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Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ebay. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 22, 2010



Ebay has made some updates to include a number of features designed to help the ebayer um... buy stuff.

So the first change includes a diversification of the watch list.

Personally, I love the watch list, it shows me everything I'm GOING to buy.  And it always seems to work out that I do manage to buy most of the things on my watch list.

Now we have some new lists:

Watch List (existing)
Gift Ideas (new)
Research (new)
Wish List (new)

So when you find an item you like/love, and you "add to list", you now have a choice:


For me, my watch list IS my wish list but... I can dig it.

The gift ideas list is a great addition - you can be super organised when it comes to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas.  This is a feature I will be using frequently.

Research is an interesting one.  I thought I was the only person who did research on ebay.  Apparently not.  I will no doubt use this section as well.  This section is appropriate for forming an opinion about a type of product or category.  For example, "Windows 7".  You can compare prices, types/versions (eg. home, professional) , features etc. before you make your final decision.  The research section will be handy for those items that I will be purchasing in the future.

I love the idea of breaking up lists into categories.  Too many times I have found myself with 50 watched items and no idea where to start.  Now the items can be broken down into bite sized pieces.  You can also create your own customised lists (say, the name of a gift recipient or a category).  I can see myself having a bit of fun with this!

For more fun with ebay, check out my updated "Let's Go Shopping" sidebar ->>>>>








Tuesday, August 18, 2009


















I Googled "Boyfirned" just to see what it was. Evidently it's how much of the world's population spell "Boyfriend".

And apparently a lot of people trawling on the net are seeking a boyfirned of their own. Good luck to them, I say. Hopefully when they meet them they'll spell their name correctly.

I'm not sure what it has to do with jeans exactly, maybe that "I look good in my boyfriend's jeans type thing."

Some hail them as the new 'it' jeans right now.
Some call them the answer to skinny jeans.
Others go so far as to call them "forgiving".

Forgiving eh? If you threw a rock at your sister when you were seven, the jeans aren't going to be your salvation. They are just comfy and probably allow you to eat periodically.

The name could be hybrid thing, like rom-com. Perhaps boyfirned is some kind of spurned boyfriend.
Or an exotic bird. A type of chemical wash for jeans? A fireplace?

Regardless, I do like 'em.



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Wednesday, June 10, 2009

I have scoured the edges of the earth for a simple, straightforward black cardigan. Do you think it was easy? Noooo.

They come with ruffles. Or shiny buttons, or beads, or frilly bits that hang asymetrically. Or those half-cardigans that make you wonder if you've actually got it on. And in this weather (5 dang degrees last night!!) you want to make sure you're rugged up and warm.

But finally my quest was er... quonquered.

Here it is in all its splendour:





















I spotted it on Ebay and had to have it. The auction ended in 9 days and I couldn't wait that long. I contacted the seller and said "if you put a buy it now price of $20 on that cardy I'll pay for it straight away." I wasn't sure if that tactic would work but I tried anyway. No sooner had I sent the message and the "buy it now $20" sign was up. I snapped it up and couldn't be happier. It is soooo warm.


P.S. Unrelated rant: The new Firefox sucks. Nothings works on it. Grrrr. I'm going back to the old one on oldapps.com




Thursday, June 04, 2009

Since winning my laptop in the DealsDirect Australian Bloggers competition, I have been researching prepaid wireless dongles on Ebay for what seems like a millennia.

Finally I decided on Optus, as the reliability and coverage is reported to be better than the other networks. I had witnessed others struggling with their various network's connections, suffering dropouts, and finally taking up creative swearing. I had to be vigilant.











I found an Optus USB slimline modem (dongle) on Ebay for $100 - not bad, considering they are $200 new plus $30 for a new SIM card.

Now, I have always considered myself to be quite adept with computers, having used them since I was around seven years old, perhaps earlier. I learned to program in basic, connect networks, install and configure operating systems on PC and Mac. I later learned HTML, completed a course in CSS and enjoy tinkering with code and other such nerdy pursuits.

