system, etc, 2,000/year.
3-4% franchise payback = another 3-5,000 dollars per year.

So after just "paying the bills" with half a million in revenue, that store is is left with a profit of approx. $113,000.

As a franchise owner, what do you think they would want to make yearly? If they worked in the store full time, they would want to make a salary of about 50k/year. Ok, so with the owner making their salary, you have $63,000 dollars to work with to hire employees. You need at minimum, 2 full-time employees at one store (that's what we use now, and we don't do nearly half a mil annualy). So you drop another 35-50k on another assistant manager or whatever you want to call it. You're left with 10-20k to hire part time work, and you've used every penny of a half million dollars in sales.

Now, that is a business model that can work, yes. BUT, does anyone here realize what 500,000 dollars worth of eBay stuff is and how much time is involved? I will tell you right now, that kind of volume, you would need a 24/7 operation, a 5,000 sq ft building, and about 5-6 full-time employees to consistently run and manage that kind of volume. And as you can see, the store would not make enough money to support that.

We are on track to do about 60,000 in revenue our first year, and we are backlogged with 2 people working 50 hours a week only running a couple hundred of auctions every week. We even have custom software that integrates directly with ebay, our accounting system, and shipping system, so it is as efficient as possible, but the time it takes to check an item in, take photos, do a little research and make the listing, and then ship items... you need a lot of staff on hand to really be able to pump out the high volume needed.

All of that being said, AUML has the right idea with the franchise, because that is where the money is. franchise fees of at least 10k a pop, you get a couple dozen of those under your belt and you're sitting on a large pillow of cash with minimal work. But, I doubt you will see that many franchises actually sign up once the potential franchiees run their numbers and see what it takes to create a livable salary.

People think AUML is the first one to do this, but there are a handful of other companies with franchises already in other states, some companies have millions of capital behind their venture, and they are still growing VERY slowly, and are not proclaiming to have thousands of new franchises lined up

The idea is hot right now, and it may or may not work. But it really does take a lot of volume to generate enough money to make a store worthwhile, and to maintain that volume it ends up costing more in staffing than originally planned.

I mean we're not even a public company, we don't even advertise outside of our own city, yet we receive calls about people wanting to franchise and get people driving in from across the state on a weekly basis. Their PRs that simply "update" everyone on the number of franchise calls are just crap and hold no meaning. AUML does not have any numbers to show their potential franchisers, so actually getting them to sign up is going to be difficult.

After watching this AUML thing unfold, we are considering going public on the pinks as well with our company, because AUML raised a quick 1M dollars with their IPO with no revenue and nothing but an idea. Who cares if the idea is a flop now, the owners just lined their pockets with other people's money, so any franchises that do open up as a result of going public and gaining publicity is just all the better.

posted August 08, 2004 17:06            

Take Subway for example.
I know that if you own 1 franchise you won't make much money at all.... maybe 30000 a year tops.
A friend of mine owns 2 and says that you have to own at least 2 to make a decent living....(no need for a second job)

You know Subway is the largest franchise in the world....even though its hard to make a living owning just one.

posted August 08, 2004 17:34            

Usually these developers have millions of dollars to play with, so to them, starting up 10 stores and dropping a mil to get them off the ground is nothing, in hopes that in a few years, he is collecting $$$ for not doing any work other than planting the seed so to speak.

Initially, the owner would not make anything, as it takes time to build business. But if each store was profitable, then the franchise owner could make a nice sum of money with minimal involvement.

But.... and this is a big but. This model does not purchase or keep any inventory. If you have a few weeks with very few customers, you are hurting. Same goes for buyers, you might have people bringing you 100 items per week, but what if these items are not currently selling well on eBay? What if they are selling, but only for a fraction of what they were a few months ago? Again, it is extremely unpredictable, and very risky. One week could be great, but the next could be horrible. You don't have a constant flow of customers like you do with say a fast food joint, gas station, etc.

As an example, I had to go into work today because a man from over an hour away wanted to bring us some items. He brought a whole cube truck full of original and unopened star trek and star wars collectibles. He said what he brought was valued at about 15-20k. This was just one person, one day. As you can see, that is huge! It only took us 3 hours to inventory everything, and now we're ready to list... at about 30% of even 15k and a few weeks work, we're looking at 4-5k in profit for the next few weeks if most sells. But, like I just mentioned, if the market for these items is not doing very well, we could sell only 50% of it. Maybe less. Maybe we'll sell all of it for even more than he expects? Who knows. If it doesn't sell, it equates to a LOT of lost time and energy, but that is the change you have to take.

