10 TIPS for PC Games related problems

TEN HOT TIPS FOR ALL PC GAMERS!1. Check the system requirements for the game, it is normally written behind the game box cover.2. Update your graphics card software. It is free and if you are unsure where to look for the update, just google or yahoo the name of your graphics card.3. For the latest game titles, you would normally require an expensive and recent graphics card to handle the graphics load. If you meet the system requirement, you should have no problems though.4. Check other settings that might affect the game play, such as vertical sync etc.5. If you bought an old game and have problems playing it, try running it in Windows95/ Windows 98/ Windows2000 Compatibily mode. You can search in yahoo or google for the instructions to do so.6. If the game you boughtis ANCIENT (Super Mario, Pong etc.), you may have to download an emulator to play that game. Again, do a search and you should be able to download emulators for free.7. If you have an old game and the disc is quite badly scratched, apply some dish washing detergent on it and rub it in circles on the scratches and other parts. Wash it and DRY it well, it helps for some discs that are not too badly damaged!8. Update your Operating System (OS) such as Windows XP.9. Update your game. There might be certain bugs that can be patched or fixed by downloading the latest updates.10. Check for forums and official websites for your game for more tips and information regarding your game!

Louis Vuitton bags

What Is Shabby Chic??

This guide is for those of you see the words "shabby chic" popping up all over eBay and wonder what on earth it means?!Shabby Chic, while it was a style and line of homewares created by designer Rachel Ashwell, it actually refers to the style of decorating. It is an ironic term, as shabbyisn't usually chic, but it works! Think worn, distressed white furniture, elegant lamps, romantic flowers, chandeliers, slipcovered sofas, raggy cushions, fine china, and anything scrolly, pretty, elegant and homely! Shabby chic also has a very cosy, cottage feel and has become an extremely popular style of decorating. The dominant colouris white, also encorporating soft pinks, sage green and plenty of flowers. It is certainly a decorating style that can be achieved on a budget, as most things can be second hand things which you fix up yourself. Decorating Tips:*Stake out your local second hand op shop, charity store (salvos, st vinnies), recycling centre, or flea market for second hand furniture. You can often find the most amazing bargains with alot of potential. Furniture can then besanded back, painted white

Digital Cameras: What megapixels

There are some big myths out there about digital cameras. No two are bigger than sensor size (megapixel) and optical

WARNING! POKEMON CHAOS BLACK AND QUARTZ ARE FAKE!

Recently, people on eBay (local and overseas) have been selling versions of Pokemon GBA games called "Chaos Black" and "Quartz". Before you bid on any of these, I am here to tell you that THEY ARE FAKE! Why? Can you find it listed on an official Nintendo website, or a legit online store like Amazon? The only known official Pokemon releases are as follows:-Pokemon Red/Blue-Pokemon Yellow-Pokemon Pinball-Pokemon TCG-Pokemon Gold/Silver-Pokemon Crystal-Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire-Pokemon Emerald-Pokemon Fire Red/Leaf Green-Pokemon Diamond/Pearl It boots up fine and plays well for the first part of the game, but when you get to Mount Moon, it will completely freeze and refuse to let you go any further. Not only that, the "Pokemon" displayed on the box isn't even a Pokemon at all, it's a character from Sonic called Chaos! Compare that image to the image shown on the box - it's practically the same!These pirates are out to get ignorant parents and children who don't know better than to buy anything that has the word "Pokemon" in it. So please, before you go spending big bucks on a game, don't get conned and buy a fake! Credits for info in this guide go to this thread (damn you eBay for non-ebay linking):http://www.catharton.net/electronica/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=129

The difference between FORD C4 and C10 Transmissions.

Very few people (even some 'experts')have the correctknowledge to tell the difference between a FordC4 and a C10 Automatic Transmission.Alot oflistings contain incorrect descriptions about the type of transmission being offered, mostly because the seller does not know or has been misinformed about thier transmission. Many people regard the C4 as a 'Tough Box', but it is not as durable as a C10. Half the reason the C4 has that reputation is through misidentification- the C10 being mistaken as being a C4. Ford originally fitted the C4 to 6 cylinder engines and small cubic inch V8's generally under 300 C.I. The superior C10 was used on all lower performance V8 engines after aproximately 1970. Over the years, Ford produced many 'C' code transmissions, including: C4, C5, C6, C9, C10.When a C4 and a C10 are placed side by side, the differences are extremely obvious as is evident in the pictures.Above is a C10, note the smooth transition between the transmission housing and the bell housing....and this is a C4, as can be seen by the sharp step up between the transmission and bell housing.The following information issourced from a Ford factory repair manual.The Similarities:Both have 11 bolt sumps.The Differences:C10 dipstick/filler tube enters the side of the transmission sump.C4 dipstick/filler tube enters the topside of the transmission housing.C10 has a smooth transition between the Bell Housing and Transmision Housing. (see pics)C4 has a step up between the Bell Housing and Transmission Housing. (see pics)C10 has a breather valve.C4 has a breather tube.C10 has a large input shaft with a smaller 'snout' protruding from it. (see pics)C4 has a smaller input shaft with no snout. (see pics)Below is the C10 shaft......and this one is the C4

Fake Perfume - 20 Point Check List on how to spot Fakes

WATCH OUT for Counterfeit and Fake Perfumes in AUSTRALIA!They have EXACTLY the same designers name, almost identical bottle, label, box and very similar fragrance! The bottles on the left of each type above wereconfirmedas fakes. Apparently bought from street vendors, and markets for under $20 each.HOW CAN YOU TELL WHAT is FAKE?It's not easy. Counterfeiters of perfume have become masters of their crime with the aid of modern digital imaging and printing techniques. They are capable of producing almost identical replicas of ALL the major leading perfume brands on the market today. As a consumer you may never really know, UNTIL you experience the actualfragrance which may be close to but not exactly as it should. You'll discover that the perfume does NOT last as long, perhaps as little as one hour instead of half a day or longer as is the case with original designer perfume.Counterfeiting is a huge problem globally, with millions of counterfeit goods being produced and sold every year. It is estimated that up to 10% of perfumes and toiletries in the market place are fakes.HEALTH RISKSCounterfeit perfume does not undergo the usual safety standards that are applied to all cosmetics and toiletries around the world. When cheaper, inferior ingredients are used, these may cause allergic reactions in people with sensitive skin and could also stain garments. BEWARE OF OLD STOCK and STALE PERFUME Perfume does deteriorate. The time period depends on temperature, light and length of storage. Sometimes when stores close down, they SELL OUT their old perfume stock. These typically end up in auctions, and discount shops/web sites at very cheap prices. Don't get caught out.Always make sure your supplier sellsFRESH, not old stock.20 Point Perfume Authenticity Checklist:1) Confirm Reputable Source of Supply. Verify the delivery has come from a repuatable seller.2) Cellophane Wrapping. Check for overall quality - look and feel - thickness and clarity.3) Cellophane Sealing. Check for signs of excessive glue and especially use of any sticky tape.4) Outer Box. Check for overall quality of material used - thickness colour- fold marks and edges. 5) Printing. Check for correct information printed on box. Size, Country of Origin, misspellings, logo, and trademarks.Check the style of printing embossing if applicable.6) Batch Number Check for a number.7) Inner Box. Check overall quality of material used - colour and size.8) Bottle Shape. Check overall quality - height width basic shape and design. 9) Bottle Glass. Check overall quality thickness - clarity moulding marks air bubbles within the glass.10) Cap. Check size colour shape moulding marks11) Sprayer Head. Check overall quality colour - smoothness and ease of operation.12) Sprayer Inner Tube. Check quality - thickness, length and colour. 13) Main Bottle Label. Check quality of printing size - positioning and look for embossing if applicable.14) Bottom Label. Check quality of printing size correct information. 15) Bar Code. Check number, size and scanability16) Fragrance Colour. Check for murkiness, floaties and consistency of colour.17) Fragrance Oiliness. Check for excessive oily feel.18) Fragrance Smell. Check for pungent or unusual fragrance notes.19)Fragrance Lasting time. Test number of hours. Should last at least 2 to 3 hours+20) Skin Reactions. Watch for itchiness, blemishes and rashes.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(c) Copyright 2006 - 2010. Perfume.com.au Ph: 1800 PERFUME or visit perfume com aufor more details.

QUILT QUILTING PATCHWORK FABRICS - HELPFUL HINTS

Quilting is such a relaxing and rewarding hobby. Here are some helpful hints for purchasing fabrics on EBayEnsure you buy from a respected Seller, check their feedback and comments on quality of the items they sell and speed of postage. Carefully read through all information provided by the Seller in the listing. A good seller will outline details of the item being sold, clear photos, all postage and any packaging costs, and information on how to proceed with the sale once finished.With so many pieces of fabric being sold, it is important that you purchase quality items and not cheap imitations. Be sure to check the fabrics are quilt shop quality and 100% cotton and remember you get what you pay for! If you want the best, buy from Sellers who specialise in quilting fabrics and who know what they are selling.Don't be put off by using "Buy It Nows" in Ebay Stores. Experienced Sellers list many items this way so you don't have to wait for auctions to end and you can secure the item that is right for you. It is also very relaxing browsing through gorgeous fabric selections without the fear of losing that piece you want at an auction. When searching for items, be sure to check out the top Ebay stores listed on the left hand side of any auction page. The top seller has the most items available at any given time and therefore the most experience in that product. Check out any special offers the seller may offer.Check to see if sellers will give discounts or "combined" shipping for multiple actions purchased.Good sellers will display this in their listing,but if buying multiple items, you may need to make one payment so wait for the seller's instruction.Ask questions, communication is the key to a happy and successful transaction. A key to a good seller is the response you receive when asking any questions - this will tell you if the seller is sympathetic and experienced.Also keep in mind that we are all human and that mistakes can occur, so contact your seller first to try and work out any situation that may arise.An educated seller will be more than happy to help with any related questions you may have and even may help put together something just for you. Enjoy your buying experience and the EBay process and receiving your stash. Ebay is such a great way to find fabrics which are delivered to your door. We thank you for your time and hope you have found these hints helpful , you can view our store by clicking this linkMy EBay Store

