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Home Business with 1-900 Numbers
 For the past 20 years or so, the 1-900 number business has been a billion dollar a year industry.
It seems consumers are willing to pay up to $5.00 a minute to place a phone call, be it for business advice or to hear what a psychic has to say.
For the owner of the line, these calls can be a source of high profit, since long distance charges and other costs of the call are comparatively small. As such, this is a popular business opportunity.
The use of 1-900 Numbers
1-900 numbers typically provide information about something, or provide some kind of entertainment. An example of information would be a line containing information about sports news, or video game hints. Psychic lines and adult chats are examples of entertainment based calls.
In the 1980's, both of these types of lines could generate a small fortune for the owner. That is because during this time period, specialized information could be difficult to obtain, and there was virtually no other medium for entertainment lines. As well, the number of 900 numbers out there was relatively small, but that number was growing at a faster and faster rate as the decade came to a close. By the mid 90's, things were changing.
If you are thinking about getting setup with one of these, you need to consider a few things.
Enter the Competition
These days, there are hundreds, and perhaps thousands of 900 numbers in virtually every category you can think of. The sheer number of lines means the competition will be fierce, and that is only the beginning.
Years ago 900 numbers were appealing because the information or entertainment offered on them was hard to obtain elsewhere. With the internet, this is no longer the case. No matter how specialized the subject is, anybody with internet access can find information on it with a few keystrokes. In most cases, this information is free and so makes paying up to $15 for a phone call seem absurd.
This is also true for entertainment, as the internet provides countless websites offering the same services as 900 lines, and very often free of cost.
To make matters worse...scams
Of course, the use of 900 numbers isn't limited to the 2 examples listed above. Unfortunately, this means that a lot of companies and unscrupulous individuals setup 900 numbers to defraud people out of their money.
A famous example of this is a scratch and win lottery. The scam starts with the 900 line owner mailing out scratch and win tickets to various homes, offering winners a new car or some grand cash reward. When playing the ticket, it would always appear to be a winner.
The question is, how do you claim your prize? On the ticket, it was revealed that one must call a 1-900 number to do so. The cost of the call was upwards of $20 a minute, and of course upon calling you would find out that you did not in fact win anything at all.
Because of countless scams like this and others, many phone companies are fed up and have placed many restrictions on lines. If you have an idea that sounds a little unusual, the company may simply refuse to collect the bill. That is, while they will still charge you to run the 900 service, you will be responsible for billing the callers!
An example of another restriction involves sweepstakes lines, where the caller must be informed of the actual odds of winning before being charged for the call. These restrictions make sense given the practices of unethical line owners, but can hurt you if you have an idea for an unusual 900 number.
Regardless, you can still make money off a 900 line if used properly, especially if it is used in conjunction with another service. Be sure to investigate this field before jumping into anything. Some books have been selected below.
 How to Succeed With Your Own 900 Number Business
Become a Toll Collector on the Info Highway. Learn the secrets to success in one of the most exciting new businesses spawned by the exploding Information Age. Launch a 900-number business and make money by the minute selling information 24 hours a day. This book is for entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations interested in launching a 900 number pay-per-call information service in order to improve profitability, efficiency or customer service.
This book was written in 1996, but still contains a lot of good, useful information about starting your own 1-900 number.
 Money-Making 900 Numbers
This book shows how imaginative entrepreneurs are using 900 numbers to sell information of all kinds over the telephone. From the mundane to the exotic, hundreds of real-life programs covering every possible application are profiled.
Learn from the experts exactly what elements make a successful 900-number information service. This book will spark your imagination, giving you the inspiration, the ideas, the insider's perspective and the know-how to launch your own money-making 900-number information service. Find your own niche as a service provider -- and toll collector --on the information superhighway.
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