I think its a pretty creative way to showcase the clothing as well...if you are in the retail biz for baby's clothing
These are a couple of cute ones that i like.
Little Red Riding Hood
Gone Fishing
Mary Poppins
Showing posts with label Random Stuff. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random Stuff. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Mila's Daydreams
I just adored these whimsical pics from this blog "Mila's daydreams". Its 'a mother's peek into her little baby girl's dreams as the little one takes her nap.
I think its a pretty creative way to showcase the clothing as well...if you are in the retail biz for baby's clothing
These are a couple of cute ones that i like.
Gone Fishing
I think its a pretty creative way to showcase the clothing as well...if you are in the retail biz for baby's clothing
These are a couple of cute ones that i like.
Gone Fishing
Friday, October 8, 2010
Home-made Cotton Candy
Cotton candy makes me happy. I have always have such fond childhood memories of having those freshly made cotton candy in lovely hues of pink and blue that you can get from those amusement parks and night markets. They used to be so huge that i had my fingers and cheeks covered with sticky residue, which calls for some tongue twisting and finger licking moments as i tried to clean them off. Nic haven't really enjoyed one. The last time i got her one, Mike got pretty OCD about the sticky fingers and the hair getting into the Cotton Candy.Well, guess what i found....Ta Dah..Nostalgia Electronics Hard Candy Cotton Candy Maker. Yes, you can now spin cotton candy from hard candy or sugar free candy from the comfort of your home. I thought this is a pretty cute gadget, and its in pink :)
If only I do not need to watch my sugar intake....
The Hard Candy Cotton Candy Maker is available here.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
OCBC Ad - A Nightmare for Bank Tellers
Remember the OCBC advertisement with the lil girl wanting to surprise her mum on her bday but OCBC surprises her with a cake instead?
This person actually took it for real & demanded a cake from them on her bday.
Its a funny read:
ttp://kitchentigress.blogspot.com/2010/01/ocbcs-birthday-cake.html
Sunday, May 10, 2009
aww, look: Parents of the Year
The Parents of the Year has got to go these parents in Melbourne
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/parents-fail-to-realise-son-missing/2008/12/22/1229794320089.html
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/parents-fail-to-realise-son-missing/2008/12/22/1229794320089.html
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
YouTube - The Mom Song
Happy Mother's Day for all mummies reading this...I am sure you can relate to this song ;)
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Sixty Uses of Salt
This is one of those forwarded emails that i got from a friend. Thought it is a very useful information so i would like to post it here to share.
“Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food.
The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn’t realize :-
1. If you drop a whole egg on the floor, pour salt all over the egg, let it sit for awhile, then use dustpan, the egg will come right up, without all that mess. Contributed by Ms. Jerry McGinnis.
2. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.
3. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.
4. Soak fish in salt water before decaling; the scales will come off easier.
5. Put a few grains of rice in your saltshaker for easier pouring.
6. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.
7. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.
8. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.
9. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.
10. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.
11. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won’t stick.
12. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.
13. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.
14. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.
15. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.
16. Boil clothes pins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.
17. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour
18. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.
19. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.
20. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.
21. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.
22. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.
23. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make stiff putty.
24. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.
25. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.
26. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.
27. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
28. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
29. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.
30. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for a while.
31. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.
32. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.
33. Soak your clothesline in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.
34. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.
35. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.
36. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.
37. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.
38. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.
39. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.
40. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.
41. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.
42. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.
43. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.
44. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.
45. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.
46. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
47. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.
48. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.
49. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odour.
50. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.
51. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.
52. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.
53. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later..
54. Remove offensive odours from stove with salt and cinnamon.
55. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.
56. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.
57. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.
58. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don’t want grass growing.
59. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.
60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won’t smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.“
“Although you may not realize it, simple table salt has a great number of uses other than simply seasoning your food.
The following list will give you sixty uses of salt, many of which you probably didn’t realize :-
1. If you drop a whole egg on the floor, pour salt all over the egg, let it sit for awhile, then use dustpan, the egg will come right up, without all that mess. Contributed by Ms. Jerry McGinnis.
2. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.
3. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.
4. Soak fish in salt water before decaling; the scales will come off easier.
5. Put a few grains of rice in your saltshaker for easier pouring.
6. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.
7. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.
8. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.
9. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.
10. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.
11. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won’t stick.
12. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.
13. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.
14. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.
15. Soak your nuts in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.
16. Boil clothes pins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.
17. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour
18. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.
19. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.
20. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.
21. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.
22. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.
23. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make stiff putty.
24. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.
25. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.
26. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.
27. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.
28. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.
29. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.
30. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for a while.
31. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.
32. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.
33. Soak your clothesline in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.
34. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.
35. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.
36. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.
37. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.
38. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.
39. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.
40. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.
41. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.
42. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.
43. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.
44. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.
45. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.
46. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.
47. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.
48. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.
49. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odour.
50. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.
51. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.
52. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.
53. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later..
54. Remove offensive odours from stove with salt and cinnamon.
55. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.
56. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts alcohol.
57. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.
58. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don’t want grass growing.
59. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.
60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice. The mess won’t smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.“
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Breast Cancer Barbie Doll - Coming to a Store Near You
From the new photos you can see that Barbie has gained weight considerably, predominantly in the hips, ass and pouch area. She is sporting a paper "modesty vest" and two drains and a gauze wrap tube-top bandage. She also has her lymphedema wrap, IV drip, port, and has had some blood work done.
Her toe nails and finger nails are unfortunately turning black and there is some concern that she may loose a nail or two. She is leery of going to far away from the toilet, can't remember if she took her pills today and is depressed that she doesn't have ovaries and can't have a baby.
She also found out that Ken cheated on her with a lady cop and that he's a coke head. Her path report is looking OK but the bills are piling up and she is too sick to work, but has to keep working to keep medical insurance. Hot flashes are keeping her up all night and she wonders if she should call her old flame GI Joe when he comes home on leave from Iraq- but will he still want her?
Her sex drive is gone, she's scarred-up and bald and twenty pounds over weight. Her body hurts, she feels as if she is loosing her mind, she doesn't want to go anywhere or do anything. Yelled at Skipper for asking her if she wanted to go the Town House this weekend for a party, then cried afterwards. Drove pink Corvette to Jack in the Box for drive through burgers and a chocolate shake for dinner. Staying in tonight and watching trashy movies by self. Thank goodness she has a cat and the YSC for support.
The above is extracted from a posting by a fellow breast cancer survivor, Linnea, from the YSC booard. Its funny, its relistic. Only problem is, Barbie shouldn't be smiling so much since she had threw up her entire lunch.
The above is extracted from a posting by a fellow breast cancer survivor, Linnea, from the YSC booard. Its funny, its relistic. Only problem is, Barbie shouldn't be smiling so much since she had threw up her entire lunch.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Reformed
I have always loved shopping, and i enjoy buying anything that catches my eye, be it home furnishings, clothings, bags and shoes. Lately, I seemed to have reformed. I don't seem to be very interested in buying anything. I used to have so many wants. I actually have a checklist of stuff that I want to have. Looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, I am not too sure which stage I am in right now.
I don't fit into most clothes, so I am not interested in looking most of the time. Being a stay at home mum, theres not much of a need to really dress up. and as such, I am usually in my tanks, jeans and capris most of the time.
Bags - I used to be unable to get enough of them, but since I got my LV Neverfull, I seem to have lost the passion to chase after the next IT bag. Shoes - another big issue. I love shoes. I love heels, and used to be able to walk many miles in my 3 inch heels. Not anymore. And i am not particularly thrilled to wear flatties. sigh...I guess I lost the sense of empowerment those additional 3 inches gave me. I have been wearing my birkis and Clarks pumps for the longest time. I am looking for new footwear, but haven't been really proactive in looking for it.
And I haven't wore make up for the longest time. I really really do need to snap out of it.
Despite all these, I have been having this urge to buy this
Yes, a blankie. It simply look so soft and inviting, I just want to have one of these over my head. And I could stay inside there, and not have a care in the world
Hmmm.......does this reflect anything about my current state of mind? i need a security blanket
I don't fit into most clothes, so I am not interested in looking most of the time. Being a stay at home mum, theres not much of a need to really dress up. and as such, I am usually in my tanks, jeans and capris most of the time.