Orchid Fungal Diseases Guide

Guide to Fungal Diseases in OrchidsFungal infections infect all living creatures, orchids and plants included. Fungi require damp, dark conditions (usually with poor air movement) to thrive.Unfortunately ,as every state and country registers the use of different fungicides, it is impossible (and sometimes even illegal!) to suggest the use of particular treatments. Some commonly used fungicides can be banned in one state but not another!Understanding how fungi reproduce themselves is usually a good start in controlling them. Fungal spores require a spot or pool of water to germinate. Any condition that allows liquid to remain on the orchid for any length of time is inviting a fungal infection. Once germinated, the fungal root system (Mycelium) will invade any damaged tissue and can even penetrate through the stomata (the 'pores') of the leaf tissue. Once inside the orchid itself it is very difficult to cure.Most fungicides rely on coating the leaf with a metal oxide to kill germinating fungi. It is far easier however to simply water under more suitable conditions and not allow water to sit. Increasing light levels, temperature and air movement are far better solutions when fungal infections are encountered. The most common fungal infection is Botritis cinerea or Grey Mould. This is the fungi that causes Strawberries to rot and go fuzzy. Just a few hours of water on a phaelenopsis bloom will attract botritis!Watering on windy, warm sunny days is a fine start. Adding a simple fan, building shadecloth sides or adding more ventilation to your orchid growing area also helps.One of the most common causes of orchid fungal infections is trying to grow tropical orchids in cooler regions.The orchids stress with the colder conditions and are more prone to infection.Root rots are usually associated with the fungi Pythium and Phytophora. These kill deflasked and young orchids by destroying the root systems. A chemical called "Previcure" should always be applied at deflask time. If you found this guide helpful please rate it below!

Selling CDs on Ebay - clearing your clutter making $$

Everyone has CDs lying around the house that they dont listen to anymore, right? Right! I know Ive bought more than a few CDs that I thought I would love forever, and grew very sick of, very quickly - why keep them around the house gathering dust and overfilling your music shelves....sell them! Make some cash! Try not to use it to buy more rubbish CDs!The important thing to think about when selling your music, is not what it cost you at the time, but what it is worth to someone else. For example, you may have paid $20 for a CD 10 years ago, kept it in good condition and for whatever reason its time to let it go. Dont always expect to get your money back. It all depends on if 2 other people in the world want that CD bad enough. Why 2? Well you need 2 people to bid against each other! Advertise where the CD has been made. Often collectors from other countries will collect the same CD made in various different countries.Most CD singles are only released for 4 weeks or so, so it is quite possible that you will have buyers wanting to get their hands on "that certain song" that sparks some memories for them.If you have heaps of CDs to sell, buy your packing bags in bulk. 1 bags will cost you $1.10 - but 100 bags will cost you 35 cents each. Big saving!If your CD has a cracked case - invest a dollar or so and give it a new one. No one likes to receive goods in the mail and have them damaged.Make sure the photo you use on Ebay is a good one. Make it clear, crop the edges, take the picture in daylight. Items with good pictures always get more attention.Be accurate in your description. If the disc has a few scratches but plays fine, then say that. Dont dress it up to be something its not. No one likes to be deceived and you'll only end up with irate customers and bad feedback.Last but not least - never, never, never list a CD for 99 cents if you are not willing to sell it for that little. If you dont want to part with it for under $10 then dont list it for under $10!Remember - THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. Be nice to your customers and treat them the way you would expect to be treated. Its worth it to be an honest seller and keep your feedback ratings high.

Guide

Guide

Air Purifiers, Air Cleaners the good, bad and why.

AIR PURIFIERS / AIR CLEANERS, HOW THEY WORK, SOME GOOD

Buying a Pianola

BUYING A PIANOLAPianola's (Player Piano's) generally were made from about 1905 until 1935. Most were made between 1917 and 1929. Anything before about 1910 is likely to not take the standard 88 note roll. Patent dates stamped into parts are not an indication of when it was made. A few Pianola's were made in the 60's until present - these are smaller with many plastic parts. Pianola's are dated by their serial numbers many of which are available online. Most Pianola's come from America, while most made here use American player actions inside. Large stores often rebadged Pianolas to their own name - e.g. Paling's rebadged Laffargue's from the U.S. as 'Victor' (Amphion action).There are only about 60 pianola mechanism manufacturers which are found in many hundreds of piano makes. Some piano companies made their own pianola mechanisms while most bought from larger manufacturers. For example most Beale's use Amphion actions from the US (earlier had Otto Higel), Gulbransens made their own pianos and their own pianola actions. The Pianola mechanism maker (not the piano brand) can be found either on a plate in the spoolbox, on the stack or pedal mats. Some do not say. Photos of the inside can help identify makers.The Pianola mechanism is quite separate from the piano mechanism and may not be functional even if the piano plays well by hand. It consists of hundreds of small moving parts, many of which are leather, rubber cloth, zinc/lead metal and rubber tubing which are perishable with age.Buying Restored or Working:A restored pianola should pedal through a roll easily, not be a workout for legs. The roll should move smoothly and not speed up or slow down when pedal pressure changes. All notes should play evenly for a given pedal pressure and correctly repeat trills in the roll.Tracker systems keep the roll in line with the tracker bar holes and should work automatically and correctly otherwise the rolls will wander and wrong notes will play. Unrestored or not working:Be aware that the cost of repairing a Pianola mechanism to proper working order is at least A$2500. Unfortunately this can outweigh the value of the instrument particularly if the piano itself or the case needs work too.Some makes of Pianola are easy to restore and others are very difficult with most restorers refusing to do them.Easy Pianola actions to restore include Amphion, Aeolian, Standard, Strauch, Autopiano, Otto Higel later unit valve Gulbransens. Difficult one include Hupfeld, Earlier Gulbransens, Schulz, Simplex. Beware of pianola's which have parts missing - many had the pianola action removed and thrown away.Also its extremely rare to find an 'easy fix', eg the "tube has fallen off" or "just needs a few tubes replaced".Rubber cloth and tubing generally have a useable life of 20-30 years. Also many metal parts including lead tubing deteriorate with age and fall apart.Reproducing / Electric pianola's: These are a special type of Pianola which plays the expression automatically by specific rolls with coding on the edges, usually driven by an electric pump.They are rarer and more valuable than normal pedal models and while they need their own special rolls for automatic expression they can still play 88 note rolls. Common types are the Duo-Art,Ampico

Gold In Its Many Forms

Gold In Its Many FormsIf you find this guide useful please be sure to vote YES at the bottom of the page.GOLD FILLEDGold filled is a great option if you are looking for the look and feel of real goldat only a fraction of the price. Gold filled almost always comes in 14ct gold is made by bonding 14ct gold to brass - please note that gold plated or gold rolledsterling silver is not gold filled and in the USA it is illegal to say otherwise. In a majority of cases gold filled contains hundreds of times more gold than gold plated and because it is bonded to the brass it has superior strength and will last the test of time. In order to be classed as gold filled the gold contentmustbe 5% or more of the total metal weight, gold plated generally consists of a layer of gold100 millionths of an inch thick which is very thin and can easily wear off.All the gold filled items I sell are completely nickel free and are great for those people with sensitive skin.GOLD VERMEILGold Vermeil is aslightly cheaper option than gold filled but at the same time is an inferior choice if you after gold that will last. Gold vermeil is when a gold plating (usually 1 micron) is laid over a sterling silver base. But please be sure to check that this is the case when buying gold vermeil as it can as be made with cheaper base metalssuch as bronze, brass, copper or othercheaper metals.All the goldvermeil items I sell are completely nickel free and are great for those people with sensitive skin.GOLD PLATEDGold plated normally only contains a layer of gold 100 millionths of an inch thick which is applied usingchemicals. This amount can vary for better or worse and if stated as "gold-flashed" or "gold-washed" it means that the plating is less than 7 millionths of an inch thick. The gold used can be anything from just a gold coloured plating containing no actual gold all the way uptoa 24ct pure gold plating. The base metals used will vary greatly in quality with the best options being brass, copper, bronze and sterling silver. Metals such as iron are cheaper metals which are lower quality, it is also a good idea to check if items are nickel free to help prevent potential allergic reactions.SOLID GOLDSolid Gold is of course the most expensive and luxurious choice with a variety of gold contents to choose from. As the gold content gets higher (24ct being the highest) the gold gets softer. I stock mainly 14ct gold because I find 9ctgold to be to hard and 18ct to be to soft, I also know a few people with highly sensitive skin who can not wear anything under 14ct gold as it causes irritations. GOLD CONTENT9ct - 38.5% pure.10ct - 41.7% pure.12ct - 50% pure.14ct - 58.3% pure.15ct (seen in antiques) - 62.5% pure.18ct - 75% pure.19ct (used in Portugal) - 79.2% pure.20ct - 83% pure.22ct - 91.6% pure.24ct - 100% pure.MINIMUM GOLD CONTENTIn different countries there are different restrictions on what can actually be called gold. In Australia the minimum content is 37.5% or 9ct, if the gold content is any lower it can not be called gold. The minimum amount will vary from country to country some examples of the minimum content in different countries are as follows: England and Canada 9ct. United States 10ct. Italy and France 18ct.GOLD COLOURSGold comes in a variety of colours which are produces by mixing the gold with other metals which affect its colouring. Below is a list of the gold colours as well as the metals that the gold is combined with to create the different coloursYellow Gold - Gold, Copper, SilverWhite Gold - Gold, Nickel, Zinc, Silver, PalladiumGreen Gold - Gold, Silver, Copper, ZincPink, Red, Rose Gold - Gold, CopperNickel: White gold in a most cases contains nickel andif this is the caseshould not be worn byanyone who is allergic to nickelunless it has been Rhodium plated. Sometimes Palladium is used instead of nickel but it doesmake the gold more expensive than usual. Which is one reason why white gold is often rhodium plated to help stop allergic reactions. Unless the white gold contains Palladium it should be a very similarprice as the same product in yellow gold, but in many cases you will find that this is not the case as many places will charge higher prices for white gold as if it does contain Palladium when in fact it has been made with nikel.GOLD DISCOLOURATIONPure gold does not discolour or tarnish but when gold starts to be diluted with other metals this is when discolouration ect can occur. Many different factors affect what can cause discolouration ofgold and of the wearers skin with things like warm, damp and/or salty air often being the cause. Some of the other causes include: acid levels in a persons skin, makeup rubbing on jewellery and fats released with persperation. To combat these probelms simply clean your jewellery regularly or switch to a higher gold content which can limit the problem or stop it all together. Please note that many people will never have to worry about any of this as a majority of people never have these problems.RHODIUMRhodium is the most expensive precious metal and is part of the platinum family. It is a rare silvery-white transition metal which is very hard in nature making it perfect for plating metals like silver and gold because it lasts longer than other platings. It is unaffected by acids andcorrosionmeaning it stops tarnishing and because it is part of the platnium family itis perfect for people with sensitiveskin. When applied to silver it gives it a deeper white gold or platnium look adding that touch of class.If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.Best wishes,Michael.

