Ramblings of an e-trader

eBay New Unpaid Item Message from OsJop2331: #20706516412 - Response required!

2009-11-05T09:09:00.000+08:00

I received a phishing attempt via email this morning. The phisher even marked the email as High Priority but luckily, it was filtered to my Spam Mail. Even if it lands in my Inbox, it is easy to spot the phishing mail.

Like all such phishing emails, this one did not address me by name. In addition, if you noticed, most of these emails are composed using Cryllic font; probably they came from Russia or something. I don't really know how to check.

Another point to note is that all the links that are enclosed in these emails redirect us to another website, not the authentic one. So never click on them. If you would like to check your account for messages or alerts, access the website directly from your web browser by typing in the address yourself. Using FireFox, when accessing authentic websites of eBay and PayPal, for example, you will be able to see a green bar at the address bar.

The thing that is most obvious about this email about an Unpaid item is that I didn't make any purchase on eBay lately.

Proton & Perodua Xchange Programmes Ending Soon

2009-11-05T08:56:00.000+08:00

I got to know from a friend that Proton's Xchange Programme will end this Friday, 6th Nov, 209, while Perodua's Xchange Programme will end on 15th Nov, 2009. I personally feel that these Xchange Programmes as good to participate in as long as your current car has a resale value of less than RM5,000 since the rebate is RM5,000 only.

This friend is forced to purchase a new car because of the new auto policy which aims to take cars above 15 years old off the road, seemingly for safety reasons. My friend's car may be old by is still road worth. Still, it's time to change a new car and the cheapest option is to participate in this program.

Even so, my friend says that he is going to strip his car off all auto accessories that he has installed through the years and plan to install them on his spanking new Proton, when the car is delivered. I understand that it could take as long as two months to receive the rebate voucher. It may even take longer now when people realize that the programmes are coming to an end!

PayPal Extends Protection To Online Buyers

2009-11-04T22:10:00.001+08:00

PayPal has made a good move to extend protection to buyers of other online stores, besides eBay. However, this is a limited protection which only covers purchases that were not received. Other protections that are offered to eBay buyers like goods received that are not as described, goods that are damaged in transit or incomplete goods, are not covered.

When a dispute is raised for goods not received, the same way that a claim is made by eBay buyers, it is up to the Seller, in this case the online store, to show proof of posting, delivery and receipt. If there is no concrete proof, it's highly likely that PayPal upholds the Buyer's claims and initiate a full refund including shipping, packaging and/or handling from Seller's PayPal account.

Even if there are no funds in Seller's PayPal account, PayPal has the right to access funds from Seller's bank account that is linked to PayPal.

Maxis iPhone 3G

2009-11-04T12:22:00.000+08:00

My friend, Terrence, told me that he would like to take up the iPhone 3G offer by Maxis but he has to subscribe to a new plan unless he is willing to pay a lot more for an unlocked phone.

I told him not to do that because it's not worth it. True, the iPhone is like a status symbol now here in Malaysia but then why would he need yet another phone when his Nokia E71 is working perfectly and he is already subscribed to another mobile plan? It's fine if he is a new mobile user, or if he would like to change to a Maxis mobile plan, or even if his mobile phone is out of order but as it is, it is just a waste of good money and that's what i told him.

Besides, as an iPhone owner, I can say that the iPhone isn't really a work tool. Granted, it's fancy, but you can't really WORK with it. I do more work with my Nokia E61i. Yeah, it's old but to me, it's better than the iPhone.

Inability To Bad Rate Buyers

2009-11-03T15:43:00.000+08:00

Lelong has disabled the function to leave buyers a bad rating due to abuse by sellers. According to Lelong, many a buyer, especially new ones, left Lelong after being left a bad rating. Well, it's not known if the bad ratings were justified but as a new Lelong member and made my share of mistakes back then, I could certainly understand that some of these people get miffed just because of one or two bad ratings.