So again, the possibility is there to make good money, the franchise idea is very possible (I know, we have our franchise papers all drawn up and are licensed in 3 states already), but this is not a consistent business model, and it will not make anyone rich overnight. All that being said, this AUML story has been entertaining, and extremely profitable for a lot of people. But, everytime they release a PR saying they got a few more phone calls from potential franchisers, don't get too excited, because until they sign any deals, they will continue to have no revenue.

posted August 08, 2004 17:43            

BTW, I think the star trek and starwars collectibles will all go very fast......

posted August 09, 2004 08:48            

DALLAS, Aug 9, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (PinkSheets:AUML) has received a revised target price for its common stock from Market Advisors of $4.875. On July 21, 2004, Auction Mills Inc. released a report on the Company prepared by Market Advisors Research. This report has been revised to reflect the current status of the Company as follows:

As per the July 21st fact sheet on Auction Mills Inc. there have been a number of significant events to update on this Company. First, we need to change our initial price on the fact sheet as a stock split has occurred. Instead of $0.88, the split puts the initial price at just under $0.18. Since our target price was exceeded at $4.25 and actually went beyond that level (reaching a high over $5.00) prior to the split, we now need to revise the short-term price and place it at $4.875. As of today (August 6th), AUML is trading at $1.02.

The excitement generated from the announcement that FedEx Corporation (FDX) was named as the exclusive carrier for the Company and the on-going requests for franchise information (8,781 to date) illustrate the value perceived by the public for Auction Mills Inc. and that is reflected in the current price of the common stock.

Auction Mills Inc. supplies the public with a convenient, professional and confidential approach to participating in the eBay online marketplace. Experienced eBay auctioneers provide customers with a method of turning unused items into cash. The Company actually takes possession of the items to be auctioned eliminating the hassle and wasted time associated with the selling process and allows customers an opportunity to benefit from the existing relationship that Auction Mills Inc. has with eBay. This exciting method of marketing is currently available to franchisees. Management intends to cultivate a worldwide network of franchises that will work unanimously to offer the public the most effective tool available for online marketing.

Matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements." Statements describing objectives or goals or the Company's future plans are also forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the financial performance of the Company and market valuations of its stock, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

For more information about Auction Mills Inc. and opportunities associated with owning your own Auction Mills location: www.auctionmills.com

SOURCE: Auction Mills Inc.

posted August 10, 2004 01:21            

quote:

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Originally posted by Google:
Don't be pestimistic on this stock. They gave perfect estimates on the value of this stock. If over 8000 individuals requested info on franchises, and if just one of those individuals decides to buy 15 stores, AUML is gonna fly, no matter wat you say.

-Dollar Dollar Bills Yall

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posted August 10, 2004 01:23            

------------------
GLTA

Raja

posted August 10, 2004 03:36            

------------------------------------------
If you want to buy some more auml, now might be a good time. Its down around midway support. I am going to sit out some more and watch it. I might be singing the blues, but I am not ready to get in yet.

[This message has been edited by maniladreamin (edited August 10, 2004).]

posted August 12, 2004 08:07            

DALLAS, Aug 12, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills, Inc. (PINKSHEETS:AUML) previously announced a revised target price for its common stock from Market Advisors. For clarification, the Company requested that Market Advisors provide a new explanation about the upward revised target price as follows:

Jeff Helleberg, lead analyst for Market Advisors, recently stated, "We are pleased with the performance of Auction Mills, Inc. (AUML). Our initial report listed a short-term target price that was exceeded recently when the stock price reached the $5.00 level. Since then, the stock split 5 for 1, which reflects the current price now. We feel AUML can once test the levels it enjoyed prior to the stock split, especially since the most recent announcement that FedEx would be shipping their products, and that the number of inquiries to obtain franchises surpassed the Company's expectations, our new short-term target price of $4.875 could be reached."

This clarification of the prior release clearly states the new revised short-term target price of $4.875.

