Ramblings of an e-trader

Friday, 29 June 2007

Laying Out The Red Carpet

My friend, Mary, recently became so frustrated with her shopping. She is a petite lady and she had to shop for a gown for a very formal evening. However, there was no shop that sells gown her size. Usually, she had to shop at the children's department but nobody makes beautiful evening gowns in children sizes!

I could certainly understand Mary's frustrations as I tagged along with her a couple of times and I too gave up! I told Mary it is better for us to check online for shops that provide custom made design and sizes and Mary was relieved. That was how I stumbled upon The Red Carpet.

I am as delighted as Mary to know that The Red Carpet offers a wide range of custom made wedding and evening gowns that are specifically made to the client's design, colour, style and size. Isnt it amazing that they have more than 300 designs of gowns in more than 36 colours? They are even able to make these gowns to fit the client no matter if she is a size 2 or 28. Mary literally jumped with joy that she at last have a beautiful gown that FITS for the formal dinner.

Mary said that all along, she never had the chance to show off any nice clothing at parties but from now onwards, that will change. With the help of The Red Carpet, she will be looking like a million dollars without having to pay that much.

Thursday, 28 June 2007

Lelong Changes Quick Grab System

Now, this is good news indeed for people who prefer Quick Grab. I personally know a few people who are willing to pay a little more to get an item fast as opposed to waiting out an auction with no guarantee on the price. At least with Quick Grab, a Buyer knows how much he would be paying for an item.

Previously once a Buyer Quick Grabs, it is like he is "applying" for the item to be Quick Grabbed. The Buyer would have to approve the "application" for it to conclude and then only take care of payment details. It is a waste of time and defeats the purpose of the whole feature.

The fact that Quick Grab has been selected by the Seller and in place in the auction means that the Seller is already agreeable to that Quick Grab price. However, due to greed or whatever, the Seller always hold out and wait for the auction to end naturally, without approving the Quick Grab "application".

I see this improvement as a step forward to a more seamless transaction. Way to go!

A Dryer For The Apartment

Paul told me that he has just bought a bachelor's pad in New York City so that he doesn't have to commute that much to and from work. While his real home is a house with a garden, he thought that a small apartment would serve his needs better in the City. After all, he just needs a roof over his head in case he as to work late.

Paul said that he bought one of those Kenmore Dryers after searching online. He told me he did not have the time to window shop and just used an electrical product search engine called Krillion to search for a nearest Kenmore Dryer to buy for his apartment.

I have to admit I never heard of Krillion before this but Paul said that it is not surprising since the site was just launched in February, 2007. Although it is quite a new site, it is able to deliver specific location based searches for household electrical products.

In Paul's case, he didn't really need to know all the places that offered the dryer but what was important was the nearest shop that sells it. And he found his answer on Krillion.

Appraise Your Domain Name For Free

I just stumbled upon a website called Leapfish.com which gives a Free Domain Name Appraisal. So I was curious about how much my domain is worth but I am not sure if it works for my blog or not since it is a sub-domain of Blogger.

Anyway, it gave me a value of $12 ONLY. I was surprised because my blog is already 1.5 years old. I tried on my new domain, which I bought in February, 2007. It is indexed by Google but I did not set it up yet with content.

It also is valued at $12! Since I bought the domain at MYR0.99 only, based on this appraisal, I can sell it for a huge profit margin! heheh I will not sell because my domain name is unique to me!

I tested LeapFish's domain name appraisal on several of my friends' blogs and each returned a different value. I am not sure how this works or if it is based on Page Rank or SEO but is it fun to play with!

So how much is YOUR own domain worth?

International Plaza Resort & Spa's Microsoft MGX Special Rate

In conjunction with the Global Exchange Conference Microsoft held in Orlando, International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando, Florida will be having a special room rate offer at only $199 per night. This is a luxury hotel so this Microsoft MGX Special Rate of $199 is a great bargain. Moreover, the Convention center where Microsoft MGX Conference will be held is within walking distance only.

When you are in International Plaza Resort and Spa in Orlando, you are sure to enjoy free wireless access wherever you are, receive complimentary transportation to all the theme parks in Orlando and enjoy a multitude of famous restaurant and other popular attractions.

International Plaza Resort and Spa not only caters to the business traveler as can be seen from the large work desk and ergonomic chair in each room but also for leisure guests and family vacationers, as it is conveniently located very close to Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.

If you are headed to Orlando soon , why not check out International Plaza Resort and Spa and be transported to a magical tropical paradise?

Wednesday, 27 June 2007

eBay Radio With Jim Griffith

I have known about eBay Radio since the beginning and it is hosted by Jim Griffith, eBay's official Dean of Education. However, all along, I never bothered to tune into the station because of my crappy internet connection. It is good enough for casual surfing but not good enough for streaming.

Last week though, I got myself a 3G broadband connection which is supposed to be a whole lot faster than Streamyx and decided to try to listen in to the eBay Radio.

