Unlock Samsung G600

I got this code on ebay, itunlockedmy Samsung G600but it reset imei number to zeros !

I wouldn't recomend using as it may have destroyed my phone

*2767*3855#Instructions:-Power phone of and then power back on. (Without Sim card). Then at "inset sim" screen enter the code above exactly how itappears above. Then power phone off take battery out and replace sim withalternative sim card. Your handset should now be unlocked.If this doesnt work:-Unlock Code#*7337#Entering Code Instructions1. Take out the SIM card from the phone and switch the phone on.2. Enter the unlock code into your handset.3. Now replace your SIM card and turn the phone on.4. Your handset should now be unlocked.Alternative Solution if the above fails.Unlock CodesCode 1: *7465625*28782#Code 2: *7465625*28638#Entering Code Instructions1. Remove SIM card from handset2. Enter Code 1 into the handset( Your handset will display " auto subset lock activated" )3. Enter Code 2 into handset4. Your handset should now be unlocked.a) Enter an alternative network SIM card into your Samsung and reboot.b) The new network should be displayed in handset window.c) If the process is repeated with yet another alternative network SIMcard, you may be requested to input a security or pin code to enablethe use of the new SIM card.d) Enter 00000000 (8 zeros) which should enable the SIM to be accepted.e) Finally once again enter 00000000( 8 zeros) and this shouldpermanently unlock the Samsung.Final alternative Solution if the above failsUnlock Code#7465625*638*7337#Entering Code Instructions1.Take out the SIM card from the phone and switch the phone on.2.Enter the unlock code into handset.3.Now replace your Sim card and turn the phone on.4. Your handset should now be unlocked.

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FAKE YU GI OH CARDS

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF YU GI OH CARDS ON EBAY BUT THERE ARE ALSO THOUSANDS OF FAKE YU GI OH CARDS ON EBAY TOO !

IF YOU SEE A RARE YU GI OH CARD ON EBAY CHECK ALL PICTURES AND ASK THE SELLER QUESTIONS BEFORE BUYING IT.

MANY SELLERS SELL MORE THAN ONE OF THE SAME CARD IN THEIR LIST OF ITEMS. IF THERE ARE 2 LISTINGS WITH THE SAME TITLE CHECK BOTH OF THEM AND SEE IF THE CARDS HAVE THE SAME NUMBERS AND CODES PRINTED ON THEM.IF THEY DO THEY ARE FAKE.

I HAVE SEEN MANY PEOPLE BUYING 1ST EDITION EGYPTIAN GOD CARDS. WHAT THEY DONT REALISE IS THAT YOU CAN NOT GET A 1ST EDITION GOD CARD.

REAL YU GI OH CARDS ALSO HAVE A CODE ON THE RIGHT CORNER UNDER THE PICTURE THIS WILL ALWAYS START WITH A LETTER ON A GENUINE YU GI OH CARD . MANY FAKE YU GI OH CARDS START WITH A NUMBER.

AN EXAMPLE OF A GENUINE YU GI OH CARD STARTING WITH A LETTER IS: SKE-

THIS IS FROM A YU GI OH KIBA EVOLUTION STARTER DECK.

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FAKE WHICH IS OFTEN PRINTED : 123-

ALWAYS MAKE SURE THERE IS A PICTURE OF THE BACK OF THE CARD.

GENUINE WILL HAVE A YU GI OH LOGO AND A KONAMI LOGO.

FAKE CARDS MAY JUST HAVE THE BACK GROUND BROWNY GOLD COLOUR.

MANY PEOPLE SELL FAKE RARE CARDS WHICH ARE SHINY ALL OVER THE CARD. THEY OFTEN HAVE THE ATK AND DEF IN A LITTLE BOX IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. THESE ARE FAKE .THE SHINY PART OF THE CARD IS MADE FROM SHINY STICKER PAPER OR STICKY BACK PLASTIC.

ALWAYS MAKE SURE WHEN YOU BUY A FIRST EDITION CARD IT HAS A GOLD SQUARE NOT SILVER IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT CORNER. IF IT IS NOT IT IS FAKE.

ALWAYS CHECK THE NAME ON THE CARD AND SPELLINGS MANY PEOPLE WHO MAKE FAKE CARDS CANNOT SPELL .

SOME PEOPLE PUT THE WRONG NAMES ON FAKE CARDS (HOW THICK) LIKE THE SLITHER THE SKY DRAGON CARD : INSTEAD OF PUTTING SLITHER THE SKY DRAGON THEY PUT THINGS LIKE :

ULTRA RED DRAGON , DRAGON OF GOD POWER, DRAGON SKY AND SKY DRAGON OF GODS ETC.

ALWAYS CHECK A SELLERS FEEDBACK IF THEY ARE SELLING YU GI OH CARDS LIKE EXODIA ETC.

A LOT OF SELLERS TAKE A PHOTO OF THE REAL ONES AND SEND YOU FAKE ONES.

ALWAYS READ THE ITEM DESCRIPTION SOME SELLERS PUT "RARE CARD RANDOM LOT" WITH A PICTURE OF EXODIA AND SLITHER THE SKY DRAGON ,WINGED DRAGON OF RA AND OBOLICK THE TORMENTOR. MANY PEOPLE BID AS SOON AS THEY SEE THE PICTURE.WHEN IT SAYS IN THE ITEM DESCRIPTION THAT THE CARDS IN THE PICTURE ARE EXAMPLES ETC.

A LOT OF FAKE CARDS LOOK SLIGHTLY LIGHTER OR DARKER THAN GENUINE CARDS.

ALWAYS CHECK THE LOGO ON THE FRONT TOP RIGHT CORNER NEXT TO THE CARD NAME IF IT SAYS SOMETHING LIKE "POWER" OR "LAND" OR "ULTRA" ETC IT IS FAKE .

THE MAIN PARTS OF THE CARDS THAT CAN NOT BE FAKED IS THE LITTLE SILVER SQUARE ATTHE BOTTOM OF THE CARD . A GENUINE YU GI OH CARD WILL HAVE EQYPTIAN SIGNS AND LOGOS ON THE SILVER SQUARE BUT A FAKE WILL JUST BE A SILVER STICKER.

I KNOW ALL THESE BECAUSE I HAVE BOUGHT FAKE CARDS AND SWAPPED MY GENUINE FOR FAKES ACCIDENTLY IN THE PAST.

I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN YU GI OH ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO AND I WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO GET RARE CARDS LIKE EXODIA.

I DID COME ACROSS A PERSON AT A SCHOOL CLUB WHO TRADED ME FAKE EXODIA CARDS FOR MY GEUINE RARE CARDS THAT I HAD SPENT LOADS OF MONEY ON

I AM WRITING THIS GUIDE ON MY DADS EBAY ACCOUNT BECAUSE I AM NOT OLD ENOUGH TO HAVE ONE MY SELF.

I AM CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT YU GI OH CARDS , GAMES,MEMORY STICKS AND POKEMON CARDS TO SEE IF THERE ARE ANY NEW VERSIONS OF FAKE YU GI OH CARDS ETC THAT LOOK VERY CLOSE TO THE GENUINE ONES.

BY THE WAY DO NOT BUY POKEMON CHAOS BLACK MY FRIEND BOUGHT IT FROM SKEGGY MARKET (SKEGNESS) AND IT IS CRAP!

I HOPE YOU FOUND THIS GUIDE USEFULL

THANKS LIAM HALL ( AGE 14)

FAKE GHD PLEASE READ

IF ANY OF YOU HAVE PURCHASED GHD MK4 IRONS ON EBAY GIVE GHD A CALL JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY GENUINE, I BOUGHT A PAIR FOR TWO DIFFERENT FRIENDS AND THEY BOTH TURNED OUT TO BE FAKE, I RANG THE ACTUAL GHD HELPLINE AND QUOTED A NUMBER ON IRON, THEY CAN TELL YOU IF THEY FAKES WITHIN MINUTES, COS NO MATTER WHERE YOU GET GENUINE GHD YOU WILL HAVE A GUARANTEED WARRANTY IF REAL!! THE NUMBER IS 08453301133. if they do turn out to be fake paypal can open a dispute and ypu can get a refund if you spot this within 45 days SO PLEASE HURRY, DONT LET THEM GET AWAY WITH THIS I HAVE LOST BOTH MY FRIENDS MONEY AND BOTH PAIRS HAVE BROKE! recommended ebayer that sells ghd is shimmer girl x

Fake Golf Pride Multicompound Grips

Hi,I have been the victim of fake Golf Pride Grips. I was lucky enough to get my money back from the seller but I wish to share my knowledge so other people can recognise them -A) The first thing I noticed about the fake grips was they did not have the tacky feel in the soft red rubber part. There meant to be multi compound and the fakes were just the same compound.B) The seller sent me an extra grip by mistake so I putt onto the club and all the colours started running off onto my hands.C) The rubber is quite thin at the ends and the consistency thickness is visibly thinner at the end of the grip.D) The fake grips are a shade lighter.E) The main noticeable difference is the pattern is very, very slightly different.I have included a couple of photos. Beware the fakes are very good and you can only tell by comparing them closely to the real thing. It was the lack of tacky feel that alerted me to have a closer look.

The real grip is the top one with the barcode sticker on. Notice the slight differance in shades!

The grip below is the fake grip!Take a look at the position of the small black crosses next too the white line and compare it to the real one below it.

Fixed wire lug military trench officers WW1 watches

What is meant by fixed lug, wire lug, trench, or officers watch?Although wrist watches had been made before the First World War (WW1 - 1914 to 1918) they were mainly worn by ladies: they were not fashionable items for men, who mostly wore pocket watches. But the benefits of a wrist watch were well known in military circles. The German Emperor Wilhelm I had ordered a large quantity of wrist watches for the German navy in 1879, and during the Boer war in South Africa (1899 - 1902) British army officers achieved success against the Boers by using precision timing to coordinate simultaneous troop movements, and synchronize flanking attacks against the Boer's formations. Strapping a watch to ones wrist so that it could regularly be checked quickly and easily, rather than having to fumble in a pocket to extract a watch, was essential under fast moving battlefield conditions. Leather straps with cups, such as the one shown below, were made so that pocket watches could be strapped to the wrist. But such applications were restricted to the battlefield, and to small numbers of professional soldiers operating far from home.What really changed public acceptance of men wearing wrist watches was the First World War - WW1. During WW1 military tactics such as the coordinated attack along a long front, synchronised with artillery barrages, demanded precision timing; and unlike any previous conflict, there were millions of men involved. There was a huge
upsurge in demand for wrist watches from military men, who found the still standard issue pocket watch cumbersome to wear in the trenches, under a great coat, or in the cockpit of an aircraft. The easiest way for manufacturers to satisfy this sudden demand for wristwatches was to solder small loops of wire, called lugs, to the case of an existing model of pocket watch, and
pass a strap or band of leather through these to secure the watch to the wrist.
Because the wire loops were fixed to the case, these watches are often referred to as "fixed lug" or "wire lug" watches. You can see an example of a watch with fixed wire lugs soldered to the case in the picture below. As these watches were often purchased by officers for use in the trenches, they are also often referred to as "officers" or "trench" watches. As the war progressed, the public became used to seeing battle hardened military veterans returning from active service still wearing their wristwatches. This soon changed the public perception that wearing a wristwatch was not manly, and sales of wrist watches to the man-in-the-street started to take off. By 1930 sales of wristwatches had overtaken those of pocket watches.For some reason now lost in the mists of time, the width used for
the lugs on these earliest wristwatches was about 10mm, allowing a narrow strap
or band of flexible leather to be looped through and across the back of the case.
This design persisted after the war and into the 1920's, with the lugs gradually increasing
in width to 12mm, 14mm, etc. over the years until they were superceded with the fixed
horns and spring bars seen on modern watches.

