Is that book valuable?

There are many things that can make a book valuable. It could be the age, it could be the quality, it could be that you just love it. Below I've outlined a number of possible reasons a book can increase in value and what to look out for.Rare?An interesting statement, which I've seen put to a number of books and have wondered on the veracity. Especially when there's been 10 other books of the same edition right below it. So how do you know if the book you have your eye on truly is as rare as the seller states, and what makes a book rare in the first place?There are a number of reasons why a book can become rare. Probably the most common is that it is out of print - OOP. Every book ever written has become OOP at some time or other. I remember many years ago when I wanted to purchase Tolkien's book of Lost Tales and had to go through a second-hand dealer to secure one. Book stores no longer stocked them beyond the first few editions. Of course you can get them everywhere now due to the re-popularisation of the Lord of the Rings by the movies. Books become out of print often after the first edition. If they sell well then they are reprinted and distributed to a larger market. It isn't you, the customer, who decides whether a book is reprinted, but the bookseller or store who puts their order into the publisher's warehouse. There follows a huge marketing hype by the bookstore to 'off-load' their purchase.Bookscan become rare because of their extreme age. Let's face it, unless you and your descendants have kept books under optimum conditions they are going to deteriorate over time. Sunlight, dampness, poor storage can all shorten the life of a book. But, not all old books are valuable.Uncle Tom's Cabin: Old, but in poor conditionPages could be missing, the story may be of little interest, and there could still be hundreds of copies about. Some books, regardless of condition or subject matter are extremely valuable simply because of when and where they were printed. Finding out whether the book you own or want to own has value may take a little research.What if the book is signed by the author? The value will depend on how popular the author is currently, ifthe author is still alive, and how many signed copies are in existence. Also, if the book was inscribed by the author in a very personal way giving the book some provenance, the value can increase a great deal. Many bookstores hold 'book signings' where an author will sit and sign their latest books - sometimes by the thousand. A book signed by a popular author such as Stephen King therefore may not be as rare as some people might think, but possibly still sought after.First edition books are usually preferred by the collector. But how do you know what a real first edition is? Oftentimes just reading the details at the front of the book won't give you the true printing history. A first editionmeans that it isthe very first time a book is printed. Sometimes there is confusion, as a book can be printed again in another country and for all intents and purposes the details in the book could indicate that it is a first - it isn't. The best and quickest method of finding out is to Google a fan-site. How a book is made can also effect the rarity. A limited edition with a very short printing run can give value to a book but not necessarily cause it to become rare. These type of books are often bought as an investment so are usually well looked after. On the other hand, a poorly printed book with errors could fetch an extremely high price. For example, from the mid - late 19th century many thousands of books were printed with the 'lower and working classes' in mind. These were often directed at the 'teen' market and were made very cheaply. Known as 'Penny Bloods' or 'Penny Dreadfuls' by their detractors, they could be classed as the forerunner to today's comics. Often dealing with gothic horror or romance stories, they were illustrated using crude woodcuts. These dramatic stories of lust and murder often shocked the sensibilities of Victorian England. Although they were printed in their 1000's, they were so badly made that there are few copies in good condition still to be found. Mysteries of the Court of LondonThe most sought after of the 'Penny Dreadfuls' are those concerned with murderers of the time such as Jack the Ripper. These were sensationalised accounts with garish illustrations, often lampooning the inability of the local police to bring in the killer.More informationIf you are unsure about any book simply put the name and author into a search engine - Google is good but you could also search through Ebay. This can give you an indication of what the current market is and help you to learn a little more about the book's history. You can also ask other members of the ebay community. At the Sports, Books, Movies

Ebay - Taxable Income? GST? ABN???

If you are a regular seller on ebay, you need to consider whether you are operating a business or whether you are selling as a hobby. In order to make this decision, you may need to get some advice from either a qualified accountant, or by ringing the Australian Taxation Office. There are many different elements to the operation of a business, but you may still be recognised as carrying on the conduct of a hobby. It is well worth your while seeking advice in this area, especially if you are making a regular profit which significantly increases your own personal living style. You also want to avoid being prosecuted for not declaring all of your taxable income. Under-reporting of taxable income can have serious consequences with not only the Taxation Office, but also with other government agencies such as Centrelink and the Child Support Agency.If advice you receive indicates that you are operating a business, you will need to apply for an ABN (Australian Business Number)from the Australian Taxation Office. This can be done online. Once you have gone through the application checklist, you will receive your ABN online immediately. A hardcopy will be sent to you in the mail for your safekeeping. If you have over $50,000 turnover from your ebay business, you will need to also register for GST. This means that all of your sales will be inclusive of GST which will need to be reported on a Business Activity Statement, and it also means that you can claim the GST which you pay on expenses associated with your ebay business. It is also worth while getting advice from a qualified accountant, or asking the Taxation Office for an advisory visit regarding GST and how to report it.The best advice in this regard is to seek advice. If you cannot afford the services of an accountant, or would prefer not to, the Australian Taxation Office can answer most of your questions over the telephone. If you would prefer a field officer to visit you at home to go through your reporting obligations, this can be arranged easily also.

Secrets To Beautiful Hair

Secrets To Beautiful HairSecrets to Beautiful Hairby: Alex Fir Always wash your hair with lower temperature water. A lot of people damage their hair with very hot water. Wash your hair every other day or even every third day. Use the shampoo designed for your type of hair. Do not put the shampoo in the middle of your hand and push it into the middle of your scalp. Rub it on your hands to evenly distribute. If you have acne, remember that shampoo can cause more acne. Rinse your face, neck and back thoroughly after using shampoo. Use hair conditioner which is formulated for your hair type. Conditioning your hair is one of the most important steps to keep your hair healthy and beautiful. Get a good brand that you let soak into your hair for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Pat your hair dry. Put the towel on your head into a turban but, when you take it off, pat the hair in between the towel instead of rubbing your head with it. If you must use blow dryer, set it on low or medium heat. Never brush your hair when it is wet. Brushes break your hair. Use a comb and pick up sections of your hair to comb easily and carefully. Be careful not to over-brush, because it can make your hair greasy and damage the hair and scalp. Get regular trims. Most people want longer hair and believe that trimming will slow down the length growth. This is just not true. Without a trim, you get split ends. Split ends break and tear leaving ugly ends and actually will not let your hair grow as long as if you do get it trimmed. If you color your hair stay within two shades of your natural color. Color should compliment your skin tone and eye color. Think about your current style. Make sure you have your hair in the best possible condition before coloring. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is necessary for the health and beauty of your hair! Great nutrition is the most effective way of getting awesome hair. About The AuthorAlex Fir Do you want to have beautiful hair every day for the rest of your life? Visit "Hair Styles For Dummies", FREE web site that will teach you how to achieve gorgeous hair. http://www.hair-styles-secrets-revealed.com/

Golf Club Fakes, Scams and Replicas. (PGA)

I recently went looking for a popular and desirable golf club for a friend and found a ton of sellers that have no history of selling golf clubs and are now selling them. A lot of these sellers have 1-30 feedbacks and many of them dated a year or more. Although I'd recommend eBay to anyone looking for a good deal on golf clubs, you have to be extrememly careful when purchasing golf clubs here. I'd say good percentage of clubs are fakes, espiecially with popular brands like Ping, Callaway, or Taylor Made (Taylormade).First of all do some research on the club, for example if you want a Ping G5 driver you should know what lofts they come in. That way if you see a 9.5 or 10 degree Ping G5 (not made by ping) driver for sell you'll know its probably a fake. The seller wont even have a picture of the club that lists it with that loft.Another trick counterfeiters try to pull is that you impress you with a perfect or close to perfect feedback score. If you look closer though the feedback score will usually show less than 100 feedbacks. The feedbacks are primarily, if not all, from sellers, not buyers. If they do have feedback from buyers its usually from transactions made more than 6 months ago and you are not even able to see what it is they sold.Usually the counterfeiter will list the club as new and show the same stock picture for all their clubs. The picture is copied from another website, and is not an actual picture taken of the club. Many time the picture wont even match the discription, for example the mislabled lofts or a picture of a left handed club with a description of a right handed club. Usually the product description is generic, and copied from another website too.I would attempt to make most purchases from someone with an extremely high feedback store (1k or higher) and preferably from a seller with their own eBay golf store. Many sellers offer money back guarantees if the club is returned within a week. This allows you the chance to have a golf pro or shop owner take a closer look at the club for authenticity. Make sure the seller provides many up close pictures of the club at various angles (face, crown, head), and provides a detailed description of the condition of the club, shaft type, grip type, etc.Also dont be afraid to ask the seller any questions you might have. If anything about the item makes you feel suspicious just pass. The great thing about eBay is theres usually plenty of people selling the same club. This is a FAKE Callaway.DO NOT BUY FROM THESE SELLERS. I can't be any more clear that these are accounts that have been hijacked through phishing scams and the crooks are trying to take advantage of the time lag in retrieving funds and when you finally figure out that you have been ripped off along with hundreds of others.If the user does not have a history of selling and delivering clubs or other items to what appears to be legit and diverse buyers then it is almost certain you will lose your money.There are some instances where the seller will fall into the above categories and still be legit. Favorable signs of a legit auction are unique photographs, the sellers ability to provide more information about the item and/or additional photographs that detail the item and its condition. Fraud artists mainly concentrate on ''must have'' items that are the rage at that time... whether it's the latest driver, an IPOD, Christmas toy or newest tech gadget. Always be careful when looking at and bidding on high interest items.The listing is from ChinaThey give % discounts in shipping for larger purchasesThey have many of the same listing over and over again with the same pictures from different sellers.They have private feedback (they do this because of people leaving feedback about being scammed)Don't be fooled by them being verified, a powerseller, and or having an about me page!Poor English in the title is a dead giveaway of a scammerThe scammers have been trying new tactics to completely scam people like you. NEVER purchase from an international seller which refers you to buy from their website (they do this to cut down on the negative feedback they receive to scam as many people as possible under once account before getting kicked off) BUYER BEWARE!!! Dishonest people in the UK have now been purchasing these scam guitars on Ebay and reselling them on ebay as authentics to unsuspecting buyers First Edition /All Black Taylor Made Super Quad R7/TP: Large numbers of these 'heads only' are being advertised, and pictured in plastic shrink wrap, yet TAYLOR MADE DOES NOT SELL THIS, OR ANY OTHER HEAD UNSHAFTED. Removing the shaft requires heating the hosel, which would melt the shrink wrap- obviously, these things are cheap, under performing Chinese knockoffs.Fake Shirts: Any Callaway Shirt with the label "Callaway Golf Collection USA" in black is a fake imported from Asia. Callaway don't use this label!- These shirts also do not have a label with the country of manufacture. ALL golf shirts from the best known brands have a label stating the country of manufacture - Ask the seller if it has a label with country of manufacture!!A few tips to help.Cleveland CG1 Black Pearl irons: Check the MICRO-MILL stamp size...small is good, big is bad. Cleveland CG2 irons: Bottom groove on face should be filled with white paint. Taylormade R7 drives: Look for the shape of the center screw mold imprint...if it is rounded, it's fake. Nike SQ+ driver: line thickness between chrome sole plate and yellow back imprint.Another small tip: Taylormade serial numbers start with a number not a letter. Very rare you may have it starting with a 'T' thats only if it came out of the tour van.I get abgry with buyers, yes buyers not sellers who buy a 300 pound club from an eBayer seller with 3 feedback. And these 3 feedback came from him buying somthing for a few pence.I cantl ist everything here regarding fake golf club but remeber the golden rule; If it looks too good to be true. IT PROBABLY IS.Good luck, see you at the course.