With better connection, there was less buffering and I was able to enjoy the station. Constant buffering gives me a headache, anyway! I must say that for someone who has been trading on eBay for 2.5 years now and counting, I still find that there are plenty of stuff to learn from. Learning just never stops, be it learning the conventional way or via distance learning through the radio or web.

If you have questions about eBay, may I suggest that you tune in tor eBay radio first. I am sure your concerns would have already been covered previously. Listening to the radio is a great educational concept. It brand new experience from reading text.

Insure Yourself When You Travel

Some of you may recall that my friend Boon, passed away after an illness. When he was sick, he traveled to China to seek Eastern medical treatment. We were very worried about him because he was not feeling well and on medication. However, Boon got himself covered with a medical travel insurance. It wasn't very expensive but the benefits are great.

At first, I did not know that there s something like medical travel insurance but after Boon bought one, I went online to do some research and found that there are actually quite a range of insurance product for the traveler!

Although Boon was rather ill, he still managed to get medical insurance for his travel, only that it was a little more expensive although I found out that people with pre-existing minor medical condition may be able to get instant coverage without an additional cost.

In any case, I think that it is up to us to shop smartly for our insurance or anything at all. Check the background of the insurance company or ask around for recommendations. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertisement.

Shortage Of Off-The-Road Tires

Some people think that it s easy to manage a company. A friend of mine inherited a company from his father and he told me that he has faced one problem after another that he wished he is back working for people. This is a classic case of the benefits of being an employee over an employer!

The latest problem that my friend is currently facing is the shortage of OTR tires. These off-the-road tires from heavy machinery like low-loaders, cranes and scrapers have all been booked in advanced by large mining and construction companies. Nobody envisioned the astounding demand for OTR tires five years ago!

My friend runs a small construction company and frankly, could not compete with he other mega corporations for his supply of OTR tires since major tire dealers prefer to deal with larger companies, perhaps for a higher price and quicker payment as well.

One of the ways my friend source for his OTR tires is via the internet where he discovered an online dealer who could scour the world for the remaining OTR tires. This company has set up a website where they list their up-to-date stockpile of tires with pricing too.

My friend told me that it is easier to buy big tires online than going to hunt for them himself from all corners of the world.

CyberPartyGal's WebStore Back In Business

Boy, am I glad that CyberPartyGal's WebStore is back online, live and ready to take orders. I am not even sure how many days it was offlined and would have continued to be blur if a kind reader did not alert me to that fact. I mean, there are many people clicking on my banner but not all will take the trouble to tip me off. And I was always working on the back end of the site didn't even realize it despite seeing my WebStore traffic plunged like crazy over the past few days. I thought it was just the weekend like it sometimes happen.

When I found out about it, I panicked and hollered to my webhosts for help but since we are in different countries and different time zones, by the time they read my email, I had already managed to restore my WebStore.

I swear I will NOT itchy-finger try to change my Store template ever again! It just totally overwritten my existing files and wasted my day trying to get things back in order. I had to do it as soon as possible so as not to lose too many business days. Thank God I have a fresh back up so I didn't lose much data.

Now, if only I could find the time to upload new stocks to the store! They have been sitting around for months now! Eeek!!

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Summer Wedding

I was so happy when my colleague invited me to help her pick out some wedding favors. I sure have lots of suggestions but she was fast to let me know that she doesn't have a grand budget for wedding favors, unfortunately.

I was all right with that and told her not to worry because I know where she could get unique wedding favors at reasonable prices. Who said that wedding favors have to be expensive, right? If you shop smart, you will always know where to get the best value out of your money. That is what I believe.

I discovered The Knot Wedding Shop sometime back and was actually dying to introduce to my friends but they were not getting married so soon until now.

Currently, The Knot Wedding Shop is catering to summer weddings with a range of summer themed gifts and wedding favors. I am sure my colleague will be happy to opt for this. It is Summer after all!

The Knot Wedding Shop has a special range of top sellers as rated by brides and I told my colleague that if she goes according to that, she will never go wrong!

Truly Email Without Boundaries!

As an etrader who has to be in touch with my email, to aid my work, I actually just bought a smart phone but then I discovered that a smart phone is not enough. What I actually need is email without boundaries!

A fellow trader told me about eNotifyMe which I could opt for my emails to be forwarded to me to my cell phone, home phone, fax machine, pager or PDA. I could even select to receive these as a voice or text message.

This is a really wonderful service which will free me from my computer and desk. Now I will really have the freedom and yet be able to keep in touch with the going-ons of my store, enquiries and sales.

Saturday, 23 June 2007

Surge In Traffic

Today, my blog received a spike in traffic. I guess we know why :-)

I am taking this opportunity to send out an open invitation to anyone who is reading this post to exchange links. My blog only has a Page Rank of Three but I am working hard on increasing it!

Also, I would like to point out that my blog is a DoFollow blog. It means that when you leave a comment on my blog, you are actually creating a backlink to your own blog. Now, I am not good in explaining something as technical as this but trust me, a backlink is something good for your own blog or website! The more backlinks you have the more popular your site would seem to Google and it may be kind to you in the upcoming Page Rank update.

