Free P & P From Media Sellers On eBay UK

eBay UK has announced that sellers on eBay UK who trades in media like books, comics, magazines, CDs, DVDs, and even TV memorabilia, in addition to video games, will have to offer free Postage and Packaging beginning 19th October, 2009.

Many sellers are unhappy about this policy even though throwing in free shipping is enticing to some buyers. I for one personally do not like fake free shipping. Fake in the sense that the real cost has already been added to the price of the item. When it says free, it really should be free, right?

Anyway, in an effort to help sellers convert their listings early, eBay UK is offering a 20% discount on Final Value Fees (FVF) for medial sellers that offer free P & P from 20th August to 20th September, 2009. Well, one just has to wonder how appealing this discount would be, given the fact that sellers would be adding the cost of postage and packaging to the cost of the item, which jacks up the price, making FVF higher!

Contacts In Tennessee

My sister, who moved to Tennessee almost nine years ago, told me that she still seems like a stranger in her adopted city. Since she does not have many friends and no family there, I told her to keep a notebook of all important telephone numbers like Tennessee injury lawyers, police, doctors and other important numbers that would come in handy in case of an emergency.

You know, these contact numbers are like insurance. We don't really need insurance on a daily basis but when something happens, insurance would be like a lifeline. The same could be said for emergency contact numbers. But then unlike here in Malaysia, my sister could just dial 911 in most emergencies!

The Power of Branding & Marketing

A couple of days ago, my computer died on me. I went to my regular computer supplies and repair shop but they were not able to repair my computer for me fast. They said the queue was long and I would have to wait for a few days. I didn't want to wait because I need to use my computer even though I have a laptop as well but it's just not the same, you know.

Well, it must be the computer breakdown season or something with so many systems to repair so I decided to patronize another shop. I have been to this place before but somehow I just couldn't recall their name. I wanted to give them a call first before going over, you see, and thought that I should look for their contact number online.

Without the name of the shop, it was a pretty difficult task. However, I do remember their tagline and a search on that on Google brought me to their website. The fact that their failed to list their contact numbers on the website is another matter but their tagline was so catchy, I remembered it even as my memory failed me in recalling the shop's name. LOL

Zero Effort Weight Loss

Samm is the envy of all her friends. She is a mother of two and still able to maintain her figure like back in high school. Serious! I am envious of her too.

While we are all struggling with weighty issues and some of us have to depend on various weight loss pills, she mocks us by eating whatever she likes, whenever she likes, even in the middle of the night!

It could be her good genes or her obedient metabolism but whatever it is, we dare not join her for meals because it would be too difficult to resist the food and yet she her enjoying them! I wish I could age as gracefully as her but even though I am younger than I, I can already feel a change in my body shape. The fat seems to have shifted to most undesirable places! I guess it is time to do something about it. I have procrastinated for too long!

Notice of PayPal Policy Updates

I received a notice from PayPal this morning, yes, I opted in, which informed of their PayPal policy update which will be in effect from 19th August, 2009.

This update is with regards to the PayPal Merchant Referral Bonus Policy whereby it will be modified to increase the payout period from 6 months to 12 months.

I think this would be awful news for people who do make money from PayPal merchant referrals. Now they have to wait for 12 months to see their referral commission instead of "just" six months. What an awfully long wait. I never make money from this so it doesn't affect me and now with a 12-month long wait, I am not going to even try promoting!

Distractions Of A Home Office Worker

I really take my hat off to my friends who work from home and raise a family at the same time. Even though I do not have to take care of my family, I find that working from home is a real challenge with too many distractions. I find it extremely difficult to draw a line between work and family and personal time.

Like right now, my dad brought in the plumber to change all the faucets in our house to Grohe faucets because the old ones continue to drip and that's a lot of wastage and kept our water bill running high.

The plumber is working just outside my window right now and his incessant chatter with my dad is so distracting, I can't even string a sentence without thinking hard! Luckily this is just temporary and he’ll be on his way once his work is done.

VS Coupon Code 40SAVE

If you have been waiting for the right time to shop at Victoria's Secret Online, this is probably it. Using the coupon code, 40SAVE, on any clearance item, you will be able to save an extra 40% off any single clearance item, giving you up to 80% discount on already reduced items.

Of course, for clearance items, you should know that stocks move extremely fast but at the same time, styles and sizes are probably limited and you may not be able to find the right item.

So what do you do at times like these? You must check the site early and regularly! That's what you should do! And remember the coupon code 40SAVE. This coupon is valid until Sunday, 26th July, 2009.

Pressurized Walls

My friend, Paul, told me that if his home in New York is in the city, he would have closed his office and worked from home, like me. Running a home office isn't something uncommon and as an architect, it would not be too difficult for him to set up an office at home.

Paul said that office rental is getting to be a burden now that business has slowed. It was not a problem before and in fact, he never felt the need to share his office but things have changed now and since he cannot close his office and work from home since his home is quite a distance away, he may just have to share.

I just came across this company, City Wall NY, which specializes in Pressurized Walls which would be just the thing for Paul should he decide to share his office. He would need to partition it pressurized walls would just be the solution.

Browsing through the website of City Wall NY, I am very impressed that these pressurized walls, though are just temporary walls, look exactly like a part of the building structure, like the walls have always been built like that, and not like wall partitions that they actually are. Nobody would even realize the difference!