Bags - I used to be unable to get enough of them, but since I got my LV Neverfull, I seem to have lost the passion to chase after the next IT bag. Shoes - another big issue. I love shoes. I love heels, and used to be able to walk many miles in my 3 inch heels. Not anymore. And i am not particularly thrilled to wear flatties. sigh...I guess I lost the sense of empowerment those additional 3 inches gave me. I have been wearing my birkis and Clarks pumps for the longest time. I am looking for new footwear, but haven't been really proactive in looking for it.
And I haven't wore make up for the longest time. I really really do need to snap out of it.
Despite all these, I have been having this urge to buy this
Yes, a blankie. It simply look so soft and inviting, I just want to have one of these over my head. And I could stay inside there, and not have a care in the world
Hmmm.......does this reflect anything about my current state of mind? i need a security blanket
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Fighting the Hidden Enemy
Yes! We are on a rampage!
We will be vigilant...We will show no mercy...We will kill with one big SMACK!
Yes, we have been bitten by the bug...the silent blood sucking mosquito(s) that has been an invited guest(s) in our safe haven.
Since our return from our short vacation, we have been stung countless times by this mosquito that has invaded our home.Its everwhere, in the living room, the study, our dining room. aghhhh...it seems we are not safe, even in our own home. We are sporting battle wounds of a different kind...we have mozzie bites of different sizes on our legs and arms.
We have heeded the government's call to check on crevices with possibilities of being breeding ground for the mozzies, we have empty our flower pots, to the extent that we do not have living plants in our homes.
Aghhh!!!! Wait till i smack it!
We will be vigilant...We will show no mercy...We will kill with one big SMACK!
Yes, we have been bitten by the bug...the silent blood sucking mosquito(s) that has been an invited guest(s) in our safe haven.
Since our return from our short vacation, we have been stung countless times by this mosquito that has invaded our home.Its everwhere, in the living room, the study, our dining room. aghhhh...it seems we are not safe, even in our own home. We are sporting battle wounds of a different kind...we have mozzie bites of different sizes on our legs and arms.
We have heeded the government's call to check on crevices with possibilities of being breeding ground for the mozzies, we have empty our flower pots, to the extent that we do not have living plants in our homes.
Aghhh!!!! Wait till i smack it!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Ebay Grouses
I received this email. i had been a seller on Ebay for the pst 3 uears, and over this period, Ebay has been increasing their listing the fees progressively. They have the biggest market share and are pioneers in this field of auctions, but statistics has proven otherwise.
Auction site count, Keep track of the number of listings on auction sites
I don't wish to see its downfall, but hope that more can be done
This is a long post, but this email basicially sums it all up.
This post is a really serious topic about Ebay. I'm posting this everywhere I know how to get the word out. If you're not in a good mood,come back to it later.
I'm not sure if everyone is aware of this, but Ebay is making drasticchanges for people who sell and buy on Ebay. If one looks at it from thesurface, the changes don't seem too bad. But if you look a littledeeper, they're really very scarey. Many sellers and buyers are going to be having a strike on February 11ththrough February 25 that includes no buying, no listing, no selling, no auctions on those days. If possible, if you are an Ebay buyer andseller, I would really appreciate it if you could honor those dates, fornothing else, then on MY behalf because the changes have the possibilityto really hurt me as a seller.
Right now, the Ebay marketing machine is billing these changes as "feereductions" and that is what the media initally reported because theyway the changes were announced were quite deceptive. But, for those ofyou who aren't really super active on Ebay and are wondering what allthe changes entail, a summary of them follows. First, they are reducing the listing fee by 5 cents and making Galleryfree. On the surface this looks great and this is how they are marketingthe change - as a "fee reduction". However, if you read the fine printyou'll find that they are slyly raising Final Value Fees (The fee theseller pays when the item sells at auction) by as much as 33% to 66% forsme sellers. The percentage of increase differs by seller because allsellers sell items with different values and the Final Value Fee isbased on the dollar amount of the item. So we save a nickel to list anitem, but pay 33% more after the auction is over. This first part of thechanges, while quite disgusting, IS bearable.