In short, if you wish to exchange links with me, drop me a comment. You would be killing two birds with one stone; a link exchange and a backlink! Thank you for dropping by. I hope that my posts are of interest to you and you would make a return visit some time soon!

May you have a lovely weekend ahead!

Looking Forward To A Safari Trip

A few years ago, my father had the occasion to visit Johannesburg on business. He wanted to take me along as it was the school holidays and it is my father's dream to take me to "see the world and experience different cultures".

We went to our local tour company to get a quotation for our trip. Whoa, it cost a small fortune that my father regretfully dropped the idea and left for his South African trip alone.

Back then, there was no easy access to information on the internet and we had to depend on our tour agent but now, we can get all the information we need and compare prices over the internet and grab the best deal which will save us the most money.

Also, now that more and more people are traveling to South Africa since they opened up their country to foreigners, cheap hotels in South Africa are not that rare anymore due to the competition. Can you believe that we can now get a room at a 3-star hotel from ZAR 90.00 only?

It used to be that people who book their vacation late will have to pay a hefty penalty but not anymore. We can even get a good deal if we book it at the last minute. I am always one of those who book my trip late, not because I want to but my company is always reluctant to approve my leave.

The next time my father is required to go to Johannesburg on business, I will surely tag along. My father has brought home plenty of photos of his safari adventures from his previous trip and I can't wait to go on one myself. People who know me know that I am an animal lover but so far I haven't the privilege to observe animals in their natural habitat. That is what I look forward to the most when we are in South Africa next.

The Seller's Responsibility

As responsible Sellers, the onus is on us to pack our products as well as we could so that the item does not break while in transit. I have read too many cases where Sellers spoil their own reputation with tardy packaging. Some just use a few pieces of old newspapers to wrap around an item and then stuff it into a thin envelope. Anyone with common sense would know that a fragile item would break because it is not securely packed.

I discovered that many Sellers could not care less though and they tell me that bubble wrap and boxes cost extra and they would rather pocket everything as profit.

To me, I willingly fork out my own money and make sure that my Buyers are happy with their purchases and importantly that the item is not broken during shipping. A happy Buyer will mean repeated purchases and returning customers are people who make up the bulk of sales in the long run.

I am puzzled why Sellers with that kind of mentality even bother to venture into e-trading when they keep trashing their own reputation.

La Senza Bras From CAD8.50 Only

I received the latest newsletter from La Senza Lingerie. The good news is that they are running a promotion where their very popular bras are only selling from CAD8.50 onwards.

La Senza Lingerie has a huge following in Malaysia thanks to their stores in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. However, it seems to me that all the action is only happening on their La Senza Lingerie online store. I may be wrong, though.

I think that prices starting from as low as CAD8.50 for La Senza bras are a steal even with the exchange rate. The only killer is the shipping. Eeeekkk

However, if you do not mind paying a little more for something good, then check out the bras at the La Senza bra section. Be quick though, because they did not mention when this promotion will end. While stocks last, I reckon.

Specialist In International Moving

A friend of mine works in a logistics company and he used to tell me the amount of paperwork is involved in shipping something in and out of the country. If I have to ship out something, I would rather let the professionals handle it.

Logistics companies like Schumacher Cargo Logistics offer shipping services by air or sea freight and they are available 24 hours a day throughout the year. My friend did tell me that logistics is a very busy field! Their work hours confirm it.

I checked out the website of Schumacher Cargo Logistics to find that they even provide shipping of automobiles in addition to common air and sea freight, international removals and shipping of household goods.

They have recently added a new option for their customers both airfreight and sea freight and a full range of cargo shipping services that compliment each other. Their international air freight services now includes door-to-door services meaning that they will pick up your cargo and send it to the address that you specify.

With the advancement of the internet, all cargo that are handled by Schumacher Cargo Logistics can be tracked online via their website. This serves to assure the customers that their possessions are very well taken care of and there is nothing to worry about.

Having been in business for thirty long years now, Schumacher Cargo Logistics is a specialist in international shipping and is the perfect movers for people who are migrating to another country.

Phishers Are Too Funny!

I wrote a post about phishers in a hurry to trap people and they trapped themselves. This time, instead of asking me to click on the link before 30th June, 2007, they have advanced the date to 23rd June, 2007.

The funny part is that they want me to restore access to my PayPal account and assures me that I will have full access to my PayPal account once I have done the necessary as they advised in the email. Yeah, rightttt

So what is the funny part? Well, their email address that asked me to update my PAYPAL account it, get this, info@bankofamerica.com

Isn't that too funny? What has one company, PayPal, to do with another, Bank of America? Is there a connection that I do not know of? As far as I know, these are two separate entities.

And even if they are linked we do not receive emails from PayPal asking us to update our eBay member profile, do we? Going by the same logic, why would Bank of America ask us to update our PayPal account? It just does not make sense, but then phishers rarely do!

Great joke to cheer up the day!

Friday, 22 June 2007

My Parents' Sydney Trip

Just last month, my parents were in Sydney to attend our cousin's convocation. Before booking their hotel, they did a lot of research online because my parents were reluctant to spend too much on accommodation. They would rather use their holiday budget on sight seeing.

