Debt Relief and Credit Card Consolidation To Be Debt-Free

I probably wrote too much on debt relief and Credit Card Consolidation that my readers thought that I am heavily in debt. In debt yes but it is nothing that I can't handle.

I write so many posts on Debt Relief and what misuse of credit cards can do to wreck a person's financial situation because I am frustrated that after so many reports on people, younger and younger people, going into bankruptcy that there are still people charging their cards without a care in the world.

I think people need to be smarter when it comes to personal finances, especially when it comes to spending and shopping. There are things that we need and there are things that we want. We must also remember that it is our right to be debt-free. Why laden ourselves with so much debt that half the fun of living is gone?

If you think that you are in a bad financial shape, wise up and seek debt relief if you need it. There is no one who can help you except yourself. The earlier you start to repair this financial damage, the earlier you will be debt-free. I am sure your debts did not come overnight but were accumulated over time. To be debt-free is also a step by step procedure that takes a long time.

Combined Shipping

I am a Seller who offers combined shipping for my Buyers and in fact, I do my best to help my Buyers save on shipping charges because I think it is not worth to pay that much.

However, on the other hand, there are Sellers who does not offer combined shipping and in fact, insist on separate charges for each item. I think that is a rip-off and if I were the Buyer, I definitely would stay away from such a Seller.

I can understand that these people would like to make some profit off a transaction. Which Seller does not want profit and why go into business if we are losing, right? BUT to keep your selling price at the lowest only to cover for the lower profit margin through "shipping and handling" is rather unscrupulous.

I would rather have my Seller state his selling price upfront and include the estimated shipping and handling charges, before I commit myself to a deal. What about you?

Shopping For Used Cars Online

As soon as my friends heard that I am looking for a car to buy, they teased me asking me where I shall be shopping for my used car. You see, it is a running joke that I shop for almost everything online and they wonder if I can find my dream car online as well. Of course, I told them!

Buying a new car online is easy but buying Used Cars online will be a little tricky. Since I do not have enough budget for a new car, I would have to settle for a used one but that is not a problem for me. I KNOW I would look good even in a used car *ahem* :-)

Anyway, I know a leading online site that has a huge list of Used Cars that I can go through to look for one that suits my lifestyle, meets my needs and most importantly, fits my budget. The site, known as Auto Guide, is very user-friendly and make searching for used cars online such a breeze.

I must say that I have been to quite a few used cars websites but with Auto Guide, it is all just point and click. Of course, I had to specify my requirements first but that is easy. The hard part is deciding WHICH car to buy because there are just too many!

A Call To Computer Tech

A couple of days ago, my computer has been acting up. So I called up my regular computer repair and troubleshooting shop. There are a few technicians there and it was just my luck to get this guy to attend to my telephone call.

I told him my problem and he said that I would have to take send my computer to the shop for them to have a look. I asked him if I would have to back up my files and do they require formatting it, but he said that he does not know.

That is fine, but at least he should tell me to back up m important files first, you know? Do you think that I would leave my computer with them without backing up after what this person has gone through?

So, no matter what he says, when I can't stand my computer problems anymore, I would have to spend some time to back up my files before sending it in!

Meeting An Old Friend

Today, I had a very pleasant surprise. I bumped into my friend when I was out at the mall and I had to do a double take to confirm that she was my old classmate! I seriously could not really recognize her. I mean, this lady has the style of my old classmate but then there's something vastly different about her as well! Fortunately, she could recognize me and called out to me. According to her, I have not changed at all, except look older. So, Is that good news or bad news??

My friend told me that she went for plastic surgery recently just before she returned for a holiday. She lives in the United States, you see. She said that besides tucking in her double chin, she also underwent breast augmentation. Ahhaa that was the reason she looked different!

She said that next on her list will be Beverly Hills liposuction but that would be after she has saved up enough money! She said that to be beautiful is expensive but it is worth every penny! Well, I have nothing against plastic surgery and if it makes her happy and self-confident, why not, right? Personally, I would not go under the knife just to be beautiful lol

Ah, To Look More Beautiful!

Last evening, I met an old schoolmate of mine. I haven't seen her for the longest time but it's just my luck that she is now into direct sales and is touting skin care products. Now, if you know me, you will know that I have bad skin complexion that is prone to acne. It does not help my self-confidence, of course. So when she showed me catalogues of her products and the photos taken Before and After use, I succumbed. How can I not when the difference is so drastic?

I am not sure if the photos have been airbrushed. I don't care because I have to be proactive in helping my skin get better, right? I can't expect myself to have a clear complexion if I do not do anything about it at all. I think I need to paste my face with money to look more beautiful!

Let’s hope that this will finally be the key to a clearer complexion!

Work First, Holiday Later

Just now I saw a friend online at this late hour and I asked him why is he still up at the computer? He told me that he is looking for a site to book Pigeon Forge vacation rentals. My goodness, it looks as though every one is already planning t go on a vacation this year end. I dare not even dream of a break yet or my work will pile up!

I have this attitude to work first and enjoy later but my friends say that they will enjoy first and work at the last minute. I wish that I could turn my attitude towards work like that but I can't. I feel uneasy if I have work pending and waiting for my attention. How could I then enjoy my holiday, right?

In any case, like I mentioned in a previous post, it will be either Hawaii or the Dominican Republic for me at the end of the year. Work will have to wait till next year then!

Trading Forex For Real

Some of you may remember me mentioning that I am trying to venture into Forex trading. Share trading has not been too lucrative due to a volatile market so I thought that I would expand my options. I have a test Forex account and have been trading with a slight profit on paper so I would like to start a live account. However, since I do not have much capital, I did not really explore online Forex trading sites. I thought I would do that later when I have more money to invest.

When I was shown the link to Forex Club at http://www.fxclub.com/, I was surprised that all it takes to open a live account is a minimum of $10 and accepted payments are by PayPal and credit card. That's good news to me!

If you are thinking of trading Forex online, do make sure that the company is a licensed Forex commission merchant. For example, Forex Club is a member of the National Futures Association.

I browsed through the site of Forex Club and happy to note that they too have a practice account and also reading material and online video seminars to guide us on trading Forex for real. There is also a forum where we could share our tips and strategies with fellow traders. I believe that everyone would learn something from there and be more successful in Forex trading.

I think it’s time to trade in Forex for real now and if I don’t start now, I never will!

Learning About Search Engine Marketing

When I first ventured into online trading, I never even heard of search engine marketing. Later, I had a discussion with my friend who also runs his own store but he is more experienced and he told me about search engine marketing and optimization.

I thought that to have good search engine placement would need a lot of investment but according to my friend, it is not necessary. I could read up on how to do it or I could hand the task to a professional company. Of course there are many companies who re offering this service but some would do it once only, while others are committed to our project and keep track for us for one whole year.

Right now, I am thinking of engaging a company to do the work for me since I hardly have the time to network or mess with my store. We'll see.

When It Doesn't Load

Sometimes I read my news from a local online newspaper but the problem is, this is supposedly a leading government news agency but the dang site never loads properly. Sometimes it never loads. AT ALL. What it will load is just the header, sidebars and footer, without the news in the text body. Funny huh?

Now, I am questioning, why keep the site up when it is not even serving its purpose? When they do give us news, the article is mostly just a short piece. Well, it IS a Government site, after all, like RTM.

When sites don't load, I would just be closing my browser window and not wait for it to load. Who has the time to waste in this speedy technology age, right? It would be better to just read a similar article from another media site. Tell me that this is not competitive enough. They should really buck up or lose readership, hence advertising dollars!

Travel Plans Changed to the Dominican Republic

Not too long ago, I wrote about my friends who are planning a group trip to Hawaii. Now they tell me that they prefer to go to the Dominican Republic because Hawaii is too "common". They are so fickle; I can't keep up with their plans but told them to let me know once they have settled on their plans so that I can decide if I can join them. I love group holidays but not when they keep changing their plans!

