Wanda K

Need a new business name...

2012-02-08T14:27:00.005-05:00

So my invitation business has hit a stand still and Im not happy about it. Im starting to think it has to do with the name of my business. While I like 'The Sell All' for my store I don't know if it goes along with the wedding side of the business.

I've spoken with a few people and they agree that I should change my name. I don't really want to change it but maybe add something to it, or obtain a second DBA for the invitations side of the business. Maybe adding a name along with 'by The Sell All' at the end.

The problem is coming up with a name for this endeavor. I really want to grow this side of the business. I can create personalized invitations of all types and I want to add more companies to the list I can offer to my buyers. I also have gift items on my list of items. Its been very interesting process attending bridal shows and meeting new brides.

Invitations is a huge business and looking for my way in.

Please view my website or stop over my store.

Attending a business expo for retailer

2012-02-08T11:34:00.005-05:00

Ok first I gotta say there are so many expos out there in so many categories its impossible to visit them all. Many of them are at the same time. There are also specialized expos such as the Halloween Expo, Bead Expos, Resort Expos and high end clothing and accessories expos.

While each one is different you can see how they are all the same. I started out attending Value Price expo in NYC. This show has OK quality items and lower priced items and it does show. If your in this type of business then yes you should attend this one. They also hold this event in Atlantic City.

Some of my favorite shows are the ones given by Urban Expo. They have great items and are not as overwhelming as other shows can be. Ive been to the one in Boston, Philadelphia, Orlando and Ocean City. One of these days Ill make it to Las Vegas.

The larger shows are the ones in the NY Javits Center, Atlanta and in Vegas. If you have ever been that the center in NYC you can just imagine how large they are. There are so many vendors and buyers sometimes the isles are un-passable. Sometimes I cant even walk thru it all I just leave. I have never been to Vegas but I am determined to one of these days. Vegas has ASD which is wildly popular! Vegas, NYC and Atlanta have permanent show rooms in the area as well.

The NYIGF is held in January and August. This event can take days to walk thru if you want to view everything. The only benefit to attending are the specials. Keep in mind sometimes the vendors will keep the specials for a little while after the show ends. The NY Toy fair can be very overwhelming as well. Usually I have a plan and hit the vendors I know I want to order from and bee line straight to them. Or I just walk by and collect flyers and catalogs and buy later.

Sign up for FREE magazines to get started. When you start attending these shows you will find dozens of magazines to take with you. Sign up for the FREE ones and keep the info on the vendors your interested in. This is an easy way to find products you may want to sell. Stay away from distributors as you can get better prices directly from manufactures. Once your on a mailing list you will start getting all kinds of information thru the mail or even email.

A lot of the times I register for a show I know Im not going to attend so they keep me on the mailing list. The vendors also get your information and will send you email blasts and post cards. It helps you keep them in mind for the future, you never know you may not need or want it now but you may want it later.

I keep all the catalogs, business cards and post cards in a box and I clean it out every few months keeping the ones I know I want to get in the future and toss the ones I know I will never buy from.

Watch out for sales people that rep for multiple companies they can be very convincing on selling their product. They will tell you why you need them and how their product is perfect for your store. Do your research! I hate when sales people do that because I am such a push over and its why I have items in my store I dont think I would have ever purchased if I really was able to do my research.

Each expo is different and will request various information to let you attend their expo so be prepared with your Tax ID info and business information.

Also bring plenty of business cards!

I hope my tips and ideas have helped you and good luck!

So I got my drivers license renewal

2012-02-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

In NY you pay for 8 year renewal. The only thing they want from me is an eye test and the money. I heard if you go to the local DMV the money will stay in the county so I always go to the local DMV. Problem is since hurricane Irene closed the government center in Goshen we cant go there. So where do we go? Middletown, Port Jervis or Newburgh.. argh! This stinks as we are so used to waiting 15-20 minutes to get service in Goshen, once we head to the other locations we can expect to wait 2 or 3 times as long. Not to mention that long drive to locate the other DMV.

I always wondered about renewals as I can understand that need for an eye test. Perhaps they should start giving people a road test, can you imagine how many people would fail! HAHA!

Im sure we all agree everyone else is a horrible driver and wondered if they got their drivers licenses out of a cracker jack box! But I bet if we had to take road tests again we would all fail. We all become lazy and forget the simple rules of the road and need a refresher course. Most others that have a license in any field have to take refresher courses all the time. Driving shouldnt be any different.

If they required everyone to take a road test before renewal the DMV would generate money and those of us that CANT drive will relearn the things they need to become better drivers!

What do you think?

Jeweled Scarf Necklaces Review.

2012-01-28T13:20:00.002-05:00

Review of Jeweled Scarf Necklaces.

What are they?

They are lightweight scarves with a pendent of some kind on them. The pendants are movable and removable so one can purchase multiple scarves and move pendants from one scarf to another. A great accessory to dress up your outfit. Or in lieu of a necklace. Some pendents are hearts, leaves, elephant, flowers, butterflies, owls, medallions and abstract designs. Our website will show you the various designs we have had.

There are dozens of companies out there selling this item. You will find all types of scarves made out of all types of materials and pendants. Colors kind of follow the season, in the summer we got lilac, white, tan, silver and coral. In the winter we got black, brown, blue and plum and for the spring we are getting red, pink, white and silver again. Some companies are sending yellow, light green and bright pink.

You can find them retail as low as $4 and as high as $60! I have seen this Im not kidding. Yes Majority are made in China! Some vendors actually bundle them up for transportation giving them the wrinkle look.

We have an average price based on the cost provided by the vendor. We have also gotten them from 4 different vendors now. We sell them anywhere between $12 and $18 depending on which vendor we get them from.

These scarves are currently my biggest seller. In December we went thru 5 dozen in 3 weeks! Thanks to my landlords wife! Shes been promoting these like crazy and all accidentally.

I have not sold them on my business website because the inventory rotates so much I dont think I could keep up with them but I hope to in the future.

*There are people out there claiming to hand make them - we are sure there are crafty people out there making their own but be warned it may not be true.*

Keep posted.

www.thesellall.com

Whats with eBay and Amazon siding with buyers in a dispute case

2012-01-24T14:00:00.004-05:00

Ok so we have all had our share of buyers filing a claim. On eBay or Amazon someone gets something they are unhappy with or they claim to never have received the item at all and they file a claim.

This is nothing new but they both do the same thing. The total funds get placed on hold awaiting you to fill out your side of the story. I have come to a point where I refuse to issue a refund until the item is returned. We have the right as sellers to request that the item is returned. On both platforms you can request that. Then at least you would get the product back and lose out ONLY on the shipping fees. There are times when the buyer would 'escalate' the claim.

I had someone that basically threatened me and said I better do the right thing or they would leave the worst feedback I had ever received! I reported this person immediately.

So the buyer escalates the claim and they find in favor of the buyer but dont find you responsible! So the money basically comes from where? Not your pocket, should you care? YES!

These are cases that we cant do anything about once a decision is made. But it gives the buyers the impression that they can say what they want, keep the item AND get their money back!

The most recent claim came from a person on my Amazon store. They claimed the package never arrived but the tracking information says it was 'DELIVERED" the day before. Not only did this person go on and on harassing us about UPS this and FedEx that, both services did not have the package, they said it should be in their 'office' and it never showed up. I tried to assist, sometimes the packages are marked delivered and left next door, or tossed, or someone keeps it. Its happens!

Anyway, this buyer went on about their chemo treatments, being tired, needing to sleep and how they didnt not want to 'trifle' with such a small amount. (Total of $9.07) So image my surprise when the 'claim' came thru two days later!

Of course both platforms give you the option to issue a refund when these come thru. I have never just issued a refund. I always fill out 'my side' of the story. In the end they sided with the buyer but did not fault us at the same time. So the $9.07 came from Amazon and not my account. This person keeps the item AND gets a refund.

I once asked eBay about this method of dealing with customers and they said sometimes they do things to appease the buyers. It makes me wonder how many times they go around 'appeasing' the buyers with such small amount. When will they start 'appeasing' the sellers?

eBay buyers refusing a cancelation request?

2012-01-19T14:53:00.003-05:00

How does one deal with this?

Well it does not happen often but sometimes I have a miscount, or something will sell in my physical store or in another market place and I forget to remove the listing from the other market place. Or it was swiped in our store. Its happen to all of us I am sure. For us this is usually the main reason for requesting a cancellation.

When it happens I email the buyer explaining that there was an error and we no longer have the item. I issue a refund and submit a cancellation request. Now the buyer got my message about the mistake and their money back! Im not one of those sellers that 'hold' their money until the accept the cancelation request. I have the most to lose since the buyer can say no to the request just to be mean and they can leave a negative mark for me.

If I did everything correct why would a buyer refuser my request?

Now the message says I have to complete the transaction with the buyer. How can I? Im a seller that buys wholesale and sells retail so I can obtain more. What sucks is that the item is on back order until the end of February! So does this order just sit in my 'awaiting' pile? I already refunded this person so I dont have their money so its actually 'awaiting payment' - should I send an invoice? Remove it from my list? Just leave it there until the end of next month?

What to do?

Why I hate my utility company.

2012-01-17T14:24:00.003-05:00

Ok thats a strange topic but I wanted to cover it.

I have the same utility company for my business and my home so I hate them twice as much. I wont name the company but you can figure it out by where we are located.

Do you cringe when the bill comes in? Who doesn't! Its not that we over use the electricity or that the rates are high. Its whole monopoly thing - where you are stuck with that company as long as you live in that house. Its the horrible fees in billing.

What do I mean?

Well we are in a location were our county does not produce its own power, or something like that. So we have to have it delivered from other locations. What does that mean? We wind up paying sometimes triple the usage amount! Think Im kidding?

Example from my business bill (actual numbers):

Basic Service charge (just to have the privilege of the connection - and it adjusts every month) Between $30 and $40 a month (for both electric and natural gas).

In November we didnt use gas but that part of the bill is $17.71. (Remember we didnt use the heat!)

For the electric portion we used 189 KWH in 31 days.

Now in NY I have read its the highest in the country with about .09 cents per KWH. So in a normal location that bill wouldn't be much right? Just about $17 for the electric portion? Wrong!

Where we are we have to pay that service charge $15.27 , metering charge $13.79, supply charge, $16.20 AND $10 for the actual usage of electricity! PLUS all the other little fees $.66 - The electric portion of the bill came to $55.92!

So the total utility bill is $17.71 + $55.92 + (tax) $5.98 = $80.63!

Did you read that right? My little $10 USAGE of Electricity turned into a $80.63 bill! Im so lost on how this is possible and there is nothing I can do about it.

When I first saw this bill I nearly died and I didnt even turn on the heat! Im so nervous as its been cold and well I had to turn on the heat cause I was freezing. Im afraid to see this months bill.

At my house we do not have natural gas, we only get an electric bill. The rates are actually the same. The usage is just as low as we have solar panels at our house. We still end up paying over $50 a month for minimum usage. I shouldn't complain since so many people are paying in the hundreds for their service.

Its just a shame.

Finding new product!

2012-01-09T15:26:00.005-05:00

How do you find new product? Retail magazines? Expos? Wing it?

I have a number of ways to find new vendors.

When I first started out I used to shop in the wholesale district in NYC. There are a TON of stores that you can purchase items at wholesale prices. Now I have to say that SOME of the items are not the best quality. Not only that, the sellers are mainly distributors so you may wind up paying a tad more than what you would normally pay if you purchased from a manufacture.

You can get on a ton of mailing/emailing lists which will usually 'sell' your info. This will FILL your mailbox! I cant tell you how many magazines and offers I get via email and mail. I personally like magazines and catalogs. I like to sit and take my time viewing products. Im not a fan of buying from websites.

Ive also found things at other stores that I thought were cool and wanted to carry them. Most of the time you can find the manufactures information on the package it self. I stood in a store and looked for a barcode. Once you know the manufacture you can locate them online. Find contact information and your in business.

Sometimes the problem with buying directly from a manufacture is the minimum requirements. There are some that require a purchase of 100 pieces or something like that and for small businesses, quantity can cause of problem. Even high minimum dollar amount requirements can be tough to meet.