Second, they are removing the ability for sellers to leave feedback forbuyers. Now, Ebay has always been successful on the basis of both buyerand seller being able to rate each other based on the success of asingle transaction. They are removing this for sellers. This is veryscarey for the seller population because as sellers, we already are heldhostage by what we call "Feedback Extortionist Buyers". These are thebuyers that buy something in an auction and then send an email that says"You send me the item free or I will leave you a negative and ruin yourEbay reputation!". While people like this are quite few and far between,they do exist. I've got over 792 transactions nd I've come across 4 difficult buyers who no matter what I couldn't please them. I managed toscrape by without a negative because they were booted from Ebay, but thepoint of the matter is that while most buyers are wonderful, thesepsycho types of buyers DO exist. Now with this new feedback system, ONErogue buyer (and even my selling competition) could ruin my reputationvery easily. Even if I provided a 100% perfect transaction and the itemwas received the very same day and all was perfect with the world, thatone person could ruin me if they wanted to. All they would need to do isbuy 5 or 10 items from me and leave five feedbacks separately - because each and every negative will count against the seller. This would mean the end of my store and my business on Ebay over one rogue buyer. Why? Read the next section.
Third, as if one and two weren't bad enough, if a seller has below a 95%satisfaction rating on Ebay, Ebay will not display your auctions in thesearch engine. For example, if I sell20 items one month and 1 of themhas a neutral or negative left for it by a buyer (deserved or not), Ican no longer list auctions on Ebay and have them be seen in the searchengine. Yes, thats right. I can list, Ebay will take my money, but allof my auctions will be on page 857 of the listing and never be seen byany buyers. So once I get one negative, it is virtually impossible torecover from that by selling additional items becuase non of my items will be seen to be purchased by another buyer later. Its a no winsituation for a seller.
Fourth, as if all of this wasn't the most horrific thing you've everheard, they're making changes to Pay Pal - which is the method mostpeople use to accept payment over Ebay. From now on, if you have lessthan 100 feedback and you sell an item Pay Pal will not give you yourmoney for 21 (TWENTY ONE DAYS!). Yes, you read that right. Say, Susie sells a 50 dollar item and the buyer pays through Pay Pal. Susie is thenforced to ship the item FREE without any paymen. After 21 days haspassed, THEN Pay Pal will forward Susie her money. This folks is justhorrible. Do you know anywhere else on the planet where you can demandthat someone selling you an item give you the item FREE and ship it toyou FREE while you hold on to your money for 21 entire days? I suredon't. On top of this "under 100 feedback" thing, again if I have lessthan a 95% rating or get one negative or get one neutral - again - PayPal will hold my money for 21 days. Imagine how must interest Pay Paland Ebay will accumulate on billions of dollars being held in 21 dayincriments - yet another disguesting way for them to squeeze MORE moneyout of the system.
Fifth, they instituted "Seller Rewards". Essentially, if you meetcertain criteria as a seller you can earn 15% credit on your account.The catch is that you have to sell 1,000 dollars or more on your accountevery month and have to have a 4.8 rating on all your "stars". I feelthat these guidelines are impossible to reach and that they wer designedto be impossible to reach on purpose so that Ebay, yet again, would nothave to actually pay out the discounts. To give you an example of howhard these are to reach, out of Ebay's top 500 Powersellers (Thesepeople are the creme of the crop on Ebay and make lilke $100,000 a monthon Ebay)...anyway out of tje top 500 of them, only SEVEN qualify for the15% discount. SEVEN. And finally, when all these changes were announced, the Ebay sellerswent ballistic. The response from Ebay management? We were told that ourcomplaints and nager and frustration and tears were - and I quote -"NOISE!". Yes, we are nothing but "noise" to the Ebay management, yet they are making million dollar salaries off of us. I know I am so mad, myself. I have 100% positive feedback and I've completed almost 800 transactions. I'm not a bad seller and I bend overbackwards to make a buyer happy. I have a very good record. But ALL THATHARD WORK and ONE rogue person could ruin it for me. Or even someone whocomptes against me can very easily get a new nick, by stuff from me,leave negs - and take my listings right out the search engine!!). It's not fair at all. Not to mention, if somehow I do screw up or get a roguebuyer, Pay Pal won't even let me have my money for 21 days. When you dothis type of work full time, that is a terrifying thought.
