I finally bought a pair of Maseur sandals! They cost me $34.99 from a chemist.

They let me try them on as the sizes confuse me completely.

When you put them on you get a tingly feeling, then you feel like you've had 2 or 3 coffees. (For those who don't like coffee, you feel more awake).

I got stressed at work:



...so I slipped these sandals on under the desk.

Minutes later I looked like this:



The benefits are listed as -
increased blood circulation
promotes good posture
relieves tired feet and aching legs
+ they are fully washable

I definitely noticed a warmth spreading through my legs after wearing them for a short time.

I have done a chart for the sizes so you can work them out
(note: These sizes are for Australia!)



For example, I am a size 8.5 (AUST) in shoes,

BUT I am a size 7 in Maseur sandals.

Which would make me closer to a size 9. Confused yet?

If you buy them online, they may be a bit cheaper but it would be a little more difficult to get the correct size for you. And a cheap pair of sandals in the wrong size isn't worth much!!  So make sure you check your sizes with the seller:  Buy Maseur Sandals

An alternative is to buy them at your local chemist. You can ask to try them on and they usually have the chart measurements so you can look up your size.

I'm off to put them on again.

Technorati Tags:
drawings, sandals, maseur, shopping

That's It!!

I'VE GONE CRAZY!!!

WHY YOU ASK?

WELL JUST LOOK HERE:

1 DIAMOND RING (CLICK TITLE LINK NOW!)

VALUED AT $900 BY REPUTABLE JEWELLER

EVERYTHING MUST GO

HOW MUCH YOU ASK?

HAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

BIDS START AT $450

THAT'S RIGHT!

$450!!!

ONE SALE ONLY
MUST END SOON
ETC. ETC.

(*PANT*PANT*)

Note to self: NEVER do your own commercials.

I bought this amazing looking robotic book light for $12.79.





When I got it home, it died. After turning it on 3 times. Fine, I thought, must be the battery. I bought new batteries the next day and put them in.

Nothing.

I emailed the seller and told him the problem. He kindly sent out another one. It worked. For about 10 minutes. Then it went dim, then it flickered, making it impossible to read.

The robotic action is impressive the first few times but it gets annoying. You can't move it from side to side, and it gets in the way when you are turning the pages.

So, I concluded, I must have been unlucky and received 2 duds.

Wrong!!!

This link shows reviews of the same product citing the same problems.


http://www.amazon.com/Robotic-LED-Travel-Book/dp/B000BL3Z5U


So, I still didn't have a reading light and I was $12.79 down (plus $5 for batteries!)

At the supermarket that night I discovered the Energizer LED Head Beam.



It was more expensive at around $35-$40 but it has a lifetime warranty, the beam is strong and easy to read with, it has 50 hour battery operation, it swivels and is hands free.

http://www.energizer.com/products/flashlights/flashlight.asp?cat=4&id=3

And the coolest thing is you can wear it and scare your friends doing Terminator impersonations with the red night vision light.




Or was that just me?

These are ending now!! Check them out (click on title link):

*Guns N' Roses rare Japanese mini collectable CD*
*Janes Addiction CD*
*GUESS Wallet*
*Nokia 2112 covers*
*Pocket calorie and fat counter*
*Cool alarm clock with night light*
*Living Words - creativity book*

I'm selling this ring on eBay (click on title link)

STUNNING 0.31CT Brilliant Cut Diamond Engagement Ring


This ring was valued last week at $900 by a reputable jeweller. I just want it to go to a good home. I'm doing a big clear-out of my stuff.

If you want to laugh (or be disturbed) go here

I repeat. Go here.

http://www.rathergood.com/moon_song/

A good friend told me about this article in the Herald Sun "Fakes Sold on Ebay":

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20345984-2902,00.html

Have you ever wondered about the number of "collectables" and "signed limited edition" stuff?

Try this:
Click on a seller's name - it will show their eBay Member Profile (click to enlarge).




click on "Items for Sale" - it will show their current listings



Tick the box for the persons "completed listings"

If it shows that they have sold a large number of "rare" stuff and is still selling similar items, the warning bells should start ringing.