Brand Loyalty

My mother told me that some of the household products that we have been using for years have risen in price and she should look for alternatives. My mother is someone who is loyal to a single brand for each particular product and she loathes changing brands but with rising prices, she has to look for options.

I am not someone who is loyal to a single brand unless it is for skincare or personal care products that are suitable for me so I am not changing those even if their prices hit the roof but for other items like dish washing detergent or household cleaning products, I am totally not particular.

However, when it comes to electronic and electrical products, I already have in mind what brands I am going to choose. I am not going to so easily be sold to a new brand on the market because I don't like taking the risk of buying a brand name that's unproven. I guess when it comes to brand loyalty, I am selective!

New Job, New Policies

My friend, Jason, was complaining that he has to buy a car as soon as possible. He wasn't very happy with it as it would be a yet another financial responsibility that he is not prepared to shoulder since he has been using a company assigned car all these while.

With a new job, though, he has to follow a new set of company policies, where mobile employees have to provide their own transport but they will be reimbursed in the form of monthly Car Allowance.

I told Jason that he shouldn't complain seeing how so many people are getting laid off left, right and center, whilst he managed to secure a new job in just a couple of months. Granted, this job may not be as prestigious as the last but then we should ride the cow while we look for a horse.

Jason was also afraid that he would be short-changed by his company, in view of the high gas price but I am sure the company has a customized vehicle reimbursement program installed to ensure that all mobile employees will be reimbursed duly.

In fact, more and more companies with mobile employees are adopting this system to reduce overhead costs, liability and risks.

More Changes To eBay Partner Network (ePN)

My friend used to tell me that she loves eBay Partner Network. Well, more than Amazon affiliate program, that was what she said. However, with changes to the programme a few months ago, she felt a little lost love. Now, there will be new changes and I would not be surprised if she abandoned the programme entirely.

I don't know about you but after reading through the new round of changes, it seems to be more trouble than it is worth. I am sure no one likes to clinch a sale only to be told that that the sale doesn't count because it came from such and such a referral link and you would not be getting your commission!

I am so glad that I never started the programme in the first place. Sure, it's not available in Malaysia still but there are ways to go around it if we wanted to. That's why, I thought that it was worth too much trouble. Now, it's double trouble!

Education Fund For Teoh Beng Hock's Unborn Child

The other day, while the nation was reeling from the sudden and mysterious death of political secretary Teoh Beng Hock, I wondered if he had insurance which would come in useful for his family now, especially his unborn child. Luckily, the public has the mind to set up an education fund for the child which would be handed to his family later.

An unfortunate incident like this just jolts us out of complacency and reminds us that no matter what, we have to ensure that the welfare of our family is taken care of in an eventuality like this.

Here was a young man, only 30 years old, about to be married that day, and expecting a baby who had something like this happening, something that NO ONE would expect. It just reminds us how fragile life is.

If you do not yet have life insurance, it is time to start requesting for life insurance quotes right now. I am sure none of us would want our lived ones to be left in a financial lurch on top of having to deal with a loss in the family, right?

Requesting for life insurance quotes is a very simple process made easy by websites like ReliaQuote. Besides comparing costs, remember to also check the differences in policies!

PayPal Extends eBay Seller Protection To Asia Pacific

The way PayPal is extending this eBay Seller protection in by putting a hold on the funds that seller receives for goods sold and receives payment via PayPal. And in case the funds were sent through a stolen credit card or if the payment was unauthorized, PayPal will return it to the rightful owner.

This simply makes me wonder if this protection is really for sellers, or buyers, or even for scammers. You know, most of us sellers would be shipping out our packages as soon as payment hits our PayPal or bank accounts and the problem is that some may not know that the money has been locked in PayPal and we have to wait for three weeks before we could initiate a withdrawal.

Imagine this happening if the goods have been shipped and payment is no longer forthcoming as we had thought because PayPal says that they have received a claim and the money is going back to its owner.

So a good seller would then be left high and dry without the goods nor money. Oh, the horror of it! It sure is our worst nightmare!

The Sudden Death of Teoh Beng Hock

I guess we are all still reeling from the sudden death of political secretary, Teoh Beng Hock, at the MACC building. Of course, none of us know the circumstances that led to his unfortunate death but what shook many of us is that here was a young guy who had so much going for him.

I can't help but think if he bought term life insurance. He should have, even though he was still young and single. He was supposed to get married on Saturday, 17th July, 2009. That pretty much convinced us that he did not commit suicide. Besides, his fiancée is two months pregnant. He certainly had something great to look forward to in life!

I am sure the death of Teoh Beng Hock has served to remind us that we have to be prepared for any eventuality, and make sure that our family is provided for even in such unfortunate circumstances. May he rest in peace.

Oasis Concert Ticket Scalpers On eBay

Oasis fans in Britain are angry to find tickets of Oasis concert being sold by ticket scalpers on eBay when they, fans of Oasis, queued up for hours on end and ended up empty handed.

What irks them more is the fact that these tickets that are sold online are being sold at double the face value of the tickets. As most of these tickets are sold in pairs; that means that any fan who buys these tickets would have to buy two when at that price, they have already paid for four.