So I'm here to beg you guys, if possible, and even if you don'tunderstand all the ins and outs of Ebay and what a seller has to go through to sell on Ebay - PLEASE RESPECT THE STRIKE we are organizing.Please! Please don't buy or sell on Ebay from Feb 18th through Feb 25th. Please tell your friends and family members to do the same. We know thatnot everyone can respect it - some people make ends meet by selling onEbay. But for those of you who can, us sellers would very much appreciate it if you could respect the strike on those days. Also - if you are an Ebay seller - and you are angry like the rest ofus, CNN and FORBES is quite interested in how we fee. Quite a fewpeople, including myself have flocked to CNN MONEY to get theirattention. So far, the comments and anger and speaking out are actuallyworking - the media is starting to pay attention and Ebay has stepped uptheir marketing tactics. We feel that they're getting a little worried over all the outrage.
Auction site count, Keep track of the number of listings on auction sites
I don't wish to see its downfall, but hope that more can be done
This is a long post, but this email basicially sums it all up.
This post is a really serious topic about Ebay. I'm posting this everywhere I know how to get the word out. If you're not in a good mood,come back to it later.
I'm not sure if everyone is aware of this, but Ebay is making drasticchanges for people who sell and buy on Ebay. If one looks at it from thesurface, the changes don't seem too bad. But if you look a littledeeper, they're really very scarey. Many sellers and buyers are going to be having a strike on February 11ththrough February 25 that includes no buying, no listing, no selling, no auctions on those days. If possible, if you are an Ebay buyer andseller, I would really appreciate it if you could honor those dates, fornothing else, then on MY behalf because the changes have the possibilityto really hurt me as a seller.
Right now, the Ebay marketing machine is billing these changes as "feereductions" and that is what the media initally reported because theyway the changes were announced were quite deceptive. But, for those ofyou who aren't really super active on Ebay and are wondering what allthe changes entail, a summary of them follows. First, they are reducing the listing fee by 5 cents and making Galleryfree. On the surface this looks great and this is how they are marketingthe change - as a "fee reduction". However, if you read the fine printyou'll find that they are slyly raising Final Value Fees (The fee theseller pays when the item sells at auction) by as much as 33% to 66% forsme sellers. The percentage of increase differs by seller because allsellers sell items with different values and the Final Value Fee isbased on the dollar amount of the item. So we save a nickel to list anitem, but pay 33% more after the auction is over. This first part of thechanges, while quite disgusting, IS bearable.
Second, they are removing the ability for sellers to leave feedback forbuyers. Now, Ebay has always been successful on the basis of both buyerand seller being able to rate each other based on the success of asingle transaction. They are removing this for sellers. This is veryscarey for the seller population because as sellers, we already are heldhostage by what we call "Feedback Extortionist Buyers". These are thebuyers that buy something in an auction and then send an email that says"You send me the item free or I will leave you a negative and ruin yourEbay reputation!". While people like this are quite few and far between,they do exist. I've got over 792 transactions nd I've come across 4 difficult buyers who no matter what I couldn't please them. I managed toscrape by without a negative because they were booted from Ebay, but thepoint of the matter is that while most buyers are wonderful, thesepsycho types of buyers DO exist. Now with this new feedback system, ONErogue buyer (and even my selling competition) could ruin my reputationvery easily. Even if I provided a 100% perfect transaction and the itemwas received the very same day and all was perfect with the world, thatone person could ruin me if they wanted to. All they would need to do isbuy 5 or 10 items from me and leave five feedbacks separately - because each and every negative will count against the seller. This would mean the end of my store and my business on Ebay over one rogue buyer. Why? Read the next section.
Third, as if one and two weren't bad enough, if a seller has below a 95%satisfaction rating on Ebay, Ebay will not display your auctions in thesearch engine. For example, if I sell20 items one month and 1 of themhas a neutral or negative left for it by a buyer (deserved or not), Ican no longer list auctions on Ebay and have them be seen in the searchengine. Yes, thats right. I can list, Ebay will take my money, but allof my auctions will be on page 857 of the listing and never be seen byany buyers. So once I get one negative, it is virtually impossible torecover from that by selling additional items becuase non of my items will be seen to be purchased by another buyer later. Its a no winsituation for a seller.