HOW TO GET XBOX LIVE GOLD MEMBERSHIP FREE FOREVER !!!!!

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Collecting STAMPS Can Be Inexpensive. Read This. Learn!

This Guide will show you that collecting stamps from Overseas/Australia can be:easy to start, inexpensive,fun,great way to meet people who have like interests,and a learning experience.EASY TO START:best source for stamps, at first, will be family and friendsemployer mail roomyour local radio stationyour local doctor's surgeryanywhere that receives a great deal of mail.INEXPENSIVE:All options mentioned above won't cost you anythingFUN:All time spent will allow you some stress free enjoyment.GREAT WAY TO MEET PEOPLE WITH LIKE INTERESTS:ClassmatesFellow employeesmembers from your local suburbs stamp club (see note below)A GREAT LEARNING EXPERIENCE:Travel to different landsLearn to read different languagesSee exquisite overseas landscapesUse stamps to enhance school projectsSTAMP CLUBS: I recommend that you join your local stamp club at your earliest convenience. The cost to join is minimal and often free for junior members. You will find thenearest stamp club by logging into ( use your favorite search engine) your State's Stamp Association: in New South Wales, it is Philas (Philatelic Association of New South Wales).......... click on the .. NSW clubs page for times and dates when the clubs neetin Victoria, to find the web page with the names of clubs and times listed......... simply do a search by " stamp club Victoria ".in Queensland, it is the Queensland Philatelic Council website......... which carries all the times and datesin South Australia and Northern Territory, search by South Australia Stamp Club......... which notes days of the month when the members meetin Western Australia, search by Western Australia Stamp Club......... and then click on the icone " WA Clubs"in Tasmania, search by Tasmania Stamp Club,...........and you will see the list of names, times and dates of the local clubsConclusion: Ebay is a great source of stamps and every day new material is listed, both locally and overseas. However, my strongest recomemndation is that you JOIN your local stamp club, where you will find a great wealth of knowledge about stamps. You will find many interesting collectors. You will make friendships that will last a lifetime ( if you move, you correspond and get more stamps). It is a win win situation. Suggestion: After joining your local Stamp Club,exchange and trade with your fellow members. You will soon see that the number of different stamps that you possess will increase. You can then use eBay to help you fill in the missing gaps. But the major source of knowledge and friendship will always come from the times that you spend at the clubs. Meetings are usually held once a month.WHAT TO COLLECT: THAT'S UP TO YOU!!!!

REBUSHING PIVOT HOLES IN MECHANICAL MOVEMENTS

The most common problem with a clock movement not running after it has been cleaned and oiled is that some of the pivot holes in the brass side plates have worn larger. (Usually due to movement not being serviced and oiled regularly.)In most cases the hole has worn to an oval shape, because the pressure of the powered gear pushes the next gear away from it. In simple terms, all you need to do is bring the pivot hole back to its original size and exact location. The first move is to identify which pivot holes are worn. I mark their position with a circle using black permanenet texta. It is best to take the movement apart and clean out all pivot holes with toothpicks,as the dried up rubbish in some pivot holes does not allow you to see all the wear. If it is one only pivot hole to repair, you can sometimes part the side plates just in that location, take out the gear wheel and then rebush.POLISHING PIVOTSThe running of a clock movement requires as least amount of friction through the drive trains as possible. So, you willnotice that the pivots diminish in diameter the further they are from the driving force. To help reduce the friction, pivots need to be polished to a shiny smooth finish as stated in previous written guide onclock cleaning and repair part 2. Now measure the diameter of the pivot with calipers (say for instance it is0.67mm dia.) therefore you would need to use a B04 bush that has a hole 0.60mm dia x 3.00mm high. To open up a pivot hole in the side plate to fit the bush, a clock repairer would have a 1.97mm dia. bushing reamer to cut this hole. But with costs of around $30 - $35 each cutter, unless you are doing repairs professionally, theycan become expensive. You would need around seven sizes plus a handle. An alternative method would be to use a small set of drills to gradually open up the pivot hole, finishing in this case with a 1.9mm drill. Make sure the hole is located in its original position, sometimes the oil sink can give you a good indication of its position. Finally the hole needs to be opened another .07mm larger. For this you use a cutting broach to ease out the hole so that the bergeon bush would just sit in the top of the hole from the outside of the brass plate and be tapped in with a small hammer. If you think it is not a tight fit use Loctite around the outside. The oil well on the bergeon bush is on the outside of side plateand the inside surface of the bushshould be level with the inside of the side plate.The reason you will need cutting broaches is you will now need to ream out the pivot hole so that the pivot will go into and turn freely with gear shaft sitting square to the side plate. Most of the bergeon bushes I have are the longest available. You may be fitting a 3mm long bush into a 1.5mmthick side plate so what sticks out on the outside needs to be cut down witha drill until it is level with the surrounding side plate, but still remains an oil sink. The angle of an oil sink is 90 degrees inclusive so it is best to regrind a drill which has an angle of around 120 - 90 degrees and keep this solely for cutting the oil sinks. * It is safer tohold the drill in a pin chuck and turn by handrather than a power drill which may grab the brass and go right through.* It is good practice to assemble the drive train you have repaired, leaving out the spring and spin the gears by hand to see if every gear turns freely before main assembly. You should already have checked that the pivots are not bent and use extreme care when assembling that you do not bend any pivots, as the clock will not run and the fault not detected until you pull apart once again. In our shop on eBay we sell bergeon bushes, sets of cutting broaches and flat emery buffs for polishing pivots.IF YOU FOUND MY GUIDE INTERESTING AND HELPFUL PLEASE CLICK THE YES BUTTON BELOW.

Displaying Jewellery- Ebay Markets

Presentation of jewellery is the first thing that people notice. If you have good pictures and displays, clear pricing and bright lighting jewellery will sell itself. This guide has been written to help you choose the best way to display your product. DisplaysA lot of people ask me what the best way to display items is. Professional jewellery displays such as jewellery busts, ring boxes and body jewellery stands can be purchased off ebay. If you have the time and patience you may find some good deals through auctions. Try using velvet bags and jewellery busts to displayFailing that, there are many things that can be used for displays. Separated plastic boxes such as the kind used for sorting beads or tools work well for body jewellery. They look good and keep you jewellery organised and best of all they can befound at hardware stores, plastic stores or even $2 shops. Weird objects such as logs, vases and lamps can draw attention to your items whilst being readily available about your home. Have a look around and see what you can find.A log displayThe other option is to make the displays yourself. This can be done rather cheaply. I would suggest getting boards and covering them with material such as velvet or black and fixing pins to it so you can hang the jewellery.A place that sells hardware or crafts will also have a wide range of pins. Cones made from light plastic board or cardboard work well to display necklaces, bracelets and rings.Plastic displaysBy using displays to present your jewellery on ebay you also give a level on professionalism.Price tagsThere is noting more annoying than going shopping and having to ask the price or postage costs of every single item. As the saying goes, if you have to ask the price then it is too expensive. Have everything CLEARLY priced. If you have price tags on everything but the writing is not clear then it is just as good as having no price tag at all.Price well and be well priced...DescriptionsSometimes, if you are selling an unusual item, a short description and history can help. This should not be used for everything you sell, just the really unusual things. For example, a Celtic Claddagh ring, a ring with two hands holding a heart and crown has a lot of symbolism which most people dont know about. By including ashort descriptionwhich saysThe Claddagh ring is the traditional wedding ring of the claddagh people in Ireland. The hands represent friendship, the crown loyalty and heart symbolises eternal love. When large scale Irish immigration began in the 18th century the claddagh tradition travelled around the world. Today it retains its traditional meaning and is often given from friend to friend or lover to lover.It will raise peoples interest. People also like to have a copy of these cards when they buy so it is a good idea to keep some extras on hand.For more information on selling retail please visit my other ebay guide Buying Wholesale

Paypal

I was going to post my favourite Duck Soup recipe here, I was thinking that I could even write a whole recipe book and list it in my store, and I will - soon - promise - just let me know when you buy the pumpkin and I will update this guide.:)In my experience as a seller, Shoppers Love Paypal, it is just so fast (apart from the odd e-cheque payment) - buyers can receive their goods the very next day after they have made payment if they live in Sydney - or if they choose express post they can receive their goods in most areas of Australia the very next day too!The checkout process makes it so simple for buyers, all they need to do is hit pay now in checkout and enter their password. What a quick and easy way to shop on eBay. I don't know of any other form of payment online that is so simple to use and offers protection too!Thanks ITwire for acknowledgement of a different viewpoint - much appreciated!

Horse Rugs - A Guide to Rugs, Sizing

Which size should I buy? Horses come in alldifferent shapes. Our rugs are based on standard Australian sizing,which measures the rug along the bottom edge of the rug, from the frontedge of the rug at the chest fittings to the back edge of the rug.(With Gusset Closed) Horse Rugs are sized at 3 inch (75mm) intervals. To get an approximatesizing, measure in a straight line from the center of the horses chest,around the shoulder, along the side of the barrel and belly and aroundthe rear to the point just past the rump. (Or where you expect the rugto finish). This measurement can be used as a guide for your rug.Unfortunately horses don't all come in the same dimensions, so yourhorse maybe either side of the below sizing depending on your horse'scharacteristics. It can be a difficult decision to go up a size or downa size if you don't have other rugs to compare. If you have anyquestions please feel free to ask us.Our rugs are true to size - so if a rug is advertisedas a 6'3", it will measure 6'3" (190.5cm) from the bottom edge of therug near the front buckles, along the bottom of the rug to the rearedge of the rug. (with gusset closed) See Below. The only exceptionto this is for our 1200denier synthetic waterproof turnout rugs andcombos. Turnouts allow to have the rug overlap at the chest to provideextra insulation and waterproofing - as such turnouts will generallymeasure 5 to 7cm longer along the bottom edge to cater for chestoverlap.# If you have an existing rug that fits your horse - its always a good idea to measure your existing rug.Many of the big manufactures used to make rugs especially for theAustralian market and sizing. However in recent years they now make onerug for use on all markets - Europe, UK , US and Australia. (Oftenbased on European designs) Each region measures their rugs differently(ie: Europe measure from wither to tail along the top edge of the rug.Unfortunately the sizing's don't slot in neatly with Australian sizing- so its not unusual to have one of these rugs that can be out byalmost a sizing - ie: a rug labeled as a 6'0, but when you measure themthey can be closer to 6'3. Winter or lined/padded rugsare often a tighter fit, when compared to normal summer rip stop rugsor sheets. This is due to the fact that the padding takes up additionalspace. Also keep in mind, that if you use a summer sheet or similarunder your winter rug to create layers - this is more padding again andcreates a tighter fit again. Like wise an unlined rainsheet may be alooser fit. This may mean the difference between going up/down a size.Height Metric UsualHH Rug Size11.2hh 137cm 4'6"12.0hh 137cm/145cm 4'6"/4'9"12.2hh 145cm/152cm 4'9"/5'0"13.0hh 152cm/160cm 5'0"/5'3"13.2hh 160cm/168cm 5'3"/5'6"14.0hh 160cm/168cm 5'3"/5'6"14.2hh 168cm/175cm 5'6/5'9"15.0hh 175cm/183cm 5'9/6'0"15.2hh 183cm/191cm 6'0"/6'3"16.0hh 191cm/198cm 6'3"/6'6"16.2hh 198cm/206cm 6'6"/6'9"17.0hh 206cm/213cm 6'9"/7'0"The above table is to be used as a guide only - each horse is different and your horses weight and other characteristics need to be considered.You will also often see sizing for items such as hoods, boots, bridles etc refereed to Pony / Cob or Full sizing. As a guide the following is usually considered the industry standard:Rug Size 4'6 - 4'9 Extra Small Pony 5'0 - 5'3 Pony5'6 - 6'0 Cob6'0 - 6'9 Full6'9 - 7'0 XL FullHorse Rug Waterproof and Breathability Ratings.Waterproof - Any rug advertised as waterproof is referring to the fabric used for the rug, rather than the whole product. This is because rugs contain stitching, webbing

What to do if your Vacuum Cleaner won't suck properly.

