Building Rapport With Potential Customers With A Blog

As a netpreneur, I first started blogging because I know the importnace of it as a marketing tool to reach out to my potential customers. My blog is set up and written hoping that it would make my readers take an action, which is to buy the merchandise that I put up for sale.

Even after quite a few years, I am still just a small timer, unfortunately, and many of the things that I do are done on a trial and error basis. Some of them work and some of them do not. If you are running a serious business and hope to fill the virtual void in reaching out to more people, you have to read what Doug Williams have to say about blogging on the National News Today.

Doug Williams is a business blogging expert who has many expert tips on business blogging to help businesses create an opportunity for their potential customers to take an action that would bring benefit to the business, whether it is to buy or even just to request for information.

If you are looking for web marketing tips that work instead of going by trial and error like I did, you should read the business articles that Doug Williams has so kindly shared with us. Reading what he has to say and implementing it would sure save you plenty of time, money and resources.

Malkolm Poyer and His Creative Short Story On eBay

Meet Malkolm Poyer. This little guy here is amazing, I tell you. He's only nine years old and is already selling his short story on eBay for US$10 each, autographed, mind you. Yes, he is already a published author at nine!

Proceeds from the sale of his story on eBay will go towards paying for his heart surgery, which he has undergone successfully. The cost of that, even with insurance, is probably a bomb and I think that it's amazing that Malkolm, at only 9, understands it and wants to help his parents out. eBayers have been tremendously supportive and according to an article, it has already sold 300 copies!

Luna, the title of the short story, was actually written by Malkolm recently at school and has entered it into the yearly writing competition. Well, good luck in winning!

Streamlining Work

A friend told me that he is so busy, he doesn't even have time for his meals, especially at the end of the month where there would be so many deadlines to meet all at the same time.

Sometimes, I feel extremely lucky to be working from home at my own pace where the deadlines I have to meet at set by myself and extended generously until I am able to meet them. LOL I know, that's bad but at least I don't stress myself out.

My friend should look for a project management software that would help him in managing his projects better and streamline his work. I mean, how long can he go on like this, right? My friend should make use of technology to help him work more efficiently.

Zynga Is PayPal's 2nd Largest Merchant

PayPal has confirmed the rumour that Zynga is growing bigger by the day by declaring that the developer of social gaming is now the second largest merchant, second only after eBay. Well, eBay being the number one merchant for PayPal is certainly not surprising but Zynga being second, has certainly surprised many.

According to reports, Zynga is doing well over US$1 million of revenue a day, which is a whole lot of money and a whole lots of foolish people who are trading in their real money for virtual currency!

There's no denying that Zynga is highly popular on social networks, especially Facebook. I have to admit that I play quite a few games by Zynga on Facebook too and it is going to be tough to look for a regular Facebook user who doesn't play one Zynga game. Most of us play several but I am not someone who would use real money to buy virtual money but it is a wise move to bring in PayPal as a payment processor on Facebook. I have to admit that I was tempted to use PayPal to do just what I said I wouldn't do! LOL

Ringgit Hits 19-Month High

That's certainly bad news for many of us who are making foreign money but for those of us who are spending money overseas, that's good news.

After an amazing run that saw the Ringgit being traded at 3.2920 to the Dollar on March 12th, 2010, it slipped a little on concerns that China will tighten lending curbs to stem inflation. This move will temper the growth in Asian exports. China is Malaysia's biggest export market since January this year, overtaking Singapore.

Is a stronger Ringgit good news or bad news for you? Personally, I have funds moving both ways but I still prefer the Dollar to be stronger since I spend less overseas than I earn!

Doubling Sales In One Year

As a self-employed person running my small retail business, I am sometimes glad, after listening to my friends lament about the pressure they face at work trying to meet sales quota, that I do not have such pressures and I set my own quota as I like. I know that's bad but after reading an article on National News Today on how to double sales in one year, I am going to share with my friends. I believe this is helpful to everyone not only in the sales industry but also in other businesses and life in general.