The USB dongle instructions couldn't be simpler:

1. Put SIM card in USB dongle.

2. Insert USB dongle into computer. Wait around 7-10 minutes as the dongle automatically installs itself. The wonders of modern technology.

3. Click on the icon and press "Connect".

Now lets be fair. Even a monkey could probably work out how to do this after a bit of trial and error. But do you think I could get the dang thing to work? Nooooooo.

So I called Optus telephone support with all the enthusiasm of a heretic at a Spanish Inquisition party.

"Hello, Optus, how can I help you?"

The line was bad and I could tell I had called somewhere in the vicinity of Mumbai.

"Um, yes. I've installed the USB dongle and that's all fine but it won't connect. It keeps saying 'SIM card not recognised', I can't work out the problem."

So for the next twenty minutes we go through a number of avenues, SIM card set up, SIM card activation, password this and identification number that.

She suddenly stopped and I could hear her thinking.

"Uh, have you installed the SIM card properly?"

"Yes. Well, I think so anyway. Hang on let me check."

My heart rose as my nerd cred sank.

I looked at the dongle.

Pulled out the SIM card.

Checked the gold connection points.

They were on the wrong side.

Super nerd had inserted the SIM card upside down.

"How is that now?" she asked.

"Er, yeah. It works. Er... perfectly. Wow, that's great. Thanks."

"Have I been any help to you today?" She asked hopefully.

For the first time in my life was able to say yes.





Wednesday, April 08, 2009
















Charlie Brown Soft Toy

This is just cute. I used to read a lot of Charlie Brown as a kid and I think my favourite character was Schroeder. He reminded me of me when I used to practice the piano and didn't want to be distracted. Lucy used to annoy the crap out of me. I'm convinced she was based on a real person...


















Petrified Wood - Limb

This is one of those gifts for the person who has everything - except for a petrified wood limb. If I decided to start a collection, I would have displays of crystals, fossils and various other oddities. It's called being eccentric.





















Donnie Darko Original Soundtrack - Score featuring "Mad World"

Most people I know have an opinion on this movie. It is one of those films that is hard to define and even harder to quantify. The soundtrack was also an important feature of this film - if you ask me, many films would be less than great if not for the score.


















Obama "We did it" Guitar Picks

It's amazing how many Obama items are for sale throughout the internet. This is a new age, a new era where the US president can move merchandise in such a manner.
The last US president seemed to fare less well...

Except perhaps for the sales of George W Bush dartboards...
























Tuesday, March 10, 2009



















I am so impressed with myself...

You know it's weird. I can run a blog, make a reasonable amount of cash, etc. etc. yet I can't seem to successfully sell an item on Ebay.

I bought this Philips mp3 player for around $60 a few months ago. After buying a newer and better Creative MuVo mp3 player, I decided to sell the Philips player on Ebay.

The item has now sold, and the tally is as follows:

Purchase Price: $60.00

Sell Price on Ebay: $2.99

Total Profit: -$57.01




Wow...Donald Trump, look out!!

Perhaps I should have just donated it to charity.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008














My new pedometer arrived yesterday from Ebay land. It is rather snazzy and very easy to set up. You just enter your weight, age, height and step length and it calculates how many calories you are burning throughout the day. I wear it clipped to my belt to remind me to walk more. It's a good incentive to walk instead of catching the tram one stop - you get to thinking "maybe I could add another k to my total!" It becomes a bit of a competition (albeit against yourself!)

Yesterday's tally: 8539 steps, 3.71km and 165.4 calories! - and I wasn't feeling too well that day!

Today so far: 3118 steps, 1.34km, 60.4 calories.

Apparently there were 200 calories in my breakfast banana. And my breakfast tamarillo had 40 calories. There is no danger in my eating more than one tamarillo because they taste a little - how should I say... tangy. I think that's how they are supposed to taste. They make me do the "just sucked on a lemon" look.