If your vacuum cleaner won't suck properly, there are a few things you can check before taking it to a repairer. Firstly, disconnect the hose to see if it will suck well. If it does, then there will be a blockage in the hose or the floor tool. Hose blockages can be cleared by poking a bit of stiff flexible wire such as antenna coaxial cable down the hose. Then check the bag is not too full and the motor/disaster and exhaust filters are not blocked. Clean or replace as necessary. Note that fine dust such as talc or cement dust can block paper

Starting a vintage fountain pen collection

During the last few years, vintage fountain pen collecting has undergone a huge increase in popularity. Vintage fountains can be both beautiful and functional at the same time and make far more of a statement about you than a 20c ball point. The really good news is that fountain pens don't take up much space (unlike, for example, vintage cars!) so it's possible to contain a substantial collection in a modest chest or display cabinet.I'll start by defining the term vintage - I'll take it to mean any fountain pen manufactured before about 1965. Fountain pen production took a divein the early 1960'sdue to competition from cheaper ball-point pens. Many established manufacturers did not survive this competition. More recent fountain pens I would consider to be part of the "renaissance" of the fountain pen which started as survivingmanufactures switched much of their production to high price models and special or limited editions.Most collectors start out very generally, collecting anything they can get their hands on. Later most will specialize on a particular brand or era. I made most of my early purchases at local antique shops but I soon exhausted that supply and had to look further afield. ebay is a good source of fountain pens.On the plus side it exposes you to a global market. On the minus side, you have to compete in a global market. That means you will be bidding against cashed-up and highly dedicated collectors for good examples. With care, vigilance and a little knowledge however, bargains can still be had.The vintage pens you find on ebay basically fall into two categories - those sold "as is" which generally require at least a new sac (the rubber bladder that holds the ink) or an overhaul of the variousand more complex ink filling systems; and those sold as fully restored which are generally ready to use. Many pens sold "as is" are easy to restore to writing condition, you could send the pen to an expert and pay $20-$30 or more, depending on what is required. To replace a sac on a lever fill pen is generally quite straightforward and within the capability of anyone with a practical turn of mind. It can be done with a minimum oftools at a cost of a few dollars. Repairs on other types of filling mechanism are more complicated.A few tips on buying. You've found a pen on ebay and want to know what to check.The nib should preferably be the original and made of 14ct gold (18ct is rare in vintage pens) it should be straight and undamaged and have preserved some of the ultra-hard iridium tip. Nibs which are only gold plated or made of steel will usually be in poor condition.The clip,cap bands and lever (vintage pens may have any combination of these from all to none) should preferably have the original plating (usually gold but sometimes nickel or chrome) intact. Where the plating is worn down to the underlying base metal, this is called brassing.The barrel and cap should preferably show no more than modest wear and should be straight - banana-shaped pens are seen on ebay. The Cap and Barrel should be free of cracks, chips and bulges and should not have faded or be of uneven colour (unless this was intended by the manufacturer). The cap threads should be in good condition so that the cap screws on and comes to a firm stop and doesn't wobble.The manufacturers imprint if there is one should be clearly legible on the side of the barrel.If the pen passes all of these tests, see if you can find out what similar pens have sold for on ebayby searching with the same key words and checking "completed listings" box in the Seach Options panel at the left of the ebay window it. If you are bidding on ebay, all of the usual safe trading precautions and caveats apply. Make use of "ask seller a question" before you bid if you need more information. You will nearly always get a reply. If you live in a different country to the seller, don't forget to check that the seller is willing to ship the pen to your country and to ask the shipping cost.What to collect? This is pretty much down to personal preference and depends to some extent on your geographical location. Popular brands from USA include Parker, Sheaffer, Waterman and Conklin. From the UK - Parker, Conway Stewart, Burnham, Swan and Onoto. From continental Europe - Pelikan, Mont Blanc, Aurora. Apologies to collectors whose favourite I haven't listed. There are hundreds of brands some of which have stood the test of time better than others.More info. There are many web sites to consult for further information. For a reference book, it is hard to go past "Fountain Pens of the World" by Andreas Lambrou. It's a pretty expensive book and if your interest is specifically UK and USA, much of the information is in a less expensive book by the same author "Fountain Pens of the USA and UK"I hope that this short introduction has been useful and interesting. If so, please use the voting button below. Check back in the next few weeks as I will be adding some illustrations.Happy collecting!

Fuel Efficiency Improves With 4 Steps

In a climate of increasing fuel costs, and a trend towards more efficient vehicles, Holden held back on releasing its latest Commodore fuel consumption figures in an effort make their latest offering look more miserly. While their techniques are certainly no great secret, it is interesting how putting thought into your vehicle can have such a big difference over a 12 month period.Ford, Toyota, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Mazda have been offering similar advice:Heavier cars consume more fuel so remove items from your car that you dont use every day. Consider removing things like rugs, picnic sets, additional maps, CD collections, toys, excessive tool kits, towels and swimming gear, spare shoes, extra briefcases or handbags, and other emergency items. The weight in these items alone can be extraordinary. If you could lose a few kilos yourself, now might be the right excuse. Making your car pull around an extra 20kg all the time has a noticeable difference on your fuel bill over the course of a year.Aerodynamic vehicles consume less fuel, so consider removing things like roof racks, bull bars, tow bars, roof storage bubbles, side skirts, driving lights, window louvers, bonnet protectors, and bicycle racks. Put them back on the vehicle when you intend to use them. For example: if you intend to do some towing, bolt or slide the tow bar back on. These measures will also make your vehicle much lighter too. A bull bar, tow bar, and roof rack can weigh 200kg together. And keep your windows up if your speed increases over, say, 40km/h. Not only will you decrease drag, but it is much safer in a collision.Firm tyres create less drag on the road so consider slightly over inflating your tyres. Most manufacturers quote inflation pressures which lean towards a softer ride rather than better fuel economy. In my vehicle the manufacturer states a cold inflation pressure of 55psi but I regularly inflate mine to 60psi. The ride is a little more firm but my fuel economy increased from 920km per tank to 980km. For country driving I get a cool 1185km comfortably. Make sure you inflate your tyres when they are cold (since air expands when it becomes warm), and check your tire pressures regularly, say once per month. The added benefit of slightly over inflating is your tyres will also last longer. I used to get 60,000km out of a set of tyres and from my last set I nearly did 70,000km. It also helps to get a wheel alignment and balance every 20,000km.Just like in your house, appliances consume more energy in your car too. While I like having my interior fan on while my windows are closed, my fuel consumption is considerably better if I switch the fan off and leave the fan set on vent only. Other appliances which use a lot of power are mobile phone battery chargers, CD players, GPS navigators, DVD players, LCD screens, additional lighting like fog lights or driving lights, and the big killer is air conditioning. Actually, from a thermodynamics point of view, if you are sweating, you will cool off much faster with the windows down compared to air conditioning even if its 40C outside. I should know, I mow lawns in that sort of heat.Im not suggesting youshould listen to the radio more and CDs less, but if Holden can do it to improve their fuel efficiency figures, it might be worth a thought.If you appreciated the time and effort it took to write this guide, please take the time and effort to vote.

Buying Nihonto and what to be aware of.

Wireless Security Cameras - Finding the right system!!

With technology advancing extremely fast in the area of electronics and imaging devices finding the right wireless security system for your needs can be hard. Thinking ahead to determine the use and surveillance result you require can simplify the task. Also buying from a reputable and experienced seller can also ensure making the right choice.Some key questions when choosing a system are:What sort of lighting does the viewing area have?Is power nearby?How far will the furthest camera be from the receiver?Can the camera be affected by weather?Does the camera have sound?Basically most systems work with the camera transmitting images and sound via a frequency (2.4Ghz or 1.2Ghz) through the air to the receiver which then sends it for display on your TV or Computer monitor. The transmissions vary in range from around 30 meters to 600 meters with all cameras requiring some kind of power to run(either 9v battery or mains adapter). For night vision or low lit rooms an infrared camera is most suitable as these use LEDS to make images viewable right down to 0 Lux or no light at all. Today most cameras are color however only a few come with sound capabilities as well, as this feature will not cost any extra it is worth while choosing a camera with it.LED Camera and Receiver Pictured below.

Album planning so you can "Catch Up" on your scrapbooks

We all may have different scrapbooking styles but I'll bet we all havesimilar goals in mind when we set out to scrapbook - first, spend timein a creative endeavour that results in something beautiful to sharewith our family and friends; and second, to save our memories forgenerations to come by ensuring our photos and memories are safelyarchived in albums.Those of you who lean more towards the second goal of saving yourmemories, may have expereinced the "oh dear, I'll never catch up"moment! Yes?! I have too. But, since I'm also focused on the creativityof scrapbooking, I've decided that regular photo albums just won't dofor me. I know I'll never get around to filling up photo albums becausethe result simply doesn't inspire me.So, how can we scrapbook in such a way that allows us to have lots ofalbums of preserved memories that meet our demands for creativity whilebeing simple enough to allow us to have the time to actually finishalbums rather than just layouts??!!I'd like to start off mentioning that we do need to keep the end inmind - that is, completed albums that our future generations can enjoyand explore our lives. I've discovered old photo albums, old scrapbooksand envelopes of old photos from my ancestors, no prizes to guess whichformat was more 'valuable' in my eyes... the scrapbook of course! Itwas hand crafted, there were journals and photos. The photo album hadno captions and the envelope of photos had no names written on theback. Oh dear!So, don't let that happen to your memories, let's make a plan for your albums so you can "catch up"! I started my making a resolution: "I ACKNOWLEDGE that I want to preservemy memories in a more creative way than a simple photo album,ACCEPT that there are some photos and events that deserve or NEED avery special, creative layout, AGREE that some photos are just junk,they can stay in the shoe box, computer disk or the bin. Then, ACCEPTthat the rest of the photos tell the story and they DESERVE to bedisplayed."