My favorite and where I find I spend the most money is at an EXPO. There are TONS out there. Some specialize in certain categories, others are general, some high end. What ever your looking for you can find an expo for it. I used to go to as many as I can find but these days Im down to a handful of shows.

Who to buy from? You have sales people, manufactures and distributors. The Manufactures make and sell the products, you can find the best buying prices with them but they may have the highest minimum quantity required for purchase. Some even charge you a percentage to use your credit card! Distributors basically buy the product from the manufactures at a high volume and sell to retailers that dont want to buy more then a dozen widgets. Sales people represent the manufacture, they make a commission on the sale to the buyers. Usually they prices are the same as if you just purchased from the manufacture. The thing with sales people is that since they usually represent multiple companies you may find yourself stuck buying from other lines they represent! Another issue I have with them is that you have to buy the minimum from each line they represent. So if you liked only the widget from company A and the other widget from company B you can not put them together to make one purchase, you would have to purchase from both companies.

I have had sellers actually walk into my store asking if I can sell their product. If I liked it I would offer it on consignment. No money out of my pocket and only give them money if its sold, what better way to try a new item?

Either way there are many ways to locate products and many products trying to locate you!

Personalized Products - Paparte - Product Review

2012-01-06T15:47:00.008-05:00

So we have been carrying Paparte Mugs and Pens for almost a year now. It was slow going at first and I was scared.

I put them on my website and they have been moving. Excited I added bottle openers, keychains, bookmarks, tumblers and iPhone cases to the list! I love them all and Im hoping these items will move just as quickly.

All items can be personalized with what ever name, initial or slogan you want. We can even add a logo to certain styles. There are dozens of color and design combinations available. You pick the design, the color choice and word you want on it. We print while you wait! The smaller items take about 5 minutes to put together. The tumblers are a little more detailed and the mugs are the most time to take to put them together. But the longest you would have to wait is just about 15 minutes.

The mugs are 16oz, stainless steel with plastic on the outside. They should not go in the dishwasher or microwave. Price point is about $19

The tumblers are BPA free plastic also 16oz also should not go into the dishwasher. Price point is about $16

The iphone cases have silicone type in the inside with a hard plastic shell on the outside. The insert comes in various colors that usually match the colors you chose for the personalization. The price point is about $20

The pens are large with refillable ink - the price points is about $9

The Bottle opener, keychain and bookmark are small and a great little gift. The price point is about $5 for each item.

Makes great gifts for just about anyone.

http://www.thesellall.com/

Should I hire family?

2011-12-17T12:08:00.003-05:00

That question always weighs on my mind. As a business owner, I figured it would be best to hire family for a number of reasons and Im learning now its not such a good idea.

I have not 'hired' anyone officially but my kids 'work' for me when I need help. I even get my mother here to help me out! Its free labor I call it, but they do expect something. Most of the time I buy them lunch. Its not like they are doing a job for me, they call it hanging out. The may run around or give me tips or make a trip to the post office. I dont give them 'official job'. Sometimes when Im away they may open the store and ring up sales, or help with my online store.

The good things about it:

I dont pay them and I know they would help me out if I asked.

The bad things:

They dont like working for free, the do huff and puff when I ask them to help me out, they really do a lousy job, and they do the bare minimum!

I had to go away and I couldnt get anyone to open the store for me so I had to be closed for a few days, it really sucked and hurt my bottom line. I should have hired someone for that.

Family came in and packed and shipped my online orders and they didnt do it with 'care'. So I had a few items damaged along the way, which ended up costing me more money. Maybe I should have just closed the online stores during that week but with the store closed I needed something operating.

Nothing bothers me more then the huffing and puffing. When they do this I just dont want to ask them at all and I know its their way of saying they dont want to. When they do this they usually call me the whole time they are at the store 'working' with questions. Its not a hard 'job' but it takes thought and working the bare minimum wont work here.

I had someone walk in to my store asking if I was hiring and I said not right now. He left and bumped into one of my kids, and they told this person ' oh my mom would hire me first." I was shocked and I said no way!

So tossing the idea of hiring someone, Id have to write a description of the job, figure out rate of pay, hours needed, can this person be trusted.. you get the idea.

I know when I seriously hire someone it wont be family.

Buyers not following the rules

2011-12-15T16:57:00.002-05:00

So I like to write about my adventures on eBay and Amazon to give others the feel on how it is to sell in these platforms.

Just the other day I got a complaint from a buyer on Amazon - the complaint was the item they purchased exploded in transit and spilled all over them. They wanted a refund and they wanted me to pay for their dry cleaning! I was so mortified I was not sure what to do. Amazon is so strict and if this person filed a compliant I was sure to lose the money anyway. So I refunded the amount they paid, sent a replacement AND give them money towards dry cleaning! Yes I believe I was taken advantage of but I believe it will be a done deal and this person would 'go away'. Its been a week and I have not heard anything new and Im hoping it stays that way.

Now I get another complaint from someone on eBay this time. The complaint was the item they received was damaged. They complained about how I sent the item in a polybag and not a box and I am not a good seller, you get the idea. Well I ask for am image of the damaged item. The book had some bends in it but was not totally damaged. I asked that they send it back and they refused. They said its unusable and they demanded a refund without a return. They also said that they would give me such negative feedback if I didnt 'do the right thing' . I couldnt believe the nerve of this person.

Now eBay policy says I do not have to issue a refund until the item is returned. It also says if someone threaten to leave negative feedback & demands a refund without returning an item I can report them for feedback extortion! So what did I do? I reported them. They have not left feedback as of yet, but they gave me 7 days to refund the money before they do. And when they do I will report it again!

Now I wondered if this really does work and it does. I had someone a few months ago do the same thing and another seller told me about feedback extortion and well this persons feedback was removed. Had I knew about that sooner I would have used it and had another removed.

Too many times buyers say that they will refuse to send something back and demand a refund. Its against the rules! Dont let anyone do that to you!

Low DSR scores with positive feedback.

2011-11-25T13:50:00.003-05:00

So Ive been doing well with the feedback lately (Knock on wood). Everything has been in the 'green' and all the notes left by buyers has been great, so why did I notice I have scores of '1' and '2' on my DSR ratings?

How do you deal with this? These scores are permanent and damaging to me. How does a person leave stellar feedback but a score of '1' or '2' in every category?

Im so hurt and confused - the worst part is that you cant see who left it or on what item so if there is a problem it cant be corrected.

Im thinking someone just left the wrong DSR score by accident and who pays the price? Me.

How do you handle this since there is nothing you can do about it?

Selling on Amazon vs Selling on eBay.

2011-11-17T15:48:00.004-05:00

Ive been selling on eBay for a few years now and took a while before I decided to sell on Amazon.

Here are a list of my pros and cons for both.

First let me say when it comes to fees you will spend the same amount of money.

The pros and cons for Amazon vs eBay:

1. Amazon - Pro - You can list as much as you want and there are no fees to do so. Con - You have to share you listing with other sellers. If someone else is selling the same product as you, its grouped together, so who ever is on top is the main seller. Chances of selling your product drops down a lot. Unless you get the shopper that actually searches thru the sellers your item may be listed for a while, or unless you are the ONLY person selling that item. eBay - Pro - you can list as much as you want and be exclusive. You will not share your item listing with anyone else selling on eBay. Con - There may be pages of the same item and yours may not be found until the next pages. eBay also charges you per listing in store format or in auction format.

2. Amazon Pro - No need for paypal account to accept payments. Con - Funds are not applied to 'your account' until you ship the item!* Then your funds sit 'on account' until they deposit it into your account every 14 days. So you have no access to your money as quickly as you would with paypal. eBay Pro - your money sits in paypal until you withdraw it, you have access right away. You can even use a paypal debit card to withdraw your funds or use as a credit card. Cons - paypal fees are high to accept payments and its yet another website to deal with.

*Note: Too many sellers are marking items shipped to get 'paid' but not mailing the packages which makes other sellers look bad, DO NOT GET INTO THIS HABIT!

3. Pro - Its easy to use the website for Amazon and eBay. You can also create shipping labels right there on the 'sale'. Con - the shipping fee chart for Amazon is grouped together and its based on weight or per item - if another seller inputs the wrong weight, the shipping fees will be all over the place unless you offer FLAT RATES - but this method does not always cover your shipping costs. With eBays weight program it will be based on their zip code as well so your shipping rates are more true.

4. Pro -Plenty of shoppers prefer Amazon over eBay and plenty of shoppers prefer eBay over Amazon. There is a wide variety of buyers out there, you just have to have the listing they are looking for. Cons - Buyers on eBay tend to look for deals - they often ask you for a 'better price' - while on Amazon there is no bargaining.

5. Pros if you find errors on eBay you can just go into your listing and correct it - Con - on Amazon you have to contact customer service to get them to fix it. Since they group the sellers information together its not always correct. If you have to correct a UPC code you often have to show proof via images.

6. Con - Amazon - you have to request permission to sell in certain categories. You are also required to have a UPC code to list your items. There can be be over 100 other sellers selling the same item you are. It becomes a war to get 'on top'. Eventually the selling prices dont even cover your cost and its not worth selling. eBay allows you to sell in any category you want.

7. BIG Con - Amazon also SELLS items! This feels like a big box store opening up right next door to your store, it really sucks! So now Amazon has buying power and can purchase more then you can and then sell it lower then you can. Not only that, majority of buyers would rather buy from Amazon directly then from the Marketplace. Fulfillment by Amazon does not help the little sellers either. BIG PRO - eBay DOES NOT sell items itself! Your only competition are other sellers.

8. Cons for both eBay and Amazon - Feedback! Amazon buyers dont leave feedback so your score can be rather low. Half of eBay buyers leave feedback. The ones that are upset ALWAYS leave negative which brings your score down. You say the wrong thing to a buyer and they will leave a negative and not care. Forget having a perfect score!

9. Pro - Amazon you can easily access your listings to adjust prices, in fact it will tell you if you are the lowest price for that item listed. You can also easily adjust your inventory count all at once. Con - eBay - once your quantity is done you have to 're list' the item, unless you catch it before it ends and adjust your quantity. To make adjustments you have to do it individually. There is a feature to change multiple items at once, however they all have to match. Its a real pain.

10. Amazon store fee is $39.99 plus a percentage of the sale - eBay store fee is $49.99 plus a percentage of the sale. There are too many variables to go over to give details of fees. eBay also charges listing fees while Amazon does not.

After a few months of selling on Amazon they 'investigated' me. I freaked out because many people put horror stories online about being investigated and being dropped as a seller. They basically held any funds due to me for over a month while this was being processed. I had to provide them with all kinds of papers and I guess I passed with flying colors. (Business certificate, tax id numbers, duns numbers, EIN numbers things like that.)

Not everything is bad but its not all good too. Ive been tossing the idea of selling on my own site but there is too much involved. So I created 'add to cart' buttons using paypal on my personal site. I have yet to get a buyer lol.

If your tossed on where to sell, try them both and see what happens. Certain items sell better in one place but not the other. As I said the fees come out to be the same amount in the end. It always depends on your sales and its always a percentage.

I think I will keep selling on both platforms for as long as possible. They both sell pretty well for me. The only thing I would change is getting more sales and more items that no one else is selling, but that is a feat in itself.

Blue Orange Games Review

2011-11-14T14:30:00.006-05:00

In my store you will see some of my favorite games by a fantastic company!

Spot it! & Bendomino.

They carry more but Ill talk about just these two games. At the Toy Fair I was scared by the amount of companies there so I pretty much ran thru and left. On the ride back home I found a sample package of Spot it! inside my bag. So I of course opened it and found these round cards. Each card has images on it, it says there is at least one match on each card in the deck. When I got home I showed it to my daughter and we tried to play. There are 4 ways to play this game but with so little cards we didnt know if we could play.

So the game was played was to get rid of all your cards. You distribute the deck between the players and flip one at the middle. This is the starting card. Then you have to 'dump' your cards on the starter card by matching a symbol on your card with a symbol on the starter card. As you place your card on top of the starter card that card becomes the new starter card. This continues until you finished all your cards and are declared the winner!

