Scotty McCreery Fever Hits eBay

So the American Idol Season 10 winner has been declared and Scotty McCreery emerged victorious. In no time, enterprising eBay sellers have flooded the marketplace with memorabilia of the new American Idol from printed t-shirts to mouse pads to mobile phone covers and stickers. Obviously, this is just a small list of items that are being sold on eBay now to cash in on the new-found fame of Scotty McCreery.

After so many years monitoring eBay, I still get surprised by the business-mindedness of eBay sellers around the world and at their speed in coming up with all sorts of merchandise whenever something major comes up, like the Will & Kate wedding and then crowning of American Idol.

Well, I won't be getting anything for myself. I don't care how talented Scotty is. When it comes to being a fan, I go for the "package".

Compulsory Insurance

I just read an article about people in China easily go bankrupt after a bout of illness because they have used up all their savings on medical fees. This can get out of hand for some patients and a woman even performed a surgery on herself because she couldn't afford to go to the hospital! Isn't that horrendous?

According to the report, people in China do not earn enough to buy medical and term life insurance and this woman's case is not an uncommon incident. In fact, there are many like her and she will not be the last to suffer so.

Although this woman was sent to hospital and her medical fees will be written off the welfare of the poor in China and other countries around the world are at stake no thanks to escalating medical fees. Insurance has become compulsory to many of us.

eBay India Price Hike w.e.f. 16th June, 2011

I have been reading forums where eBay sellers in India are protesting the fee hike affecting eBay India with effect from 16th June, 2011. There was a similar hike last year in September and I think this is coming too soon for both sellers and buyers.

Final Value Fees (FVF) for most categories have increased by one to two percent. However, for SLR Camera Lenses, FVF will be reduced from 5% to 2%.

In addition, store fees and insertion fees are being increased as well, and even though I am not directly affected, I feel for the sellers. Ultimately, they are the ones who lose as buyers could always opt to shop with other stores that carry similar items but at a cheaper price.

Handicraft Business

My friend has just started a handicraft business where she will sell online and through a partnership with a store. As the days go by and my friend has more designs to offer, she is finding it difficult to keep track of her own products.

When she told me of her problem, I suggested that she look at catalog printing. Besides easily keeping track of her designs, she could also easily promote her business. Obviously, she will keep adding to her inventory but she could easily update her catalog every season.

Also, since she has a website, she should include her web address on the catalog so that interested buyers could surf her website for her latest products.

King of eBay

If you have been wondering which celebrity rules eBay with the number of items listed on auction or for sale, then wonder no more. I read an article that Elvis Presley has the most number of items listed on eBay currently, way ahead of today's pop stars Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, even if these two sensations have millions of Twitter followers, Facebook fans and viewers on their YouTube videos.

It looks like the King of Rock and Roll is also the undisputed King of eBay not only in terms of quantity but also in terms of asking price for the items. The most expensive found is a painting of Elvis surrounded by many teddy bears with a price of US$4,200,000.

Hair Loss Treatments

My cousin sent me a text message last night telling me that he is worried about losing so much hair. While it is no uncommon in men to start balding when they are in their 50s, my cousin is only in his 20s. I think it's his genes since his father started balding at quite an early age too.

My cousin asked me if I have heard of any suitable hair loss treatment for men. Well, although I have male friends, I have so far not talked about hair loss treatments with them! Maybe I should start and try to look for the information my cousin needs. But then again, hair loss could be a pretty sensitive topic, don't you think so? Maybe I should just look for the info online!

"Balding Billboard" Sells Ad Space On Bald Patch On eBay

A 26-year-old man who is suffering from stress-related alopecia has turned something negative to positive. He has already sold his first ad spot on his scalp for £215. The money was channeled to Little Princess Trust, a charity organisation that provides wigs to children suffering from hair loss through cancer treatment or even alopecia.

While some may wonder which company has no qualms advertising on someone's scalp I find this man's lateral thinking very inspiring. One must always think out of the box and it's great that he has already found an advertiser to support him, greater still that he has in turn supported a charity.

Birth Defects Of Topamax

I have just read about the FDA's alert to women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to stop taking Topamax if they have been prescribed it for the safety of their baby. Topamax is used to control epileptic seizures and treat migraine headaches but the use of this greatly increases the chance of a baby suffering from cleft lip or cleft palate. This is a devastating birth defect, obviously.

If you know of anyone who have been gravely affected by Topamax, let her know there is an on-going Topamax lawsuit where expert lawyers are assisting victims of Topamax claim compensation. These lawyers are experienced in product liability claims and they ensure that the welfare and rights of their clients come first.