Tips for successfully buying fragrances on eBay

The online perfume market in Australia is competitive, which is great for the consumer as it brings them fantastic savings over prices one would normally pay in traditional brick and mortar stores. But with all things in today's world, whilst there are positives to buying online, there can also be negatives. In this guide, we will present information to you, in order to help you make an informed decision if you should buy your fragrances on eBay. The guide will cover various aspects of buying which one should consider before deciding to purchase from any fragrance seller or business.How do I know I am buying an authentic fragrance on eBay?* View the sellers feedback from previous customers. Repeated negative comments relating to product authenticity or non delivery is a sure sign to shop eleswhere.* How long has the seller been selling on ebay? What else, if anything are they selling on ebay? A seller who sells a bit of this and that with a few fragrances thrown in for good measure may not be a good place to buy genuine designer fragrances. * If the price sounds too good to be true (eg: Chanel EDP 100ml for less than AUD$150.00 - definitely stay clear)* Does the ebay seller guarantee authenticity and / or offer money back guarantee? * Past experiences have shown sellers of fragrances on ebay who only offer multiple listings for up to a dozen different fragrances have been fly by nighters selling cheap knock offs and fakes. Is the fragrance seller legitimate?If a seller is a power seller, or is listing many fragrances, this indicates they are operating as a business. As such, they should have an ABN, and they most certainly should be registered for, and collecting, GST. The sad fact of the matter is, many sellers on eBay are not registered for GST, and do not pay income tax on their eBay derived income.Take for example, a seller who admitted to a reporter of The Australian newspaper in 2007 that they were a GST dodger. That article can be found searching Google for "Vendors vexed as eBay dobs in its GST dodgers". Our own research indicated they turned over at least $300,000 that year on eBay, not $60,000 as they claimed.If a seller is registered for GST, which most should be, if the purchase is over $55 in total, they should be providing a tax invoice with the purchase. Most of these sellers do not provide an invoice, and a few we have seen do not meet the requirements of a tax invoice, indicating they are tax dodgers.If such a seller refuses to follow the laws of this land, how can one expect them to be selling authentic fragrances.

PED EGG SCAM! Fake/non existant products BUYERS BEWARE!

Thought you could buy a Ped Egg on eBay to avoid high prices? BEWARE: you could be falling for an eBay scam!Early this year, after failing to get one for Christmas, I decided to try to buy a Ped Egg cheap on eBay. I found a few for sale for about $20-$25 each (RRP for two from Global Shop Direct is $59.95 plus $14.95 P

Easy Earrings - How to make your own!

With the correct tools and a little bit of creativity anyone can make a pair ofstunning earrings in only minutes! Practically everything you need to get started can be purchased on ebay at great prices. Follow these step by step instructions to make your very own earrings that will have all your friends talking!1. Puchase bead making tools. The most useful tools are small nosed pliars and wire cutters.2. Purchase earring hooksand some flexible wire known as tigers tail. Both are available in a range of colours and are easily sourced through EBAY.3. Purchase your beads! This is the fun part. You can choose from literally thousands of beads ranging from pearls, gemstones, glass beads, crystalsto metallic beadsand wooden beads.4. Purchase the little beads used to secure everything in place. These are called crimps. They are available generally in silver, goldand black nickel.Now that you have all that is necessary to get started, you can start getting creative!1. Cut your tigers tailto the desired length. 2. Thread the tigers tail through the eyelet of the earring hookleaving one end long and the other very short.3. Crease the tigers tail firmly in place (around the eyelet)and thread a crimp onto the long end of the tigers tail. 4. Move the crimp to the end of the tigers tail so that the small length of tigers tail also threads through the crimp. You want to ensure that you get the small end neatly in line with the crimp. 5. Using your pliars, press the crimp firmly securing the wire around the eyelet of the earing. 6. Thread your beads onto the tigers tails and when you are almost left with no room thread one more crimp on the end to secure the beads in place. Again press firmly on to the crimp using your pliars.Repeat again for your second earring.Before you know it, you'll be making earrings for everyone!

Postage Savings Guide!

Postage Savings Guide!During my time selling on Ebay I have learnt that there are many different ways to reduce postage and packaging costs passing the savings onto the buyers of my items. You can save significant amounts using a variety of different ideas.RECYCLERecycle reusable packaging that you receive in the post such as bubble mailers, boxes and foam peanuts. Some businesses such as supermarkets, fruit markets and variety stores will often have alot of packaging that will just go in the rubbish so it it worth asking if they could keep any unwanted packaging aside for you instead.BULK SAVINGSThere are often huge savings to be made if you buy packaging products in bulk amounts. The post office offers discounts for bulk purchases of packaging products. Bubble wrapcan also be bought in bulk rolls which can be very economical especially if you wrap alot of items.SAVINGS ON EBAYThere is a huge array of packaging productsavailable to purchase on Ebay. It is definitely worth having a look as there are some fantastic savings to be made.REDUCE POSTAGE COSTSYou may be able to post light weight, flat, non-fragile items as a letter which can reduce the postage cost. Pack the item as flat as possible and first place it in a plastic bagto protect it from the weather and then post either in a strong envelope or a tough bag for added protection. Letters must not exceed 2cm in thickness.PREPAID SATCHELSPrepaid postsatchels are often a cost effective solution to post items especially when the buyer has made multiple purchases. They are available in 500g and 3kg sizes. The post office also offers discounts when you buy a packet of ten or more satchels.ACCURATE POSTAGE COSTSPurchase a set of scalesto weigh the item that you are selling and give your buyers an accurate postage cost.PASS ON THE SAVINGSAlways pass on the savings to your buyers. There is nothing worse than paying five dollars for postage and finding that it only cost one dollar to post once you have received your purchase.SENSIBLE PACKAGINGUse sensible packaging to protect the item that you are sending. It will only end up costing you more time and money if the item is damaged in transit.Happy Savings!

How To Buy Diamonds and NOT GET RIPPED OFF!

