Murillo's Marketplace

Google Desktop discontinued - here's my workaround

2012-02-22T11:09:00.003-06:00

I have two versions of the Google Desktop setup.exe file. I found that my gadgets are still on my computer under username>my documents>my google gadgets. Install the GDT, then go to username>my documents>my google gadgets and double click on the gadget you wish to add. It may open up on the desktop instead of the sidebar. If so, just drag over or change the setting to 'dock to sidebar'. Fixed. Now I have my Google Desktop, my gadgets and my search box back. YAY! email nano856 at gmail dot com and I will send you the file you need. I have GoogleDesktopSetup09062010 and GoogleDesktopSetup 12092011. The install comes with a few gadgets. I also have the Calendar gadget and the Docs gadget I will send.

Prior article I read: was "10 Reasons Why Google Desktop Will Be Discontinued"
Check out their full blog here.

.

Happy New Year, Welcome to 2012!

2011-12-31T23:57:00.000-06:00

To our wonderful family, friends and customers...*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆★☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ☆ Here comes the BIG HAPPY NEW YEARS WAVE! that jumps from status to status ☆ .•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ So a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you! and hopefully I will hear from you all safe and sound in 2012!☆•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.☆ Have a prosperous new year and enjoy and know I am thinking of you! ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ♥ You've been WAVED! and thought of so now cut, paste and WAVE at someone else!♥☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆♥ Pass the WAVE on ♥ ♥ ♥

The New Amazon Kindles are here!

2011-11-13T10:42:00.002-06:00

Heads up for Holiday Ebay sellers!

2011-10-09T21:43:00.000-05:00

Skip always has great worthwhile information for online sellers. Check out the following incentive from Ebay for Holiday sales!

From Skip McGrath's Website:

4. eBay To Discount Fees to Encourage More Free Shipping for The Holidays

Get 20% off your Final Value Fees for free expedited shipping with 1-day handling! This holiday season, eBay will give sellers a special reward for providing the services that keep buyers on eBay for all their holiday shopping—right up to the very last day.

Starting on Thanksgiving Day and running through December 25th, most sellers will get 20% off of their Final Value Fees when they offer a free expedited shipping service with 1-day handling. If you're an eBay Top-rated seller, that's an extra 20% off on top of the discount you already get! However, the Final Value Fee promotion does not apply to sellers with a Below Standard rating.

eBay will also give priority placement in Best Match to those sellers who offer premium services.

Best Match, is eBay's default sort order It already factors in shipping costs to provide better placement to Fixed Price listings with free shipping. This season, qualified sellers will get even better placement in Best Match algorithm for Fixed Price listings that offer any one of the holiday services eBay encourages you to use.

Free shipping

Expedited shipping service with 1-day handling

A 14-day or longer return policy. You get an incremental boost for each of the three services you offer so for maximum advantage, offer all three.

Check out Skip McGrath 's Giveaway!

2011-10-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

3. Holiday Giveaways – How You Can Win An Amazon Gift Card

It's time to get geared up for holiday selling, and what better way to get in the holiday mood than the chance to win some Amazon gift cards! Online Selling Coach is hosting a fantastic giveaway. We hope you will join and take advantage of our training, but for this contest you don't even have to be a member to participate or win.

In anticipation of the busy holiday season, and to celebrate our sixth month online, we are giving away $450 in Amazon gift cards! One lucky winner will receive a $250 gift card, and four (4) winners will receive $50 gift cards.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on the blog post at Online Selling Coach. (The blog reply window is at the very bottom of the page. Don't forget to leave a contact email in your comment so we can email you if you are the winner).

For extra entries and a better chance of winning, do any of the following:

Post a link to this giveaway on:

Your own blog

A group or forum

Twitter

Your Facebook page

A Facebook group's wall

Bulk email your friends in your email address book

Be sure to leave a comment for each entry you make, telling us how you spread the word. We will place an extra entry in your name for each time you do so. For example, if you first post on the OSC Blog, then in twitter and a forum and on Facebook, that would give you 4 entries –4 chances to win.