Auction Mills, Inc. supplies the public with a convenient, professional and confidential approach to participating in the eBay online marketplace. Experienced eBay auctioneers provide customers with a method of turning unused items into cash. The Company actually takes possession of the items to be auctioned eliminating the hassle and wasted time associated with the selling process and allows customers an opportunity to benefit from the existing relationship that Auction Mills, Inc. has with eBay. This exciting method of marketing is currently available to franchisees. Management intends to cultivate a worldwide network of franchises that will work unanimously to offer the public the most effective tool available for online marketing.

Matters discussed in this press release are "forward looking statements." Statements describing objectives or goals or the Company's future plans are also forward looking statements and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the financial performance of the Company and market valuations of its stock, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

For more information about Auction Mills, Inc. and opportunities associated with owning your own Auction Mills location: www.auctionmills.com

SOURCE: Auction Mills, Inc.

posted August 13, 2004 11:51            

I would like to apologize to you for giving you a bad time on some of your prior penny stock DD's. I think my ego got in the way of my common sense. You are one smart investor. I wish you luck in your future. I really am sorry.

posted August 17, 2004 07:25            

Auction Mls Inc     (OTHER OTC: AUML) Last Update: 4:10:00 PM ET Aug 12, 2004  
 
Qualifying Process Begins for Auction Mills Franchisees

DALLAS, Aug 12, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) is excited to announce the first part of September they will begin the qualifying process for potential franchisees. Auction Mills will first focus its qualifying efforts in the Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas, followed by Texas and then across the nation.

Focusing on the Dallas/Fort Worth area will give Auction Mills a base from which to expand its efforts. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area there have been 39 requests for franchise information, which represents a potential of 193 franchises: 11 area developers (15 stores per area developer) and 28 single store requests.

For the State of Texas, Auction Mills has received 128 requests for franchise information representing a potential of 660 franchises: 38 area developers (15 stores per area developer) and 90 single store requests.

To date Auction Mills has received a grand total of 1517 requests for franchise information representing a potential of 9,469 franchises: 568 area developers (15 stores per area developer) and 949 single store requests.

The Auction Mills training facility is located at 2917 Elm Street, Suite C, Dallas, Texas, and will serve to prepare potential franchisees and area developers to enter into the online marketing business. The training will educate these potential franchisees and area developers on the details of drop off store business structure and management techniques, software and hardware required for inventory evaluation and pricing and many other necessary aspects involved with online marketing.

posted August 20, 2004 07:47            

DALLAS, Aug 18, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) today is pleased to update its progress with regards to the Dallas headquarters located in Deep Ellum. Friends, shareholders and prospective franchisees are curious about the development of the flagship office that will be completed soon. The build-out is almost complete to accommodate the 100% increase in staff and 3,000-square-foot training facility. The training facility will familiarize franchisees with standardized methods of operation pertaining to online marketing and use of required equipment.

While many of Auction Mill's competitors have fragmented operations, the Company feels confident that it will reach the $4.875 target by quickly training and managing new franchise owners to efficiently utilize this exciting new opportunity in online marketing.

Due to the overwhelming response to franchise and investor inquiries, Auction Mills has established a new Corporate Communications Department that has been structured to offer a more expedient response to electronic and telephone inquiries. We have spoken to most of you that have called in person, and we are preparing an email distribution with franchise information for prospective franchisees, area developers and general inquiries.

Auction Mills is now accepting resumes for the following positions: Train-the-Trainers, Company Store Personnel and Call Center Customer Service. Please direct all inquiries to Human.Resources@AuctionMills.com or 214-747-2292, press 3.

The Auction Mills team will look forward to hearing from you soon to review the opportunities associated with franchise ownership.

posted August 20, 2004 08:05            

I think their system is TOO EASY to be duplicated with too many independent dealers already in place doing similar things as well as the average Joe can sell his own things or with such ease as a friend do it for them. Why would anyone pay for thsi service?

I am a powerseller on Ebay and have been doing it parttime for over a 2 years. I only sell dropshipped items and never see an item myself so why would I want to pay for someone to do it?? Secondly on business point why would I pay to warehouse items for others for a minimal mark up of 20%? I believe if this was such an original and feasible concept just an opinion BUT dotn you think EBAY would have doen it? or since they are allowing others to do it what is their piece of the pie to ride their coat tails for he ads and marketing using the bay logo trademarks and name? Ebay offers schools for the sellers for all levels for free as well. Anything I have seen about this company has limited potential. I believe they can make it BUT not the numbers they are projecting. They will be copied and duplicated as soon as they open with mom and pop shops or a competitor like fast food which makes it difficult for all these forecasts to be acurate at all. The concept is good but too simple to be copied.

posted August 20, 2004 08:47            

Many people like yourself do ebay themselves because:

1. They are not internet/computer-impaired (but many people are)

2. They know how to work a digital camera (but many people don't)

3. They know how to pack a box (but many people don't)

4. They're not lazy and stupid (but many people are)

Probably, when Mailboxes, etc. came along, people thought the same thing. "Why would I go to a store, when I can just mail the stuff myself?"