For more information on the lawsuit and to seek advice, contact: O’Hanlon, McCollom & Demerath – Personal Injury Lawyers – 808 West Avenue, Austin, TX. 78701 – 512-494-9949

Email From Bank With Links

On and off, I receive email newsletter from a major foreign bank where I am a customer. I shall not disclose the name of the bank in case they come and look me up but I feel that it is an internet security boo-boo that they have included links in the email to their website.

We all know not to click on links in email even from trusted sources but banks should know not to tempt us to take the short cut and click on the links, instead of logging in to our banking account directly from our browser.

Obviously, I delete such email every time but I feel that we have to be extremely alert and not suffer from lapse in concentration otherwise, we end up clicking on the links!

Rising Cost Of Medical Care

My sister told me that her colleagues are worried about the rising cost of medical care in the country. They all come from foreign countries with various status in the country and do not qualify for a Medicare plan. My sister holds a medical insurance and even so, she claims that the premium is quite high and a financial burden.

Actually, the rising cost of medical care is a global problem and faced by everyone. It's going to reach a point where everyone must subscribe to an insurance plan. I just hope that there will be more affordable insurance plans, so that we won't be further burdened financially.

Rare Led Zeppelin T-Shirt Sold For US$10K

According to reports, an extremely rare Led Zeppelin from their August, 1979 concert in Knebworth Park has been sold for US$10,000. The winning bid has been paid by a buyer in Australia.

This t-shirt is considered rare because it doubled as a "backstage pass" to said concert and it was printed in a very limited quantity and only the "inner circle" crowd is given this backstage access in the form of a t-shirt. SIGH!

The seller says that this t-shirt was first obtained directly from the family of the company that screen printed this t-shirt. So this t-shirt is probably never worn before.

Natural Testosterone Booster That Works

I met up with my cousin recently. I feel bad that I can't see him more often since he is in college and I feel like I should take care of him since his mother passed away last year. Anyway, my cousin, who has been on the "fat" side since his primary school days, told me that he is going to make a drastic change and working on turning flab into muscle.

He told me that he's taking testosterone boosters, which surprised me. Does ha need supplements to help him build muscles? Does he need to change his body shape so quickly? Does he think that by taking supplements, he doesn't need to work hard at the gym? If he needs supplements, I'd rather he takes a natural testosterone booster instead.

Some people think that a natural product wouldn't work as well but I think that it's just a matter of spending time trying out different products until one finds the product that works. If you know of any, do let me know.

Young Working Adults Worry About Loan Repayment

Young adults in Malaysia, especially those who are still new in the employment market, are worried about loan repayment, even though they think that the "My First Home" scheme is a great way to encourage property ownership in the young. Obviously, one of the main factors that caused this worry is the rising cost of living and the stagnant paycheck.

You know what? Even though I have been working for a while now, I still have this fear of loan repayments. I fear that I may not be able to earn and hence, cannot service my loan. Time flies quickly and before we know it, it's the end of the month and a stack of bills has piled up, including our loan repayment. And that's not cheap, you know?

So even if the Government has good intentions by providing this “My First Home” scheme, I really do not see how someone who earns less than RM3000 monthly could undertake to pay at least RM1000 in loan repayments monthly.

Cosmetology Education

My sister told me that she is afraid of being retrenched. Working in a beauty salon but without any beauty qualification, I can understand that she feels that her job is not secure enough, even though her boss has reassured her that she appreciates a hard worker like my sister, despite her lack of beauty qualification.

I think I will ask my sister to check out Columbia beauty school or another campus closer to where she lives, that is run by Regency Beauty Institute because it is possibly the best beauty institute in the country currently.

I know that my sister will claim that she does not have time to further her studies but in a bid to improve herself, she really need to make some sacrifices, right?

This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com or contact Regency Beauty Institute – 260T Harbison Boulevard – Columbia, SC 29212

Autographed Lady Antebellum Strawberry-Shaped Guitar On eBay For Charity

If you play the guitar, or if you are a collector of guitars, this is one you should be having your eyes on! This is an autographed Lady Antebellum guitar that is strawberry-shaped that the band used to play at the recent Florida Strawberry Festival.

Well, even if you are no fan of guitars, even custom-made guitars, this one would make great Lady Antebellum memorabilia. OK, I can't for the life of me figure why Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott named their band thus. It's quite a mouthful, isn't it?