I think I could make a million by creating the "Tamarillo Diet" - it goes something like this:

Breakfast:
1 Tamarillo

Lunch
2 Tamarillo

Dinner
2 Tamarillo

Dessert
1 Tamarillo


I can just see the testimonials:

"I lost 50kg in six months!! And I no longer have a vitamin C deficiency!!"


Important note: Please do not try this diet at home. It is a joke. Then again, so are many of the other diets floating around Hollywood. The "Cabbage Soup" diet, the "eat nothing and pretend you're just really busy" diet, the "eat and then spend an unnaturally long time in the bathroom" diet, and then there is the diet followed by many a Hollywood celebrity which basically involves looking in the mirror for long periods and pouting.

It's probably more sensible to just eat a lot of fruit, vegetables, pasta and rice. And make sure you cook with extra virgin olive oil. After all, millions of Mediterraneans can't be wrong.


Pedometer price $4.95 plus $6.00 postage.
Verdict - Success!!



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Tuesday, August 19, 2008


The last 'leather' belt I purchased on Ebay turned out to be 100% real vinyl, which is why it broke within about 2 months.

I finally snagged the perfect leather belt on Ebay. After delivery, on close inspection I found it to be real leather - yippee!!

These belts can go for $20-$80, I'm sure there are more expensive versions around.

$1.99 + $7.00 postage.

SUCCESS!!


...dig that funky bedspread!


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Tuesday, July 29, 2008


My wonderful Kabuki brush arrived and I am happy to report it is a roaring success!!! No shedding, great coverage using mineral makeup and it comes in such a cute bag!

Total cost: $4.99 + $5.00 postage & handling = $9.99

I have saved approximately $30-40 on a name brand brush. This Ebay purchase is one of my biggest successes. Yippee!! I have now ordered a new Musq mineral makeup in the colour "Maldives" - suitable for asian skin with yellow undertones. Although I was born in Australia (blaaoordy oath mayyyte!! - sorry to everybody who didn't get that, it was an Australian reference!), I do seem to have a "where does she come from" kind of thing about my skin tone. Finally I have found a yellow-undertoned mineral makeup that feels natural and looks like I'm not wearing makeup. More reports to come...



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Buy leading cosmetics brands at reduced prices. Free shipping anywhere in the world.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008


I have realised it's time for another spring clean. I bought a pair of jeans on Ebay and they are not quite right for me. So it's time to start selling again. I managed to sell two dictaphones on Ebay- one for $26 and one for $21 (inc postage). This is the first time I have actually made a profit selling on Ebay! Many items are best suited to a charity bin however I will possibly sell my old phone and various clothes that are gathering dust and contributing to clutter.

I have a plethora of computer equipment, cables, hard drives etc. and I must start organising and clearing. I am gaining inspiration from Decluttering for Geeks - he has an amusing and insightful take on the value of old computer components.

I am happy to report that my corduroy jeans have finally arrived. Sometimes I think the Ebay gods are listening when I complain on my blog. Now there's only one question. Where the heck is my kabuki goat hair brush?


Tuesday, July 15, 2008

My Ebay purchase update is as follows:

#1 KABUKI Brush Goat Makeup Beauty Tool



I am still waiting for this one. Perhaps it's coming from the same remote place as the Newsboy cap. There's nothing worse than having all this mineral makeup to try out, and nothing with which to apply it!


#2 Brown Cords



No surprises here. See my post on my corduroy obsession below...
Apparently the seller of this item has encountered some kind of problem with sending the cords to me. The internet she was using has been playing up. She remarked that it was "thanks to Telstra". Oh ho! So I'm not the only one! It's not that I'm in a hurry or anything, it's just that my black pair of cords has developed a slight patch of wear. I have rectified the situation with an iron and some of those stick-on repair patches. I surprised myself by ironing quite well - I forgot I could do such domestically complex tasks! :-)



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Thursday, July 10, 2008



For this particular jacket I paid $35.55 - more than my usual outlay but it was worth it!