Well this sample game gave me the desire to just go forward and get the game for my store.

Bendomino is my other favorite game. If you love dominos you will get a kick out of this one. All the pieces are curved! Because of the curve you may not be able to play your last piece! If you are counter, you can easily lock someone out of the game and win! Its a lot of fun, the game is visually stunning as well, a new board each time. The dots in the tiles are colored to make it look nice. A great game for the domino player in your life.

We also carry - Crazy Cheese, Gobbler Gobblers, Fastrack & Pengoloo - I hope to carry more games by this company in the future.

http://thesellall.com/

Finally Set up

2011-11-08T21:57:00.005-05:00

So I believe I am done with setting up, unless someone purchases my old displays! lol.

The store looks full now and people come in and hang around for a bit checking it all out! Ive gotten a few invitation orders, which is exciting! I cant wait till the holidays! I am offering FREE gift wrapping as well as delivery options for those needing that service.

We just picked up some hats and gloves for the cooler weather. Slowly Ive been adding more and more items to inventory. I am using this program on the MAC called Checkout. Its amazing and works well on the computer. I still have to invest in the cash box, scanner and printer but the program works without those. Its so easy to use!

I know this season is going to be fantastic!

MY new place

2011-09-27T15:21:00.005-04:00

My new space!

Zebra walls with pink and hot pink trim. I thought it was strange at first but its growing on me. My place looks a little empty since I've been selling my displays and the largest one is gone! But I got new ones taking its place!

Its still a work in progress. I got this shelf at the front which is the length of the window and its got a lot of my items on it. I think its great... If I can get some tall shelving I can display more items and show out the window and inside as well. It would be great!

Took the leap! Got a new store location!

2011-09-12T19:24:00.006-04:00

So on Friday I toured a storefront that had been empty for a few months. I should have gone sooner! I was afraid to see it because of the whole realtor fees and all! No idea what they would be and figured it would be a lot of money but I tried it anyway.

So I wont get into numbers but I have to say Im so excited because there are NO CAM charges! Its just rent plus I gotta pay my own electric but I can deal with that.

Its a work in progress and I set the grand opening for October 1st but I am elated with the new spot.

I am looking into getting matching displays and the zebra wall paper is not going anywhere, YET! lol.

eBay complainers and whiners! Neutral feedback!

2011-09-07T21:15:00.005-04:00

Oh what to do?

It seems you cant get away from them on eBay or Amazon...

People seem to think they have the only order on the planet and you have to tend to them quickly and give them the answers they want.

Its only Wednesday and here are a few of the email titles Ive gotten already this week:

Item not as described:
Where is my item?:
Where is my item?:
Where is my item?:

OK that not a typo, Ive gotten a few emails asking where their item are.

OK the first message was an error I did. The buyer asked for one game and I put the wrong one in the box, call it scatter brained... they emailed me and I apologized for my mistake, let them keep the wrong one and shipped the correct one out. I may have saved myself from negative feedback but I lost a little money on that one. Lets blame it on too much on my mind.

I cant tell you how many emails Ive gotten over the past month about 'Where is my item?' I dont understand it. Some packages have been sitting in one post office for over 10 days just being rescanned and rescanned with no explanation. I approach the local post master cause it looks fishy. She contacts the branch and miraculously the package is delivered a few days later!

I had an international person ask me the same thing and well I cant track international packages its in the hand of their local post office. Once it leaves the states, what am I supposed to do, fly there and bring it to them? There were so many over the past month I got frustrated and changed the shipping options to priority mail only since its traceable. Now Im getting complaints about shipping costs being too high! Im about to stop international shipping all together.

I have another guy that purchase something last Saturday Aug 27, I mailed it on the 29th. I get an email on the 2nd of September because the website says it should have been delivered to them by then. The message says I must have used a wrong address! Seriously? Like I would pop an address out of thin air? Now he emails me again asking me to track his package! Its been 7 days, peoples patience has gone out the window! My reply was LONG but serious people, I cant twist the arm of the post office and make them deliver packages when YOU want them to!

The post office should not put an ETA if they cant deliver it by that ETA, it only makes them look bad and make me wanna switch to UPS or something. Im so tired of people right now I just want to kick them! lol.

Doesn't it say on eBay DSR program that you shouldn't leave negative if the post office takes longer then usual to deliver your package. The seller has no control over the USPS! People need to read the rules. Especially an intentional pacakge! I shipped the next day, I should get credit for that, but NO, the buyer is allowed to give me a low rating because it took weeks to get to them. Well yea, who makes postal service in your country deliver any faster!

Argh... I love my job.

Going into Business with Friends...

2011-09-05T18:01:00.004-04:00

So I just watched The Social Network... I thought it was a great movie. The one thing that stood out for me was that a friendship was lost. I know movies can be exaggerated but Im sure most of what happened could have been avoided had they spoke more.

If you have read my previous posts you will see why.

Ive asked others what they thought about going into business with friends and / or family. They have all mentioned the same thing. That roles and expectations of each other should be laid out at the start. Open lines of communication of course. And the seperation of work from friendship.

Its been over a year since the friendship dissolved for me. I wonder sometimes if she will ever come to me an apologize or if shes expecting me to apologize. At this point I dont think there is any thing left to create a friendship again. I often feel lost as I have no one to talk with like we used to talk to each other. It was hard to walk away from an over 20 year friendship, but I had too. I cant even get myself to go back and read my posts. I have only spoken with a few people about what happened and most have agreed with me. I don't know if its because they are mainly hearing my side of the story or if they truly agree with me and are on my side. I cant bring myself to get too close to anyone else because of what happened.

So can you go into business with friends? Im sure its possible when you have every ones roles laid out but if you wing it, I believe its doomed for failure.

Orlando Gift Show and Cash and Carry Show August 2011

2011-08-18T19:08:00.003-04:00

So we decided to venture out to Orlando to see if shows outside of our area would carry products we dont normally see in this area. We've been to expos in Boston, Atlantic City, Philadelphia, NYC and Ocean City. Ive notice they do tend to carry products for that area. The Ocean City show carried products for resorts - Ocean City is a beach town. Philadelphia and Boston carried products popular in the city... etc...

So I got a package from JetBlue that included Air, Car and Hotel.... we went for a long weekend. Our flight left Friday at 8AM and landed at 10:30AM - The show did not start until Saturday so we drove to universal studios and visited Island Of Adventures. We had a great time but were super tired. Saturday we head show at the Orlando Convention Center. The show was West wing, this place is HUGE! But it was easy to find.

Parking was $13 but the show reimbursed me for $5. The hall appeared small from above, the front half was not cash and carry but the back half was. We walked around first then made choices and walked back thru. There was A LOT of jewelry. Something Im picky on carrying... but I did find other things that were worth picking up at the show. A lot of low priced products were available but there were also a lot of sales people trying to get you to buy their products. I thought cash and carry was you buy and take it with you right? Well most of these people were selling single pieces and all. I have no idea if I was getting a deal for because there were not too many people buying by the dozen of in minimum orders.

Overall I was not impressed with the cash and carry part. I went back to the non cash and carry side and made a few purchases. Will I attend again in the winter? I dont think so unless I happen to be in the area already.

I hope the purchase I made will cover the cost of the trip.

Mini Trip - Island of Adventure

2011-08-10T21:00:00.004-04:00

So this past weekend we took a short trip to Orlando. We had a 8AM flight out of Newburgh NY - we arrived in Orlando just after 10AM. We picked up the car at the airport and drove along. We ate lunch at the Golden Corral, one of my favorite places to eat while down there. We do have a tendency to eat A LOT. We purchased one day passes to Islands of Adventure - which we picked up at the park. Parking is up to $15! Which is insane! Anyway the park was pretty packed as usually for a summer Friday.

We entered and headed toward the right as I wanted to see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We walked thru the Dr Seuss area as I did not have the kids with me. Going over a bridge we found Poseidon's Fury. We stood online for a half hour only to be turned away when we reached the door. Something had happened and they closed the ride at leaat we were in the A/C. So we started walking again.We had quickly reached the WWOHP - the area was crowed. There was the Train, which blew smoke every so often. Then the stores.. so many little stores with cute little features... forget the snow atop of the buildings... the crooked windows and doors, the signage. The ambiance was very good. There was the Dragon Challange, Flight of the Hippogryth and The Forbidden Journey. They wait was over an hour for all of them so we left and decided to check out the rest of the park.

The day was very hot and it was tough walking around but we checked out stores and the next ride we came upon was the Hulk ride. One of my faves but it had been over 8 years since we had been on it. We were able to put our things in a locker just in front of the building and we waited about 15 minutes to get on the ride. Its still as amazing as I remember it! We walked back to the stadium to see a bike/skate show which was fabulous. We also got on the Spider Man ride which was pretty neat.

By now it was after 6 and we walked back to WWOHP - we walked in the 'back way' - there are two entrances into the the area. The wait was down to 40 minutes for the Forbidden Journey. We put our things in the locker and waited on line. It was super long but the ambiance was amazing. It was the back of the castle and it had a cover to make it look like a green house. Once inside the castle there were statues and the bird to Dumbledore office, then you passed the area with the Unicorn tapestry, then you passed the area with the talking paintings, then you were in Dumbledore office... you pass the sorting hat. It was totally amazing! I was in AWE. You get on the ride and I couldnt believe how fantastic it was!

Once we got off the ride there was this horrible rain storm which caused everyone to gather inside the building. It was so crowed we could not move, it was almost an hour before we were able to get out - the worst part of the day. Finally it let up and we were able to leave but the rides were delayed and lines started to form already. We walked back to the other side of the park. We managed to get onto the Hulk ride again. Once again we walked back towards WWOHP to try the other rides we finally got on Poseidon's fury and tried to get the other rides. By now it was close to 9 and the ride still was not ready so we just left the park.

It had been a long day and we were tired. We are planning a trip in the future to take my kids to these parks. I loved it, but it was not worth the over $80 for a single day pass.

Heading to Florida again!

2011-08-03T11:34:00.002-04:00

OK Im a travel nut, but this time is business.

Ive been attending business expos in the area within a 3 hour distance from my store. I started to wonder if going to another place entirely would show me different product. We tried Ocean City Maryland... which was filled with Beach Resort themed items. So I found out about the Orlando Gift Show in August. They actually have this twice a year. The dates for August 2011 are the 5th thru the 8th which is a weekend. Normally this would have worked out perfectly since our timeshare is the same weekend. However this year we were unable to use it or rather reluctant to use it since I already went to Orlando two weeks before and stayed at my sisters timeshare. So we banked our week and I was going to forget about the show.

It kept bothering me, you know that feeling that I should attend the show. So I kept researching rates to fly, rent a car and a hotel. We usually drive but for just a few days it would not be worth it. I had so many prices my head was spinning, in the end I figured it was going to cost me close to $1000 for two people to fly down, rent a car and stay at a hotel. Not counting meals! Again I gave up.

So about 2 weeks ago I get this feeling, I start to look at prices again. I found flights, hotel stay, and car rental for 3 nights for two people for $625! I booked it without even a second thought! Since this was the lowest price I had seen. Now I gotta admit I am afraid of staying in a hotel. We've been staying in Condos and suites for so long Im not sure what to expect, lol. Call me spoiled or what you will. We leave on Friday, I have no idea what we are going to while there.

We will attend the show on Saturday and most likely on Sunday too, but thats done by 3pm. I like to look at product on the first day and buy on the second day anyway so it will work out. But we will arrive in Orlando at 10:30AM on Friday and have the whole afternoon to play. I have not figured out where we are going yet, I was thinking of checking out Aqautica since we have never been there.

We want to see Universal Studios, well I wanna see the Wizarding World of Harry Potter! I love the movies but Ive never read the books. I still wanna see it! Besides we have not been to Universal Studios or Island of Adventure in over 8 years. My husband is calling it a mini vacation for us, lol. Isnt he cute?

Left handed store in Downtown Disney

2011-07-28T21:31:00.004-04:00

The first time I ever saw a store called Lefty's was in the 90's. It was a small kiosk in the Manhattan Mall. I purchased a book were the spiral was on the right side. I never wrote in it since I thought it was so cool. I still have the notebook.

