Marketing Online Review » Sales eBay

Anyone work at a Guitar Center?

admin — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

My Guitar Center is abut an hour away so I was hoping someone who works at one can give me a GENERAL idea. I have a mesa Boogie F-50 combo in excellent condition. I want to trade it in for/toward a VOX AC30 CC1 or 2 that goes for 999.00 . I am curious about how much should I expect my trade in value to be? Thanks!

Response:

You might have a tough time getting anyone to admit it. My experience with GC tells me that they go for minimum Blue Book wholesale, which is about 60% of retail. If your amp would sell for $500 on the street (this is just an example) then GC would try to calculate your trade-in at about $300. You’re usually better off selling it yourself, depending on how you calculate the amount of brain damage involved in managing it. Chuck

Response:

Not me, but you can always look up stuff on Ebay to get an idea: http://search.ebay.com/mesa-Boogie-F-50_W0QQfromZR40QQsatitleZmesaQ20… Those represent an approximation of what you could expect to sell it for to another guitar player. Expect less when trading in as GC (or any other retailer) is going to want to make a profit when they sell it to someone else.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My Guitar Center is abut an hour away so I was hoping someone who works at one can give me a GENERAL idea. I have a mesa Boogie F-50 combo in excellent condition. I want to trade it in for/toward a VOX AC30 CC1 or 2 that goes for 999.00 . I am curious about how much should I expect my trade in value to be? Thanks! Not me, but you can always look up stuff on Ebay to get an idea: http://search.ebay.com/mesa-Boogie-F-50_W0QQfromZR40QQsatitleZmesaQ20… Those represent an approximation of what you could expect to sell it for to another guitar player. Expect less when trading in as GC (or any other retailer) is going to want to make a profit when they sell it to someone else.

I’d guess you should expect as much as 40% less than that when trading it in, assuming you have a good price on the item you’re buying. Don

Response:

I don’t work for any store, but assessing values I always go by these rules: 1 – ‘normal’ used gear is at best about 70% of its original value 2 – stores will offer you 10-20% less the street value you’d get by selling it yourself 3 – if you need to ditch the gear quick, you never get the 70% value for ‘em anyway

Response:

I don’t work at a music store, but I asked the store manager at MusicGoRound for an approximation of what I could get for something. His explanation was that they price things by what they think they can get for them on ebay. And they’ll give you about 1/2 that much. That’s probably very similar to what GC. Just because GC pretends to sell things for insane high prices on ebay, doesn’t mean you’ll get 1/2 that amount. Pete

Response:

I don’t work at GC. But a caution about your plans. It is always best to work your best cash deal BEFORE mentioning any trade in. Otherwise, they may THINK that they are giving you more for your used item, but it’s really just some of the pad on the price that they would’ve come down on if offered cash. A retail store will never give you true full value on a trade in (it may SEEM that way, but see the above). They have to factor in the time it’ll take to sell the item, the room it takes up on the floor displacing other items for sale, etc. My suggestion is sell it yourself, then work a cash deal. And even if it’s the "lowest price guarantee" nonsense, offer LESS. Most items can be had for less than GC’s "sales prices," IF you bargain with them.

Response:

It is always best to work your best cash deal BEFORE mentioning any trade in. Otherwise, they may THINK that they are giving you more for your used item, but it’s really just some of the pad on the price that they would’ve come down on if offered cash.

Some dealers play the "what you paid for it against LIST PRICE" game. AVOID that like the clap. Dealer cost is often 50% off LIST price. ..or less. And the longer it’s on the floor against the current issue of GP/etc, against how bad the dealer wants what you got, bad sales, how bad YOU want it, can he sell a service plan? Think New cars..and how they are sold. You NEVER win… A retail store will never give you true full value on a trade in (it may SEEM that way, but see the above). They have to factor in the time it’ll take to sell the item, the room it takes up on the floor displacing other items for sale, etc. My suggestion is sell it yourself, then work a cash deal. And even if it’s the "lowest price guarantee" nonsense, offer LESS. Most items can be had for less than GC’s "sales prices," IF you bargain with them.

Yes, $$ talks, and you 99% of the time U get more selling it your self. If ya must trade, get a cash price 1st. THEN the dealer will have to explain WHY the trade price he has to give you now sucks. It’s so easy to ’sweat out’ those GC ’salespeople’. They drop like flys. JJTj I am frolicsome, I am easy, Good tempered and free, And I don’t give a single pin’ me boys What the world thinks of me.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It is always best to work your best cash deal BEFORE mentioning any trade in. Otherwise, they may THINK that they are giving you more for your used item, but it’s really just some of the pad on the price that they would’ve come down on if offered cash. Some dealers play the "what you paid for it against LIST PRICE" game. AVOID that like the clap. Dealer cost is often 50% off LIST price. ..or less. And the longer it’s on the floor against the current issue of GP/etc, against how bad the dealer wants what you got, bad sales, how bad YOU want it, can he sell a service plan? Think New cars..and how they are sold. You NEVER win… A retail store will never give you true full value on a trade in (it may SEEM that way, but see the above). They have to factor in the time it’ll take to sell the item, the room it takes up on the floor displacing other items for sale, etc. My suggestion is sell it yourself, then work a cash deal. And even if it’s the "lowest price guarantee" nonsense, offer LESS. Most items can be had for less than GC’s "sales prices," IF you bargain with them. Yes, $$ talks, and you 99% of the time U get more selling it your self. If ya must trade, get a cash price 1st. THEN the dealer will have to explain WHY the trade price he has to give you now sucks. It’s so easy to ’sweat out’ those GC ’salespeople’. They drop like flys. JJTj I am frolicsome, I am easy, Good tempered and free, And I don’t give a single pin’ me boys What the world thinks of me.

A+

Response:

If your not an eBay’r, I’d try the Craigslist in your city to sell your Mesa. You’ll get MUCH more than trading at GC. If that applies; http://www.craigslist.org I sold a Mesa Lonestar special to a local buyer for just a bit less than I paid for it. He showed up and paid in green dollars and took it away. Both happy. I did the same with a Nomad head. All good. Some cautions though if you live in a metro area IE: San Francisco, CA., Seattle, etc… There have been some bad action with craigslist sales, not too much with the music categories from what I remember. Check out the website for details. Although when I was in the SF Bay Area I sold a ton of gear on craigslist without one problem. Good text, good pics does the deal, just like eBay. regards – DJ

Response:

Bored Being A Powerseller

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/ebaysell.pdf — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/ebaysell.pdf

So if I turn it off, it should not effect by sales rate? Maybe improve it? It just seems like it was more fun selling on Ebay when I didn’t have this status.

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

When you turn it off you will find: 1. When you look in the mirror the halo has disappeared. 2. People will start returning your phone calls once again. 3. Women working at the Post Office in bell-bottoms will start ignoring you. 4. Your will lose that not so fresh feeling.

Response:

NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders.

What’s your supporting data to back up this claim? Or does this "universal disdain" exist virtually in your own mind? Ron

Response:

5. You will really need that 2nd cup of coffee. 6. Your non-paying bidders will only increase by 18.5% 7. The Valium script will need to be re-newed 8. You will start sending to China daily 9. You’ll find that Beanie babies are profitable 10.The people at the bank will start asking for ID

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? When you turn it off you will find: 1. When you look in the mirror the halo has disappeared. 2. People will start returning your phone calls once again. 3. Women working at the Post Office in bell-bottoms will start ignoring you. 4. Your will lose that not so fresh feeling.

I was at Trader Joes last Saturday, and gals were making eye contact with me. It must be that halo you’re talking about. I’ll order one of those PS hats and wear it at the Post Office. What? The Ebay Police will come get me? HALT OR WE SHOOT! DROP THE HAT AND STEP AWAY !