I don't know. I'm not very heavily committed financially, but heck, I'll hold on to some for a while. (I missed the pre-split days... crap.)

Oh, and it looks like AUML gets a lot more commission than what you mentioned.

$38 comm for $100 item

$266 comm for $1,000 item

Hey, can you post a link to where I can find out more about drop-shipping?

posted August 24, 2004 17:42            

DALLAS, Aug 24, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) partners with Infopia Inc. to launch dynamic new eBay consignment technology.

Infopia Inc. and Auction Mills Inc. plan to release Auction Mills Marketplace Manager(TM) in conjunction with the first round of company-owned stores scheduled to open in September.

Infopia is the developer of Marketplace Manager(TM) and specializes in providing innovative ecommerce solutions to retailers, manufacturers and eBay Power Sellers. Infopia brings years of eBay management, CRM and ecommerce and logistics experience to the partnership. eBay awarded Infopia the 2004 Innovative Developer of the Year at the recent eBay Live convention in New Orleans.

Auction Mills and Infopia have agreed to a channel partnership where Infopia will power the engine for the Auction Mills Web site infrastructure. This will allow area developers and franchisees to focus on the building of their business, rather than managing their backend systems.

"We are enthusiastic about the opportunity that Auction Mills has presented to our company. They are well-poised to capture significant market share in the auction consignment industry and have created a very exciting franchise opportunity," said Jalali Hartman, EVP of Product Development at Infopia in Salt Lake City, Utah. "Collaborating on this project to implement an inexpensive Web-based eBay and consignment management solution we believe we can dramatically increase the flow of collectibles and practicals onto eBay and ultimately increase the profits of each franchise owner."

"Our partnership with Infopia has allowed us to launch a comprehensive eBay consignment system for our franchise owners. Auction Mills franchise owners will be able to leverage an award-winning ecommerce platform that is tailored to meet their specific needs," said Michael Uskovich, CEO of AuctionMills. "Now franchise owners can get up and running quickly and easily, while managing their business anywhere they have a Web connection."

Matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements." Statements describing objectives or goals or the Company's future plans are also forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the financial performance of the Company and market valuations of its stock, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

For more information about Auction Mills Inc. and opportunities associated with owning your own Auction Mills location: www.auctionmills.com

For more information about Infopia Inc. and the award-winning Marketplace Manager(TM) platform visit www.infopia.com.

SOURCE: Auction Mills Inc.

posted September 13, 2004 08:05            

DALLAS, Sep 13, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) has signed on as a corporate sponsor for the Ryan Gibson Foundation Charity Golf Classic, benefitting leukemia research, to be held Oct. 5, 2004, at the Four Seasons Resort & Club, home of the EDS Byron Nelson Classic. This year's honorary chairman is NBA superstar Spud Webb. Auction Mills joins an impressive list of corporate sponsors including, Stevens Transport, Premier Club, McCormick Distilling, Cyconic Golf, Capital Institutional Services, Andres Real Estate, CSI Coverage and notable Dallas restaurants Tei Tei and Teppo. Auction Mills has also formed a team for tournament play and its executives will participate in the event alongside 150 of Dallas' top business leaders, company owners and executives. Many of Auction Mills' employees and staff have also generously committed to volunteering their time on the day of the event. All money raised will go directly to the Ryan Gibson Foundation, which benefits leukemia research. For more information on the event and foundation, visit www.ryangibsonfoundation.org.

SOURCE: Auction Mills Inc.

posted September 14, 2004 07:12            

DALLAS, Sep 13, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) has an updated report on the current status of business. The greatest number of inquiries have been from the following states: Texas (Dallas, San Antonio and Houston), California (Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco) and nearly the entire state of Florida. Self-identified individuals are currently going through the second level of selection criteria as Prospective Area Developers and Franchisees and will soon receive a franchise application. Other states that are still at the serious first level of inquiry are Indiana, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. International inquiries under consideration have been from the United Kingdom, Australia, Portugal, Costa Rica and India.