Actually, I have no issue with ticket scalpers because they take the trouble to queue up early to purchase these tickets. If they sell them for a profit, I think it's pretty reasonable too. For people who are angry because they couldn't buy, well, they just have to be earlier to buy, or be prepared to pay a premium price for them. That's what die hard fans do and this is exploited by ticket scalpers. It's a huge business!

Landscape Planning & Designing

My friend, Mark, just sent me photos of his new garden. He had the grass dug up and covered the ground with crushed granite stone instead. Mark is an architect and so is his partner so they know what they are doing.

My house has a large garden that I have always wanted to change but I have no idea what to make of it. I have trees and plants which though I like for their shade and greenery, I hate the work of caring for them. With a grassy lawn, you can imagine the time it consumes keeping it neat and tidy!

I just came across this boston landscaping company which offers an obligation-free landscaping consultation which I think is an excellent service for homeowners who would like a new garden that would not only look beautiful but is also functional. After all, a garden is an extension of the house.

This company, SLDA Landscape, promises to make every garden unique because they take the trouble to find out in-depth what the homeowner wants. On top of that, they make sure to work within our budget, yet enhance the value of our home with their creativity.

Luckily with services like these, we don’t have to be architects or landscape designers to own a beautiful garden too!

L.A. To Foot The Bill For Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service

Last week, Michael Jackson fans and non-fans were discussing on the web if it's OK for Los Angeles to collect donations from Michael Jackson fans around the world to help pay for the cost of his public memorial service. The bill came up to US$1.4 million.

While many people said that either the City or Michael Jackson's family should pay, the webpage that was set up with a PayPal account still received US$35,000 in donations from Michael Jackson fans. if not for crashes to its server due to a surge in web traffic, I guess the collected amount would be a whole lot higher.

Surprisingly, today, L.A. Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, returns from a 9-day South African holiday to deny that he was the one who solicited for donations, that his staff did it, and that we should ignore his Tweets or the webpage and that the City will foot the bill. It is not known if the donations would be returned to sender.

Hard Task Of Collecting Debt

My friend, Alex, tells me that he dreads going to work these days. I am sure we all are feeling, or even reeling from, the effects of the slow economy but for Alex, his company has many clients that are just unable to settle their bills these past few months and it is not surprising seeing how difficult it is for cash to come by. Or perhaps they are just unwilling.

Alex has been given the unenviable task of contacting these debtors and chase for payment. Alex thinks he is not suitable for the extra task because of his soft character and he gets bullied.

I told Alex that he should propose to his management to engage a debt collection agency to do the job. They are the specialists and they would know what to do when encountered with debtors. They don't need to factor in any past business association or relationship. They just do their work professionally.

Yes, this would surely be the solution for Alex and he need not worry about going to work doing something he doesn’t like anymore. After all, collecting debt isn’t even in his job scope and he shouldn’t be made to do it when his colleagues aren’t! Don’t you think so too?

Michael Jackson Autographed Painting To Be Auctioned On eBay

I just read this from Indopia that a painting by Leon Jones of Michael Jackson and autographed in silver paint pen on February 9, 2002 by both Michael Jackson and his long time friend, actress Elizabeth Taylor, will be put on auction on eBay on July 17th, 2009.

It is not stated why Leon Jones managed to paint Michael Jackson or how and this isn't the only painting of Michael Jackson he has. It is not stated if this painting was painted from Leon Jones' imagination or if Michael Jackson posed for it but the fact that he autographed it means that he knew about it and endorsed it.

This would surely be a great addiction to a Michael Jackson collection for any of his fans. It is not known how much the starting bid would be but part of the proceeds will be donated to a children's charity. I am sure Michael Jackson would be delighted to know about it.

Source: Indopia

Vision For The Company

I am often asked where I would like to see my small company in ten years' time. Well, obviously I would like to carry my own label. Because of time constraints, I cannot expand my idea right now. I believe I already have the capital and if what I have is insufficient, I could pool investments from a few friends who may be interested to be sleeping partners. That's the level of participation I am interested in. Not more than that.

I know that starting my own label would be a lot of work. Besides pushing the brand name to the public, which I could get help from a Branding Company I would need to rush the stocks out as fast as possible to avoid high holding cost.

Even if I may not have the time to get this project off the ground, I have already identified several companies that would be able to help implement it; from the manufacturer to the marketing company. Of course, with my limited budget, if I do not plan to seek investments from third parties, I am going to start on a small scale but that would still be a dream come true!

In any case, it is good to dream. It’s free after all! Time would tell if I could turn this dream into reality!

The Original Hamburger Bed

I was searching for bedroom redecoration ideas when I stumbled upon this Hamburger bed. Gosh, this is just the kind of bed I like, I tell you. I harbour dreams of owning a house that is like a doll house with novelty items. Conventional items are just not my style. I love oddities and this kind of bed would just suit me the most!

At this point, the hamburger bed has attracted over forty bids and rose from a starting bid price of 99cents to its current US$570. I have to say that it's pretty costly for an original famous Hamburger bed!

Now, if I were to buy it, I really have no idea how much I am willing to pay for it. I may like novelties but I certainly like them cheap. Besides, think about the logistics of shipping it over to me. LOL

Source: IGN
eBay listing: HERE

Debt Collection Agency

My cousin, who is an illiterate, told me that he has been receiving official letters from a company demanding payment for a debt that he owes a bank for his credit card bills. My cousin does not know why this company has taken over or why he has to pay this company instead of settling the bank directly. He was also worried that making payment to this company, he would STILL owe the bank.