Response:

NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. What’s your supporting data to back up this claim? Or does this "universal disdain" exist virtually in your own mind?

no, i view virtually all powersellers with disdain. david — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amoephoto/

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

Di it and you’ll be too busy to be bored much longer.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. JUST BECAUSE YOU CANT SELL ENOUGHT TO BE A PS DON’T BAD MOUTH THEM - WORK HARD AND YOU MAY GET THERE YET.

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? Di it and you’ll be too busy to be bored much longer.

So, my sales will go up? Cool ! But I’ll need the PS hat for cruising for chicks in bell bottoms.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. What’s your supporting data to back up this claim? Or does this "universal disdain" exist virtually in your own mind? no, i view virtually all powersellers with disdain. david

Oh David, I am a PS with 2 accounts….you don’t like me anymore? Jean

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – NEVER NEVER NEVER display a powerseller icon!!!!! Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. What’s your supporting data to back up this claim? Or does this "universal disdain" exist virtually in your own mind? no, i view virtually all powersellers with disdain. david Oh David, I am a PS with 2 accounts….you don’t like me anymore? Jean

YAWN……time to goto work.

Response:

Powersellers are viewed with universal disdain by virtually all eBay bidders. What’s your supporting data to back up this claim? Or does this "universal disdain" exist virtually in your own mind?

It’s a proven fact. Craig

Response:

Here in AZ, your power seller status is checked on your drivers license. It’s right between "Organ Doner" and "Concealed Carry Permit Holder". Craig

Response:

I view them with a Sony Trinitron 19" Monitor. Who makes the Disdain? — Tony Cooper Orlando, FL

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? Di it and you’ll be too busy to be bored much longer. So, my sales will go up? Cool ! But I’ll need the PS hat for cruising for chicks in bell bottoms.

Its the bell bottoms with saddle oxfords you have to watch out for. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

no, i view virtually all powersellers with disdain. I view them with a Sony Trinitron 19" Monitor. Who makes the Disdain?

The one with the glass CRT or the plastic one?

Response:

now that you mentioned it, nope. you should never have said anything. i want those bags back now. (i’m obviously joking here. :) david — http://groups.yahoo.com/group/amoephoto/

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

I feel the same way. How do you turn it off? A_C

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it? I feel the same way. How do you turn it off? A_C

At the end of your monitor is an AC line cord. Unplug it from the wall socket. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

Well, not me. I like Power Sellers because they have a feedback profile that I can base my decision to buy on. And I have done this many times. If a PS has too many questionable negatives or neutrals, I just pass. There is a difference buying from a PS with 99.8% positives rather than a person with 10 sales and a 100% rating. Just me, but I’m one of those who doesn’t hang with "virtually" everyone. Steve

Response:

… I like Power Sellers because they have a feedback profile that I can base my decision to buy on…

Huh? Craig

Response:

… I like Power Sellers because they have a feedback profile that I can base my decision to buy on… Huh? Craig

Read it really slowly this time. A person made an inference that it was a universal practice to disdain Power Sellers. I posted my opinion that I would rather buy from a power seller than someone with a very small amount of sales. Got it this time? Yes? No? Maybe? Steve

Response:

I’m bored being a PowerSeller, I might turn off my PS Icon and go back to being a regular seller. Doesn’t seem to make a difference does it?

It does to me: I try to avoid PowerSellers. — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~~Voltaire, 1767

Response:

How could eBay sellers profit from self employed people?

admin — Tue, 13 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I’m killing some retirement time playing in the Craiglist Self Employment forum. There is an endless quest from posters in search of money-making opportunities using their time and talent as web designers, sewing machine operators, CAD drafting, writers, jewelry makers, tool designers (me)…. mostly work at home. I keep thinking that some of these activities could be solutions to others out there in the world, and that eBay marketers could see the connections and make the matches and collect a fee for the services rendered. The key factor here is that these CAD designers are CAD designers and don’t have a clue as to how to sell their services. Same for candle makers, resume writers, sail car builders and the like. You folks on eBay know how to sell. Could there be a connect here? Anybody?

Response:

You folks on eBay know how to sell. Could there be a connect here?

Actually we don’t. If we did we wouldn’t be putting up with the dirt level margins and fighting it out with other eBay sellers. There is a lot more to sales than a description in an ad. Having no conscience helps a lot. eBay is a great place for introverts. Sales is a great place for extroverts. Extroverts get to own Ferraris and stuff.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You folks on eBay know how to sell. Could there be a connect here? Actually we don’t. If we did we wouldn’t be putting up with the dirt level margins and fighting it out with other eBay sellers. There is a lot more to sales than a description in an ad. Having no conscience helps a lot. eBay is a great place for introverts. Sales is a great place for extroverts. Extroverts get to own Ferraris and stuff.

The way you can spot an extroverted engineer is that they stare at your shoes, rather than their own. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

None of these folks has yet noticed that eBay is a venue for selling products, not services? Perhaps you could point them toward the classified ads of their local newspapers? — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~~Voltaire, 1767

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m killing some retirement time playing in the Craiglist Self Employment forum. There is an endless quest from posters in search of money-making opportunities using their time and talent as web designers, sewing machine operators, CAD drafting, writers, jewelry makers, tool designers (me)…. mostly work at home. I keep thinking that some of these activities could be solutions to others out there in the world, and that eBay marketers could see the connections and make the matches and collect a fee for the services rendered. The key factor here is that these CAD designers are CAD designers and don’t have a clue as to how to sell their services. Same for candle makers, resume writers, sail car builders and the like. You folks on eBay know how to sell. Could there be a connect here? Anybody?

if you want to sell services go to www.elance.com, it is the service version of ebay

Response:

International Shipping

admin — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can you be more specific? I am on eBay since a few years, I am from eastern EU, and I always wanted to understand what are the real reasons many US sellers have objections shipping international? I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"? Is it really so much work to handwrite, that handwriting about 50 extra characters (about 10 for the country name and another 40 on the CN22 form) makes is not worth to process such sales? How much does writing one letter cost you? One dollar? )) Try this: US Shipment: Click a few times, print the shipping label, stick it on the box, put box on loading dock for FedEx pickup. Time: maybe 1 minute. International shipment: click a few times, print lable, stick on box, go to post office, get customs label, fill itout, wait in line, have the post office reject the package because: a) has clear tape, b) has printing on box, c)box color or style is wrong, or c) just because the postal clerk is unfriendly. Fix problem, wait in line again, ship box, (finally!), drive back to shop. Time: perhaps an hour, plus the cost of gas and vehicle, plus the incredible inconvience of having to deal with the post office. Got it? We don’t like shipping international because: 1. It takes a lot more time. 2. We must deliver the package to teh postoffice 3. Packaging requirements are different from domestic shipments. 4. It adds to the cost. 5. Half the customers (especially those in Italy, it seems) don’t get the package–and it’s our fault!