According to one of my friends, they are thinking of going on one of the cruises. She said that the sea is so clear that one could admire the underwater creatures and it would be a waste not to take that opportunity and since they are planning this vacation for the end of this year, during winter, it would be the perfect time for a cruise.

Sometime back, I read that the Dominican Republic has a coastline as long as 800 miles and their beaches are fantastic. Although I live near the beach too, the sea here is so murky looking that I dare not take a swim out to the ocean. You know, it is very tempting to just jump in but the condition is so off putting. If I were to go to the Dominican Republic, I know I would be able to do that without a worry!

I hope that they will decide on the Dominican Republic!

Losing Out

The other day, I bought a product that comes in a printed bag. There is a brand name with the company logo and address. I wanted to buy their product in bulk and was not sure if they sell wholesale so I thought I would give them a call since the company is from the southern most state in Peninsular Malaysia, a long way from where I am.

However, I checked the package everywhere but could not find their telephone number. So I thought I would check the internet for their website since they did print the name of their company on the bag.

I Google-ed, Yahoo!-ed and MSN-ed but there was no such company listed at all. I am not surprised that they do not have a web presence. If they did, they would have printed their web address on the bag too, right? But don't tell me they don't even have an office number, a number that people could call up to make enquiries?

You see, without this information on hand, I don't think I want to take the trouble to look up Yellow Pages or call up Telekom Directory to find out their number since there is no guarantee that the information will be available. I would rather buy the same product from their competitor and give my business to them.

It's Time To Repair Your Credit

In today's age, I think there is hardly one person who has a perfect credit score. Just look at how easy it is to apply for credit cards. One slip of judgement and we would be in a nasty credit card debt.

A friend of mine has a very bad credit score and I witnessed how difficult it is to apply for a loan. He could not buy a house or a car and even if there is a financial institution who was willing to grant him a loan, the interest rate is so high, it is not only not worthy to take up the loan, it will in the long run hurt his finances and that would not help his credit score at all.

Today, I was introduced to a company that specializes in Credit Repair. According to this company, many people do not realize that there are perfectly legal ways for us to improve on our credit score. However, they do caution that there may be certain companies that promise to repair our credit and we have to be careful if they ask for an upfront fee.

My Credits Repaired, which has a website at http://www.mycreditsrepaired.com/ is backed by years of experience in helping people repair their credit and keep it clean. Members, who only need to pay $19.95, will have full access to credit repair guides and ebooks that have helped many people release themselves from the bad credit trap.

If you ask me if this price is worth it, it is if you are paying for a solution that works!

Canadian eBayers Be Careful

The taxmen are coming at you. I remember when eBay was tax free when it first started. Back then, internet income was not taxable and then people began earning millions from eBay and taxmen wanted a share of the pie. Hhmm why don't they sell their own items?

Then British taxmen, seeing that American taxmen are successful in getting great revenue from eBay Sellers started to crack down on British eBayers too. That was a few years ago.

Now, Canadian eBayers want that kind of revenue too. They are going to crack down on eBay Canadian PowerSellers. Will eBay Canada co-operate fully with the tax authorities by providing full access to the taxmen to transaction records?

Besides, some people DO trade outside eBay and those ARE tax exempt :D

Starting Your Own Company

The most basic thing in starting a business is to set up a company. This will give our business professionalism and keep our personal assets protected in case our business venture fails. In business, there is always risk, big or small, and there is no sure gain. That's why we have to take such a precaution.

And I personally know that many people gave up starting a business because they have no idea how to set up a company. I personally engaged a company secretary to do everything for me and all I had to do was to sign the papers, and pay the fees, of course.

A Nevada incorporation and resident agent that I came across recently is a company that specializes in setting up companies for people who first venture into business. This company, which has a website at http://www.incparadise.com/ is not a law firm or company secretary but they will do the paperwork for us for a small fee. I think that this is better than to set up a company our self blindly, filling up the wrong forms, or correct forms but the wrong way with conflicting information.

According to Inc. Paradise, the most popular state in America to set up a company is Nevada. This is because Nevada is business friendly and there is no income tax to pay. This means all Nevada corporations are tax exempt!

Not only does Inc. Paradise offer administrative services in registering a business corporation, they also provide a virtual office to these new businesses where monthly rental starts from $45 only. This fee includes the use of their office space and office automation. Inc. Paradise understands that it is not easy to get a business off ground and they are trying to keep it as cost effective as possible for new business people.

Will Perfume Bay Get To Keep The "Bay"?

With the launch of the new blog MakesNoScents.com, founder of Perfume Bay, Jacquelyn Tran, is telling her side of the story behind the legal injunction eBay has taken upon Perfume Bay three years ago to remove the word "Bay" from the domain name and company name. This effectively means that should eBay be successful, Jacquelyn Tran might as well be starting an entirely new company.

Of course, Jacquelyn Tran will be doing all she can to keep her company name, a company that she started in 1999. Can you imagine seeing seven years of hard work going down the drain? By the way, Jacquelyn Tran was born in 1977. As someone in the same generation, I respect that she has managed to expand her parents' business and ventured into eCommerce.

This lawsuit reminds me of the case where McDonald's sued a company for using the name "Mc" in their business. Well, Mc or Mac is a very common family name. I think that these companies are rather arrogant to think that they have claims over a word, a very normal English word like "Bay" in this instance.

Well, let's see how this pans out.

Find An Apartment Easily

Not too long ago I wrote a post about searching for an apartment. I received email from a couple of readers who let me know that they found the information useful. Today, I would like to share a site that I found that is more informative and user-friendly for people who are looking for apartments.

Using Apartment Finder, you can easily search for an apartment to rent based on your preferred location. You can set a search based on street address or keywords. The search engine, which is map based, will rather accurately render suitable search results for you, cutting down on your search time.

What I like about this site is the ability to preset my preference and results will appear almost instantly when the site is updated. Apartment Finder is not only a great resource site for apartment hunters but also to apartment owners who would like to find tenants for their vacant apartment. Apartment Finder makes it easier for owners to advertise their property for free online and offline.

Finer Prints of Cash Advance

I think I am not the only person with lots of friends who are in debt. I don't know why there are so many people like that, I think it all boils down to lifestyle and the way we now spend our money by charging our credit card.

There are so many people who keep asking me for a loan or if I know of anywhere to take out a loan. I don't know much about taking loans but I heard of people taking out cash advance to tie them through for a short while until they receive their next pay cheque.

Although this is the case, I tell them that it's fast and secure money but they have to read the finer print to make sure that they can cope with the interest rate and terms or repayment.

The problem with people, though, is that they never read properly and then get a shock when their debt pile up, just like the way they abuse their credit cards.

Ensuring Packages Arrive Safely

I think that as a Seller, it is also our responsibility to ensure that packages will reach the hands of our Buyers safely. I try to minimize the risk to losing a package during transit by letting my Buyers know that there are certain mailboxes that I will not ship to by Pos Ekspress.

Before determining on shipping charges, I like to find out first where we will be delivering to. If they let me know that they would like their package delivered to their office, student's hostel or apartment where cbu mailboxes are used sometimes and could be confusing to the postman, I will insist on using courier to ship to them, at their cost.

I know that the shipping incurred will be a little higher but if I were the Buyer, I would rather receive my item safely than to track a lost package. Don't you think so?

Can He Be Trusted?

Sometime back, a guy, a fellow seller on eBay and Lelong, offered to provide discounts for Sellers who would like to use international courier from a leading courier company. He has an account with them and has negotiated for group rate. Well, at least he said he did.

He said that those who would like to utilise the service through him would have to pay him and he would contact the courier to pick up the package from the Seller's place.

