The Grassroots of Business Success

As the editor of the UK Auctionline Newsletter I receive a great number of e-mails from subscribers. Frequently the question they ask is, “Please tell me an easy way to make money on eBay.” I suppose the answer to this question really revolves around how you define the term easy.

It is my belief that there is no easier way to make money on the Internet than by selling items through eBay. What could be simpler, a straight forward 5 step process.

1. Get something to sell.
2. Photograph it, and write a description.
3. Upload your listing to eBay.
4. Collect your money.
5. Dispatch the item.

What could be simpler than that?

But I suspect what people are really asking is how can I easily get products to sell. From my experience this is what both newcomers and some experienced eBayers find difficult. So in this article I just want to highlight 5 very simple ways that you can get products to sell without even leaving your computer. This I hope that will be easy enough for everyone.

1. What, no photograph?
It is my belief that there is hardly an item listed on eBay or any of the other online auctions that does not benefit from having a photograph or image included in the listing. In fact most items that are listed without a photograph that actually sell tend to fetch 20% less than those with. In some categories the figures are even higher. For instance clothing items offered without a photograph average a 78% lower selling price than those with. So it would seem to be pretty easy to browse eBay looking for these “photo less” items, buying them and then relisting with a photograph. Money for old rope really.

2. Finding the poorly listed item.
There are many reasons why someone’s listing fails to attract any worthwhile bids. Bad title, short or poor description, wrong category, poor spelling and so on. You can find these by browsing around the auction site, but I would suggest an easier method.

Select the categories that you are interested in and look down the search feature for items finishing within the next hour. Here is where you will find the bargains that have failed to attract any bids for the reasons we have mentioned.

3. Unsocial hours
In any book about eBay you will find tips on when is the best time for auctions to finish. The most suggested times for most items are Sunday afternoon and evenings and Wednesday evenings. Some experts suggest that for business related items Monday or Tuesday during office hours are best. If you accept that there are times when you will get increased bids for your items there must also be times when if your auction ends you will not do so well. I would think if you have an auction that finishes between say 5 am and 8 am on a Monday morning you will not have too many people lurking to place last minute bids to push the price up. Again buy and relist with your auction set to finish at a more sociable time and you could easily make a 20% or more profit for very little effort.

4. Buy Collections
One of the easiest ways to make money on eBay is to cash in on other peoples laziness. If someone has say a collection of 10 china dogs, it is a fact that if they put all ten in one listing as a collection they will get less than if they had listed each item separately. But it is amazing how many sellers cannot be bothered to do this. I have in the past bought such a collection and actually made more from one of the items than I had paid for the whole collection.

5. Other online auctions.
Over 95% of all online auction sales are on eBay. They have the largest number of registered buyers and items listed for sale. For this reason items offered for sale on eBay get the best prices. So why not search around some of the smaller online auctions, because in many cases items listed with them will not attract such a good prices as could be achieved on eBay. Then all you have to do is buy from them and relist on eBay.

So there are 5 easy ideas for you to consider. Why not give some or all of them a try.

Dave Bromley runs the www.ukauctionline.co.uk web site and newsletter. This information packed web site contains hundreds of articles, hints and tips for getting the most out of eBay.To register for the newsletter and 6 part mini course visit his web site now.

Diabetes can play havoc with your eyes, and sometimes there are no early sumptoms. So you may have no idea anything is wrong until your eyesight is in danger.

Here are the main eye problems that can be caused, or made worse, by diabetes.

Cataracts

These are often described as a clouding of the lens of the eye. They are treatable by surgery in most cases.

Glaucoma

Our eyes are largely made up of fluid, and when the pressure of that fluid builds up too much inside the eye, you have glaucoma. Left untreated, it can damage the optic nerves, and even lead to blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy

Lining the back of our eyes is light-sensitive tissue known as the retina. The retina contains very small blood vessels that can be damaged by diabetic retinopathy. Sometimes there are symptoms such as blurred vision, but often you won’t even know anything is wrong until the condition is well advanced. In the worse case, it leads to blindness.