The giveaway will run through October 31st and winners will be announced on Wednesday November 2nd. Good luck! Remember just post at www.OnlineSellingCoach.com - and scroll to the bottom of the page to post.

If you have any questions about Online Selling Coach you can also post them there and we will try and answer all who do.

2011-07-24T09:39:00.000-05:00

Did you know you can send your unused manufacturers coupons to overseas military families to use? Even expired ones? Check out the link below. Mine are being mailed tomorrow. There is an address in the US to send them and they forward to the correct base and whether it is "food" (commissary) or "no-food" (PX or BX). Don't just throw those unused and expired (within 30 days) coupons away - help out our miliary families!

Visit THE KRAZY COUPON LADY WEBSITE to find out how!

Search multiple pdfs at one time

2011-07-18T16:23:00.003-05:00

Do you know how to search multiple pdfs at one time?

Here's how:

Go into Adobe pdf reader.

Press SHIFT+CTRL+F, which opens up 'Full Reader Search'.

Fill in your search criteria, including where the 'directory' of pdf files are located and click search.

What a wonderful help to me today!!!!!!

NEW UPDATES FROM EBAY - NEW CHANGES COMING

2011-04-02T15:27:00.001-05:00

Apparently it’s spring cleaning time over at EBAY again! More changes, but hey, life is change. I guess more than spring cleaning, it’s just reassessment time again!

Here is the text of the seller’s letter we received from ebay:

We know that online buyers pay attention to the total cost of an item–including shipping–when deciding what and where to buy. That’s why, to encourage low-cost shipping, starting July 6 Final Value Fee rates for Store sellers–Fixed Price and Auction-style–will be reduced and then applied to the total amount of the sale–including shipping.

The best way to minimize the impact on your overall fees is to take advantage of the available ways to reduce your
shipping costs and charges.

New eBay Shopping Cart
Online shoppers are accustomed to adding items to a shopping cart–and they’re often motivated to buy more. That’s why we’re introducing the new eBay Shopping Cart that works with both Fixed Price and Auction-style items. Buyers can add items from multiple sellers and pay in one easy checkout–making it easier and more likely for them to buy more. It will become the way to shop on eBay before the 2011 holiday season.

New communications hub
Starting in May, you’ll be able to manage your communications with buyers from just one location within My eBay. View the emails that eBay sends to buyers after a transaction, manage your buyer-facing Automated Answers, or access your Store newsletters–all from one convenient page.

Category and item specifics changes
Category and item specifics changes are also consolidated with rest of updates. Find out if your listings are impacted and get details on the 2011 Spring Seller Update.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay. (aka thank you for giving us more of your profit margin. LOL)

OK – the takeaway:
Sellers that honestly charge reasonable shipping fees are getting a bum deal. Sellers that blatantly gouge on shipping fees should be banned from eBay anyway and make the world a better place. It is eBay’s lazy way of handling these type of sellers who use shipping to skirt paying fees.

Our store always charged reasonable shipping and in the past two months have readjusted 98% of our listings to reflect free shipping anyway. There are, however, a few things that irk me: 13% closing fee for books and media – give me a break! (In other words, if you’re still selling books on eBay, we’d just as soon not have you here.) Also ‘eBay will eliminate the current 5% discount for non-TRS PowerSellers’. See the new charts here on the AuctionBytes Blog (they do a great job of reporting these changes). Check out this blog post about the podcast with eBay’s Vice President of Selling Experience Todd Lutwak at radal.info.

As usual, I will see which parts of my store it affects and if possible, move those listings to another marketplace – namely Amazon. [I do think we will like the new shopping cart!-MMP]
Just another day in paradise!

(From Bitch About Ebay's Blog - used with permission)

Have you ever 'lost' your DVD/CD-ROM from your computer? (This device cannot start. Code 10)

2011-01-30T11:13:00.001-06:00

Have you ever 'lost' your DVD/CD-ROM from your computer? (Code 10)

I did. It can cost alot of time (and money) if you don't know how to fix this problem.