It has been almost a year and I believe response to him offer has been lukewarm to non-existent. When it comes to sending out packages, I guess Sellers only trust themselves. I don't mean that he is running a scam ring or anything, but Sellers are a cautious bunch, the genuine ones, that is! Would be place our reputation on the hands of a fourth party? [The third party is the company that handles our packages] Sorry, but I don't think so.

Group rates are only workable if we know each other in real life and someone that approaches us online. Besides, why save on the little shipping charge by placing our trust on a total stranger when it is paid for by the Buyer, right?

Custom Writing From MasterPapers.com

I surf the internet a lot especially to sites that offer physical goods or services looking for trends. One service that I came across a couple of weeks ago is companies that provide Essay Writing and just about any custom writing.

I think for companies like this, reliability is the number factor that determines if we purchase our essays from them. MasterPapers.com is a company that believes in keeping in close contact with their clients from the time an order is placed to the time the writing is handed over to the client. MasterPapers.com knows that keeping in touch like this is very important to the client because they are assured that they will receive the final product to their requirements.

Can you imagine the stress that you are put through if you have ordered a custom essay from a company and not knowing if they are doing it as you requested and by the time you receive your essay, it may be too late to make changes since it would have been time to submit it. HHmm I certainly can do without such worries! And MasterPapers.com knows this too!

I was surprised to note that MasterPapers.com has more than five hundred (!) expert writers working for them to ensure that essays are written a creatively and in an original way and in a timely manner too. I think that with that number of writers, they could handle ANY subject at all.

MOL SafePay

I saw from an advertisement that MOL AccessPortal Bhd (MOL) has collaborated with eBay with the proposal of integrating this MOL SafePay Escrow based service to the Malaysian marketplace. It is hoped that with this in place, fraud on eBay Malaysia will be drastically reduced.

Personally, I have not tried the service yet but from the feedback received by those who have tried it, this is a pretty hassle-free procedure.

There are calls for this service to be made compulsory for every Seller but as a Seller of low cost items, I don’t believe I would welcome this move. As mentioned, my items are cheap, for want of a better word. If it is made compulsory, is there anyone who would be willing to pay the service charge? I know I would not if I were the Buyer.

However, I say, make SafePay an optional service but compulsory if the ending bid is above MRY200, for example. For items as low as MYR20 - MYR150, I would not welcome having my money tied up by a third party.

I have a horrid scenario in my head that a Buyer could deny receiving the item and then what? Would the money be refunded to the Buyer while the Seller loses the item and will not see the payment? Let's wait and see for further developments.

Cheap Brochure Printing For Me

As an online trader, it is not easy to get my little business notice. I try to get it as much attention as I could by advertising on high traffic websites and promote it as best as I could with promotional material and gifts. I have printed quite a number of items, the most recent is the t-shirt sample that failed to arrive. Anyway, I just have to move on and keep looking for cheap and yet reliable printers.

Last week, I had the idea of printing brochures. I thought that I could get some Cheap Brochure Printing done online and then give them out at the shopping mall and other places that have high human traffic. This is a good way to promote my virtual store. Besides, a friend has kindly agreed to help me hand out them brochures and it would be a fun day out.

I found a few Brochure Printing companies to compare the prices, features, options and quality and decided that Wholesale Printing Direct is the one that I should go with. I mean, they have a great product and very attractive price packages that do not break my budget, why not go with them, right?

I am going to play around a little with options and see what is the best price I can come to that I am comfortable with and then off my order goes. I am so excited.

Lelong's Auction Check Out Upgraded

Lelong recently had an upgrade to their checkout system where at the close of an auction, the Buyer confirms shipping address while Seller confirms shipping charges. After that Buyer has to make payment as usual but after making payment, Buyer has to update the Lelong system and is required to submit the screenshot or scanned copy of the payment receipt or at least copy the details to the relevant box.

Once this is received, Lelong system will shoot an email to the Seller and Seller then ships out the item.

At the moment, I do not see the point of letting Lelong know the details of the transaction UNLESS there is a dispute. Letting Lelong know, is not as if that Lelong can confirm if the payment has been received or has cleared, right?

And this is may pose as a problem to some Buyers who may not be able to scan the receipt or copy the details if they do not have access to the internet.

I am saying so through experience and many of my trades were closed successfully via SMS and I do not even require my Buyers to show proof of payment. So I really don't see the point of this upgrade.

Exploring New Shopping Cart Solution

As an online merchant, I have many people approaching me trying to sell me ecommerce solutions. However, I am not very adventurous and do not like to learn to use something new by myself. Therefore, I only try something out upon the recommendation by friends who are users and could lend me a helping hand if I am stuck, and it looks like I always am :-)

An ecommerce software that a friend told me about and recommends that I check it out is Ashop Commerce's shopping cart software solution. According to my friend, it is all just point and click to install this to a website and we are good to go. There is no steep learning curve to master at all. He suggested that I give it a try since I could try it out and see if I am comfortable with using it during the ten day free trial. They do not even require us to provide our credit card so there is no fear that we will be billed if we cancel our subscription.

I asked my friend what is the advantage of changing to Ashop from my current shopping cart and he told me that Ashop has integrated payment processing by all major processors plus built -in secure SSL protection that every shopping would look out for when disclosing financial information over the internet.

HHmm my current payment processor is missing some key gateways and it is hindering my business. I think this is a pretty good time to explore new avenues.

Red Shoe Initiative

I was surfing eBay when I came across this non-profit organisation called red Shoe Initiative, which is a national health education campaign targeted at women, educating and inspiring them to take steps for heart health. In the month of September, eBay will be hosting auctions on ladies' shoes that have been signed by celebrities and other Red Shoe Initiative apparel.

If I remember correctly, I saw a similar national campaign on eBay Singapore not too long ago where local celebrities also autographed shoes to be auctioned with the proceeds going to non-profit organizations.

I think that initiatives like these are great to reach out to the people. They sure will pay attention when there is involvement from celebrities. However, whether there are any campaigns or not, we must always take care of our health and not take it for granted.

Hopefully, with campaigns like these more and more women will be aware that they have to sometimes place their health above other things too. I know many women neglect themselves and suffer from guilt if they think that they have deprived their family of something. Malaysia needs programmes like these too.

Discount Portable Soccer Goals & Accessories

America is a sports mad country. If they are not playing sports, they are watching or talking about it. During off season, they wait for the new season to begin. It is good to cultivate a love for sports from young because it keeps them busy and off the streets. Besides, I read that people who are active in sports will perform better academically. I don't know how true this is, though!

I was asked to check out the online sports store called Soccer Goalz Inc at http://www.soccergoalzinc.com/. Soccer in America is what the rest of the world knows as football. Anyway, this company is a leading supplier of portable soccer goals and accessories at low prices.

Portable soccer goals are normally used in the backyard at home for people to practice their goal scoring skills. Portable goals can be used for more than practising soccer but also all other net goal sports in the comfort of home, at the backyard, of course!

Having visited a few online stores that are offering similar products, I find prices at Soccer Goalz Inc. very competitive and they are only charging a flat shipping fee of $10 for ground shipping inside the United States. I find that Soccer Goalz Inc. is able to provide us value for money so if you are looking for portable soccer goals and other accessories, your search starts here.

Mooncake Packaging

One of the things I like about the Mooncake Festival is not the mooncakes but the packaging. For the past few years, I have been collecting the boxes that are used to pack the mooncake biscuits.

The trend of packing mooncakes with beautiful non-conventional boxes only started not too long ago when companies find it tough to sell these mooncakes and they needed to do something refreshing to attract customers, besides giving away the usual promotional products. Previously, they could do with just a cardboard box with a picture of a moon and a fairy and they would use the same box design EVERY SINGLE YEAR! I know because my relatives own a very famous biscuit making company that also makes mooncakes during the season. And I see the same old box year in and out.