Oh well. One less shark in the waters.

We're going to need a bigger boat.

Okay, I finally had to ditch my Nokia 2112 because Orange were closing down the CDMA network. Nice one. NOT!!!

I loved that phone. It had an inbuilt torch and everything.



*Sigh!*


So...I had to get the closest thing to a Nokia 2112 in a GSM phone. The best thing about the Nokia 2112 (apart from the torch) was the one-button switch to speakerphone. If you ask me all phones should have this so people don't fry their brains unnecessarily.

The Nokia 2600 was the closest I could find.



When you are on a call, you can press the down arrow button, then select "Loudspeaker". Then you can put it on the table and talk without irradiating yourself.

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

One of these days I'm going to do a ratings update.

Have you ever had this one? The Playstation 2 runs games perfectly well - no skipping or other problems.

Then you try to watch a DVD. (An authentic one, not a copied one).

You get to EXACTLY 3/4 of the way through the film (usually at a very dramatic or poignant section) and the picture starts to skip.

Your blood runs cold. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

And then it says the dreaded words:

"Unable to Read Disc"

Aarrgh!!

If you didn't already guess, this has happened to me a number of times and it is driving me around the bend!

The DVD lens cleaner I had seemed to make the machine play up instead of fixing it!!

As I understand it, if your Sony 90 day warranty period is up it will cost you $130 (ouch!) to send it off to get fixed.


These sites also suggest ways to deal with the problem (insert disclaimer here!!):

Playstation 2 Repair Guide


And for those who have joined the 21st Century (ie. bought a Playstation 3!!)

Guide to Fix PS3 (Yellow Light of Death)

Fix PS3 Fast (YLOD)


And for the dreaded Red Light of Death:

Xbox 360 Repair Guide

technorati tags: playstation, ps2, ps2 games, playstation 2, video game

I first discovered Nikola Tesla's Purple Plates in a Linda Goodman book. I completely forgot about what I had read until recently when I came across a couple of websites on the subject.





These links will help you get an understanding of what they do:

http://www.teslaplates.com

http://www.naturesalternatives.com/energy

http://www.linda-goodman.com

http://www.purpleharmonyplates.com/nikola_tesla.htm

Do they work? In my opinion, yes!

I bought a medium purple plate on eBay for $16AU (rrp $45AU) and a couple of pendants for around $8-10 (rrp $30AU)The seller was from St Louis, USA - in this case buying from an international seller worked out a lot cheaper than buying locally from a shop.

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

Some call them 'Postage Pirates' AAARRRGHGH!

They are the ones who hold 0.99c auctions and charge $40, $50 or $100 for postage!!

Here's a nifty way to beat those nasty pasties...

1. Sign in and go to "My eBay"

2. Scroll down to "Items I'm Watching"

3. Click on "Customise Display"

4. Move "Postage Cost" to the right hand column

5. Save!

The postage for items is now visible at all times.

If the postage reads "Not Specified", don't bid until you ask the seller about the cost of postage. That way you can avoid nasty surprises at the end of auction.

If in doubt, do a check with the following postage calculators:

USPS - http://www.usps.com/tools/calculatepostage/welcome.htm

Australia Post - http://www1.auspost.com.au/pac/

Royal Mail - http://www.royalmail.com (use the quickfind menu at top of page)

Sometimes you get the perfect piece of clothing. For the perfect price. I snapped up this authentic JAG top (similar to top pictured) for $5.50 / $10.15 including postage



VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

I was lucky to buy from an individual who no longer wanted the top - this may be the best way to buy brand name clothing. I would be wary of big eBay stores that claim to sell "authentic" designer clothing at ridiculous prices. One has to ask the question - how is this profitable for them? The answer is...it isn't. Unless of course the designer labels are quickly sewn or glued on before selling.

I have seen a lot of people burned by fake designer goods. Look at the person's feedback - if a lot of people are saying "not sure about authenticity" or "this is a fake!!" then use common sense. Also, if you are buying a Prada bag for $15 then you don't really have that much to complain about. If you ask me, the dang things aren't worth $500 anyway.

Happy Shopping!!

