Posts under the 'Around the Web' category

Right after I got home from meeting with my class regarding our upcoming exhibit at the end of the month, I went online to check on my online accounts. I was surprised when Bev tagged me in one of the posts in Splintr’s facebook wall. Little did I know that a surprise was waiting for me at the end of the line…

It’s been quite long since I made some purchases online. Most of the time, I met up with the sellers around school (cause they’re also my friends as well, haha) so I get the item within 24 hours after our agreement. I miss the feeling of receiving packages in my doorstep and the excitement (yeah, even though I already know what it is but you get what I mean) of opening the package and see the product that I bought online in personal for the first time.

However, last week, I needed to buy something but I was under a tight budget, also I didn’t want to buy something that’s so inexpensive to begin with but “by default” people sell it at a higher price (really, is it that bad that you’re pricing your items that expensive just so you can have all the money?).. lo and behold, I went to eBay and looked for listings for the items I needed to buy.

I was looking for a new card reader and an inexpensive SDHC memory card (both for my DSLR, hee). I scored a good deal at this card reader for SD/SDHC (and micro SDs, sony memory sticks, etc – it can be used on different card storage media) for less than a dollar, though the shipping was high, I didn’t mind. I knew I wasn’t going to find that thing anywhere else that has a price tag like that so I bought it. Then for the memory card, it took a while to have everything finalized and paid for but I got it anyway. I misplaced my 2GB SDHC so I really had to buy a new extra card. 😉 I still hope to find that card someday.

Mm yes, you’d think why I spent possibly 2x or thrice the amount for those two, they’re so tiny, etc etc. Well, part of my reason is I also want to build my eBay feedback. I now have 5 (around 7 actually but the more than a year old feedbacks don’t count).

Well, I’m glad I bought these. I do use it more often that I should and the card reader is really, REALLY handy! I can bring it anywhere. For pete’s sake it’s smaller than my USB drives!

If you want to try shopping at eBay, here are some things you need to remember:

1. Always, always check their feedback first before even deciding that you will look at their whole page listing. eBay has this new system wherein if you give a seller a “4 star rating” it will deeply affect their overall status at the site.
2. Try to look at other listings for the item you are looking for. Some people sell it cheaper than the other seller.
3. If you’re coming from eBay.com (not .PH — for Philippine customers) check their shipping policies. Most likely it will be expensive so you better be aware of that. Well, if you really want to purchase from eBay intl, try a cargo company like Johnny Air to take care of the shipping stuff. 😀
4. Be polite when you talk with the seller after you’ve won (payment/shipping details, question about the product, etc.), there may be times when your conversation gets annoying but in the end if you don’t do well your feedback will suffer and you might even get banned.
5. Yep, feedback is the basis of every eBayer out there. Ship the items in time, pay as soon as possible, make sure you have the funds when you click that “Buy Now” or “Bid” button. In short: BE A RESPONSIBLE BUYER (or seller).

I would like to start selling some of the stuff I don’t use at eBay, actually I’ve tried lots of times.. but the fact that I don’t have a CC is stopping me from doing so. 🙁 So yeah, for now I’ll just keep on buying and buying.. given that I have enough funds of course. 😉

HORRAY, SO STELLAR HAS REACHED 10K SITE HITS!

Wala lang. I was browsing around Amazon a while ago and noticed that they’ve invented a new packaging system which looks hella easier than the normal packaging that products have. They call it the “Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging”, it’s the first thing you’ll see when you go to their homepage.

This is not a sponsored post. I love Amazon and I just want to share what I found. 😆

I guess I’m one of the many who can relate to this kind of thing. Especially when I got a new HDD for my birthday 2 months ago, the packaging was really a pain in the rear to open. I even got paper cuts cause of the plastic packaging was too hard to pry open, even with the use of a cutter! Took me more than an hour to open it actually, and it wasn’t fully open.. I was only able to cut a smallish horizontal opening and I had to get my hands inside the package to get the product itself. In the end I got a lot of paper cuts and finger cuts. (lol, is there such a thing?) If you read the ‘letter’ at Amazon, I can definitely relate to the ‘Wrap Rage’ term, a lot. 😆

So far, the Frustration-Free packaging feature by Amazon can be found on selected Toys that they have on sale. I hope they implement this on their gadgets as well, especially on products with packaging like the one on my HDD. 😛 As if I’ll get to buy any gadgets at Amazon.. too expensive and shipping will definitely cost an arm and a leg. Better keep on wishing for a trip to the US to personally shop for gadgets (since they’re cheaper than here in the Philippines).

Have I told you that my latest hangouts on the net are Amazon and eBay? 😛 Ever since two weeks ago I’ve been looking at some books at Amazon then at eBay to see if they have auctions for it, y’know.. cheaper way to get those ‘wants’. Jullia got me in to go eBay mode again. Sadly the local eBay in my area doesn’t have any of those books on auction. I was also eying the first edition of Heroes graphic novel at both sites to see which one is cheaper, and after sometime of research I gave in and went o buy the one I saw at eBay. Later I figured out that the reason why the one at Amazon is expensive is because it’s the hardbound copy. I don’t really need a hardbound copy and besides I don’t like them in the first place so I went ahead with a softbound cover of the book. Last word I got from the seller was the tracking number of the package so I’m really excited to receive it! Been a long time since I’ve done any transactions online. If only I can sell stuff internationally again that would be fab, I’d love to save up PayPal money again. :dance: But because I don’t have exactly a lot of time right now to go back and forth to the post office, that would have to wait.

But I really need money right now. I’m starting to be POOR because of buying art materials (specifically materials for my FREHAND classes) which eventually goes to waste because the prof doesn’t accept it and I’m forced to re-do everything again. Right now I’m procrastinating.. end up doing it when it’ll be too late. I’ve never had financial problems like this before. I get too shy to ask money from my parents now. 😐

I also have to plan/find a good place to shoot within this month. For my photography class, our final project is to create a coffee table book consisting of 6 (minimum) photographs, but I believe I can do up to 10. Problem is, I don’t have a definite place to do a shoot. Suggestions, guys? If possible (but you can totally ignore it and just suggest away) I hope it matches my ‘criteria’.

• Not too far from the city
• Cheap entrance (someone suggested me at Plurk a place where the entrance is just PHP 5, lol. But I guess I can stretch my entrance budget to 200-350, something like that)
• Photo-taking is allowed (what’s the use if the place is beyond infinity in terms of beauty but I won’t be allowed to ‘capture’ it, right? There ARE places like that.. I just don’t know where exactly. 😉 )
• There are flowers, lots of them. Or a nature vibe.. like really pretty trees and the like.

This marks the end of my post, lol. Oh .. for some reason I wanted to plug my wishlist, hahaha. IDK, maybe if someone who has a lot of money drops by my site and may be in the mood to be generous, please buy me something! Or or, a domain name will do. :heart:

In case you might be wondering, I’m not moving out *if* I receive/buy a domain. It looks like Google is never going to give back my PR 3, I have to find out another alternative to earn money through blogging. Wah.

I tried so hard
and got so far
but in the end
it doesn’t really matter