Although it is cost saving where the company spends money on ONE design and print thousands of boxes which they can carry forward to the following year if unused, nobody would be interested in buying the mooncakes if they do not find the packaging attractive enough.

Having said that, I have a feeling that companies already added the cost of these boxes to the mooncakes, that's why the prices just continue to rise every year.

Going For Dell

When my friend read my post about looking for a laptop, he encouraged me to go for Dell. He knows that I am looking for something more portable than standard sized laptops. I thought of getting something small and light that I could tuck away in a smallish bag that DOES NOT look like a laptop bag.

He told me that Dell has a good range of laptops that would meet my requirements and they are kind to my pockets too. Besides, Dell is one of the companies with seamless customer service and technical support which I can always rely on via phone or email.

This is very reassuring as this would be my first laptop and I am sure I would have 101 questions that need answers to!

Do You Wear Your Products?

As a seller of lingerie, this is the question that I hear the most. I hear it so many times that I can make joke replies now. It is all the more funny when people who know my personally are curious about it too.

I do not know what's so funny about whether I do or not wear my products but I guess our imagination can be a very powerful too. I do not know what stuff they would like to imagine but the day that I see a relevance in my wearing my own products or not and my sales, I shall continue to reply funny.

I mean, why does one need to know about my preference in sexy lingerie? If you want it, you buy it, that is my philosophy. But if you don’t want to buy any, even if I tell you that yes, I do wear them day and night my whole life, you still would not buy, right?

My job here is to sell you lingerie and make sure that you are satisfied with your purchase!

Saving Time, Money & Energy

You would be surprised with the number of people I know who play online blackjack. I don't know how successful they are but at least they are highly entertained. They must be if they are stuck to the computer every weekend. When I ask then which online casino they are playing in, they refused to let me know. Well, it's no big deal because I found this site called Online Casino Blue Book which brings us honest reviews on some of the top online gambling sites in the virtual world today.

I went through all the reviews because I wanted to look for an online casino to play poker. With these reviews, where all the casinos are reviewed for their key features, size of welcome bonus, game graphics and usability, customer service and response time and most of all, payout rate. This is the most attractive feature of all for online gambling, in my opinion, that is why honest reviews like these are important so that I do not have to find out by myself and be surprised after registration or worse, started to play.

A guide like this is very useful as it saves time, money and energy. We just want to channel our resources to playing and winning.

Super Summer Savings

Just now, as I was surfing around, I saw this fantastic sale going on for fingertip pulse oximeters at an online store called UltraNebs. This store sells pulse oximeter, portable nebulizer, blood pressure monitor and other medical supplies. According to the site, their portable nebulizer is perfect for people who are always on the move.

Although I don't know what these are for or what medical condition, I figured that there are people who may find this information useful, especially the sale where we can buy them at a discount or rebate. Any savings is good especially when it comes to long term medical supplies.

Send Me To Arizona!!

Mark told me that he spoke to an Arizona luxury real estate agent recently who told him that real estate in Arizona is getting more and more popular for property investors. Mark said that he managed to view very beautiful Arizonian properties when he was there on business. Mark said that if he has the money, he too would like to buy one of the properties there as the place is really scenic and suitable for retirement.

I am curious now and would like to see how beautiful the place is. I wish that my company would send me to Arizona as well!

Daily Virus Scan

I wonder how many people perform a daily computer virus scan. I update the internal virus database of my anti-virus programme daily too and set it to scan my system fully after that. However, recently, I discovered that my system is draggy. This is especially when I want to shut off my computer. Calling up the Shut Down menu takes forever and after it is on the screen, it takes forever to shut the system after clicking on "SHUT DOWN".

A friend advised me to close all my active applications first before calling up the menu. I tried that before but it did not make a difference. I wonder why my system is acting so strangely lately. Hope there is nothing wrong with it or it will take me ages to back up my files.

I have so many work related information that I have not been backing up since a few months ago. *Sigh* more work ahead, I guess.

I pray that my system just hangs on for a few more months years!

Postal Address Validation and Standardization

Not too long ago, the postal department here implemented a new ruling where we have to write the addresses of our recipients in a standard format or we would be charged extra in shipping. This is because a standard format address would help in the automated process of sorting mail.

Today, I found out that there is something similar in the United States too when I came cross the website of CDYNE Corporation, a company which provides postal address verification services.

Using a standardized format, companies save on cost and delivery time is shortened. With the services provided by CDYNE Corp. there is simply no excuse for corporations for non-compliance since the new ruling has been in placed since 1st August, 2007. There is currently a temporary solution for companies which have yet to update their mailing list but this is just an interim measure and ultimately, all mailings would be required to have standardized format for their delivery address.

Your Order Is Stuck

I read in an ecommerce article a long time ago that if you see your Buyer with an order "stuck" and that if you, the merchant contacts this person, the Buyer will most likely complete the transaction.

The other day, I saw an order stuck at my PayPal check out module. And recalling that article about trying our best to close the deal, I wanted to contact the person to ask if he/she is facing a problem with the order or check out process.

Upon seeing this order, I groaned, thinking, "Forget about it lah!"

There was once when I went online shopping and had my order at the final check out page for a few days, and the company contacted me, asking if I had a problem with my order. At least mine was a legitimate order and not with freebies that I do not qualify for!

Laptop Indecision

I know I'm going to make you suffer again with my indecision to buy a laptop. I have been meaning to wait for laptop sale but PC Fair is still three months away. I know I have wanted to buy a laptop for ages now because it can help me work more efficiently and the best thing about laptops is the mobility it offers. Did you see the colours of the new range of Dell Laptops? I WANT RED!

I bought a smart phone thinking that I could use it instead of the laptop but there are only so many words one could type on a phone even though it has a QWERTY keypad, you know?

I have asked my friends on the type of laptops that suit my usage and according to them, I need one that is light. I understand that light means small with a small screen as well. I hope I don't end up squinting at the screen!

Anyway, is there a cheap laptop model that is light? I am not sure but according to my friends, the lighter the more expensive. EEEEeeeee out of budget again!

Mobile Marketing and Advertising

As an owner and user of a 3G phone and also heavily involved in advertising, I am wondering when mobile advertising will kick off in a major way. Sure, we are now already receiving unsolicited email especially through out mobile service provider and we do get advertisements that we agree to receive if we want to use certain software for free. After all, the software maker also needs revenue to keep the program free for users.

I've been thinking though, surely mobile advertising could grow bigger than what we already have. I read somewhere not too long ago that there are more smart phone owners than computer owners and it makes sense too.

Well, I am not going to give ideas to marketers to explore further the avenue of mobile marketing and advertising because I too don't want to be bombarded with advertisements on the go!

Applying For An Oregon Mortgage Refinance

My sister told me that she sometimes wishes that she is not living in Tennessee. She said that her former colleague happily told her that she will own her home earlier than my sister because she gets to pay it off faster.

If you have been reading my blog, you would know that my sister was one of the new first time homeowners who committed themselves to a home loan when the interest rate was at its peak recently and although her former colleague also bought a home around the same time, she lives in Oregon where the interest rates were different and now, the interest rate dropped even further and she took full advantage of it by applying for an Oregon mortgage refinance.

My sister said that if she if she lived in Oregon right now, she too would take out an Oregon mortgage refinance but unlike the former colleague, she would not be using the money on home remodelling and improvement projects but will plough back the money into the repayment of the home loan.

I certainly understand her anxiety in trying all options to lessen the burden of her home loan. It is no fun having the loan hanging over their hands each time they wanted to treat themselves to some thing just a little more expensive.

Is My T-Shirt Sample Really Lost?

Ok, I admit I have been counting the days. It was in early August that I ordered my t-shirt sample for my store. And it is now what.... almost two months since my order was processes and payment cleared. I ordered two packages and one f them reached me earlier than expected but one did not arrive at all.