The nature and size of these fixed lugs presents a problem to the collector of
these interesting early wristwatches.
After cleaning and servicing, watches that are now around a hundred years old go just
as well now as when they were new, and they cry out to be worn. However, modern
wristwatch straps and bands either just do not fit the narrow fixed wire lugs,
or a narrow strap meant for a ladies watch has to be used, which usually looks completely wrong. A 35mm diameter mans wristwatch on a 10mm wide ladies strap
just looks ridiculous!I had exactly this problem when I wanted to wear my grandfather's 1918 silver Rolex and after much searching I realised that there was nothing suitable available on the market, and that I would have to get a strap made to my own design and specification. I now make these straps available in several different designs and leather colours so that fellow enthusiasts
can enjoy wearing their own vintage watches. It gives me great pleasure to know that a vintage watch, one that perhaps saw service
during the first World War, or belonged to somebody's grandfather like mine, can be worn and
enjoyed today, looking good on a properly designed and made strap. One of the most touching
comments I have received was from a customer who was visiting the First World War battlefields
in France, and he remarked that with the strap I had supplied "I will be able to wear my
grandfather's watch at the very spot where he went 'over the top' on the Somme in 1916." The picture below shows my grandfather's watch on one of my straps.I hope you have found this guide helpful. If you have then I would be grateful if you would register a vote for it. If
you haven't found it helpful for some reason, or if you think that there is something wrong or that could be
improved, then please let me know. Thanks! Regards - David

Morse Taper Sizes

Many People Have Asked Me " What Morse Taper Size Is My Machine , Or What Morse Taper Size Are My Tools " Well I Hope The Below Table Will Help You Out,,

Mattools

Anchortoolscom

Morse Taper sizes

Different Morse tapers have easily distinguished sizes.

Measure at the big end (ie, the open hole), in inches:

#0 is 0.356

#1 is 0.475

#2 is 0.700

#3 is 0.938

#4 is 1.231,

#5 is 1.748

#6 is 2.494

#7 is 3.270

or in mm..

( remeber the hole at the big end.)

#1 is 12.065

#2 is17.78

#3 is 23.82

#4 is 31.26

#5 is 44.399 mm

ebay would not allow me to paste the complete table

Building a separate Hi-Fi system

Building a separate Hi-Fi system
What you need and what they are.
Amplifier
Amplifiers are the heart of your hi-fi system, every component feeds in to the amp and feeds it to your speakers. A receiver combines an amp and radio within one box.
Use a good chunk of your budget on the amplifier.
CD Player
CD Compact Disc player is the still the best selling solid media music format. To make the most of your shiny silver discs, invest in a quality player, it will make all the difference
Recording Media
Recording media is no longer just a tape deck you can add a recordable CD, hard disc, cassette and Minidisc recorders , whether you're archiving your recordings, recording live events or simply want to make your own compilations, its all ways a good ideal to have at least one recording media.
Speakers
Speakers take signal from your source units, via your amplifier, and spread sound around your chosen environment. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small and dinky bookshelves, or elegant floor standing, stick to a good make and you should be fine.
Tuner
A good quality tuner makes radio signals sound superb. DAB radio uses digital signals, rather than the traditional analogue, providing super clear, high quality reception, there of also the normal FM AM tuners which can also include RDS. RDS, standing for the Radio Data System, Most FM radio stations in the UK use RDS. Along with the audio, small amounts of text and data are transmitted with the radio signal, and can be picked up and processed by RDS radios . Such radio receivers can display this information. The information commonly transmitted is: Station Name. Programme Type, Travel Information. Radio Text. Enhanced Other Networks - Alternative Frequency. Time and Date..
Turntable
Whether you've got stacks of records, or a few, a turntable is a must. Warmer and mellower than CD, vinyl is still the audiophile's medium of choice, make sure that the amplifier you buy has an Phono (turntable) input, a turntable will not work via a normal aux input If that is all you have you would need to buy a preamp.
Interconnects...they're such an important variable in determining the sound of your system said What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision magazine. Never sure I agree, they can be a way for retailers to make large profits, so dont go mad, buy good quality but not expensive.

Gold plated banana plugs and good quality speaker cable will make a difference to the performance of your speakers. Again dont go mad with spending loads of money.

Money saving hints and tips for buying in Ebay shops.

A lot of this will be common knowledge for the more experienced ebayer, but still,maybe worth a read!

I've found over recent months, buying items on ebay is getting increasingly more expensive.

However, there are still a lot of bargains to be had! Also, the following advise could further increase your chance of saving.
Obviously, rule number one is SHOP AROUND!

Firstly, look for sellers who accept the payment method you want to use... not everyone accepts paypal, and strangely, not everyone will let you pay cash

Baltic Amber

Caution must be used when bidding for Baltic Amber, as quite often it turns out to be Copal Amber, I have bought several lots from the US advertised as Baltic Amber, only to discover they are Copal, the sellers are usually on the offensive, and use the excuse that it must be Baltic Amber, as they have used the same suppliers for years.Even a novice amber buyer can perform some simple tests as outlined in other e bay amber guides, Baltic amber is much harder than Copal due to the vast age difference between them in some cases upwards of 40 million years, most true Baltic Amber is milky and pale under the crust. The warm
"amber" colour occurs first after it has been exposed to oxygen for
about a hundred years, jewelery producers can manipulate the Amber using heat and nitrogen to get the warm brown-reddish amber colour, which often also includes discs, called sunspangles, Copal Amber, is a much younger amber and still retains most of its oils, as a result Copal is much softer and more brittle, and does not polish up as well as Baltic does, and when heated smells like fresh resin, Baltic Amber has more of an incense smell (Borneo Amber has a much sweeter scent), Copal is usually transparent in a champagne colour, and can vary in age from a couple of thousand years to one million years.One final point regarding your Amber, it will not last forever, and over time will develop a thin crust due to oxygen ( Some Ambers from the Dominican Republic have crusts already after 10-20 years), It is possible to polish it, but in order to help abate the ageing process, your amber should be kept away from strong sunlight, and not be worn constantly, also it should be wrapped carefully away after use, I have some polished pieces in storage that have a light coating of linseed oil.

DVD Compatibility

Region Restrictions

When DVD's were first developed, the world was split into "Regions", this was due to rights issues, and because of the staggered releases of films worldwide.

The Regions are as follows -Region 1: USA, Canada, US TerritoriesRegion 2: Japan, Europe, South Africa, Middle East (including Egypt)Region 3: Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)Region 4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, CaribbeanRegion 5: Eastern Europe (Former USSR), Indian Subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, MongoliaRegion 6: ChinaRegion 7: ReservedRegion 8: Special International Venues (Planes, Ships etc)There are also Region Free DVD's which are sometimes called "Region 0"Some players can be modified via entering a code from the remote control, or others can be modified by 'chipping' the player to enable them to play DVD's from all Regions.PAL,NTSC and SECAM

Video on a DVD is stored in a digital format, but it is formatted for one of two incompatible televsion standards NTSC and PAL/SECAM.

This means that there are two different kinds of DVD's, those that are "NTSC" and those that are "PAL".

NTSC is the format used in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea and the Caribbean

PAL is the format used across most of Europe, parts of Africa, China, India, Australia, New Zealand and Israel

SECAM is used in France, and mostly countries with a French heritage.

Most players sold in PAL countries can play both kinds of discs, however, they may not be able to because of region restrictions.

For example, a European player (PAL, Region 2) will be able to play a Japanese disc (NTSC, Region 2), but not necessarily a US (NTSC, Region 1) disc.

These multi-standard (not multi-regional) players convert the NTSC Signal to a format known as 'pseudo-PAL', other players output pure NTSC pictures, and to watch these, you need a multi-standard TV (Most modern PAL TV's are).

Most NTSC players can't play PAL discs, A Japanese Region 2 player can't play a European Region 2 Disc, for example.

However, converters are available to carry out this task.

Pt 4 1998 More Old Country Roses Asian Backstamps

(Part4 of a five part series)

(Ebay's limit is 10 pics per guide)

so, as it was not possible to put all the relevant photos in PART 1,please read this section after Part1, How to buy Old Country Roses - Royal Albert

As you look at the various photos on this page, you will notice that most of the Asian backstamps look very similar to the English backstamps and so to the unwary eye, it is easy to make a mistake.

Most important of all is that whenever you do not see the word ENGLAND on a backstamp, you can be surethe itemis Asian and most likely INDONESIAN.

According to various sources, Royal Doulton announced on December 20, 2002 that all Old Country Roses production would be transferred to their joint factory , distribution and marketing venture with the Multifortuna Group in Indonesia.

This is not entirely accurate as there are backstamps for product made in China with a 2003 copyright marking which proves that some productionwas transferred to China. Whether the Chinese factory is part of the Multifortuna Group is not yet confirmed.The copyright years found on asian produced OCR are 1962, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004.

And of course, Royal Doulton was taken over by Waterford Wedgwood in January 2005. This is the sixth owner in the 44 years existance of Old Country Roses.

Particularly if you are looking for English produced OCR....make sure you check the backstamp carefully, many sellers do not think it important to mention the origin of manufacture in their description and so it is very often not in the description.

other guides in this series are:

Part 2/5 1973-1993 More Old Country Roses English Backstamps

Part 3/5 1993-2002 More Old Country Roses English Backstamps

Part 5/5 More Old Country Roses Factory Seconds Backstamps

Buying synths online..