Some of you are probably starting to think "this girl has a corduroy problem". Well yes. I do. I'm obsessed with corduroy. It's comfy and warm and I like the look of it. I like cardigans too! Oh my...granny fashion!! Well not really if you consider that Roger Federer likes a cardy, the 90s practically started the cardigan revolution and... I'd rather wear this stuff than the spray on jeans and stupid high fringes that are apparently in fashion right now. Is it Lindsay Lohan's fault? Amy Winehouse? Actually Amy Winehouse is responsible for most of the hairdos I saw last Saturday night. Kind of a beehive-meets-rats-nest revolution.

It's quite fun to put together a look out of clothes that appear to fly in the face of fashion. Some people have an unnatural phobia of cardigans (Kath Lockett - you know who you are!)

How far can you skate on the edge of fashion? Braces? Eek! If you can pull that one off I'll give you a medal. Gumboots? Overalls? Mercy!

One thing that I believe you cannot integrate into mainstream fashion is the tracksuit. Or tracky dacks as we say in Australia. Tracksuits have 3 purposes in my opinion:

1. Running/exercising/walking outdoors and generally looking like a healthy person and making everyone else feel guilty

2. Those times when you really can't be bothered changing and you run into the video store/supermarket - but you still look like you have been to the gym so you are still making everyone feel unhealthy!

3. Lounging around like a sloth with a motivation problem. Nobody can see you (except perhaps the pizza delivery person and then you are definitely going running tomorrow!)


There are, in my opinion no other options. I consider the following to be crimes against fashion when it comes to tracky dacks:

1. Wearing the tracky dacks with dress shoes. NO!!! If you're not wearing runners then you are in fashion limbo! Are you exercising or are you going casual? YOU CAN'T DO BOTH!!

2. Trying to "dress up" tracky dacks with any kind of jewellry. Let me say this slowly. This is Eastern Melbourne. YOU-ARE-NOT-IN-THE-HOOD. Put down the bling and move away from the tracky dacks.

3. White tracky dacks with black knickers. Oh so wrong.

It makes one wonder what constitutes fashion. Perhaps it's finding a look that is unique or makes people take notice.

Perhaps it's decided by a bunch of strange people in celebrity land. Perhaps they sit in a room and say "Cone bras. Let's put one on Madonna and see if it'll catch on."

I think it's about finding your own individual style. Whatever that is. If it's comfortable, and makes you feel like "you", then you're probably on the right track. Fashions change, hairstyles change, but a photo taken in a "fad" year is forever!



Thursday, June 19, 2008

Well, it finally arrived. The cute newsboy cap from Ebay. Judging by the time of delivery I think it probably came from Krasnoyarsk.

It's funny, it seemed like a good idea at the time but now I have the cap I keep looking in the mirror thinking "er... does this work?" I think, judging by the amount of times I looked in the mirror over the days, the answer is probably no. It's not that I'm not a hat person, it's just that the hat is all wrong for me. You see how it looks in the picture on this mannequin? Good, yes?


I thought so. But for some strange reason in Krasnoyarsk they all have smaller heads and therefore their mannequins are smaller.

In fact this hat was so small it was sitting tightly around my head, quietly cutting off the circulation. Not only that, but the hat is asymmetrical. The left side is pinned up with a button. Cute idea, yes?

No.

Because the hat is completely black and the button is also black, it makes me look like I have it on crooked. And no matter which angle I try, it still looks like I can't centre my own cap. Imagine a baseball cap facing not forwards, not backwards, but at a 45 degree angle. I might as well leave half of my shirt untucked to match. I'll wear different socks too, while I'm at it.

Similarly, because the hat is so small (built for strange small-headed people), it rides up in the middle, making me look Scottish.




The entire hat is black, so you can't tell if there is a bobble or not. Either way, I might as well be carrying a haggis. Or a golf club...actually that doesn't sound so bad. Hmmm.. St Andrews?