Continued patience is appreciated while the final efforts are made to prepare for the opening of the first company stores to set the template for the roll-out for the future franchises. The training facility is now fully operational and we are readying for the first classes to begin within the week for the company stores staff.

The Company plans to expand its franchise operation within Texas and extend its corporate development nationally. The response from the public has shown that the online marketing strategy is of great interest to the public and Auction Mills Inc. is supplying services to meet the demand.

posted September 15, 2004 10:17            

quote:

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Originally posted by sync2112:
Sure starting to shape up like a IBZT/QBID scam. The share price is crumbling and the management delays are coming on strong.

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Delays???? What did I miss?

posted September 15, 2004 10:29            

Additionally, this is a new concept. Potential franchise owners have not been selected, only applications being reviewed.

I like a concept that doesn't allow just any untrained Joe run a shop.

Oh, GM, Ford, and Chrysler have dropped the last couple days. What a scam those companies are!!!!

posted September 15, 2004 10:42            

And I suppose you ALWAYS make money on your investments.

posted September 15, 2004 10:56            

Additionally, I did not say that I took only my original investment back. I just held some free shares.

I left on the table what I was willing to give back on a gamble. Do you know that Microsoft, Amazon, and several others used to be pink or OTC???

posted September 17, 2004 15:44            

DALLAS, Sep 17, 2004 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Auction Mills Inc. (PINK SHEETS:AUML) is proud to announce the opening of the flagship store located in McKinney, Texas, on Monday, Sept. 20, 2004. The Auction Mills management team will be on site working alongside store employees and welcomes the public to this historic occasion to meet and greet the management and the staff of Auction Mills.

The store's hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The opening of the McKinney store continues the fulfillment of the Company's business plan to develop within the state of Texas and then go national with this exciting franchise offering.

Auction Mills Inc. supplies the public with a convenient, professional and confidential approach to participating in the eBay online marketplace. Experienced eBay auctioneers provide customers with a method of turning unused items into cash. The Company actually takes possession of the items to be auctioned eliminating the hassle and wasted time associated with the selling process and allows customers an opportunity to benefit from the existing relationship that Auction Mills Inc. has with eBay.

Matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements." Statements describing objectives or goals or the Company's future plans are also forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the financial performance of the Company and market valuations of its stock, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

For more information about Auction Mills Inc. and opportunities associated with owning your own Auction Mills location: www.auctionmills.com

posted October 07, 2004 07:44            

DALLAS, Oct 06, 2004 (PRIMEZONE via COMTEX) -- Auction Mills Inc. (Pink Sheets:AUML) is proud to announce the successful openings of the first company-owned stores in Dallas and McKinney, Texas. Among general walk-in traffic, a large number of the majority of visitors to date have been business-to-business customers and investors. The recent partnering with Infopia continues to be on target with the companies projected timeline in preparation for franchise roll-outs in early 2005. Applications are continually being improved via the soft openings, and developments will continue as more customers bring their items in for sale, now that the stores are open for walk-in traffic.

The 5,000 franchise requests processed thus far have been edited down to a pre-qualified group of 14 Area Developers representing the following regions; two in northern California, three in southern California, two in Florida, three in Texas, one in Georgia, one in Mississippi, one in Indiana, and one in Massachusetts - representing a total commitment of 210 stores to be rolled out beginning in the first quarter of 2005. The UFOC is in the final stages of review in preparation for the Auction Mills Prospective Franchisee Expo planned for early December. The Grand Opening originally scheduled for mid-October has been pushed out to sync up with the Franchise Expo.

The company has recently expanded the following roles and responsibilities: CEO/Founder, Founder/McKinney Store Manager, Director of Marketing (Media Relations, Advertising, and Franchise Inquiries), Vice President of New Business Development, and Corporate Communications (Franchising Negotiations). Two new online auction experts have been hired, and they are working to upload all items for sale.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements." Statements describing objectives or goals or the company's future plans are also forward-looking statements and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including the financial performance of the company and market valuations of its stock, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.

More information about Auction Mills Inc. and ownership opportunities are available at www.auctionmills.com.

HTML: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/wr/100604/10676.htm PDF: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/pdf/100604/10676.pdf ONLINE NEWSROOM: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/2901.htm LOGO: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/2901.htm

SOURCE: Auction Mills Inc.