There are a few things you should be aware of when buying second hand synthesizers on ebay, for that matter not only on ebay but through the free ads, whether its loot, sound on sound or the plethoror of others available. As you're probably aware many of the synths listed are quite old, some dating from the 60's or earlier. Enviromental conditions take their toll on the internal components of the equipment. Even if externally the synth looks great, chances are that there are problems inside(though this is not always the case). Unfortunately sellers don't usually supply photos of the inards of their instruments and quite often report to never having opened them.. not always true! Oxidisation or rust, degradation of circuit boards(the obreheim 8 suffers terribly from this. As the seperate layers of the pcb slowly seperate, voltage leaking occurs, whichmeans MALFUNCTION). Bodge jobs : bad resoldering, broken trace bypasses. I can't remember the number offuses I've seen replaced with wire/aluminium foil. The list goes on. Keyboard contacts wear and cause intermittant loss of control. Sliders, switches and rotaries become worn. As well as the older synths the newer still suffer from all sorts of problems, a direct result of mass production sometimes means cheaper, inferiorquality components are used. ic's (intergrated circuits) fail, transformers, regulators, capacitors are all prone to damage. So its important to remember that at least when buying from a retailer new you have cover through the warranty supplied by themselves and usually extended through the manufacturer themselves. A security you will not often have whenbuying through auction. So with all that can go wrong and all the risks are there any reasons why you should actually buy one? Of course, there's plenty of equipment up for grabs at the right price and many honest, informed sellers, somethimes there really are bargins to be had.Ok so to minimise the risks of buying a rotting, rusting pile of junk.. Theres always a risk.. make sure your maximun bid is sufficently low to allow for repairs if nessecary, but high enough to actually get the thing(ok, a bit obvious that one) look for actual photos of the equipment, not grabs from vintage synth, turnkey or some similar site, google image search is a good source for synth imagery... Study it carefully, if something looks amiss or not as decribed, ask the seller a question. Do your research, what inherent problems do the synths have, what price should they go for roughly, how much whould it cost to get them fixed. The usual trader guidelines as always apply, watch for ratings, and actually scan through the feedback, what have they been buying, selling etc. see ebays help pages Make sure the seller packs the gear properly, there's nothing more annoying that getting adamaged (once perfectly working) synth in the post. Plus you'll have to go through the insurance process which can be drawn out sometimes and means one of the 2 of you will be out of pocket for a while. Obviously make sure the post is insured. If when delievred the packageIS damaged,take photos and mark the posties signature sheet with 'DAMAGED' or similar. Refusal of delivery may also be an option, depends on who's delivering. Hope this helps a little, do your research and dont let the bidding fever take control of your better sense. Most of all ,enjoy the synth when it arrives.

Address Checker

This one is for the sellers. It is always worrying, both for you and your feedback reputation, sending a parcel to an unconfirmed address. If you are sending within the UK, go to the Royal Mail's website - www(dot)royalmail(dot)com. Click on Postcode checker / address finder. Sign up for free, and you can use this tool to enter the post code and verify the address. No more worries!See my Items for Sale

WARNING re fossils of chinese origin

Please DO NOT buy fossils of chinese origin on e-bay. While I have no doubt thata fewmay be genuine it is illegal for a chinese citizen to export a fossil. It is NOT illegal to export a fake good and most sold on e-bay are indeed fake.

I stupidly purchaseda scorpion in "genuine baltic amber" - This is obviously a fake!

Ebay really must stop these chinese sellers. The genuine sellers goods are being swamped by fraudulent sellersand it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the real thing.

Most of the UK based sellers are totally genuine and I strongly recommend that you purchase of them!

yours sincerely,

John

Using a reward Chart for potty training

USING A REWARD CHART FOR POTTY TRAINING.

It doesn't have to be hard work potty training your child. Begin potty
training when your child is ready, when YOU are ready and when you have
the time to be consistent and patient. You may find the warmer months
to be a good time to start potty training as your child will be wearing
less clothing and also consider holiday periods when you may have more
free time.

It may be a good idea to purchase a potty long before your child is
ready to potty train, so that when your child is ready, the potty is
not so alien to them. Also there are several childrens picture books
that you could also read to your child to introduce them to using a
potty.

OK, so your child is ready, you're ready and the time is right - great!

Your first main goal for potty training is to get your child to stay
dry during the day. Initially, at regular intervals during the day, ask
your child to sit on the potty. They don't need to stay on it for too
long, just for a few minutes. Each time they sit on the potty, and stay
sat for a reasonable amount of time (no more than a couple minutes)
reward them with a sticker on their chart. Use loads of praise, hugs
and kisses. Ask your child regularly if they need to go to the bathroom
and make sure you encourage them to tell you when they need to go. If
they ask to use the potty, even if they don't manage to go, to begin
with you could also reward them with a sticker.

Once your child is confident with sitting on the potty and regularly
asks to use the potty, you can then only reward them when they
successfully use the potty. Again give loads of praise and hugs, as
well as rewarding with a sticker. Now, you could also give them a
sticker to place on their potty or to stick on their jumper. Continue
rewarding with stickers until your child is confident with using the
potty.

PRAMAHOLICS! Anyone had as many as me??!?

I love all these mums saying theyve had too many prams once they've reached 17-20 in total!

I've had over 200 in the past 3 years now, which if you work it out is2-3 prams every week!!

I've had just about every make from Jive to Bugaboo!!

I'd love to know what people think is the best one. For me it had to be the Bugaboo. I've come to the conclusion that you don't always get what you pay for with prams and pushchairs. Look at the Mothercare Jive for example. Cheap as chips and just fantastic! I'd never be without one!

Then theres the Quinny Zapp and Buzz. Pure pounds and yet total rubbish!!

Anyone else wish Mutsy baskets were bigger and that they prvided you with a manual on how to drive the dam things!??!

Anyway the search goes on for the perfect pushchair. Not got long before the little one will be walking so gotta get it done quick!

Gem xxx

WHAT SHOULD I SELL? Popular items on eBay

WHAT SHOULD I SELL? Popular items and their sources...

There are various reasons that people start selling on ebay. Some people have a house full of stuff and are trying to make more room by selling off a few things they no longer need. Some have seen their friends having a great time buying and selling and want to join in. Some people start off with the idea that they will take advantage of this great business opportunity and start a new business, selling new stock, bought in specifically. But what to sell? The list is almost endless. People buy all sorts of things, from half empty packets of cigarettes to new yachts!

Depending on your own situation, and it would be silly of me to imagine that I could cover everyones situation in aguide like this one, you will have to read the following and decide which is the route for you. Despite the myriad things sold, there are only a few types of item sold on ebay. The types are very basic: Easily post-able, Not-so-easily post-able, and Collection only (The previous types come in NEW and USED varieties). Most items fall into these categories It doesnt matter what they actually are, its getting them to their buyer thats the issue! (Ebay have banned electronic delivery of non-physical items so postage or collection are your chioces.)

Choosing What Items to Sell.The first consideration, or biggest obstacle, when planning to sell an item on ebay is How much will it cost to get it to the buyer? Most items sold on ebay are sent by post, or by courier, to their destinations. If the cost of transportation (postage) is prohibitive, or more than the value of the item, then its usually a non-starter as a suitable item to sell on ebay. However, if the item can be shown to be worth collecting from your address (a concrete garden ornament or a vehicle for instance) and is reasonably portable, then even though you cannot post it, the item can be considered suitable, as you dont have to consider postage charges.

Another consideration is the profit to be made after the auction listing has been paid! If your item is only worth pennies, then it is hardly worth spending valuable time and money,spending around 25p on a listing when the item will be lucky to make 50p. If you want to make ebay worthwhile you have to aim at products that will reward the time and effort, not to mention the money, put in to selling those items.

Researching Your Planned ItemsIt is worth spending a fewminutes using the ebay search to check out your proposed items. If there are a good few entries and they are selling well (Look for number of bids) then it is likely that your item will also sell The trick then is to maximise your auctions appeal to get the best price. If there are hardly any items the same as yours and they sell well, there is an excellent opportunity of which you can take advantage. However, if there are very few on offer and they are not selling, leave it well alone Dont go thinking that the ten steps can sort out the lack of a market! As you go through your ebay life you will probably find yourself spending quite a bit of time researching what sells and what doesn't.

Other ItemsWorks of art, memorabilia and items that are intrinsically valuable are often worth listing because buyers will spend more than would normally be considered too much to have these items delivered.

Get rid of unwanted items.Even if you choose to specialise in a certain type of product, ebay is an excellent way of making profit from those items in your shed and in the attic that have been cluttering up your home for years. Just because you sell DVDs do not think that clearing the unwanted items from your house is below you, or that it would detract from your proper business. This is a potentially untapped resource that is just crying to become an entry in your profit column. In my trading times I have bought childrens toys from plate glass car dealers, videos from plant nurseries, and cherub wall pictures from the owner of Max-Gigabyte-PCs (Name changed).The wonderful thing about ebay is that it is a great leveller, and you must never lose sight of the fact that you can sell (almost) anything!

Buy stock in to sell?If you choose to, you can buy stock to sell on ebay from many sources. You will expect me to say wholesale warehouses and job lots off ebay. Of course they are the obvious ones, and you can get some excellent stock very cheaply that way. That is a great source for new items. Whilst that is one persons bread and butter it may turn another off. So where can you find a supply of stock, at reasonable prices, that will be suitable for tidying up and selling on ebay? There are many places, just be sure of your prices before you buy in too much stock at once. Its easy once you get the hang of it. For those who prefer to sell used items, the places we bought our stock from are as follows: Car-boot-sales, Jumble Sales, Antique Shops (Our first specific ebay buy-to-sell-on item was bought from an antique shop We made just over 500% profit). EBay is a great place to pick up things to sell (There are plenty of people who get no bids because their auctions look horrible! - Two lines of black on white, pictures from their mobile phone, and bad english to boot). Other sources include: techno-phobic friends and relatives, closing down sales, newspaper classified ads, supermarket notice boards, etc. The list is almost endless Wherever there are items going cheaply, or where there is a serious error in selling strategy, there is your ebay stock opportunity.

So what sells best...

If you look at the highest sellers and see what they're selling that's a good guide to what sells particularly well... Bear in mind also that there are two ways to make a fortune... Sell thousands of things with one pound proffit or sell a few things with thousands of pounds proffit! I can't tell you which way is 'best', just that both, and all points in-between, are viable options! It just depends on how many auctions or listings you like to have going at one time, and how much work you want to put into postage

Cables, Leads and Jack-plugs

There are akmost as many different cables and leadsoffered retail aa there are guitars, and they are equally as diverse, both in type and quality. So , how do you know if the one you are buying is a good one?