After reading those letters, I explained to him that this is a debt Collection Agency that has been entrusted with the task of collecting bad debt by the bank. I am sure my cousin is only one credit card debtor and it would be easier for the bank to just pass the task to an agency to handle all such accounts. It is just a cost effective measure, I guess.

The fantastic thing is that this agency told my cousin that if he would settle his debt in one lump sum, he would be able to get a discount of up to 30% on the total. I guess they just want to close these debtor accounts as fast as possible. I think my cousin has already owed them for longer than ten years! And the amount isn’t that much too!

New eBay Australia Fees

In line with changing traffic trends to eBay, eBay Australia will be revising their fee structure to encourage Sellers to list more items for sale and attract more buyers to shop at eBay at the same time. It is hoped that there would be an upsurge in traffic with this new fee structure.

From 10th September, 2009 onwards, most upfront fixed price listing fees on eBay Australia will be reduced but it will also see an increase in fees for Final Value Fees for eBay store holders selling items in the "Buy It Now" format. Gallery fee for images will be removed.

eBay Australia also said that they will give greater exposure to listings in "Buy It Now" format in eBay search filters. Let's see if these changes will give sellers on eBay Australia a boost in sales.

Long Distance Moving

My friend, Evon, told me that her husband lost his job recently and if he doesn't get one soon, they may have to return to Malaysia due to visa issues. She isn't afraid of having to relocate and start life all over again. In fact, she likes it that she would be able to be close to her parents again who are getting old. What she is terrified of is the process of moving.

I have not relocated too many times myself but the few times are enough to scare me as well. I certainly understand her fears. Moving is so much more than physically packing and shipping but facing a new life and the challenges that come with it.

Luckily, there are moving companies like Boston Moving Company that would take care of the headache of packing, moving and storing for Evon and her family and all they have to do is concentrate on starting a new journey, if the move has to take place.

Things are so uncertain for Evon and the children right now, I think they could start looking for a good moving company right now so that if the time comes to move, they would already have a moving company in mind that would take over the job of moving from the family.

Ghostbusters Ambulance On eBay

This is one car I want to buy. LOL This 1959 Cadillac Miller-Meteor ambulance was on eBay with an opening price of $45,000 and ended but its reserve was not met. I wonder if there is a great Ghostbusters fan who would want this. It's so cute and iconic.

I think that even though this may not be a good investment, may not go up in price in the future for the new owner, if you are a Ghostbusters fan, you would want to have it. Heck, I'm not even a great fan though I did enjoy the movie AND I WANT IT!

Anyway, it would be interesting to see who buys this later and for how much though an attempt to sell this on eBay has not been successful this time around.

Source: Laughing Squid
eBay auction: HERE

Fine Art Handling

My friend, Colin, has moved to England. One of the things he told me before he left was that he hopes his art collection is in good hands. Colin is a budding artist who is now trying to make a name for himself in a new country. You know that artist would usually be famous when they die and their art would only be able to command a price then? I hope this wouldn't happen to Colin. I think he's very talented and I have faith in him!

When Colin said that, I felt that he has doubts about the company that he has entrusted his art collection. I think he could avoid that worry if has engaged a company that specializes in art storage. I am sure they would be able to store his pieces of art well! If they could service private collectors of fine art, they could service Colin too, right?

Imagine Mind's Eye is a company that specializes in fine art storage, vaulting and transporting. Fine art collectors who sometimes share their fine art collections with art lovers in museums and exhibitions around the world engage companies like Imagine Mind's Eye which has an excellent background and track record in handling priceless art pieces.

Lelong Premium Listing

I had wanted to write about this but kept forgetting. It's Lelong.com.my's premium listing. As a small timer, I try not to raise my cost, which eventually be passed on to my buyers, that's why I see myself using premium listing anytime soon. Do people want convenience of being able to search for something that could be a tad costly, or would they not mind spending a little time to search deeper but at the end of it, bag a good deal?

I know a couple of friends who are trading on Lelong who are utilizing this service. They tell me that they want to be at the top of search results. Well, if Lelong is stricter to their sellers with the keywords and categories, we wouldn't have so much clutter that shoppers and potential buyers have to sieve through.

I haven't the chance to ask these two people if they have seen a surge in their sales volume yet but you know, even if you are paying for premium listing, there is no guarantee that your item will be at the top stop. Top ten perhaps, but no guarantee of being number one. After all, it is based on bid amount on relevant keywords. If another seller who is selling something similar is willing to pay more than you to be placed higher in Lelong search results, then sorry to say you will be pushed down.

Sale On Handmade Baby Bedding Sets

I have a friend, a first time mother, who is quite fussy with the items she uses. She is an organic fanatic and would try to live healthy. Even for Baby Bedding Sets, she would want natural cotton only. According to her, natural cotton would not cause skin irritation no thanks to harsh chemicals from synthetic material since a baby's skin is very sensitive.