These were all bargains. Retailing at $30 new in shops, $40 for hardback, I managed to snap these up from $2.00 to $6.00 - often the postage was more expensive than the book!!

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

Here is the list of the Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta Books (in order of publication):

Postmortem
Body of Evidence
All That Remains (August 1992)
Cruel & Unusual (December 1993)
The Body Farm
From Potter's Field
Cause of Death
Unnatural Exposure
Point of Origin
Black Notice
The Last Precinct (October 2000)
Blow Fly (October 2003)
Trace (September 2004)
Predator, was released on October 25, 2005

They will be mine. Oh yes, they will be mine.

technorati tags: patricia cornwell, kay scarpetta, scarpetta books in order, books, crime, fiction

Yes. That's right. I have ventured into the territory of selling.

It is my first time and I am researching as I go. I will explore the
ins and outs of ebay selling in future posts.

Go to ebay and look up:
Faith No More – Angel Dust CD












Offspring – Smash CD












And... Telstra Prepaid Starter Pack with SIM $10 credit












They will be on ebay.com.au (see top left button)for the next few days...

Happy Bidding!!!

When you place a bid, you make a commitment to buy the item if you win. There isn't really a "get out of jail free" card.

Some people make the mistake of thinking that they can put a bid on a number of the same item and only buy the cheapest one at the end of all the auctions.

Wrong!!

If you put a bid on 5 different Nokia 2600s, and you win all 5 auctions, you're buying 5 phones.

This is the biggest mistake many people make when learning to use ebay.

Here it is. The dreaded negative feedback. This is what it looks like and I hope you never have to deal with one.



Always check the sellers feedback on ebay. If they have 100%, great! If they have 99.9%, check the one negative feedback comment.

I have encountered two kinds of negative feedback:

1. The buyer makes an outrageous/stupid comment like "THIS IS A FAKE!!! DON'T TRUST THIS EBAYER!!"

...when the item description clearly stated "REPLICA FOR SALE"

It's ridiculous to complain about anything that is listed correctly in the item description. It's not right to give negative feedback when you didn't read the listing carefully enough.

Most likely, the response from the seller will be "CLEARLY STATED IN ITEM DESCRIPTION. LEARN TO READ." or words to that effect.

In this case, I would still consider buying from this seller, as the negative feedback was clearly unfair.

However,

2. If the seller has more than one negative and a number of buyers are saying the same thing - Beware!!

Examples:
Item never arrived.
Very rude seller.
Item arrived broken. Will not answer emails.

In this case, I would not consider buying from this seller. Why create problems for yourself? Buy from someone with better feedback - you will save yourself time and worry.

Many sellers with feedback such as this will hide behind their sales numbers eg. "OVER 1000 CUSTOMERS SERVED" - this is no defence.

If a lot of these items disappeared, were faulty, sub-standard, or had excessive postage added, then stay away. You could be next!

It's not so much the number of negatives but a matter of detecting a pattern. The way to pick which sellers to buy from comes down to instinct.

Use the force, Luke.

I have received quite a few fake ebay emails in the past, but I was waiting for one to use as an example. Nothing would please me more than to ruin a spammer's day!! So here it is in all it's glory. (Click to enlarge)



Here are the ways to spot the newer, more sophisticated fake ebay emails:

These ones are clever - it looks like it was sent from an ebay member. In fact, the body of the email is almost duplicated exactly from a real ebay email.

Firstly, don't look at the body of the email - check who it came from.
1. Was it sent to your email address that you originally registered with ebay?
My answer to this question was NO. The email was sent to one of my other email addresses so it could not possibly have come from a real ebay member.

2. Do you recognise the name? Is it someone you are dealing with?
My answer to this question was NO. The person asking the question was from the UK, and claimed to have sent money to me.

3. Does their question make sense?
My answer again is NO. Why would someone send me money when I am not an ebay seller and I do not have a Dell Laptop to sell!!

4. Safety check
Whenever you answer emails from ebay members, log straight into ebay and check "My Messages". This is the best way to check if the message is authentic. If it's not in "My Messages" then chances are you got a fake. There are exceptions to this rule, but you will learn to know which are the real ones.