**DO NOT GO OUT AND BUY A NEW DVD/CD-ROM UNIT FOR YOUR COMPUTER UNTIL YOU TRY THESE STEPS THAT I FOUND. THEY WORKED FOR ME - HOPEFULLY THEY WILL WORK FOR YOU!**

I typed this into Google search:

how to fix "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" for HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-H20L ATA Device

To find out what you need to type:

Right click on your 'My Computer' icon 'Computer Shortcut' from desktop. Then click MANAGE. On the left side of this screen, click DEVICE MANAGER. In the right side of the screen, find your DVD/CD drives. Is there an "!" in yellow showing? If so, DOUBLE CLICK on this line. This will show you the actual 'name' for your device as your computer recognizes it. (Mine was HL-DT-ST DVDRRW GSA-H20L ATA Device). DOUBLE CLICK that line and check the DEVICE STATUS in the pop-up window. Does it say, "This device cannot start. (Code 10)"?

Type your search into Google search:

how to fix "This device cannot start. (Code 10)" for (whatever your Device name showed)

My search led me to a TECH SUPPORT GUY FORUM where I found this answer from Elvandil ( a moderator on the forum):

1. Click on START button, the click on RUN.

2. Enter REGEDIT and press Enter.

3. When REGEDIT starts, open up the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Class/
{4D36E965-E325 -11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.

4. After clicking on {4D36E965-E325 -11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} you should see two settings on the right-hand side:
"Upperfilters"
"Lowerfilters"
Click on each of them, press DELETE and click YES.

Restart your computer.

GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR FIX!!!!!

KINDLES FOR CHRISTMAS - #1 MOST WISHED FOR GIFT!

2010-12-10T08:18:00.000-06:00

KINDLES FOR CHRISTMAS - #1 MOST WISHED FOR GIFT!
HO, ho, ho, it's that time of year again. Give them what they want - a KINDLE!
GET YOUR KINDLE TODAY

Don't own a Kindle? Then download your e-books to your PC or mobile device HERE!
CLICK HERE FOR KINDLE EBOOKS

Lose your 'subscribe via SMS' on Facebook profile page?

2010-12-08T18:26:00.001-06:00

If you've lost your "subscribe via SMS" link on your new 2010 Facebook profile page, here is the answer:

If you want to subscribe to someone's status updates with the 2010 Profile you can't do it on their page,
but if you go to "My Account" - then "mobile" - then under "Whose status updates should go to my phone?" - type in the friends name and click their name when it comes up. Save preferences. Done.

Here is the shortcut: http://www.facebook.com/mobile/?settings
Look for "Whose status updates should go to my phone?" and enter friend's name. Save preferences. Done.

Hope this helps!

**NEW FACEBOOK PROFILE CHANGES - DEC. 2010**

Flash Mob Food Court - Chorus Niagra

2010-12-06T14:15:00.002-06:00

The most wonderful gift of the Christmas season, you MUST watch it ! Niagara’s premier 100 voice choir!

Put some Happiness in your Bank Account!

2010-09-12T08:10:00.002-05:00

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.'

'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time.

Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away.. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!

'Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

PUNS FOR EDUCATED MINDS

2010-09-07T22:56:00.001-05:00

PUNS FOR EDUCATED MINDS (again!)
The fattest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .

She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

The midget fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

A backward poet writes inverse.

In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.

Did you hear about the Buddhist who refused Novocain during a root canal? His goal: transcend dental medication.

There was the person who sent ten puns to friends, with the hope that at least one of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

11 Must Have Google Chrome Extensions For Every Blogger

2010-06-19T08:17:00.000-05:00

11 Google Chrome Extensions For Every Blogger

Serious bloggers have a lot on their plates. They have writing, promotion, networking, quoting, designing and more to deal with. On top of all that, many bloggers have a day job on top of it all. How in the world can one person make the time to get it all done? These days there are many browser extensions that can make at least part of the blogging process easier.