KILOWARE (on paper) MIXTURES - SECRETS REVEALED!!

FACT no. 1. Reason why you buy KILOWARE mixtures! - You are seeking a low cost method of acquiring stamps to grace the pages of your stamp album.- You are willing to work harder ( soaking required ) than the collector who is only buying off-paper stamp mixtures.- You have gaps in your collection that could be filled from this kiloware mixture available on eBay.- You do not wish to spend hard earned currency on mixtures that could contain damaged stamps.-You are looking for recently postmarked issues, not currently availablefrom your current stamp club, where you meet every month.- You are looking to acquire duplicates, so that you can trade with your fellow collectors.- You are looking for high values, which currently you cannot find from any other source.FACT no. 2. Reason why I sell KILOWARE mixtures!- I have a source that supplies me with recently postmark issues, which other ebay SELLERS cannot access.- My sources have a limited supply of freshly postmarked issues which they provide to me. It is QUITE limited.- I visit many stamp clubs and many kiloware mixtures are being offered for sale, usually via sale by tender.-I am trying to help those collectors, who have purchased a kilowaremixture, have taken what they want and now want to recoup some of theircosts.- I know that, not everyone, as I, have access to these mixtures, so I buy and on-sell them via eBay auctions.- I enjoy working with stamps and all their intricacies therein.FACT no. 3. MISDAVENTURES THAT RELATE TO PURCHASING KILOWARE MIXTURES(I have read what the others are saying on ebay, and here is a synopsis of what irks everyone!!)- Some mixtures have heavy duplication, with the same small definitive stamp represented in quantity.(the sellers failed tro mention that in their description)- Some eBay sellers show the same scan, all the time and state that your stamps will be slightly different.( the reason that they do that is that they want to list many items quickly. So hence they are saving time) - Some sellers place the high value stamps on top, and so initimate that there may be more hidden.( buyers find that there are no surprises, except that the remaining ( unshown stamps) are very common issues)- Some sellers charge a high SHIPPING

A Seller's Guide to the Postage Process

No one likes keeping records, but Lindy's Goodies have found this to be the easiest method of tracking your post ... and essential to the success of your eBay business.Although it might seem a simplestage in the process of completing a transaction, there are a few steps which can save an eBay seller lots of frustration when it comes to postage.Initially, when our eBay business only involved sending out a few items daily, we kept a record in an exercise book, with columns headed:Date, Name andItem #In these 3 columns we simply wrote, the date of postage, the name of the receiver, and the last 4 digits of the item numbers included in that postage. If the item was registerered, we'd peel off the sticker and add that there, or if Express, we'd include that sticker.This way, when a customer would ask 2 weeks after they'd paid, about the date of postage, we'd have an easy reference to turn to.Later as business picked up, we then started using a diary, with a day per page, however, that has since been updated to a 'Word'document allowing us unlimited entries per page.Each day, we take the page, (or diary in the past) to the post office with the mail. The postal clerk would stamp our page, confirming the number of items posted that day.Each day, we then staple the Australia Post Registered items page, together with the receipt (gr8 at tax time) to the daily record sheet and file in a lever arch file. If there's ever a need to search for a particular customer, having entered the details daily in a 'Word' document, we can 'search' that customer's name and quickly find the date their item was posted.This has worked very successfully for Lindy's Goodies and would work just as well for any eBay trader.*** *** ***This Guide has been written with the best of intentions for those who avail themselves of our information. It is not intended to offer ALL available situations/options/responses etc. but we feel it's a 'good beginning'.Take care and have fun eBaying. Oh! If you think this Guide may be of interest to someone else you know, please ask them to have a read and perhaps show us what you think, by reviewing it for us? Many thanks,Lindy's Goodies

An introduction to buying internationally.

Extending your online Ebay shopping experience internationally is a great way to find exactly what you want or things you could otherwise only have wished forand atthe price thatyou want to pay. Whether your a destination buyer that knows exactly what itemyour chasing or an impulse buyer who likes to buyitems on the fly, buying internationally on Ebaycan help you get what ever it is you so desire. This guide is written from personal experience and isdesigned to give a strong introduction on how to make international buying not only cost effective, safe and trouble free but most of all fun.Section 1. - Extending the possibilitiesMaking Ebay work for youWith the huge online marketplace that is Ebay Australia there is almost nothing you cannot find. From electronics to jewelry, craft to clothing, if you want it chances are you can have it with Ebay's diverse array of items available at the click of a mouse. It could be said that on Ebay you can have almost anything you want but the kitchen sink (which would actually be a lie considering a search on Ebay for "kitchen sink" returns well over one hundred search results in Australia alone!). However, every once in awhile perhapsyou'll be unable tofind an item your desperately chasing, or you've foundsomething similaron Ebay Australia but it's not at the right price or for some other reason doesn't exactly suit. Thisright here is where international buying can extend your shopping possibilities and best of allit's just a click away.Showing items available internationallyWhen you perform a search on Ebay Australia the results shown by default are those available for sale within Australia. However, when you scroll to the bottom of the page there is a link you can press to show all items including those available from international sellers.As an example, click on the link below which was a search done with the keywords "gold watch". When the page comes up, look down the bottom below all the listings on the first page and you'll see a link saying "See all items including those available from international sellers".gold watch searchWhen you click this link a whole new array of items can appear from international sellers who offer shipping either worldwide or to Australia specifically. All of a sudden an Ebay search on something like "gold peacock brooch" returning three items in Australiacan become a list of fourty or fifty items as your search is expanded to show items available from international sellers. These are justtwo very simple examples of how buying internationally can open up the doors to a whole new marketplace.The Australian Ebay market versus the International Ebay marketWhile the Australian Ebay market holds some of the best bargains on some of the most sought after products you'll ever find, the International Ebay market extends this even further. More sellers means more competition and for the buyer this can only mean lower prices.Section 2. - PostageThe important factor - $$$A question that often seems to arise regarding international buying goes something along the lines of "But it would need to be shipped overseas, that certainly cannot be cheap?". This is a very valid question and yes it does have an answer. Shipping is for the most part determined by the weight of an item, its destination and how far this destination is from its sending location. Smaller items such as jewelry for examplecan often be shipped quite cheaply even overseas as it is generally small and lightweight. Often items such asjewelry or a small piece of clothing such as a beanie or a top can be shipped foraround $10.00 AUDor less, even fromoverseas! Heavier items can get more costly to ship overseas, however the benefits or price that can be had on an item itselfsent from overseas can often outweigh the extra cost of shipping.The benefits from an excellent price on an item outweighing thecost of international postage - an exampleA personalpurchaseexample that suits this scenario involves a brand new car audio subwoofer speaker being bid on andsent from the United States of America. The make and model of this particularsubwoofer being bought from shopsbrand newin Australiahas a heftyrecommended retail price of around $800 - 1000 AUD andaround $400-$600 USDrecommended retail pricewhen soldin the United States of America. After winningwith a final bid of only $152.50 USD postage costs on this item came out to roughly $70.00 USD sent economy parcel postwhich included postage insurance on a package weighing 28 pounds (approximately 13 kilograms). This brought the purchase to a total cost of around $222.50 USD,which isbelow half the recommended retail price for this item even when soldin the United States of America.Paid for using Paypalthere was a currency conversion rate of$1.00 USD being equal to approximately $0.72 AUD. This brought the total purchase cost to around $310.00 AUD. This meant a massive saving of well over $500.00 AUD on an item retailing for up to $1000 AUD whenbought in stores! While there are many great bargains on Ebay Australiait issometimes only possible to find bargains this big onveryspecific items youraftercoming frominternational sellers.What are your options?While international sellers will choose to offer varying postage methods, there are some generic options which are seen readily available. Usually there will be two or three international postage options given by sellers. The time taken for an item to be delivered to you will often differ to suit the method of postage youchoose, as will the price. While an item can often be had within as little as 1 to 3 business days of payment being recieved this can be quite costly whereas other postageoptions taking 4 to8 weeks can be a betterchoice when money but nottime is of the essence. In many cases international postage costs are not given directly butinstead calculated through the use of Ebay's built in postage calculator. Other times the postage calculator will only work for postcodes within the country that the item is located in. In scenarios such as this communicating with the seller is essential. It is often founda simple message sent through Ebay to the seller of the item will be replied to within 24 hours statingthe cost of postage tothe specific postcode and country supplied. From personal experience it should also be noted that if a seller, especially a private seller is only offering express international postage options on an auctioned itemthere is quite often a chance they will be more than happy to send you the item through other more economical postage options upon your request. In the example scenario using a car audio subwoofer above this was the case. Postage had originally been quoted as $350.00 USDexpress posted to Australia however upon request the seller was more than happy to agree to post through economy post for less than $70.00 USD. While economy post was labeled with an expected delivery time of4 to 6 weeks, the parcel arrived inwell under two weeks. The moral of the storyhere is that while postage costs can initially appear quite frightening, there are often alternative more economicalmethods which can be used which won't always leave you waiting months on end for an item to arrive.Section 3. - Customs and Import TaxesAnother common concern with buying internationally is that of import duty charged on goods coming into the country from another country. Quite often customs fees will not apply to an overseas purchase as long as it meets specific criteria. The varying fees charged by customs for the most part relate to the nature of the item and thedeclaredvalue of the item. When goods coming into Australia are declared the seller provides item specifics so that it can receive clearance. The good thing for lower value purchases is that they almost always have customs fees waived. Goods declared as gifts and below a certain value will not have import duty on them however other goods which are not gifts and are not declared at a low value can often become subject to import duty.From personal experience, the best way to go about checking these fees is to communicate with the seller. The ability to ask the seller questions is one of the most useful tradingtools available to potential buyers. Once again, a simplemessage is generally all it will take from you for the seller to be able to clarify with you their policies on goods declarations and what measures they take when making these. If there are any further questions regarding goods declaration and import taxesthe alternative option is to contact the Australian customs department directly.Section 4. - PaymentThe options availableThe idea of paying for items bought overseas is often daunting to a person who has never purchased items internationally on Ebay. Not only do people often worry about security of their money but how to go about making the transactions. Most international sellers will offer a variety of payment methods to buyers such as Paypal,cheques, money orders and wire transfers just to name a few.From personal experience, all these optionscan be found quite suitable to tailor to an individuals needsbut for simplicity and security no other optionbeats that ofPaypal. Paying for international purchasesusing PaypalWhen paying for items using Paypal in most cases you have the added security of $1500 insurance on your purchases as well as piece of mind knowing no personal bank or credit card details are being conveyed to the seller. An additional benefit of Paypal is the simplicity of currency conversion. Paypalaccepts conversions between a number of the most prominent currencies usedby sellers on Ebay. When making the transaction throughPaypal youwill beshown the currency conversion rate and amount to be transferred in both the sellers currency and the local currency so there is no guessing and checking involved regarding the correct amount to be deposited.Section 5. - Communication with the sellerLast but not least is communication with the seller. As has been stressed throughout this guide, good communication is perhaps the most crucial part of a successful transaction. If you find something you like but don't feel 100% assured of your purchase because a piece of information is missingor you'd like to know more, ask the seller directly. 9 times out of 10 sellers will be more than happy to provide you with extra information that answers any questions you have and will ultimately leave you with a happier transaction.This wraps up an introduction to buying items internationally through Ebay Australia. Hopefully now you'll feel a little more comfortable about how to go about making purchases and getting the right price, happy buying!