5. Real ebay messages don't ask you for logins or credit card details
The one predictable feature of spam is that they often ask for your login and password or say they have "lost" your credit card information and would you please update them? Use common sense. If a stranger called you up pretending to be from the bank and asked for all your account details, you would be suspicious. And you would probably call your bank or visit them to check the authenticity of the call. It is no different online. It's just easier to forget that even though it's the internet, it's still real.


It's a feeding frenzy for the sharks. Make sure you're not on the menu.

If you are joining ebay for the first time, you need to do the following:

1. Sign up
2. Resist the temptation to start bidding/selling/buying etc.
3. Go straight to the "COMMUNITY" section (see picture)



4. Research this section until you get sick of it. Really. If everybody did this first step, it would reduce complications in the future.



5. When you are ready to start bidding on ebay, do the following - check the seller's feedback (click to enlarge)



If you are satisfied with their feedback score and comments, start bidding!!

It is a good idea to start small with your first purchase (I should take my own advice!!) just to see how it all works.

Happy Shopping!!

I discovered a great blog for all those who love Hello Kitty (and there are many!).
It's called "I *heart* Hello Kitty".

http://i-heart-hellokitty.blogspot.com

Here is the official Hello Kitty website for all things Hello Kitty...
http://www.sanrio.com/main/mbna/card.html

And the shop:
http://shop.sanrio.com


I found some great Hello Kitty stuff on ebay:
(No listing links here - check the seller's feedback before bidding, check for signs of authenticity and ask questions if unsure)

1. Hello Kitty Webcam


2. Hello Kitty Phone


3. Hello Kitty Lamp



Happy Shopping!!

P.s. I have now added a babelfish "translate this site" button for languages other than English.

Join the CrispAds Blog Advertising Network!

I've noticed that some outfits are flattering to the figure, and some are not. For today I'll focus on jeans:

Firstly, don't get a pair of jeans that bunches up around the waist and hips. This looks bad on everyone, including Kate Moss. Make sure the jeans don't taper at the ankles because they will make your legs and hips and waist look bigger than they are. Here is an example of the "Wrong" look, courtesy of Lorraine on MAD TV:




Now, for the style of jeans/pants you should seek out...

Jeans that are low cut minimise bunching around the waist

Flared or bootcut around the ankle balances the line of the pants

Corduroy can be extra flattering and comfortable as well!

Here are some I picked up on ebay:



VERDICT - SUCCESS!!!

Here are another couple of examples to get a better idea.




Remember - don't go for the Lorraine look. Things aren't that bad!!

Buying things for some people can become like an addiction where they fail to do the proper research. Always remember it's your money that you're spending. Spend it wisely.

Here's another ebay listing from the "weird" category:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=020&item=300014302394

Don't forget to subscribe to my feed. Just put your email in the box on the right and press "Subscribe Me". You will then get new updates delivered to your mailbox.

The emails you receive will look like this:



It's convenient and keeps you up to date with the latest posts!!

Happy Shopping!!

I have to tell myself to be patient. It is too easy to give in to the temptation to just bid on ANYTHING. And NOW.

The result is often paying too much for an item you don't want, don't need, doesn't fit or doesn't suit you.

For example, this one looked great in the picture, but when I got it back, it just didn't suit me. This is something you can't really tell when buying clothes online, you just have to give it your best guess.



VERDICT - Win some, lose some!

However I learned from this experience and did a lot of "Watching" and a lot less "Bidding". Finally I found the perfect top, put a bid on at the right time (ie. there was no-one else bidding!) and won the top for 0.99c!!!



VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

This is a good example of the old saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure":...
A person buys some videos in the 1980s. They watch them once and store them on a shelf for a long time. In 2006, when ebay is the place to sell your old wares, a golf nut discovers these two titles and puts on a bid. The seller gets money and some shelf space, and the golf nut gets two indispensible instructional videos.

And they all lived happily ever after.

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!

Time for a ratings update.

To recap on the "Ratings System" entry - the results are either "Success" or "Not". Simple!!