Is it lost? I would like to find out but I don't even have the consignment number because it was sent by ordinary mail. I don't think it is my fault to have opted for ordinary mail and after all, my t-shirt was only a sample and should not have a problem passing through Customs. Now, when I go out, I am going to open my eyes big and see if there's anyone wearing my t-shirt in town!

I am not even sure if I want to custom print another design or the same one. This whole episode kind of spoiled my mood and my plans for it

GPS Insight Vehicle Tracking & Mapping

Last month, there was a horrible express bus crash in Malaysia. Actually this isn't something new. Because it is not new, all the more it is important for the authorities to establish tighter enforcement and I told a friend of mine, as responsible citizens, it is up to us to speak up in union so that our voice can be heard. So far, though, there has been no clear solution.

And then this morning, I was told to check out a company called GPS Insight and to read the GPS Insight Wiki. I am rather familiar with GPS and what this technology can do. A few months ago, a friend came to visit me and he took me for a ride as I was supposed to show him around but we lost our way. Can you believe that we lost our way in my hometown? Luckily he has his GPS with him and we found our way back to his hotel.

While my friend uses his GPS mostly for mapping and it is his dream to chart the whole of Malaysia on Google Earth using GPS and starting with the Klang Valley, GPS Insight is a company that offers vehicle tracking, mapping and reporting, routing and vehicle navigation.

Now, you may think where the link is between the express bus crash and GPS Insight. After reading the GPS Insight blog, though new but still informative, I am thinking that GPS Insight could very well be the solution. Express bus companies may own a few hundred to a few thousand vehicles and using GPS is the only way to track vehicles and in turn curb speeding drivers since companies in their operations room can track a vehicle from Point A to Point B and determine the speed that it has been running. GPS Insight using GPS technology with Google Earth could also provide the most cost efficient routes for vehicles and check if drivers are playing punk, this is a cost saving measure for fuel and time.

Based on the rates of GPS Insight at only $1.50 to $2 per vehicle per day, can you see that how much money it can save the company is just by using the services of GPS Insight? Definitely more than the average of $2 spent per vehicle per day since management can finally determine who has been dragging the journey trying to claim overtime, who has been doing private work with the vehicle and who has been speeding and incurring speeding tickets that have to be settled by the company and not the responsibility of the driver, just to name a few eye opening revelations.

The good thing is that GPS Insight supplies the hardware which they ship out as soon as an order is placed and once it is installed into the diagnostics port of the fleet of vehicles, these vehicles can then be tracked from the internet. If you are wondering why the hardware is plugged into the diagnostic port, this is because GPS Insight is the only company that could provide direct engine diagnostics.

Viewing Google Earth the whole day sounds like an interesting job but as someone who can't tolerate viewing 3D images for long, this is not a job I want!

The Hypermarket Business Model

I have always wondered how hypermarkets make their profit. I know they buy and sell lower quality brand names in bulk so they can push their retail prices lower than other supermarkets who sell by per piece. However, that still does not solve the question on how they can profit if they keep pushing the prices of various products lower, rotating their low priced items every week or so.

And because their prices are so low, people are willing to compromise on the quality. If you just look at the number of customers who come back with their non-working electrical and electronic products well within the warranty period, you will know what I mean. What is the fun of buying something when you will have to lug the item to and fro trying to claim warranty?

When I buy something, at any price, I expect it to work. And I believe many people are of the same thinking, and yet hypermarkets keep bombarding the market with sub-standard electrical and electronic products.

Anyway, not too long ago, three of my contacts who work in a few hypermarkets in the country told me that hypermarkets will take their goods from suppliers on credit for a grand six months. Every day, they will push off these items at very low prices, sometimes at cost, sometimes at a profit margin of only one or two sen.

Did you know that popular hypermarkets in the country could generate a sales turnover of one to two million Ringgit PER DAY? And what do they do with this cash? They are definitely not going to pay off their suppliers since they have a six month credit.

However, they will deposit this cash into a bank, most probably a foreign bank, who will be giving them a higher than normal interest rate that has been pre-negotiated. And with the interest earned, they pay off their utility bills and staff.

Actually, this kind of business, we also know how to run. It is like, no capital but want to do business, so use the capital of someone else. In this case, it’s the suppliers’.

Have You Heard Of The iPod Earphone/Headphone Trade In Program?

Just now, I went to a leading online electronic store called Your Electronic Warehouse and saw the message that they are running a trade in program especially for earphones or headphones that ships with Apple iPod. I have never been a fan of factory ship earphones because I find that they do not do justice to the gadget and I end up chucking them aside for better earphones.

With this iPod Earphone/Headphone Trade In Program, I no longer have to chuck them aside because Your Electronic Warehouse is going to give us $20 if we send in our original Apple iPod earphones/headphones. This sounds like a good deal. At least mine won't be left lying about! $20 is better than nothing!

We can use this voucher to shop at Your Electronic Warehouse or Discount Golf World. I have been trying to cut down on online shopping but a $20 is too difficult to resist! First, let me dig out my original earphones!

Stupid Hotmail

Two months ago, I wrote about Hotmail and how I have been trying to retrieve my Hotmail email via my mobile device. Last week, I finally had the chance to search the internet for an answer and I came to the conclusion that Hotmail is a web-based email client and there is no way we can retrieve our email from our Hotmail account like we could our Gmail.

However, IF we have a premium Hotmail account, we would then be able to get our email via mobile Windows Messenger Live. Most of us are using free Hotmail so this is not workable as well.

What we can do is to forward our Hotmail address to another email, and Hotmail only allows ONE email account and the email has to be either our own domain or an ISP account and not another web-based email address) and after forwarding, our email will be deleted from our Hotmail account. And Hotmail also requires us to log in to our web based account every 120 days or our Hotmail account will be terminated. Haiihhh.. I don't want my mail to be deleted even when they are forwarded to my own domain email. Can or not? Is that too much to ask?

I asked my friend about this problem and he told me that Microsoft is doing this because they want us to log into our Hotmail account to read and send email because of the advertisements.

Why can Google let us use of our accounts freely but Microsoft, such a large and rich company, cannot do so?

Connecting With Cables

My friend invited me over to her house last weekend. Although she also has a home based business, she did not have a separate room for her office and works from the bedroom. She said this is the problem with living with the in-laws.

I was surprised to see her fit everything so neatly into the small bedroom, though. She has a large TV set, video player, desktop computer and two laptops, fax machine, a copier and printer too. Oh yes, I should probably mention that her two sons live in the same room as well. I was impressed that her little set up was so tidy with cables so well hidden. She said she has to hide them well so that the kids won't accidentally unplug the cables. She told me that her husband used Cat 5e/ Cat 6 cables.

I have a small office too which my dad helped me to set up months ago so I was rather familiar with these cables. I remember going to the page http://www.ebusinesscables.com/cat5_and_6.htm of the company, eBusinessCables, Inc. which is one of the leading online retailers of all types of quality cables for out modern gadgetry!

Previously, when I visited the store, I was rather confused with the many colors of cables but I thought it was rather genius to differentiate each cable with a separate color. Anyway, I have shopped for these cables from local shops and I must say that shopping online through eBusinessCables, Inc. would have given me more value for my money! Bah!

Guarantee Or Not??

While surfing the internet, I came across a website selling a downloadbale product that was selling at $49.88 and that is in US Dollars! I read their terms and noted their money back guarantee policy because I always check for this and look what I found!

If we truly wanted a 100% no questions asked refund, do you think that this company will really provide us with a full refund without question or do you think that they will say, "Hey, read carefully lah! When did we say that we will provide you with a 56-day 100% money back guarantee? We did say, though that we will provide you with a 56-day 100% money back garauntee!"

And GARAUNTEE is???