Anyway, I think I'll try to locate another newsboy cap and make doubly sure this time that it doesn't have any hidden eccentricities.




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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Sometimes waiting for my items to arrive is like the play by Samuel Beckett, "Waiting For Godot". Except in the play he never turned up. Oops! Sorry - I hope I didn't spoil it for anyone.


Here is my wonderful (but still missing) newsboy cap:













It had better arrive or I will have to do an exorcism on the Ebay demon again. (see previous post)


Which will be painful.

And messy.


Speaking of Ebay, I wish to introduce a feature to the "My Ebay" section. While it is very convenient while browsing items to "Watch" an item in My Ebay, it is more complicated to stop watching the item when you decide you're not interested or the price is too high.


I suggest that Ebay introduce an "unwatch" button, a simple button that will sit next to the "watch" button in the area circled. This way you could weed out your watched items (mine often contains over 20!) and narrow them down quickly so you can do some serious bidding.

















I hope Ebay decides to take this on board. One click and people could be "watching", "unwatching" and "rewatching" in seconds. It could revolutionise Ebay! Or at least make it a bit easier for buyers to navigate in My Ebay!


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Monday, June 02, 2008

If anybody has watched "Red Dwarf", you will understand the significance of this little hand puppet from Series V episode "Quarantine".

It looks cute, yes? The hand puppet is said to be exact in every way to the original. Except the original Mr Flibble was a homicidal killer penguin hand puppet with hex vision. A small detail!


The main thing to remember is that you do not argue with Mr Flibble.


"Who'd clear up the mess?"


BUY MR FLIBBLE



















If you haven't seen the episode, here is the Mr Flibble scene from "Red Dwarf V - Quarantine". This my favourite Red Dwarf scene from my favourite Red Dwarf episode.















Find Red Dwarf and other sci-fi merchandise at the BBC Shop.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Leaving feedback is an integral part of the Ebay shopping experience. Sellers often wait anxiously for the positive sign and dread the negative. Buyers do the same. Sometimes it becomes a strange waiting game, almost like an electronic game of "chicken" to see who blinks first.

Today Ebay has unveiled a new angle on feedback, thus removing the buyer's fear of being "bullied" into giving positive ratings.



In explaining the system of feedback I will have to refer to the previous system of positive, neutral or negative feedback for both buyers and sellers. The sellers can be judged on a number of factors whereas the buyers generally can only be judged on one thing.


Firstly, a seller will be judged on the item itself. This is, of course the reason for the transaction in the first place. This includes:

1) Honesty in describing the item including brand (or lack thereof), colour, material, features
2) Faults in the item (eg. laptop won't hold charge, "q" key missing)


Second, the sellers are judged on their use of postage and packaging, including:

1) Speed of delivery
2) Appropriateness of packaging
3) Price of postage and packaging


Personally, I tend to give sellers full marks if they fulfill most of the expectations listed above. If they have charged an extra dollar or so for postage, I am generous. After all, they often make a loss when selling the item which can even out over the final price. It is also difficult to hold a seller responsible for postal delays, especially if they communicate that they have posted it in good faith. It is more difficult for the sellers to fulfill all expectations. I have experience in being both a buyer and a seller and I much prefer being on the buying side of things.


Buyers on the other hand, are judged on a much smaller criteria.

1. Payment for item and
2. Communication


If you pay quickly, sellers will love you. I try to pay instantly if possible because it tends to surprise a lot of sellers. It is interesting that this will no longer be a factor under the new system of feedback.


Pros:

Buyers will feel free to express their views without fear of retribution. Bullying by shonky sellers is very real. There are many stories from people who have been held to ransom for the sake of a positive feedback rating. Sometimes the buyer will have to decide between telling the truth about the seller or pandering to the seller's demands to protect their own feedback. A common and unfair seller's revenge is to leave negative feedback for any buyer who rates them as negative. This is unfair because the buyer may have correctly fulfilled their responsibility of paying for the item. To rate a buyer as negative for doing nothing wrong is, well, wrong.