This guide is your first step to saving money and time by NOT GETTING RIPPED OFF. There are plenty of other very useful guides out there which will explain the general rules of both diamond buying and ebay buying, as well as how to choose a good diamond. So I won't repeat them.This guide is specifically aimed at diamonds on ebay. I am just a buyer who has learned a few lessons the hard way, and I'd like to pass them on to you the easy way! I am not qualified diamond graderor a seller of diamonds or anything like that. I've bought alot -sent back a few, sold a few, kept a few, and would like to share what I have learned.So you know about colour, cut, clarity, carat, certificationand cost. (If not, use these guides and google searches to find out about them).First things first. You've found the diamond of your dreams. How can you be sure?Apart from reading the description and knowing the shipping and hidden costs, how can you be SURE you are getting what you are paying for?COLOUR, CUT,CLARITY and CARATare almost always in the description. So how do you know that what you see is what you get? ASK. I have found that the best questions I can ask a seller are;Is the picture ofthe actual stone? (9 times out of 10 it isn't, so assume that you aren't able to see what you are buying) Lots of sellers use stock photos because they sell so much of the same thing, it would be too time consuming for them to list individual photos, so if in doubt, ask.Are there any 'naked eye' visible carbon spots or feathers in these diamonds? (In plain language, this means "If I look real close can I see any cooties?" If the answer is yes - DON'T BUY IT! A seller can legally sell a diamond one grade higher or lower than advertised. That means they can advertise it as an SI2 but it is really an I1. They both have carbon spots or feathers, but thedifference is that an SI2 requires a 10x magnifier to see the flaws, but an I1 can be seen just by looking) Also, carbons spots are brown to black and feathers are white, so if it's an SI1-SI2 with feathers, you can expect that it will look sparkling white to the naked eye, but you'll see the flaws under a 10x magnification.Has the diamond been digitally measured or just with a ruler?(I once measured a diamond with a ruler and it was 3.8mm(0.20ct). When I measured it digitally, it was only 3mm(0.10ct). The difference was 0.10 of a carat, which is a HUGE difference) Also, the shape of a diamond will affect it's weight.Two princess cut1.00ct diamonds can be completely different sizes.If you are buying a pair of diamonds, askAre they exactly matching in size or just close to?Because two same shaped, same weight diamonds can be two different measuements, ask before you buy. The last thing you need is to buy matching diamonds that don't match!Has this diamond been enhanced or treated in any way? Technically, cutting a diamond is treatment! But the type of treatment or enhancement you want to know about is - "Has anything been done to make the diamond look nicer than it would have if it were only cut and polished?"Treatment is usually preformed by a type of silicone being injected into the flaws so the light bounces off them and makes it sparkle real nice. (Apparently this is called 'fracture filled treatment').In my opinion, this is not a problem if the diamond is to be completely bezel set, because the gold will hold the siliconey stuff in (logical, right!?). I have heard of the siliconepeeling away and showing off every little cootie the diamond has, but I have also heard people having them in their rings for 20 odd years and never having a problem with them.I have also heard of heat treating a diamond, which evectively simulates what carbon would do by pressurising the diamond. These services can be bought on eBay! You send them your diamond and they send you back your diamond much prettier. I haven't had any dealings with such diamonds, so cannot give an opinion on heat treatment.At the end of the day, ifthe treatmenthas a guarantee, find out the exact terms of the guarantee, and if you are happy with it, go for it.COLOURdiamonds come in every colour imaginable. It's always a good idea to ask the question above Is the picture ofthe actual stone? If the answer is no, that's ok - but you need to ask more questions. If the stone is, say, a champagne, you need to ask "What colour champagne is this stone?" The answer should start with a C (standing for champagne) and end in a number. The higher the number, the darker the stone.A number one way to get riped off buying online is to buy a 'pink' diamond without proof that it is genuinely pink.Also, pink diamond colours begin with a P but their numbers are in reverse to champagnes - with pinks, the lower the number, the darker the stone.A happy medium might be to buy a pink champagne. Pinks and pink champagnes are hard to come by, especially on an auction site, simply becuase they are so rare (thus the exorbitant price). As anexample, a 0.37ct (37point) marquise cut coloureddiamondVVS2 can be bought online for as little as $400. I bought one advertised as a 'peachish pink'. Actual photos were listed and I fell in love with the colour. When I got it, I took it to a jeweller to check a) if it was a genuine diamond and b) if it was as advertised. He told me yes, it's a real diamond (yay! and the most important thing to get checked!)but no, it's not a pink or pinkishdiamond (dammit - knew it was too good to be true!). He too was very taken by the colour. It rated as an H-I on a normal diamond colour scale, which brought thepricefrom$4000+ down to $2800. A big difference, but forthe priceand the fact thatI adored the colour, a real bargain.It has a rare pink/peach tint (white diamonds normally have a yellow tint), and I had it set in rose and white gold, so it looks simply stunning. So in the end, I had a $500rrp ring which had $200rrp of small side stones(plus $400 for the stone and $500 to have it made in rose gold = $1400 total expenditure) turned into a $3500.00rrpring, which is a saving of $2100.00.But a genuine pink diamond the same size, cut and clarity would start at around $4,000.00 and get anywhere up to $30,000.00, if you could find one! THE MORAL OF THE STORY? You don't want to spend $4,000.00 on a diamondyou think is a bargain, and whenyou get ityou find that it's not pink, it's 'peach', and thereforeyou could have boughtthe entire ringretail from a jeweller for less! If something appears to be an absofreakinglute bargain, ask questions, and never be afraid to ask for proof (extra photos, certification, refund policy).Also on COLOUR, If you are purchasing multiple stones to have set together, in a trilogy ring for example, it's a good idea to buy from the same seller. An SI2 G from one seller could be slightly different to an SI2 G from another. Alternately, you could buy the centre stone as an SI2 G from one seller, and a pair of matching stone SI2 G's from a different seller. Even though there may be a slight variation between the two, it shouldn't be visible to the naked eye, unless you were trained to look for such things, and the outside two diamonds would match, so at least it would be symmetrical!CUT As you know, there are many different shapes available, and each has it's own perfect 'cut' and ratio. Below is an easy guide for the 'perfect' ratio each shape should be. To get the ratio, divide the largest number by the smallest number. So if a marquisecut diamond is 7mmx3.5mm, 7/3.5=2. Therefore the ratio is 1:2.Asscher, Cushion, Heart, Princessand Radiant cuts should be the same height as width (5.5mmx5.5mm)- 1:1Radiant cut may also be the same as anEmerald and Marquisecuts, half as wide as it is long (7mmx3.5mm)- 1:2Emerald cut may also be the same as a Pear and Oval cut,one and a half times as long as it is wide (7mmx5mm)- 1:1.5Of course, there are huge variations on the cut ratio, as you might like a rectangle princess cut, a squarer emerald cut, oryou might want an almost round pear - the choice really is yours!CLARITY I've been told that SI3 is from the 'old way' of grading,but it is still used by many sellers today. Some sellers go from SI2 to SI3 to I1, some gostraight from SI2 to I1. The reason for this is that there is quite a large amount of scope for difference between grades - after all, they are trying to categorise one of millions of littlestones produced by the earth! Most sellers online will provide colour and clarity charts in their listings so you can see what it is they refer to when 'grading' their diamonds. Also,sellers can provide 'gradings' by looking at the stone themselves, having a gemologist take a look or sending it away to an official grading company. If in doubt (or if you care), ask. When a seller states that a stone is SI3 to I1, you can probably assume that it is very sparkly and has some visible inclusions. If you want what visually appears to be a flaw free diamond, go for SI2 or higher, colour G or higher. Stones that are above those categories are usually quite gorgeous, white to the eyeand represent really good value. CARAT As I have stated, carat refers to the diamonds weight, not it's shape or size. One carat = 100points = one gram. So half a carat is 50points which weighs 0.50 grammes. Easy!A 5.5mm square princess cut might weigh one gram, but a 5mm or6mm square princess cut might also weigh one gram, depending one how deep the actual diamond is. Confusing, I know! So it is usually a good idea to factor in the measurements when shopping for a specific weight of diamond.CERTIFICATIONSAn appraisal,RRP, replacement value, certification or certificate is an indication of how much you would need to insure the item for, or how much it would cost you to purchase at an averageretail store,NOT how much the item should cost you wholesale, on special or purchased privately. If you have $1000 and you spend $1000 on a diamond'certified' at$5000, and when you get it it's ugly, or the wrong size or not as white as'it was described'- what do you do? You can keep it (bummer), try to resell it,or you can send it back and pay extra shipping and possibly a restocking fee IF the seller will give you a refund. The best way to avoid that is -ignore the 'valuation'. Decide how much to spend based on the description and your budget and don't buy an item based on it's appraisal,RRP, replacement value, certification or certificate. DO NOT BUY IF THEY CHARGE A RESTOCKING FEE. Restocking feesare how dodgy sellers make their money. I bought two large matching stones plus 2 carats of small diamonds. I paid $129 for them including shipping an absolute bargain. When I recieved them, the 'matching' stones were not matching, and they weren't the stones advertised. The diamonds looked like a bag of gravel. So I contacted the seller asking for a refund. They emailed me a return form, which I filled out. I shipped the items back within their specified timeframe. Over a month later, I still didn't have a refund or replacement, so I left negative feedback. They contacted me saying they hadn't recieved my items, so they weren't supplying a refund. Another month later, I recieved backthe parcel marked "Items Undeliverable". The postman told me that it meant that either the address didn't exist or they had refused delivery. Meanwhile, they had put in a Feedback Withdrawal Request. I contacted them, telling them that if they gave me a FULL refund, I would resend the items with a delivery confirmation, so I would know for a fact if it made it to their door, plus I would withdraw my negative feedback. They agreed, so I sent the items again and withdrew my feedback. STUPID MISTAKE because they only refunded $78, and when I asked why, they informed me that it was because of the 'restocking fee'. And I couldn't even leave them negative feedback! There ARE scammers out there, which is why I have written this guide.BEFORE BUYING, READ THE SELLERS FEEDBACK- even the positive ones. It will give you a good idea of the sellers ethic, integrity and ability to represent things as they really are. Also, negative feedback is sometimes unwarranted, and in some cases, people leave positive feedback that says something like "Item not as described but I was given a refund". Information like that is important to your decision to buy.And lastly, Patience is a virtue. If you have in mind what you want, then watch what's on offer until you find it. DO NOT settle for anything that goes against your budget or what you want.When looking at diamonds, in addition to the questions above, I havefour rules.1. Never buy anything with a comma in the price.2. Never buy enhanced diamonds.3. Never buy from a seller who doesn't have a 100% refund policy (that means the entire amount you won the auction for). They don't have to refund your shipping, but it's rather nice if they do, especially if they misquoted a size or shape. Always contact the seller asap if you aren't happy with your item. Never return an item or leave feedback without contacting the seller first. I once bought a pair of diamonds from a seller and when I got them, they didn't quite match in size. When I told him, he offered me a 10% refund to keep them or a full refund if I returned them. I kept them, got my 10% refund. The second 'pair' I bought from the same seller didn't match and I sent them back. I got a FULL refund, including my shipping costand have bought from him repeatedly since.We both left each other positive feedback. Good sellers with good products will do the right thing by buyers. 4. Always have your item checked by a jeweller as soon as you recieve it. Nine times out of ten, you will be pleasantly surprised (and usually so are they) at how much you saved. There will be the odd occassion where the item is not what it was supposed to be. This may mean it's a created stone, not genuine, or it may not be from the mine the seller claimed. Either way, a jeweller can usually tell you a) if it's genuine and b) if you got a good deal.Myfavourite stores for loose stones aremlopros, gemshake, bangkokgemmartanddiamondzulbecause they have a fabulous range at low prices and they have really clear photos of the actual diamonds you're buying.My next favourites aresuperlight.diamonds, andmagnificent.diamonds(who also owns another of my favouritesdiamonds.4.ever). Theyrarely use actual photos, but their descriptions are usuallyspot-on so you can be assured of what you are buying. My favourite ready-made diamond jewellery storesis diamond-deal-au.Have fun shopping and make sure you save yourself lots of money - that way you can buy more sparkly diamonds!

Bean Bags Guide

- Bean Bag Guide -What are bean bagsBean bagchairs are a popular an comfortable form of furnituremade of fabric and filled with small chunks of styrofoamor more commonly PVCpellets. Bean bag chairs have acquired a cult following. Since the mid 1990s, companies such as LoveSac and Corda-Roy's began selling chairs filled with foam rubber, charging a premium for the extra comfort this can provide. Bean bag chairsare known to bean bag enthusiasts by many names, such as "Physics Bag".The bean bag has evolved over the years with different shapes and sizes being offered. In 2005 a UK based company called Ambient Loungedeveloped a new style of bean bag, shifting away from the standard blob style to a more stylish designer range of furniture featured in homes today.What types of Bean BagsThere are several types of beanbags to choose from, here are just a few:Kids bean bagsSaddle clubHighline ShapedLoungerTeardropBody FitterLoveSacCorda Roys Freedom FurnitureAmbient Lounge Vinyl Bean BagsCotton Bean BagsLeather Bean Bags 2 Seater Bean BagsThings to consider when BuyingHow do I clean my bean bag? Various materials require different cleaning techniques. Some bean bags may be removed from their liner and thrown in the washing machine. Those that do not have an inside liner can be wiped off or spot cleaned per the manufacturer's suggestions. Do I want a Foam Fill or Standard Fill? Both FoamFill and Standard Fill have completely different sittingexperiences. Foam Fill is constructed from shredded foam and has a much softer feel. It has a tendency to mold to your body as you lounge down into the bag. Standard Fill is the traditional fill for a bean bag and constructed from either virgin polystyrenebeads or recyclable polystyrene beads. This fill provides it's user with a firmer seat allowing a more solid sitting experience. What size bean bag do I need? Specific sizing conventions usually come in Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, Extra Largeand Sofa. Extra Small, Small and Medium are best suited for children. But don't forget - children do grow larger and by buying a slightly larger bag - they can get many more years of enjoyment. Large and Extra Large are a better fit for adults. Sofas can be used for multiple people of any shape or size. What style of beanbag do I needThis all depends on the type of sitting position you are looking for. While the Lounger, Teardrop and Body Fitter are very comfortable bean bags - they offer very different sitting positions.