So you see, there is a point of argument there and unless I really want this product and I am sure that I will be truly satisfied with it and shall not be seeking a refund, I will not be touching such a product with a ten foot pole!

Are Vending Machines Profitable?

The other day, when I wrote a post on a trend where people making a business out of renting vending machines and placing them on high traffic places like parks and fairs or even in the mall, a few people wrote in to ask if this is really a possible legitimate business opportunity.

Yes, I have read about this business some time back and I too was surprised that there are people who run up to a hundred vendstar vending machines. Do you consider this a profitable business? I surely do!

The bet thing about running a vending machine business is that there is not much to do because it is the machines that work for you throughout the day and night. As long as you keep your machine filled with goodies and as long as there are children and people who are young at heart who love such candies and toys, you are in business.

*I* myself think this is a great business opportunity, if only I live in the United States!

eBay September No Listing Fees - HURRY!

If you have been selling on eBay USA, better be quick, there is still another ten days to benefit from the No Listing Fees that eBay USA has been running since 29th August and will end on 30th September, 2006. However, remember that this promotion is only valid if you are buying the Gallery option. If not, then sorry lah!

I think that if you have yet to sell on eBay USA but would like to try your sales there, then you have to wait till the next totally free listing day to test the waters. And I mean totally free and not something like this which requires you to buy Gallery option to qualify. Cheh!

I always strive t get the most bang from my money and even for listing fees like this, I am not going to pay more than necessary. If there is something FREE, I should be the first to know about it. So if you are contemplating listing on eBay, wait. I will inform you when there is a promo. Stay tuned!

Cheap Health Insurance With Similar Benefits

The other day, I was discussing about health insurance with my sister. I am sure you know that she has not been feeling too well lately and that she has some medical appointments lined up. She told me that she is lucky to be covered by cheap health insurance that still is able to provide her with the type of health insurance coverage that she currently needs.

According to my sister, she requested for cheap health insurance quote from selected companies and she made a comparison with the rates and benefits.

My sister told me that although compared to her friends who also have health insurance coverage, hers is a rather inexpensive health insurance but it also comes with all the benefits that her friends have, and my sister felt lucky that she has made the right decision. There is nothing more disappointing to find out later tat the policy that you have purchased is not what you expected.

La Senza Online - 15% Off Entire Collection - Interested?

If you have been waiting for the La Senza sale, here's good news. The La Senza newsletter just arrived and starting right now, La Senza is holding a sale where you will receive 15% discount off your order for any La Senza product. This sounds like a crazy sale to me. I hope that you will benefit from it!

Now, La Senza will probably hate me for always asking you to buy only when a Sale is on, but eh, that's the purpose of a sale isn't it? To save us money so that we can BUY MORE! *YAY*

At the point of writing this post, I have yet to check if La Senza online store is ready for the sale yet, but the newsletter mentions it starts "NOW" and ends on September 23rd at 11:59pm EST.

Remember, when you check out with your order, the La Senze Coupon Discount Code for this sale is WIMW15. I repeat, it is WIMW15.

Happy Shopping!

A Chance For New Stickers

A month and a half ago, I ordered stickers and t-shirts from an online printer in America but until today, my package did not arrive. I officially declare it lost in transit. *sigh* I am disappointed, of course, partly because I have lost money on it, but also the fact that I was expecting the goods for promoting my Store. However, I have to think of it as a blessing in disguise because this means that I now have the chance to order my promotional products from another company and this time, I can make slight changes to my previous design.

I was told of this Australian stickers company which has a website at http://www.sticker.com.au/ that they specialize in custom printing address labels and bumper stickers. Each order comes with free artwork design. I am so happy to note that we do not have to pay extra for the art design. At first, my friends told me that I could look for a free clip art but why should I use something that is easily available on the internet? I want custom stickers and I want t stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, I do not know how to design my own stickers so this free artwork package deal is a real Godsend!

The only thing I wish the site has is a page full of their customers' stickers or bumpers so that we can admire and appreciate the artwork and quality of the company.

The Return of Home Job Scam

I received an alert that the home job scam is back again. From feedback, it looks like it is the same person still using the same modus operandi after all these years.

Many years ago, I was interested in such things. I was young and naive and thought that it really is possible to earn an income at home. The guy wanted me to pay USD100 to secure my position. No experience is needed as I would be coached. What was needed though, was a typewriter and I had that!!

So you can imagine how excited I was to think that I could earn a little side pocket money if only I had that USD100. I did not have that much and upon reflection, is a blessing in disguise or I would have been one of the scam victims as well.

I soon learned that this work does not actually pay and will require the person to place advertisements all over the internet or newspaper and it was the old days "Pay-per-action" kind of scheme.

Debt Relief and Credit Card Consolidation Solution

I have a friend who works in a top management post in a multi-national company that puzzles me. He is very bad in managing his own personal finances, is always in debt and is always asking for loans. Heck, he has asked ME for loans numerous times. I tried to help when I could but that is not the solution, at least not for the long term, right? The thing is, here he is financially in a bad shape and how can his company expect him to handle the company's finances well?

I have advised him time and again to put his finances back in order. Will he only wake up from his bad habit when he is sacked from his company? I shudder to think what will happen then, because with a five figure pay check right now, he can be in this position when the most families do not even have that money with both spouses working.

The problem with my friend is of course having too many credit cards and losing track of which debt to settle and when. I have told him that the solution for that is in Credit Card Consolidation and that would help him manage better and raise his credit score too.

Another problem with him is that he refuses to admit that he requires Debt Relief but I see no reason why he should be ashamed of it. When he needs it, he needs it, right?

Highly Competitive Keywords

Although I own a slew of blogs and always try to link the keywords sexy lingerie to my own store, it is not so easy to beat the competition. These are highly competitive keywords and linking multiple times from my own Page Rank three sites, I can only go so far.

I don't even know where I stand on the search engines but sure enough internet users could find my store as I could see from my Sitemeter traffic tracker. I see that sometimes I am at Page four, most times farther back. It is harder still to get listed high on Yahoo! Search, in my opinion, unless I engage a company that provides professional search engine marketing services.

I think that as a paid to blog blogger, I would have to buy some contextual text as well to boost my ranking in the search engines. How effective is it and which platform should I go with? Each platform has its advantages and disadvantages. It's going to be difficult to decide!

Have Laptop Will Travel

Being the small business owner that I am, I need to travel quite a lot too. Although communication is so much more convenient using email, there are some documents that would still require to be faxed. I really understand that. That is why I use Internet fax where I could still send and receive fax without lugging a fax machine around. Have laptop will travel literally.

The concept of internet based fax is actually very simple. Faxes are sent and received as email so as long as we are connected to the internet, no matter where we are, we will be able to send and receive faxes and still keep in business contact with our office and associates.

I saw the website of Metrofax, the leader in email and internet fax services that they are charging only $12.95 per month for 1000 fax pages and they are even providing the first month for free. This is cost effective and convenient for individuals, small business owners like me or even executives.

Chinaman (Mis)Management

I have always been told that Chinese run businesses cannot last longer than three generations. Is this true? I believe it is because of their enterprise set up, but nowadays most companies are private limit or public companies and that should be fine.

But that is still not the case.

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of my family had to sell off some of his company's assets and it looks like he is going to wrap up his business. Being in the travel industry, the SARS that happened a few years ago affected his business badly and since then it never really recovered.

It is a pity really. He built the business from scratch, past it to his son and after a while, the business suffers. This is not an isolated case, hence the popular belief that Chinese businesses can last for two generations, the most, only.

Why is it that Western companies can last for generations and generations? Last I read about the Hennessy, it's in the hands of the eight generation or so. Is it in the management style?

People who have worked in a Chinese family-run business would know that management skills are always lacking so I guess that if they do not change their style of running the business, they risk losing it altogether.