While visiting Disney last week we found Lefty's by the water next to Little Missmatched. Being the only left handed person in my family I have always been intrigued by these items that are supposed to help us. I do a lot of things right handed but I write lefty. I once had a subscription to a magazine called SouthPaw. What made it different was that the bind was on the right. You didnt read it any differently it just opened it differently. I have one child out of three that is lefty!

At the Lefty's store I picked up a pair of wooden utensils which cost me about $19 for 3 pieces. Everyone thought I was crazy but any item you use you will see they are meant for a right handed person. Everything I do backwards apparently but its nice to see there is a company out there for lefty's.

They had pens that help keep the ink off your hands, scissors, notebooks and more. I personally dont use scissors anymore as they caused pain in my thumb. I either ask someone else to cut things for me, or I use an iSlice by The Pampered Chef, lol.

Dont forget: Lefty's are in their Right minds! lol

The case of my shrinking daughter!

2011-07-22T08:38:00.003-04:00

Ride Restrictions: We know its for everyone safety right? And I am ok with my kids not being able to ride because they are not tall enough. But what happens when one day you meet the requirements and the next you don't? lol

That happened to my daughter. While at Busch Gardens she met the 48 inches requirements for many rides. I guess cause she was in sneakers - amazingly enough at Typhoon Lagoon, she almost touched the 48 inch marker on the rides. At the first ride they measured her they gave her a wrist band so they wouldn't measure her again. We had a blast running from ride to ride and getting on everything. Finally at Blizzard beach she was so far from the 48 inch mark she couldn't ride one of the rides. We were OK with that ride as it turned out that the pool at the bottom would have been way over her head.

So did she shrink over the course of a few days? The chlorine caused it?

Who knows for sure lol. I just know my little girl shrunk overnight.

Fuji Japanese Restaurant Middletown NY

2011-07-13T17:07:00.006-04:00

So this hot new restaurant opened up at the Galleria at Crystal Run in Middletown NY - we decided to visit for lunch on Tuesday for our monthly 'date'. They have strange hours - for lunch they are open till 2:30 then they close and open up again at 4:30 for dinner. The prices are also higher for dinner, but they offer the same dishes during lunch.

We arrived and were seated at a table with two other couples. The 'tables' can fit up to 10 people, and I guess they try to squeeze as many people at the tables.

I ordered Hibachi Shrimp and my spouse orders Hibachi Salmon. We got appetizers too.. we dont normally but we were starving. I got the Shrimp Shumai as seen in the image. The presentation was cool... they were like shrimp dumplings. I never had it before, but they were AMAZING! We loved it!

The spouse got Eel Rolls - he said it was fantastic, but I dont do sushi so I couldnt say.

Of course they had a show for everyone which was fun, but they always do this at Hibachi style dinning.

We has not been to hibachi style dinning since we were in Hawaii a few years ago.

These meals included soup or salad, vegetables and fried rice! My shrimp hibachi cost about $11 I think and the salmon hibachi cost about the same. All together we paid $45 including tax and tip for two entrees, two appetizers and one soda, I had water. We ate it all, the food was amazing, but let me tell you. Without getting to detailed... it went thru us within an hour lol...

Overall great meal, great show, nice atmosphere.

Using paypal for returns.

2011-07-07T13:07:00.003-04:00

When a return is needed the best way is to print a label online. There are many home bound people that can not get to the post office. Or people that just dont have time to stand in line. You could go to the USPS website! Unfortunately USPS only offers Priority mail on their website.

There are other ways to select first class mail. If you do not already use Stamps.com or Endicia for your mailings you can use paypal. How?

99% of buyers have a paypal account and dont realize they can create a label using it. There is a special link and you cant find it easily on the website.

Why spend $5 to ship an item priority mail when you can ship it first class and spend under $3, depending on weight. Remember first class is 13 ounces and under.

I had a buyer complain they did just that, I spent $1.75 sending it to them they spent $5 returning it and wanted me (the seller) to refund the shipping fees. I explained you can not get refunded more then what you paid out even before they filed a claim to return the item.

If you buy an item for a total of $8 why would you want to spend $5 to return it?

You have to be logged into Paypal and use this link:

https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now

Once in there all you need to enter is the address you are sending it to along with the weight. It helps if you have a scale, if you do not check the label that you received the package in. I recommend turning the poly bag inside out and checking the weight which should be listed at the top of the label. No need to buy a poly bag! No guessing!

Youll get delivery confirmation as well, print out the label - tape it to the package and drop it in the mailbox and await your refund!

Simple, easy and low priced!

I had it for a second!

2011-07-06T18:38:00.003-04:00

I contacted a company that I thought was charging was too much for office space. But with limited space in the area I had to try. They offered me a small space, just shy of 400 square feet. They wanted 15 per square foot, plus common area maintenance fees. Can I afford it? Yes... do I want to? Not really but anything to get out of this space.

After viewing the space and loving it! I said yes draw up the lease. A few emails back and forth, they want me to fill out all this paperwork. They want profit and loss statements, net worth statements, tax returns... and the list goes on!

Oh my I nearly lost it. I felt like I wasted my time with this whole thing. Back to the drawing board on finding a place. I dont think they are going to let me take the space since I have none of the papers that they want. I can cross my fingers but Im not getting my hopes up.

I had it for a second!

Stuck in this hole in the wall

2011-07-04T20:43:00.002-04:00

Well I finally got word that I did not get the store front down the road that I really wanted.

Boo!

So Im stuck in the hole in the wall a while longer. I was going to bring everything back home but I have way to much stuff and not enough house. Its too bad I dont have an extra garage or a spare room. Not until the boys move out, if that ever happens! LOL...

Ive been told that one can smell the mold on my boxes in the office! Its scary coming home with headaches daily. I dunno what to think.

There are three store fronts in town available that I am aware of... one is way to large almost 2000 square feet which will cost $2K a month. It has the ability to be split. The other two are about 900 square feet for $1K a month. They also have to go thru a realtor, which means more money. It also means expenses will go up A LOT with rent starting at $1000!

I really dont want to move to another town, I continue to pray something opens up and soon!

My Hole in the Wall Part 2

2011-06-29T19:20:00.004-04:00

Its been raining non stop in the north east for what feels like a month! Apparently the water decided to enter into my store last week. I took pictures to show that Im not crazy... the landlord tried to tell me the water came in thru the door. I show the water coming in thru the ledge next the window. We believe its running down the wall/window and landing on the floor.

The smell is horrible and its been a week and the carpet is still wet. Apparently this is not the first time this has happened either. I have noticed water stains on the ledge before but was not sure where it was coming in from. I thought maybe someone upstairs spilled something and it came thru the floor.

After this horrible non stop rain I started to notice the water on the carpet. When I was able to move my displays I found them to be saturated! Its not the best material when wet. The bottom of one of my displays is bubbling up. Ive also found mold along the side wall which has upset me to no end. I continue to pray that a new location opens up for me soon.

Negative Feedback on eBay.

2011-06-29T15:40:00.004-04:00

Well it happened again, I got a negative feedback on my ranking.

I take it personally yes, because I have done everything by the book yet people seem to feel that they can crap (PG word) on you.

So the day goes along, you get a sale, you pack and ship it and send it out. I make sure all my items are packaged so they will not damage in transit. I especially examine my sunglasses before sending them out for scratches or damage. I do have items on shelves and they can collect dust from time to time, so I clean them off.

Carefully put them in bubbles or an indestructible box. In this case it was a pair of sunglasses that were on a card, provided by the manufacture with a free eye glass cord. I used a stock image as it was exact. Well the item arrived in 3 days! The item cost $5.99 and shipping was $2.05 - very low priced item. It was received at the address on the 16th, I get the first email on the 17th:

Title: Item I received isnot as described

hello. The side little round circle was off sunglasses as soon

as it was removed from package. He never even tried them on.

Please give me address to return. I hope you refund shipping
both ways also. This was a waste of time and money.

So I had no idea what this person meant by round circle until I pulled the other pair I had available. View the images.

My reply:

I dunno what that is thats broken I guess but return them to PO box *** Some City NY 99999 - refunds are less shipping costs but in this case I may make an exception, Ill have to examine the item when it arrives here, however I cant issue refunds for more then what you paid to purchase the item. Sorry.

Well within a few minutes I get this reply:

Hello
If I have to take a loss and you are not refunding shipping, I will have to open a claim then.
I should not have to take a loss when you send a broken item.
Please give me address you wish returned to.
thank you.

Here is the first threat to open a claim since they buyer has to take a loss in sending it back.

I stopped issuing refunds on good faith because too many people expect to get things for FREE by issuing false claims, getting eBay to refund them for the full amount and then leaving the buyer negative feedback anyway despite doing everything according to the rules.

So here is my reply:

I assure you these were not broken when they left here, I examine everything prior to mailing. Its bad enough your marking this as 'item not as described' when its is as described. Im not the kind of seller to sell broken items so please dont threaten me with 'claims', please file one if you feel that strongly about it, you not the first to make such claims and Im sure you wont be the last. If it was broken prior to shipping I would have told you in advance and cancelled the order. If it broke in transit thats another story then I will issue a full refund of your purchase price and shipping, pending further examination.
Return address as stated in the previous email is ....

So this goes back and forth a few more times:

She replies:

The glasses were sealed in the package so how could you have checked before shipping?
Since you won't answer whether you will refund my original shipping, I will be opening
a dispute. That will guarantee my original shipping will be covered. I have no clue
what you mean by "investigation". Round side piece was broken when we took out of
package. What is there to investigate?

Second threat to open a dispute. I believe as a seller I have every right to investigate everyones claims! Right? And these were not sealed in plastic, they are in a plastic pouch but not sealed.

My reply:

These are not sealed in plastic at all, they are opened at the top and I can examine the product, I have more here so i know what Im talking about. On the other hand I dunno what you are talking about when you mean round side piece was broken, are you talking about the little spongebobs in circles? These are not broken prior to shipping this is why I said its possible they were damaged in transit, If you go back and read the last emails I will investigate your claim and make the decision to refund your shipping fees at that time. File a claim if you must.

By this time I was already livid Im trying to work and ship products for my other customers and this person keeps emailing me about this. Even writing this gets me heated!

So she appeared to calm down and explain a little to me, I grabbed the other pair that I had in my hand and looked it over. I agreed it may be defective but certainly not broken. I told her I would contact the manufacture and Ill issue a refund when it arrives here.

Her reply:

I opened a dispute when you would not listen.
Please respond to dispute. It is a shame it got to that.

I simply said Thank you!

Now the fun part. Keep in mind she threatened to file a claim twice already and now does it when I agreed it may be defective. Then says I wouldnt listen?!?

So that night I already left 'work' but I knew that the claim was coming so I logged in from home. So I get the claim and this is what it says:

"Took glasses out of sealed package and side round piece immediately fell off. My grandson never even tried on. Seller said he can't guarantee original shipping refund without "investigation". I would think he would say he was sorry for the problem but instead states he has to do an "investigation". I said I preferred to work out with him and tried to sending several emails. He told me go ahead and open a dispute. All I am asking is refund for glasses & shipping since they were broken when opened. I emailed him within minutes of opening package. They are unused. See his ridiculous emails? What does he think I broke them to loose $ ? I want to return & want my original shipping reimbursed also. HE won't guarantee that until he does investigation. Didn't want to involve ebay but he told me to. I do not appreciate the rudeness. Thanks!"

Shocking huh?

I was floored! Not only is the buyer referring to me as a 'he', she says she wants an apology and tried to work it out? I recall writing Sorry in my first email! Says my emails are Ridiculous? Seriously? The package was never sealed, the plastic was open at the top the whole time. I truly believe this person was hoping that I would just refund the money, let them keep it and forget about it. Even my FAQ page says you want a refund item must be returned! So I didnt reply, I selected the option 'Issue full refund upon return of item'... a few days later I get an email that says:

"HERE IS TRACKING USPS: 9405 **** 9930****1 5019 77 IT COST ME $4.75 TO SEND BACK BECAUSE USPS.COM ONLY HAD PRIORITY NO PARCEL POST OR FIRST CLASS. I COULD NOT GO OUT BECAUSE OF CHEMO. THANKS"

So I was like OK, I didn't reply again because what was the point. I waited for package to arrive. Apparently the package arrived on a Saturday to my PO Box, I dont work on Saturday. So Monday morning I logged into my mobile device I get this email:

"hello. USPS tried to deliver 3 days ago and notice was left. Please pick up. Please refund & my shipping back as promised. I don't want to have to escalate this. Thank you."