Anyway, auction for this custom-made strawberry-shaped autographed Lady Antebellum guitar will close on 15th May, 2011. All proceeds go to Redlands Christian Migrant Association, an organisation which helps farm workers and the rural poor.

Online Printing Made Easy

Running a small home-based business, there are occasions that I need to give away my business card. That's not often but when I visit trade fairs, I could be giving away cards by the hundreds! So I usually print in bulk. Initially, I have my business cards printed by a local printer here but I later found out that it's easier and even cheaper to print my cards online.

This actually came through a recommendation by my friend who told me that he saved a lot of time and money thanks to Online Printing. Truly, once I have experienced the ease of custom printing online myself, I am definitely going to print all my other business material online too.

Custom printing services could be an expensive affair but with my1stop.com, not only is it easy, it's affordable too. Obviously, if you are printing in bulk, you can save even more money. As the saying goes, a penny saved is a penny earned.

As an owner of a small online retail store, I have contemplated offering gift cards but the thought of printing gift cards was at first very daunting. I was afraid of the high cost, making my business no longer viable. However, I have just discovered that my1stop.com offers cheap Gift Card Printing so I will be working, and working fast, on my design of the gift cards and work out the values that I would like to offer for them.

Also, I got to know that a trade fair is coming up in a couple of months and I may participate in it. Getting a booth is just the first step of preparing for my participation. I need to get my banner and flyer printed too. Luckily, now I know that my1stop.com is able to do that quickly and cheaply. So it looks like banner and Flyer Printing is not longer a problem. There's one less worry for me!

Royal Wedding Blanket On Auction For Charity

A blanket that was signed by a lot of media representatives who covered the royal wedding on 29th April, 2011 between prince William and Kate Middleton, who are now known as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, has bene put up on auction, with proceeds going to charity. Broadcasters who signed the blanket include Sharon Osbourne, Fearne Cotton, Philip Schofield and Jennie Bond.

I know that many of us are suffering from post royal wedding depression but to buy a blanket like this that is only slightly relevant to the royal wedding of the century, one must be pretty desperate already even if it's for charity. LOL At this point of writing, I have no idea how this royal wedding blanket looks like but then again, who's interested?

Taking Business Up One Level

A friend of mine started a new business venture in January this year. However, after only four months, he told me that he felt as if his business is "stuck". I think he may have lost enthusiasm. Running a business demands 101% commitment. It could be tiring at times but we have to keep pushing especially when the rewards are not forthcoming as quickly as we have hoped.

When I heard him out, I believe what he needs is Change management software, something effective that could help him move a level up. It's not easy but with something intuitive like this change management software, he would be able to easily see what is wrong with his business and what solutions he could adopt.

Early intervention is required here and I believe he could easily do it by running the change management software.

Mother's Day Is This Sunday

I just got a shock when I realise that Mother's Day is this Sunday. A few days ago, a couple of friends who came back to Malaysia on business, told me that they are taking the opportunity to celebrate Mother's Day. Still, in my mind, Mother Day was still a couple of weeks ago. I forgot that 1st May was Sunday too, hence Mother's Day seems a long way to go.

Oh well, like the many Mother's Day in the past, I am shopping for a Mother's Day gift at the last minute again. Duh... don't I ever learn? And once again, I am scratching my head what I should buy? Should I take the easy way out and give cash, my mom's favourite gift?

Laptop Or Tablet For Dad

My dad has been asking for a laptop but I think he should use a tablet instead because he is not savvy with computers at all. Laptops are just as complicated. Tablets are a lot simpler for a senior citizen, I think.

At the same time, I would like to get a laptop for myself. I don't need a really high performance one since I just need it for word processing and to get online. I don't play graphic intensive games. Based on my budget, my friend recommended a couple of compaq laptops.

I've never used Compaq before so I will need some time to go through the different models and to read up on feedback on Compaq laptops. I hope to get these devices by next month, though.

More Shoppers Shop Online Via Smart Phones

I read in the papers that as more and more people begin using smart phones, more and more people are feeling comfortable shopping online through their smart phones.

No doubt, smart phones are very nifty and the screen is large but I don't feel safe using my phone to shop online as I prefer to use my desktop computer. Since I carry my mobile phone with me everywhere, I prefer not to have my sensitive information stored on the phone because it could get misplaced or stolen.

Call me old-fashioned but one can't be too careful these days. Sony's PlayStation Network was hacked this week and it was reported that 77 MILLION subscriber accounts were compromised. Isn't that scary???