Lelong mentions that they have to, time and again, persuade these affected buyers to reconsider Lelong as a good alternative to shop online and to give it a second try but to no avail. Due to this outflow of new members, sellers suffer, the community suffers and certainly, Lelong cannot afford that to happen.

Lelong does concede that there are truly bad apples in newbies and if you have the bad luck to encounter one, you are requested to report the member to Lelong via email at feedback@lelong.com.my and in Lelong's own words, they will decide if such member is "bad only to you or to the whole Lelong community." Hhmm isn't that too subjective?

Sports Jerseys For Kids

2009-11-02T01:09:00.001+08:00

I am in the midst of compiling my Christmas gift list. You may think that it's a little too early but I like to allow ample time to pick up my gifts. Although I love shopping, I hate the holiday crowd. I would rather avoid that than save some money shopping during holiday sales when stores are packed like sardines.

I have already decided on the gifts for my immediate family members. The problematic part is coming up with appropriate gifts for my close friend and her children, especially the boys. I tell myself that it's because I don't have children that I can't tell what they like although for girls, it's a lot easier. I just think of the gifts that I would have loved receiving when I was a kid myself.

For the boys, I am thinking of NFL Jerseys. Yes, AGAIN. What to do when these boys are sports-mad? They love ALL sports but especially NFL! I particularly love the idea that these NFL jerseys could double up as pajamas for the kids too and they certainly look comfortable enough. I bet the kids would love a new set of jerseys of their favorite teams, despite already receiving something similar last Christmas. They wouldn’t mind, would they?

*** This post brought to you by NFLUniformSet.com

Linking Malaysian Bank Account To PayPal

2009-11-02T00:45:00.000+08:00

I have linked my HSBC (Malaysia) bank account to my PayPal account last week but have yet to initiate a transfer. I will only do that later this week. Although I have various savings bank accounts for different purposes, my HSBC (Malaysia) bank is my least use account with very little money inside.

I certainly do not feel comfortable linking my primary or even secondary bank account to PayPal and give access to my funds to PayPal. And since I already have a rarely used bank account, it wouldn't make sense to open yet another savings account specifically for PayPal.

Linking a bank account to PayPal is a pain free process. However, I did make a call to HSBC first for the Swift Code to make doubly sure that the one provided by PayPal is correct. Like I mentioned before, the one given for CIMB was wrong and until today, has yet to be corrected.

Since we do not have to verify our bank account in any way, I still cannot decide if I should just withdraw at least MYR400 to avoid paying MYR3 service fee, or just make a nominal withdrawal to test that the funds could be cleared in spite of the sequence of my name. If funds are returned, I would then have paid MYR3 for the service fee plus MYR15 returning fee. Hmmm what should I do?

Closing the Accounting Year

2009-11-02T00:20:00.000+08:00

My friend, Steve, told me that with the closing of the accounting year looming, he is feeling the pressure of collecting debt from a few companies that have failed to settle their bills for work that Steve's company had done for them. I can certainly understand why Steve is angry. It doesn't matter the amount owed, large or small. When work is done, we expect payment and according to Steve, these companies have made no effort whatsoever to try to make payment; even if it's by installment.

Steve said that he's contemplating engaging a Debt Collection agency to help him recover his dues. He said that he needs professional help in managing his accounts receivables since the way that he has been handling them has not worked well so far but he wanted to have my opinion if it was a good idea bringing in a third party to recover the money as he was afraid that it would strain relations.

I said that if Steve does engage a professional debt collector, it would free up his resources and manpower. Collecting debt is really time consuming and it makes business sense to let people who are in the business of debt collection handle it. Debtors shouldn’t be angry. It’s their fault, after all.

*** This post brought to you by American Profit Recovery

VS Secret Reward Card

2009-11-01T23:55:00.000+08:00

Victoria's Secret is running an interesting promotion throughout the month of November. Trust them to come up with something exciting at this time of the year.

