Tony Lama black wingtip cowboy boots, new in box, $10.

Cowboy style boots are out there all over the place, just waiting for you to come and get them. Although some can mean profit for you, there are many that you won't want to bother with at any price. Since it's your money on the line, don't you think it pays to learn just a little more about this area of potential profit opportunity?

Okay, I'll admit it - there's not really that much in-depth coverage to do on this particular pair of boots. This is just a brand new pair of Tony Lama boots, still in the box. They sold for around $200 when new, so I figure they may bring a half to a third that amount on eBay. Like me, you're probably not a cowboy boot expert, but the good news is that if you follow a few general rules when it comes to these things, you can maximize your chances for profit while minimizing your chances of a loss.

It should be obvious that you'd pay a few dollars more for boots made from exotic skins like snake, alligator, ostrich, lizard or crocodile. Brand name boots made from exotic animal skins are generally fairly expensive to buy new, which means that good used examples can often bring lots of money. The problem is that these weird and exotic boots are not the ones you're most likely to run across on a regular basis.

You may already know how I regularly go on about how important it is to take advantage of your 'sweet spot,' which is the stuff you're most likely to encounter. Although exotic leathers are great, these regular old cow leather boots are your boot sweet spot because they're the ones you're most likely to see. So when it comes to cow skin boots, I usually look for several things:

- I look for well-known brands like Tony Lama, Dan Post, Frye, Justin, Acme Dingo or the goldmine Lucchese (you'd better learn to spot this brand!) And for Heaven's sake, stay away from anything sporting a 'Hecho en Mexico' (Made in Mexico) stamp!

- The boots must have leather soles. Sure, you'll find rubber soles on some of the best work boots you can buy. But remember - we're takling cowboy boots here, and rubber or vinyl soles on cowboy-style boots are a pretty solid indicator that they're cheapo boots.

- The boots should have a leather lining inside. Antything else usually means that they're cheap boots.

- The boots should still be in excellent and little-worn condition - preferably new and still in the box. Sure, you could afford some speculation on a pair of well-worn Lucchese caiman boots, but we're not talking about Lucchese or caiman here. We're talking about Tony Lama and cows. Keep that in mind.

- Finally, they should cost you no more than about $10, until you really know what you're doing.

As you can see, this is a rather loose set of guidelines, but if you stick close to them, you're unlikely to lose money. A solid pair of western boots can be pretty expensive when purchased new. Millions of people know this and are looking for good deals on eBay!

These Tony Lama boots sold on eBay for $112.