Perhaps in this respect, we all have to learn from the West.

Don Capone: Voice Over Talent Extraordinaire

I am sure by now, you have heard of Don Capone already but if you have not, then let me reintroduce him to you. He is a voice over talent artist who has done an impressive list of commercials and lent his voice to many marketing campaigns of Fortune 500 companies and other smaller companies. If you check his portfolio on his website, you will know what I mean by his impressive career.

What is all the more special is that Don Capone managed to advance his career in a rather competitive market of voice over talents and stand out among his competitors. Don Capone is not only a talented man with a versatile unique voice but also an actor and personality.

If you are curious about the voice over talent, Don Capone, you can check out his website where you will have access to his 30-second voice demo and samplers of commercials that he did in the past. Be impressed, be very impressed!

Do you know that I have listen to his audio clips over and over again and yet marvel at his talent? I probably should not even mention this but as the saying goes, “Listen to believe!” Don Capone is truly a voice over talent extraordinaire!

Abuse of Messaging System

As a Seller, it is always good to be reachable via email and that is the purpose for having the messaging system available to us for free to use on auction market places like eBay and Lelong, as well as on forums. With a messaging system, if a potential Buyer has a question, he/she can reach out to the Seller by leaving a message and it is the responsibility of the Seller to reply to the message promptly.

However, it can be very disheartening to note that some people have been abusing the private messaging system by signing up with the portal with the sole purpose of contacting members to SELL their service/product.

It's all well and good if the service they have recommended is a legitimate business but I dare say that the majority of them are just out for a quick buck. With our contact details exposed, it is up to us to be very careful and selective when dealing with such emails. I choose to ignore them because I do not trust people who do not already have a reputation in the marketplace.

There was a time when I received tens of emails a day from people in China looking to do "business" with me. I am glad to note that this problem seemed to have been addressed because I no longer receive them. Good work to the administrators!

Cultivating & Establishing A Brand Name & Image

The other day, I wrote an article on crafting a brand name and image out of my online identity. I have been thinking of doing this all along, just that I do not have the time and capital to implement it. I figured that the time to do so is when I have my own line of lingerie like Victoria's Secret. It's quite funny to recall that when I first started my business, my friends teased me about it, without realizing my future plans in image and identity branding.

This morning, I had the opportunity to check out the website of a brand image and identity research and marketing company, Brand Identity Guru Inc. or better known as BIG at http://www.brandidentityguru.com/. You should check it out too, it is so cute. I guess they really know how to market their own brand.

BIG has provided a test on their site which allows us to test our brand strength which is made up of a set of twelve questions to determine how satisfied our customers are with our products and service, how well our customers recognize our brand product and image and other questions to gauge the relation we have with out customers and our products,

This may sound like a simple quiz but the questions asked are very comprehensive and the results could surprise us if we answer all questions as honestly as possible with an unbiased and objective mind as if we are an outsider looking into the business model and relationship.

I think that all companies who are serious in forming a brand image and identity should engage companies like BIG to make a thorough evaluation and then start cultivating the branding. It takes time to establish a brand image so the sooner it is done, the better it is.

w00t! No. 10 On Google - Vibrators In Malaysia

I wrote that post "Listing Cancellation of Vibrators/Adult Toys" on my other blog, She Rambles On a few days ago and guess what? Somebody made a search on Google and my post came up No. 9 on the search results. At the time of writing this, though, it fell to No. 10 and I just took a screenshot of it.

Sometimes, we can write 101 things and we don't really know what are the things that people look for, the keywords and misspellings that people use to search for more information and it is a great feeling when people from organic searches land on your site, don't you think so? I've been No. 1 before for certain keywords and the one that comes to mine right now was for “DHL Office Ipoh”.

As a blog for pay blogging, I am training myself to write with SEO in mind even for my organic posts and it has been quite effective in driving traffic to my site which I otherwise would not get.

Bringing Back The Joy In Shopping

My friend, Mike, works in Whirlpool. He told me that most of his customers told him that when they go and buy an electrical item, even if it is only Whirlpool Ovens, they would have already done their research on the item online, what more when it is an item that is more expensive.

According to Mike, consumers nowadays are very internet savvy and they do check all online sources before making a purchase decision. For home electrical products, there is a specialized search engine called Krillion, which renders results for major home electrical appliances and displays localized information which allows the potential buyer to just hop into a car and drive to the nearest store to buy the item. Using Krillion, no longer does a buyer need to go from store to store looking for just the right model and be told that they are out of stock. I guess this is what kills the joy of shopping.

The smart ones, though, use search engines like Krillion to bring back the joy in shopping!

eBay Utility Toolbar

I was looking for a eBay utility toolbar to better surf to various eBay sites without going through my bookmarks and was glad when I chanced upon this free toolbar from the site http://www.auctiontypostoolbar.com/. What I like is that from the toolbar itself, I can key in any search term and it well scour the four eBay paid sites of USA, UK, Australia and Canada. With this, I do not have to search the sites one by one.

If you check the screenshots available on the site, you will see that there are many search options, including searching by title, by Seller, by Bidder, by item number, by titles AND description or by Buy It Now only. Pretty comprehensive, right? This toolbar also supports eBay tools menu, currency converter, PayPal and shipping center among others.

I've just installed it not too long ago and only had the opportunity to try out the search engine. It is very easy to uninstall if I do not like the other features but then I can always display/hide my toolbar on IE or Firefox so it's a great tool to have on standby.

Revitalizing From The Inside

I was told that there is a tropical wonder fruit by the name of Gâc that is abundant in Asia, primarily in Vietnam that can revitalize skin due to its high content of carotenoid antioxidant. Since school days, I have been trying to protect my skin from outbreaks and such that causes my skin to look dirty and tired. I subjected it to many chemicals to "cure" my skin but they only caused my harm. Now that I know better, I am trying to go natural and Gâc, being a fruit, certainly is good news for me.

R.G. Skin Revitalizer is an extract from the fruit Gâc and it is an all natural product that when taken on a daily basis, protects our skin from the inside against damaging free radicals that are in the environment and chemical products that we use on our skin and unknowingly damaging it in the process.

Just like the carotenoids found in plants, whose function as pigment is to protect the plant from excessive exposure to sunlight, beta-carotene functions much in the same way even after going through the process of extraction and bottled to become R.G. Skin Revitalizer without losing its nutritional value. It is amazing, isn’t it?

I have tried quite a few ways to revitalize my tired skin which makes me look older than I actually am and I hope that this one will help. Of course, I will not expect a miracle but I believe that if taken daily, I will see some improvement to my skin.

Texas Sells Unclaimed Items On eBay

Not too long ago, I read on United Press International that the state of Texas is now utilising eBay to dispose unclaimed items in unclaimed safe deposit boxes. According to this article, which I have lost the link to, about 40% of owners will claim them and the balance will be sold in an auction. Previously, these items were auctioned live and apparently, they just discovered that going through eBay is more cost effective.

They do have quite a few precious items for auction. However, I wonder what happens when the original owner turns up. This article says that the sale price will go to the owner if he/she eventually turns up to claim the item but then when people keep things in a safe deposit box, it surely is something of value or hold great memories for the owner.

No matter what the sale price was, it surely cannot replace the true value (to the owner) of the item.

The Idea of Home Improvement

I have been toying with the idea of doing a little home improvement. This is because I have seen how beautiful my friend's house is now after he put in a little time, money and effort to touch up the house and make it homely and warm. I too would like to freshen up my home as I have been living in the same conditions and color scheme for years and it has gotten pretty boring.

However, having absolutely no experience in home improvement, I checked out a few websites that specializes in home improvements to get some idea. I saw on the site of Anglian Home that double glazing windows are pretty popular at the moment. According to the company, and they have been in this business for thirty six long years so they should know all about trends, double glazing casement windows are considered to be the most advanced windows technologically.