There found Cheaperthanhotels.com which offers many types of accommodation in Sydney from high class five start hotels to the cheaper guest houses. At first, they thought that all hotels in Darling Harbour would be very expensive but they were fortunate to find reasonably priced ones.

Surprisingly, my parents were able to snag a last minute deal because Cheaperthanhotels.com has the lowest prices guaranteed even for last minute bookings. Shopping for a vacation was a breeze because my parents could search for their hotel according to location, stars, type and price.

Apart from regular hotels, Cheaperthanhotels also offer apartments, guest houses and motels to the traveler. The wide variety of accommodation plus excellent prices do make shoppers like my parents very happy because they managed to get the most value out of their money.

I asked them why did they specifically wanted to book into a hotel in Darling Harbour. They said that they wanted to wake up to the picturesque view of the city every morning and enjoy the great tourist attractions like The Rock which would be within walking distance.

Phishers In A Hurry

Well, I have written quite a few posts on the phishing attempts made on my eBay and PayPal accounts recently and also the day when I received a total of 6 attempts over a period of 24 hours.

Today, I received yet another email urging me to click on the link to update my PayPal account adding that I must have it done by 30th June, 2007 OR ELSE. My oh my, are they in a hurry.

While I report all these phishing attempts to the respective companies, I am not sure if any of my effort will help the average account holder since they would not know of the tricks that phishers are up to.

Therefore, I will continue to highlight them whenever I could on my blogs. A blog is a powerful communication tool. Hopefully by publishing them, I would somehow be able to reach out to others.

Event Management Made Easy

Part and parcel of my work scope involves event planning and management. I used to find it tough to determine how successful an event is and it was a lot of paper work to prepare when it comes to meetings to discuss how the event went.

My manager told me about an event registration management service which will lessen my workload because I would have most details automated for me and graphs and charts easily generated.

I haven't got the opportunity to try the service out yet, though, but it sure looks interesting and I would love to see how much time I could actually save from my old style of even management.

If there is something to improve on, I think that it would be great if attendees have the ability to register for an account with the website and save their personal details so that they can register for our upcoming events easily by just signing in to their account.

AccentCard Visa Finally Arrives

This morning, I received my AccentCard Visa through the mail. What a surprise to see something as important as a "Visa" card being sent in an ordinary handwritten envelope by airmail. No wonder I waited in vain for the courier man.

I was just wondering the other day if it would arrive at all and it did, speaking of the *devil*. I wondered because it has been almost a month since my application and there was still no sign of it in the mail, until this morning, that is!

Anyway, with the snub by E*Trade Financial and the not so good history of Accent Card, I am not sure if I want to risk my account from being barred. I definitely can't afford that!

Most of the people whom I talked to after submitting my application and paying USD50 for it, have told me that their account was slapped with a limited usage until they have supplied relevant documents to the financial organization by facsimile. Ah the dilemma, the hassle.

What now? I am not sure. I have two months to think about it I guess.

Related post:
AccentCard Visa, Here I Come!

Thursday, 21 June 2007

Top 10 Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Charitable Giving

I came across this teleclass that think would be very useful and informative to business owners, even small timers like me. This teleclass is free and is open to business owners from all over the world. We can join the class, which is held on 11th July, 2007, by calling in with a conventional telephone or through Skype. Skype is free, by the way.

In this free teleclass, the topic being discussed is "Top Ten Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Charitable Giving".

Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D. and Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, CFP®, J.D., a philanthrophic expert and a financial expert respectively, will impart their knowledge to business owners on how they can grow their business while doing their part in charity and giving back to the community.

I currently know that whatever monies that we donate to charity is tax free. I am sure there is a whole lot more than that that I should know. If you are interested, click here to learn more or join the class. Be quick because I am sure that places are limited.

Business Owners Learn How to Give to Charity & Increase Their Profits in New Teleclass

In the new teleclass, Top 10 Mistakes Small Businesses Make With Charitable Giving, a financial expert & a philanthropic expert explain how business owners can simultaneously donate money to causes important to them and grow their businesses.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) June 20, 2007 -- Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, CFP®, JD, a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner and attorney, and Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D., philanthropic expert, have teamed up to offer a free teleclass teaching business owners how to avoid the top ten mistakes most business owners make when creating and launching a charitable giving program.

Weinstein, owner of The Wealth Spa, and Keenan, owner of givingadvice, have found that their small business clients were missing vital information they needed to create charitable giving programs that both changed people's lives, as well as contributed to the bottom line of their business.

Keenan explains that "there are challenges business owners never imagined with just giving to local charities -- you get caught up in wanting to help them all. Your heart is in the right place, but you just don't know how to make giving a part of your business that is successful, fulfilling and makes a difference in your business and the world."

Business owners also want information about the practical side of giving. "Business owners want to give their time and money to charity, but also want to get all the tax benefits of doing so. In this program, I explain how to take tax deductions for your giving, and how to create a responsible giving budget for your business," says Weinstein.