Early detection is the key to battling all of these conditions, and the best diagnostic tool available is the dilated eye examination. This is a test in which special eye drops temporarily enlarge your pupils, allowing the doctor to see the back of your eyes. This test (which is painless) can detect cataracts, glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy in their early, treatable stages.

Eyesight is precious, so if you have diabetes do yourself a favor and make an appointment for your dilated eye examination. And then do it again every year from now on.

Bob Fleming suffers from Type 2 diabetes, but he does everything he can to suffer as little as possible! Visit his website at www.thediabetesinfoplace.com for informative articles and resources, and sign up to receive Bob’s free weekly diabetic-friendly dessert recipe!

Summary: Did you know your minimum credit card payment is rising? A new government program working to get Americans out of credit card debt is pushing credit card issuers to raise minimum monthly payments. Will you be able to make the higher monthly payment? Here are some tips for getting by.

If you’re an American, your minimum monthly credit card payment may soon be doubling. If you’re only paying the minimums now, you’ll have to be careful to adjust your budgeting to pay more.

Who’s Raising Your Monthly Minimum Credit Card Payment?

Whose idea was it to increase credit card minimum monthly payments? The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department that has become more and more involved with reigning in the abuses of credit card companies. Yes, this credit card minimum payment increase was thought up by people trying to help you.

Who will be raising their monthly minimums? So far, some of the largest credit card issuers have agreed to the new standards. Bank of America has already been asking for the higher monthly minimum payment. MBNA, Citigroup (a.k.a. Citbank), Discover, and Chase (on some of its cards) will be breaking the news to their cardholders as Fall 2005 progresses.

How Much Will Credit Card Minimums Increase?

For many credit cards, such as MBNA and Bank of America, the new rates mean that monthly minimum payments will double.

Right now, the monthly minimum payment is only 2% of the balance on most of these cards. The new rate will be around 4% (the actual number may vary from card issuer to card issuer). This means that if you have the average American credit card balance of about $10,000, your minimum monthly payment will go from $200/month to $400/month.

Of course, if you have any additional fees, whether a late fee or a cash advance fee or any of the other fees that the credit card guys cook up, you will have to pay that, too.

Why the Credit Card Minimum Payment Increase?

You may be wondering why anyone would want to make you pay a higher minimum monthly payment. The basic reason for making you pay more is: for your own good.

According to Mike Peterson, co-founder of American Credit Foundation, by doubling the amount you pay per month toward credit card debt, you will cut down on what you pay toward interest by much more. Look:

Old monthly minimum payment of 2% of balance, $2,000 credit card debt at 18% percent interest:

* Time to pay off debt in full: about 30 years.
* Interest paid: about $5,000-two and a half times what you initially borrowed!

New monthly minimum payment of 4% of balance, same debt:

* Time to pay off debt in full: about 10 years. Time saved vs. old payment: 20 years.
* Interest paid: about $1,100-slightly more than half what you originally borrowed. Amount saved vs. old payment: $3,900.

Tips for Paying Double Easily

How do you pay off your new, higher credit card balance?

Stop Charging

Yes, you will have to make major sacrifices to stop using your credit card. But just look at all the money you’ll have in ten or thirty years that you wouldn’t have if you had to pay all that credit card interest. If you have trouble resisting the temptation to charge, here are some solutions that have actually worked:

* Give your credit cards to a friend or family member to hold in safe keeping.
* Freeze the cards in a block of ice.
* Never carry more than one credit card with you.

Economize on the Small Things

According to Michael Peterson of the American Credit Foundation, even tiny savings really add up when it comes to debt. His favorite example is the Diet Coke example:

* If you buy one Diet Coke a day at $1/day, that’s $365/year.

* If you instead invested that one dollar a day at 10% interest (the average yearly return on major stocks over the last half century), you would be a millionaire within 56 years.

* Of course, with credit cards, this logic works in reverse: if you are lucky enough to be paying only 10% interest, fifty years of charging Diet Coke to your credit card will mean you’ve lost the same amount, not only in interest paid, but in the lost opportunity to save and invest.

* You don’t have to put aside one dollar a day for fifty years to see a big difference. One dollar a day is $30/month, 15% of the average $200 increase in credit card minimum monthly payments.