Electric guitar pick-ups, no matter how powerful, give a tiny electrical impulse, which has to be carried to your amplifier before it will make any sound. It is necessary then to consider the cable that carries your signal first. All guitar leads use screened cable - that is,lead which has a centre element surrounded by another webbed shield or screen, which usually forms the other part of the circuit.The length of your lead,differing quality of materials used, both in the metals used for thecabling , the webbed-screen and the insulationitself all contribute toward how much of the original signal gets to your amplifier.If you are unable to find any written description of materials to help your choice, a good rule of thumb is choose the most flexible, soft cable you can find.Soft insulation costs more, generally, than the stiffer kind, and if the manufacturerchooses good quality outer insulation, then the chances are the rest of the materials used will also be of similarquality. Some manufacturers of leadhave their name printed along the length of their own custom madecable, such as 'planet waves', and if they are that proud of their product, it usually means it is ofgood quality. Others offer life time guarantees, such as 'Whirlwind'. Guaranteed it may be , but to actually try to get the guarantee honoured, the lead usually has to be returned to the manufacturer by the claimant,and the cost of postage is usually more than the cost of a replacement anyway !

Length of cable is also an important consideration. Your lead should be no longer than you need, as extra length means more of your guitar signal is lost before it reachesyour amp. I usually find I can mange these days on 3m cables for live work, but if you are more mobile, a 5m may be necessary. Never buy too short a cable for your needs as it will result in embarrassing live experiences. I now make a point of looping my cable through my strap to allow some slack before plugging it into my guitar to avoid standing on it and unplugging it in the middle of a solo!

Jack plugs are also a consideration.take special note of the way the cable emerges from the back of the plug, and how good a strainer is included, as this isthe usual place which causes cable failure. For the most part, I try to avoid moulded plugs, as, by definition, you cannot mend them if they break! I also have had bad experiences with metal 'spring' type strainers, which look very pretty until they stretch, but in fact seem to do nothing at all to protect the lead itself.

If you are handy with a soldering iron, or even if not, it is worth spending time occasionally learning how to mend those cables which have let you down. Good quality plugs are readily and cheaplyavailable if required, but usually the fault is one of the leads, either the centre cable or the screen, has become uinsoldered. When resoldered, the lead is good as new, and saves the cost of replacement - although some modern cables are made not to be resoldered without specialequipment.

My experience of 'radio' guitar connections has not been good as I have not used one yetwhichproduces a consistent sound, and quality systems are just too expensive.

Avoid those spiral 'telephone' extending leads. They are usually of poor quality, always stretch alarmingly, and have really cheap moulded plugs which last about as long as it takes to get home..

Finally, if your lead is noisy when it moves on the floor whenplugged in, then replace it. You willspend hours trying to trace the fault, and then will need to shorten it accordingly to discard the broken part.

How to deal with COMPLAINTS

A short guide that may help you avoid problems and negatives..I will start with a rule: If a package arrives broken or damaged the buyer will 99/100 initially blame you and your packaging.Now this is mostly unfair as it is normally the "fault" of the carrier but the buyer knows you and your name and not the name of the bloke who threw a 11 kilo post sack on top of you parcel. Accept that your packaging always gets the blame and deal with it. It is best to always reply with a praise sandwich - you know good stuff - bad stuff - good stuff etc. Start by saying that you can appreciate how they feel and that you are sorry that the item was damaged.. Then explain that you packed the item well and that your feedback will demonstrate this. Maybe other similar items arrived ok that day/week. Gently remind them that once the item leaves your care then it is at the mercy of the carrier. End always by actively suggesting a way forward - it may be a claim with Royal Mail, it may be a replacement or a refund of sorts or it may be none of the above but lead the way to the next step. I would end with a "does that sound fair?" type ending - if you always leave them thinking they have the high ground you won't go too far wrong.If you buy something and it arrives broken then same thing kind of applies. Saying to a seller: "thanks for sending the book so quickly, unfortunately it arrived with no cover and the packaging was torn, is there anything that you can do?" is going to get a lot more results than " the book arrived in bits due to your poor wrapping..what are you going to do about it.."Try to speak in real language and do not default into so called "corporate speak" - ie "i write with reference to" - Ebay's advantage is that it is not the world of faceless corporations but real people speaking to real people so speak in emails as you would face to face. Be polite at all times, avoid any insult, try as best you can to turn the tables and imagine how you would feel if you were in their shoes (that is a cliche but really is helpful). If you get a negative don't immediately retaliate - if it is unfair then try and get them to withdraw it (this works well when new Ebayers use the feedback system to post a message that they should have sent by email - "item arrived broken"). Try and always rise above the situation and keep calm, give yourself the night to sleep on it if you get a rude and silly email. Good customer service is not taking it in the neck from all and sundry but being smart, keeping the perceived balance in favour of the customer, knowing your next move, steering transactions the way you want them to and - at times - swallowing pride and looking at the big picture. Rather than spend ages with a crazy who wants to argue, let them win, move on and spend the time making new customers. Always remember.. to know an Ebayer you have to walk a mile in their shoes. That way you will be a mile away from them and you will have their shoes (which you can sell).! Good luck and stay in the good zone.

tv aerial installations

hi this is a basic guide to installing a tv aerial

firstly decide were u want to mount the aerial if its a loft installation the centre of the loft is the best place avoide pointing the aerial through brick walls .if this is not possible the aerial will need to be mounted out side .always try to avoid trees .raising the hieght of the aerial will not increase signal strength unless u can clear the obstruction . sometimes a better reception can be obtained by moving the aerial to one side .or below the tree canopy .and always think saftey when working at hieghts you will only fall once if u do not feel safe working at hieghts call a proffesional .they will have all the saftey equipment and tools to carry out the installation. i would just like to add some infomation about the equipment you decideto use. it is recommended that a wide band aerial should be used as when the digital switch over takes place some channel will be moved out of band.this applies to all distribution amplifiers as well which will need to be of wide band type. coaxial cable should be of double screened type. please visit my web site for more infomation, www.tvaerialsnorfolk.co.uk

ebays rules on swapping and final value fees

is it me or do they make it up as they go along,i mean it used to be fine to swap a car on here,then they worked out they were loosing fvf,and got greedy,as they are today,it used to be customer first policy now its about lining thier pockets,and sending out pre written replys to all emails they recieve,it drives me absolutely mad to the extent i shut my account down before for over a year,and used the friday ad instead,this actually gave a much larger profit too!!here is an example for you of the losses to be had here,lol;EXAMPLE: 1)you list a childs teddy bear at 50p start and 50p postage. 2)you are charged around 20p to list if you have a gallery picture 35p 3)you will use your electric and phone line/broadband to ansswer questions 4) it sells last minute for 50p,you then get a 10-15p final value fee charged 5)if they pay via paypal you then have another fee on top of that to recieve payment! 6) so to sumarise you could have saved ;a walk to the post office or fuel cost to drive there about 15p in charges from ebay/paypal plus all your time listing and answering questions,just by putting it in the bin/charity shop/recycling centre box next time you were passing.With that i rest my case.hope this helps anyone,ive seen many adverts asking people to reply if they had a bad experience with ebay,so if you can relate,give me a vote!or you can always mail me of course if you feel stronly!

Postage Insurance - Are You Paying Extra For Nothing?

A quick note about postal insurance - the FACTS:

Many people charge extra for postal insurance, and many are happy to pay - but are you really covered???

1st

Safeguarding Members ID's is not a License to Shill Bid

Safeguarding Members ID's

Let me first say that I totally agree with eBay's new Safeguarding Members' IDs policy, because it stops fake second chance offers dead!

Sellers of high value items, like myself, suffer greatly from scammers sending out fake second chance offers to underbidders. The scammers had the underbidders' IDs from the items bid history, and could see just how much that person had bid. So it was pretty easy for them to send out a fake email which looked identical to eBay's own. Too many people have fallen foul of this, and enough of them, sellers and bidders alike, have complained about it that eBay have finally taken action.

This is a controversial decision which many think gives the seller greater scope for shill bidding. This simply isn't true.

In the new style bid history, there is a link to each bidders' bid history, showing their activity not just with the current seller, but with any seller. So if a seller is using a second account to push up the price, which is what shill bidding is all about, it will show. You can see how many times the bidder has bid on this seller's items, how many other sellers' items they have bid on, and other such information which was previously hard work to compile from the various searches available in Advanced Search.

In fact, a glance you can see the whole bidding activity of the bidder, and in far more detail than previously readily available. Coupled with eBay stopping private feedback, this actually reduces the scope for dodgy sellers to push prices up by shill bidding.

It has also been said by others that shill bidding is a "lesser" crime than fake second chance offers, as people who enter their maximum bid, and stick to it, can't be pushed higher by shill bidding. Where as with fake second chance offers, people have been ripped off for hundreds and even thousand of pounds. I'm not so sure I agree with this, but I do understand the sentiments.

So, with the bidder's identity hidden from general view, is it still possible to see if a seller is shill bidding, or getting a mate to regularly bid up their auctions? The answer is basically yes:

1) Using the link provided by eBay you can see how many different items and the number of sellers the bidder has bid on. If the bidder has only ever bid on one seller's auctions, but has bid on many different items, you can draw your own conclusion.

2) If a high value item is re-listed a good number of times, I would suspect the dodgy seller has "won" their own item in their efforts to push the price higher than genuine bidders are willing to pay. Remember there are a number of legitimate reasons why a seller has to re-list an item once or twice, so this isn't a hard and fast rule.

3) Common sense. Never underestimate your gut feeling.

Finally, not all sellers of 99p no reserve auctions are dodgy sellers; some of us use it as a sales pitch to generate more interest in our items :-)

Sean_CoolNess

BEWARE MAMA'S AND PAPA'S ZIKO

Ipurchased a mama's and papa's ziko in mushy peas in august 2006.

First appearance i thought wonderful pushchair light weight , stylish dont let this desive you.

within 4 weeks of having pram problems start, i put my 8month old baby son in pushchair to go for a walk and to my complete horror the whole pram collapse on my son.On close inspection relised that the bolt keeping the frame together has completely fallen out and the frame colasped.

I contacted mamas and papas head office to be told that i would have to drive to my local store for the manager to inspect and they could not comment on the phone, so i drove the 1/2hr journey to my local store to be told that yes this was a manafacuter fault but no i could not have a refund.

Instead im told that they have been sent replacement bolts for the store to fit and ensured that it would not happen again if does i would be initialed to a full refund.

So to my complete horror on the 4th december 2006 (yes today) i get the pushchair out of my car and guess what yes the pram has again collapsed.

So again i contacted head office to be told the same thing , so i travel again to my local store expecting my full refund .

When i get there, there is no refund i get told that they now have to send the pushchair to head office for them to inspect and apparently i may not get my refund and to put the icing on the cake they now tell me that it will not be back in time for christmas.

mamas and papas its all name no quality , beware before you buy!!!!!!!!!!!!