Cons:

This increased scrutiny could possibly cause people to shy away from attempting to become sellers. A buyer could leave negative feedback simply out of revenge when their unwarranted demands for discounts are refused. A vindictive buyer is just as bad as a vindictive seller. If the seller is honest about the item and it arrives safely, buyers should not be leaving negatives. If buyers are sensible and fair with this system, it may just work to everyone's advantage.


It will be interesting to see how long these particular changes to the feedback rating system will be received by Ebay members. It seems many Ebay buyers and sellers have readily accepted the star rating system, so this may be a further step in narrowing the ratings to keep pressure on sellers to deal in high quality products and practices.





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Wednesday, March 05, 2008

It's that time of year again. After dealing with a bout of 'flu (which I am still trying to shake!!) I have weeded out clothes that I have never and will never wear (more Ebay misadventures!!) like this one:



















Amazingly when you get rid of something, it seems to make room for another, more appropriate something. Like this pair of black cords I found for $13 on Ebay. The postage came to $8 for a total of $21. Which I still consider a success, although a tad more expensive than my other purchases.














Strangely, I have also taken to cleaning every spare chance I get. It must be the weather. Or the change of seasons.

The trouble with Melbourne weather is that you can't tell which season it is. I saw a poor confused tree turn all its leaves brown while we were still in summer. Winter made an appearance during the time we expect 35 degrees and up and now that it's Autumn (fall for US readers!!), almost the entire week will be above 30 degrees Celsius. WTF?? Not that I blame global warming or El Nino or La Nina ENTIRELY... Melbourne is famous for ridiculously inappropriate weather.

I remember this lady coming up to me at the station on the way to play a game of golf. She said "I don't understand. It crazy." I could tell she was talking about the weather, having recently moved from China. "I take my kids to beach. It sunny. Then storm, grey sky, my kids run in from water all freezing" she hugged herself to demonstrate. "I wear shorts, I need raincoat. I need hat, then I need umbrella. CRAZY!!" She shook her head and walked away, gesturing wildly.

As I watched her disappear down to the end of the platform I quietly smiled to myself and thought "welcome to Melbourne."


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Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Phew!! I'm wearing myself out at the moment. Online shopping has left burn marks on my fingers and skid marks in my wallet.

I'll probably find out in a year or so that I had some sort of compulsive shopping disorder that I tried to sublimate by creating a shopping blog.

But it's just so easy....just one more...*click* $$$ *click*

Nevertheless I did actually find some snazzy bargains on Ebay (no...really? Go on!!!)

My second lot of exhibits for December are a Deborah Hutton Queen Flat Sheet valued around $40.00-$45.00



Cost: $17.00
Postage: $9.30
Total: $26.30

Score!! It's very soft and seems quite sturdy as well. It appears it will go the distance.

Not like that f@$^%#$ing Egyptian cotton sheet that I bought some months ago. The dang thing breaks up at the sight of a long toenail, 400 thread count or not! Ended up sleeping in a massive gap created by two toenail rips that met in the middle and created a kind of rip canyon. Ah, the feel of a scratchy mattress - nothing like it.

And the other bargain:

Himalayan Crystal Salt chunks for baths (and in my case, foot spas!)



Cost: $1.95
Postage: $8.19
Total: $12.75

Not bad for a purchase from a UK seller, considering the exchange rate!!
Himalayan crystal salt contains 84 trace elements and is good for detox baths. I could do with one of those at the moment considering the amount of tox I have been ingesting.


Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Have you seen this cardigan?



I think gremlins have made their way into the system again. I bought a great cardigan on Ebay and it just refuses to arrive. The seller is very nice and said she posted it ages ago (and I believe her, you can usually tell if the person is a crook!) so the search continues. Last seen sometime in mid-October. Wearing...er

...itself.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Aaargh!!!

Watch out for this one. I clicked on it. It got me. Now I have probably given over my soul to the Evil God of Spam.






















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