* In order to get that entire $200 increase out of your daily budget, you would only have to save $200/30 or less than $7 a day. OK, maybe you aren’t drinking seven Diet Cokes a day. But there are very few credit-card-holding Americans who can’t cut $7 a day out of their spending.

* Saving weekly rather than daily, $200/month works out to about $45/week, or the cost of a restaurant meal for a small family–another luxury you might want to skip until you’re debt-free.

Bigger Savings

* Taxes. Most Americans could pay hundreds of dollars less tax each year if they just took all the deductions they were eligible for upfront, rather than waiting to get a refund in April. By April, you will have spent a big chunk of money on interest on debt that you wouldn’t have spent if you’d had the money at hand.

* Pleading. Call the credit card companies and ask if they can allow you to set up a payment plan, or at least provide a brief extension. Simply calling and letting them know you haven’t forgotten about them can help keep you out of the worst trouble.

* Credit counseling. Credit counselors can talk with credit card issuers to help you get a repayment plan you can keep up with. They can also open your eyes to untapped sources of income you never knew you had, like kicking the $1,000,000 Diet Coke habit.

In short, don’t panic. With only a little bit of planning, you can make the higher minimum monthly payment work to your advantage, just as the policy’s authors intended.

Joel Walsh has written more articles on credit card debt counseling: www.debtguru.com [Publish this article on your website! Requirement: live link for last URL, anchor text: “debt counseling” OR leave this bracketed message intact. Permalink: debtguru.com/articles/credit-card-payment-rising.html]

If you’re frustrated with the inability to send and receive
large files via email, you’re not alone. Most businesses today
are experiencing the same problem. As software programs evolve,
the files they create are forever increasing in size. Programs
like AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, and a host of many more can
create files in excess of 5MB to 300MB.

One of the best ways to send large files via the Internet is by
utilizing what is called an “FTP Hosting” service. FTP stands
for “File Transfer Protocol.”

How does it work? An FTP Hosting service is simple and
effective. Unlike email, where you send files from one person to
another, FTP hosting allows you to upload files of any size or
type to a secure storage location on the Internet. Once you’ve
uploaded your files, the recipient of the files can then
download them at will.

So how do you go about selecting the best “FTP Hosting” service?
We’ve come up with a list of seven tips that will help you in
the selection process.

1. Good Track Record & References: The provider of the “FTP
Hosting” service should have a solid business track record.
You’ll want to select a company that has been in business at
least 4 to 6 years.

Remember, you’re entrusting the “FTP Hosting” company with
proprietary corporate information. Make sure they are a
legitimate company. These days it’s easy to develop a website
and call yourself an “FTP Hosting” company. Avoid any company
that looks like a “Fly-by-night” operation.

Ask for references! If the provider is good, they’ll ask you how
many references you would like! Also, their web site should
provide an indication of their length of time in business and
references, if they have any.

2. Phone Number: Make sure the “FTP Hosting” company provides
you with a phone number to call, preferably a toll-free number.
If you have any problems at all you’ll want to speak with
someone.

You’ll also want to call the number they give you and verify
that someone answers the phone and can talk intelligently about
the service they provide.

Avoid any company that does not answer their phone during normal
business hours, as they most likely won’t answer it when you
have a question or problem.

3. Guarantee or Trial: Look for a service provider that
guarantee’s their service and will allow you to test it before
you subscribe. Ask for a 30-day free evaluation period. If
that’s not available then ask for a 30-day, unconditional
satisfaction guarantee. It should allow you to cancel within
30-days and pay nothing if you’re not completely satisfied with
the service.

In addition, look for a service that provides discounts if you
pre-pay for six or twelve months. You’ll be surprised as to how
much money you can save by paying in advance.

4. Adequate Bandwidth: Ask your “FTP Hosting” company how much
bandwidth is available for file uploads and downloads. Avoid any
company that limits the amount of bandwidth available for
transferring files.

If a company puts limits on available bandwidth, they are either
an extremely small business and won’t be able to service you
properly, or they may charge you for bandwidth in excess of a
given amount per month. Either way, you won’t be happy at the
end of the day.

Look for a company that can provide you with unlimited bandwidth
and does not charge you for it.