According to Chet Holmes, America's greatest sales executive, in his book The Ultimate Sales Machine (Portfolio), most people do not know what are the stumbling blocks that prevent their business from growing.

Chet Holmes will ask his client what they think those stumbling blocks are and work on them one by one to make the company operate in a more efficient way. Chet encourages managers to take an hour a week to hold a meeting with staff to identify problems that they have come across and addressing them as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if it's just a trivial issue. If it comes up at the meeting, it means that the issue, though trivial, is affecting someone.

Chet Holmes International has an excellent track record in helping business clients improve the operations of their company by imparting expert advice. Companies that have followed through with this exercise of putting aside an hour a week have seen double sales within just one year. Imagine the tremendous growth potential each company has if it adopts this plan.

Losing Out On Credit Card Reward Points

My friend told me that he was really pissed off the other day when after carting $1200 worth of goods to the cashier and intending to pay for them with his RHB credit card to collect reward points, the credit card processor was not able to read his card and rejected it. My friend holds a couple of credit cards but at that point, he only had one card with him so he had no choice but to proceed with his purchase with cash.

Before paying with cash, my friend called up the customer service of RHB Bank to ask why his credit card was rejected and was told that his account was in good standing and there was no record to show that there was an attempt to charge his card. This means, according to the customer service person, the processor was not able to make a connection to the server and told my friend to get in touch with the processor which in this case, was EON Bank.

My friend said that he is the customer of RHB Bank and not EON Bank and RHB should contact EON Bank to find out what is wrong. My friend isn't an EON Bank customer so how could he call up to ask?

This is just one of the latest episodes that my friend thinks that RHB sucks and he will be applying for another credit card with another bank soon.

Needing A Break And An All Inclusive Caribbean Vacation Sounds Awesome

All my friends think that I am very lucky to work from home without a superior breathing down my neck all the time. However, being self-employed, I drive myself pretty hard and sometimes, I feel like I must get away from it all, though I never do. Well, not yet anyway. Lately, a thought has been crossing my mind about going on a all inclusive Caribbean vacation. A friend suggested that to me, actually, and it comes highly recommended from her.

Honestly, I have never been on all inclusive caribbean vacations before but that sounds awesome. i love the fact that I could just pack my bags and GO and just leave everything behind. I have to keep reminding myself that the world will still turn even though I may not be around. Nobody is indispensable, anyway, right?

Some of my friends, though, are discouraging me from going on a beach vacation because I come from a coastal town and have seen my fair share of beaches already but I don’t think that our beaches are the same. They couldn’t be!

I don’t know why I have this mindset that the farther away I am from home, the more enjoyable my vacation will be. I have been looking at all inclusive beach resorts and hope that one day, I will be able to bring myself to splash on an exotic vacation like this. As a single person, it could be quite awkward if I were to go alone, wouldn’t it? Let’s hope that the day will come soon enough when I have a large enough budget to go on such a vacation with the just right person. It would definitely be a dream vacation.

A Frenzy On eBay With Tiger Woods' Return To Golf

With the announcement that Tiger Woods would be returning to professional golfing at the Masters Tournament at Augusta, Georgia, which will be played during the week of Monday, April 5 through Sunday, April 11, enterprising people have been cashing in on the frenzy by selling tickets to the tournament on eBay.

According to the website of Augusta, practice rounds tickets are already sold out but fret not. You can surely find them on eBay, mostly in packages, but only if you are willing to pay many times above the face value of the tickets. Like with celebrities who have died suddenly, these people are going to make the best out of the situation. Tiger Woods is still alive but with his return, it's like a return from death, career wise.

If I have a ticket to the Masters, you bet I would let it go on eBay too.

Submitting A Claim

As a former civil servant, my mother draws a monthly pension and qualifies for free medical services at public hospitals. However, my mother, who currently suffers from joint pain and undergoes physiotherapy twice monthly has been prescribed with a certain joint supplement drink that she has to buy at a private pharmacy.

According to my mother, one box contains 30 sachets that would last for one month. She said that it's very expensive and since she should have her medical bills taken care of, she has submitted a claim for reimbursement from the Government.