SAAB 9-3 Air Con Compressor Fitting Guide AC A/C aircon

Buy SAAB 93 A/C Compressors from 175.00 in our Ebay store. We have a vast selection of SAAB 93 Air Con Compressors, new, reconditioned and remanufactured.

Below is a fitting guide for your convenience - Please give us a positive vote if it proves useful.

When a failed SAAB 93 air conditioning compressor is replaced by a new 93 a/c compressor, it is so important to have the lubricant distributed evenly across the SAAB 9-3 air conditioning compressor and the SAAB 9-3 a/c system before engaging the system for the first time.

If this is overlooked and the SAAB 93 air con compressor is engaged immediately after is has been charged withrefrigerant, it may happen that all the oil in the SAAB 93 a/c compressor will be pushed out all at once while thereis no oil yet to enter the SAAB 93 air conditioning compressor on the other side. This is caused by the fact that it takes some time for the oil to spread across the system and mix with the refrigerant. Eventually the SAAB 93 ac compressormay be damaged because of a lack of lubrication during the first few minutes of operation.

This will of course be more problematic after the system has been flushed, this will mainly be thecase after the SAAB 93 air con compressor has suffered a catastrophic failure with metal particles from the SAAB 93 a/c compressor being spread across the entire system.

A rule of thumb guide when installing a new SAAB 93 air con compressor is to manually turn the 93 a/c compressor pulleyto make sure that the oil is distributed through the SAAB 93 air con compressor evenly. Experienced engineers willnormally turn the SAAB 93 ac compressor 1015 times to ensure that oil has been pushed around the system.

There is still more to do to prepare the SAAB 93 air con compressor, knowing and following the procedure will be ofgreat importance if a newly installed SAAB 93 air conditioning compressor should fail after a short period of time and within its warranty period. There is no bigger disappointment than having a warranty claim denied becausesomething as simple as the following procedure has been overlooked.

Generally new SAAB 93 a/c compressors are supplied charged with oil, but it is always recommended that youcheck this by draining the new SAAB 93 air con compressor to check the amount of oil in the SAAB 93 air conditioning compressor.

Then once you have removed the old SAAB 93 a/c compressor you should do the same again, empty the old SAAB 93 ac compressor of oil to see how much oil was in it and then fill the new SAAB 93 air con compressor with the same amount this is to avoid over charging the system with oil.

After this has been done and the SAAB 93 a/c compressor has been fitted, you do not engage the SAAB 93 air con compressor with the engine running until the following steps have been followed.

1, Open all air louvers at the dash board, 2, Start the engine and let it stabilise at idle speed 3, Set theblower at maximum speed, 4, Engage the SAAB 93 a/c system and operate it continuously for 2 minutes at below1500 rpm.

After the two minutes the SAAB 9-3 air con compressor oil will have distributed evenly throughout the SAAB 9-3 a/c system.

For all of your SAAB 9-3 Air Con Compressor Pumps and other SAAB Air Conditioning parts visit our Ebay Shop

Please click 'Yes' below so this guide can help others.

NIGERIAN SCAMMERS STILL AT IT!!!!

THEY JUST WONT GIVE IT UP WILL THEY!!!??

I HAVE BEEN SELLING ON EBAY FOR OVER A YEAR NOW BUT HAVE RECENTLY SPLIT FROM MY PARTNER SO HAVE OPENED A NEW ACCOUNT AND HAVE STARTED SELLING ON MY OWN....I WAS LOOKING ON HERE TO SEE WHAT SORT OF PRICE I WOULD GET FOR MY PHONE AND JUST HAPPENED TO NOTICE THE GUIDES ABOUT THE NIGERIAN SCAMMERS.

I decided to put my phone on here anyway, listed it in the normal way, and just sat back and waited to watch the bids cum in! Less than 15 minutes later i recived a message from a member claiming to be a doctor in the US saying that he was in west africa doing medical research, and was interested in the phone for his personal use,(thats a new one, normally they are for his son with 1 leg who was in the army!!!) he went on to offer me 260 pounds and sed he would pay it into my paypal account!!! "suprise, suprise" asking for my email address and name and saying he would pay it in immediatley, telling me that if the offer wasnt good enough, that he would make me a better one. I thought i would mail him back and i warned him that i am aware of the nigerian scammers and knew not to send the item untill the funds had cleared to my bank...i gave him my email address and told him that if he was genuine then he wouldnt have any problems doing that...well what do you know....i got no response!!!

It bugs me that they try and pick on ppl whom they think are newbies, it puts the real new members right off Ebay altoghether!!!. I would like to encourage new and old members alike to stand up to this, as Ebay themselves dont seem to care, i have now warned on my listing that just because my feedback say's 0...dosent mean that i am new, nor infact stupid!!! I am gonna give this members user ID so that n e 1 reading who is thinkin of selling thier phone will know he is infact a fraudster...CARNESURE is his user ID.

One last thing....it seems to me as tho these ppl are more interested in SONY ERICSSONS than any other model of phone at the moment and they are putting in ridiculasly high bids at the last minute...infact yesterday i watched one go for 2,220 pounds!!!! Just be very aware if you want to sell your phone!!!!

THANKS FOR READING MY FIRST GUIDE!!!!!

How to Spot a Fake Replica Rolex Watch?

How to Spot a Fake Replica Rolex Watch?

You can use a few approaches to identify a replica or fake Rolex, I list some methods below for your references. If you want to buy a genuine Rolex, you must ensure that the product you are getting is authenticate and not an elaborated copy.

Hologram Sticker: For a genuine Rolex you can notice a 3D hologram sticker on the caseback. For models after 2002, a Rolex crown can be viewed on the sticker, and it changes patterns when you see it from different angles. A replica usually has a sticker with Rolex printed on it, and it does not change color patterns when viewed from other angles.

Clear Caseback: A replica Rolex often has a clear caseback. You can easily identify it as a counterfeit, since the only clear caseback Rolex watches were non-production vintage ones in the 1930s. Some fake Rolex watches have opaque casebacks, but have engravings. Almost all genuine Rolex watches have an engraving-free smooth caseback(Exceptions are some ladies models before 1990s).

Tiny Crystal Crown: Only recently(after 2002), Rolex has introduced a tiny crown logo, etched onto the crystal at the area around the six o'clock direction. It is best seen with a magnifying device. Please note, this feature may not be applicable to all Rolex watches.

Too many feedback's,I can't read find all the neg/nuets

When we joined ebay some sellers had so many feedbacks, it took ages to sort through them to find the negs and neuts, when we wanted to purchase something. We ended up not bothering to look for them, and yes you guessed it, we wish we had bothered, so hears you quick guide on how to find them quickly.

Firstly go onto the chosen sellers/buyers feedback, on the right hand side will be a drop down box, which consists of "last month", "last 6 months", "last 12 months". We usually choose the last 12 months, so we get a good look at all the feedback negs and neuts for the year. When you have decided how long you want to go back and view, hit the "go" button.

Now you will see on the left hand side of the feedback sections of Positives, Negatives, Neutrals, AND withdrawn feedback. Press on your desired choice, and there they all are.

Every neg, and response from the buyer seller can be viewed, all together. The same with neutrals etc....

So you will be able to see quite quickly if someone is not good at shipping for example, or most buyers have stated they are fake goods, or copies etc.

Many new people to ebay don't know this system is present, so don't get stung in future, check out your sellers and buyers.

Enjoy your buying and selling on ebay, it's all great if you take care.

Jewellery

When buying a piece of jewellery, you need to read what is written and point out key areas and key facts, if these are missing then they are areas to pick up on and to question the seller about.

The carat in gold will be; 9, 14, 18... etc/ The higher the better. There is also carat for the sizes, the weight of diamonds, and again the higher the better. The size of a diamond and the amount of pure gold in the ring or piece of jewelleryhas the big impact on its price and its quality and in terms of gold- its strength.

Belowis in terms of gold crt(carats)

9ct gold contains 37.5% pure gold (375 parts per thousand parts).

14ct gold contains 58.5% pre gold (585 parts per thousand parts).

18ct gold contains 75% pure gold (750 parts per thousand parts).

The rest of the jellewerys metal with be made with a combination of alloys.

2. The weight of the item. This is used wen refering to bracelets, and chains- mainly for men, it is an indecation of how heavy the jewellery is in ounces or grams. For a bracelet, for a man an ounce (33g) may be a good weight, and will be more expensive than 13g of gold or bracelet. The weight tells you how big and chunky and less delicate the item will be. High weight and low price can indicate that you need to look into why the item is cheap or not selling, one reason is plating.

3. Plating is where a base metal is used and then another more precious metal like gold is plated/ placed ontop, so it looks solid but is infact not all gold. This is great for expensive looking jewellery at cheaper prices, but will not be as strong or everlasting, plating can mean that after wear and tear the top layers rub off and the less precious metal is revealed.

4.Items may look expensive and chunky, and the weight may be missing, so question the weight or ask if it is hollow. Sometimes bracelet links are made to be hollow, the shape made out of gold or silver or whatever in what looks likea solid form, but this hollow link of metal will easily dent and will weigh alot less than solid links.

5. Hallmarks and stamps are used by the makers as a mark. This can be used to identify the item more closely.

For 9ct gold the stamp will normally be either the number 375, 9ct, 9kt or 9K.

For 14ct gold the stamp will normally be either the number 417, 14ct, 14kt or 14K.

For 18ct gold the stamp will normally be either the number 750, 18ct, 18kt or 18K.

6. When buying you need to know also the length or size, to know if it will fit that particular body part you want to add the jewellery to. Sometimes jewelers for a fee can make items bigger or smaller, in watches or bracelets, links can be removed and rings can be made smaller, so either get the exact size or something bigger- it is easier to take than add, although with rings, making the ring smaller can move or displace the clasps, diamonds or any design on the ring. Try to get measurements from the sellers and go to the jewellers or try tomeasure yourself the part of the body you are decorating. Takinga ring or piece of jewellery that fits perfectly to measure is usually a good idea.

7. The colour of the metal and the price. Rose, white and yellow gold should all be hallmarked, but the mark does not indecate the colour, so if not photographed, ask the colour. Silver and stainless steel will be the same as white gold, however white gold is usually more grey and denser looking. Rhodium metal is expensive and many white gold items will be rhodium plated, this plating of expensive metals with other expensive metals is to preserve. Titanium and platinum are also other jewellery metals. With titanium used mainly in body piercing jellewery with stainless steel.

8. Another thing to think about is that if buying for others, some people are allergic to some particular metals, gold and more expensive purer metals are better than nickle based cheap jewellery.