5. Ease of Use: The service must be easy-to-use and support
file transfers from Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems.
Ask the service provider what, if any, software is required on
the client side in order to transfer files to and from the
secure FTP site.

Make sure you’re not required to purchase a vendor specific,
proprietary software program to transfer your files. You should
be able to use any off-the-shelf, downloadable FTP client
software program such as CuteFTP, WS FTP, SmartFTP, Fetch, or
FTP Voyager.

6. Storage Space Limitation: Most “FTP Hosting” services are
available on a month-to-month subscription basis and their rate
is set according to the amount of storage space you require.
Make sure your monthly storage limitations have what’s called a
“Soft Cap.”

A “Soft Cap” allows you to exceed your storage limitations
without incurring an additional fee. More importantly, it allows
you and/or your customers to continue uploading/downloading
files to your FTP site after you have exceeded your storage
space allotment.

In other words, you can continue doing business without worrying
about your FTP service provider shutting down your FTP site.

7. Technical Support Via Email: Avoid any provider that only
responds to technical problems via email. There are a lot of
providers out there that have great prices but they lack the
support you may need. Remember, sooner or later you will have a
question or problem and you will want to speak with a live
person.

Choose a company that provides you with a technical support
phone number, not an email address. Call the number and ask for
help! Make sure they answer the phone and provide the type of
you support you’re looking for.

Now that you know the questions to ask and what to look for in
an “FTP Hosting” service, you’re ready to go out and find one.
The best place to start looking is Google
(http://www.google.com). Just type in the phrase “FTP Hosting”
and work your way through all the selections. The “Seven Tips”
outlined above will assist you in quickly finding the best
providers of “FTP Hosting.”

“Initially, it was difficult to get small business loans if you
had a bad credit record. But today the scenario has changed,
there are many organizations that offer you small business loans
even if you have bad credit. However, before you make your
choice on what loan to take, consider the various options
available to make the best selection.

What is your credit score The first step to getting a good small
business loan is understanding what your credit score is. Your
credit score depends on the amount of money you owe, how much
credit you have and the proportion of credit balance to the
total credit limit. Bankruptcy and financial judgments against
you make a negative impact on your score. You can get your
credit score online for a small fee. Click Here- a credit
monitoring service offering a “”FREE”" credit report, Get the
3-Bureau Online Credit Report with Credit Score, and see what
the credit bureaus are saying about you. Check your credit score
because as recently reported by CNN and CBS: 79% of credit
reports have mistakes!

Factors that work for you Besides your credit score, there are
various other factors that organizations consider before giving
a loan. These include your past payment history, credit report,
credit problems etc. These different criteria hold different
weightages with different organizations. It is thus best to find
out what factors work for you and then approach lenders who
value those factors more. Having a good long credit history can
work to your advantage rather than having a short credit
history. Also, having personal contacts and a good rapport can
go a long way in getting you a business loan.

Shop around It is best to research various lenders, banks and
financial institutions before you take your pick. Each have
their own specific guidelines and criteria and you may soon find
one that can provide you a loan that is tailored to your
requirements. Also remember that if one organization turns you
down it is not necessary that others will.

We at allworldprivatefunding.com is one such leading
organization that arranges bad credit small business loans for
our clients. Kindly browse through our services and get in touch
with us for any of your queries.

Resources

Information: Bad credit history makes the loan request
challenging

This resource discusses how the record of bad credit history
makes the loan request of applicant more challenging.

Information on different types of small business loan

This resource provides information on different types of small
business loan offered by SBA. ”

Chances are you know someone - a family member, colleague, or friend who has been affected by cancer. You’ll want to learn more about prevention especially if you have a history of cancer in your family. There are over two hundred different types of cancer and the most common one for women is breast cancer. The lifetime probability of a woman developing breast cancer is 1 in 9. The good news is that it is possible for women to protect themselves from breast cancer. When breast cancer is discovered and treated early, the chances for recovery are better.