No problem. I’ll ship to Italy. (Sorry, no Canadian shipments). http://auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/

Response:

New Mexico partially excepted. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

Depends on what you are selling. Electronics, full computers, cameras, cell phones or large bulky items etc… I would avoid international shipping. However for other items, you would be stupid not to sell internationl. Items like antiques, collectables, books, clothing, shoes, bed sheets, computer parts, car/motorcycle parts should be okey. For example, vintage Levi jeans. Most of the collectors are Japanese who will pay huge prices for them. If you leave them out, you might get a final bid price of $100. If you allow international bidders, the price might be 4X that. Up to you. It’s your money at stake. Or should I say it’s your potential money to make. Some people like to make an all encompassing statement like all international bidders are bad, you will get cheated, you might be dealing with Osama etc… THat’s dumb. Most international bidders know what they are doing, their customs regulations and have imported items before. Check their feedback. If a 99.9% positive feedback with over 500 feedback international bidders asks, it’s very likely they know what they are doing! And they know the shipping will be much more. You don’t have to go to the USPS all the time if you have a scale. You can calculate from your computer with the use of USPS website to calculate postage. All you need to do is to fill out a customs form available free of charge at the post office. Form CN22 for small items. Form CP72 for larger packages. On form CN22 all you need to write down is contents of package, value, sign the form and date it. Can do it in 10 seconds. Form CP72 is a little longer and required sender and receiver’s addresses as well. When at the post office the next time, just get a few extra forms so you can fill it out at home before going to the post office the next time. Packing is not much differnet. If dealing with fragile items, pack it properly. If you don’t, even domestic shipment might damage the product. International shipping requires a little bit more work but could also increase your sales buy quite a bit. Again depending on what you sell.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Too much work when there is an unlimited amount of domestic customers to service. I avoid international shipments at all cost since the aggravation level is akin to stopping the assembly line for complete retooling for one item. Can you be more specific? I am on eBay since a few years, I am from eastern EU, and I always wanted to understand what are the real reasons many US sellers have objections shipping international? I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"? Is it really so much work to handwrite, that handwriting about 50 extra characters (about 10 for the country name and another 40 on the CN22 form) makes is not worth to process such sales? How much does writing one letter cost you? One dollar? ))

The hard part isnt the shipping. Its getting the overseas buyers to pay for the item once they see the shipping cost. Or getting them to send the money since they sometimes have no idea how to get money from one country to another. Or getting the buyer to understand the shipping instructions since your buyer may have only a vague understanding of english. Once they pay, the shipping is easy. I’d say over half of my no-pays are overseas…and Canada too.

Response:

Can you be more specific? I am on eBay since a few years, I am from eastern EU, and I always wanted to understand what are the real reasons many US sellers have objections shipping international? I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"? Is it really so much work to handwrite, that handwriting about 50 extra characters (about 10 for the country name and another 40 on the CN22 form) makes is not worth to process such sales? How much does writing one letter cost you? One dollar? ))

If you want to buy USA merchandise, why don’t you come to the USA? Is it really so much work to step onto an airplane? Ed

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Depends on the country. Obviously, I wouldn’t ship to Pakistan, Iran, Syria or Saudi Arabia. If I was the President these countries would no longer exist. Within weeks of 9/11 these countries would have been reduced to ashes. Total war. Total annihilation. Instead we have spineless, politically correct politicians, sacrificing the lives of our soldiers in a guerilla war we will not win. If I was President, just the idea of attacking the U.S. or american soldiers would make the mullahs piss their pants. The U.S. response would be swift and overwhelming. Mushroom shaped.

Spewing hot air from the mouth without much thought. Okey lets say you somehow have become president and reduced these nations to ashes in your holy crusade. He’s what’s gonna happen. No more Saudi Arabia means no more Saudi oil. Say hello to $15 per gallon gas and long lines due to acute shortages. Not to mention heating oil! Those poor folks that live up north! Having to decide to use their income to buy food or heating gas. Starve or freeze? Which is less painful? A head of lettuce now costs $8 due to the acute shortage of diesel to transport foodstuff across the nation. Prices of all commodoties have suddenly risen eight times the normal price! Forget the airline industry, you just killed them all with your mushroom cloud! The industry base starts to be effected. Factories lie silent as workers stay home as raw materials and products are not making it to and from the factories due to the crippled transportation network. Factory and business owners are strangled as capital to keep industries running become scarce. Banks close overnight as loans from borrowers are defaulted causing savings to be wiped out which causes more bankrupcies. Soon the farm industry will be effected due to the lack of fuel to power all the tractors. Acute food shortages now set in. Food riots hit all major cities and marshal law is imposed. You as president just made your self a dictator and give your ego a huge boost! The only industries still running are those related to the weapons and military network as new wars will be declared because new sources of energy are desperately needed. As stated earlier no more Saudi oil. No oil from Iraq or Iran as well as you have turned them to ashes. You can’t get to the oil even if you tried anyways since the ground around that area is a little radio active and not too good for one’s health. So who else has oil that you can take? Hey how did our oil get under that foreign country? Lets see… Russia has oil. And a somewhat big military. Would be a rather large cake walk! Canada? They have oil. Maybe. They are easy and near by but the outcry? Maybe later! Ah! Venezuala! Lots of oil. Somewhat smallish country with a smallish military and the’re nearby too. We can take them. It would be a cake walk! Declare Venezuala as being part of the axis of evil. Sponsers of terrorism. Plus they were responsible for 9/11!!!! Launch Operation Venezualan Freedom to kill or capture that evil God hating, Commie loving Leftist President Chavez! Bring freedom to the Venezualans! But what’s this? Two rising world powers India and China have strong interests in Venezuala and billions of dollars of their investments being destroyed due to your litte war game. They arn’t too happy. In fact they are down right pissed! So they start to flex their muscles. India does so by confiscating all the outsourcing of US manufacturing and service systems jobs in India. The fragile US economy starts to get strangled. China plays it’s card by strangling the US financial system because of the huge number of US debt owned by China by calling in the debts.The US starts to default on their debt because they can’t pay. The US dollar slides off the scale! Oil producing nations; in protest of US aggression, stops oil trading in US dollars and switch to the Euro. The US dollar slides further. Financial instuitions world wide are desperate to cut their losses from the free falling dollar and do so by dumping the dollar or switching to more stable currencies. In a month, the US dollar is not worth the paper it’s printed on. Soon, the US$100 note in Mrs. Smith’s hand can’t buy a half dozen apples that she saw in an almost empty supermarket on Main Street, Littletown, USA. By now the USA will be in dire straits. But our friends and allies will help us! Or will they? Your use of nukes against large populated areas have left you isolated and alone. The EU turn their backs. You caused this, you clean up your own mess they say! Traditional ally Britan tries to play the middle ground. Will they support the US and face a huge back lash by the rest of Europe and even their own citizens? The prime minister is tempted to back the US but the massive anti-US street protests in London and in major UK cities are strong reminders of what might happen if he sides with the US on this! Tough choice! After all, his head is at stake! Now comes more internal problems for Mr. President. The US is a country divided. He has strong support for his agressive stance on one side and the other sides screams bloody murder and calls for impeachment… or worse! More anti-government riots rages along the cities of the east and west coasts. Mr. President plays his hand as the dictator with an iron fist and crushes all. Critics are jailed or disappear altogether. Protesters are flattened by National Guard armor. But as all smart people know, such actions get people pissed and pissed people then will do something about it. Small scale guerilla attacks against governemnt forces start to spring up everywhere and grow in intensity. To counter this "foreign backed freedom hating guerillas", the US constuition is ratified; easy since the US has basically become a one party government by this time. Now the US military is used to supress it’s civilians. The heavy handed approach of the government fills the ranks of the rebels which grow in intensity making large cities resemble Kosovo. Glorious President ponders of a final solution to the annoying rebels and a guerilla war he can’t seem to supress. The solution is mushroom shaped. If you were the president of the United States, you would be the last president of the United States. Man… your comments make Glorious President George Dubya Bush look smart! And George Dubya ain’t that smart to begin with.

Response:

International shipment: click a few times, print lable, stick on box, go to post office, get customs label, fill itout, wait in line, have the post office reject the package because: a) has clear tape, b) has printing on box, c)box color or style is wrong, or c) just because the postal clerk is unfriendly. Fix problem, wait in line again, ship box, (finally!), drive back to shop. Time: perhaps an hour, plus the cost of gas and vehicle, plus the incredible inconvience of having to deal with the post office.

Then repeat all of the above, substituting "customs agency in destination country" for US Post Office. Receive pkg BACK one month later for correction. Make correction, repeat above step AGAIN. Fight with foreign buyer who "hasn’t seen my package yet" and has to pay huge tax/surcharge/customs fee. Then wonder "don’t they have stores in your country?". Craig

Response:

I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"?