SUMMARY--

Think about price, value for money, the purity, the weight, how impressive on the eye, the metals used, how solid and strong and long lasting the item will be and you will be able to quicky and sufficiently bag a bargain.

Want more for your money- ask for your money, how much you getting in carats, ounces, precious metal, and is it hollow or plated. ALSO will it fit, suit and be suitable!!!

Happy bidding.

Building a DVD Collection

So you want to build a DVD collection? Where do you begin? How do you manage it?

How do I build a DVD collection? Here is a very useful hint don't buy just new releases. Start buying titles that you may already have on VHS, these titles will generally be older films that are now quite cheap to buy on DVD. Studios are continually releasing their back catalogues onto DVD, with many now releasing movies onto DVD only! Another useful hint is not to buy a movie on the day of release unless you are absolutely desperate for it or it is being offered at fantastic 1st day only price.

Once you have started this process why not sell your VHS collection - this will give you more money to spend on DVDs. Note that when selling videos it may be more wise to either sell them individually on ebay or at a carboot as trade-in place such as Blockbusters may only offer you 0.20 each if they take them at all.

When buying make sure that you shop around, prices for a film can vary as much as 8 for a new release and more for older titles. Ebay is a great place to buy from, however check the other internet shops (play.com/amazon.co.uk/sendit.com etc) as well. When buying from an Ebayer make sure that you check their feed back and read the description carefully, a good guide to read isthis one on fake DVDs .

Fairly quickly your collection will go from just a handful of titles to 100 or so, so how do you manage it? There are a few ways you can manage it, you could write them in a pad, use 'word' to just list them, use 'excel' to catalogue them with other information or you could use a specific piece of software to manage them.

I started off by using 'excel' but as my collection grew this became harder and harder to manage, so I downloaded a piece of software called DVD Profiler (dvdprofiler.com). This software is free for the full version (with adverts, but can be upgraded to advert free version for a small one off price).

All you need to do is type in the barcode of the DVD title and it will download lots and lots of information on the film as well as the covers. The software allows you to manage who you have lent movies to, create reports/lists so you know what you have and also provides a useful web based backup service should you computer ever crash.

adam4985d0kr sells fake tops

This seller supports every club going. If you enquire about Arsenal tops he's an arsenal fan and If you enquire about Tottenham tops he supports spurs. He has mates who work for nike,adidas etc. More like he buys them from asia and gets them drop shipped. Also most of the teams shirts he sells haven't even been launched yetHe is one of many who sells fake tops and surely ebay no about this and about the hundreds of sellers who do sell similar items. Do they do anything NO, and thats because it makes them a nice profit aswell.

GarageSale: best listing tool for Mac OS X / Macintosh

If you're a Mac user, you'll probably know by now that Turbo Lister, eBay's bulk listing tool, is not for you. How frustrating is that? And if you think eBay is hard at work creating a Mac version of Turbo Lister, you're more likely to win the Lottery before that happens.

Here's what eBay says about Mac users on its Tools Finder page:

"The vast majority of eBay users are PC users and so eBay tools and off eBay tools tend to reflect that. At present that means that Mac users will not be able to download Turbo Lister as it is not compatible with Mac systems. We therefore recommend that you consider our suite of online tools, Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro."

Well, that's clear enough. But, here's the thing: Selling Manager and Selling Manager Pro are not alternatives to Turbo Lister. It's like comparing apples with pears, but understandable because it's in eBay's commercial interests to offer its own products to the Mac community. What eBay doesn't offer is an independent third-party product that works like Turbo Lister. There is one that works beautifully in Mac OS X, and it's called GarageSale.

Straight off, let me say I don't have any business interests with the creators of GarageSale. I'm recommending it to Mac users because I'm a long-time Mac user who eventually chanced on the product, tried the free demo, liked it (loved it!), bought the licence, and now use it for all my online and offline eBay listings whether it's 1 or 100 items at a time.

GarageSale is fully compatible with eBay.co.uk, works in GBP (), is fully integrated with iPhoto, has a scheduler, an abundance of design templates, an HTML editor . . . and much, much more. The developers, based in Germany, are active in releasing free updates, and in responding to users' queries posted on the GarageSale forum. It's an evolving product, and the developers keep it up-to-date with the ever-changing developments at eBay. Once you've used it, you'll never go back to using the oh-so-slow-and-tedious eBay listing pages.

Here's the sales pitch for GarageSale from the developer's website:

"Are you sick and tired of creating auctions using eBay's slow web site? Have you been waiting patiently for a quality, affordable listing utility for the Mac OS for years? Here comes your deliverance: Ladies and Gentlemen, we're pleased to announce the arrival of GarageSale. (Your auction experience is about to change for the better...)

"GarageSale is a slick, full-featured client application for the eBay online auction system. With GarageSale Mac OS X users can finally compose eye-catching auctions quickly using an intuitive Mac-like interface. (And in the fraction of the time it would take to do it on eBay's web interface.) Not only this, but GarageSale also integrates perfectly with iPhoto, offers WYSIWYG text editing and comes with over 50 free design templates.

"GarageSale is now Intel-ready! You can now run GarageSale natively on your new Intel-Mac, tapping into the power and speed of the Intel Duo Core processor."

TRY IT OUT

Links are not allowed outside of eBay, so you will need to copy and paste these, remembering to insert www. at the front:

The developers' website, where you can download GarageSale (demo and full versions), and take a product tour:
iwascoding.com/GarageSale/

The online GarageSale manual:
iwascoding.com/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page

COSTS

You can buy the GarageSale licence:

At the developers' website (US $29.99 / approximately 15.50) see link above.
Through the developers' Buy-It-Now listing on eBay ( US $43.39 / approximately 22.16) run a search for "GarageSale".

High Positive Feedback But Still a SCAM

Scammers are sadly a common problem on eBay.Recently there has been a new wave of more clever scammers.A bold statement i know, however, true never the less.Im sure your wondering, "what makes them so clever?"Well, it seems that these scammers are buying into high feedback accounts in the hope to gain trust of the buyer, ultimately resulting in loss of payment.These accounts are being sold for large sums of money, accounts with a heatlhy number of positive feedback, which are then being used to scam.There was once a time where a user with high positive feedback rating, was one that could be easily trusted, but with the age of bulk selling, power selling and massive foriegn importers, building up a high feedback is easy thus resulting in the sale of thier account [knowing full well building up another account would not be troublesome for them]You're probably wondering now, "this is a guide, so where is the guidance?"To spot this new age scam, it is wise to check the users recent feedback, noting down thier feedback rating would not suffice, instead view their last 5-10 feedback left, try to spot a pattern with the dates recieved.Many of the high volume sellers will have recieved thier feedback one soon after the other. Therefore if you notice a gap from their last positive feedback to the date of the listing your interested in [in some cases upto 3months without feedback, then suddenly, a top of the range mobile phone listed at an unbeatable price] then that user had most likely bought into this account thus a scam.Now im sure this guide would not appeal to those honest ebay users that simply dont sell every day of every month, as im pretty much branding them as scammers, but please use your initiative.If the item for sale is too good to be true, and they have high feedback, CHECK IT, see if the is a gap between, what looks like alot of feedback, and the time of listing. If the gap is large, then beware.Good luck and happy eBay'ingCheck out my other guides, they might help you.

Scammed for 550 Pounds on e bay! dont be fooled!

hi, i was scammed for this auction - "Asus W2c Laptop/Notebook (DVD/RW, 2GHZ, Centrino More (8799088417)"for the value of a total of 550 pounds, e bay confirmed the auction as i asked them prior to bidding and paying, 2 days after paying e bay tells me that it might be unsafe! i lost my money and didnt get the laptop i bid for! the seller insisted on a bank transfer, which i did, as i didnt use paypal, e bay will not cover me for 550 pounds, i think this is very unfair, e bay should not allow payment methjods for which they do not offer some form of full cover, after all, e bay makes a LOT of money! i have been on e bay for a long time and have a feedback of 69 as of now, i am checking my legal standing at the moment to take the necesary action to recover my hard earned cash. all i want is my money back or my laptop that i bid for! 2/3 other buyers were also scammed for 700 pounds! i go as sanj_g on e bay, if anyone has been scammed by this seller, please contact me via e bay. I AM DISSAPPOINTED WITH THE E BAY SUPPORT - I SAW A SIMILAR LISTING RECENTLY, I AM WONDERING IF THIS SCAMMER KEEPS STEALING ACCOUNTS OR CREATING NEW ACCOUNTS AND IS STILL SCAMMING ON E BAY! BE WARNED!

Buying genuine Disney DVDs

I have been on ebay for over four years now and I am sick to death with the amount of fake Disney DVDs that are on ebay. I only sell 100% genuine Disney DVDs. If you are buying a Disney DVD, please bare the following in mind:

if the seller says that it is an import, it means that it is a fake.
if the seller says 'email me if you are not sure what I am selling', he means that it is a fake.
if the seller says that it is Region 0/will play on any DVD player, it is a fake.
if it does not have the Mickey Mouse hologram on the back or the spine, it is a fake.

I would estimate that about 80% - 90% of Disney DVDs on ebay are fake. I am a father and collect Disney DVDs for my young son so I am in the same boat as most of the ebayers that buy Disney DVDs which is why I have taken the time to write this guide.

If you are going to buy a Disney DVD, please make sure that:

it is Region 2.
it has the Mickey Mouse hologram on the back or the spine of the DVD case.
it has the green triangle with a 'U' inside it, on the front cover (normally in the bottom left hand corner).

Finally, check the seller's feedback. This is not a guarentee of buying a geniune Disney DVD as I have seen plenty of sellers that have good feedback despite selling fake DVDs. However, it may highlight some questionable sellers.

All the best.

Dax

Buying Guide: Real Leather Sofas

Adding a real leather sofa and chairs to your living room can bring great style, if you choose carefully.

Real LeatherDo you want a sofa made from real cow leather?

If you do, then take care to read eBay offers, otherwise you could make an expensive mistake. There are plenty sofas and chairs for sale on eBay which may appear to be real leather, but are described as: like leather, leather style or faux-leather. These chairs are not made from real cow leather at all, but often from cheap PVC.

To find sofas and chair made from real leather, use search terms such as real leather or black real leather sofa, but still read the offers very carefully, because some sellers will have the words like: real leather, in their titles to try and mislead the eBay search engine.

Look for known brands such as Lazy Dog or others that you know.

What Size?Identifying what you like can be fairly simple.

Check the measurements quoted in the offer. If the offer doesnt show the width, depth or height of the chair, then send a query to the seller for more details.

When you have the measurements to hand, you can check the space in your living room to make sure they will fit.

Just as important, is deciding whether a large two or three seater sofa will fit through the living room door, or round awkward corners. The last thing you will want, is furniture stuck round a corner or finding it is impossible to put the sofas where you want.