Every woman should know their own breasts so that any changes are noticed soon and can be reported to a physician. Knowing your breasts includes having a mammogram every two years if you are between the ages of 50 and 69 and getting a clinical breast exam by a doctor or trained health professional at least every two years from the age of 40. Regardless of age, all women should do their own monthly breast self-examination a few days after her period. When doing breast self-examination, things to look for include: puckering of the skin, the appearance of what is sometimes called ‘orange peel skin’, any place in your breasts that feels lumpy or harder than the rest and bleeding from the nipples or crusting.

It is important to note that most breast problems are not breast cancer and most lumps are not cancerous. When a lump is not cancerous it is referred to as ‘benign’. A cancerous lump is called ‘malignant’.

While there are no cures yet, researchers have discovered that a healthy lifestyle is the best way to prevent cancer. Since cancer is a disease that starts in our cells, everything we eat and are exposed to can affect them. Choose to be a non-smoker and avoid second-hand smoke. In regards to diet, choose a variety of lower fat, high fiber foods. Studies have shown that intake of total fat, saturated fat and meat are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. Maintain a healthy body weight and limit alcohol consumption. Protect yourself from the sun. At home and at work, follow health and safety instructions when using hazardous materials. The link between an active lifestyle and breast cancer prevention is as yet unclear but general health is improved when regular exercise is an integral part of a person’s lifestyle.

Taking care of ourselves is an ongoing commitment that requires self-discipline and knowledge. It is well worth the effort and you’ll feel much better for it.

Travis Waack is the webmaster of http://health.online-006.com/breast_cancer.html If you would like more information on breast cancer and prevention, this is where you will want to start.

Did you ever wonder where a common phrase came from? Crossing the Rubicon is such a phrase. This is what it means today: You have taken a step too far. You are at great risk and you can’t go back.

Under ancient Roman law it was forbidden for any general to cross the Rubicon River and enter Italy proper with a standing army. That was treason.

The Rubicon wasn’t much of a river. It was a small stream but to cross over with an army was a dangerous step. Immediate civil war was the result.

In January 49 BC, Caesar crossed the tiny stream. This is what he said, “Let us go where the omens of the Gods and the crimes of our enemies summon us! THE DIE IS NOW CAST!” See: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/caesar.htm

Do you want to know more about the origin of phrases? Then go to: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/index.html

Here are a few common phrases. Do you know what they mean?

A bee in your bonnet

A blast from the past

A dead ringer

Baptism of fire

Barking up the wrong tree

Bated breath

Chew the cud

Donkey’s years

Excuse my French

Go and boil your head

Go to hell in a hand basket

Hell has no fury like a woman scorned

In a quandary

Just deserts

Kit and caboodle

Let the cat out of the bag

The real McCoy

No man is an island

Old lang syne

Paddle your own canoe

Peter out

Quid pro quo (tit for tat)

Read the riot act

Shake a leg

The ball is in your court

Up a blind alley

Walk the plank

Your name is mud (Mudd)

You know most of these phrases, right? To find the meaning or origins of these and other phrases, go to: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/424000.html. Click on the letter in the alphabet index and scroll down to the phrase.

Have fun!

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

So you’ve been to your local bookstore, surveyed the rather
large collection of wedding books and wondered how anyone even
gets through this whole planning process… and why all those
wedding planning books are so thick!

This is completely understandable - it is a bit on the daunting
side. Planning a wedding is definitely not something you can
throw together in a matter of days, and there will certainly be
quite a few projects along the way to keep you busy.

But these ‘projects’ can actually be fun - a lot of fun! And
with a plan, you may even find yourself looking forward to
them…

1.) Most importantly, keep things SIMPLE.

There will always be another photographer to interview, another
centerpiece idea, another wedding favor website. When you find
something that “clicks” with you, go with it! You’ve just
crossed off one more thing on your wedding checklist.

2.) Decide on a good filing system before you begin.

Order a box of file folders or an accordion file with multiple
sections to hold all of your contracts, notes, etc. If you’re
really ambitious, consider investing $20-30 in a labeler at an
office supply store - it keeps things especially neat and
organized. As you go along, designate one folder for each aspect
of your planning — caterer, rehearsal dinner, guest list, etc.

3.) Get started! Begin tackling items on your wedding checklist.