There’s a lot more to it than that, but I doubt you’d understand. Ed

Response:

What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping?

I used to ship worldwide (except south of the border). Now I ship to Canada, Japan, Germany and Australia only. The rest are too much of a pain. Ed

Response:

I still ship to the Brits, Austraila, and Israelis. I don’t do business with the French or Germans. Why, what’s the difference? And what about the remaining 218 countries? — Miernik

Depends on the country. Obviously, I wouldn’t ship to Pakistan, Iran, Syria or Saudi Arabia. If I was the President these countries would no longer exist. Within weeks of 9/11 these countries would have been reduced to ashes. Total war. Total annihilation. Instead we have spineless, politically correct politicians, sacrificing the lives of our soldiers in a guerilla war we will not win. If I was President, just the idea of attacking the U.S. or american soldiers would make the mullahs piss their pants. The U.S. response would be swift and overwhelming. Mushroom shaped.

Response:

I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"? Is it really so much work to handwrite, that handwriting about 50 extra characters (about 10 for the country name and another 40 on the CN22 form) makes is not worth to process such sales? How much does writing one letter cost you? One dollar? ))

Ask Sears. They have a lot more employees than we do and they won’t ship Internationally either.

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping?

Outside of increased cost to the buyer and the seller having to fill out a customs form, it’s no different that shipping inside the USA.

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Donna

Unless you can realize a significant increase in price, it’s not typically worth the added time / risk. Hint – added time for the extra emails & establishing the proper postage for each requesting country doesn’t typically offset the likeliness of a premium price. Then again, if time is not a cost / concern for you (as it seems typical for most eBay sellers), then it may be worth your while. If your items sell for about the same price within the US vs. worldwide, why bother? Unless, perhaps you believe more bidders = higher price (hint, as Don often points point, it’s most often the the second highest bidder that determines the final price, regardless of the number of bidders,).

Response:

Try this: US Shipment: Click a few times, print the shipping label, stick it on the box, put box on loading dock for FedEx pickup. Time: maybe 1 minute. International shipment: click a few times, print lable, stick on box, go to post office, get customs label, fill itout, wait in line, have the post office reject the package because: a) has clear tape, b) has printing on box, c)box color or style is wrong, or c) just because the postal clerk is unfriendly. Fix problem, wait in line again, ship box, (finally!), drive back to shop. Time: perhaps an hour, plus the cost of gas and vehicle, plus the incredible inconvience of having to deal with the post office. Got it? We don’t like shipping international because: 1. It takes a lot more time. 2. We must deliver the package to teh postoffice 3. Packaging requirements are different from domestic shipments. 4. It adds to the cost. 5. Half the customers (especially those in Italy, it seems) don’t get the package–and it’s our fault!

Response:

I still ship to the Brits, Austraila, and Israelis. I don’t do business with the French or Germans.

Why, what’s the difference? And what about the remaining 218 countries? — Why software shouldn’t be covered by patents http://bladeenc.mp3.no/articles/software_patents.html

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Donna

Extra form to fill out at the post office. Plus a higher rate of "lost" packages. I still ship to the Brits, Austraila, and Israelis. I don’t do business with the French or Germans. http://auctions.shopping.yahoo.com/

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping?

I do. Pros: people send me money. Cons: haven’t encountered any.

Response:

I cannot understand how filling out a small 3×4 in. green CN22 sticker and writing one more line of address can be "too much work"?

If you ever filled out one of those green stickers, you would instantly realize that life is too short to ever do it again. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Donna

NO Foreign biders/buyers/transshipments! http://www.tinaja.com/glib/ebaysell.pdf — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

I ship to the U.S., but a potential buyer recently asked me if I would ship to Canada. What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Donna

Response:

What are the pros & cons with international shipping? Do most of you do international shipping? Too much work when there is an unlimited amount of domestic customers to service. I avoid international shipments at all cost since the aggravation level is akin to stopping the assembly line for complete retooling for one item.

Response:

Paypal – Paying Using Credit Card – Disabled?????

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

The only way in which my customers can pay for their goods is if they create a Paypal account – and then pay for their goods. This process has caused a 50+% sales reduction over the past couple of weeks – so I really have to find a solution. Has anyone else witnessed this problem?

I don’t know if this is related, but recently when I won an auction I found I couldn’t use a credit card via Paypal because my Paypal account had something like fifty cents left in it. Apparently if there is ANYTHING in the paypal account the credit card option is disabled. I don’t know how it would work for someone who didn’t actually have a paypal account at all, though–obviously the "money in the account" problem wouldn’t apply there. -Bertha — Gotta run, the cat’s caught in the printer.

Response:

Also, if you are running an off-eBay website you would be better suited to get your own merchants account since using PayPal for any other e-commerce than eBay makes you look like a third rate merchant. Once you drop PayPal from your website and use your merchants account you will see your sales skyrocket.

Very interesting, as I always wish more merchants would offer Paypal. I like to pay from that account–of course, they won’t let me use a cc as long as there’s money in the account, which seems dumb. I would think a lot of people would rather give pp their information than give it out over and over to different merchants. Bonita

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Also, if you are running an off-eBay website you would be better suited to get your own merchants account since using PayPal for any other e-commerce than eBay makes you look like a third rate merchant. Once you drop PayPal from your website and use your merchants account you will see your sales skyrocket. Very interesting, as I always wish more merchants would offer Paypal. I like to pay from that account–of course, they won’t let me use a cc as long as there’s money in the account, which seems dumb. I would think a lot of people would rather give pp their information than give it out over and over to different merchants.

PayPal is now being offered by lots of big name B&M sites these days. Rita’s just a stupid troll. A

Response:

Hello, I have been happily using paypal for some months now – it has enabled my customers to pay for their goods using their credit card details on my website (i.e. without having to create a PayPal account). However recently (within the past 2 weeks) the ability to pay using a Credit Card has been removed from the paypal payment page. I have not changed anything on my website – so I am left wondering why/what has happened? The only way in which my customers can pay for their goods is if they create a Paypal account – and then pay for their goods. This process has caused a 50+% sales reduction over the past couple of weeks – so I really have to find a solution. Has anyone else witnessed this problem? Is it possible to re-enable the Credit Card payment (without having to create a Paypal account). Im really hoping that there is a simple solution to this but I cant see anything on the Paypal website that helps. The interesting thing is, the Paypal website still says ‘Accept Credit Card Payments Online’ – so im hoping I have to do something to enable this. Any help you guys can provide would be grately appreciated. Best regards Spencer

Response:

Hi Rita, Thanks for the reply – maybe dopping PayPal is the only solution as I have spent several hours today looking for information/FAQ’s etc on the Paypal website to explain this problem and I have found nothing. Out of interest – do you have this problem in the US? (sorry, I am assuming you are from the US). Thanks in advance Spence – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Im really hoping that there is a simple solution to this but I cant see anything on the Paypal website that helps. The interesting thing is, the Paypal website still says ‘Accept Credit Card Payments Online’ – so im hoping I have to do something to enable this. You would be better off calling PayPal directly and ask them for an explanation of what is going on. Since you are in the UK what we say I say will probably only apply to the US. Also, if you are running an off-eBay website you would be better suited to get your own merchants account since using PayPal for any other e-commerce than eBay makes you look like a third rate merchant. Once you drop PayPal from your website and use your merchants account you will see your sales skyrocket. Rita

Response:

Buying in large lots and selling in small lots

admin — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

Even american cars parts are made outside the usa…so buying american really isn’t do so if ya think about it. Tina

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – [ . . . [ stupid and greedy Americans can watch their dollars and jobs sail overseas. You can blame stupid and greedy American unions for most of that. === Really? And the CEO's? === What about 'em? GM's CEO's salary and perks aren't what have GM at the brink of bankruptcy. There's only one of him. If they paid him nothing at all, or ten times as much, it would not change GM's financial situation a particle. Union-demanded wage increases, health care and pension costs are what have put the company on the brink. So now a dozen plants will close and 30,000 workers will be laid off. And that may still be not enough to save GM from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the Japanese companies with their American workers in American plants and NO UNIONS are doing very well, their workers are happy and they aren't getting hit with massive plant closings and layoffs. All of which is very unfortunate. I like American cars. My present one is a 2005 Chevy Malibu and I love it. The question is, in five or ten years will I even be able to buy an American car, or will they have gone the way of American-made TVs and toasters? Neil Even american cars parts are made outside the usa...so buying american really isn't do so if ya think about it.