I don't know if my mother would be able to receive her reimbursement but I hope her claim would be successful. Joint care is long term it would be a financial burden for us if we have to pay for her supplements.

Deaf Woman Sues eBay For Violation of Disability Laws

A deaf woman, Melissa Earll, is taking eBay to court for violating disability laws with their phone verification system in place which caused her to not able to register herself with the website as a seller. Melissa has plans to sell rare books on eBay that she has collected over the years.

However, since 2008, she has been trying to register with eBay and couldn't verify herself over the phone. Melissa also alleges that she had reached out to eBay with her predicament and was told that there is not other way to get her verified but through the phone and she was told that she could get a hearing person to help her out with that.

Melissa Earll thought that it was not a solution at all and in fact felt offended but that suggestion because she lives alone. She thought that it was demeaning to have to get someone else to help.

It would be interesting to see how this lawsuit would turn out. I am sure that with a web company that's over ten years, there had been plenty of people with various forms of disabilities using the website.

Pill Or Cream

My uncle told me that he has been put on testosterone replacement and he has to take one small pill a day which he keeps forgetting. He is also not very comfortable taking "chemicals" as he put it. Well, most men around his age would be going through the same thing, I consoled.

I thought that if he is not comfortable popping pills, he could try one of the many testosterone creams available. They are still just effective and since he doesn't like "chemicals", he could opt for only all-natural testosterone creams.

Of course, I suggested that he seek his doctor's advice first before buying it to replace his pills even though these are sold over the counter. I don’t want to be blamed if anything goes wrong, you know?

Believing In Your Own Product

As a small time retailer, I believe that I should believe in my own products. I use them all the time as a way of promoting them to people I come across with. That's actually a very good form of advertising and free too.

I have a friend who is a sales person of Honda cars and I think it is so wrong of him to drive a Hyundai! A car is something that the public see us it and if you are selling Honda cars but not even driving it yourself, how effective could your salesmanship be?

This logic actually applies to whatever product that we are selling. Whether it's a car, weight loss or deep wrinkle treatment products, if we, the seller, don't even believe in it, how can we convince potential buyers to do so?

Pieces of Corey Haim On eBay

It saddens me to read about the sudden death of Corey Haim. He was a pinup boy when I was growing up. Even though he was no longer as hot as he used to be, at least i did have fond memories of him. That was the time when I think nothing of spending tens of dollars buying glossy magazines with posters of young stars like Corey Haim.

Corey Haim's death is still currently under investigation but police said that it's possibly linked to a massive illegal drug ring that "prescribes" drugs to celebrities using stolen doctor's pads, or even issued by fake doctors. Corey looks like just the latest victim of this ring.

Corey Haim is said to be so down and out that his friend is going to put most of his personal belongings on eBay to help defray the cost of his funeral. It is expensive because the family wishes to transport his body back to Toronto, Canada, his hometown.

While I think that only die hard fans of Corey Haim would grab whatever that's out up for sale, I think that Corey's artwork may worth something sometime in the future. With art, one can never tell.

An Employer's Market

I met up with my friend, Jason, over tea a couple of days ago and he told me that he is still unemployed. I feel kind of sad for him because even though it is an employer's right now, I believe that if one is not choosy, one could still secure a job but for him, he is two years from retirement age and this is the age that most companies do not want to invest in training a new employee.

At his age, frankly, if he had been prudent previously whilst he was drawing a five figure monthly salary, he could retire comfortably now already. Of course, he must do some smart investments over the years too but so far, it looks like he still has to earn his keep, unfortunately.

Anyway, while he is still jobless, I will continue to help him browse through job placement websites. Hopefully, I could find something suitable for him.

Copyright Infringement On Umbro

Lelong.my again had to remind us sellers of infringement of copyright on Umbro, whether by using the logo or brand name if we are not selling an authentic Umbro product.

I guess with the FIFA World Cup coming up in the summer, the company, which is actually a subsidiary of Nike, is becoming more stringent as people cash in on the craze for sportswear during this time.