I thought that natural cotton baby bedding sets would be expensive and stark white but how wrong I was. Baby Bedding Palace, which is coincidentally running a sale right now on all handmade baby bedding sets, carries such a beautiful range of baby bedding sets in all sorts of colors, not white only and definitely provides more color choices than blue for baby boys and pink for baby girls.

All baby bedding sets are made of natural cotton and come in twelve pieces. Parents could easily decorate a nursery easily with baby bedding sets by Baby Bedding Palace and there is no need to crack their heads coming up with matching colors.

When my friend sees these baby bedding sets from Baby Bedding Palace, she would surely be very happy. She has been complaining that she couldn’t find colorful baby-friendly baby bedding sets that are 100% cotton.

PayPal's Back To School Shopping Project

PayPal has a back-to-school shopping project called "Make It Count" where retailers have banded together to offer smart deals for parents with school going children, offering discounts on merchandise that school children need, from clothing, sports wear, shoes, books, bags and other more expensive items like laptops, printers and even air tickets.

PayPal hopes that with the savings that parents get from shopping from their slew of merchants, they will then channel these funds to schools across America that are in need of aide, no thanks to budget cuts.

I visited the website where parents could support a classroom project at DonorsChoose.org. There are more than ten thousand listed. I think it's an excellent initiatve. It looks like some projects managed to take off thanks to donations from the public. If only this is available in more countries!

My Growing Bag Collection

I think you would be surprised to learn that I have started to collect bags. Isn't it funny when I don't even carry bags? It's not that I do not want to carry; I am just afraid of snatch thieves and am not prepared to take the risks.

I love bags, though, and have collected quite a few through the years. As you could probably imagine, all of them are still in pristine condition since I never used any of them!

My latest bag is a branded one which my sister bought for me and I was supposed to resell it and share the profits with her. I like the bag so much I decided to keep it. I had to reimburse my sister the cost of the bag plus 50% of an imaginary profit! Am I crazy or what? I guess I should blame fashion websites for always featuring the latest designs of bags and purses and tempting me with them.

I spotted this Hermes apple purse just now. Can you believe that there is a special purse just for your apple? I think it would be great to use it to carry something else instead of an apple, just as a disguise, you know? I don't think any thief would want to snatch this, cute as it is!

eBay Traffic Down Again

If your eBay sales have gone down and you are left to wonder if there is anyone viewing your eBay listings, an article on Auction Bytes revealed that eBay traffic has gone down for both months of April and May, consecutively month by month and year-on-year. Dramatically too, I should say. In comparison, Amazon traffic has been quite steady and not only that, page view count was steady as well and more consistent.

eBay and Amazon have been fighting to lead with higher unique visitors and page views. Which will win in the end is difficult to determine right now as both have different business models, although with recent changes, eBay is increasingly trying to be like Amazon.

Anyway, if you are trading online, try not to place all your eggs in one basket. There's eBay, there's Amazon and there are quite a few other rapidly growing online marketplaces. All you need is time to experiment to see which one works best for your products.

Source: Auction Bytes

Car Purchase

A couple of months ago, I was seriously considering buying a car, albeit a used one. Something came up and I was unable to check out a used car that I spotted sold by a buyer in another state. I was unable to travel, you see, hence the delay.

With a two month time lapse now, I am reconsidering my decision since I am not sure I am able to afford it now due to the quiet economy. Owning a car is more than just buying it. The miscellaneous expenses and gas are something that I should calculate first and try to fit into my budget of car ownership.

Right now, I am already requesting for auto insurance quotes to try to find the cheapest one. I know that the cost of insurance is not the only thing to consider. I also have to take into account the differences in polices. Boy, being a first time car owner is not easy!

Michael Jackson Memorial Costs L.A. US$1.4 Million

The City of Los Angeles, which requested monetary donations from fans of Michael Jackson around the world through a link to their PayPal account on the website of the city has revealed that the total cost of the City with Michael Jackson's death and memorial service is US$1.4 Million.

The City of Angels is already $530 million in debt, and with this development, they now have a larger debt since the PayPal account has only managed to collect US$17,000 to date from Michael Jackson fans around the world.

The Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, says that the low intake was due to server crashes to the website due to a surge in web traffic which caused the PayPal button to be inaccessible to those who want to donate.

I have read quite a few articles on this matter and people aren't in favour of having to cover these costs even if they are Michael Jackson fans, even if they do live in Los Angeles. After all, working residents are already paying their taxes.

After The 4th

My friend, Yvonne, told me that she would be having a week's break from work starting Monday. This is to make up for the hard work that she and her colleagues put in before the 4th of July celebrations.

You see, Yvonne works in an event management company so while the whole of America was enjoying over the long weekend of 4th July to celebrate Independence Day, Yvonne was working.

Yvonne says that it's going to be difficult planning her own vacation after a hectic month at work and all she wants now is just some rest and recreation with her family away from and Outer Banks rentals would be a good option. Yvonne just hopes that her husband could get away from the office so soon after the long weekend break!

Salida Capital Wins Lunch With Warren Buffett

The identity of the winner of the lunch with Warren Buffett auction on eBay that closed at US$1.68 million about two weeks ago has been revealed. It is Salida Capital, a wealth management firm in Canada.

As mentioned, proceeds from these auctions of lunch with warren Buffett, a yearly affair, go to Glide Foundation, which is a good motivation to make bidders top each other.