I was like seriously? Now your being pushy, complains and threatening to me again?!?

I never thought I was being mean, rude, or anything like that. I was to the point in all my replies.

So I replied:

I see your replies. Your package Attempted delivery on a Saturday to a post office box when I don't work. It will be retrieved today. (Monday)

She replies again:

Thank you.
Shipping back was $4.75. USPS.com where I printed label didn't have first class or parcel post.
I didn't go to post office as I am in heavy chemo & Dr. doesn't want me driving right now.
I printed off label and put in my mail box for pick up.
Thanks

So now Im supposed to feel sorry for her? I mean I dont know her do I? People make up stories all the time. Now this item was received in tact with the tiny little disc missing on one of the sunglass arms. (view images) I picked it up Monday late (4:45pm) and again went home. Last thing I needed was another email stating that I didnt issue a refund. I would normally waited till Tuesday to process the refund! So I get home, go online and issued the refund there, it was for the cost of the item plus the shipping to her total of $8. I was surprised to see eBay gave me the seller fees back! But I lost out on the shipping fees, the USPS never refunds that. I didnt care, I could relist the item, who cares about a little disc? Any child would love the glasses like that and would wear them anyway. Or destroy them as kids can do.

Well imagine how NOT surprised I was to see a negative mark. Well not only that she gave me a score of 1 star in description and 1 star in communication! How wrong is that? I replied to all her emails. How do I know I was her? Well I dont know for sure, but I check the scores a few times a day and see how they change.

Was it deserved? You tell me. All the emails received and replied are word for word I did not change or alter any of the wording except address and tracking numbers. I didnt even put names. What are the chances this buyer will find my blog?

The negative remark says she lost money on the return. Who told her to ship it Priority mail? It could have easily went first class for under $2. Cant drive to the post office? USPS.com may not offer first class but there are other companies that do.

As a buyer and seller, I encourage everyone to use eBay to settle disputes. The buyer has to file the claim and return the item before refunds are issued.

Kespon Id Guard Stamps, Rollers and Tape Runners

2011-06-23T18:24:00.002-04:00

Guard your ID stamps are some great products. Product Review

I found them a few years ago when they just had one product in two different sizes. There were large and small stamps. What are they for? Well you know those annoying junk letters and catalogs we get in the mail? Most of us just shred the address or rip up the mail and toss it in the trash. Did you know that a lot of shredded paper is not recyclable?

What the stamps do is give you the opportunity to cover your address and still toss the papers into the recycle bin! How about that? Be eco friendly while hiding your information! The large stamps cover an area of 2.5 x 1 inches and the small stamps cover an area of 1.5 x .5 inches. Both work fine for all types of mail, if you have a small one you may need to stamp more then once to cover the entire area.

Stamps are available in Large and Small in a variety of colors. While they print in BLACK only you can be flashy with a White, Pink, Green or Navy Blue stamp! Great addition for your desk to match your decor lol...

You'll also find rollers! These are handy devices for covering a long area in a continuous stream. It is 1 inch wide and also comes in a colors White, Pink, Green and BLUE.

Need something portable? You'll find portable stamps that cover an area of 1.5 x .5. What makes these different is that they are retractable, so you have to draw it back and out between stamps. Great to stamp receipts while your out on the town that show your credit card information. Should it get lost, no worries as you've blocked your information. They also have this handy little clip to attach to paper or your pocket. Available in Pink and Blue

A nifty one is the tape runner! These cover a line at a time. Whats it good for? Well lets say you have to fax a statement to your accountant, you dont want your accountant to see your account numbers or that one insane purchase. You can pull out your tape runner and cover that ONE LINE! No need for white out or using paper to cover it up.

All the stamps are refillable, meaning once you see you have no more ink you can find refill cartridge for the stamps and continue using the stamp. All stamp pads are good for about 1000 impressions. The portables are the only stamps that can not be refilled. They also use special ink so its important to purchase the refills supplied by Plus, dont fall for imitations.

Which one do I use? Ive had the small stamp for almost 2 years now.

Does it work? Of course, I stamp EVERYTHING!

Please note: It does not work well on Glossy paper as the ink my rub off. What do I do? Ill stamp the magazine and let it sit for a few days before tossing it. It usually dries up no problem and I recycle the magazine.

All the products come with disclaimers: This product may not conceal all data completely, Plus Corp is not responsible for damages which may be incurred trough the use of this products, Do not use this product for any purpose other then covering information on paper. Keep out of reach of children. May not adhere to all surfaces. Avoid leaving in hot, humid or in direct sunlight.

All instructions can be found on the back of the products.

They now offer these interesting clipboards that have these amazing symbols all over it. Slide your paper underneath it and no one can see your paperwork. Great for doctor offices or any type of office where you have to walk around with papers that no one else should see. I hate walking around holding a stack of papers to my chest. This makes it easier. Check it out!

Canada postal service on strike!

2011-06-23T10:59:00.003-04:00

Well Ive been selling on eBay and Amazon and many of my orders are from our friends to the north. Ive never really had issues with them and have not put them on my 'list of countries I dont ship to' yet!

Canadian postal service went a strike a few days ago, the USPS has issued statements saying that they will not accept packages to Canada until this is resolved. Only Global Express mail... well none of my buyers are willing to pay that amount of money.

You would think the people that live in Canada would know they are not getting mail!

Why are people from Canada still placing orders from me? Ive put messages and I am sure eBay tells them about this strike yet Ive gotten an order every day so far. I have emailed the buyers and when they dont reply I just cancel the order. No sense in holding the order open until the strike is over, that could take weeks.

One of the buyers denied my request for cancellation and then sends an email apologizing they should have read their emails. Well yea you think? So now I am out on seller fees and then he says where is the refund as he does not have a paypal account? Seriously? How else can I issue a refund?!? Im so fed up with this mess and new buyers not understanding how eBay works. It gets worse... this buyer goes back into my store and buys the products AGAIN so now he had two pending orders without payment. Argh!

There is no way for me to 'turn off' shipping to Canada unless I do it with each individual listings which would take me FOREVER! Thank goodness with Amazon I could just take Canada off my list and I have not had a problem with buyers there.

Buyers need to wake up and read!

Is Primerica A Scam? What it cost me..

2011-06-21T19:42:00.002-04:00

This is the all time famous question isnt it?

Well this is just my experience with it.... about 5 years ago a friend invited me over saying they wanted to show me something. And of course I went to find this person representing Primerica. It was a time in my life when I was big on reading John Cummuta and Suze Orman. So what I got from the presentation was making money while teaching people these concepts that Ive been studying. The snowball debt payment plan worked well for me at the time. So why not teach others? My friend and I signed up on the spot. The sign up was what $200 at the time.

We immediately took the classes to learn about Life Insurance. This was not something I ever thought Id be selling. We didnt have insurance as a family so we got it thru Primerica, in NY they use National Benefit Life. We never bothered to ' shop' around cause this was the 'last place youd ever get these products from'. This representative was either very convincing or we were just gullible. Cost of class? Not sure.

Once we had license we were able to write policies on our own. I have written a few policies in my time as a 'Primerica' Rep. Only one of them has had a problem. My RVP reviewed the application and checked a box that I didnt check. It automatically increases the benefit annually. This person has had so much trouble cancelling this feature and I have no idea why the RVP would have check this. As a rep I never past Sr Rep level. My commissions were piddly as they have to pay me, my upline (my friend the District Leader), the RVP, the SRVP and everyone else above them. So I figured Id go for my securities licenses, I knew some people that wanted to do roll overs and such. Well that cost me about $600 give or take. I had to pay for books ($100), computer online classes, taking ALL the tests and that was just the first year. I didnt even pass the series 6 the first time! My RVP told me to study the computer classes and get at least 90% before taking the test. I dont know if I really learned anything, it felt like all I was doing was memorizing the answers. When I passed I was so excited! But I still dont know anything. I rolled over my IRA which was about 20K and I was paid under $150. There was an upfront sales charges I had to pay for the roll over, which was basically the commissions. My uplines made the most on this transaction. Then I rolled over one for my friend, which was about 75K. I made about $800 on that one. I realized that again I was not making money on these transactions. What the heck? I learned from interviews at other companies I should have been paid a whole lot more then that!

As the years went by I couldnt find anyone to 'help', so my licenses were just sitting there. The first year of renewal they told me if I didnt have a 'transaction' I couldnt renew my series 6 & 63. They eventually came back and said they were waiving that specific year so I was able to renewed the first year. Cost me close to $500, the second year I couldnt do it, and I was not allowed to renew since I didnt have a transaction. Besides I didnt want to spend another $500 for these licenses. I let them lapse, my life insurance also lapsed on my birthday. I was happy as I felt restricted from doing anything else during this process of waiting.

After some point my RVP convinced me to refinance into a SMART loan. In the end you pay less interest, you pay bi weekly, stop chasing rates... etc... we didnt have a bad loan, it was fairly decent. There was nothing 'hidden' in the mortage. I have seen mortgages that were actually 40 years loans, Ive seen some with balloon payments, and of course ARMs. We had none of those. We had some debt out there but we were fine. They convinced us to combine it all into a refinance. Well we did. I made $800 on that transaction. We never knew the 'rate' as he said its irrelevant and dont worry. It wasnt until the mortgage was moved to another division of Citigroup that we saw an interest rate of 7.78%. No we do not have bad credit and we didnt have bad credit back then either. So what was that all about?

We had plenty of equity in the house so the refinance was a cinch. But we had to pay our own property and school taxes. There was twice a year that were a little hard for us since they were taking payments directly out and the month had 3 payments. We were paying $806 bi weekly plus had to save an additional $500 a month for taxes and insurance. Today I find out that 7.78% was based on saving .25% because they took the money directly out of our account! So the actual rate 8.03%?!?!

My spouse was livid when we found these things out. But he is nice enough to mention it was all my idea. What makes this worse is viewing the statements on line and seeing that maybe $100 was hitting principal! But you expect that with mortgages. We were stuck with this mortgage for at least 3 years or we would have had to pay a penalty! Our three years were up a few months ago but the value of the house has dropped a lot. So we've been shopping.

On a positive note: We were able to get Quicken loans to help us out of this mortgage. Yea its a 30 year again, but the monthly payment will be $1670 which includes EVERYTHING saving us over $400 a month. And the rate is 4.5%! Its an FHA loan and nothing is hidden. This will be our last mortgage for sure. With that extra $400 a month we can pay down the mortgage easily.

I am almost rid of Primerica in my life.... we refinanced, I let the licenses expire, I closed out that IRA, (Cant tell you how much I lost over the years), havent decided if I will explore a new term life policy. I am strongly for TERM LIFE as I believe its the way to go, and I know as one gets older rates go up so I may not change that.

Oh and the rep that signed us up left Primerica for Chase! Can you believe that crap! All that talking about having a 'job' Just Over Broke, Primerica is the way to go.. blah blah blah! I was livid when I heard that. Any they keep calling me to work with them. Aint happening!

So what is my final tally: $1400 in expenses listed here, but there were plenty of boot camps, get together events (probably at $100 a pop!), oh and dont forget the convention! We flew down to Atlanta, stayed for a few days and drove home. That may have cost me $600 there, plus all the flyers, catalogs, post cards, paperwork, CDs that were purchased. Let not think about how much that mortgage cost us!

Please think hard before joining that company. Yes many people can make it work but more then half fall out.

My Hole in the Wall.

2011-06-17T11:42:00.004-04:00

So I ran my business out of my house for years until it consumed my living room/office space. At the time I was also selling for someone else, so my days were filled with driving back and forth from my home to theirs to retrieve items for mailing. It was a big pain in the tush. Eventually they starting dropping things off, That was done when it worked out for them which drove me crazy. So I suggested getting office space to share were everything was done in one central location no dropping off of picking up as everything will be in one location.