Click on the picture for a bigger view:





So far so good.

The debate rages on. Many will tell you that digital is the way of the future,
because it's new, it's better, can hold more information, keeps for longer....etc.etc.etc.

Well, I'm not sure that applies to everything. On comparing digital voice recorders for recording ideas such as:
song ideas
movie scripts
a novel
blog entries(!!!)

I realised that these little digital recorders (see fig 1.) have their setbacks. On reading the 5 star rating review system on Amazon.com, I was amazed at the number of complaints about these machines. I was intrigued so I read on..."erased all my information"...."wasn't compatible with XP software"..."recorded 30 hours of grainy, scratchy, unintelligible information"

I was stunned.

fig 1.



These gadgets boast "30 hours recording time!!" but in the small print it actually means 30 hours of unintelligible static OR...3 hours of high quality recording. And what if the machine crashes while downloading to your computer? What then?
A novel lost!! Brilliant ideas down the drain!!

And nobody wants that.

So then I thought, what about the alternative? I could get a dictaphone (fig 2.) ...yes, that's right...using TAPE!!!! (Techno savvy metros gasp in horror here)
But seriously, you record a side of a tape. You turn it over. You record the other side. You knock the tabs out. If you simply HAVE to have everything you ever create on computer (and many do!!) then get a male to male stereo plug, plug one end in the "line in" jack at the back of your computer, plug the other end into your dictaphone, or tape recorder or whatever, use a program like "MP3MYMP3" (freeware, check any site such as tucows etc.) and record the ideas as MP3s.

Brilliant!!!

Fig 2.




If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Or, to go one step further...

Don't "upgrade" to something crap.

I apologise for the gap between entries, I have had the flu!

Here is a list of today's ebay items that you might find interesting:
I like to include the outright bizarre - today's focus is MAGICAL ITEMS!!!

With all the links, highlight the entire area from "http://" to "ViewItem"
and paste into a new browser window.

THESE ONES ARE 'MAGICAL':
Logic dictates that these things don't work. But getting 100% +VE feedback for magical items is pretty impressive. Jury's out on this one.

FAIRY PORTAL

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/
HAUNTED-FAIRY-PORTAL-AND-NECKLACE-FROM-101-YR-OLD-WITCH_W0QQitemZ300012574160QQihZ020QQcategoryZ19270QQ
ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


GENIE

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HAUNTED-GENIE-
BOUND-TO-WITCHS-300-YEAR-OLD-CRYSTAL-BALL_W0QQitemZ300
012562124QQihZ020QQcategoryZ19270QQssPageNameZWDVWQ
QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


MERMAID FAIRY

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HAUNTED-MERMAID-
FAIRY-BEAUTIFUL-MUST-SEE-HER_W0QQitemZ300012848080
QQihZ020QQcategoryZ19270QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1Q
QcmdZViewItem


THESE ONES ARE 'HAUNTED':


HAUNTED COPPER URN:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Haunted-
Solid-Copper-Urn-Style-Odd-Item-ALTAR-ROOM_W0QQ
itemZ280011593942QQihZ018QQcategoryZ19270QQss
PageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


WHITE WITCH'S GLASS BOTTLE DECANTER:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Glass-Heart
-Bottle-Decanter-Haunted-Witchs-Item_W0QQ
itemZ270012838606QQihZ017QQcategoryZ1927
0QQssPageNameZWD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



AND PSYCHIC READINGS:

These one had 100% +VE feedback)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/TRICIA-
PSYCHIC-HIGH-ACCURACY-READING_W0QQit
emZ280011006508QQihZ018QQcategoryZ1025
16QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/NEW-Spirit-
Guided-Psychic-Tarot-Reading-NEW_W0Q
QitemZ150015745526QQihZ005QQcategory
Z102522QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/FULL-PSYCHIC-
CLAIRVOYANT-SPIRIT-TAROT-READING-BY-
ANDREA_W0QQitemZ270010341899QQihZ017
QQcategoryZ19271QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com.au/AUSTRALIAN-
PSYCHIC-MEDIUM-TAROT-READING_
W0QQitemZ170012111013QQihZ007QQcat
egoryZ102516QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


Remember to always read the feedback for the person you are buying from. And always with this kind of thing, take it with a grain of (sea) salt!