I remember when I was still schooling, my friends and I were using Umbro sports bags as school bags. Thinking back, I have no idea if those were real Umbro bags but we knew that Umbro is "branded". I don't know what happened to my bag anymore but it's no big loss if it's imitation.

Ordering High Quality Custom Labels

My friend, Stevie, thinks he has a great idea for a product but he's not telling me what product he has in mind in case I copied it. I think it's rather funny that he asks for my input in almost everything even though I have no clue what product he intends to produce and market!

From what I can tell, though, it sounds like a bottled sauce because he is looking for a designer to come up with ideas for an eye-catching label and make Custom Printed Labels. Stevie asked if I could help him look for a designer and a high quality printer.

I remember a friend telling me about the Custom Labels that he ordered before and was very satisfied with the quality of the labels. He said that getting a Custom Label for a product could be a tad costly but it's well-worth the price.

I came across a company, Data Graphics Inc., that could print all kinds of custom labels from in whatever colorful design and the best thing is the quality of their prints.

The Bachelor Jason Mesnick Auctions Off Wedding Memorabilia

It's as if winning a wife via The Bachelor TV reality show and getting his wedding paid for by ABC and other sponsors and televised live on TV aren't enough, Jason Mesnick and his new wife, Molly Malaney, are auctioning off their wedding memorabilia on eBay. According to Jason, proceeds from these auctions will go towards his own charitable organization called Project Parachute that awards childcare scholarships to needy working single parents.

Anyway, if you are expecting any glam merchandise, don't. The only items worthy of noting are Jason's Jorg Gray 6500 Chronograph Commemorative Edition watch and Molly's Neil Lane diamond pendant.

However, it seems kind of "strange" that in this photo that was taken from their eBay listing, Molly is auctioning off the diamond pendant that is exactly the same one that she's wearing!

Bad Drinking Habit

You know, coming from a family of teetotalers, I cannot understand what is so nice about drinking or even smoking. These two usually go hand in hand, if you notice. i usually tell my friends to stop drinking and smoking but they tell me that I don't understand the stress they go through at work. Well, if they can't stop, at least they should reduce. I also advised these friends to take a cab on their night out instead of driving themselves.

I have a friend who is always notoriously drunk that it's totally embarrassing to be with him whenever he drinks. Those who do not know him would be surprised to know that he's actually highly educated and draw a huge paycheck but I guess alcohol is his weakness and he has no control over it at all.

I told him that he shouldn't go drinking alone since he is always drunk so badly he had no memory of the things he had said or done at all. To list them out would be too long but I am planning to video record all his actions to try to get him to get a grip of his drinking habit. I told him that even the best Massachusetts OUI Lawyer would not be able to help him if he gets into an accident after a drinking bout and he should find a trusted friend, ideally someone who doesn't drink, to accompany him and send him home.

*** This post has been sponsored.

CIMB Go For Gold Promotion

CIMB is running a promotion from 1st Feb to 31st May 2010 where by each deposit of RM1000 in any CIMB deposit account will qualify as one entry to the Go For Gold contest.

The grand prize of this contest is one 1kg gold bar while there will be ten first prizes of a Gold Coast holiday for two worth RM15,000. There will be ten second prizes of a gold voucher worth RM5,000 each and there will be fifty monthly prizes of a gold voucher worth RM1,000 each.

I haven't decided if I am going to participate in this contest because I never seem to have the luck to win anything but I am very interested to try winning the 1kg gold bar. That's a pretty hefty weight. LOL

Out of curiosity, I checked the current value of this bar of gold since the price of gold has risen so much in the past few months and lo and behold, it's approximately RM133,000! That's a lot of money to win and a great return on investment if one has the luck to win it by just depositing RM1000 for a minimum of one month! Are you going for gold??

Preparing For MATTA Fair

A friend, who runs a travel and tours company, told me that he is planning to participate in MATTA Fair this year. It's the largest travel fair in the country but he said that he will only participate at state level because he doesn't have such a big promotional budget. This is his first year participating in this fair and he says that if sales are encouraging, he would do it annually.