Parts are made all over, some of them outside the U.S., sure. That's why they call where cars are made assembly plants. We live in a multinational world. There's still a lot more American content in an American-made car than there is in, say, an American-made computer. I build computers as a hobby, and I don't think I've ever seen even a single American-made part. How different is that from a Dell, Gateway, etc. computer? Neil

Response:

There's still a lot more American content in an American-made car than there is in, say, an American-made computer. I build computers as a hobby, and I don't think I've ever seen even a single American-made part. How different is that from a Dell, Gateway, etc. computer? Neil

The dice inside many of the high-end chips are made in the US. They are often packaged elsewhere (so they might say Philippines or Malaysia), but the critical work is often done in the US. Best regards, Spehro Pefhany -- "it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward" Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text -- Show quoted text - It depends on who sets the market price. Just because Wal-Mart has an unfair advantage in the market doesn't mean their prices are "market value". Why not? What "unfair advantage"? If you mean because they're a huge corporation their sales volume gets them wholesale prices lower than many of their competitors, well, that's true, but how is it "unfair"? It's always the case that if you buy items 10,000 at a time you can get 'em at a much better price than if you buy only a few or even a few hundred at a time. Does this put the smaller business at a price disadvantage? Of course. Is it "unfair"? Hardly. It's the basic economics of business. Agreed that much of Walmart's success has been due to tight inventory control & volume purchasing, but Hint - Walmart gains a significant advantage by paying minimal wages / minimal heath care / minimal benefits - especially in the grocery trade.

Funny, but I've never heard that the local grocery chains here - Publix, Winn Dixie, Albertson's - pay cashiers and stockboys anything more than minimum wage. Who's raking in the bucks and getting benefits in the grocery store trade? I've never heard that there's a backlog of applications from Walmart employees to move to jobs in the lucrative chain grocery store field. I think that Southland Corporation (7/11 stores) pays their help a few cents an hour more than Walmart does, but 7/11 clerks don't get paid for time off the job recuperating from bullet wounds. Are these underpaid Walmart employees scanning the ads every day to see if there's an opening at McDonalds and Burger King to see if they can move up the salary and benefit ladder? If you feel that Walmart is taking advantage of people by paying them minimal wages and offering minimal benefits, who are you comparing them to? -- Tony Cooper Orlando, FL

Response:

Agreed that much of Walmart's success has been due to tight inventory control & volume purchasing, but Hint - Walmart gains a significant advantage by paying minimal wages / minimal heath care / minimal benefits - especially in the grocery trade.

Response:

I don't have any problems with American cars, and I've been driving 'em a long, long time. Do you?

Not any longer. Too many bad experiences with GM, Ford & Chrysler - especially GM. Or are you one of those people who just believe on faith that Japanese cars must be better, so buy only Japanese--and then complain about "stupid and greedy Americans [watching] their dollars and jobs sail overseas"? Everyone I know who complains about the loss of American jobs and balance of trade, drives a Japanese car. That there might be some connection never seems to occur to them. Neil

Obviously you’ve not owned or perhaps not even driven such Japanese cars (many of which contain mostly US, or at least North American parts & labor). Personally, I can’t afford so-called US cars. They are way too expensive on a per mile basis, never mind the typically reduced service. Hint – 200k miles is now the least I expect from my cars, never mind the typically improved ride & reduced maintenance of most "Japanese" cars.

Response:

Nevertheless, we do produce some damn good cars. Some assembly plants do better work than others, but most I think do a better job now than they did 30 to 50 years ago, when sloppy workmanship was so common in American cars that they became a standing joke. Really? We might *assemble* some damn good cars, but we don’t "produce" any.

Assembly *is* production. The majority of parts that it takes to assemble a car here are produced in Canada, Mexico, and every other third world country.

I don’t think so. Engines and transmissions are made here I think, at least for the most part. So is the sheet metal. So is the suspension. Some smaller parts like wiring harness may be made in Mexico, etc., and of course the car’s electronics contain parts from here and there in southeast Asia. But I believe practically all of the big parts are made are, maybe some of them in Canada. I’d have to see a some authoritative cite about "the majority of parts" being made elsewhere before I’d believe it. Neil

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – stupid and greedy Americans can watch their dollars and jobs sail overseas. You can blame stupid and greedy American unions for most of that. === Really? And the CEO’s? === What about ‘em? GM’s CEO’s salary and perks aren’t what have GM at the brink of bankruptcy. There’s only one of him. If they paid him nothing at all, or ten times as much, it would not change GM’s financial situation a particle. ==== Well, how about if they built better cars? Would that do it? ==== I don’t have any problems with American cars, and I’ve been driving ‘em a long, long time. Do you?

=== Actually, I drive a GM–2001 Olds Silhouette. It’s a beauty! Heated and vented leather seats, front and side airbags, OnStar (of course), traction control, anti-lock brakes, power sliding door, front & rear air, heat and stereo, and an integrated air compressor for inflating anything that needs inflating. The van holds it own quite well in comparison to the Toyota Sienna and Honda Odyessy (other than in offset frontal crash ratings) which have their own trouble histories. I don’t need to worry about resale value because my van has about 41k miles on it, is paid for and I plan to keep it for at least 150k. Make no mistake about it–I love my Silhouette, and the infamous faulty head gasket that GM refuses to recall has already been replaced and there has been no damage due to its failure. Those faulty head gaskets have caused a significant loss of GM’s customer base in the last 5 years or so. So, blaming labor for GM’s failure is a far too simplistic assertion. === Or are you one of those people who just believe on faith that Japanese cars must be better, so buy only Japanese–and then complain about "stupid and greedy Americans [watching] their dollars and jobs sail overseas"? Everyone I know who complains about the loss of American jobs and balance of trade, drives a Japanese car.

=== Well, now you know someone who complains and doesn’t. === ===

Response:

HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so stupid and greedy Americans can watch their dollars and jobs sail overseas.

Stupid and greedy whatevers make such statements. What do you know about the market? Nothing. There is one way to level the playing field. Take all the fake environmentalists and union liberals and put them in a closet. THEN whatever requirements are placed on American industry by those people ALSO be required for ANY IMPORT. Does it make you wonder why we are purposely put in a non-competitive situation? Are they stupid or are they trying to kill America?

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

==== Well, how about if they built better cars? Would that do it? ====

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Rita, almost *everything* that can be shipped economically is made in China now. Or if not China, then Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, etc. You want to sell good old American-made TVs, radios, toasters or coffeemakers? Where you gonna get ‘em? Check out those good old American brand names like RCA, Emerson, GE, etc. and then look on the box to see where the product was made. Yep! I understand that. But, really, would you want to own something that solely was designed and manufactured in the US by mostly substandard, lazy, and uneducated workers that don’t give a rat’s ass about anything? We simply can’t compete on the world stage! Sadly, the only option is buying imports.