Network Locked Mobile Phones? Is it Worth it?

Locked Mobile Phones? Is it Worth it? NO. Though right now you might be using the same networkyou might want to changein three month? Especially since you can take your mobile number to any carrier.Getting a locked mobile network unlocked can cost as much as nothing (very rare) to about $80 plus.Althoughit might be 10% to 30% cheaper to buyif you cannot use it is just a paper wieght. Furthermore late model mobile phones CANNOT BE UNLOCKED for about a year after release evenwith unlock softwarethat proliferate the internet and ebay.Even if your phone is older and can be unlocked you will need a special unlock cable and software or send your phone away costing time and about $40 to $90 if it can be unlocked.

PocketPC buying Guild

What is a PocketPC ?According to Microsoft, the Pocket PC (PPC) is "a handheld device that enables users to store and retrieve e-mail, contacts, appointments, tasks, play multimedia files, games, exchange text messages with MSN Messenger, browse the Web, and more."PocketPC is like a miniture computer, it includes office suit , for example word

Body Piercing Jewellery

Body Piercing JewelleryIn recent times it seems that just about anything can be pierced; chins, noses, lips, tongues and even odd places like the bridge (between eyebrows). The conventional ear lobe is no longer the sole location for aesthetically pleasing jewellery, and body jewellery is no longer only for young punks. Ebay is a wonderful place to find affordable jewellery in custom shapes and sizes.Whatever the reason, body jewellery is increasingly in demand, fostering both high and low quality jewellery manufacturers in the market. Unless trained in the area, individuals are often unaware of the basic attributes required of jewellery to ensure the healthy maintenance of piercings. This guide aims to inform buyers of types of body piercings, appropriate shapes and styles, metals and other manufacturing materials, gauges and lengths for different piercing types, and inform buyers about sterilizing purchased jewellery and price considerations.Common Upper Body PiercingsA variety of body piercings are available to the upper body. Of course, the most common of these is the ear lobe. Variations to this include the ear cartilage (or top of the ear), tragus (or inner ear cartilage) and the conch (extending from the back of the ear, through to the inner ear). On other areas of the face there is the labret (between the chin and lip), lip ring, beauty spot (or monroe), eyebrow, nostril (either a stud or ring), bridge (between the eyebrows) and septum (cartilage between the nostrils). The naval piercing however is one of the most fashionable piercings and can be placed in various positions. It is often said that nipple and tongue piercings provide heightened sexual pleasure although both are commonly adorned for fashion purposes.Shape and StyleThe range of jewellery is also quite diverse, with different jewellery suitable for particular piercings. Captive bead rings are a spring loaded ring that holds a bead in place and is by far the most popular piece of jewellery. This is followed closely in popularity by the barbell which is a straight bar with a threaded bead on each end. A variation to the barbell is the bananabell which instead of having a straight shaft, is bent. This is identical to the naval bananabell however these typically have a larger bead on one end which may be jewel encrusted. Another highly versatile style of jewellery is the horseshoe (or circular barbell) which again has two threaded beads but instead of a straight or bent shaft, it is almost ring shaped. The labret stud, which is also fairly versatile, consists of a straight shaft with a flat back fixed to it and a bead that is threaded onto the other end. - See diagram for appropriate styles and shapes for different piercings.1. Barbell 2. Captive bead ring 3. Horseshoe 4. Labret 5. Naval bananabellManufacturing materialsThe types of materials used to manufacture body jewellery are varied. Some metals are more practical due to hypoallergenic properties, weight or finish. The most common and preferred material is 316L surgical stainless steel as it is strong, will not tarnish and is hypoallergenic. Implant steel is identical to this however it has a greater quality and is generally only manufactured in captive bead rings. Titanium on the other hand is around 50% lighter than stainless steel, hypoallergenic and available in a range of colours. Gold is also a popular metal and is generally available in 9ct or 18ct. Occasionally people may suffer an allergic reaction while the piercing is healing, but this is largely due to the alloys used to strengthen gold such as silver, copper, nickel, zinc or aluminum. Commercial grade silver is unacceptable as the body will almost always reject it. Niobium pieces are reasonably strong, extremely light, non-magnetic and also available in a wide range of colours. Over time, stainless steel, titanium, niobium and gold rings may become brittle due to opening and closing. For this reason it is suggested that jewellery only be opened to the minimum and only when required.Gauge and LengthThere are various gauges (thickness) and lengths in jewellery, and the higher the number in gauge, the thinner the material. It is important to note that using thinner jewellery than recommended will most likely result in the body rejecting it. Also, jewellery with a diameter that is too small will not heal correctly or if already an established piercing, may cause inflammation and infection. As a general rule, jewellery should be at least a few millimeters larger than the width of the piercing.Seetable belowfor recommended gauge and lengthSterilisationBefore inserting any jewellery it is necessary to sterilise it. Ideally, it should be sterilised using high pressure and high temperature steam in an autoclave, but as these units are highly expensive, alcohol or antiseptic disinfectants should be used. Simply soak the jewellery is the disinfectant solution for a few minutes. Remove the jewellery and place it on a clean, germ-free surface to dry. The jewellery will now be free of bacteria and ready to insert into the body.PriceBody jewellery in retail shops can be quite variable in price. When shopping on e-bay it is important to compare the price of an item with similar products available locally. Many ebayers offer wholesale bulk amounts at quite reasonable prices for instance for labrets you can purchase bulk lots with different coloured gems one for each day of the week. Ebay can also be a good place to get those unique jewellery pieces. PiercingGaugeLength Recommended jewelleryEar lobe14 - 16g10mm+ Horseshoe, captive bead, bananabell, labret

Orchid Viruses Guide

Guide to Orchid VirusesIf you enjoy and learn from this guide please comment below as it helps motivate me to draft more!!Orchid virus (like all viruses) are virtually untreatable.They cannot be cured with a simple spray of pesticide. A virus infection is the last thing an orchid collector wants, and without the knowledge of how it spreads, it could easily move through your entire collection.Orchid viruses comes in many forms but all are essentially all spread by the same method, via the sap.Whether it be on a bugs mouthpiece, your secateurs, or even sap on your hands; viruses can move from plant to plant. As long as there is movement of infected sap from an infected orchid to a healthy orchid the plant is at risk of infection.The simplest way to avoid orchid virus is to keep in mind that ANY method of sap transmission may spread the disease! All cutting tools must be flame sterilised between plants (a gas barbecue is suitable). Newspaper should always be laid down at division and re-potting time and changed between orchids. Second hand pots containing root residue must also be avoided unless hand washed and bleached. Second hand compost is also to be avoided. Knowing what to look for is also very important. Many things cause blemishes on orchids (from fungus to sunburn) but plants infected with orchid virus often display unusual leaf markings. Most visible virus symptoms are not spotty, but usually long and streaky. Yellow elongated patches on Cymbidium leaves is a curtail give away sign. A very sure sign is an unusual diamond pattern (see pic). Unfortunately it is difficult to confirm for sure that a plant has a virus infection. UPDATE: You can now obtainvirus detection kits via our nursery or eBay.Viruses orchids must be destroyed (burning or wrapping in plastic bags and disposing), be sure not to sell them or give them away. Some backyard sellers and smaller nurseries may be less aware of the dangers of virus infections and extra care should be taken when purchasing orchids from these sources.Vigilance and cleanliness are the most effective way of preventing virus spread in your orchid collection.