Restoration of Bronze

Cleaning and Treatment of Ancient Metal Artifacts and CoinsPart - 1 - OneIntroduction:Why does ancient metal deteriorate and what is that green and blackstuff that covers artifacts? The metals from which most artifacts aremade are not naturally occurring in the ground. Instead they arealloys, or combinations of several different refined metals meltedtogether and mixed up to create a new metal with certain usefulproperties such as low melting temperature, resistance to corrosion, orflexibility. For Example: Bronze is generally something like 85% copperand 15% tin melted together and thus combined.So, the metals from which artifacts have been made have been altered intwo ways. First by refining, or using heat to make pure metal frommetal ores, and second by alloying, or combining refined metals, againwith heat, to create new metals with improved useful properties.Metals in nature, the way they are found in the ground, are generallyfairly stable. Malachite, the gemstone, is for instance, a stable formof copper found in nature. It has naturally combined with things in theenvironment to create a substance that looks almost nothing like themetal copper, yet it is made of more than 70% copper and can be refinedto create metallic copper. When the metal copper, which is not stable,is returned to the earth, it will unrefine itself, slowly, recombiningnaturally with elements in the soil, and the result, within a fewhundred years will be a layer of malachite and other related mineralson the surface of the metal. This is the type of deterioration known asverdi-gris. (Another example of this is the black or gray tarnish thatyou see on silver items. This is silver combining with sulfur in theenvironment, and copper alloyed into the silver, combining with oxygen,both returning to a stable natural condition, and at the same time,becoming less attractive and useful.)So, to clarify, metal ores are, through heat, refined and purified intopure metals that must eventually, at normal temperatures, combine withelements in their environment and return to their more stable naturalstates. This process can take hundreds or even thousands of years, andis what we know as patination, verdi-gris, corrosion, and the otherproperties of aged metal.The second important thing that happens as metals age is that, thosewhich are alloyed, or made of a combination of two or more metals, mayseparate slowly into their components. An example of this is ancientsilver coins which become brittle. Silver used in coins is almostalways a combination of silver with about 1.5 to 15% copper. Adding alittle bit of copper to silver makes the normally soft silver harder,and more resistant to wearing down. Silver and copper don't really mixall that well, however, and over time (300-500 years or more), atnormal temperatures, the copper will sometimes begin to again separateitself from the silver. The technical name for this is precipitation ofcopper at the grain boundaries, which means copper coming out of thealloy at the edges of the natural crystals of the metal. This is knownas crystallization of the metal, to coin collectors, all though it isreally just the crystals of the metal becoming visible as the coppercomes out of the alloy and begins to corrode, thus weakening the metal.To clarify this point, some alloys are not stable, and, over hundredsor thousands of years, they will begin to separate back into morestable natural states.BronzeThere are a limited number of major chemical changes that happen tobronze as it deteriorates, depending on age, soil conditions and a fewother things that are collectively referred to as 'the conditions ofpreservation.' The visible results of the changes in the bronze arecollectively referred to as the patination, patina, encrustation, orverdigris. I will use the terms patina and patination and encrustationinterchangeably.Pretty much all of the changes that occur in bronze over time are theresult of interactions of the copper in the alloy with the environment.The tin is relatively inert and is stable in alloy with copper. Thatis, it won't separate like silver and copper.Following are enumerated the different types of copper patina you are likely to encounter:What is this crusty stuff on my coin or artifact and can it be cleaned:Let's start with an important note: Most patinas are desirable,valuable, and attractive, and should not be removed. Some, however arenot. You will need to use your own judgement in this regard, payingattention to esthetic, and the potential destructiveness of theparticular elements present. Bear in mind that most artifacts and coinshave multiple of the following reactions occurring simultaneously ontheir surfaces, and that, cumulatively, they are the irreplaceablesignature of the ages.Pretty: Copper Oxide, Cupric Oxide, Cuprous Oxide: (red, brown orblack) - Cuprous oxide is generally reddish in color and tends to formfirst. It quickly converts to cupric oxide which is dark brown or blackin color. Virtually all ancient bronze coins have at least a thin layerof brown copper oxide directly on the metal surface. CopperSulfate or Sulfide (green to black) Copper Carbonate (accountsfor most green patina and occasional blue) Copper carbonate is areaction to copper oxide, not to copper, so it will only form on top ofthe brown or red copper oxides. Because copper oxide is more stablethan copper carbonate, the green can sometimes be selectively removedleaving the red or brown. Copper Acetate (green, occurs frequently withcopper carbonate)Destructive: Cuprous Chloride and Cupric Chloride - (pale green powderyspots on the surface of a coin or artifact) While there are generally anumber of reactions occurring on the surface of a coin at any giventime, the presence of chloride ions is the most destructive, since theyproduce hydrochloric acids which eat your coin thus producing moreCuprous Chlorides to... etc. until there is no artifact.Redish Warts: - I'm not sure what this is, but its bad. This is scalybumps usually 3-7mm high that form on the metal. It can be removed butis extremely destructive, leaving large pits and destroying mostdetails. Bronze that shows this type of degradation is frequentlyunstable and soft even in the areas not directly affected by the wartyencrustations themselves. I personally will not buy pieces with thissymptom as they tend to look bad and do not respond well to cleaning.SilverThere are really only 3 major chemical changes that you will facedealing with ancient silver. Silver combines with sulfur, and chlorineand, less readily, with nitrate ions and oxygen, mostly resulting ingray to back patinas. The first two important chemical reactions are ofthe silver itself with it's environment, and the third, brittleness, isthe result of the copper which is almost always present in silveralloys.Silver Sulfide (gray to black) This is the commonly known silvertarnish. It occurs rapidly and consistently to nearly all silverartifacts.Silver Chloride (horn silver) Horn silver is present on many ancientsilver coins. It is relatively soft, and can be difficult to remove dueto its tendency to smear and obscure features of the coin. Horn Silveris the combination of part of the silver in the coin or artifact withchlorine to form silver chloride. It has a somewhat purple-ish tosilvery-yellow in appearance, and projects slightly from the surface ofthe artifact or coin, affecting it's appearance.Embrittlement - Silver can only stabily contain about 1% copper at roomtemperature. This amount increases as the silver is heated, thus theuse of heat to combine silver and copper in alloy, and the degradationof this alloy at room temperature. Most silver alloys are what iscalled super saturated, meaning they contain more copper than is stableat room temperature. When the silver is cooled rapidly from hightemperature the copper is trapped in solution and then precipitates outover time.Embrittlement, as stated previously, is the condition commonly know tocollectors as crystallization. Embrittlement is primarily the result ofinter-crystalline corrosion at the microscopic level due to theselective precipitation of copper from the silver alloy at the crystalboundaries. Discontinuous precipitation of copper may soon provide anew method for the dating and authentication of silver artifacts.Discontinuous precipitation occurs primarily in silver alloys with a1.5% - 10% copper content, and shows up as a crystalline or jig-sawgrain pattern on the surface of the artifact. Higher copper contentsilver alloys are resistant to this phenomenon.End Part - 1 - continued in Part - 2 -Archeology Pty Ltd, does not accept any liability orresponsibility for any outcome or end result achieved or attained byusing or following any or all directions contained in this eBay guide.This information is provided on the basis of good faith and use of anyor all information is completely at the readers/users risk. Remember,this is a general guideline and should not be applied without testingand adequate safety precautions.

WARNING - Fake WEP-200 Samsung Bluetooth Headsets

Not just Samsung headsets either, mainly Motorolaand Nokia. Dont take my word for it: GOOGLE IT and then check the guides from ebay.comYOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

HOW TO MAKE A MESSY HAIR BUN WITH HAIR STICKS / PINS! A

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO MAKE A MESSY HAIR BUN WITH HAIR STICKS / PINS!(Learnt from an Italian gentlewoman who kindly demonstrated this technique to me)Many people who buy our hair pins ask me how to make a bun with their hair, and this is my favourite way! It takes a bit of practise, (about a week of consistent trying), and you can "feel" when it is secure yourself. My hair is very straight, fine and slippery, and it is difficult to make a bun with hair like this - but if I can do it so can YOU! I am using a plain horn hair stick, one of my favourites to secure a bun. The second pin is for decoration, and I wear all sorts, depending on my clothes and how I feel at the time...

No such thing as a free lunch

Why am I writing this guide?As a warning to members who may be less experienced using the eBay Community forums. In a lot of ways the eBay forums are no different to the real world, there is good and bad everywhere, however there are some experiences I would like to share. I've been posting on the eBay Community Boards for over6 years now, so consider myself to be fairly experienced.I like to post with my selling id, I feel that when helping less experienced members with their problems that the member seeking advice feels comfortable and knows who they are communicating with. eBay does allow posting id's and they definitely have their place, however the system is easily abused, given the fact that the rules are not alwaysenforced. What can happen when using your selling id on eBay Community Forums!There is an element that exists where gangs of members maliciously report your posts andlistings, theypost with a multitude of id's for the sole purpose of belittling others. eBay have not fullyaddressed the problem, even when notified directly.This is an unfortunate situation, I believe the community can benefit tremendously from experienced buyers and sellers responding to posts. eBay can benefit too. .Please be very careful when using the community boards with your trading id.

Setting gemstones to make your own jewellery.

Setting your own gems in ready-made blank settings is a very easy and affordable way of setting your gems in ready-to-wear jewellery pieces. If you are a hobby gem cutter or just like buying gemstones, this is a good way of creatingsaleable pieces from this interest.Many people interested in gemstones have a stockpile of loose gems that rarely see the light of day. While it is nice to havea collection of nice gems, their real value and beauty isexpressed when they are set in a fine piece of jewellery. While custom madepieces are suitable for very expensive, high value gemstones, it can be difficult to find a good manufacturing jeweller and the work is usually quite expensive. Currently, there are 2 main types of blank jewellery settings:Snap-Sure settings andPre-notched Cast settings. See below for more information.1. SNAP-SURE SETTINGSThis is a revolutionary new idea in gem setting. It is so simple that it's silly ! These are available in a wide range of gems sizes and shapes. These simple claw-settingsare ideal for the inexperienced to start on. Once you have done a few of these, it will give you confidence to step up to the cast settings. Please note the Snap-Sure settings generally are lighter than the cast settings and are more suitablefor smaller stones. See our easy to follow instructions below or see our gem setting pagefor some helpful photographs:a) Just turn the stone face down (point up) on a semi-hard surface that will not scratch the gemstone (eg. magazine, etc). b) Push the mounting down over the gem until it "snaps in". Check and make sure the stone is level in the setting - if it is not, a gentle push with your fingernail should straighten it up. c) Check to make sure the prongs are snug against the girdle of thegem - if they are not closed tightly on the gem, use some smooth pliars to press them across the opposing prongs under the gem. Do not use serrated jaw pliarsas these can scratch the silver. d) Remember - gentle is the key as too much pressure can twist your setting or damage a valued gemstone. e) In most cases, adjustments like this are not necessary. The whole setting process will literally take just a few seconds.2. CAST SETTINGSThese cast settings are slightly heavier in construction compared to the Snap-Sure settings. Therefore, these will wear better. There is no cutting seats or filing prongs necessary as all claws are pre-notched for your convenience. These castings are also fully finished with just a normal polish necessary after the stone has been set. Some castings available are only semi-finished and require specialised tools to complete the piece so please remember to check this when comparing prices. See our easy to follow instructions below or see our gem setting pagefor some helpful photographs:a) Place your gem in the setting - this can be done similarly to step 1 above by placing face down and pushing the setting over the gemstone. b) Turnthe setting gemstone over carefully so that the top of the piece faces you. Level the stone in the setting with your finger c) Use a pair of smooth jawed pliers to gently bend the prong in against the gemstone but do not tighten completely at this stage. Work in an X pattern to tighten opposite prongs in sequence. d) Closely inspect that the gemstone is level and square within the setting as you work. If the gem is not square, simply close the opposing prong slightly to adjust this. e) Once you are happy with how the gem is sitting, tighten all the prongs to complete the job. A prong pusher is recommended for this step (see below) but isnot essential. f) Remember to be gentle and take your time to avoid damaging the setting and/or the gemstone. Do not use excess pressure or force. g) For settings with accent stones, be sure to mount these first before doing the main gem.3.TOOLS REQUIRED FOR SETTING GEMSSuitable pliers can be found off the shelf inbeading supply shops and are easily found on Ebay. However, you may have something already that can be modified to suit.We just use a simple pair of hobby pliersthat have the serrations ground off the jaws (see photo on our gem setting page)Prong pushers are recommended for the final tightening step - pliers can be used for this but a prong pusher is designed for the job. These are also easilypurchasedbut are very simple to make - just find a screwdriver with a comfortable handle and cut off to convenient length, then just grind the end smooth and flat (see photo on our gem setting page).Using these settings is very easy but we do recommend care. Please use the instructions above as a guide and be very careful not to damage either the setting or your gemstone. Slow and steady is the recommended approach. Hope this has been of some assistance to those looking for something to do with all those gemstones. Dont leave them sitting in a box gathering dust - set them and let the world see them in a fine piece of jewellery.

1993-2002 More Old Country Roses English Backstamps

(Part3 of a five part series)As Ebay's limit is 10 pics per guide,this guide should be read after Part 1. How to buy Old Country Roses - Royal AlbertThe major difference from other English backstamps is the (R) trade mark registration character located after ROYAL ALBERT.The trade mark ROYAL ALBERT was registered in 1993, which was also the year that Royal Doulton demerged from the Pearson Group and listed publicly in their own right on the London Stock Exchange.This period of some ten years represents the last of the English produced chinainthe district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire England.