From what I see from their brochure mailed to me earlier this evening, shoppers who shop Victoria's Secret by phone or online throughout the month of November, 2009, will qualify for a Secret Reward Card that could be worth $10, $50, $100 or even $500! A $500 Victoria's Secret gift card is certainly what I would like to have!

According to Victoria's Secret, this Secret Reward Card is redeemable from 1st to 24th December, 2009 in stores, online or by phone. Card has no value until 12:01 a.m ET on 1st December, 2009. The Card's value will be revealed at time of checkout. Don't you just hate surprises like these??

For Young NFL Fans

2009-11-01T23:43:00.001+08:00

A former colleague, Alice, whom I still keep in touch with, asked me if I could help her come up with a unique gift for the son of our boss, now my former boss. I don't really know the boy well, since I left the company when he was still a toddler, but have learned that he is a huge NFL fan. Like father, like son, I guess.

I told Alice that buying a gift for the boy has got to be the easiest task since we all know that he would appreciate anything that has to do with NFL! Depending on budget, Alice could buy a set of NFL uniform for kids, which could also function as pajamas, without the helmet and shoulder pads, of course. You know how there are some kids who love their gifts so much they go to bed with them? NFL uniforms would be great in this case!

Or perhaps Alice could pool resources with a couple of colleagues and buy more expensive NFL Merchandise for his bedroom. The NFL fan locker seems to be a hot gift and what great news it is to see that it's currently on sale at only $59.99 each. The normal price for this is $129.99. What huge savings!

*** This post brought to you by NFLUniformSet.com

Will Banks Absorb The Credit/Charge Card Service Fee?

2009-11-01T23:25:00.001+08:00

Although policies in a budget are supposedly just proposals, in Malaysia, it's like they are already set in stone, so credit and charge card holders are already prepared to pay service fee this coming 1st January, 2010. Service fee on credit and charge card is not something new as it was imposed on 1997, but abolished in 2001 but will now be implemented again to "promote prudent spending." Isn't this a load of crap?

Many of my friends who hold multiple credit cards have told me that this new service fee will force them to cancel some of their cards. I do agree that it's excessive to own too many cards since most of us will only use a couple of them regularly.

That's why I think that it makes more sense to impose a service fee on only the second or third card onwards. I think we should have the first principal and the first supplementary card free. After all, most of us aren't even paying any annual fee on our cards!

Do you think issuing banks and other credit card issuers will absorb the service fee? It makes business sense as they will then be able to keep their card holders and even expand their user base.

Rediscovering Television

2009-11-01T23:17:00.000+08:00

I have to admit that it was a long time since I turned on the television. I am subscribed to cable TV too but I pay $50 per month for nothing because I don't even watch any of the programs. This doesn't mean that I don't have any home entertainment. I guess I spend so much time online that I just don't have time for TV anymore, so much so that even when the TV broke down, I didn't miss it at all.

My internet service was down for a few days last week and because of that, I passed time watching TV shows. It was a refreshing change but with all the "new" shows and even newer actors, I felt a little lost. When I was in school I was on top of all the celebrity news and gossips!

I love watching foreign dramas and spent a lot of time watching a Spanish speaking drama which I do not understand if not for the English subtitles. Hispanic people are exceptionally good looking, don't you think so? I am a little embarrassed that even at my age, I am curious enough about these Hispanic Actors to look for more information on them online. Hehe!

I remember when I was schooling, I would buy lots of magazines, especially those with my favorite celebrities on the cover. Thanks to the internet, I don't do that anymore and saved lots of money!

*** This post brought to you by EXO Limited

Another Round of Maxis IPO

2009-11-01T23:09:00.000+08:00

Maxis, which will be relisted on KLSE on 19th November, 2009 after taken private in 2007, is open for IPO application until 5th November. I have applied for one lot using the blue form, which qualifies me for restricted balloting. Most Maxis users that I know only qualify for blue forms. I understand that Green Forms are for Maxis One Club members, Maxis customers whose bill exceeds RM1000 monthly.