As a new exhibitor, my friend is starting everything from scratch from looking for printers for his promotional brochures and banners to hiring temporary staff and training them. MATTA Fair is still awhile yet but he says that he is starting his preparation early. My friend says he would be getting quality full colour Banner stands as these are very eye-catching and would attract the crowd.

I don’t know how much my friend is prepared to invest in banner stands alone but Colour Graphics (UK) has a great selection of high quality banner designs at an attractive price of £199 each only.

Of course, my friend wouldn’t just depend on my recommendation because he is a hands-n person and would want to do his own research and comparison first but I guess the bottom line is how much he can compromise on quality versus price.

*** This post has been sponsored.

Public Bank Online Shopping Portal

A friend brought this to my attention since I don't shop at Public Bank's e-mall. He said that shopping with credit or debit card, he gets to enjoy 10% discount off his purchases but this 10% is not only applicable for Public Bank credit and debit cards but also for credit cards from other credit card issuers.

My friend thinks that it doesn't make sense. Although he understands that Public Bank wants business for the online shopping portal, it is not giving their own customers more incentive to shop at the eCommerce site compared to other credit card holders.

I have to agree that Public Bank should offer better incentives to their own customers and not offer 10% discount across the board. Sure they can solicit business from credit card holders from other issuers but they should make it more attractive for us to hold their credit and debit cards. Don't you think so too?

Mutual Trust Or Gold

I asked my friend if I should invest in Mutual Trust. I know that it cannot always be trusted but I have heard from friends who are investors that they are very satisfied with the dividend twice a year.

My friend told me that since I do not have time to monitor my investment, I should just buy gold coins since it's a clean cut long term investment that requires the least maintenance. I don't even have to "top up" my capital if I don't want to.

I thought that the price of gold has gone up pretty high already but since the Dollar is getting weaker and is expected to fall even further through 2010, much to my chagrin, gold is benefiting from it and I should jump on it too. Hhmm looks like I have to give this serious consideration.

Ringgit Expected To Strengthen Further In 2010

According to analysts, the Ringgit is expected to strengthen further in 2010 compared to the US Dollar on the back of higher bank interest rates and an improved economy. Of course, this is barring any unforeseen global economic distress that would entirely shift these projections.

As a self-employed person whose partial income is foreign sourced, this doesn’t augur well for me, and I don’t like it one bit. The weaker the Ringgit is, the better it is for me and my friends who are in the same boat as I am.

Analysts are saying that the Ringgit will go up as high as 3.30 to the USD by the end of the year. Oh, I don't know. The importer in my likes a stronger Ringgit but the freelancer in me does not! I still hope that the Ringgit will be 3.80... but that's just wishful thinking!

Missed Opportunity

My sister told me that as long as home foreclosures continue to rise, she continues to feel jittery. She took out a thirty-year home loan a few years back and there is still a long way to go. However, she said that as long as she and her husband are able to hold on to their jobs, they should be fine.

Although the economy has been pretty battered these past few years, I think that it is on the road to recovery already. It may take some time but it should be better by the end of the year. It's too bad that I haven't saved up enough money yet to purchase a home. I thought that I should catch this economic downturn to secure a low priced property but I guess I have missed this opportunity.

I don't know how long I have to wait for the next economic downturn to come around again. By then, hopefully, I have enough savings!

eBay Goes To Czech Republic

eBay has a new sister site up targeting Czech Republic people with a half-translated website launched on 23rd February, 2010 and is expected to be fully in the local language, and offering PayPal in Czech language by the end of March.

At the rate that eBay expanded over the past ten years, I am surprised that it is not already all over the world. Anyway, it looks like there are still many uncharted territories as eBay has expressed its intention to launch similar foreign language websites for Russia, Greece, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.

Whether eBay will be successful in challenging a homegrown auction marketplace remains to be seen but at least, it has created extra jobs and by bringing eBay to a country, it has brought along a multitude of products to the locals and at prices that may not be possible to obtain locally.