Choosing porcelain and pottery with care

For all those who collect or would like to collect porcelain and pottery there are a few rules that must be followed to make sure your purchase is a happy event and not a sad one. First of all one must always collect only perfect specimens, there is no future in collecting items with flaws no matter how nice you might think they are. A good collection is a perfect collection. It does not matter what you pay for the item, if it has damage then it will never be worth anything. You will here people say that it is a rare item and a very old item there fore you have to expect a little damage, for some this may be acceptable but I would rather think that there is a perfect one out there and in time I will come across it, just expect to pay double and then some for a perfect example which that in its self should show you what is really thought of damaged items. Keep your money in your pocket and seek out only perfection and you will be rewarded in many ways, not only in future resales but in the knowledge that you own a collection that is flawless, something other people will be truely impressed about. When buying over the internet where you cannot hold the item and feel it then make sure you ask a hundred questions of the seller, are they sure there are no chips, even flea bites, (some sellers wont mention flea bites as they think they are manufacturers flaws and this is acceptalble). Flea bites are a flaw and will affect value, especially to the purist. Although items do turn up with genuine manufacturing flaws you should really keep away from them to, there will be other pieces that do not carry such flaws. Ask the seller to run any porcelain under water and see if any hairlines show up, ( this is a quick way of finding hairlines that at times are near invisible). Ask does the cup ring like a bell when tapped, another way of finding cracks. Also ask about crispness of decoration, is the paint work sharp and bright or is it faded, if it is faded then it is best to leave it and find something that is better. One of the best tools a collector of porcelain can own is a black light, these show up repairs that are not necessarily visible to the naked eye. Repairers of porcelain are getting so good that without the intervention of such toolsone would not find the repair. This is not to say that those who repair porcelain go out of there way to con people, actually you willfind that those who repair and resell always alert one to the repair, but with the price of some pieces of porcelain one can see why some people will go to extreme lengths to sell repaired or even fake pieces without disclosing such. What it all comes down to is ask heaps of questions and if you do not get the right answers do not buy. If you do buy go over the piece with a fine tooth comb and use the above mentioned to help locate any faults if any.And always remember to buy quality, never compromise. It may take longer to put that collection together and maybe cost a bit more or maybe you end up with a few less pieces but when you look at it in all its pure, unblemished glory you will see that you have done the right thing. The feeling of owning a collection of such a high standing is just the best. Hope this helps those who would collect, cheers didjanoim2PS: Always be on the look out for reproductions, re-released patterns and styles and down right illegal fakes. PS: PS: I have noticed in a few item descriptions where people are discribing star cracks in the bottom of Vases etc and a lot say that at some time it has been put down heavily. This may be so but the biggest cause for star cracks is people dropping car keys etc into them as a safe place. Just be careful if this is one of your habits, you could end up with the same and wonder why. Cheers all.

Identifying Fake Guess Handbags

Throughout my time searching through ebay, ive noticed quite a significant number of fake guess bags getting around - this makes me so mad! I work with guess bags, so i have quite and eye for picking out the fakes (which i do report straight to ebay!!), but to the un-suspecting average ebayer, picking up the signs of a fake guess bag can be very hard to do! (I hate the thought of people being ripped off like this). So, heres some things to look out for when purchasing authentic guess bags:1. Authenic guess bags will have a metal 'guess'badge inside of the bag2. 99% of the time, authenic guess bags will never just have a 'G' buckle on it - they always have 'Guess' written on the fabric, or buckle itself (except in the very rare case such as the Ginger Cat range - thus refer to the metal badge)3. If being advertised as BNWT, always make sure its the original Marciano tag - not just a plain made up one4. If being advertised as BNWT with stuffing still in bag, it should havethe guess logopaper in it - not just normal tissue paper / news paper5. Fake guess bags will usually have fairly dull,cheap looking brassy hardware on it, rather than a shiny gold or silver like on the originalsHere's two comparison pictures of a fake (picture 1) and a Genuine guess bagwith its metal badge(picture 2)1)2) I hope this helps! Good luck!

10 Steps for Successful Selling on eBay

1) Low starting PriceBefore you list your auction, ask yourself what's the lowest amount you'd be prepared to accept for your item. A low starting price will attract more bids and at a quicker pace - usually within the first day of the listings. Research shows that a 99 starting price will get you bidders within a few hours. Many vehicles and high value items are sold with a low starting price especially by established Power Sellers - because unless it's an extremely poor week the item will normally end up with heaps of bids and at a cost that's acceptable to the seller.Additionally users are more likely to view auctions which already have a successful bid as it generates interest in your item. It's like if you see a market stall with hundreds of people standing around it - your curiosity would tell you to stop and see what's generating interest. Use curiosity to your advantage.To list an auction items with a starting price between 1 - 99, it will cost you 30, then its 50 for items over $1, then 75 for items starting over $20 etc. Check out the exact sellers fees on eBay.2) No ReserveMany sellers still place reserve prices on their item. A reserve price is one which unless it is met by your sellers you are not obliged to sell the item. An example would be if you have a reserve of $10, and your item sells for $9.00 you do not have to complete the sale

How to buy/sell within Australia

Purchased or sold an item on eBay Australia?The benefit of selling or buying locally is the fast shipping - usuallyapproximately 3 business days via regular post. Here are some tips andhints on shipping when both buyer and seller are in Australia.For buyers Remember to complete Checkout by clicking the button at the top of the auction page at auction end. When checking out, note the type of shipping available (ie. Standard vs Express). Most sellers notify buyers when they have shipped the item. If you are concerned, contact the seller to request a status update. Standard shipping will take approximately 3 business days toreach after it has been shipped. Express shipping is usually deliveredon the next business day. If you prefer insurance, contact the seller if you can include extra for insurance costs. Do remember to leave your seller feedback after you have received the itemFor sellers: Calculate your shipping costs before listing your auction. You can do so at http://auspost.com.au One of the easiest shipping methods are Pre-Paid satchels. Youcan buy these for Regular post (red satchels) or Express post (yellowsatchels). Once you have purchased these, you can fill in your buyeraddress prior to shipping, and can place the satchel in any post boxinstead of having to queue at the post office. Do offer the option of insurance on your auctions. Buyers arehappy to bear the cost of these if it ensures the items safety.Insurance is $2-3 for an item value up to $100. Do ship promptly after payment is received. Your buyer is eagerly waiting for the item they just bought from you! Present your packages in the way you would like to receive them.Wrap breakables up in bubble wrap. Iron and fold clothes. PlaceCDs/DVDs in a box to ensure they do not break. A thoughtfully wrappedpurchase will be well-received, which will translate into a glowingpositive feedback from your buyer! Do remember to leave your buyer feedback Happy eBay-ing!Thanks for Voting for this guide, and do read more of my guides at Myfashionpassion's eBay Guides!

Practical Business tips from street level perspective

As I have a little bit of spare time I thought I would write this guide that may be useful for anyone thinking of starting a small business on ebay or even a shop or markets in real life.The first and most important thing in Business is to know your product, whether it be something you have always done as a hobby or something you may be interested in, but never tried before. You need to research it thoroughly.If your main interest is plants it would be silly to try selling fine china or clothing.I myself sell women's clothing and find that even after 40 years in the same business I still make mistakes if I venture into children's clothing or men's clothing, as I have no interest in either of those lines, but rarely make a mistake about women's clothing.The second most important thing, especially if you are wanting to do ebay, is not to be undercapitalised especially in today's climate of rising interest rates, high petrol prices and the US economy.If you decide to sell anything at all, even your own redundant household goods and find yourself short of cash it is not a good idea to think, "Ok I will list these things even though I have no money, when they sell I will have enough for the fees I need to pay."A lot of times the things dont sell and you the cant pay the fees and ebay will stop you trading till you can pay them.My advice would be to make sure you have at least the money to cover the first months fees.With items you have purchased to sell, never make the mistake of thinking that all you have got back for them is your profit, I did that myself 40 years ago and went broke within the 1st year. Never made that mistake again.Look at all your expenses like fees, cost of goods, postage, petrol, add all that together and then see what you have left that you can spend.If you are on a tight budget and are trying to build a business it is probably better if possible, to put all your profit back into the business.Dont fall into the trap of doing as ebay says, listing your items to start at 99cents. Because a lot of the time that is what you will finish with.Its far better to start your item at the price you want to end up with.Communication is a very important part of selling, there are many ways to do this. I find the most effective for me, is to gain your buyer's interest by talking about general things while letting them see the thing you would likethem to be interested in. Basically you need to create rapport and build a relationship with them.Never forget you need them more than they need you and the way you interact with them will determine the success of your sale.Once they have made a commitment to buy from you, they will most likely continue to seek out your shop the next time they need something you have to offer.With any business you need to be prepared to accept a small % of loss, human error and unsatisfied clients.It could be in the form of lost parcels, sending a wrong item or just a person who thinks they didn't get what they thought they were buying. In these instances I always replace the item and try to pacify the unhappy client by refunding their money.With good communication none of these things need to be a big thing.Last but by no means least, versatility is a crucial thing to have in sales or business of any kind.Be prepared to accept change and to work with it, keep your eye open for what you can do to improve your sales.You often hear people say "Gee things are slow, everything is going bad."This may be so, but there is always someone that is doing well.Look around for that someone, see what they are doing that you are not and try to emulate them.Better stop writing because this is looking like a book.Margo