Like I said, I have applied and most of my friends who are Maxis subscribers have too, or are going to. The thing is, RM5.20 per share is on the high side already especially in such a share market condition, which reduces upside potential.

I asked a friend, who is in risk management, if Maxis IPO is worth applying for, and he said it is, provided one does not need to sell early. He said that Maxis share is at market value and if he were to buy stocks, he would rather buy counters that are undervalued. On the other hand, he said that at a projected dividend of 75%, the yield would be even better than Fixed Deposit.

By the way, this friend, whom I consult all the time regarding financial matters, will not be applying for Maxis IPO. He isn't a Maxis customer. So, if you are offered a chance to apply for Maxis IPO using the blue or green form, are you applying or are you passing up the chance?

Freedom of Religion

2009-11-01T22:53:00.000+08:00

My friend, Andrew, who has recently been appointed as a home cell leader in his church community, has invited me to attend a home cell meeting at his home this coming Friday. I am not surprised that Andrew is now a home cell leader because he has always been very committed to church work. At first, I thought that he would even enroll in a Theology course but Andrew said that it's not necessary for home cell leaders to have Theology Degrees.

In any case, I told Andrew that I don't have the time. In actual fact, I am not interested even when he told me that it's like a party with food, music and dance. Andrew knows that I am a Taoist and yet he keeps inviting me, I guess he feels that I need to be "saved." Even though I have rejected Andrew so many times, he continues to mention his home cell meetings each time we bump into each other.

Andrew also invited an elderly couple, who are my neighbors. This couple eventually embraced Christianity. It's fine with them since they were freethinkers. It’s good to see that they are a lot happier now, and more sociable with weekly outings with fellow church mates.

*** This post brought to you by ILIFF

Corporate Gift Giving

2009-11-01T22:15:00.001+08:00

My friends, who are in the business of corporate gifts, told me that this is a very busy time for them. Yeah, moving towards the holiday season where corporations are busy with annual dinners, raffles and bonuses to reward their staff and clients, this is the time spend and spend. Wouldn't it be great to get a slice of those corporate expenses?

A friend based in Japan told me that it's office culture to buy expensive gifts for staff and even among colleagues. Handmade stuff will never do. Branded merchandise is the way to go. This is probably part of Asian 'disease' called 'face' which has to be cured with cash, loads of it.

My friend said that she personally hates it but when in Japan, she has to do like the Japanese do. It busts her budget every time there is a gift-giving (or cash-giving) occasion, be it a birthday, promotion or even death. But think of how much money one could make if one was in the gift-giving business in Japan. It's a multi-billion dollar industry, from what I read!

Star Gazing In Hong Kong

2009-11-01T21:58:00.000+08:00

My friend, Dan, has just returned from a holiday in Hong Kong with his wife. Dan told me that while touring Hong Kong on foot, they bumped into a shooting of a drama which stars Kevin Cheng and Yoyo Mung. Dan doesn't know all these Hong Kong celebrities but his wife does and told Dan that these are currently big household names not only in Hong Kong but across Cantonese speaking communities around the world.

Dan wasted no time in taking photos of the shooting. I was surprised that Dan as able to get so close to the set. I thought that with these big stars around, the place would be flooded with fans and there would be some kind of Crowd Control measures taken.

However, Dan said that Hong Kong is just a small country and filming like that are normal occurrences that local people are already used to. Dan also said that the fact that fans could get up close with celebrities allow the stars to create a rapport with them and hence, another opportunity to build an even larger fan base. This in turn drives the popularity of the drama and ratings for the show, which all translate to profit for everyone.

It’s too bad that I am not able to enclose some of Dan’s photos in this post. They are not mine, after all.

*** This post brought to you by Lavi.com

Gift Voucher Tops Gifting List Again

2009-11-01T21:52:00.000+08:00

Gift vouchers are topping the gift giving list again, especially among women, or from men who are lazy to crack their head thinking what to buy for their girlfriends or wives.