Pre Decimal STAR Notes - Auction result Reference Guide

Australian Auction RESULTS ReferenceStar Notes Pre DecimalTEN SHILLINGS Armitage-McFarlane Star (1942)G/52 02706* (R.13s) 2 sm edge nicks hardly detract, near F. The rarest star note of the series Oct07G/52 02706* (R.13s) 2 sm edge nicks, VG. The rarest star note of the series May08 sold$7.5KG/95 26964* (R.13s) Flattened, nearly very fine and very rare. Nov 07G/95 26964* (R.13s) Flattened, nearly very fine and very rare. Apr08 unsoldTEN SHILLINGS Coombs-Watt Star (1949)A/0 76484* (R.14s) Heavy folds and creases, with pinholes in creases, well soiled but complete. Good Apr08 $420.00A/2 13174* (R.14s) aEF. Oct07 est$6000 A/2 33473* (R.14s) Has been flattened otherwise nearly fine and rare. Nov08A/2 69782* (R.14s) All there, Good. July08A/2 82348* (R.14s) Very Good July08 G/98 11554* (R.14s) All there, good. Apr08 $600.00TEN SHILLINGS Coombs-Wilson Star (1952) A/3 04517* (R.15s) Pin hole, limp, very good. $700.00 Nov 07A/3 38295* (R.15s) Rust spots, nearly VG. $1200.00 A/7 52463* (R.15s) Nearly fine $1700.00A/7 63508* (R.15s) Many folds and creases, original body, very good and rare. Nov08A/7 69327* (R.15s) Flat, nearly uncirculated. July08A/7 96596* (R.15s) F/gF Oct07 A/8 87195* (R.15s) Very Fine $1850.00 Nov 07TEN SHILLINGS, Coombs-Wilson C'wealth Star (1954) AC/90 58791* (R.16s) aFine $1400.00 (see below)AC/90 58791* (R.16s) Flattened, partly cleaned, otherwise nearly fine $800.00 Nov 07 AC/92 56553* (R.16s) Light paper, crease repair(?) right edge, flattened, Good fine est$3000.00 Nov 07 unsoldAC/92 56553* (R.16s) " " " " " " " " " est $2400.00 Apr08 unsoldAC/92 56553* (R.16s) Light paper, crease repair (?) at right edge, flattened, Good fine July08TEN SHILLINGS, Coombs/Wilson Reserve Star (1961) AB/50 60086* (R.17s) Some foxing mainly in the margins gF/aVFAE/95 29041* (R.17s) Fine July08AE/97 13187* (R.17s) Three vertical folds, otherwise nearly extremely fine. Nov08AE/98 38016* (R.17s) Crisp body, very fine but with rust moisture spots througout top margin.Nov08AE/99 56001* (R.17s) Flat, crisp, choice uncirculated Nov08AG/50 02854* (R.17s) Limp otherwise nearly fine. July 08AG/50 03023* (R.17s) Bottom left corner torn off, very good. Apr08 $300.00AG/50 09530* (R.17s) Fine and Original est$600.00 Feb08AG/50 36168* (R.17s) 67/- written on front, Very Good. July08AG/50 44535* (R.17s) Folded in quarters, grubby front and back, original body, good fine. Apr08 $800.00AG/50 83439* (R.17s) aVF May08 sold 850.00AG/50 84385* (R.17s) Flattened of folds and creases, trimmed, nearly very fine est$2000AG/50 84586* (R.17s) gVF AG/50 86078* (R.17s) Right hand border cut close in during production, nearly uncirculated. July08AG/50 88478* (R.17s) VG Oct07AG/51 05195* (R.17s) Limp, otherwise very good. $280.00 Nov 07 AG/51 27047* (R.17s) Natural body, centrefold, crisp extremely fine. Apr08 $4000.00AE/93 77005* (R.17s) natural gVF but with graffiti in green ink on front $900.00 Nov07 AE/96 06811* (R.17s) Natural body, centrefold, otherwise good very fine. $5000.00 July 07AE/98 72343* (R.17s) Small edge nick, VG. Oct07AE/ 88641* (R.17s) Very good. $700.00 July 07AE/99 03086* (R.17s) Two vertical folds, creases but good body, nearly fine. July 08AE/99 17958* (R.17s) Holed through centrefold, good - very good. $380.00AE/99 24386* (R.17s) Vertical fold on back, minor creases otherwise nearly Very Fine. July08AE/99 35204* (R.17s) Light folds and creases from handling, top edge cut close in, nearly Unc est $8000.00 Nov07AE/99 35204* (R.17s) " " " " " " est$7000.00 Apr08 unsoldAE/99 38800* (R.17s) Crisp, flat uncirculated July08AE/99 53457* (R.17s) Fine $1150.00 Oct 07 AE/99 59169* (R.17s) crisp gVF $2300.00 ONE POUND, Armitage/McFarlane (1942)K/58 03537* (R.30bs) 2mm tear at top edge otherwise flattened fine Nov08K/81 06863* (R.30bs) Flattened otherwise good extremely fine Apr08 unsoldK/81 06863* (R.30bs) Flattened otherwise good extremely fine July 08ONE POUND, Coombs/Watt Star (1949)I/2 87547* (R.31s) Stained, thinned otherwise good. July 08I/3 51262* (R.31s) Three pinholes and flattened Nov08I/5 58849* (R.31s) Very good. $1400.00 Nov 07I/7 77042* (R.31s) VG $1050.00I/8 68672* (R.31s) gVF May08 $7.5KI/8 79513* (R.31s) Soiled, creases and folds, fine $2500.001/9 27887* (R.31s) Minor tear in margin est$1K Mar08W/1 34266* (R.31s) Trimmed, otherwise good fine. $1100.00 July 07ONE POUND, Coombs-Wilson Star (1952) W/2 13619* (R.32s) washed and flattened with two discreet margin repairs, an attractive VG $1300.00 Nov07W/2 49813* (R.32s) Has been flattened, F, looks better. $3200.00 Oct 07W/3 93423* (R.32s) Very good. Apr08 $1200.00W/4 13051* (R.32s) Flattened and limp, otherwise nearly very fine $2300.00 Nov 07W/4 66059* (R.32s) Five pinholes, three with rust, good original body, good fine July08W/4 71482* (R.32s) Left corner edge off, pin holes otherwise very good est $1250.00 Nov 07W/5 05769* (R.32s) punch cancelled plus six large cancellation holes and blue rubber ink stamp "cancelled" diagonally twice on front, est $ 5000.00 Jan 08W/5 22283* (R.32s) Fair - space filler July08W/6 28091* (R.32s) flattened of centrefold and handling folds or creasees otherwise good extremely fine Apr08 $19KONE POUND, Coombs/Wilson Star (1953)HA/90 61779* (R.33s) Top edge tear repaired, otherwise nearly fine. est $500.00 Nov 07HA/92 24101* (R.33s) Heavily washed on back to remove stains -else VG $300.00HA/93 49879* (R.33s) Tiny edge nick. aU. Oct07HA/93 76929* (R.33s) washed and flattened Fine $1300.00 Nov 07HA/94 38600* (R.33s) A dirtynote, three pinholes and rust stain at top, still some crispness, very good $320.00HA/95 88600* (R.33s) Limp but complete, very good July 08HA/96 68943* (R.33s) aVF $1500.00 Nov 07HA/99 78059* (R.33s) Crisp good fine, some foxing lower left and creases. July 08HC/91 67250* (R.33s) VF May08 Reserve $1800.00HC/92 98724* (R.33s) pressed, a little grubby but with reasonable colour aVF $1300.00 HC/98 28594* (R.33s) gEF-aU. Oct07HC/98 28594* (R.33s) gEF-aU May08 sold $5KHC/99 48168* (R.33s) Good body but with folds and creases and dirty, otherwise fine or better. $1100.00 July 07HE/89 10013* (R.33s) Otherwise very good $320.00ONE POUND, Coombs/Wilson Star (1961)HE/80 51905* (R.34bs) crisp aVF $1300.00 Nov 07HE/81 11395* (R.34as) Dark green. EF May08 $4KHE/81 20819* (R.34as) Very good Apr08 $380.00HE/81 97737* (R.34bs) Heavy folds, creases and tears, discoloured paper.Fair Apr08 unsoldHE/82 00665* (R.34bs) gVF with low number $2400.00 Nov 07HE/82 03634* (R.34as) Nearly very fine $1200.00 Nov 07HE/82 83896* (R.34as) Dark green. gF May08 $1050.00 HE/83 18180* (R.34as) Flattened virtually uncirculated July 08HE/86 44146* (R.34bs) Fine July 08HE/86 74548* (R.34bs) Heavy sloping vertical fold on back otherwise good body very fine. July 08HE/87 25326* (R.34bs) gF $1050.00 HE/87 62697* (R.34bs) Small stain, folds and creases, otherwise fine. $600.00 Nov 07HE/87 79099* (R.34bs) Multiple folds and creases, minor edge tear otherwise good fine. July 08HE/87 79611* (R.34bs) Flattened, otherwise very good. $700.00 Nov 07HE/87 86891* (R.34bs) Vertical folds and minor creasing July 08 HE/87 91078* (R.34bs) Horizontal and vertical folds otherwise good very fine July 08HE/88 01636* (R.34bs) Good very fine. July 08HE/88 08526* (R.34as) Very good. $1000.00HE/88 23231* (R.34bs) Crisp original with slightest diagonal creasing July 08HE/88 38224* (R.34bs) 4mm tear top edge, flattened and cleaned - good very fine $1000.00HE/88 76574* (R.34bs) Emerald green. EF May08 $3KHE/90 27013* (R.34bs) Very fine. $2250.00 July 07HE/90 32967* (R.34bs) Emerald green. Attractive aU. May08 $13.5KHE/95 74720* (R.34as) a nice fresh note, nearly VF $1500.00HE/99 81811* (R.34as) Dark green. VF May08 $1500.00HE/99 90750* (R.34bs) Flattened of folds, otherwise nearly extremely fine. SOLD Price undisclosed.FIVE POUNDS, Coombs-Wilson Reserve Star (1960)TC/10 20829* (R.50s) Flattened, somewhat limp otherwise very fine or better est $7000 Nov 07TC/10 79516* (R.50s) Short bottom point of star. Lower margin slightly trimmed, VF May08TC/10 39501* (R.50s) Nice natural note, gVF $4800.00TC/11 25559* (R.50s) Flattened, crease repair (?) on left edge, otherwise extremely fine and rare $8000.00 July 07TC/11 30059* (R.50s) Folds and creases, otherwise good body, fine July 08TC/12 10467* (R.50s) Has been flattened and cleaned otherwise very fine. Apr08 unsold est $8KTC/12 56000* (R.50s) Top margin is narrow so possibly trimmed. VF. Interesting serial number. $2400.00TC/12 94073* (R.50s) Nick in centre of right edge, flattened otherwise fine. July 08TC/13 01845* (R.50s) Crisp original body, light vertical and corner folds July 08TC/13 03031* (R.50s) Small repair in top margin aEF May08 Res$5KTC/13 26048* (R.50s) Flattened, otherwise nearly extremely fine and rare. est $10KTC/13 26048* (R.50s) Flattened, otherwise nearly extremely fine est $8K July 08TC/13 31811* (R.50s) VF or better July08Your YES vote is very much appreciated, thank you.