Look at the first group of to-do’s on the list. Don’t try to do
all of these at once - take one at a time and consider putting
the others on your calendar so that you know they’ll get taken
care of, just not all today.

4.) Don’t be afraid to delegate.

Family members and attendants will more than likely be willing
to help take on some of the planning tasks - if they offer, take
them up on it! If there are parts of the planning that you know
you don’t need to be (or care to be) directly involved in, ask
for help.

5.) Have FUN.

While some tasks will take longer than others, there will be
others that will balance out all of the hard work - treating
yourself to a day at the spa for example. Also, consider
subscribing to one or more bridal magazines - when you think
you’ve run out of wedding ideas, these glossy guides are a great
pick-me up.

6.) And lastly, don’t worry that you won’t possibly be able to
do all of these things…

Everything will get done, in due time, and you’ll see all of
your hard work pay off when things really start to come
together. So start planning, and have fun!

The last 12 months has seen a lot of attention towards Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s Playstaion 3 and Nintendo’s Wii but a lot of excitement has been seen in PC games. It’s obvious the PC is here to stay as a means to play games on.

Consumers have driven up laptop sales in the last couple of years. Laptop Computer sales now account for around 50 percent of PC’s shipped.
Although most users don’t require mobility there is something about being able to move a computer from one room to another and neatly packing it away that we all find necessary. The only gripe for game lovers was that the majority laptops were not powerful enough for gamers. Any notebook meant for playing games on was also big, beastly, noisy and just expensive.

A lot has changed. First the Intel Core Duo and Core 2 Duo processors started matching the speed of Desktop CPU’s. Intel have done brilliantly marketing centrino and being the market leader but AMD has pushed them enough to excel in the notebook market.

Another contributor that has really been making gaming notebooks a reality is Nvidia. Things are moving in the right direction. Intel release the quad core processor in 2008. Nvidia will release the Geforce 9 series after having success with the eight series.

The Internet is one of the greatest inventions of all time.
Parental Internet Control will protect our loved ones from
internet filth like pornography and hate material just a click
away. The fact that every stranger in the world has access to
your child, right in your own home is scary enough. exercising
some kind of Internet Control will protect the people you love
from the tens of thousands of troubling sites on the Internet.

Although nothing can replace a well-informed parent that takes
an active part in their children’s online activities, Internet
Filtering Software provides a strong, additional layer of
defense which gives parents an added measure of control and
further peace of mind.

With a lot of Internet filtering software choices available,
researching and choosing the Internet filter that’s right for
your family can be complex and time-consuming, and that’s where
we can help.

At www.parental-web-control.com you’ll find articles, and
side-by-side comparisons and comprehensive reviews on Internet
Filtering Software that will help you make a fast, informed
decision.

What makes a great Internet filter software solution?

Though the perfect Internet Filter does not exist in today’s
marketplace, there are a number of great solutions depending on
what the family needs are. Here is a list of attributes of good
filtering software.

Easy to Use - How easy it to install the product?, Is it easily
set up, and easy to use? Is it easy to find the functions you
are looking for? Is it easy to customize the filter settings?

Effective at filtering-Does the web filtering software strike a
good balance between filtering objectionable material and non
object ional - not filter too much? The ability to customize
sensitivity of filtering by each individual family member is
important as well.

Activity reports -Parents should be able to see what their
individual family member has been doing on the computer. This
would include viewing where they have been on the Internet, what
has been going on in chat rooms, and activity based on other
functions within the Internet filtering application.

Foreign language filtering -One of the tricks that teenagers
have found to bypass Internet filters is to type in the foreign
language equivalent of certain keywords. By typing in the
French, Spanish, or German versions of the word “sex” or “girl”
for example, you can easily bypass many filters to view
objectionable content.

Individual profiles -Can you create a profile for each family
member with different filtering rules?

Notification capabilities -Can you be notified at work or at
home that un-authorized access or blocking is occurring?

Negligible response times -Does the Internet filter allow you to
access the Internet without noticeable slowdown?

Remote management -Can you change settings, change rules, and
change profiles from work or while on vacation without the
installed software? The correct use of Internet filters in
harmony with parental controls can make the Internet a safe and
wonderful experience for the family.