In the teleclass, Weinstein and Keenan will teach attendees simple strategies to make giving matter where it matters most, how to avoid mistakes that drain small business owners, which donations are taxable & where to claim them on a tax return, and how much of a business's gross revenue should spent on giving.

Weinstein and Keenan are offering this information in a teleclass format. A teleclass is a class taught virtually, over a telephone bridge line. Using the teleclass format, business owners from all over the world may attend without having to leave the comfort of their own office or home.

The teleclass is offered on July 11, 2007 at 1:00 PM EST (10:00 AM PST). For additional information about the free teleclass, go directly to http://www.thewealthspa.com/giving, or contact The Wealth Spa at (800) 752-3592.

About Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D.: Keenan, the Owner & Principal of givingadvice, is an expert at creating results-oriented giving programs. She is recognized by her clients and colleagues for her personal commitment to improving philanthropy and acknowledged for her insight, intellect and applicable value her programs provide. She is a member of the Inaugural Class of the Robert Hull Leadership Fellow of Southeastern Council of Foundations, a Savannah Leadership Fellow, and initiated the building of a community foundation in Southeastern Georgia. She is the Founder of Savannah Women Connect. Keenan holds a doctorate from the University of Georgia.

About Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, CFP®, JD: Weinstein, is a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner and attorney, and the owner of The Wealth Spa, an independent fee-only financial planning firm that specializes in helping women achieve their most important goals through financial planning, money coaching, classes, and books. She publishes the weekly electronic financial planning magazine, Prosper!, and is co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share Their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Your Dreams (2007).

###

Press Contact: Elizabeth Potts Weinstein
Company Name: The Wealth Spa
Email: Email Us Here: http://www.prweb.com/emailmember.php?prid=534151
Phone: (800) 752-3592
Website: http://www.thewealthspa.com

The Blues Cruise

I have always wondered what it is like to have to huge music party on a cruise. Can you imagine sailing somewhere and partying to your favorite music in the middle of the ocean with strangers who share the same love for music as you?

As luck would have it, a friend told me about a blues festival that is held on a cruise ship every year in the Caribbean. After five years, the company has expanded to a second cruise, sailing from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera.

This chartered Blues cruise will set sail on Oct. 13 to 20, 2007 and some of the great legends will be there jamming the night away. Can you recognise the names of John Lee Hooker, Jr, Elvin Bishop and Rob Piazza? These are but just three of great musicians who are lined up to entertain all Blues lovers.

Going on a cruise holiday and going to a Blues festival is already awesome but to go to a Blues festival that is on a cruise is double awesomeness. If I could take the time off work, I most definitely will not give this Blues Cruise a miss!

webArgos, Your Eyes & Ears On The Internet

As a blogger and as a business person, I understand all too well that whenever we publish something on the internet, we run the risk of having our work copied by someone else. Recently, I wrote a post that was wholesale copied by a blogger in Singapore. I was very angry but I did not know what to do because I am only an individual. I shudder to think how many of my articles were copied without me knowing.

Can you imagine the scope of the problem if the private and confidential information of a company is similarly compromised? It is imperative that companies be committed in protecting their intellectual rights and property. Feigning ignorance and the inability to demonstrate in court that they have taken appropriate steps to safeguard their intellectual property means that they have waived their right to confidentiality.

Unfortunately, the internet is so huge, how certain are we that our private data is not compromised in any way or republished somewhere without our knowledge? That is why we have companies like webArgos.

Let webArgos be your eyes and ears on the happens on the world wide web. They are after all, specialists in online data monitoring, searching for and eliminating documents that have been published that infringes on your company's trademark and copyright. WebArgos knows how to deal in such cases where your confidentiality is violated or defamed.

I think that every company, large or small, should engage the services of those like webArgos for the peace of mind, if nothing else.

Greedy, Greedy

What an awful day today has been. Not the AWFUL awful but greediness has been revealed to me TWICE.

I have published before screenshots of people making orders of freebies only. I am seriously considering taking out freebies from my store since they don't really serve any purpose but to attract the wrong kind of people.

Take a look at these screenshots. The first one was made by a gwaipo early this morning while the second one was made by a woman in Sabah, Malaysia.

I swear that the next time someone does this, I am going to leave their names, addresses and contact information intact so that every one can see how greedy they have been.

I swear I will not return their shipping charges should they really make payment to me even when they are not eligible. Fat hopes, though!

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

Going VoIP For Its Low Cost & Quality

Last night, I was trying out VoIP with a friend. We both have unlimited 3G line but the signal in my area was poor and I felt disappointed. I told my sister that it feels like I have wasted money on my connection and there is nothing I could do about it because I am committed to a two year contract.

Compared to my sister who has a Packet8 residential subscription, she is paying a low monthly rate of $24.99 only to enjoy unlimited local and national calls plus ultra low international calls. What is important is not really the tariff but the quality and my sister is very happy with it. The low rate is a bonus, she says.

Packet8 also has packages for business VoIP and business subscribers also get to enjoy exceptionally low rates also from $24.99 only. Of course if a company is seeking more features the price could go up to as high as $89.99 per month but that is a small price to pay when you get advanced PBX and enjoy unlimited free calls to more than forty countries around the world.