Happy Shopping!!

This relates to ebay auctions where you may have a difficulty and the seller is helpful and good with communication. This also applies to sellers that post quickly, sell good products, are courteous and considerate and treat you well.

This is sometimes hard to find, and when you find a good seller on ebay, stick with them!!

* Add them to your favourite sellers - you can do this in their "member profile" section or in the item description window. There will be a section under "additional Options" for you to do this - "You may add this seller to your Favourite Sellers in My eBay."

* You can always email the sellers and request items. Not so much with the garage sale type sellers, but the ones with ebay stores that focus on a specific product. (Eg. vitamins, health products) The sellers are happy to hear from buyers about what is in demand, and it will mean more sales for them.

The best sellers are the ones who are accommodating.

Eg. #1
I receive a faulty item and politely let the seller know in an email.

The seller sends me a replacement product.

Eg. #2
An item is posted to me by a seller. I never receive it. I politely email the seller to let them know.

The seller gives me a full refund.


These are the sellers who deserve more business. If they treat you well, respond in kind and keep them on your list of favourite sellers.

There are many sellers who would abuse, deny and refuse to contact in situations such as this. They are to be avoided.

Hooray for the good ones.

Happy Shopping!!

I am saying this to myself as well as to you!! If you are checking your ebay before your email, then you may have to take a step back. And...if you are checking your emails instead of calling your friends, then maybe its time to take another step back.

Try the following:

Turn off the computer.

Walk outside.

Look at the trees.

Go to the park.

Go to the pub and meet up with friends.

And...if you're like me and you start having dreams in html (!!?!!?!?!) then there may be a problem!!!

There is a whole world out there. Make sure you experience it.

Enjoy!!

Okay, this is the trick. Find out which features you need and what is essential to you when buying an item online. More importantly, work out what you DON'T need.

For example,
Say that I need to buy a new phone:

I DON'T NEED:
A camera
A keyboard
A flip/swivel head that is likely to break rendering my phone useless

But...

I DO NEED:
One button speaker phone
A built-in torch (very handy for illuminating the back of the TV and computer)

You can save yourself a lot of time and effort if you cut out the features you don't need. From there you can move on to getting the best price for the item.

If you get caught up in features and extras and all that sort of thing, you could be shopping forever.

So remember:

1. Find out what you need
2. Find out what you don't need
3. Narrow it down and get the best price

Happy Shopping!!

I love books. I love reading books. I can't buy them fast enough and I will go through a few books in a week. And of course, I love buying books.

These can be great to buy online in shops or auctions. In the auctions, you can get a lot of bargains if you buy a few at a time from the same seller. Most sellers are happy to combine postage for more than one item.

The only thing to remember is to carefully read the item description and ask all the questions you need.

Things to ask:

Are there any markings, writing or missing pages in the book?

If not, you should be alright. Read the item description carefully because there is nothing worse than asking a question when it has already been spelled out in the description page.

Happy shopping!!

These were, putting it simply, out of my price range. Until ebay!!!
I searched around until I found exactly the right size and weight for the room I wanted it in.
And it turned out to be perfect.

They were perhaps $199 in the shops - even the smallest versions of these beautiful lamps. I got mine for $60 and I am still happy about it over a year later!!!

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!!

Retailing for about $30 in some shops, $50 in others, I paid around $35 for this one. Looks great doesn't it? Wrong!! Although I still wear it, on the first day of use one of the metal eyelets fell out of the hole. Then a few days later another one bit the dust. Lesson learned. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

VERDICT - I SHOULD HAVE GONE TO A SHOP!

First ever auction purchase. Talk about diving in at the deep end!! Retailing for about $350 at the time, I managed to snap this up for $200. I also spent about a week or more finding out about the features I wanted (ie. 2 shock controllers) and this time it paid off.

VERDICT - SUCCESS!!!