Cleaning Vintage Antique China, Glass and Crystal

Firstly if you think you have a very expensive piece that needs cleaning take it to a professional to have it done for you. Secondly if you are not sure how something might work when using any of these suggested methods, do a test area on a small insignificant area of your piece. Be very careful with areas that are gold painted or cold glazed or you might remove the colour. * All these suggestions are for glazed items, glass items and non porous items. * Always use protective gloves and some form of eye protection when cleaning. * Never put your quality, vintage or antique china or glass in the dishwasher. Precious glass and china should only be washed by hand in warm water. Before doing any cleaning protect your items. You might think you are careful, but it doesn't take much to chip or crack something. Cover your sink and the tap in a dish cloth, clear away unwanted clutter around your area and make sure that every thing is at hand before you begin. If theitems only need a little bit of cleaning, use a soft cottoncloth and mild detergent. Rinse in warm water and allow the items to dry naturally. If you have to dry them, use a soft cotton cloth or a shammy you would use to clean a car,but not one that has been impregnated with chemicals. Glass that has a build up of salts and minerals on the bottom can be cleaned with denture cleaning products. Just drop a tablet or powder in the bottom and let it fizz up. Leave over night and in the morning clean with warm water. Pure vinegar is also good for that white salt look in the bottom of a glass. Use pure white vinegar only, fill the item with it and leave over night. It the item is not able to be filled, soak cotton wool in vinegar and stick them to the area and let it dry a bit. The cotton wool balls with help to draw in the salts and minerals and make it easier to clean your item with a mild washing afterwards. Give glass a rub with a soft cloth and methylated spirits. This often brings back a nice shine. If glass doesn't get that polished look you can use jewellers rouge to buff up the glass or crystal. Put the rouge on a soft cotton cloth and polish as if you would shoes. * Never use bleach on china or porcelain.Hydrogen Peroxide is not bleach and used carefully can have some fantastic results. * Always wear gloves, a mask and eye protection. You can use the hairdresser grade of liquid or cream peroxide cut at 1 water to 3 parts peroxide, soak it on a cotton wool ball and place these over the area that needs to be cleaned, such as areas of fine crazing that are yellow. The cotton wool balls absorb the dirt into them. To keep it all moist, you can rap it in plastic, but we usually put items in a plastic box and leave them. Sometimes it works overnight, but heavy stains can take up to a week to really come clean. If the item is very dirty or something like a butter dish and it is the grease you aretrying toabsorb out, then you will need to change the cotton balls several times over3 to 4 days.You can help decrease the timeto clean by putting the item with the cottonsoaked balls in the oven and bring the temperature up to about 100c. Don't use a fan forced oven it heats too quickly anddon't use a gas oven. Leaveit for abouthalf an hour and check. You may have to do this a couple of times with clean peroxide and cotton balls.We actually use a commercial grade peroxide and cut it by a third. But it is better to take things slowly and see what works best for you. We like the commercial grade better as it doesn't smell so pungent. * Never put peroxide on gold trimming or cold glazes. Always wash in warm water after cleaning. If you spill peroxide on you, wash immediately in cold water.It will burn your skin and always use in a well ventilated area. Keep it away from children. * Cleaning a cold glaze item is very hard and best left for the professionals.If you have a dull surface on a matt flat finish glaze on pottery, to give it a slight sheen and bring back the colour use a soft cottoncloth with jewelers rouge. Don't over rub.Tea cups and coffee mugs that have that ring stain on the bottom can sometimes be cleaned bypainting the areaheavily with PVC glue and letting it dry. When it dries just peal offand the dirt will come with it. Wash after cleaning.China, glass and crystal need to be washed regularly, even if they are not being used. It helpsthem tobreathe. Clean them every few months for the bestresults in warm water without detergent and allow them to dry naturally. To remove permanent marker from the bottom of something use a toothbrush with solvol soap and gently scrub in a circular motion. Acetone, or nail polish remover also works but be careful not to drip it on the glaze. Ink and pencil can sometimes be removed with a pencil rubber. A rubber also works on removingnewspaper marks.Eucalyptus oil will get off the sticker residue.Hard to get at dust in a figurine can easily be cleaned by a light spray of rubbing alcohol you can get from the chemist. The dirt slides out of the area and because the alcohol evaporates it leaves the area nice and clean. Then clean the remaining area carefullyin warm water and allow to dry naturally.

Open Reel Tape Recorders

If you're thinkingof buying an open reel tape recorder,please bear in mind that a lot of the 'domestic' machineswill userubber drive belts for the capstan drive and often the spooling.These can perish,stretch or even melt with age,and will often need replacing on old machines.Headwear is another consideration-ask the seller the condition of the record and/or replay heads-If they are worn badly-high frequencies will not record onto the tape properly-and the recording will sound dull. Most 'domestic' machines will haveonly one combined record/replay head-this means that you do not know what the recording is like until you play the tape back.Better machines will have separate record and replay heads-allowing for the recording to be listened to whilst being made -off the tape so to speak..Domestic recorders usually take a reel size of up to 7" .The tape speeds that are used in domestic machines are usually 3,75ips and in the better machine 7.5ips.(The faster the speed the higher the fidelity!).There are various other factors to consider-for example-how many tracks?Professional tape recorders using quarter inch tape will only have 2 tracks -this means that there is a left and a right track going one way on the tape and it is called 2 track stereo.Domestic machines willoften be half track mono-which is one track going one way (mono),then turn the tape over and record on the other side the same.Then there isfour track mono (called quarter track)-four seperate mono tracks -two on one side of the tape-two on the other.The other variations are : 4 track stereo (quarter track) -which is 2 channels of stereo on one side of the tape and two on the other side.For the serious enthusiast nothing will beatsomething like a Studer which is in the professional league of tape recorders,and which most studios have used-and some still do.These and other professional machines will have three motors-no drive belts,and have tape speeds of usually 7.5 ips

buying a nintendo wii

hey e-bay shoppers im new to the hole e-bay thing but you really must know if your interested in buying a nintendo wii DO NOT BUY IT IF IT IS OVER $400 and thats not including postage. the real price for a nintendo wii is $385 down at the shops so your paying extra money for a standard package wich includes :Nintendo Wii ConsoleWii StandWii RemoteNunchuckSensor BarAC AdapterAV Cable2 AA BatteriesWii Sports Games: Tennis, Baseball, Golf, Bowling and Boxing. 1 - 4 Playersso next time be aware. also some people say nintendo wii plus 5 games, the 5 games is just the one game (wii sport) wich is made up of 5 mini games wich are boxing,golf,tennis,bowling and basball sodont get tricked.this is notmuch info but its the most imprtant stuff you should know i hope that this will help you when deciding to buy a nintendo wii .GOOD LUCK : )

So You Want To Buy Banknotes... don't get scammed

99% of the notes I sell are uncirculated, meaning they have never been in general circulation, and are usually taken straight from bundles. Hence there are no misunderstandings about the conditions of the banknotes. When it comes to used banknotes, this can be rather difficult. Unfortunately there are sellers out there tUsed banknotes - Everyone grades theirnotes differently so check the photos for a fuller description. If thepictures are not clear, especially if its an expensive banknote, askthe seller for more detailed photos. The price difference between note grades can be staggering, so unless you're buying a very expensive banknote from a trusted seller, you may be in for a very expensive lesson. Some dirty sellers purchase used banknotes cheaply and enhance their appearance by cleaning etc and reselling at huge profits - view the other guides in banknotes...Uncirculated banknotes - If the banknote you're buying is fairly expensive and you're not sure of the value, and don't have a catalogue, search for that banknote elsewhere in eBay and see what prices they are going for. Even try on ebay.comGoogle is a wonderful search engine. Do a search for that particular note, or banknote dealers, and you should find it.A great place for sharing information about suss banknotes and sellers, is the 'coin

Training your Dog with basic commands

Training your dog with simple commands such as sit, stay, shake, roll over and drop are all important to ensure your dog stays obedient and submissive. When training your dog rewards are by far the best way to keep it interested. The best way to teach a dog a trick is to repeat it a few (hundred) times, giving it a reward and praise each time it does it correctly. To be perfectly honest it doesnt matter what treat you give your dog, but make sure they are in small dosages especially at the puppy stage. My preferred treat is liver treats as they are both healthy and yummy (for the dog that is). Other popular treats such as Schmakos should be used exceedingly sparingly as it can put your dog off normal food. Sit!1. Get a bit of treat and hold it in your hand, visible to the dog.2. Call the dogs name and walk over in front of it.3. Keep repeating the command sit and hovering the treat over the dogs head.4. Keep pushing the treat further and further over the dogs head until it has to sit to see it.5. Reward the dog instantly.Come!(Requires 2 people)1. Get two people with a few treats each to stand 20 or so metres apart. 2. Take it in turns calling the dogs name and waiting for it to come3. Reward each time the dog comes to each person.Stay!1. Hold out a bit of treat in front of the dog and tell it to sit.2. With a full open palm in front repeat the word wait and take 1 step back3. Pause for a second then take 1 step forward again and reward the dog.4. Repeat incrementing a step each time.Wait!1. Put the food bowl in front of your dog making sure you are holding its collar to prevent it from digging in straight away.2. Tell it to sit, pushing its behind down if it necessary (dogs tend to focus on the food and forget basic commands).3. Tell it to wait repeatedly for 5 seconds.4. Let go of the collar and give audible cue such as good dog!5. Repeat until dog understands and then try without holding collar.Shake!1. Tell the dog to sit.2. Crouch down to its level and hold out a bit of treat flat on your palm.3. Reach forward and grab its leg, repeating the word shake.4. Reward the dog.5. Repeat until dog lifts leg automatically. Lay!1. Tell the dog to sit.2. Crouch down and put one hand on its back (one without treat)3. Put the other treat next to its mouth and pull back slowly until the dog lies on its stomach.4. Reward your dog.5. Repeat until it lays automatically. Roll over!1. Repeat steps to lay2. Move the treat either right or left until the dog rolls over. (Make sure your hand is on its back so it cant just get up.)3. Repeat until it rolls automatically.Drop!(This on depends largely on breed, some dogs simply do not drop as easily as others.)1. Throw toy (big enough for dog to carry) a short distance.2. When dog runs and gets it, pull out a treat and call the dog back.3. If it returns with the toy, exchange the toy for a treat and repeat.4. If the dog doesnt return with the toy, walk up to toy and throw it again.

Wholesale Lists Exposed!