Like all previous years' winners, Salida Capital may have to wait up till a year to "claim" their prize of a lunch with Warren Buffett. I bet it would be worth the wait! It’s a million dollar lunch, after all, even if it’s cheaper than last year’s US$2,110,100!

Planning A Budget-Friendly Wedding

My friend, Pauline, is already planning her wedding even though it will only be held at the end of the year. I thought that it is a tad too early but she is a pretty fussy lady and wanted everything to be perfect but that's understandable.

Anyway, Pauline told me that she is looking for budget-friendly unique wedding favors and I thought that the best place for her to look would be at The Wedding Shop, a leading online wedding store that carries a whole range of wedding favors at really reasonable prices.

Although I have never shopped at this store before, I have to say that I am most impressed with their range of products and yes, this is where I would be shopping for my wedding favors when the occasion arises!

Michael Jackson Gold Memorial Program On eBay

While we are on the subject of unscrupulous people who are cashing in on Michael Jackson's sudden death almost two weeks ago, as soon as Michael Jackson's public memorial service was over early this morning, we could already find the gold memorial program on eBay.

It's a simple book much like a large pictorial of celebrating the life and times of Michael Jackson with notes from Michael's family members. It would be a good memorial program to have, but only if you are a fan of Michael Jackson. Heck, I would like to have it even though I am not such a huge Michael Jackson fan. I am a collector of everything, after all!

At this point of writing, the highest asking price is US$1,999 which includes unused wristband and ticket. There is no bid for this item yet but for those that managed to attract bids, the highest price is above US$500.

New Job Placement

A friend told me that her husband has been offered a transfer to China from USA. This manufacturer is closing their plant and consolidating with their China counterpart, moving part of the staff there.

My friend is in two minds if her husband should take up the posting as they would then have to follow him along. I told her that if her husband cherishes the job then he should take it up. Times are tough and it would be difficult to look for a new job with similar benefits.

The way I see it, my friend and her children would not be inconvenienced as she is a homemaker and her children have yet to start schooling yet. My friend really has nothing much to worry about except to look for long distance moving companies that could help her with the relocation and everything would be taken care of.

Miley Cyrus Concert Tickets Removed From eBay

eBay has decided to remove all listings of Miley Cyrus concert. The tween sensation's upcoming concert will be using a paperless ticketing system in a bid to keep tickets out of the hands of ticket scalpers who aim to profit from such events, nothing else.

eBay says that the reason that listings of Miley Cyrus concert tickets are removed is because of a violation of eBay's terms of use which stipulates that items placed on eBay has to be tangible and delivered within thirty days of the close of the auction.

According to eBay, this could not be achieved by Sellers at the moment and once they could get within the 30-day window, Miley Cyrus tickets would be allowed on eBay again.

Discount Designer Fashion Jewelry

A friend called me up urgently just now as he just remembered that his wedding anniversary is the end of this month. Isn't that typical for a guy to forget something like that? I told him that luckily there's still time to shop for a gift or he may not be forgiven. After all, they have only been married for a couple of years!

This friend wanted to know if I could help him out with gift ideas. I know his wife loves fashion jewelry and luckily for him, she can never have enough of those so he could easily buy her fashion jewelry for just about any occasion.

If you would like to buy designer-inspired fashion jewelry, hop over to the website of Holsted Jewelers and be blown away by their exquisite collection of designer costume jewelry for men and women. Prices are really reasonable you would be tempted to overspend!

Michael Jackson Collectibles

Someone told me that for all the money that people are paying to snap up whatever that is related to Michael Jackson, whether it is a t-shirt or an old cassette, Michael Jackson so-called collectibles make poor investment.

Now, as a non-fan but still appreciates listening to some of his music, I would say that if I were a fan of Michael Jackson, I certainly would buy his items TO KEEP and not as investment.

Having said that, this is definitely a bad time to buy with the memory of him still fresh on many people's minds. If I were a fan, I wouldn't be thinking of buying his collectibles so that I could make a profit off them at later years. In fact, I would cherish my collection and grow it over time. What's your opinion?

Automated Customer Service

I read about a lady's awful experience with PayPal's automated customer service and how exasperated she is because she was not able to reach a HUMAN who could provide her with a solution that makes sense.

What added to her frustrations was that almost all problems that are PayPal related are money related as well. In this lady's case, she sent $500 to her daughter's account but the arrival was delayed for over a week.

While automated customer service is good, saving money and resources, customers should be given the option to reach a customer service representative who could handle such problems better.

When I encountered a problem with PayPal, I called them at their office. They could not provide me with a solution and asked me to wait two weeks. I did and the problem righted itself. I shudder to think of the frustrations I would encounter if it was a larger problem. Or bigger sum!

Steady Price Of Gold & Silver

I told my mother that I would like to buy some pieces of jewelry to keep and not wear, sort of like family heirloom, and she reminded me that should I do so, I should stick to gold and silver jewelry.

I think my mother is rather conservative to only like gold and silver but she said that I have to think long term. Gold and silver are timeless and she is certain that gold and silver price would not vary too much even in years to come.

I think she is right. I never thought of keeping gold and silver for that long. I would have to be financially more solid to even think of keeping something valuable untouched for that long but it really is food for thought. I do need to make longer term plans!