Not necessarily. I’ll be the first to agree that some American cars have been shoddily made, and yes, you’re exactly right about the workers’ attitudes being responsible for this. Those attitudes are themselves largely the result of union efforts. Union bosses have to keep members convinced that they’re being ill-treated, underpaid and variously abused by management. (Why else would they need a union, really?) I have seen this over and over where I worked and elsewhere. One predictable result is workers’ distrust and resentment of management, leading to a general sullenness about the job and so on. This does not tend to produce pride in workmanship or product. Nevertheless, we do produce some damn good cars. Some assembly plants do better work than others, but most I think do a better job now than they did 30 to 50 years ago, when sloppy workmanship was so common in American cars that they became a standing joke. I bought a new Mercury in 1957 and had the handle come off in my hand when I closed a vent window (the car was about two days old, I think). I bought a new Ford in 1972 and the first time it rained and I turned on the wipers, they made about three strokes and stopped dead (in a heavy rain) because a bolt fell out of the wiper linkage. These sorts of things are not confidence-inspiring. But they were not typical of all American cars, either. In those days I bought a new car usually every two years, and most of them were just fine. I also had a few German, English and Japanese cars and some of them were troublesome too. For about the last 25 years I’ve bought American cars, and generally speaking they’ve been okay. One did have a paint job that went bad (covered by warranty), and another had a troublesome cooling system. But those I’ve owned over the last 10 or 12 years have had no problems of any kind. A friend of mine on the other hand buys only Japanese cars, and he has loads of problems with them. At one time both his car and his wife’s (both Japanese) were crapped out. I’m not saying this is because Japanese cars are bad; on the contrary I think they’re generally very good, but my friend always buys his used and with lots of mileage on them–he thinks because they’re Japanese they’ll run fine forever, and continues to believe this even when they repeatedly crap out. A neighbor of mine on the other hand (how many hands is that so far?) recently traded in his ‘91 Chevy, a little four-cylinder shitbox with 265,000 miles on it. He’d had only minimal problems with it; once it needed a new water pump and that sort of thing. As for "selling it below market value," what on earth do you think market value *is*? It’s what the product will sell for. No more and no less. It depends on who sets the market price. Just because Wal-Mart has an unfair advantage in the market doesn’t mean their prices are "market value".

Why not? What "unfair advantage"? If you mean because they’re a huge corporation their sales volume gets them wholesale prices lower than many of their competitors, well, that’s true, but how is it "unfair"? It’s always the case that if you buy items 10,000 at a time you can get ‘em at a much better price than if you buy only a few or even a few hundred at a time. Does this put the smaller business at a price disadvantage? Of course. Is it "unfair"? Hardly. It’s the basic economics of business. stupid and greedy Americans can watch their dollars and jobs sail overseas. You can blame stupid and greedy American unions for most of that. General Motors is on the verge of bankruptcy, with Ford probably not far behind. Care to guess why? Yep! I can blame the unions and the greedy Americans union workers that allowed them to flourish and to strong-arm business for greed. Most of these lazy asses don’t know what an honest days work is. The younger ones will get slapped in the face with reality soon enough.

We’re in complete agreement there. Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda are making cars right here in the U.S., with American workers, making lots of money, and they don’t have any of GM’s financial woes. Care to guess why not? We’ll see where this leads in a decade. I don’t think you will have as rosy a picture about it then as you do now. Keep buying imported goods and sending money and jobs there.

Again, I *don’t* buy imported goods in the one area where I actually have a choice: the automobile. In most other areas I don’t have a real choice. Like other consumers I shop for best value. When I buy clothes, this almost invariably means buying an imported product. For cameras, likewise. We have not been able to produce a competitive mass-market or professional camera in the U.S. for generations, except maybe for those cheap single-use things. Kodak still sells real cameras but they’re made overseas. The same thing with any electronics goods. As far as I know there hasn’t been an American-made TV, radio or stereo system for decades. Those jobs and in fact those entire industries are just gone. And they’re not coming back. Neil

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

I don’t have any problems with American cars, and I’ve been driving ‘em a long, long time. Do you? Or are you one of those people who just believe on faith that Japanese cars must be better, so buy only Japanese–and then complain about "stupid and greedy Americans [watching] their dollars and jobs sail overseas"? Everyone I know who complains about the loss of American jobs and balance of trade, drives a Japanese car. That there might be some connection never seems to occur to them. Neil

Response:

GM’s CEO’s salary and perks aren’t what have GM at the brink of bankruptcy. There’s only one of him. If they paid him nothing at all, or ten times as much, it would not change GM’s financial situation a particle. ==== Well, how about if they built better cars? Would that do it? ====

I believe American built cars (if there is such a thing anymore) are better built than they were 10 years ago … but wages have still gone up, insurance costs have gone up … everything has gone up including the price of the car, but profits have plummetted. Why? GM used to make a fortune on financing. They still do but not nearly the fortune they used to … and a lot of that money goes to support other things … like "employee pricing" strategies to get people to buy the cars … otherwise no one would buy them. In other words, I believe it costs too much to make a car so they have to give them away to make people buy them.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, how about if they built better cars? Would that do it? Who? We are Americans we can’t build better anything. I really hate saying this, but Michael Moore would agree with me. Rita

We cab’t even build a better Michael Moore. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

What about ‘em? GM’s CEO’s salary and perks aren’t what have GM at the brink of bankruptcy. There’s only one of him. If they paid him nothing at all, or ten times as much, it would not change GM’s financial situation a particle. Union-demanded wage increases, health care and pension costs are what have put the company on the brink. So now a dozen plants will close and 30,000 workers will be laid off. And that may still be not enough to save GM from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, the Japanese companies with their American workers in American plants and NO UNIONS are doing very well, their workers are happy and they aren’t getting hit with massive plant closings and layoffs. All of which is very unfortunate. I like American cars. My present one is a 2005 Chevy Malibu and I love it. The question is, in five or ten years will I even be able to buy an American car, or will they have gone the way of American-made TVs and toasters? Neil

Response:

HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

You can blame stupid and greedy American unions for most of that. General Motors is on the verge of bankruptcy, with Ford probably not far behind. Care to guess why? Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda are making cars right here in the U.S., with American workers, making lots of money, and they don’t have any of GM’s financial woes. Care to guess why not? Neil

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$ By importing everything from China and selling it below market value so

=== Really? And the CEO’s? ===

Response:

Let’s say that I spot a lot of 1,000 foobars at, say, $0.50 each. In lots of 10, foobars sell for $1.20 apiece. These are very standardized items with nothing questionable. Would it ever make any sense to buy the 1,000 lot and resell in 10 lots? Common sense suggests that such obvious profit opportunities are usually not particularly well paying, but I wonder if anyone tried something like that.

I think of it this way … if you have enough money to buy the original lot … and you have enough time to sell them singly or in lots of 10 … and they don’t go bad (barring floods and that kind of thing) … and you have the space to store them … I say go for it. If and when you sell them all, you’ll turn your $500 into $1200 (gross, of course). It’s not the largest amount of money anyone has ever made doing anything, but if you could make $700 on every investment you ever made, how many would you make? I’d make as many investments as I could. The question is, though, will anyone buy this item at $1.20? Are there millions selling them at $1.20 so your sales will be hit and miss? For instance … if you bought a bunch of DVD’s and tried to sell them on eBay, you’d probably do well, depending on how much you paid for them. The problem is that there are so many people selling DVD’s that unless someone is looking for a specific title, they won’t find your individual listing among the millions of DVD’s that are listed.

Response:

For me, it depends on the size of the foobars. If I could store them in my garage, I’d be good with that. Did you open a store? It seems like it would be easy to list and relist them, you can offer them in varying quantities, and keeping a small, cheap batch out on the main auction site might draw people into your store. A

Response:

HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$

Response:

I’d rather buy two things for $250 each that I know would bring at least $600 each than piss around with 100 small sales. FVFs are a lot smaller that way, too.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Let’s say that I spot a lot of 1,000 foobars at, say, $0.50 each. In lots of 10, foobars sell for $1.20 apiece. These are very standardized items with nothing questionable. Would it ever make any sense to buy the 1,000 lot and resell in 10 lots? Common sense suggests that such obvious profit opportunities are usually not particularly well paying, but I wonder if anyone tried something like that. i HOW DO YOU THINK WALMART MAKES SO MUCH $$$$$$

By not paying their help? — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

Common sense suggests that such obvious profit opportunities are usually not particularly well paying, but I wonder if anyone tried something like that.