I remember how exciting it was for us when eBay came to Malaysia a few years ago. I bet that people in these countries are just as excited too!

Gift Ideas For Birthday Boys

I received an invitation from an old friend to attend the birthday of her twin boys. I actually never attend such events before because I just feel so out of place in childrens' birthday parties since I am single. However, I feel like I have to make an exception this time because of our many years of friendship.

I have been thinking over the past week what kind of gifts I could buy for the birthday boys. I don't know them at all so I really cannot tell what they would like. I'd like to just give them gift certificates to a toy store or something but that will not be memorable. I prefer to buy something tangible.

Perhaps I could get the boys Baseball Gloves for kids. As far as I could tell, they don't play baseball but they could always start, couldn't they? Maybe they will grow to love the sport later.

Actually, I really have no idea the kind of gifts that would be appropriate for boys their age but it's a good thing that they are twins so I only have to come up with one gift idea and buy both of them the same item, perhaps just in different colors!

*** This post has been sponsored.

30-Year Stolen Diamond Ring Found On eBay

It's amazing the stuff that turns up on eBay because the most important thing that sellers have learned is to never assume what buyers want.

A woman in California by the name of Darva Campbell had her diamond ring, a family heirloom, stolen 30 years ago. Imagine how she spent the past 30 years just searching for it online and in stores, buying a diamond ring after another but nothing looks like the one that she was entrusted with.

According to Darva, she never told her mother about the lost diamond ring. I can just imagine how difficult it has been for her keeping it a secret especially in family reunions throughout these years!

It's really heartwarming to know that the old diamond ring finally turned up on eBay and Darva managed to catch the auction, and she secured her bid by bidding five times the value of the ring. The seller must have thought Darva was a joybidder or something! LOL

Family Day Event

My friend, Terrence, asked me for ideas as he has been selected in organize a family day event for his company. His company organizes such events for employees and their families occasionally. I understand it is to help them build rapport and a chance to let them get to know each other outside of the office.

Terrence said his mind is blank since he has never done such things before. I can't help him much since I don't work there but I thought that it would be fun to run some mini games for the kids with prizes up for grabs. If they have a space large enough, they could even hold a baseball game for kids. Of course, Terrence would have to provide junior Baseball Equipment for them and it may be a hassle for him unless he buys everything new but I think that as long as they have fun, it would be worth it.

I am not sure if Terrence will take up my suggestions since I too have no experience organizing such family day events but I do hope that Terrence will get sufficient budget from his company to organize a really fun-filled day which everyone will enjoy, with or without baseball for the children.

*** This post has been sponsored.

Free eBay AdCommerce $50 Credit

eBay wrote an email to me offering free eBay AdCommerce credit worth US$50 if I were to sign up to AdCommerce before 15th march, 2010. All new accounts will receive this free credit to enable us to try out their advertising service. This credit, though, is only valid until 31st March, 2010 and there are other terms attached to it. Nothing is totally free, after all.

Anyway, eBay has changed the way sponsored links are displayed. Perhaps it is now an even better way to "make" eBay browsers click on those links. I don't totally agree with the way people are "tricked" into clicking but that's how this part of online advertising works.

I am not certain if this credit is only offered to users of eBay USA, or Malaysia or any other eBay websites but I know that it’s only offered to NEW AdCommerce accounts so if you do not have an AdCommerce account yet, perhaps it is a good time to try it out this month.

Creative Interior Designing & Style

My friend, Paul, who is an architect-cum-contractor, told me that he has plans to set up a new division in his company to take care of interior designing for his clients. He said that he is studying interior design now. I thought that he was joking.

Paul must be thinking that interior design is simple or perhaps he thinks that he's Superman or something. How can one man possibly take on all the tasks from designing a building to building it to furnishing it? I know he has staff to follow through but it's simply unrealistic but specialize in so many different fields.

I was browsing through the website of CharlesNeal Interiors and although it doesn't look too difficult arranging different things together in a room to create a unique setting, it certainly isn't easy either. I know I wouldn't be able to come up with something warm and unique even though I have read quite a few interior design magazines.