Shipment

Tempur Alternative

Its easy to buy a cheap Tempur stylemattress on eBay no matter how much you pay for it! Surelythe art is to buy a quality Tempur stylemattress at a cheap price, what are the odds of that happening??? (Please check our feedback to find the answer).

I receive several emails a day asking me what the difference isbetween a genuine Tempur

UK guide - Postage Charges - When is it excessive?

Sometimes when you're bidding on an item, you think to yourself...
Are you paying too much?

There are several things to consider when looking at postage and packing (or shipping and handling) costs.

If you're buying an item, the P

Auctions getting cancelled because the Word CASH in des

Just a quick note to say DONT mention the word CASH in your description, title or payment instructions because it will get cancelled by e-bay??? why you ask?. e-bay say its because "Sellers may not solicit buyers to mail cash". Utter nonsense yes ok its not safe to send cash but if you send CASH by recorded or special delivery then its safe! I listed my items but i put cash accepted because i sell a lot of cars and expensive car items so people like to collect and pay cash, but e-bay never contacted me and gave me a chance to explain my WORDING they just cancelled all my auctions and now i have to do them all again. Perhaps e-bay should concentrate on running paypal properly instead of worrying about petty matters thats where the big problems lye.

Dye Sublimation Printing and what it is all about

Dye Sublimation and what it is

I have writen this guide to try and help people understand better the process known as Dye sublimation.

It is basically speaking a process where a solid turns to a gas without the transition of liquid.

When printed onto Sublimation paper, Sublimation ink allows for very high quality printing using a heat press, substrates that are polymer based or coated or polyester material.

Given the correct amount of heat, pressure and time you will be left with beautifully printed items, that dont fade or wash out.

Ie, when pressing a mug which has been polymer coated you can run your finger over the image and you wont be able to feel it, this is because the ink has turned to gas when heated, the pores of the polymer coating have open and the gas fills the pores, when cooled the pores close trapping the image behind it, hence it becomes part of the coating.

I get asked all the time about sublimation paper (I sell it), can I use normal ink on this paper to produce heat transfers. NO !!, you need to use Sublimation inks , Artanium UV inks designed for sublimation printing, normal dye inks will not work.

When printing to items that are not polymer coated or polyester based the results will be far lower than that of ones that are.

IE: if you print onto a 50/50 poly/cotton mix shirt the result will be one of very faded poor quality print, you should use a polyester micro weave cotton shirt designed for sublimation printing for great results.

The short of it all is a simple (ish) process which consists5 stages.

Print transfer (using sublimation ink and paper)

Cut transfer

Heat tape tanfser to substrate (mug etc)

place in heat press for desired time (mugs 180c for approx 3-3.5 mins)

remove item and transfer

What you should be left with is a beautiful item with crisp images and bright colours.

I know this guide probably dosent cover everything but it really designed to help all those who dont know what Dye Sublimation is.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this guide and if you have any questions or comment please contact me and I will do my utmost to answer them or include any imformation given in this guide.

Regards

The MoneyMan

Beware Of Fake Jade

A Brief Introduction To Spotting Fake Jade

Firstly it is important to realise that with Jade, even if you are in a shop and touching it, is very difficult to tell the genuine from the fake. Some cheap resins can almost perfectly imitate Jade and even feel cool to the touch.

Obviously buying Jade online is a risky business especially if it is being shipped from China. Ebay has excellent anti-fraud procedures in place but realistically cannot cater for all eventualities.

Another difficulty may arise because the word Jade, in China, not only refers to Nephrite and Jadeite, (which we tend to think of as true Jade), but also to Green Serpentine and Soapstone. These can look similar to and closely resemble Jade. Even if you receive a certificate of authenticity from an overseas Jade supplier and you can prove the item to be Soapstone the supplier may well have the law on their side if Soapstone is commonly referred to as Jade in that country.

Additional names to bear in mind which may cause confusion would be - Korean Jade referring to Serpentine, (Bowenite).- Transvaal Jade referring to Green Hydrogrossular Garnet.- Oregon Jade referring to green Chalcedony.- Indian Jade referring to Aventurine.- Amazon Jade" referring to Amazonite which can be turquoise or green feldspar.- Mexican Jade referring to green (dyed) Calcite.

There are others so be careful.

In addition actual Jade, (the real stuff ok?), varies greatly in quality. It's beyond the scope of this article but the actual buying of true Jade in Burma is a fascinating, (at least to me), and risky business for dealers. Low quality Jade can be stained to make it look more valuable.

Real Jade Is Not Cheap.

There are tests that can be done but common sense tells us that it is virtually impossible to test an object until you receive it and by then a dodgy dealer will have disappeard anyway. What are the tests? Well, one is a density test the other is a hardness test. Both are difficult for the untrained without the correct apparatus to perform.

The scratching, (hardness) test is the one usually performed. If Nephrite jade is scratched very hard with a steel object it can leave a mark in the softer stones. Jade is hard and will pass this test easily. Try to use a rounded steel and do not dig into the surface. You can see even this test requires a certain amount of expertise and a "feel" for Jade. Both types of true Jade, (Jadeite and Nephrite), are hard stones that do not chip easily.

Jadeite is the more rare and therefore the most expensive. It is mainly found in Burma with a few deposits in Guatemala and a few other areas. It occurs in many colours including green, white, yellow, black, red and even lavender. There are moree colours. Translucent emarald green Jadeite which is evenly coloured is called Imperial Jade.

Nephrite does not have as many colours as Jadeite. THe green hues are often more subdued than in Jadeite. It is also not as hard as Jadeite. Because of this it is not possible to finish a piece to such a high polish.

This is just a brief introduction to Jade. Be careful. If you like a piece of "Jade" and it is reasonably priced then buy it for what it is. If you are spending a lot of money then find yourself someone who knows about Jade and how to source the real thing.

Good Jade Hunting.

Ade

Hacked / Fake sized Mp4 Players

Its Christmas 2006 and you are thinking what to buy for your loved ones, and what better to buy than something electrical and new...you could buy an Mp3 player, but they are old hat now, however you could buy one of the new Mp4 Players which not only displays sound, but movies and pictures too!! Sounds great doesnt it...and you wouldnt be wrong. They are an amazing present, however a word of warning to you...

On ebay hundreds of these are being sold every day, some are great, however some are not all that they seem. Hacked Mp4 players are sold on ebay all the time and whats worse getting positive feedback as people do not realise what these are.

Hacked (or sometimes refered to as fake) Mp4 players are basically a scam. They are sold as 4Gb players, but sometimes they only holdas much as 1Gb or less really. A tell tale sign is if the instructions say NOT to format the disc, this is because it shows the true size of the player.

A common problem is with the lookalike ipod nano (not the real ipods, they are fine) I bought one of these from Hong Kong and recieved 2Gb not 4Gb and no way to resolve this and huge disappointment. However I did only pay 30.00, so at this even a 2Gb one is good I suppose.

If you buy one my advise is to look at the samsung processor number and google it to make sure what you have recieved is the real thing that you paid for, and if there is a problem query it.

Also DO NOT leave feedback until you have checked this, if you do you have next to no way of getting your money back.

AND MOST OF ALL DO NOT PAY BY ANY MEANS OTHER THAN PAYPAL. Its the safest and securest way and you can claim your money back through it even if your seller is a pain.

On a side note, those saying this guideis not helpful are probably those selling hacked Mp4 players!

Having said all this, most Mp4 players sold on ebaydo not have this problem and soebay is a great place to shop for Chrismas.

But please do your research and check your sellers feedback thoughrouly, this wayyou will have no problems or disappointmentswhat so ever.

Lifan LF125 - 30

Just thought I would pop a quick review up on these as I have just brought one, it goes well, Rev Counter is a little tempramental, as is the gear display !! but hey its cheap what do you expect !!! as far as ridability goes, its a reasonable machine accelerates well, is relatively quick for a big heavy bike. If you want something that looks the business then your not going to go far wrong, this is the sort of bike that looks and sounds like a big bike but is only a 125 so learner leagal. Aprilla's go faster and look better but also cost 4 times as much !!!! All I can say is if your starting on a budget and once something thats ok then you probably wont go far wrong. I will post more thoughts the longer I own it !!!!

Had it 4 months now, everything still works well, i have done 2,000kms on it and it hasnt missed a beat, I have to keep tightening the chain, dont know if thats normal or not !! i have put it through a few knocks, and had to replace a few bits of fairing, they are readily available and easy to order over the net through Llexeter. All in all I am happy with the way the bike is performing.

not got good news after 11 months the engine has blown and i am have a real struggle with the company i got the bike from, they claim an engine going is not covered by a warrenty ???

wwe tickets

i am disgusted that there are sellers out there selling wwe raw/smackdown tickets here on ebay way above the face value having recently bought wwe raw tickets for earls court london on the 23/04/2007 and thats block 1 row a the best there is that only cost me 133.60 and you people are selling them for over 300 i think you guys are rip offs so if people are thinking about buying from these money grabbers think again and for those selling them if you are not going DONT BUY TICKETS!!!!!! give other people a chance who can afford it andnot pay those STUPID PRICES that they cant... just another thought u PAY for these tickets now but you wont receive them until up to 10 days before the show...also people who have children who really want to see the WWE SHOW like my son for instance can only AFFORD THE FACE VALUE not 3xtimes the amount

Your Mobile Phone's IMEI Number

What is an IMEI number?IMEI number or International Mobile Equipment Identity is the unique serial number of every GSM or UMTS mobile phone. The IMEI number is used by networks/service providers to identify valid phones and block stolen or blacklisted phones from accessing the network. The IMEI number of a mobile phone can also be used to retrieve the unique unlock code for that phone. An IMEI number is either 15 or 17 digits long.How do you find your mobile phone's IMEI number?

Method 1: It is usually found printed on the phone underneath the battery

Method 2:

Switch on your phone with or without any SIM cardType *#06# on your mobile phoneYour mobile phone will automatically display a 15 or 17 digit number. This number is your mobile phone's IMEI NumberHow do you check to see if an IMEI number is correct?

You can use this website to check the validity of IMEI numbers: http://www.numberingplans.com/?page=analysis

High Alert- The Western Union Scam - Look Now Be Aware!