I hear a lot of people end up with a garage full of mil spec bearings that way.

Response:

Haha… I am actually optimistic about the bearings… They cost me very little and someone already is buying them by the pound… Not that I think that it is particularly profitable, but I do not think that I would lose money, only time.

I really think you should call up a local power transmission equipment distributor with the bearings. I used to work for one and with the name brands you have we would have worked out something.

Response:

Not with that narrow a price spread. Always seek out a 30:1 or higher sell/buy ratio. If they normally sell for $1.20 each in tens, a good eBay singles price would be thirty cents each, so you would not want to pay more than a penny each. http://www.tinaja.com/glib/ebaysell.pdf — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

That's a cute selling technique

admin — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

…geometric correction is sorely needed.

They should hire a couple of HS kids at $6/hr to do the correction. Craig

Response:

} I was looking some mosfets and found a way to add a nice } touch to a photo of an item: } } http://www.myradioroom.com/20-j50mosfets1.jpg } } look in bottom right corner.

I frequently add a humorous touch to the lower right corner of items I sell on eBay as well. Right next to that little camera icon that eBay automatically adds, I like to put the words "Tiny camera not included." I don’t know if it helps sales, but it probably doesn’t hurt, and I simply enjoy it.

Response:

Hey! Don’t be jealous because Don has the best pictures on eBay. He might not be selling anything, but his pictures are nice.

They surely are! I look at the photos in his listings and think, "My God, that photo’s gotta be worth at least $19.63!" JP

Response:

I was looking some mosfets and found a way to add a nice touch to a photo of an item: http://www.myradioroom.com/20-j50mosfets1.jpg look in bottom right corner. i

This is your entry in the "worst eBay photo of all time", right? Firstoff, the customer is really gonna be pissed when they don’t get the dog. Second, the hideous defects in the antistatic background completely dominate the photo and loudly announvce "this is trash". Thirdly, geometric correction is sorely needed. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

I was looking some mosfets and found a way to add a nice touch to a photo of an item: http://www.myradioroom.com/20-j50mosfets1.jpg look in bottom right corner. i

I like stuff like that – it’s what I like about Ebay – everyone has their own style. Thank God we’re not all like Don "photo booth" Lancaster

Response:

Cheap Merchant Account – I finally found one

admin — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

I had a discussion months ago about PayPal being expensive, and mentioned their were less expensive options for big sellers out there. Then I couldn’t find the one I was thinking of, but I just stumbled across this one: http://www.995merchantaccounts.com/rates 2.39% + .25 per transaction. But you have to pay $30 per month in statement & gateway fees, so it certainly doesn’t make sense for me or Bertha. But since so many Powersellers appear here sporadically…. A

Response:

The best merchant account deal is with Costco, for executive members. Here in Canada (from my memory) it’s 1.66% for swiped cards, 2% for transactions phoned it by the merchant and 2.2% for Internet transactions. There’s no monthly fee, but a terminal (at $25 a month) is required for that 1.66% rate. Minimum of $10 a month in transaction fees (which would take $500 a month in transactions at 2%). I don’t know exactly what the deal is in the USA but from what I’ve heard, it is far better than a small business could otherwise get.

Response:

I have a 1.9% rate from paypal plus the usual fees.

Response:

I have a 1.9% rate from paypal plus the usual fees.

Only if you have another merchant account and use Paypal as an Additional Payment Option or you are doing over a hundred thousand a month in Paypal payments received.

Response:

You can find cheaper pay services all over the net and cheap merchant accounts but you gotta remember one thing — most buyers ,with any common sense, are not ever going to start sending CC info or bank account info to so off-the wall pay service or direct to a seller they never heard of who never have a secure site i e https We had our merchant account from 1983 until 2003 – I used it on Ebay for 4 yearss until I woke up one day and saw the light – lots of folok were not going to send me their CC info over the net – I don’t blame them I dropped the merchant account and signed up with Paypal – it costs me a bit more than I was paying but, believe it or not, my sales almost doubled - now about 90% or higher of my sales are paid with PP – it works great When Ebay acquired PP it made them legit with buyers – not just another pay service

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had a discussion months ago about PayPal being expensive, and mentioned their were less expensive options for big sellers out there. Then I couldn’t find the one I was thinking of, but I just stumbled across this one: http://www.995merchantaccounts.com/rates 2.39% + .25 per transaction. But you have to pay $30 per month in statement & gateway fees, so it certainly doesn’t make sense for me or Bertha. But since so many Powersellers appear here sporadically…. The best merchant account deal is with Costco, for executive members. Here in Canada (from my memory) it’s 1.66% for swiped cards, 2% for transactions phoned it by the merchant and 2.2% for Internet transactions. There’s no monthly fee, but a terminal (at $25 a month) is required for that 1.66% rate. Minimum of $10 a month in transaction fees (which would take $500 a month in transactions at 2%). I don’t know exactly what the deal is in the USA but from what I’ve heard, it is far better than a small business could otherwise get.

Is there a gateway fee? Internet merchants usually have another "Gateway Fee" which is usually a killer. A

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had a discussion months ago about PayPal being expensive, and mentioned their were less expensive options for big sellers out there. Then I couldn’t find the one I was thinking of, but I just stumbled across this one: http://www.995merchantaccounts.com/rates 2.39% + .25 per transaction. But you have to pay $30 per month in statement & gateway fees, so it certainly doesn’t make sense for me or Bertha. But since so many Powersellers appear here sporadically…. A You can find cheaper pay services all over the net and cheap merchant accounts but you gotta remember one thing — most buyers ,with any common sense, are not ever going to start sending CC info or bank account info to so off-the wall pay service or direct to a seller they never heard of who never have a secure site i e https We had our merchant account from 1983 until 2003 – I used it on Ebay for 4 yearss until I woke up one day and saw the light – lots of folok were not going to send me their CC info over the net – I don’t blame them I dropped the merchant account and signed up with Paypal – it costs me a bit more than I was paying but, believe it or not, my sales almost doubled - now about 90% or higher of my sales are paid with PP – it works great When Ebay acquired PP it made them legit with buyers – not just another pay service

That may be, but my point was only that cheaper deals can be found if you’re a high volume seller. A

Response:

Power Sellers Can Sell Bootleg DVDs?

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

This powerseller has been selling these and many more bootlegs for years. He has many feedback complaints about it. I’ve reported him to ebay several time and they do nothing. Seems they only want the item number when you complain. Why can’t you expain that these items were never released by the artists. He currently has over 20 bootleg concerts up for auction. http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZredbird5150 Examples Guns and Roses in Oklahoma http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6456251336 Guns and Roses in Argentina http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6456251304

Response:

"Fall Season" wrote … This powerseller has been selling these and many more bootlegs for years. He has many feedback complaints about it. I’ve reported him to ebay several time and they do nothing. Seems they only want the item number when you complain. Why can’t you expain that these items were never released by the artists. He currently has over 20 bootleg concerts up for auction.

They’re waiting for Guns’n'Roses to complain. — Andrew http://www.weirdity.com/ebay/

Response:

This powerseller has been selling these and many more bootlegs for years. He has many feedback complaints about it.

Simply assume that ALL of the DVD’s offered on eBay are bootleg, and the problem goes away. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

This powerseller has been selling these and many more bootlegs for years. He has many feedback complaints about it. I’ve reported him to ebay several time and they do nothing.