This was a great idea while it lasted. All my inventory was out of my house, I got a business phone number, and a business address. It felt more official for me. The first space we got was a small office on the second floor of the building. Heat and Electric were included. There was a window which was great. The lighting was OK, kinda dark. The room had two closets which was nice for storage. I picked up some displays from a store that was closing in the next town over. It was a nice start. I enjoyed getting my mail, going to 'work' at my office, doing my job and finally feeling like I had a real job.

When I broke ties with the person I was selling for I now had a decision to make, do I stay or do I go? I was not making a whole ton of money as my inventory was limited. Honestly I was selling their products more then I was selling my own. Well it was $150 a month plus I had to pay for my own internet and phone which was $60. Could I afford it? Well I made sure I could. This also meant I had to get a computer since we were using theirs. More money out of my pocket. Well I dunno how I did it but I leased one, actually two - a desktop and laptop. It was great, everything was falling into place. My sales were finally heading up!

I had sales people calling me! I was buying new products, listing new products. Everything was runny smoothly. I started to get to large for the small office I had. I was on the hunt again for new space. I found an ad in the paper for a 1000 square foot space, it seemed like a bit much but I called anyway. The person on the other end tells me everything is included and its $13 a square foot. I almost died at the moment. I did math quickly in my head. $13,000 a month? What the heck? This guy was nuts. I said ok thanks and hung up. Who in the world would pay that amount of money!?

So I went back to my hole in the wall.

Well I found out the small store front in the building I was in was available. So I scoped it out and it had about 100 square feet as store front and the rest was storage. It was going to cost me $250 a month, $100 more. So I did it, I moved into the little store front. Its taken me months to get it the way I like it to look but honestly I hate it. There is no direct heat source, no baseboard or radiators. Let just say I was freezing my butt off in the winter.

The heat was turned off by end of March but it was still freezing temperatures in the April so I had to buy a heater! My toes would get so cold I couldnt feel them. Its horrible. Ive only been here 7 months. Ive been frozen because of no heat, people cant find me cause its the 'basement', the bathrooms are right above my space so Ive been leaked on and I hear rushing water all day! Ive caught 4 mice and lost some inventory because of water damage. Now the weather is warming it, its humid as hell in there. My boxes are becoming flimsy and I cant stand the smell. I should have stayed in the first office.

I found an ad for storefront space down the road. She showed it to me, I was in love! It was just over 700 square feet, next to an Italian restaurant and there was parking, at an intersection, Im sure everyone can find me. I was elated. Then she tells me its $15 a square foot. I was shocked again! Do the math $15 x 700 thats 10,500 a month!? NO she tells me... thats the annual rate! Im like WHAT!?! its $15x700/12 months. Oh boy was I wrong lol.. I could have kicked myself, so it would be $875 monthly. Oh nice, not bad Im thinking. Then she mentions I have to pay my own electric, my own heat and there are common charges. Confused yet? A store front with common charges? Are you kidding me? OK so before Id pay electric and heat, Id have to pay about $1100 a month! Oh boy. I had to cry and turn it away. Sad day for me.

Back to my hole in the wall.

I live in a small town and well I may be able to find something in the next town over I really want to stay in MY town. There are a few other places open for rent so I checked them out. All about 900 square feet and they all want $1000 a month. So Im not ready to pay that kinda money. All of a sudden one of the buildings that was renting for $1000 a month for 1500 square feet put up a sign that they were willing to divide the space. I had to check it out. The smaller side was 600 square feet and $600 a month! My kinda budget even with paying electric and heat, there was no common charges! Id have more space, in a nice location and a HUGE window! I was looking at $900 a month, I could swing it.

Its been over a week and I have not heard from the guy, apparently there were people that were looking at it that wanted to open another restaurant in that location. Argh! Im sure he would give it to them before me as I just wanted half the building.

Back to my hole in the wall.

Continuing Drama...

2011-06-16T19:59:00.003-04:00

So if you've read my blogs you will know I have been having issues with someone that used to be a friend. My husband and I refer to them as Voldemort - cause we dont want to say names.

Well I heard from my hair dresser that she bumped into Voldemort last week at the post office. Voldemort explained that we were no longer talking and was looking to fix it! What a shocker!

First Im like, you told me to leave you alone forever & you said have a nice life! And now you want to mend this? Im so confused!

My hair dresser was floored too.. ok many of us talk to our hair dressers, she knows everything. At least everything Ive told her. It may seem like it would be a one sided story but Im not one to embellish or make her take my side over anyone else. I explained everything as I understood it and pointed out my errors in the whole situation. But why would Voldemort tell the hair dresser this?

Ok if you 'burn your bridges' and want to mend them what do you do? I think I will never hear from Voldemort, this person is so stubborn I bet they are waiting for me to make the first move. I dont even know if I could speak with them again. I mean this relationship will never be the same as it was before. If I even speak to them again it will be from a distance. I cant risk being hurt again.

Ive been upset since I have heard this information, I find myself crying each night. Sometimes I just wanna call Voldemort, but I cant since it feels like I would be setting myself up to be hurt. I am at a loss.

Expanding my business

2011-06-06T20:18:00.006-04:00

So I added Invitations to my line of products.

Wedding Invitations, Birthday invitations, special events, bridal shower invitations, baby shower, holiday cards, save the date cards and more.

What make sthese different then anyone else?

These are completely personalized!
You pick the card size!
You pick the background color!
You pick the font!
Get as many as you want!
You pick the font color!
You pick your icon!
You can put your picture in the invite!
You can print as little as 2 cards and go up from there, NO MINIMUM QTY REQUIRED!
Get matching response cards, menus, programs, place cards, candy wrappers, stickers.. etc..

Or you can pick one of our already created cards!
ALL PRINTED ONSITE FOR A QUICK TURN AROUND!

Why not match your invitations to your theme colors?
There is a Nonrefundable set up fee of $15. Discounts available for multiple items purchased at the same time.

Check out my website for more information. www.thesellall.com

Here is a small sampling of our cards, I have tons of icons and fonts available.

Where were you? 9/11

2011-05-03T20:16:00.005-04:00

Seems everyone is recalling their day so I thought Id tell ya about mine.

I worked in NYC on 44th and 3rd avenue. Our company had just gone back to winter hours so work started at 9am - By the time I got to work at around 8:45AM things were already happening. Everyone gathered around the lunch room to view the TV. I worked about 4 miles north of it all. The company owners had meetings in the lunch room and informed us we were free to head home but with trains and bridges out we were not going very far.

My Uncle worked in One World Trade and no one heard from him so my cousin was freaking out. They lived in Queens at the time and happened to be home when they saw everything on TV. My sister who worked a few blocks from me called me, took forever, but when she finally got me she was leaving work and heading to Queens. So she met me at my office and we walked from 44th and 3rd to Queens. There were so many people in the streets of Manhattan also heading North, Ive never seen so many people in my life. We walked North on 3rd Avenue till we got to the Queens borough bridge - while crossing the bridge we stopped to see the smoke downtown, shocking as it was. The walk was 3 miles away and with all the other people walking it took a long time to get there. When we finally got to her house she was still freaking out. We waited at her house till around 6pm. There was still no word from him but I had kids to get home to so we left when they finally opened the bridges. We were able to find a cab from Queens to The Bronx. Traffic was horrible, but he drove us up to the Bronx. Tolls were suspended that day and the silence in the air was very Erie. When he got to our exit he kicked us out of the cab and charged us $40! We had to walk home from there, another 3 miles or so.

A few hours later they found my uncle. He was downstairs smoking when the towers hit! Guess he walked away from it all, Imagine that! What I find funny is that he was also outside when the other bombing happened in 1993! My uncle was never the same after that., he has since passed away. We also found out that a distant cousin of mine worked at the top of the trade center in that restaurant, I cant remember the name of it, but the event has effected my family.

The next day I had to go to work. My boss lived in Staten Island and had no way to get into work, it took him 6 hours to get home. I was able to catch the train into Manhattan. Everyone was so quiet reading their papers and I couldnt even get my self to glance at them. Why would they put images of people throwing themselves out windows on the cover?!?!

When I got to Mid Town it smelled like burnt flesh, it was horrible. The smell lingered for a few days - I didnt want to be there but I really didnt have a choice.

Finding out they killed that horrible man is bittersweet. It would have been better to find him alive, but thats my two cents.

Ill never forget that day.

What went wrong...

2011-03-13T18:42:00.002-04:00

Well it took over two weeks.

I emailed every few days requesting that this form be filled out, never a response.

Finally I got mad. My first email stated that this was getting ridiculous. Filling out this form takes all of 2 minutes and an email or fax. Or a few minutes dropping it off to me. The response: She tells me I dont have time, Im busy not that she needs to explain that to me. But Ill get my precious paper tomorrow. And that she was 'done with me' leave her alone, never talk to her again. Well tomorrow came and went and I never got it. So I emailed again, maybe I was a little harsh, but at this point I was totally pissed off. I said thanks for 'not' dropping the paper, thanks for letting me take the fall and pay taxes on your sales!... thanks for nothing, some friend you are! Imagine my surprise when the paper finally showed up at my office the next day!

I must say I have not spoken to her since this has happened and because of all this Ive cut off all of them. Ive been told I am wrong because the whole family is not at fault. However, they all made me feel horrible and have treated me as if I did everything wrong. Im not saying I am perfect and I did some things wrong. I will choose friends a little wisely in the future.

Ive been thinking of throwing myself a pity party cause I have been so sad and depressed over it. In this process Ive lost friends that Ive known for a long time. I have to remind myself these are not my friends as friends dont do these kinda things to eachother.

New Year new me

2011-01-12T12:16:00.002-05:00

This year will be different for me and my business. I am going to go into all kinds of areas and carry more variety of products. My goal is to work at more craft fairs in the area. And Im not going to allow anyone to bring me down.

In any event, the sage continues.

When going into business with someone be sure to have all your paperwork in order!

I made the mistake of trusting someone who didnt trust me. In the process of working this past year Ive done everything. I started my own business and in the process I helped someone, who is no longer my friend, grow their own business.

Remember everything is in my name, well after speaking with an accountant, he confirmed what I already knew. Because I wrote her more then $600 in checks I have to issue her a 1099 and I made the mistake of never getting a W9 filled out. This means I have to speak to her and request this information. So I did, I emailed the form and requested it be filled out and emailed to me ASAP. Image my surprise when she needed to verify what I was requesting, by talking to a lawyer!? Then asks me for a copy of expense, to make sure its all OK, then wants to give the form filled out directly to the accountant. Not only that takes forever to reply to my emails. To date Ive gotten nothing. Some think she will never provide me with the info and allowing me to take the fall with the taxes.

This year is going to be different. I wont need to deal with so called 'partners' or 'friends' that stab others in the back.

Remember to get your paperwork in order before getting into business.

Whoa!

2010-10-24T19:35:00.004-04:00

Well I guess I am not an avid blogger... if I typed more often these posts wouldnt be so long!

Anywho... much has happened since my last post. Almost within the next day of my post.

That weekend I went to an expo in Philadelphia with the spouse. I didnt tell anyone as no one needs to know my business right? Well I had asked my 'partner' AKA my friend of over 20 years to watch my daughter cause I was going to do something and I couldn't bring her.

The drive took about 3 hours and the weather was not the greatest. The GPS we borrowed was also horrible, it kept losing the signal and seemed to have taken us the long way. In any event, I found a bunch of great new vendors. We finally arrive back in the area at around 5pm.

Upon returning we went straight to my friends house to pick up my daughter. On the way we noticed that she and her sister were driving in the opposite direction and two separate cars. We arrived at the house and no one would look at me. Her mother talked to me with her back to me. Her other friend automatically says to me 'Im neutral' and I was like OK. She told me about my daughters day and asked where my husband was. He stayed in the car while I retrieved my child, I jokingly said he doesnt want to see my friend, but came back and said hes just staying in the car. I thought something was 'off' but I couldnt tell what it was. So we went home and that was it.. or so I thought.