GOLD FILLED SCAMS ABOUND

ARE YOUREALLY GETTING GOLD FILLED?GOLD FILLED is defined as: 'an item made of a base metaland covered by a sheet of gold, at least 10k quality. The gold is bonded to the base metal by a mechanical process such as soldering or pressure rather than electroplating. The weight of the karat gold covering must be at least 1/20 of the total weight of the article.'O.K. let's do the maths here. A 20 gram really truly, honest to goodness, fair dinkum, cross my heart gold filled bracelet would have1 gram of gold on it. One ounce .... or 26 grams of gold is $900.00 currently soone gram of gold is $32.14! To the wholesalecost of such a braceletadd the raw materialsand the labour involved to manufacture it .... not to mention ebay and paypal fees to list it, etc. A seller regularly selling suchjewellery for $50 would therefor be taking a huge loss per sale. We could expect to see him/her go out of business within weeks.... or perhaps it's not really gold filled jewellery at all!!??GOLD FILLED JEWELLERY IS 10K....NOT 9k ... or it can notlegitimately use the term 'gold filled'. I have just watched a '90 gram 9k gold filled' necklace sell for $41.00. If that necklace is REALLY gold filled then it has $144 of gold on it. Now that's what I would call a bargain! Poor seller .. they just lost over $100 and more on the item! .... or did they?MADE OF SOLID GOLD Ijust read on a site. No it's not!That's justanotherdeliberate furphy. Gold filled jewellery is made from a base metal and has the gold (which is NOT SOLID GOLD) bonded to it. Solid gold is 24 karat ... not 9k, 10k, 14k or 18k.Gold filled jewellery is NOT 'made of solid gold' and 'filled with brass'. It is brass (or pewter or steel or sometimes sterling silver) with at least 5% of the total weight of the item comprised of 10k gold or above bonded to the base metal!HALLMARKING OR STAMPINGproves absolutely nothing. I or you, that is anyone at all can walk into a jewellers suppliers in any major city inAustralia and many parts of the worldand buy a jewellers stamp kit. Gold filled (gf)jewellery or gold layered (gl) or gold plated (gp) gold electroplated (gep) or gold bonded (gb) jewellery can all carry a hallmark. A hallmark like 9ctgf or 10kgfindicatesit is gold filledBUT it does not mean that it really is! A HALLMARK DOES NOT MEAN JEWELLERY IS SOLID GOLD. It could be brass, bronze, pewter, silver etc, stamped and then finished with gold on top! RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICES Where on earth do they get them from .... and who recommended them anyway? If you see anyone offering any jewelleryitem (unless it is solid 9k or above gold) valued at $600 to $1200 or morestarting at $1run away very quickly! Do not click .... it's a trick!Ask yourself two basic questions. 1/. Why would sellers continue to sell so much under theR.R.P. at an obvious loss? Gold is currentlyalmost USD$900 an ounce ... 28 grams?! 2/. When did you last see ANYfashion (NOT SOLID GOLD) jewellery for sale at even $600at the shopping mall? FACT OR FICTION? Some sellers offering supposed gold filled jewellery try to convince the unwary that their product is superior to gold electroplated ... or bonded. layered etc, jewellery. This is simply untrue as top quality 18k gold electroplated jewellery ... ours for instance!... can in fact have a higher gold content than9k gold filledwhich merely (without proof) purports to be gold filled. One ebay seller has two stores. One store sells 'gold filled' items and the other store sells 'gold layered' items. Thestrange thingis ...they are the exact same items in both stores!! This makes me a bit wary ... what about you?TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? I thought it was time I got some facts out there. My hope is thatthis rave educates the buyers to be a little more discerning when shopping for a new piece of bling. We are justly proud ofour 18k gold electroplated and 10k rose gold electroplated jewellery. We have been manufacturing (IN AUSTRALIA!) and selling our rangefor twenty years now. We have many, many repeat buyers as well as bulk buyers who onsell our products. Hmmm, they must be good value!

My dream car

As we all know, ebay is THE place to find almost everything you are looking for at a reasonable price.I found my dream car on ebay. A beautiful shiny purple XR 8 falcon. Andlook at the starting bid price! WOW!! I can afford that! and look atthe buy it now option. That can't be right?? these things are worth 5times that! O.K. I'm interested. No, more than interested. I WANT IT! YESTERDAY!!Lets contact the seller (the seller wants you to contact them to beplaced on the approved bidders list). Contact email was sent throughebay together with an O.K whats wrong with the car question. Email promptly returned with the response that there is nothing wrongwith the car, just can't be registered in the USA. Alright then, soundsreasonable. Me thinks that there is still something suspicious aboutthe deal.The next series of emails happen outside of ebay as the seller usesyour personal email address for all further correspondence. O.K said I,I'll buy the car from you and have it shipped back to Australia. IProvided the requested details of who I was and where the car was to beshipped to the seller. Bingo the cars mine I thinks. I return to ebayto complete the buy it now option. Thats strange. The advert hasdissapeared. Oh, well me thinks. The seller has removed the ad due tome offering to buy the car.The next email requests that I send via Western union, a deposit tostart the shipping ball rolling. Um, sorry mister seller, can't do thatits outside the ebay rules and not safe to do so. No problem repliesthe seller, we'll use an escrow agent appointed by the shipping companyto handle the transaction and that way your money will be safe andwon't be released until the car arrives and you're satisfied with it. Ihave arranged buyers insurance to further protect your money for you.The car will arrive in 5 - 6 days. Alarm bells start to ring. A shipthat can sail from America to Australia after waiting to be loaded thatquick!WOW!! I think I want the ship intead (It's obviously faster thanthe car!!). Bugger it, I want the ship so I can enter the Americas cupand win it for Australia. We're going to be GUARANTEED to win it again!I send the seller another request email to obtain all the essentialinformation about the car. i.e. Registration number, VIN number Enginenumber etc. I think I'll play the game and see where it leads. Itshighly unlikely that I'm really going to get the car that cheap butstranger things have been known to happen. You know the story, a friendof a friend of mine bought this car real cheap as the result of divorceproceedings etc. The ad is at least no longer on ebay. The seller saisno problem, here are the details of the car you require.Shortly thereafter, an email arrives from a US shipping company. Anindependant escrow agent has been appointed and the Western Uniontransfer needs to be made to this 3rd party in order to commence theshipping process. OK, the email looks official, has a shipping trackingnumber that can be traced. Even has a fax number to send the paymentdetails to.I decide I best look a little deeper. A good search engine locates theshipping company for me no problem. I enter the tracking number andalas its no good. It's Sunday in the US the shipping company is closeduntil Monday. It's possible that the details haven't hit their systemyet.I decide that speaking to the seller is a good idea at this point andrequest a telephone number. It is provided no problem. Gee, the numberis even in America (and the right part of it). So is the faxnumber. I check the World time and find the time that isn't themiddle of the night over there. It is here though!I place the call and the phone rings. An answering machine picks up soI leave a message. At least the number I have been given actuallyexists.I get another email from the seller. Sorry I'm not home yet, give meyour number and I'll call you when I get home. OK. Sounds fair I sayand provide my number.An hour or so later the phone rings. Alright the time difference is spot on! I'm on the phone to the seller at 3am our time.Why are you selling so cheap I ask? The explanation that followedsounded reasonable enough. The car was won in a raffle while on holidayhere and looked great, so I shipped it home with me. Found I couldn'tregister the car here and since it doesn't owe me anything..........O.K. The story all fits together very nicely. The seller has madesomething that seemed highly unlikely seem very possible indeed. I maybe getting the deal of my lifetime after all.Next step. I'm armed with all the necessary numbers to start checkingthe cars history. Before I spend any money, lets find out if the car isstolen. (You would think so at the price!) No, not stolen and thenumbers I have been given all check out. Hey wow! the car really doesexist!! This is starting to look a little more promising!I decide I'll have another late night and call the shipping company onthe phone number I got from their legitimate web site just to be sure.I decide that following the email link probably wouldn't be wise. Thatbell is still making some noise!Hey, the car exists and the numbers I have all match up with the rightcar and the reason for selling makes sense. The car hasn't beenreported as stolen. I have an email from a shipping company that islegitimate and their website tells me about their escrow methods andthat also rings true with what I've been told so far.The little bell starts to fade further as my fears are slowly beingeroded away by the legitimacy of what I'm discovering. I get a feelingcome over me that I have seen this car somewhere before. Still have torun the securities check yet to make sure the car isn't subject tofinance, but since I haven't spent any money yet I may as well speak tothe shipping company just to be sure. Its only going to cost the priceof a phone call and a little more lost sleep!I'm sitting in front of the computer waiting for the shipping companyto open. Got their US telephone number in front of me on theirlegitimate website. Toll free number too!I'll just have a look around and see what these cars are currentlyworth in the dealers while I wait for the time difference. I have alook at the cars guide website and type into the search what I'm aboutto hopefully buy extremely cheap!WOW!! Look at that!! Its the car that I'm getting shipped from the US!!How can that be possible? The rego number is in the picture!Sensational! I don't have to stay up and call the shipping company asthe car is already here!! AND the showroom that its sitting in is only10 minutes away from me!! I hurriedly fire off an email to the dealer.Do you still have the car? Can you call me when you open? Can I have itfor $8500.00? Get a call from the dealer early the following morning.HA HA, sais the sales rep. VERY FUNNY! We can certainly accomodate youin the purchase of this vehicle sir, we can even offer immediatedelivery. I' m looking at the car through the window at the moment. Butterribly sorry on the price old chap!I let them in on the story. Suffice to say they weren't overly happy asthe dealer just happens to be a long established and very reputabledealer!I suddenly realised at that moment, that yes I had indeed seen this carbefore. The pictures of it on the dealer site were the exact same onesfrom the ebay ad and I had actually looked at this car on the web a fewmonths ago.The article you have just read, is true in every detail.All I can say is that if a deal appears to be too good to be true itprobably is. I went into this sale with my eyes open and was preparedto check every detail of the sale before committing any of my hardearned. I even checked the sellers feedback score and comments. Theseller hadn't actually sold anything recently but had a GREAT feedbackscore and comments.PLEASE, if you happen on a deal like this one, tread carefully and beprepared to check everything before spending any of your money. Makesure you get all the right information and check it thoroughly. Don'tfollow email links. The emails that I received from the shippingcompany appeared authentic. And HEED THE WARNINGS ISSUED BY EBAYREGARDING MONEY TRANSFERS.It is better to have a few late nights checking information beforeparting with your hard earned money than the hassles you would havetrying to get it back!I imagine I would have discovered the truth anyway when I spoke to the shipping company.Fortunatley, this episode has only cost me 2 short phone calls to theUS and a bit of lost sleep. It would have cost me a lot more had I notbeen prepared to check the authenticity of the deal.Hope this helps you avoid the sharks in some small way and saves you a few dollars as well.The incident has been officially reported to ebay.