I don't understand how that could be the most advanced but after looking at the photos on the website, I believe that installing double glazing casement windows in our house would give us a sense of spaciousness and allows natural sunlight and hence saves us electricity.

I have to talk to my parents for now and hope that they are agreeable.

Gorilla Art On eBay Auction

I read an article not too long ago that the Boston Zoo has put up an art piece by its resident gorilla for auction on eBay with a starting bid of $1500. This gorilla is not new to selling his art. He previously sold a piece of art privately for $10,000 at the zoo's fundraising event.

It is a great idea that the Boston zoo, which began a painting programme for the gorillas three years ago, is now reaping the fruits of their labour. Since all proceeds from sale of these artworks go towards the zoo, I am sure that the upkeep of the zoo and other animal residents will be well taken care of.

Hopefully, this is just the beginning and that more people would support gorilla art. I think that all zoos around the world should try to implement such a programme so that they can take care of expenses without seeking public donation or asking for funding from the government.

The ABCs of Payday Loans

I have written a considerable number of posts on payday loans and received mixed reactions from my readers. Some think that payday loans are bad due to its snowballing interest rate should the lender be unable to meet the loan repayment schedule but some think that payday loans are a blessing to people who are faced with a sudden emergency.

If you have been thinking why I like writing about Payday loans, it s because that at one point in my life, my family was put through tremendous financial distress and thinking back, a payday loan would have been useful.

Today, I was told of a very useful payday loans resource site at http://www.paydayloansabc.com/. If you do not already know, there are many companies offering payday loans, or also known as cash advance. By using Payday Loans ABC as your main resource site, you will be guided to find the most suitable payday loan company to meet your needs.

Apart from this, you will also be able to read up-to-date articles and news on the current payday loan industry as well as link out to other related resource sites that may be useful to you if you wish to obtain further information.

Payday Loans ABC has very simply requirements to meet to qualify for payday loans. As a note of caution though, while it is true that interest rates could be exorbitant, it is up to us to do a thorough research in finding the company that could give us what we need at a reasonable rate. And lest you missed my earlier post, do always read the finer prints before signing on the dotted line.

Alert: Prince Claims His Art On The Net

Prince, the multi-talented musician, will be launching lawsuits in the United States and Britain against popular video sharing sites like YouTube and auction sites like eBay, in an attempt to force them to remove video footage of his live performances and merchandise that he says are unauthorised and illegal.

Prince has always been protective of his artistic and intellectual rights and we remember the time when he changed his name to a symbol and the name which went something like, "The artist formerly known as Prince", if my memory serves me right.

Even though Prince will sue the pants of anyone who is caught violating his artistic and intellectual property and rights, he is also an advocate of free music, judging from the free giveaway of his latest album, Planet Earth, which came together with the newspaper, Mail on Sunday.

It is hope that more artistes would emulate Prince in sharing some of their music and videos for free so as to curb illegal sharing and downloading.

Is Colloidal Silver Effective?

I mentioned that my sister is having some problems with her guts. The doctors have been running tests on her and I have told her that she should try taking some supplements which may help her regain her health and strength.

My sister told me that her colleague highly recommends her to try colloidal silver which they say are very good since it is like a natural anti-biotic. I have heard of colloidal silver long before but I did not ask her to try because colloidal silver, like the name says is silver and my sister may be allergic to silver though right now, I am uncertain.

My sister said that she will have to consult her doctor first since she is on medication and it is better to make sure first so as not to create complications. Of course, I hope that my sister will find something that would relieve her of the gut problem. Perhaps her solution lies in colloidal silver?

Which Is Better?

If you are a member of both Lelong and eBay, you would know that both have vastly different ways in handling scammers. For one, eBay does not allow other members or victims to mention the user ID, names and other personal particulars of scammers.

On the other hand, although Lelong also does not allow members to mention names of fraudsters, they do compile and official list of fraudsters with personal particulars like name, location, bank account details and other helpful information where available.

So this has for mew thinking. eBay would like to settle the matter behind the scenes but meanwhile, a lot more people would have been victims of fraud. Lelong, on the other hand, discloses such information in the hopes that members would be aware of these people and would not be victims. Of course, these people could use a different bank account number but it gives us awareness and it is a good habit to run the name and/or account number through the list for any big amount auction or purchase.

I understand that eBay has to protect the private information of scammers even if they did scam other members because they have to abide to American law, but it does not help when more and more people get trapped while investigation is under progress.

So which do you think is better?

Using Refurbished POS The Way To Go

The other day when I went to my friend's office for a visit, he had a smile on his face and happily told me that he has bought some new POS equipment for his company. I was surprised that he did not know yet that nowadays, company are saving money and cutting cost with used point of sale. Of course, being used or second hand does not mean that they cannot be reliable and after being refurbished, they can perform like new equipment.

Vision POS is a company that specializes in refurbishing IBM pos equipment and other brand names and extending their life. After going through this process, they are sold to companies who are smart enough to know that they can save a considerable amount of money buying refurbished NCR point of sale equipment compared to new ones, for example.

I guess I should have told my friend about this trend earlier but then all is not lost. It is not too late that he now knows about Vision POS and that they can offer him a total point of sale solution to suit his budget and use.

PayPal Withdrawal Through 3rd Parties - Think Again

I frequent a lot of trading form boards and have come across many people touting their PayPal withdrawal services. There are some that work and some that don't. The thing you have to consider is, can you afford to send your PayPal funds to a stranger and possibly not receive your money? If you can, then by all means, you are free to try these services.

I came across an old tread today on the forum where someone posted a message about PayPal withdrawal services which "only" charge USD10 per month. They have a minimum withdrawal of USD200 and a maximum limit of USD1500 per day.

Out of curiosity, I clicked on the link provided in the post only to find the site inaccessible. Huh... and the post was only posted two months ago. So fast close shop meh? See, if you have money tied up with them, what recourse do you have?

If you are going to withdraw your PayPal funds from third party services like these, you better be prepared that you may never see your Ringgit again.

Holiday Merry-Go-Round

The other day, I wrote about my friends who were thinking of organizing a group holiday to Hawaii and they have asked me to go along. I really am not sure if I could get away. And before I could make up my mind, I was told that they are now thinking of changing their vacation plans and head to Orlando, Florida, instead.

I was surprised with this about turn but they said that they managed to find good deals for Orlando vacations from a website. Well, of course, any savings is welcomed. Malaysia to Florida is a long way off and we sue hope to have more spending money during the holidays and not get our money caught in flights, accommodation and theme park tickets!

I think I will let them settle their plans first then only decide if I could join them! I have no time to follow them on a merry-go-round, you know?

Yumcha With An Old Friend

Last evening, I met an old friend that I have lost touch with a couple of years ago. He told me that he is now working in KL with a company that offers subtitle and closed captioning services. He said that it is a very interesting job but when he first joined the company, he found the going tough since he knew nothing about the industry!

However, he is now one of the senior staff there and he said the interesting part about his job is the people he gets to meet. Since his promotion, he is now allowed to sit in at meetings with movie producers who require such services from his company. Sometimes he gets to meet local celebrities as well.

My friend says that if I should find myself in KL, I have to look him up. I haven't been to KL for more than ten years now and with the rapid changes that the capital city has gone through, I certainly need a reliable guide!

Remembering To Look For Billet Grille

I was supposed to help my friend look for billet grille for his car last week but I have forgotten. OPPSS!

The thing is, I have never heard of billet grilles before in my life and he wanted me to help him to search for these online. He did not have access to the internet at the moment but he wanted to do up his car as soon as possible.

Since I didn't even know what he was talking about, he had to show me pictures of the thing that he wanted and also his budget. Ah... at least that would me it easier for me to help him. Anyway, I get down to the search this weekend or he will make a lot of noise. Bah!