11 Google Chrome Extensions For Every Blogger

Buyer Protection cases penalize eBay sellers - RuhRoh - Here we go again....

2010-05-02T10:46:00.002-05:00

Buyer Protection cases penalize eBay sellers even if resolved happily or false in the first place
(From The Whine Seller Blog)

eBay sent out a seller update out earlier today and most of it was “Yes, yes. Fine, fine.” Then I got to this part:

New seller standard: Buyer Protection cases counted along with low DSRs. You’re on the right track!

Opening a case with the eBay or PayPal Buyer Protection program is a clear indication of buyer dissatisfaction, especially when the buyer tries and is unable to resolve an issue directly with the seller. That’s why, starting in September, “item not received” and “item not as described” cases will be considered along with low DSRs to evaluate and reward seller performance.

The “You’re on the right track” bit is because I currently meet this requirement.

Um…. I’ve been selling on eBay for many years now and I have had lots of buyers start “Item not received” or “Item not as described cases”. But here’s the thing, eBay. Of all of those, only five were actually buyers whose item didn’t arrive or wasn’t as described or who had a problem at all for that matter.

All the others. Let me repeat, ALL THE OTHERS were buyer who opened the case because, as they told me, “They weren’t sure how else to email the seller to ask a question.”

So if this is going to count toward my freaking DSRs, are you going to make it clearer what the process is for? Better yet, is there going to be a way for buyer and seller to amicably close the case if it was started under newbie confusion?

Read the rest of this article here.

(So RuhRoh, here we go again. I'm a buyer and seller and I'm all for buy protection, but sellers are losing their protections at a rapid pace. Bonanzle is looking much much better, especially now that they have raised some capital to grow and improve!)

Bonanzle Raises $1 Million to Help It Grow

2010-05-02T10:39:00.002-05:00

Bonanzle Raises $1 Million to Help It Grow
By: Ina Steiner (Thu Apr 29 2010 029:10:16)

Big news in ecommerce today comes from Bonanzle in Seattle, Washington: "Bonanzle announced this Thursday that it closed a $1 million round of investment, led by Seattle angel investor, and Voyager Capital Venture Partner, Geoff Entress, and with participation from Voyager Capital, Matrix Partners, Ignition Partners, Founders Co-op, Curious Office and other prominent Seattle angel investors. As part of the financing, Entress has joined the Company's board of directors."

Read the rest of this exciting news here.

Quick summary and thoughts on eBay's Summer release (aka the 10.2 release)

2010-05-02T10:34:00.000-05:00

Quick summary and thoughts on eBay's Summer release (aka the 10.2 release)

Yesterday (April 27, 2010), eBay announced the set of changes that will roll out this Summer (July 27, 2010) - this is their second set this year and they are already talking about a third set coming in the Fall. I would classify this release as very incremental - nothing earth shattering here, but as a package there are some good improvements that have a (hopefully) minor impact on sellers and a large positive impact on buyers.

Read the complete article here:
Quick summary and thoughts on eBay's Summer release (aka the 10.2 release)

Check out our listings at Amazon

2010-05-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Check out many of our new listings at Murillo's Amazon marketplace.

Thanks for the savings John!

2010-04-20T19:27:00.002-05:00

Received my eBay bill today - $20.00 higher than last month for 200 less listings - THIS WAS THE HIDDEN INCREASE IN EBAYS NEW LOWER FEE STRUCTURE. Oh how I wish for the early days of eBay and Meg Whitman.....

Wall Street Longs for Good Old Days of eBay Growth

2010-04-18T14:26:00.001-05:00

Wall Street Longs for Good Old Days of eBay Growth
By: Ina Steiner
Sat Apr 17 2010 13:00:06
Remember the days when eBay CEO Meg Whitman and Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Dutta had Wall Street analysts swooning during quarterly conference calls with their reports of meteoric (and what seemed like never-ending) growth? On Thursday, it will be CEO John Donahoe and CFO Bob Swan on the line, and analysts are prepared for underwhelming news from the duo. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE

Amazon growing ... growing... growing....