Welcome to my first eBay guide, Wholesale Lists Exposed! In this guide you will find out the truth about wholesale lists and what to look out for when considering purchase of a list. First off let me start by saying that there is a variety of different wholesale list on eBay, eBay is literally flooded with wholesale lists (especially the US eBay site) so how does one know what is good or rubbish? The quality of a list varies, so how do you avoid being ripped off by dodgy seller out to just make a quick buck? Below is a comprehensive guide divided into different categories exposing wholesale lists on eBay to help you make a decision... FEEDBACK - Always check thesellers feedback, feedback is the best way to determine the legitimacy of a seller, go through and check the feedback and don't just look at the number next to the sellers name. Take note of any negative and neutral comments. Your second step is to check theabout me pageas this will give another indication of a sellers legitimacy, a legit seller will usually have a well presented about me page outlining what they do on eBay and how long they have been around. AUCTION DESIGN - When searching for a wholesale list, be sure to take note of the auction design, does the auction look like a dodgy auction that is very sloppy looking that a 10 year old kid could have put together with lots of capital letters used, phrases like "Buy now and make $100,000 buy the end of the year", unaligned text ect... Or does the auction look professional with aligned text; pictures placed in appropriate sections, good grammar and punctuation and not full of hype. CATEGORIES - Does the auction list several different categories of products that are for sale? This is a breach of eBays cross category ruling and people who do this are generally people who don't know any of eBays policies and are in for it to make a quick buck from you, these auctions will get pulled from eBay soon after being list and are usually the very bad ones.ABN - Does the listing state that you don't need an ABN (Australian Business Number) to buy from the wholesalers? Be careful about these sellers as I will tell you now that this is rubbish and you do need an ABN to buy from wholesalers. A genuine wholesaler will not deal with you unless you have an ABN; to obtain an ABN all that you need to do is go to the Australian Business Register website and you will have one 10 minutes later, it's only a few questions to be answered and then one is generated for you automatically. If you don't require a ABN to buy from a "so called" wholesaler the company is not a real wholesaler and most likely a discount business that buys in bulk and resells just like a typical retailer, but with cheaper prices.PRICE - The price of the wholesale list is also no real guide to quality, I have personally been in touch with people who have bough wholesale lists for $50 off eBay and asked them how it compared to the $10 one they bought, I have had a variety of responses indicating that there is no difference. Again it just comes down to the sellers feedback, auction design, is an ABN needed? ect... You should be the judge of which wholesale list you wish to purchase but as a general rule you get what you pay for if you buy a $1 wholesale list (there is a difference between buy it now and auctions also, you will get way you pay for with a $1 buy it now wholesale list but an auction could start at $1 and only get 1 bid where as every other time the list sells for $10 or the seller sells the list as buy it now for $10 and uses auctions for a bit of variety). In the end use you good judgment.UPDATES - Does the wholesale list provide you with regular updates after you have made the original purchase? If not then I would be very cautious as the information you are purchasing could already be a few years old with several dead links. Business contact details change all of the time, if you purchase a wholesale list with that will provide no updates you are potentially missing out on a huge list of new wholesaler who will emerge into the business. BONUS EBOOKS - Many lists come with bonus eBooks, although these eBooks may contain some useful information and are worth looking at I can guarantee you won't be able to sell them for the price that is stated buy some sellers. Many of the eBooks you see on eBay are years old these days and contain old information. The resell prices that some sellers state are impossible to achieve in sales, if you run a search on the titles of the bonus eBooks provide you will find that they usually sell for $0.99 or a few cents more. QUANTITY- Some lists claim to have 1, 1.5 or 2 million products available form the wholesalers on their lists. I wonder did that seller go through every single wholesaler on their list and go right through their product list and count out each product individually from each wholesaler making sure that they didn't double up on a single product? I highly doubt it, so how would the seller know how many products are available? Real answer is they don't have a clue and it is better to know how many wholesale contact details are on the list then the fake count of products available. AUSTRALIAN - If you are chasing an Australian wholesale list be sure to check with the seller if the list is for wholesalers in Australia as there are a lot of lists out there that a loaded with international contacts and a few Australian wholesalers and that's it.ELECTRONICS - If you are after an electronics wholesale list be sure to email the seller before purchasing the list and ask if the list actually contains suppliers of electronics such as LCD monitors, TV's, DVD players, game consoles, computer equipment, cameras ect... as I can tell you now that I have done my research and spoke with people who have purchased electronics wholesale lists off sellers and all they got were a bunch of suppliers for components, yes that's correct no typo, components! Not proper electronics wholesalers that provide equipment. Rest assured that my electronics wholesale list contains what it advertises, electronic equipment such as LCD monitors, TV's, DVD players, game consoles, computer equipment, cameras.DROP SHIPPING - Be careful of anyone who is selling a list with Australian drop shippers as this is just straight out BS. Drop shipping in Australia is almost unheard of and not like American drop shipping, any seller who knows what they are talking about will know this. It is almost impossible to make a living off eBay Australia selling products drop shipped from Australian drop shippers as the market is flooded in America so all wholesaler must lower prices and provide a drop shipping service, in Australia the market is not flooded and there are practically no drop shippers available. I hope this guide has educated you enough to go out and make a more educated decision in regards to which wholesale list you will purchase off eBay. If you take a look atmy wholesale list auctionsyou will see that all of this information corresponds with my wholesale list auctions, you can check out my About Me page to find out more information. If you buy my wholesale lists you will be provided with genuine wholesale lists that are the best seller on eBay, good luck with your soon to be business or current business that you are expanding...Atomic Ebooks

Louis Vuitton..Tips on buying real LV.

Hi there! As an avid ebayer and a HUGE Louis Vuitton fan, I often find myself scrolling through listings of Louis Vuitton to find pieces that are clearly fake, descriptions that aren't quite right and information that isn't correct. Sometimes the buyer is honestly and blissfully unaware that the piece they are selling is fake ORthe piece is clearly fake and being described as real. The information I am parting with is a GUIDE..some hints and tips on my experiences. Please do not be discouraged from buying LV on ebay. Many sellers are honest and I, myself, have purchased REAL and AUTHENTIC items on Ebay. So here are some things to be mindfull of:Serial Numbers

Bundaberg Rum

We sure love out collection of Bundaberg Rum items.But lately we have noticed that there is items that are not the Genuine Bundaberg Rum or the actually Bundy R Bear.It is easy to noticed but i got caught.SO be careful, if you are a Bundy Lover.

Nintendo Gameboy / DS Game Compatibility Guide

Gameboy Original / Gameboy Pocket / Gameboy Light Plays games designed for the Original Gameboy only. These cartridges are easily identified by an imprint of 'Nintendo Gameboy' on the top of the plastic cartridge housing above the game label.Gameboy Color Plays Original Gameboy games and Gameboy Color games. Cartridges look similar to the Original games except imprinted with 'Gameboy Color' and the area of the imprint curves outwards as opposed to it being flat on the Original.Gameboy Advance Plays all Gameboy Original and Color games along with newly designed Gameboy Advance cartridges. Approximately half the size of an Color/Original cartridge.Gameboy Advance SP / SP II Same compatibility as Gameboy Advance.Gameboy Micro Plays only Gameboy Advance games. Original and Color games do not fit the cartridge slot nor does the console contain the hardware to play them.DS / DS Lite Plays only Gameboy Advance games and newly designed DS cartridges. DS carts are slightly bigger than an SD card and are by far the smallest game cartridges released by any manufacturer. Once again, Original and Color games do not fit nor does the hardware have the capability to play them.DSiPlays only DS cartridges - no slot is available for Gameboy games.If this guide is of assistance to you, please take the time to vote.

SELLERS - PAYPAL Cleared echeques can be reversed

I always thought a cleared echeque via paypal meant the payment was safe. Echeque clears, send out the goods. Paypal can reverse/refund a cleared payment.If the owner of the funds states their account/card/money was fraudulently used and if paypal rules in their favour the paypal cleared echeque payment will be reversed.Seller ends up out of pocket. Payment is taken away, product has been send, plus also out of pocket for the postage paid to send the item.Paypal is easy and convenient but it does not automatically mean safe or safer. The fact that a paypal payment has cleared can be meaningless.Have a lovely day - sunflowercastle