Too bad these are not available here in Malaysia or I would have taken out a plan upon the recommendation of my sister.

Who Call Who?

Yesterday, I was at a service centre and they were supposed to call me once my item was repaired. They close at 6pm but after 5.30pm, they still did not call, so I did. They told me that my item is already repaired and said that I should go and pick up my item the following morning. Well, earlier, when I sent my item in for repairs, they said that they will call me once my item is repaired but they did not.

And then they got the cheek to ask me to go the next day because they are already closing. Since they know that are closing, why didn't they just give me a call?

As if I WOULD know when my item will be repaired?

And then there is the doctor who is supposed to call me. It has been seven weeks already since I sent in something for a test. The test is estimated to be ready in a month's time including shipping time to and from the United States.

Last time, I was informed by a fellow client of this vet that he never calls his clients. Well, I guess it is true. I could call him up but since I am not free to go to his clinic, I let it slide. Why did he take down my email address if he is not going to write to me?

There's one case who is the worst. I took in something to repair so it was agreed that the repair man will give me a call after he has evaluated the repair cost. After a few days of not hearing from him, I gave him a call and asked him if they item is repaired yet. He said no. He said that he was waiting for my call to ask me if I am agreeable to the repair cost or not.

DUH!! If he doesn't call, how the heck would I know how much it would be? You see, in cases like these, the onus to call is on them and not me. And because they want to save the call charge, unnecessary time is wasted.

Sometimes I am left to wonder what sort of business they are running!

Migrate Your Yahoo! Auctions Feedback To eBid Now!

I don't know what is happening with Yahoo! First they closed their Photos and now they are closing their North American auctions. At first, I felt pity for Yahoo! Auction sellers to lose their hard work, feedback and reputation just like that. Fortunately, my friend told me that Yahoo! Auction sellers from America and Canada can actually grandfather their feedback to eBid Online Auctions for free when this subscription normally cost $99.

Just by grabbing a screenshot of their feedback from the Admin page and then emailing it to eBid Online, these Sellers will have their old Yahoo! Auction feedback count reflected in their new eBid Online Auctions. I think this is an awesome move by eBid.

If you are an affected Yahoo! Auctions seller, do grab this chance of to migrate your feedback score to eBid. This offer is only good until 30th June, 2007, when Yahoo! Auction closes its doors so you have got to be quick!

With the imminent closure of the US and Canadian Yahoo auction sites, US and Canadian users of Yahoo Auctions can import their feedback for free to eBid.net. Included in this special offer eBid.net will also allow all US and Canadian citizens to upgrade to a lifetime Platinum account membership worth $99.99 for absolutely nothing giving them zero listing and zero final value fees for life.

New users should register at us.eBid.net and if they wish to import feedback email a screen grab from their log in area of their yahoo auctions account showing their feedback page. Do not screen grab the public view of your Yahoo feedback page.

They can screen grab by pressing the PrtSc key on their keyboard to save a copy of their current screen to their clipboard and then paste into an email or into some photo software.

This offer lasts until Yahoo closes its doors on June 30th, 2007.

Users should email the jpg/gif/png/bmp image to yahoo_offer@ebid.net along with their new eBid username.

Sex Sells

I was looking for news on Google on eBay Live! 2007 which was held in Boston over the weekend when to my surprised, I see this sponsored link. Take a look at my screen shot.

Sex sells, doesn't it? Each time I lament to my friends that sales have been down, they will tell me to switch products. Well, I don't want to. I like selling "little triangles".

I don't even know who took out that advertisement on eBay. Clicking on it takes me to THIS PAGE and when I check the Sellers, they are all different people from around the world.

Does it mean that eBay is the one who bought that link based on categories? Ahh.. these Sellers must be enjoying a spike in sales thanks to this little yet powerful advertisement and sure enough, a lot of the Sellers that are listed there do indeed have very high feedback!

Lucky devils!

Forman & Field - Delivering Fresh Seasonal British Food

My cousin, Jasmine, told me that one of the best things about working in London is the ease in online shopping. Although the weather can be dreary, at least she could stay in doors and shop at a mouse click.

Jasmine told me that she has to buy something for a housewarming party by colleague and she thought of buying some fine food like smoked salmon, Scottish salmon, smoked Scottish salmon and even caviar!

She said that she had the idea of shopping for these online and after a little surfing she came across Forman and Field. The first thing that caught her eye is the tag line, "Delivering Fresh Seasonal British Food". Since Jasmine moved to London, she can't get enough of British food! We thought that she must be crazy to love something else rather than Malaysian food but she said that it is an acquired taste! Well, I guess it has to be!

Jasmine said that she would most probably buy her salmon and caviar for the party from Forman and Field because the prices are very reasonable and it sure beats having to go out to buy them from the local supermarket and perhaps get caught in the rain!

Tuesday, 19 June 2007

Eh... No Update Wor!!