I kind of like the idea of receiving gift vouchers, especially if they are from my favourite stores. Gift vouchers allow me the freedom to buy whatever I want, for free. Hahaha!

But on the other hand, if I were the gift giver, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving gift vouchers as gifts. It makes me seem like I'm not putting care and thought in picking the gifts, which I try to pick different gifts for different individuals, though it takes a lot of time.

Yet, there are certain friends I know who would certainly like receiving gift vouchers no matter what occasion it is and these friends, I definitely will get them gift vouchers. It saves me so much time and sometimes, money too. LOL

Small Sized Homes

2009-11-01T21:39:00.000+08:00

I have been checking out real estate in the capital city lately because this is actually a good time to purchase property with the soft market due to the weak economy and the interest rate for home loan is at a low point right now. But at this point, even with the cheaper property prices, I realize that I could only afford either a low cost house or a small apartment unit.

My parents' home, although old, is very spacious and I have a large bedroom to myself. Living in a small apartment would take some adjustment. I don't mind so much but if I were to share it with one or two people, it would feel quite suffocating. After all, the size that I could afford right now is only five times the size of my bedroom!

I also realize that if I were to set up a house, I would not be able to save money by taking some furniture at home along. They certainly wouldn't fit. I would need to get some furniture custom made and since these would not be standard size, I would also need custom made sheets and even custom made Decorative Throw Pillows.

Of course I could take out a larger home loan to be able to afford a larger home but I am not keen to be in a long term debt. Sigh, at this rate, it will take me another five to ten years of savings before I could consider buying a larger home.

*** This post brought to you by Custom Cushions

eBay Diamond Ring Designer Tool

2009-10-29T21:25:00.000+08:00

With the launch of eBay's latest tool, the online diamond ring designer, which is still in Beta, it looks like eBay is growing further and further away from its roots, an online garage-like auction marketplace where ordinary folks like you and I gather stuff around the house that we no longer have use for and sell them to someone who wants what we are selling and not willing to pay the price for a brand new item.

eBay used to be a platform where ordinary folks could earn decent pocket money selling used items but with it's new site at http://diamonds.ebay.com/, it looks like eBay is getting more and more high class. It's changing into a totally commercial marketplace where merchants sell their wares, fashion designers and celebrities sell their high end clothes, shoes and bags.

With the new diamond ring designer tool, eBay shoppers can now design their very own diamond ring by selecting from a range of diamond shapes and settings. I find this an innovative idea but somehow it seems to me pretty out of place designing a diamond ring off the eBay website. Well, maybe it's just me but despite all these new features on eBay, it still has the boot sale image.

Employer's Market

2009-10-29T01:00:00.000+08:00

It's times like these that make me thankful that I am no longer in the employment market. A lot of friends tell me that it is so tough to look for a job these days that it is not surprising to know of people who are jobless for months on end. An engineer friend is out of job for the eighth month and he is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with his new "status" or the lack of it.

My sister who works in Tennessee tells me that a former colleague is so desperate for a job that she is even seeking philadelphia job search opportunities and not worry if she would have to relocated to another state if she managed to secure a job out of state.

Well, it’s an employer’s market right now and there’s nothing much that we could do except to go with the flow. Things will surely look up soon enough.

5¢ Listings With eBay Giving Works

2009-10-29T00:47:00.000+08:00

This holiday season, eBay is encouraging its sellers to give to charity by charging sellers only 5¢ per listing for auction-style and fixed price listings. This offer starts now until 15th November, 2009, me thinks this period is a little odd, and to be eligible for 5¢ listings, sellers have to donate a part of their sale to any charitable organization listed on eBay Giving Works, for as little as $1 only.

As with all promotions like these, this one comes with eBay's usual set of rules. Check with eBay at this link http://pages.ebay.com/promo/givingworks09/ to see which categories are excluded from this promotion. Whether this would be worth participating in would depend on the goods that sellers are selling but eBay will really be pushing eBay Giving Works out there and encouraging buyers to support eBay sellers this holiday season.