Buying a Vaio

Sony is one of the most trusted, highest quality brands available to anyone. Their designs (ranging from televisions to cameras and yes, laptops) are expensive, but the cliche 'You get what you pay for' has never fitted so well. When choosing to buy a Sony Vaio, it's important that you consider a few things. -Do you really want a laptop?So many people (myself included) browse eBay searching for a brilliant Vaio. What a lot of us fail to take into consideration is what a notebook really is for. Never will it replace your desktop (Unless, you don't expect it to be portable, or don't expect a long battery life). The few desktop replacement Vaios out there are heavy, and short on battery life. They are also a great deal more expensive than a normal desktop. The only saving grace of these notebooks is the size taken up on desk, and the style (wow factor). If you want a Sony Vaio for intensive gaming, in-depth video editing or something processor heavy, you can forget any chances of portability. While some notebooks in the Sony range will allow you to play most of the latest games (at lower details), it'll chew up battery life very quickly. Video editing will also be a slow and laborious task, I use my Vaio for the simply 'dump and burn', where I dump footage, cut out the bits I don't want, and burn it, no special effects added. - What Vaio do you want?Unfortunately, with most notebooks you can't get two of the criteria listed at once. The Vaios that can do this will either suffer some other problem in one of the other criteria, or will be ridiculously expensive.- Portability (Not just weight, but size. Yep - size matters! With Vaios ranging from a teeny 4.5 inches to a smooth 17 inch display, you have choices ranging mainly from: 8.9 inches, 10 inches, 11 inches, 12 inches, 13.3 inches, 14.1 inches, 15.4 inches, 16 inches and 17 inches. Assuming you want portability, the 13.3 and under is recommended (though you can nip past with a 14.1).- Battery Life (This is actually a criteria where portability and battery rank pretty well, to the detriment of processor speed. The 13.3s and under have pretty good battery lives, ranging from 3-7 hours, allowing, at minimum, the watching of a DVD in the car. (Multimedia can sometimes drain battery faster than normal). By comparison, the 17 inch notebooks can have a wonderful *sarcasm* battery life of just over the 2 hour mark. These are more the 'desktop replacement' laptops talked about.Processor Speed (Ranging from mhz (for the old models) to ghz, it's just like money, the more you have, the better it is. (Okay so I'm young, and still focus on the fact that money can buy everything). The more processor speed you have, the faster your applications will run. There are various processor types. The transmeta crusoe (available only to the 8.9 inch models I think) are battery efficient, however these models do not go past 866mhz (American Vaio). Don't expect much more than basic word processing, and maybe a movie on it.The Pentium line (Pentium I, II, III, IV (1,2,3,4) are quite reasonable, if you wish for a desktop replacement. Pentium 4's have not been designed for battery efficiency, and thus drain it at a substantial rate. However, the Pentiums I, II are incredibly old, from the other end of the 90s, and really arent useful for anything more than basic Word Processing or running as a print server. The Pentium IIIs are at a similar performance level as the Crusoe, however are not quite as power efficient.Intel Celeron processors. I work with numerous IT people, all of whom sneer at Celeron processors. However, the Celeron Processor, and for mobile applications, the Celeron Ms, are quite acceptable for most standard computer uses, just dont get too carried away with multiple applications, or video editing/gaming applications. However, these processors run reasonably cool, or the later renditions of them anyway, and are reasonably power efficient, and best of all, cheap.Intel Pentium M (M for Mobile). These processors have been designed for laptops, and thus are battery efficient and quick. The Pentium M was designed from the older Pentium III core, which was more efficient per watt and per clock cycle (i.e. for each mhz, it did more.), as Intels Much vaunted Netburst architecture (The Pentium 4), proved to be far too hot for mainstream laptop processing.Intel Centrino is a grouping of technologies, outlined by Intel, which a certain product must have to wear the Intel Centrino badge and have Centrino Certification. Intel has now decided on different Centrino certification depending on which processor you have. I.e. A Pentium M Processor must also have a Intel PRO Wireless Network Card and either the Mobile Intel 915 or 855 chipset. A Centrino Core Solo/Core Duo Processor must also have an Intel 945 chipset and An Intel PRO Wireless 3945ABG Card.Core Solo is the lower end of Intels newest release of mobile processors. This refers to the last rendition of the original Pentium III architecture, which evolved to the Pentium M, before Intel moves onto a completly new processor architechture (Core 2), across their entire product line, including desktops, servers and notebooks. The Core Solo refers to the single core product, that is, it only has one processing core for the system to use. These are typically budget processors, and perform much the same as the older Pentium Ms.Core Duo. This is the newest Intel processor, and has two processing core's on the one chip, which contrary to popular belief, consumes no more, if not less power than a single cored solution. These processors are great for multitasking and video editing, however, especially with the Vaio brand, are very expensive, and are typically found in higher end notebooks, though Dell have them starting from around $1400AUD, and Apple has placed them into their $1749AUD budget Macbook. A dual core processor allows to applications to use the full 1.66ghz (or whatever speed the processor is), all to itself, while another application is doing the same, allowing you to run two applications at full speed.Now assuming you still want a Vaio, and have decided on what size you'd like, there are a few more considerations;RAM - Random Access Memory. RAM is memory that sits in between the processor and the hard disk. Most people know that a hard disk is where stuff goes. However, because of the nature of a hardisk, a big mechanical spiny thing that stores data magnectically, pulling data off the hard disk is slow, in computer terms anyway. So RAM is much like a waiting room for the processor. As data comes off the hard disk, and is waiting to be processed, it sits in the RAM. Once the processor has decided what to do with the data, it sends instructions to the chipset, which then sends instructions wherever they need to go, and changes a few pixels on your screen. Data will wait in RAM like a bad smell until the processor tells it to screw off, in which case, depending on what type of Data it is, will either change a file on your hard disk, or simply delete itself from the RAM. The more RAM, the faster things go, because the less the system has to talk to the hard disk. For Windows Vista, I can personally recommend at least 1 Gigabyte, as sitting idle, Vista chews threw 68% of my 1gb in my dual core desktop system.Video Memory A video card is almost a system unto itself. A dedicated video card has a processor (Usually what the card is called, for example, a nVidia 6600GT), its own RAM (or vRAM, Video Memory.) Alls thats missing is the hard disk. Video Memory however, is a waiting room for things waiting to go through the video connector (reffered to as AGP for older systems and PCI-E for newer ones), to the rest of the system, or instructions that have come from the rest of the system and are waiting to be processed by the GPU and displayed on your screen. Shared memory implies that the greedy little graphics card will simply steal from your main memory, it has no memory of its own. These are usually less powerful graphics cards, like the Intel GMA series. However, these graphics cards are perfectly acceptable for some light gaming and normal computer usage. Some graphics cards have a technology called Turbocache (ATI) or Hypermemory (nVidia), which essentially means the graphics cards have their own memory, but if needed will claim some of the system memory for their own. Be aware that a video card will drain battery power, and typically the higher the number, the more powerful, and the less battery life. As far as I am aware, no Sony notebook has this particular feature, however, some select notebooks from other vendors allow you to switch between integrated graphics, and dedicated graphics in order to save battery life.Buying your dream-Vaio:Shocking as it may seem, humans are not always honest, and there are numerous scams on eBay, Vaio scams included. A general rule: Never buy from China (Most often those sellers are scammers. Take the time to read both the seller's location and the item location. It is most interesting to see that the seller is based in China, but the item is in Australia, or even better, when the item is in: Sydney, Hong Kong. Geographically impossible, but they do attempt to trick people. Another thing, it is rare that this happens, but sometimes people from overseas (I.e. the US) sell their laptops on eBay Australia. Again, I recommend avoiding overseas sales (60% are scams, and the other 40%, you'll most likely get hit with import tax (Cost me 1/6th of what my Vaio cost). I hope I've helped you as best as I can. If you need additional help, find me at: steveyo81 (my eBay user ID).Happy Buying!-Stephen Dunn-

Keeping Your VB Talking Boony In Good Health

Your 1st edition VB Talking Boony figurine (released summer 05/06) is a great collectors item. However if you intend to keep him in great shape for many years to come there are things you need to do to prevent future damage. All Talking Boonys contain batteries. As most people are aware, over time batteries that are left in items such as toys and radios for example will corrode. This corrosion will render many items useless. Talking Boony is no different. Talking Boony may continue to talk at random intervals (approx' every 3 and 1/2 months) for many years to come if you know how to replace these batteries. Beware that he may begin talking suddenly at any time of day or night. You may just want to store Boony. This guide will help you to remove the batteries and make sure his value as a collectable doesn't deteriorate over time.Tip: Keep Boony out of direct sunlight and away from sources of heat.

Is a Graphite Shaft Right For Me?

Graphiteor Steel?One of the most common problems I see when fitting and teaching amatuers is they have purchased clubs that just don't suit. The price may be cheap but it is of little comfort when they play WORSE than they did with their K-Mart set! This guide is written in response to customer requests on the basic steps for buying golf equipment that will improve their game. This tip is entitled: "Is a Graphite Shaft Right For Me?"Myth: Graphite is more flexible than steel.Truth: This is commonly misunderstood. In fact the flex of the shaft (how much it bends) is EXACTLY the same between steel and graphite; that is, it is rated the same. Graphite can feel more flexible because it is generally lighter than steel. This means that your clubhead speed is usually increased with graphite and thus you put more loading (downward force) on the shaft. Remember: more clubhead speed generally means more distance.Who Should Buy?: Slower swingers generally benefit from a lighter club and this usually includes senior, lady and junior golfers although not exclusively. I fit many amatuers who may have had injuries that prevent them from swinging the club at more than 70%. Some just prefer the feel of graphite because it deadens the vibration through the club from off-centre hits and physically, some players cannot fit into a steel shaft for various reasons. NOTE: Very tall golfers can really benefit from a carbon shaft as the extra length needed will not change the deadweight of the club to the extent steel will.What to buy: Graphite, like most things is life, gets better the more you spend. One fact that is not disputed is that graphite will definately damage more easily than steel. Do your clubs get airbourne sometimes? If your temper can be an issue then maybe steel is for you. :) Remember that most of the top shelf manufacturers use decent graphite and with this comes a warranty.Who makes the good stuff? I will list some price vs. quality brands for you that I have fitted, used and had good feedback from students and customers. This list is by no means comprehensive or in rating order so feel free to do your own homework.1. Grafalloy (made by True Temper): a good range and fair pricing. ProLite range is well established. Grafalloy2. UST: Had a great success with the ProGold range which was easily recognised by a bright yellow finish. UST3. Aldila: very innovative and well priced. The NV series is popular - bright green (and others) in colour. Aldila4. Graphite Design: Used by many top players including Greg Norman (Purple Ice). Can be pricey but worth it. GD5. Fujikura: Japanese makers and well respected. Make shafts for brands like: Adams, Taylor Made, etc. Fujikura6. Harrison: USA manufacturers. Higher priced but perform very well. Ping fits this shaft in the WRX range.Harrison 7. AJ Tech: A smaller range but a personal favourite. High price but outstanding performance. AJ TechAgain, this is the range I have dealt with and fitted for the past 13 years. There are many brands out there so go surfing to check out the reviews.4 easy steps for your satisfaction1. What's my swing speed? Usually rated in MPH or KPH. Faster = stiffer.2. What's my level of play? Is buying the $1000 shaft like feeding strawberries to pigs? :)3. Straighter or Longer? 300 yards is no good in the rough. Choose a shaft that blends the two.4. Have I been fitted by a professional clubfitter? Do yourself a favour and get tested.Final thoughts: Why The Pros Use GraphiteMost drivers that the tour pros useare fittedwith a graphite shaft. You may be thinking why this is seeing as how their swing speeds are usually greater than the average golfer, and you may remember seeing Tiger using steel in his driver not too long ago. The reason is distance. Remember that clubhead speed is the dominant factor in hitting the ball further and asteel shaft hampers this factor.I hope this has helped you to understand some basic questions about golf shafts, nothing pleases me more than seeing people enjoy our great game. Remember that correct fitting is always worth investing in and it will save you the heartache and frustration of a poor day on the course.

Omega Seamaster Watches

Hi Folks,Seamasters are a line of watches from the "Omega Collections" which have been very popular over the years especially since 007 started wearing them in the famous James Bond movies.These watches are available as a quartz (battery) or an auto(mechanical) version.There are several models and the novice would be well advised to visit the official Omega website to check out the different models.The reason for this guide is to stress that being very careful is the key when dealing with these watches as thismodel is very often copied and sold through Ebay.I would love to go into details but space would not permit however remember that there is no such thing as a bargain.Omega watches are of a high quality and a watch with all paperwork,cards and boxes will normally command a better price than one that doesn't.Just because it has the above items doesn't mean it is genuine.There are many fake boxes etc out there.I would recommend joining a watch forum and posting a link or a picture of the watch you are considering as many members are very knowledgable and are only too happy to help.Another point is to ask the seller to post a picture of the watch with a date and time nominated by yourselfon the watch's face to verify that it is the watchthat you are bidding on.(I have a friend in the US who is a well known watch photographer and I quite often see his photos used in listings.)As I said earlier that there are many details to look at and not enough space here,exercise caution.If in doubt miss out!Omega watches are high quality and feel high quality.Check the sellers previous feedbackand look for strange goings on.High feedback may not mean salesof high ticket (priced) items.Also check out Ebay's guide for payment as some offer better security than others.Thanks for looking and enjoy your watch.