Fourth, as if all of this wasn't the most horrific thing you've everheard, they're making changes to Pay Pal - which is the method mostpeople use to accept payment over Ebay. From now on, if you have lessthan 100 feedback and you sell an item Pay Pal will not give you yourmoney for 21 (TWENTY ONE DAYS!). Yes, you read that right. Say, Susie sells a 50 dollar item and the buyer pays through Pay Pal. Susie is thenforced to ship the item FREE without any paymen. After 21 days haspassed, THEN Pay Pal will forward Susie her money. This folks is justhorrible. Do you know anywhere else on the planet where you can demandthat someone selling you an item give you the item FREE and ship it toyou FREE while you hold on to your money for 21 entire days? I suredon't. On top of this "under 100 feedback" thing, again if I have lessthan a 95% rating or get one negative or get one neutral - again - PayPal will hold my money for 21 days. Imagine how must interest Pay Paland Ebay will accumulate on billions of dollars being held in 21 dayincriments - yet another disguesting way for them to squeeze MORE moneyout of the system.
Fifth, they instituted "Seller Rewards". Essentially, if you meetcertain criteria as a seller you can earn 15% credit on your account.The catch is that you have to sell 1,000 dollars or more on your accountevery month and have to have a 4.8 rating on all your "stars". I feelthat these guidelines are impossible to reach and that they wer designedto be impossible to reach on purpose so that Ebay, yet again, would nothave to actually pay out the discounts. To give you an example of howhard these are to reach, out of Ebay's top 500 Powersellers (Thesepeople are the creme of the crop on Ebay and make lilke $100,000 a monthon Ebay)...anyway out of tje top 500 of them, only SEVEN qualify for the15% discount. SEVEN. And finally, when all these changes were announced, the Ebay sellerswent ballistic. The response from Ebay management? We were told that ourcomplaints and nager and frustration and tears were - and I quote -"NOISE!". Yes, we are nothing but "noise" to the Ebay management, yet they are making million dollar salaries off of us. I know I am so mad, myself. I have 100% positive feedback and I've completed almost 800 transactions. I'm not a bad seller and I bend overbackwards to make a buyer happy. I have a very good record. But ALL THATHARD WORK and ONE rogue person could ruin it for me. Or even someone whocomptes against me can very easily get a new nick, by stuff from me,leave negs - and take my listings right out the search engine!!). It's not fair at all. Not to mention, if somehow I do screw up or get a roguebuyer, Pay Pal won't even let me have my money for 21 days. When you dothis type of work full time, that is a terrifying thought.
So I'm here to beg you guys, if possible, and even if you don'tunderstand all the ins and outs of Ebay and what a seller has to go through to sell on Ebay - PLEASE RESPECT THE STRIKE we are organizing.Please! Please don't buy or sell on Ebay from Feb 18th through Feb 25th. Please tell your friends and family members to do the same. We know thatnot everyone can respect it - some people make ends meet by selling onEbay. But for those of you who can, us sellers would very much appreciate it if you could respect the strike on those days. Also - if you are an Ebay seller - and you are angry like the rest ofus, CNN and FORBES is quite interested in how we fee. Quite a fewpeople, including myself have flocked to CNN MONEY to get theirattention. So far, the comments and anger and speaking out are actuallyworking - the media is starting to pay attention and Ebay has stepped uptheir marketing tactics. We feel that they're getting a little worried over all the outrage.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Some Random Joke
A man went on a business to China and wanted to buy some gifts for his kids. He went to a shop and found a nice looking CD player. Wary of buying inferior goods, he asked the shopkeeper, 'What would happen if this does not work?' The shopkeeper quietly points to the only sign in English that reads, 'GUARANTEE NO SPOILT'.
Feeling assured, he paid for the CD player and returns to his hotel. He tried to use the CD player after returning to the hotel but it would not even switch on. He quickly return to the shop and asked for a refund or an exchange for another unit. When the shopkeeper refuse to give either, the man points to the sign assuring him of a guarantee. The shopkeeper then said, 'Brother, you are in China . We read from the right to the left.
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