Alipay - Largest Third Party Online Payment Platform

Alipay, China's equivalent to PayPal, announced that they now have 200 million registered users, mainly from China, exceeding PayPal's 180 million users that span 190 countries and regions around the globe in respective supporting languages.

Although many of us have not heard of Alipay at all, and even if we had occasionally read about it in the news, many of us would not have the chance to use it unless we have business dealings or family ties in China.

Even so, China itself is a world of its own with 320 million web users at the last count in May of 2009. 62.5% of these users use Alipay. As China's web usage continues to grow exponentially, Alipay can only expect their user base to grow. The President of Alipay even expects the trading value of the company to exceed that of PayPal's in three years' time!

City of Angels Seeks Donations From Michael Jackson Fans

I think this is a little incredulous, that the City of Los Angeles has set up a Michael Jackson memorial website so that fans of Michael Jackson around the world could donate, via PayPal to help defray the public costs of Michael Jackson's public memorial service at Staples Center in Los Angeles early this morning. This is said to run into millions of (American) dollars.

Right now, I have no information on how successful this appeal has been or if fans around the world even care to donate since most of us do not even live in the City of Angels; have never even set foot on L.A. soil. Still, it would be interesting to see the reach and effect such a website has on a worldwide platform and audience.

Link: Here

Long Awaited Holiday

A friend told me that she is envious that I work from home. She says that I could go on a vacation as and when I like while she has to wait for her annual leave once a year.

Well, life here is not as good as she has envisioned. She doesn't know that I have longed for a romantic cancun vacation for ages already but it has yet to happen because I can't seem to find an opportunity to get away for too long. International travel is out of the question for now.

See, even if I may work from home, time is never mine. Unlike my friends who are full time employees, I am never able to draw a distinct line between work and leisure hours, between working and personal time. Yet again, a relaxing vacation will have to wait!

Stolen Items Found On eBay

It's funny how small time thieves would place the items that they swiped from others on eBay, trying to sell them for gross profit. eBay is such an open marketplace that whatever we place online could be viewed by anyone, including the legitimate owner(s).

Residents of Paso Robles, California, USA, discovered that the items that they lost have been listed on eBay and tipped off the police, who then promptly made an arrest of two men.

This reminds me of a friend who lost a pair of shoes that he usually wears to work and was swiped from his home one night. He then went to the garage sale in the city and found his pair of shoes. He bought it back. LOL

Michael Jackson Million Dollar Domain Names

Back to the topic of Michael Jackson, if you do a search on eBay, you will see a slew of sellers selling Michael Jackson top level domain names for millions of dollars. They are ASKING for US$21 million each, at lest, but will people bite particularly since this is NOT MichaelJackson.com. That would be cyber squatting already.

Once again, I think it's unscrupulous for these people to cash in on someone's death, especially when it's such hot news right now. Nevertheless, it is a free market and people can generally buy and sell whatever they like.

In any case, I think that whoever buys any of these domain names would be pretty dumb. One could always register a similar domain name for how much? Under US$10 only!

Further Education

My friend, Francis, told me that if I wanted to start a degree course, I have to do it fast because soon it would be too crowded as there are plans to merge two universities.

I wanted to join him at his university, you see, but had been unable to spare the time to even make a visit and make enquires on the courses available.

I now think that based on my busy work schedule, I may as well enroll for an online university degree rather than waste precious time commuting for classes. The university is quite a distance away, you see, and if I cannot afford time now, I don't see how I could then!

In any case, I shouldn’t rush. While it may boost my self-confidence with a university degree, I really don’t need one to run my business now.

"This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.”

Michael Jackson T-Shirt Sold For $25,000 on eBay

Talk about making hay while the sun shines! A Filipino man dug his closet and found an original Michael Jackson t-shirt which his wife worn once and promptly sold it on eBay.

A buyer from the United Kingdom, probably a diehard Michael Jackson fan, snapped it up and offered to buy another Michael Jackson t-shirt from this seller for the same price if he managed to find the other one that he claims is lying around somewhere in his house.

I actually collect a lot of celebrity t-shirts and movie premium t-shirts, some worn once or twice, some totally new. However, if an opportunity arises like this, I am unsure if I would be willing to part with it. I am quite a sentimental person, you see.

I am sure, though, for this Filipino seller, he must be thinking that for $25,000 or perhaps $50,000 even, he could buy so many more t-shirts!

Craigslist & eBay Banned Michael Jackson Memorial Service Ticket Sale

When I first read that Michael Jackson public memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, USA, would only be open to ticket holders, as a form of crowd control, I was worried there would be unscrupulous lucky non-fans who managed to get hold of the tickets who would try to profit off the death of Michael Jackson by selling the tickets online.

True enough, ticket holders already flocked eBay and Craigslist with their tickets, which in actual fact are not tickets but just verification codes to be entered on the website of Ticketmaster.com and which are then picked up in L.A. itself.

These tickets, two per lucky winner, were sold up to US$7,500 each (or US$15,000 per pair) on eBay and Craigslist but luckily, these companies managed to remove listings of them before any sale could be concluded. Thankfully!

Save 20% Without Minimum Purchase

If you have shopped online before, I bet you have to agree that it's very addictive. Besides the convenience of being able to buy almost everything, most of the time, we are able to enjoy internet prices, which are more attractive than store prices. On top of that, we get to utilize coupon codes and enjoy free shipping most of the time.