2010-04-18T14:21:00.004-05:00

Amazon growing…
The following is from an article from Last year: (Amazon Growing Faster than Online Sector: Greater variety, lower costs give Amazon an edge over eBay, say analysts. by Auctiva.com staff writer – Apr 28, 2009), but this is the exact problem still plaguing eBay.
The number of users who frequent Amazon has also increased, while eBay struggles to keep users. In March, Amazon had 61 million visitors, up from 50 million last year. In the same month, eBay had 70 million visitors—10 million fewer than a year ago.
Why does the market appear to favor Amazon over eBay?
“eBay’s marketplace business is in turmoil and traffic is down, due in part to a constantly changing shopping experience,” Ina Steiner, AuctionBytes editor and co-founder, says in reports. “The question for sellers is whether it’s worth the effort to figure out eBay’s constant changes, or invest their time and resources elsewhere.”
Read the entire article here.

Check out this CURRENT graph:

Hidden eBay fees INCREASE

2010-03-27T12:23:00.001-05:00

Hidden eBay fees INCREASE

Read this article by JonMiller on ColderICE’s blog. I tried telling people this when the BIG DISCOUNTED FEES initiative started, but everyone wanted to bust my chops. Oh, no, they said, it really is a discount – just use the calcuator eBay provided to show you…. yeah. I know eBAy. Don’t always like it but it is what it is.. Anyway, Jon gets it AND got it right.

“But something that hasn’t gotten much press is the fact that a big fee INCREASE resides hidden between the lines of this announcement. That fee increase comes in the form of higher Final Value Fees of Fixed Price listings when compared to the Store listing Final Value Fees. For many eBay.com Store sellers, Final Value Fees have jumped as much as 32%; for eBay Motors Parts & Accessories Store sellers – where higher prices prevail anyways – the damage is even greater: Final Value Fees have jumped nearly 90% or more.”

Read his complete article here.

Thanks, ColderICE, for putting this out there!

Add Tabs to Your iGoogle Page

2010-03-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

I love my iGoogle page and I've run out of room for all the awesome Google Gadgets, so I decided to organize my iGoogle page/gadgets with tabs!

Tabs help quickly navigate to your fav content! This may also help your iGoogle pages load faster as well!

Tabs on iGoogle used to be on the top and worked like the tabs on the Firefox Browser and the Internet Explorer Browser. They now appear at the left side of the page by default. If you use Firefox and want the tabs on top, click here to get the 'iGoogle Tab Remover add-on' for firefox.

This process is really Easy and takes less than a minute!

*** First you need an iGoogle page. So if you don't have one, sign in and go to www.igoogle.com.***

Okay, Go to your iGoogle page at www.google.com/ig.
Now, look in the top left corner of your browser window, just above your Gadgets.
You will find a tab labeled "Home". To the right of this, there is a drop down arrow. Click that arrow and select the "Add a tab" link.

Choose the name for your new tab, because you will be adding it immediately.
*(By default, the "I'm feeling lucky" box is selected. Keep this selection if you want Google to add gadgets to your new tab based on the tab's name. Example: if the name is Games, Google will select popular games to add to your tab.)
Click to 'deselect' this option if you want to add the gadgets yourself.

You are done! Wasn't that easy? To navigate between tabs, just click on the tab.

When you want to add gadgets to a tab, click the tab you want to add the gadget to, and then click on the "Add stuff" link on the right side of the window.

If you get the gadget on the wrong tab or decide to move a gadget to another tab, just click and drag the gadget to it's appropriate tab. (The gadget will disappear from the current tab you are working in, to let you know that it has moved.)

Feedback ratings

2010-03-03T13:18:00.001-06:00

It really sucks when someone messes with your feedback ratings by rating you low on Item as Described, when everything was fully disclosed in the auction listing and THEY JUST DIDN'T READ!

It also really sucks that eBay even ALLOWS buyers to rate sellers on shipping charges when those shipping charges are fully disclosed in the auction or listing!