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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> 2. If yes to (1), who feels they do or could produce something that  
> city folks would buy for a high enough price to make a sustainable  
> profit for the maker and a compelling commission to a marketing person?
> 

Do.  At least people are indeed bying it with sufficient vigor to keep the 
wolf away from the window.

But listen to my tale of woe and soemthing learn from it (or not).  Marketing 
people take a deep cut, and perhaps rightly so.  There is a shop of handmade 
items not 20 miles from here (in Abingdon, Virginia) were items are juried 
and 
one joins the co-op.  I had several items there for several years.  The shop 
got about 1/3 the purchase price.

That has slowly, but soon entirely, given way to a more modern phenomenon.  
On the internet one joins lists, blogs, and gets links put on people's pages 
to 
promote one's wares.  The internet terms is "pimping" one's merchandise.

The drawbacks are it is some effort, people don't have your wares in their 
hands to judge them so you have to have testimonials.   The advantages are 
that 
you are mining a very specific market and you get to keep just about all the 
money yourself.

Having participated in this and witnessing many others do the same, my 
recommendation would be to get into doing something *real* along those lines. 
 Don't 
rely on a cute idea or just being the middle man.  Those niches evaporate in 
a twinkling.   Ditto with office tasks and consulting type work over the 
internet.  Just as soon as industry realizes that YOU can do that work at 
home, 
they soon realize someone in India can do it just as well and for a fraction 
of 
the money.

Also fill a niche with a product or service that is too rare or outlandish 
for Walmart, China, or India to take much interest in it.
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