Allegro Medical is offering 20% discount on your purchases without minimum purchase. Whether you are purchasing a catheter or an anti-snoring pillow, remember to use the coupon code 4july20 upon check out to enjoy this discount.

Do take note that this is a limited time offer and will expire on Thursday, 9th July, 2009. That's still a couple of days more for you to decide what to buy to make the best use of this offer!

VS Clothing & Footwear Clearance

Many people would associate Victoria's Secret with lingerie only. In actual fact, the brand name has expanded to include clothes, swimwear, shoes, bags, beauty accessories and many other ranges of items.

Well, today, I have good news for you. Victoria's secret is running a clearance sale on their clothes and shoes which could save you up to 70% off retail price. To enjoy this offer which will be ending on 8th July, 2009, American time, just add one any clothing or shoe item from the clearance bin to your cart.

Remember to enter the coupon code 30CLR at checkout and the price of the item will be adjusted and further reduced by 30%. I think this is a good opportunity to save some money on VS!

Custom Made Shoes

My mother thinks that I have gigantic feet for a female. I don't think that my feet are too huge but at 6.5, it definitely is not easy to buy shoes that are comfortable. I tell you, the half size makes it so difficult! Buying a 6 would be too tight while 7 would be too loose!

Of course, if I could afford it, I would order custom made shoes, perhaps even by Jimmy Choo, but I'm just a wage earner and have to make do with whatever shoes I could buy off the shelf, trying to look for shoes that are most comfortable.

This explains why I hardly shop for shoes, and hate it come Chinese New Year where it's customary to wear new clothes, including shoes for the first and second day of the New Year, and IF I managed to buy a comfortable yet nice looking pair of shoes, I would be getting a couple of pairs more, in different colors!

Funnily, although I may hate shoe shopping, this doesn't stop me from browsing the web for the latest shoe trends and dream that I have a pair of feet of just the right size to fit those shoes. Don't I just envy Kim Kardashian and how she could wear six inch heels without feeling awkward? I guess that's what we call style!

Michael Jackson Jackson 5 Pullover Fetches GBP36K On eBay

Right after Michael Jackson died unexpectedly, so-called fans rushed to eBay to offload Michael Jackson memorabilia, whatever they could get their hands on of Michael Jackson lying around the house, whether they are worth anything they let the fans decide.

Well, someone did pay GBP36,000 for a Jackson 5 pullover, I have been told, though I am unable to find the listing on eBay, presumably on eBay UK. I guess this is a children's pullover since it is from Michael Jackson's Jackson 5 days, when he was still a kid.

I guess one could call this vintage clothing, since it was worn by Michael Jackson before. I wonder how someone could keep it for such a long time. But it definitely is worth the storage. One could only guess what the new owner will do with it. Frame it up?

Shop Everything Online

For those of you who have yet to try online shopping, I tell you, it is very addictive! Since I started shopping online and made my first purchase online a few years ago, I have not stopped! I love being able to browse whatever I need from the comfort of home. I get to compare prices from various merchants and only buy when I am convinced that it is the best deal.

So far, I have bought clothes, shoes, bags, accessories, watches, books, CDs and DVDs, electronics and computing parts, medication; just about everything though I have yet to buy diet pill online. I may do it on behalf of a friend later.

I think that it takes time to build the sense of security one needs when shopping online, especially shopping for the first time at a particular online store. Even so, we always need to be careful and only shop at stores that provide secure online shopping.

Kim Kardashian Opens Her Closet Again For Charity

For the second time, Kim Kardashian is opening up her closet in the name of charity. If you are a fan of hers, this is a good time to pick up some of her quality dresses or handbags. Even if you are no fan of hers, you have to admit that this lady has style.

Proceeds of this auction will go towards Dream Foundation, a non-profit organization in America that grants the wishes of adults suffering from life-limiting illnesses.

I browsed through her online store on eBay, some of her items are new, some rarely worn, and some are autographed for collectors. I would really love to grab hold of some of her dresses, except that I don't have her body and will never look good in them! Neither am I able to wear six inch heels without toppling over.

Visit Kim Kardashian’s eBay Store HERE.

Research & Compare

A friend told me that she has to start keeping fit. She has been lazy for far too long and many people have commented that she is flabby and she doesn’t like it one bit. I guess those people do not know that their honesty is not appreciated! I wouldn't want people to let me know something like this openly as well, unless the person is my best friend!

Anyway, she asked me if I know of any product that would help her. I have no experience with diet pills so I told her to do her own research, read diet pill reviews as much as possible and make the comparison herself. Letting her make her own decision is the best!

PayPal Accepts Casino Payments

Since 2002, PayPal stopped accepting payment to casinos to keep to American laws which disallows online gaming. However, this year, PayPal has allowed casinos to use PayPal as a payment processor. I guess they have gotten the green light from the American government or something.

This serves as good news to users of PayPal who are into online gaming. This is a service with over 70 million users worldwide and it surely will open a whole new business market for online casinos and gaming outlets.

A friend asked me previously if he could pay for his games via PayPal and I told him that he should use his credit card instead. I was afraid that his PayPal account would be suspended for violation of the terms of use. I think he would be happy now to know that he could start paying for his games via PayPal!