The Western Union Scam This scam is becoming one of the most common scams used by scammers and very closely resembles the Romanian Laptop Scam already found on this site. Essentially, a Western Union scam is any scam that takes place using the Western Union method of payment. Most commonly, there is a situation where a buyer pays for something via Western Union, and then never receives what was paid for; or the buyer pays for an item via Western Union, and then receives an item of a value far lower than what was actually paid for. For Example: Buyer pays for a brand new laptop valued at 1000. Buyer never receives laptop. Buyer pays for a brand new laptop valued at 1000. Buyer receives an old, used, 100 laptop. ScamsOnEbay.com has nothing against the Western Union service, it is just not supposed to be used for online purchases from unknown sellers. If you visit the Western Union website, it clearly states Western Union is NOT to be used for sending money to people you don't know. The Scam Itself: Please note this scam takes a various number of forms for a wide variety of items. Just because it does not match exactly your transaction or potential transaction, does not mean it is not the same scam. In other words, avoid any scams the resembling the following MO (situation). Buyer finds an item at a price far lower that what would actually be paid for that item. The buyer either finds this item on an ebay auction, or on a website, or most commonly, they are contacted by another ebayer after placing a bid on similar items. In such a situation the buyer usually receives an email with the following format: I am a such and such (respectable ebay seller, owner of a small company, wholesaler, etc.) I noticed you bid on a some item on ebay (this can be anything from a laptop, to a keyboard, to a guitar, to Disney World tickets... Basically it can be anything priced over 10) I can sell you said item, for a price far lower than retail (or any price lower than what you would normally pay). Note: some sellers do ask the retail price for the item, so just because they are asking retail price, does not mean they are not a crook. It is just more common for them to offer a lower price, because they can attract more potential victims. I can only accept money via Western Union money transfer, however I can provide you with a shipment tracking number to ensure you, that I have sent your item. (This is just a way to may victims feel safe before sending their money; the tracking number is usually fake, yet it appears to be real.) Note: Sometimes thieves do provide real tracking numbers and may even be willing to "ship" your item before they get their money. In such scenarios the thief is likely sending an empty box, or an item worth far less than what was paid for (IE a 1.00 brass chain instead of a 1000.00 24K gold necklace). Buyer shows interest in the item, thinks the deal is too good to pass up, and asks for more information on how to complete the transaction. The scammer knows the victim is already interested because they were already bidding on similar items on ebay. The seller tells the buyer to send the money via Western Union, the seller then asks for the Western Union MTCN # or the money transfer number (this is basically a number that gives the thief access the money). Once the thief has the MTCN or money transfer number, he/she can pick up the money at any Western Union worldwide and disappear. The buyer has paid, but the item that was paid for will never be sent. Further Information About Western Union In case you haven't understood the meaning behind this article, allow me to spell it out for you.
WHEN BUYING ONLINE NEVER PAY WITH WESTERN UNION! THAT MEANS NEVER NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Why PayPal is not as secure as you may think

Or at least PayPal would like you to bieleve.

Introduction

Firstly, if I refer to we or us in this article, I am meaning me... It is a habbit I cannot seem to break.. I am a Person not a faceless organization, if you email me, I will not make the reply seem computer generated, I will try and make is as personal as possible.Secondly, I am not writing this to try and make you feel that PayPal is unsafe, PayPal provides a service for ebay users and I respect that. I have written this guide specifically for those who still think that they are 100% safe when using paypal to pay online. I as a High volume seller have chosen not to accept PayPal for online payments for many reasons MAINLY because PayPal have an attitude that they are doing sellers a favour by allowing them to be a customer NOT TOMENTION THE LUDICROUS FEES!I write this specifically for the few people who will buy something from me without actually reading the payment methods supported in my listings then expecting that I cancel their order simply because they do not trustmy companybecause I will not accept PayPal. Just to notemy company does not accept PayPal becauseI feel although it is fine for the low volume seller who uses ebay now and again,me as a High volume powerseller find it makes more economical sense to use our own facility provided by Halifax Bank of Scotland. It is also so much more reliable.

Truly Taken in By PayPal

PayPal like to gain new customers by leadingthem to bieleve that it is not safe to use a credit card online other than by actually USING YOUR CREDIT CARD ONLINE to load money into paypal and then letting them transfer that money to someone else.thus they make money from doing so!!!

ALSO They claim that you can pay a merchant without actually letting that merchant ever see your credit card details. TRUST ME, If a seller has a Merchant account provided by a BANK, They have a legal and moral obligation to protect those customers and their details. Should they fail to do so, the bank that provides the merchant account would swiftly take action. And that does not just mean limiting the account.

You cannot be scammed if you pay using PayPal....!

This is Incorrect! PayPal make no GUARANTEES. Read there terms of service! Here is one way that the PayPal security centremaynot help you! You pay a seller for an item, That seller has setup a Direct debit with paypal and added a credit card so paypal consider that person to be honest and reliable and will let them withdraw unlimited funds...

The seller waits for the direct debit and card verification to all be confirmed and thencancels the direct debit with the bank andtells bank they have lost their credit card. The money you paid them, they have received it and immediately have withdrawn it cleaning out their PayPal account.. They have now gone off on a6 week break to Sunny Spain or Brazilwith yours and everyone elses money and also FORGOT to post out your items. YOU THINK YOU ARE PROTECTED? YOU PAID USING PAYPAL, THE SELLER HAS NOT GOT A CHANCE!!! OF COURSE THIS WOULD BE TRUE IF PAYPAL HAD ACCESS TO THEIR BANK ACCOUNT OR CREDIT CARD, You just tell paypal you did not get the item and they wull charge back the money Surely.. OR WILL THEY?

Open a dispute with PayPal, The seller refuses to respond, so PayPaltries to charge their credit card and take money from their bank togive youback your money! Remember Direct Debit Cancelled, Credit Card Stopped so PayPal cannot get the money from the seller who is now sipping Sangria out of a long cold glass... PayPal already told you they accept no liability or make no guarantees in their user agreement when you joined up..This is what they will probably tell youUnfortunately the seller withdrew the money from their paypal account and you need to take legal action against the seller, BASICALLY they are sayingthe seller has ripped you off and it is nottheir problem.

AND YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE 100%SAFE USING PAYPAL?? I am not saying paypal is unsafe and you should not use it, I am just pointing out that they are not 100% guaranteed to recover your money if you have problems.

NOW SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GOT RIPPED OFF BY A MERCHANT ACCOUNT HOLDER THE SAME WAY!

You pay a Seller who has a Merchant services account for an item that you do not receive. it has been a few weeks and no sign of the item, you try contacting the merchant and no reply so you telephone your Card issuer.. The Credit card companies do not mess about! They do not rely on Cards added to accounts etc. If they cannot recover the money from the merchant, they will pay you out of their own pockets just to keep you happy and feel good about using their card service.... The merchant knows this and certainly makes his Card payment system a hell of a lot more secure and reliable than PayPal. OF COURSE IT IS IN HIS INTEREST TO DO SO.ALSO the seller has to agree that they will honour all customer orders before the bank will even consider providing a merchant facility..He gets a cheaper method of processing credit and debit cards For example send him 500 using a debit card, it costs him 25p to receive it. or 1.8% if you paid using a credit card. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND IS GOING TO FIRSTLY GO TO THE TROUBLE OF GETTING A MERCHANT ACCOUNT THEN MESS IT UP FOR A FEW QUID??

PLEASE ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT TO OBTAIN A PAYPAL ACCOUNT, ANYONE CAN JUST SIGN UP.Anyone as Anyone or Anyones former ex-flat mate....In fact, dishonest people can easily setup with PayPal. (I accept this is no fault of Paypal and is due to the nature of the Internet but it is a fact)TRY GETTING A MERCHANT ACCOUNT FROM A BANK! They run Credit Checks, ID verification, They require Business Plans and More You would not go to all that trouble just to rip people off.. Not to mention the Police knocking down your door if you did. And we are Talking Fraud Squad. How could you possibly say that you only trust PayPal. Yes fair enough if you are talking about PayPal compared to AlertPay or StormPay etc then yes use PayPal. Personally, When I look on ebay to buy nowdays, I will only ever buy using my Barclaycard.and from a seller who has their own merchant services account Simply because I know what I know being a merchant account holder myself. What I am trying to sayto youis, Remember that PayPal want you to think that they are the only secure way to send money over the internet, They make big money from doing so of course they do, that is their business!!BUT REMEMBER THIS, They willnever lose out so never rely on their security centre to get your money back if the seller has done a runner with it...

How does it work. De we see your card details?

I Myself Personally uses a service called Protx you may have heard of Protx or the likes or WorldPay etc/theyactually communicate with the banks computers in real timeto authorize payments online.A simply payment authorization gateway, Exactly the same sort of thing that PayPalor ebay uses to chargeyour card.Protx is like an online version of those machines you enter your PIN into at Tesco.. Protx is a Virtual Terminal and nothing else, When you make payment online using the Protx form, your card number is kept absolutely private and secure at all times, You enter your card number into Protx form and then that information is sent to our Merchant account issuing (the Acquiring Bank) Halifax Bank of Scotland who then communicates with your card issuer to either Authorize or Decline the Transaction. it is that simple. We never actually see your Card number, Expiry date etc and it is not stored by us, All we get it confirmation of the payment.

We do accept Paymentsover the Phoneand have also been provided with theappropriate (MOTO) Mail order Telephone ordermerchant number by Halifax Bank of Scotland, Howwe process Telephone ordersis simple, you call and ask to pay for an ebay item,I login toour personal terminal and ask for your name, Address and postcode.I then ask what card you are using, the card number and the other relevant details. As you tellme these, I am typing them directly into the Protx terminal. NOT WRITING THEM DOWN ON PAPER. I then send the details to the bank for authorization and they dissapear from my screen. WE NEVER STORE YOUR CARD DETAILS AND PUT YOUR SECURITY AT RISK! And my memory is not that good. I Personally have a STRONG Bielief that I must treat other peoples credit card details as I would expect my own to be treated. ALSO I AM HAPPY TO HAVE A MERCHANT ACCOUNT NOT HAVING TO RELY ON THE LIKES OF PAYPAL! Firstly it is cheaper for me and secondly I feel that the Halifax Bank of Scotland is actually doing me a favour providing me a service YET their attitude towards me is that I am a Valued customer, They offer outstanding customer support and service. It is a shame PayPal are a bit Mixed up on that front......

To Sum it up

Paying me using your credit or debit card is SAFE, SECURE and you can be rest assured that you willnever get ripped off!I do not speak for all merchants but can assure you that if they are bassed in the UK or USA, the chance of being ripped offare very slim.If after reading this, you are still a die hard PayPal only user, I would say, Sorry but I cannot help you and would politely guide you towards buying from another ebay seller.All I will say is, Just wait until paypalfreeze your account and give you the headache of having to fax pointless information to them and if you sell also not being able to accept payments from your customers for a week or too. Oh how I love PayPal and they way they carry on ;-D

I truly hope this information was useful and if you still have concerns and need assurances, call me using the telephone number on my about me page or listing you are looking at..