They’ll only do anything if the copyright holder complains. In this case, GNR would have to get involved. I think the Tiffany vs eBay case bears considerable watching. The other two sites that I am most familiar with, being Overstock and iOffer, seem to make a big part of their income from sellers who sell counterfeit goods. The RIAA case that went to the Supreme Court decided that software makers can indeed be held responsible for the actions of the users of that software. I suspect that when the Tiffany / eBay thing washes out, the outcome will be similiar, which will open the door for VEROs to sue sites for allowing counterfeit goods even being offered. When that happens, I think ioffer will fold, then Overstock will throw in the towel on it’s auctions, and eBay will finally become proactive in this. I wonder how it will affect the DVD sales? It potentially has huge implications. A

Response:

I know what you mean. When I last did a completed items search last month there were 411 sales of "Song of the South" on DVD. All of them are pirate copies. I’ve reported specific auctions to eBay. I’ve sent them a specific email talking about this. Now let me check again and see how many sold recently…. Ah, we’re up to 797 now. 100% pirate copies since Disney refuses to release this movie on DVD. I’m a reseller in Japan and the Song of the South laserdisc was still popular becasue it was the only way to get better than VHS quality and digital sound. They used to sell for about $180 each, now it’s to less than $80, all in about 2-3 months. I didn’t have any of those in my stock, but other sellers stand to lose a ton while the pirates and eBay do very well. I understand that it’s gong to happen to some extent, but even when you follow the rules an report sellers it appears that it does very little to dent the flow. That’s what’s discouraging…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This powerseller has been selling these and many more bootlegs for years. He has many feedback complaints about it. I’ve reported him to ebay several time and they do nothing. They’ll only do anything if the copyright holder complains. In this case, GNR would have to get involved. I think the Tiffany vs eBay case bears considerable watching. The other two sites that I am most familiar with, being Overstock and iOffer, seem to make a big part of their income from sellers who sell counterfeit goods. The RIAA case that went to the Supreme Court decided that software makers can indeed be held responsible for the actions of the users of that software. I suspect that when the Tiffany / eBay thing washes out, the outcome will be similiar, which will open the door for VEROs to sue sites for allowing counterfeit goods even being offered. When that happens, I think ioffer will fold, then Overstock will throw in the towel on it’s auctions, and eBay will finally become proactive in this. I wonder how it will affect the DVD sales? It potentially has huge implications. A

Response:

Bootleg dvds

admin — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

Question:

Ask them about job opportunities while you are ratting on others. You may find a wonderful career in cocking up peoples livelihood. The MPAA welcomes snitches like you.

Response:

In an auction, how can you tell if the dvd is bootleg? I am trying to buy "Band of Brothers" 6 dvd set for my son, and I don’t want to get stung, especially at the high price this set is going for. Appreciate your info.

Search title and description in DVDs, subcategory "Television Shows:" "Band of Brothers" hbo tin 6 -asian -import However, you’ll find that new, sealed, genuine editions plus s/h on eBAy cost about the same as Amazon.com ($65.98 + free ship). Used genuine sets seem to be going for $5-$10 less than new. I’d go with Amazon just to buy it now and know what I’m gonna get.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. While you’re at it, look into whether it is in the public domain or not. Unless that movie was made before 1925.. no movie ever made, is in the "public" domain.

Centenial was a mimiseries.

Response:

And your point is? — Ty Who is mostly just a slightly skewed Donna Reed Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. ~~ William Pitt, 18 Nov 1783

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. While you’re at it, look into whether it is in the public domain or not. Unless that movie was made before 1925.. no movie ever made, is in the "public" domain. Centenial was a mimiseries. And your point is?

Miniseries are even less in the public domain than movies are. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

Miniseries are even less in the public domain than movies are.

Miniserie loves company. Craig

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. Ask them about job opportunities while you are ratting on others. You may find a wonderful career in cocking up peoples livelihood. The MPAA welcomes snitches like you.

There is nothing here that is being a snitch, dufous. if being a snitch and letting those that own that property know that someone is making money on their property, then I’m all for i.t Im sure you’d hate if someone came into your house, took ALL your items, sold them on Ebay and didn’t give you a red cent, you’d want someone to "snitch" on who took them, Love how criminals like to legitimize their work. Criminals all think that way.

Response:

Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. Ask them about job opportunities while you are ratting on others. You may find a wonderful career in cocking up peoples livelihood. The MPAA welcomes snitches like you.

Idiot.

Response:

Lumpy observed: Miniserie loves company.

That’s why they hang out with mimiseries.

Response:

Love how criminals like to legitimize their work. Criminals all think that way.

Far be it from me to question one who knows these things.

Response:

Love how criminals like to legitimize their work. Criminals all think that way. Far be it from me to question one who knows these things.

If you want to find out something, go to the horse’s …… mouth. — Joanne

Response:

DVDs are one thing I would *never* buy from eBay, unless I did not care if they were bootlegs or not. A

Response:

Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay?

narc.com? Or is stoolies.com still around. Maybe snitch.org? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd.

If you know its never been offered, why were you looking. One seller, jasper19400_0 had several one day sales listed, offering the complete Centennial series on dvd. Item numbers 6455853469 and 6455986077 are both by this seller. Another seller, eli21eli21 offered item number 6455964364, also a bootleg dvd set of the Centennial series. This seller posted a photo of the Centennial vhs set, but was offering a dvd set. Again, this series has never been offered on legitimate dvd, so it is obviously a bootleg. Also, in this buyer’s feedback were several complaints from buyers who were upset they had received bootleg copies of items offered by this seller.

Why dont you just watch tv? WEBTV too!

Response:

In an auction, how can you tell if the dvd is bootleg?

If the auction was posted from some place that has a time zone, it’s a bootleg. Craig

Response:

In an auction, how can you tell if the dvd is bootleg? If the auction was posted from some place that has a time zone, it’s a bootleg. Craig

If the letters A, E, I, O, or U appear anywhere in the listing, the DVD is a bootleg. This is the secret code that all the bootleggers use. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In an auction, how can you tell if the dvd is bootleg? If the auction was posted from some place that has a time zone, it’s a bootleg. Craig If the letters A, E, I, O, or U appear anywhere in the listing, the DVD is a bootleg. This is the secret code that all the bootleggers use.

I heard that eBay once ended a Levi auction because it was a boot leg. — Joanne

Response:

Unless that movie was made before 1925.. no movie ever made, is in the "public" domain.

Response:

You can’t tell until you get it.

Response:

Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. One seller, jasper19400_0 had several one day sales listed, offering the complete Centennial series on dvd. Item numbers 6455853469 and 6455986077 are both by this seller. Another seller, eli21eli21 offered item number 6455964364, also a bootleg dvd set of the Centennial series. This seller posted a photo of the Centennial vhs set, but was offering a dvd set. Again, this series has never been offered on legitimate dvd, so it is obviously a bootleg. Also, in this buyer’s feedback were several complaints from buyers who were upset they had received bootleg copies of items offered by this seller.

Response:

While you’re at it, look into whether it is in the public domain or not.

Response:

Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay?

Simply assume that ALL dvds on eBay are bootleg, and the problem never comes up. — Many thanks, Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 Please visit my GURU’s LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Response:

Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay?

To eBay. Kris

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Where is the best place to report bootleg dvds being sold n ebay? Today I was checking for the mini-series, Centennial on ebay and found at least 3 bootleg dvd sets offered. Centennial has never been offered on dvd. One seller, jasper19400_0 had several one day sales listed, offering the complete Centennial series on dvd. Item numbers 6455853469 and 6455986077 are both by this seller. Another seller, eli21eli21 offered item number 6455964364, also a bootleg dvd set of the Centennial series. This seller posted a photo of the Centennial vhs set, but was offering a dvd set. Again, this series has never been offered on legitimate dvd, so it is obviously a bootleg. Also, in this buyer’s feedback were several complaints from buyers who were upset they had received bootleg copies of items offered by this seller.

eBay Security: http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/index.html