I told Paul that he should just forget about doing interior design himself and collaborate with an established designer instead since it would take him years to reach a certain level of professionalism in interior designing! That would be more practical, wouldn’t it?

Family Fun Fitness Stadium Events

This is getting more and more ridiculous by the day. If you don't know what I mean, I am talking about the collectible video game market. Just a few days ago, a sealed copy of Stadium Events, an extremely rare NES game sold for US$41,300. Everyone was shocked to say the least. Collectors are known to be a crazy bunch of people but to splash US$41,300 on just a copy of video game no matter how rare it is, if this isn't craziness at its extreme, I don't know what is.

Now, a "sealed" copy of Stadium Events, sold for an astounding US$800,200 on eBay. All of us are shocked but at the same time, we are wondering if this is a legitimate sale. Who would want to pay such a price knowing that the same game sold for "only" US$41,300 a few days ago? Fever, ah?

Anyway, those of us from the old days of NES are surely rummaging our basement now looking for whatever old video games in out collection that are still sealed. Perhaps it would bring us a small fortune!

Moving Out Of The Nest

Warren told me that he is very excited because he is finally moving out of the nest later this month. I guess his parents are happier since this is the day all parents look forward to but Warren didn't want to do so until he gets married, and boy is he marrying late!

Warren is a very weird guy in the sense that he placed everything in his room so that he could still "survive" even if he does not go out of it for a week. Can you imagine, there are even two sets of refrigerators in his room! Now he tells me that it's quite a hassle to move everything to his new home and he may have to leave some items behind, hold a garage sale or even give some of them away, which I know he wouldn't want to do unless he has no choice.

I joked that he would require the services of a large Boston Moving Company to help him with the task of moving and he isn't even moving too far from his family home. Still, it would be good to live separately from his parents and with his own house, he no longer has to chuck everything into his room!

*** This post has been sponsored.

Win eBay Premiums

If you are a Malaysian eBayer, perhaps you would be interested to know there are quite a few eBay premiums up for grabs. Of course, this isn't a matter of something for nothing as you will be required to post on the forum of eBay Malaysia at the "eBay Malaysia One Million Posts" thread.

Of course, we are still a long way to go to reach a million posts so there are occasionally premiums and gifts up for grabs to encourage eBayers in Malaysia to participate in idle chat.

eBay premiums that are available to be won include eBay calculators, eBay tote bags, eBay t-shirts and eBay folders. Are you interested yet? If so, just head over to this One Million Posts thread and start chatting! It doesn’t matter if you win or not. The most important thing is to have a good time.

Greener Pastures

A friend just sent me bad news that he has lost his job. It's a new month and some companies have changes like these. I feel bad for him but he said that he is not afraid of losing his job. He is confident that he is able to support himself. I guess being single and the fact that his parents do not need his financial support he doesn't feel the pressure as much as a breadwinner would.

In any case, Thomas told me that he plans to move his personal belongings back to his parents' house so that when he is forced to vacant his current rented home in the city if he is not able to service the monthly rental, it would be easier to just up and leave.

Thomas has no idea which moving company to engage since it has been years since he moved anywhere though the last time he moved, he used a Boston Moving Company and did not have any negative experience with them and I am afraid that he may think that all moving companies have the same standard or level of service!

Oh well, I too have not used any local movers before but I guess I could help him ask around.

*** This post has been sponsored.

Batman In Record Comic Sale

Batman has created a record in an auction of comic book when Detective Comics #37 became the first comic book to sell for more than a million dollars at $1.075 million beating Superman that sold at US$1 million just three days prior to this. Last year, the same copy of Superman sold for "only" US$317,000. That's an incredible investment, if you ask me!

It looks like people with money are investing more into collectibles from comics to memorabilia especially in this market condition but to me, a million grand is a crazy amount of money to buy a pile of "papers" even if it was the issue that Batman or Superman first appeared in! Who cares about superheroes anymore? Apparent, there are plenty of people who do!