Senior Friendly Home

2009-10-29T00:12:00.000+08:00

I visited my elderly neighbor at a senior citizens' home which is just down the street last evening. It has been quite a few months since this lady became a resident of the home. It was after an unfortunate fall that her family decided to place her there. It would be safer for her too since there would not be anyone around to care for her during the day when everyone is out schooling or working.

This is a premier senior citizens' home in the city and the monthly rates are a little more expensive than others but my neighbor opted for this home because it's nearby and would be convenient for the family to visit her. In fact, they are able to do it every evening and on weekends.

I've never really visited a private senior citizens' home before. This home is very well equipped to care for the elderly. They have walk in tubs, non-slip mats, railings around the house, walkers and even wheel chairs.

The naive would think that the children are not doing their duty to the parent if they decided to place the parent in a home like this but in some cases it really is better for the elderly to be cared for in a home that is more conducive for them.

Cashing In On Holiday Sales, NOT

2009-10-28T21:49:00.000+08:00

Online shoppers are already getting online looking for bargains to fulfill their Christmas shopping and gift list. I am on both sides of the retail spectrum, as a shopper and as a retailer.

Unfortunately, this year, due to some personal issue that is taking up ALL my time, I am unable to prepare my store for the season. I am unable to cash in on holiday sales and make extra money. SIGH, what to do? In my business, I only earn when I am working. Boy, don't I just long for MORE residual income!

This doesn't mean that my Store will be closed for Christmas. It will still be business as usual except that I did not replenish stocks in my store, haven't done so for a long time. Sometimes, I wish I have an open door concept where people could just walk in, pick what they want and pay for their purchases.

Christmas Gift-Giving Ideas

2009-10-28T14:36:00.000+08:00

My sister, Kelly, was chatting with me earlier this morning asking for help with compiling her Christmas gift list. Working with a group of ladies with children, Kelly is always pressured into getting gifts for the children for all sorts of occasions from birthday to Thanksgiving to Halloween to Christmas and New Year. At first, it was not so difficult but as the years go by, Kelly keeps trying not to repeat her gifts and that's when her ideas run dry!

I told Kelly to try to buy something that is useful to the kids. While their mothers may like something impractical to place around the house or shopping vouchers, kids usually prefer something they could use like t-shirts, shoes, baseball gloves, books, music CDs, DVDs or video games.

Still, even with my suggestions, Kelly says it is going to be difficult to get something that the kids truly like because she doesn't know them that well. That's probably why the Chinese are super practical people who would give cash for every occasion. Yes, even for Christmas!

One thing to keep in mind when buying a gift is that it’s not the monetary value of the gift that matters but the thought that has been put into selecting it.

*** This post brought to you by Kid Sports Inc.

Withdraw PayPal Funds To Malaysian Banks NOW

2009-10-28T13:06:00.004+08:00

Finally, since the updated policy which says that Malaysians can withdraw PayPal funds directly to their local bank accounts beginning 14th October, 2009, we now have the ability to link our bank account to PayPal today.

The fees are what we all want to know, after all, from US$5 per transaction to our VISA credit or debit card which was changed to RM20 per transaction, we were losing MORE money.

Now, we have the information and it's free withdrawal to Malaysian banks if the amount is above RM400. If it's below, it's just RM3 per withdrawal. Withdrawal limit to a VISA credit card is US$500 per day but it's not stated if there is any if we were to withdraw to our bank account.

Is it cheaper to withdraw to our local Malaysian bank? That would depend on what currency exchange rate we get for USD to MYR. HHmmm One thing though, it would be quite tricky inputting our names into the field provided. LOL

ETA: I noticed that some of the MEPS bank routing codes provided in the pop-up window are incorrect. The most obvious one is for CIMB Bank Berhad. It is CIBBMYKL.