With so much going on, I totally forgot that I have applied for an account with E*Trade last month. In fact, it has already been 1.5 months since the day I sent it out. The only problem is that I *forgot* to enclose a cheque of USD2000 :-/

After I sent out my application, I read that they are not processing applications from Malaysia. What the heck... I am always on the wrong footing!

And recently, it seems that all applications from Asia will be processed in Hong Kong. Well, I did send in my application to Hong Kong but the difference in the new development is that all new Asian accounts will be managed by the Hong Kong branch. That means it will be of no use to us already.

While I am not even sure if my application is received because I did not receive an acknowledgement unlike some of my friends, I do not even know the status of my application and if it arrived to their office at all.

So now I don't even know if they will eventually get down to it but I want to tell them that I do not want an E*Trade account now.

Realtors That Represent Tenants & Buyers

Paul is thinking of expanding his company in North America and one of the places identified is Denver, Colorado. He said that t makes sense to open an office there because he has quite a few projects there and hopes to establish his name further in the coming years.

Over the weekend, he went looking for Denver Office Space and he came back without any leads.

So I told him about MacLaurin Williams, Corporate Realty Advocates. This company is not the realtors that we know in the sense that they do not represent landlords. In fact, they represent the tenants and make it a point to satisfy their clients so much so that they will find the best deals for the tenants and prospective buyers.

I think that by engaging the services of realtors like MacLaurin Williams, Paul would be able to find his dream property to fit his budget.

Trust

Do you know how difficult it is to gain customer's trust online? It is especially true when it comes to eCommerce. We are only able to attract out potential buyers with solid words and images. The quality, customer service and what not comes later.

If an online merchant has broken the trust of the Buyer then you can be sure that the news will travel like wild fire. News on the internet travel fast via blogs, forums and social network portals.

Someone I know bought an electronic item through a reputable online merchant. Unfortunately, the item was defective although there was no sign that the package has been tempered with during delivery.

My friend had no choice but to report it to seek an exchange. It took him a long time and many email messages later to be able to get an exchange, and that also after he threaten to take the case to the media.

So the merchant finally agreed to settle the issue with a replacement.

However, my friend's trust for the merchant has already broken. Even when he has been exchanged with another unit, he still wondered if the item is brand new or another second hand unit.

You see, once a Buyer's trust and confidence has been shattered, it is not easy to restore it.

Enhancing Distance Learning With LifeSize

You may recall that my Uncle is involved in Distance Learning. In fact, he is the pioneer in the country with the vision of bringing education to the people.

I recently came across something that would most definitely enhance his classes and that is high definition video conferencing. I actually showed the website of LifeSize to my Uncle and he too agrees that having this would be great for the students and trainers.

Up until now, it has been a challenge to provide flawless communication between the students and trainers. With LifeSize, that would soon change. My Uncle, who has always been a step ahead of his time will well be the first to have LifeSize video conferencing for his distance learning class.

Stay tuned!

Don't Expect A Reply From Me

One thing I can't stand when I am reading text is when people write using SMS lingo. To me, SMS lingo should only be confined to SMS messages but the trend now is to write similarly in forums and blogs, which I hate. If I could help it, I won't even read. When one writes in short form, only the writer will understand what is being written.

As you know, I spend a lot of time in forums, both international and local. Recently, quite a number of people, mostly new members, went to eBay Malaysia forum to ask questions and they wrote in short form. Like I said, I don't even bother with them. I may have read one or two posts but I don't bother to reply. Call me mean or whatever but if you want an answer then you should learn to ask PROPERLY.

If you are asking in horrible English, what sort of reply do you expect?

I don't know if it is just me but if someone writes like that I have the feeling that he is not serious so I'll just let him be, even if I do know the answer to his questions.

Pay-Per-Use Ready Office

Last week, my boss and his associates had to fly over to the United States for a series of meetings. Since they do not have an office there, they rented Executive Office Suites for the duration of their stay there. I know because I was the one who rented for them.

One of the leaders in the industry is BusinessSuites. You should see the suites they have to offer. They are all very well equipped like any modern office including administrative support. What I like about renting business suites is that we never have to pay for the maintenance and only pay as we use. With the office equipment readily available and the staff to handle all administrative work, such a set up was perfect for my boss and traveling businessmen like him.

Sunday, 17 June 2007

A Buzz For A Buzz

Kenneth, who blogs at Investor Blogger, gave me a Buzz in conjunction with his June buzz promotion. He featured this blog, Ramblings of an e-Trader.

I am glad that I have given the blog a new theme recently. Many people have been impressed with this but I can't claim credit to it. I only just customized it. I'm not that smart ;-)

If you have a blog and if you would like Kenneth to give your blog a buzz, you have to do a few simple things:

1. Comment on any of his blog post
2. Fave his blog on Technorati
3. Write about his Buzz competition or Blogroll him

Easy isn't it? For more information, read THIS POST. Happy Buzzzzing!

Thursday, 14 June 2007

Down Under Guys Gear

One of the most common questions asked by Buyers is if I sell mens underwear. I have sold some before but I did not have a reliable source to meet the demand. However, I just came across the website Down Under Guys Gear, or better known as DUGG which may interest my buyers who are looking for boxers and briefs for men.