My ratings system is simple. The results are either "Success!" or "Not"
Over time I will compile a graph of successes and not so successful purchases. In the descriptions I will also include why they were successful or not. This will create a picture of what can go wrong (or well!). You can learn from my mistakes.

Of course, I won't mention any names but here are a few of my roaring successes and outright stuff ups with online shopping...

I saw a Current Affairs type program about a man who bought a car on ebay that never showed up. Now I get annoyed at things like that because it doesn't have to happen - there are two reasons it happened:

1. There are some unscrupulous people out there who will take what they can get.

And:

2. People get fooled.

I can't say it enough. Don't use Western Union to transfer money to people you don't know. It is not traceable!! Also, don't think you know someone because you have exchanged a number of emails. It is so easy to build up a false rapport and generate a sense of security very quickly. Remember, often these scammers do what they do because they are good at it. It's important that more people don't get fooled. If just 1 scammer gets put out of business from this information, I will be a very happy person.

Buying a car on an internet auction is like going to inspect a car in the dark with a blindfold on.

Sounds simple doesn't it?

I admit it. I get caught up in buying stuff. It's fun. I put a bid on for a Nokia 7000 and something model - a fancy flip shell phone with a camera. Then I regretted it. Then I prayed for someone to outbid me, and finally they did. (Hooray!)

I realised how wrong it was for me in so many ways:

1. The flip thing would annoy me after about 5 hours of using it. I don't care if you're Elle MacPherson - NOBODY looks good in a 1 megapixel camera/phone photo!! I'm better off buying a digital camera if I decide I want one.

2. I don't care if I can send videos and stuff - when I use a phone I usually send a text like "I'll be at the station at 6:30pm see you soon"? - I am unlikely to send that person a video of myself on the train, waving.

3. 'Fashion'? phones are just that. And they go out of fashion. And then you look like a dork.

I realised I needed a phone that didn't flip, open up into a keyboard and pretend to be a computer, swivel, attach to my head like the Borg (see photo!), or wash my clothes.






Has anyone else noticed this? Am I the only one? These things look like the Borg!! People have been assimilated!!! It has begun!!!

I needed a phone that made phone calls. And sent text messages.

And that's it.

Sometimes simple is better.

One thing you will have to get used to when shopping online is measuring things.

You will need:
A ruler
A measuring tape
A set of scales

Use every method possible to get a sense of what the item will look like in your house - lounge, bedroom or whatever. How much space will it take up? There's nothing worse than getting excited about a purchase, getting it home and realising it's too big or clashes with your decoration scheme.

When it comes to clothing - make sure the size is relevant to your country - a US size 10 is hugely different to UK or Australian sizes. Another mistake people make with sizes is ordering a size 10 - and finding out the clothes are in children's sizes.

I can't emphasise this point enough. Don't just check one site for the item you want. First, do a general search on the item. Next, go to the manufacturer's website and find out the recommended retail price (RRP).

Note: make sure the site you are visiting is in the correct region. A few times I've seen a price and thought wow! That's cheap! Only to find out it's a .com site not a .com.au!! Argh!

Also, there are a few sites such as shopferret.com - these sites seek out different online stores and come back with a number of different prices for the same item. Amazon.com has a similar feature. Check out reviews, ratings and any other info that helps you decide if its really what you want.

Hmmm. Spent a long time researching what to buy online and what not to buy. Thinking that buying large things like big screen tvs, computers and cars on ebay is not the best idea. Mostly because they can get scratched or dinged during delivery. Or in the case of cars, I have read of people buying cars that don't exist.

Here's a short rundown of what I have learned:

1. Don't buy anything from anyone who asks you to send a large amount of money via Western Union to countries such as Nigeria.

2. Don't buy things that can get completely bingled in transit. Eg. lenses on digital cameras, flat screen monitors (a lot of these have a dead pixel or two!!)

3. Don't answer any emails outside of ebay.

4. Try to pay for things using traceable means. Eg. Money orders from the post office, PayPal can be good for certain items as it can proven you paid for it. Basically don't use Western Union and for heaven's sake don't send cash in the mail. It's illegal in some areas!

Hmm. Still going. I have bought a number of things online with varying amounts of success. More about that later.



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