The next morning, I arrived at the office, as I did every day. Upon opening the door, I burst into tears. Almost all the product had been removed from the office! I couldnt talk, I was stunned and in total shock! I couldnt think straight. But i knew if I did something it may not be a good thing so I did nothing. I didnt act on my emotions, I tried to call my friend and she had no time for me. She was busy. So I asked her sister, also my friend, how no one could tell me about this. How can they just do this behind my back and say nothing to me. How can they leave me in the dark! All I got is I helped my sister and I would help you if you asked.

Devastated I still did nothing, all the while everyone is telling me to cut her off, delete her listings, change the locks... dont talk to her again.

It took some time but I found out that she got info from my daughter that I went to an event without her. She became enraged and decided to remove her product from the office. I still cant believe I did nothing. I basically told her she can come back. She slapped me in the face and I turned the other cheek. After a few weeks, she still didnt bring her products back into the office. When I finally asked about it, she said she didnt trust me. Mind you, I did nothing to her to think that way. The event we were supposed to go to together was not until the following month. So she made a choice on false information. She hurt me like you wouldnt believe and she didnt trust me? And the kicker here... that event we were supposed to go to she canceled! After all that she didnt even go to the event we were supposed to go to together!

Well I caved and I taught her how to do everything. As I kicked myself in the process I showed her everything I knew. Within two weeks I found two mistakes that were marked against me. Did I mention everything is in my name? Well I told her I dont feel comfortable that she is doing it and I would rather she didnt do it anymore. She accused me of firing her and she was done she was out! She says sorry I cant be perfect like you and called me controlling!

This time I said nothing and let her slap me again in the face, I proceeded to remove her inventory from my my ebay store and buying more products for myself. She came in and removed her inventory and left the computer. She tells me I can hold the computer for as long as I want. But she kept the keys and hasnt spoke to me since. She says she does not go out of her way to talk to people. Am I just anyone? I am supposed to be a friend of over 20 years... she said she would still be my friend no matter what,...

I think shes done with me. I cant trust her anymore. I changed the locks, got a new computer and have been doing my own thing for a few months now. I acutally am happy this way.

Its too bad that this has happened. But it goes to show you, friends shouldnt go into business together. Its been 3 months and I have not spoken to her. My so called friend has abandoned me but life will go on right!

To merge or not to merge?

2010-07-21T17:01:00.004-04:00

Well while ebay and Amazon have been going great, majority of the products I have listed are not technically mine. I have not had an issue with it until recently. I have sort of a partnership with my friend. Everything is technically in my name, we are actually separate business entities.

It was brought to my attention that my 'partner' feels like a renter in 'my store'. Well thats what she is.... she purchases products and thats where it ends. She has space in my store.

I list, price, photo, pack and ship, even take inventory at times. I do it all. So maybe she is a renter in my store.

Ive also gone on my own and started purchasing products on my own. Now I make money in my own store! Go figure.

Then its brought to my attention that my 'partner' feels its a 'yours' and 'mine' thing when its supposed to be a we thing! Well she buys her own things and I buy my own things so maybe it is a 'yours' and 'mine' thing.

So shes not happy and well is expressing herself vocally. So in an attempt to make the peace I say well lets find out the steps needed to become one. I make appointments, I paid for consultations and even went to 'view' possible locations. All of a sudden shes elated and Im upset.

It took me a few days and some outside sources to help me figure out what was making me upset.

I believe its because I dont want to merge and become one company, split profits 50/50 when Im doing all the work! Or at least 95% of the work.

I finally told her today that I didnt want to 'merge' our two companies and that we should leave it the way it is. She shouldnt get any profit off my sales or hard work. All she could say is why I am starting to feel this way out of the blue. She believes that its my husbands ideas but its mine.

Now I have to wait until she makes a decision to pull all her listings and go on her own, or to leave things the way they are. So I could lose have of the inventory in my ebay store.

Maybe this is a good thing.

Ebay business is great but people are crazy!

2010-03-17T15:01:00.008-04:00

Ive been staying away from blogging, I dunno why people do it, does anyone actually read what I wrote? Does anyone care?

So I am home, bored, there is nothing to do right now. Its actually quiet.

So its 2010 - what am I doing?

Well in Janaury I finally got my business official. I sell all things I can. Ive been doing a lot of research and buying products to list in my store.

Now I am dealing with more and more crazy people on ebay. The latest: Someone purchased an item from my, which I shipped, but it was returned to me by the post office, they say it was an insufficient address. I cant make this stuff up. I emailed the buyer to tell them and they request a refund, telling me the address is correct. So I go thru the steps to issue a refund, it was less the S&H costs. S&H was paid for even it was sent back to me, I wont get that back from the post office. So I marked it in ebay as a canceled transaction. The buyer agrees with it and I get my fees back. So not even 5 minutes later I get an email from paypal, this person wants a refund. But I already issued the refund! Not the whole paid to me but the amount less S&H. So now I am waiting to see what paypal will do. Everything looks to be in my favor but we will see. This person cant leave negative because they agreed and canceled the transaction but now I have to wait for the hold to come off.

In January I got my first negative! I was shocked, Ive been on ebay since 1999! Ive always done everything correctly and never had problems. Well this person claims I sent them something that was half empty or partially used! I would never thats just not cool. Well they wanted a refund and I told them I did nothing wrong, they could not prove to me that I was in error as I asked for a picture. I even said the bottle gives an illusion there should be more, she then threatened negative feedback! Then I dont hear from them for about a week. Well I went away for the weekend only to return and see the negative on my account. This person said i was not nice and there was no customer service! I replied to all her emails and never left her hanging and never said a mean word! Whats wrong with people? So she files a claim with ebay, says I never replied to her, gave her empty product and all she wanted was a partial refund! I replied saying this was all lies, the proof was in my message section within ebay and they could find the correspondence there. Well ebay came back and found no one at fault - they refund this person all their money. Not a dime came from my account, it was ebays choice to refund! Then this person goes back onto my feedback page and writes "my feedback speaks for it self paypal refunded"! Well it sucks i cant reply there, cause well buyers cant get negatives anymore! So your feedback wouldnt show red now would it? Man I was so livid!

Well nothing I can do, the fantastic thing is that since then, all the feedback Ive gotten celebrates my service! Ive tried to appeal her negative feedback but ebay says it stays cause it does not violate policy.

So Im stuck with that negative for now.

Buyers are holding feedback hostage and its just not right. You sit on the edge of your seat waiting to see what they write.

Why Blog?

2009-08-25T12:48:00.003-04:00

Why do people blog in the first place?

To tell other people the things that are going on in their lives?
To Complain?
To Vent?
To just talk and see who is listening?

I dunno

Hawaii Vacation

2009-05-21T19:08:00.002-04:00

Hawaii may be a once in a lifetime trip but I am determined to return. To see the Whales!

Our flight from Newark to Honolulu took almost 11 hours!

We spent a week on Oahu - Waikiki beach to be exact. The resort was not exactly on the beach but about a block off. We stayed at the Imperial Waikiki in a one bedroom, two bath, resort room. We exchanged into Interval World to get a week at this resort, so technically we didn't pay for it.. lol..

Hawaii has a daily tax rate regardless if its a hotel or timeshare. So depending on the size of your room daily tax can be $2 - $10 per day! This is above the regular tax you would pay in a resort.

While on Oahu we hiked up Diamond Head - it took about an hour and a half round trip. And it was treacherous! Rocky, slippery, lots of steps, a dark tunnel and then we had to duck to thru a small hole to get to the top! But it was beautiful! We visited the North Shore - not to far where Lost is filmed. The Dole Plant is also out there, fresh pineapples are so good! Snorkeled, sort of, in Hanama Bay. I was to much of a dork to wear the mask and I could not coordinate the breathing part correctly. Visited Germaine's Luau! A first for me! Amazing how those women shake those hips. We also took a tour around the island and got to see where the filmed a lot of the scenes from Pearl Harbor and Jurassic Park.

We also visited the beach a few times. Watching the sun set seemed to be a nightly event for us as well.

We then traveled to the island of Maui - it was about a 30 minute flight! I think Im getting better with flying, not freaking out too much..lol

While on Maui we spent a lot of time on the beach. Drove the road to Hana, which is about 56 miles long, with over 600 hair pin turns and over 50 single lane bridges. Man it was scary. We found a black sand beach, a red sand beach, a lava tube and a bunch of waterfalls. We traveled all the way out there to see the seven sacred pool but didnt not get to them it seamed the road was closed. Boohoo. We drove up to Haleakala crater. We stood above the clouds! The temperature changed on the way up down to 55 but once we drove higher then the clouds it got hotter... so strange. We saw Molokini crater, took a boat to see the coral reef, saw some amazing animals in the water and relaxed.

It seems like we did more but I guess we really didnt.

Our flight back was horrible. We got on the plane, the plane backed out of the terminal and stopped. Seems that they engine could not be turned on or something. After 4 hours the cancelled the flight, put us in a hotel over night, fed us breakfast, and took us back to the airport for the next plane. Thank GOD we got home, I was never so nervous in my life!

Secrets in my life.

2009-04-07T11:35:00.004-04:00

So Ive been sitting on them for a years. Do you keep them or tell?

There have been times in my life that I just blurt out everything that has ever happened to me and boyfriends have stayed but they have treated me as if I were fragile. The relationships never lasted. So now this time around I have decided to not tell. Keep things hidden away forever, 8 years so far. So now I am not treated as if I were fragile but treated as a bitch.

Have you had things happen to you in the past that kinda of creates your future. Like - lend someone money and never get paid back. So I never lend money to anyone because of that experience. It sounds simple, but there were events in my life that were tragic and horrifying. Im not too sure about forgive and forget in all situations. And maybe your past should not create your future.

Ive had such a life that some have told me its amazing I got through it all intact. I could have been on welfare with a dozen kids. I could have agreed that my life was over at 18 and stayed in a horrible marriage where I was treated like a prisoner. I could have sat back while he treat me and my kids like crap. They would have been hoodlums by now. Arrested with kids themselves. I could have been the victim for the rest of my life living on the system. Like some people I know, with the 'world owes me' attitude.

Ive been emotionally crushed. Had my dreams stolen right from under me. My innocence robbed. Matured faster then most young adults. Damaged, neglected, used, abused, thrown away! And yes I still cry myself to sleep. Sometimes listening to songs help me get through the day.

Details dont matter.

What matters is that I wake up every day and I thank God I am alive. Alive to see another day, to see my kids grow, to live with a great man, to be loved.

He will never know the turmoil I go though daily. The issues I face, the memories that haunt me. The fear that I have, pain I feel.

Is it better this way? Whats the alternative?

Gossip, Rumers and Lies... and everything in between

2009-03-26T14:42:00.002-04:00

No matter how old you get, no matter what changes happen in your life, no matter where you are... these nasty things seem to always pop up.

I am not one to dive into it, but its at the point where its just ridiculous.

People need to move on with their lives, let go and start somewhere else.. the future isnt written in stone.. it can be changed, but only if you want it changed.

Hawaii

2009-02-23T16:37:00.002-05:00

So our trip to Hawaii is almost completely planned. When we first looked into going we found airfare for $441 and two weeks later it jumped to almost $800! A few weeks ago they jumped down again to $585 - we booked them cause they are direct flights from Newark to Oahu - 10 hours on a plane.

We have our hotels/resorts booked.... we are staying 1 week on Oahu and 1 week on Maui....

I cant wait!

Important

2009-02-23T14:33:00.001-05:00

Someone told me that no matter what your spouse comes first. They will be there for everything, thru thick and thin and most of all - when your kids leave - when they become adults and find their own way - the only one there is your spouse - make sure your relationship is priority number one!

What did you get for Christmas?

2008-12-28T12:20:00.002-05:00

Me? Well what I did was tell my husband Ill spend $100 and you spend the same amount and get me something.

Well he had no idea what to get - I told him - get something anything does not matter.... he basically refused and said I was picky... I dont think I am at all....

Well in the end I gave in and just purchased a bunch of clothes for myself from one of my favorite stores - NY and Co... and didnt even wrap it.