It is a delight to note that DUGG carries some of the most popular brand names in the mens underwear market like Calvin Klein, HOM, HisWear and Van Heusen. Apart from the very comfortable boxers and briefs, DUGG also caters to men who are more adventurous in their underwear, with a full range of trunks and hipsters, g-strings and jockstraps. I have been told that not many people feel confident enough about their body to carry these well so I believe these are an acquired taste.

Besides male lingerie, DUGG also has swimwear, singlets, sleepwear and socks. There is always something for any man.

Since most of my Buyers are in Malaysia, the good news is that DUGG offers free international shipping for orders above AUD80. I feel that this is a great offer because that means Buyers will have more money to splurge on DUGG's products.

Wednesday, 13 June 2007

Auctiva At eBay Live! 2007

Did you know that eBay Live! 2007 will begin on 14th until 16th June, 2007 in Boston, USA? Although I am unable to participate, I sure am as excited as any passionate eBayer around the world.

I received a circular that Auctiva will be there at Booth 1032 giving away freebies, holding demo sessions on their new features and giving out coupons for eBayers who would like to upgrade to a premium account.

For the uninitiated, Auctiva has a host of eBay Seller tools that are free to use on eBay paid sites, including auction management, templates, image hosting, store front, scrolling gallery and many more features. Some of these features work on eBay Malaysia as well, like the scrolling gallery. Things like that have been proven to attract more sales.

I do have an account with Auctiva but I have never used their tools before although I would love to but I am sometimes so dumb that I couldn't understand what I have to do with all these rich features. It would be awesome if I could be at eBay Live! 2007 and attend one of those Auctiva seminars to learn how to get the maximum out of Auctiva tools.

New Internet Advertising Phenomenon

Recently, a friend of mine, who also runs his own online store, told me that he had adopted a new form of internet advertising. He said that after three years trading online, he is ready to try something new to further push his sales higher.

He participated in a company that offers advertisers a service to advertise their website or service at a fixed highly discounted advertising rate. There are two options to advertise, one as text links and one as blog content. What is different about AdVolcano is that the advertiser is able to select where he would like to place his advertisements.

On the other hand, publishers and webmasters also can name their price for the ad space and links that they will sell. With an open market like this, AdVolcano has created a marketplace that is mutually beneficial to both buyer and seller of advertisements.

Sunday, 10 June 2007

Trade Within The Marketplace

I have come across a few cases where a Buyer and a Seller have made a few transactions successfully and once confidence is built, they tend to trade off the marketplace and then quite unexpectedly, the transaction goes bad.

Now, I am not saying that either the Buyer or the Seller is the bad party because either one has the potential to be the baddie. Like I always say, it's all because of greed.

Even if you have traded a thousand times with your partner, it is always better to trade within the marketplace according to the rules and regulations so that should the Seller run away with your money or the Buyer runs away with your goods, you have a recourse.

And if you pay your purchases with PayPal, you always have the option to file a charge back if your Seller failed to deliver the goods or failed to deliver the goods as described.

If you were to trade outside the marketplace, either of you may save that little money is fees and charges but it will not be a recognised transaction and if you lose your product or money, you are on your own. So now you understand why it is beneficial to both parties to trade within the marketplace.

Demo on MedicScan

The other day, I went to a sales exhibition on all kinds of scanners. One of the scanners that I came across is the Medicscan. This is a rather new technology which primarily scans medical cards. After watching their demonstration, I believe every health care center should have at least one unit as it would streamline work, improve customer service and drastically reduce human error.

After scanning the medical card, the image, saved in any format that you wish, could be stored locally on the computer, on the server, appended to the digital patient card or sent by email. The image and colors produced were very vivid and close to the real card.

Apart from scanning medical cards, Medicscan can also be used to scan anything at all, including rigid plastic cards.

You may wonder what difference Medicscan has compared the our regular document scanner. Well, this was what I was impressed with. The Medicscan could extract textual data to a database. I did wonder how the text could fit into the appropriate fields but I did not ask :-)

Who Will Be The eBay Southeast Asian Champion?

Three months ago, I wrote about the eBay contest that was in search of the eBay Live! 2007 South East Asian Champion where the top three members from this region will be flown to Boston for eBay Live! 2007.

eBay Live! 2007, for your information, will start on 14th to 16th June, 2007. That's only four days to go. How exciting for the three winners from South East Asia. You can check the winners list which was announced on 10th May, 2007, HERE.

The excitement doesn't end there. Upon the return of the winners after eBay Live! 2007, these three eBayers will compete against each other for the coveted title of Southeast Asian Champion. The contest period for this second round is from 0:0:01 July 1st, 2007 to 23:59:59 September 1st, 2007.

Stay tuned for more information!

My List Finalized

The following is the finalized version of My List. If you would like to get on this list, I am sorry, it is already closed. Perhaps Daryl will initiated a sercond round later on. To read what My List is all about, do check out my earlier post on My List.

Once Upon A Time

Money Making Blog

Bubba Stuff

Little Raymond’s quaint melody

Coretan Pengalaman Mat