He made it worse for me - he had to guess what I got him - he knew what I was getting him - he couldnt even lie about it. So I gave him his gift and he gave me a piece of paper with his guesses. And - he did know - I told him I am never giving him anything ever again! He pulled the same stunt last year. Whats with men, they just dont get it.

Did I get what I wanted? Well no - but I didnt want or ask for anything. I believe Christmas is for giving - and thats what I did. I hate asking for things or when I am asked what I want - am I crazy for thinking such a thing? One should appreciate anything they receive no matter what it is. Being together for what - 8 years one would think he could purchase something for me, from his heart.

What to do...

Things are great so far

2008-12-13T16:20:00.002-05:00

Well I finished all my MAJOR Christmas shopping - so thats a good thing... Taylor has been adapting very well, we've actually heard her bark a few times... we didnt think she would but once she knew who lived here and who didnt, she became protective of someone else enters. So it shocked us really... but we are happy she seems happy.

We are having the family up here for Christmas Eve.. so I am making dinner.. whoo hoo... it will be great I know. I also invited my mother cause she never goes anywhere apparently.

Mike and I are planning a vacation to HAWAII in May... it will be on our anniversary... we are contemplating on taking Linda with us since she is so young. But tickets at that time are so inexpensive... I think we are going to try to stay at Oahu for one week and go to another island a week. Perhaps Maui - Ill keep ya posted.

Meet Taylor

2008-11-18T20:08:00.003-05:00

Today we rescued a dog from the shelter. Not sure what she is, they labeled her a 'other' on her tags. They say she is a Carolina Dog. Her name is Taylor, she is a small dog, about 35 pounds, is very friendly and quiet. She is also very loving and playful.. This will be exciting!

The Happy Dance

2008-10-21T18:35:00.001-04:00

Finally got my car back! Woohoo... you have no idea how bad it is to be without a car in areas where you cant go anywhere without a car! Maybe things can get back to normal!

Manic Monday

2008-10-20T16:18:00.002-04:00

Its been 16 days since I hit the deer... my van is still in the shop and I have no way to get around. Being home bound is not too bad but I still get nothing done, lol... I am so bored.

On a good note..

Mike and I are planning to go to Vegas in December so I expect it will be great as I have never been there before. We are supposed to stay at the Luxor. The hotel is a pyramid shaped building on the strip. I cant wait!

Man Im upset

2008-10-13T20:30:00.003-04:00

Turns out my van wont be ready tomorrow - there are parts that they are still waiting on... at least Ill know it should be given to me complete... lol Still I have to return the rental on Wednesday and rely on Mike for a few days... man being without a car is horrible... how can anyone stand it...

Feeling Numb

2008-10-12T23:24:00.003-04:00

I dont know why I am still up at 1130pm - I am tired but my mind is racing.

Mike redid the floor in the living room... he put in Laminate Oak Wood Floors and it looks good. The room actually looks bigger. It was tough, if you've been to my house you know all the corners that have to be cut to put it down correctly, but he got it down.. We needed to get rid of the carpet as it was yucky, and had holes in it from the little fire that we had. Only thing is that you can feel all the dirt on the floor. lol

Mike just got word that his job will be seriously cutting back on overtime... and well its a great thing for me cause he will be home more than just one day a week every 8 days or so... however, it also means we wont be bringing in as much into the house... Thank God things are OK for us and we are not struggling. He wants to start looking for a new job and I will start keeping positive thoughts on it of course. This will work out of course, I have faith in it.

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Distraught

2008-10-04T21:00:00.000-04:00

So I killed one of Gods creatures today...

I was driving home from a great day... its my moms birthday today. I invited her to my house so we can hang. I took her to Woodbury Common did some shopping - then we went to Gashos Steakhouse. She had Hibatchi Scallops and loved it. Then they did a birthday thing for her. Had a pineapple with a 'candle' it was like a sparkler that was amazing. Then they sang happy birthday to her and hit her with a hammer on her head. No not a reall hammer, a plastic one that squeeks when you hit it. It was really funny and the food was amazing.

We then went to BJ's where we shopped and came home. It was a normal drive as usual until that Deer jumped out in front of my car. Man I am traumatized for life. That vision of the deer flying up in the air will be with me forever.

Its amazing how fast things can happen to you. It was all a few seconds. It makes you appreciate life and realize how you have to cherish every moment, cause it can disapear just as fast.

The car looks bad to me. The antifreeze is leaking, there is no light anymore, the bumper and quarter panel is no good and the front is just as bad. Its gonna be a while before I will be able to drive the van.

Its been a while

2008-09-24T20:44:00.000-04:00

Man I have been busy....

I started a new job,... its part time and supposed to be temporary at least until the end of the year. I debated over and over if I should take a job, but it was too great to pass up. Its in the accounting area, which I cant get away from. AP and AR at the same time and its from 9-2 while the kids are in school. I am here to put Linda on and take her off the bus which is great. I could be home - cleaning and doing laundry but I think I like the idea of actually leaving the house and doing something other than food shopping, lol....

Progress reports are coming next week, Already! Can you believe it! ... man how time flies...

Business is unbelievable! Life is amazing! Married life is getting MUCH better!

I recently went to this seminar for the weekend with Tom Hopkins. Man was it an eye opener. To learn how people think and how they interpret words was incredible. It was a grueling weekend but so worth it. It will help my business ten fold, I have increased my income potential and that is just too exciting!

Trying to get my butt back into church but its been tough.. I am set to go back this weekend and will sign Linda up in Sunday school again as she loved it last year. Not only that I miss going there.

My Attitude every day will determine my success in the future. Today, I will walk, talk, act and believe like the person I wish to become. I deserve success and will do what successful people do. I will refuse to allow negative people to fill my mind with negativity. Most of the arguments I have are with myself, so when I get down, I will use the famous GOYA formula for guaranteed success. Today, I will win. Why? Ill tell you why - because I have faith, courage and enthusiasm.

What a week

2008-09-09T22:23:00.000-04:00

Linda's been in school for a week so far, she's coming home off the bus saying she misses up terribly... that the day is long.. its so cute. You have to see how she steps off the bus, the steps are giant for her. lol - my baby is growing up,... boo hoo

I finally got to spend sometime with the spouse - he did work 84 hours straight last week. We went to dinner and met a friend of his from work and his wife... very interesting. Then we went bowling. I kicked butt!!! Even with the carpel tunnel, lol That was Sunday, then on Monday we played Disc Golf at Warwick Town Park. We've never played it before but purchased some Discs and went to the course. Its like Golf except your throwing these Discs which are like a Frisbee. You stand on what looks like a 'base' and throw. There are pros that kinda take a running start and then throw them. They get tossed into this basket of chains. We had a good time hiking thru the woods. Especially when we didnt know what we were doing. The couse was layed out in the woods, over streams, and in open fields and some 'holes' were 900 feet long! Mike did 18 holes, and I did the first 9 - took us about 2 hours.

He's working nights this week so I really wont spend anytime with him this week. Not only that I am headin to PA this weekend and he is heading upstate for a party.

This weekend I am heading to Tom Hopkins seminar. Its suppsoed to help me with my business and life in general. Look forward to it.

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School starts today

2008-09-03T14:05:00.000-04:00

So it begins... today was the first day of school for many people... but it was the first day of school for my youngest... Kindergarten was great she says... she played she says... she made friend she says... but cant remember their names.. lol... guess she is fine without me.. how they grow up so fast.

Alex started 11th grade and Brian 9th grade... I promised him that he can get a job if he proves that he is doing well in school after the first quarter ... what have I gotten myself into lol... I doubt Alex will get a job.. he is just too lazy and he figures he cant do both... work and go to school.. geez... I remember going to work full time and going to school full time... and dealing with them on a daily basis.... I gotta talk to that boy.. lol...

The Happiest Place on Earth?

2008-08-19T15:42:00.000-04:00

Well I traveled to Disney last week. This was the second time this year but this time it was just me and Linda. Also traveling with us was Yvonne and her family and Robert and his Wife Ari. We actually had a great time... although it was tiring as vacations can be... you always need a vacation from your vacation, lol We drove about 19 hours from NY to Orlando and it was not that bad. Next time we plan to fly, lol.

We spent a week at my timeshare in Kissimme... in the future we will be staying on Disney since Robert and Yvonne both purchased at Disney Vacation Club, which is far more flexible then what I got. They are ready to plan the next trip, in fact Robert was talking about it even before he left back to California. So now I have to find a way to get rid of the Westgate Timeshare and buy into Disney... lol... then again will I be visiting Disney every year for the next 40 something years? Who knows...

They have this great new attraction called Toy Story Mania at Disney Hollywood Studios and it was amazing, we went on 3 times! Its a huge video game... but it can make your hands tired... Make sure to visit it when you go.

Giving up on dreams

2008-07-31T15:16:00.000-04:00

Well its done - I will officially stop talking about Moving to another state. He (My spouse)called me a Gypsy - did you know that Ive moved around over 28 Times in my lifetime! That all stopped about 6 years ago. This is the longest I have ever stayed in one place - Not counting when I was a kid - the longest was on Bedford - we moved there when I was 3 or 4 and I moved out when I was 15 - but who remembers anything before age 10 lol.

Am I ready for a new adventure? Yes - at this point I dont care where - just somewhere else - although Florida is calling to me. And I dont want to move further upstate cause I hate snow. But he does not want to leave. So I am stuck and my dreams have gone out the window.
Not only that my son is also giving me a hard time - he starts 11th grade in September and he wants to graduate with his friends, which means a delay of about 2 years. So what do I do, wait? Then if I wait, my daughter will give me a hard time as she will be starting 2nd grade by then.

So once again I push my wishes aside for the benefit of others.

Job?

2008-07-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

Well I have been slowing looking at getting a job, seriously this time, I mailed my resume to one company already... many people think that I dont wanna get a job so why bother and parts of me does not... think about... Ive been working from home for a few years and I know I can just 'have a party' or write some kind of transaction and be paid a heck of a lot more then I could sitting 40 hours at a job. So why go get a job? Why give half my check for daycare? But working from home is harder then I thought.. I cant find people sitting in my living room and it also keeps me from getting out and meeting people. I dunno - Linda starts kindergarten in September so why not?

So how funny is it that today I find that my old job - where I was before Linda was born - posts a job - well two positions opening. I called and who knows - I will touch base with them again on Wednesday.. do I want to work there again where they made me miserable? Well the ones that made is miserable for me left the company and not only that I was pregnant and emotional...lol

Writing a book

2008-07-23T14:36:00.001-04:00

Have you ever thought that you could write a book about your life and family and make millions?

We joke about it all the time, but I think it would be a great story... no worries, names will be changed to protect you.. lol

What a week!

2008-07-20T18:18:00.000-04:00

So I spent the week in Brooklyn.. with my mother and her husband, who used to be my uncle... but thats another story....

We went to the city, Manhattan, which I have not really been too since I stopped working there in 2002. I miss it sometimes, the hustle and bustle of the city... all the stores so close to each other, the lights and excitement. But I wish I had a sign that said 'I am not a tourist!' lol - We went to the MnM store, Hershey, World of Nintendo, Bubba Gump Shrimp! Even checked out the supermarkets there.. lol... We also went to the Hall of Science in Queens, which was nice, even though the place was filled with kids from camp but they were gone by 2 so it was not too bad. Spending time with my mom had me realize that I dont spend enough time with her. Who knows what the future brings huh...

Should I stay or go

2008-07-14T12:55:00.000-04:00

Well its 1pm and I am already packed and ready to go.... do I wanna, not really but I will cause I like to keep my word... not sure how long I will stay but we are supposed to head to museums and stuff... guess Ill see...

I think I need some time away - being a stay at home mother is hard.. people think its easy but I am bored half the time and get tired of doing laundry, cooking and cleaning - I actually hate cooking, maybe cause my kitchen lacks counter space, I dunno but Id rather order out anytime.. lol it may be fun letting my mom cook for me the next few days.

Well this is a first

2008-07-13T17:35:00.000-04:00

Figured since the whole planet blogs that Id start! LOL - inspiration - my cousins Tanya from upstate NY! We will see how long I keep this up... lol