I have bookmarked my favorite coupon sites on this blog in the right hand column. This morning, I found another site with the BEST coupons for all of my favorite stores.
These coupons include printable and online discounts. I stumbled upon the site by looking for a specific dollar amount off coupon for Target, trying to find the source of coupons that are being resold on eBay.
The site is www.couponalbum.com.
Very clean and easy to use without all the blinding ads and pop-ups. I didn't know where to click first! All My favorites were there. I search on Target, and used the $5 off any purchase coupon. Then in the right column, I saw Overstock, and Linens n Things. Below was Amazon, and SmartBargains! I had to stop and share. Bookmark it:
As a toy retailer, and an avid toy shopper for my 4 kids, I have found some tried and true websites for good deals on toys.
I would recommend getting on eToys mailing list because they do not generally post coupons online. They do send special offers in emails though!
www.etoys.com This time of year, spring, is a great time for free shipping offers from eToys, and clearance items. They are gettign ready to restock for the next holiday season, and they have some great special. Always check their specials page.
Go through Upromise for an additional 3% savings into your Upromise account!
Walmart.com Clearance toys and site to store option. Their toys are very reasonablly priced all year long. Their clearance prices are great. The new Site to Store feature gets the items shipped to your local store for free pick up.
Target.com Use one fo my suggested coupon sites or just do a Google search above for "Target + Coupons". You will always find a good one for $5 off or 10% off.
Go through Upromise and receive an additional 4% savings into your Upromise account!
Amazon.com Amazon marketplace has opened up a world of savings! All the sellers are trying to be the lowest price seller and usually that means you can get quality toys, like Melissa and Doug wooden toys, Guidecraft, and Kidkraft toys, and more at just a few dollars over wholesale. I used to sell many of these toys on Amazon, and could not compete with the low low price, and Amazon's cut of the deal. That is how I know the prices are low!
When you are looking for a toy on Amazon, always click on the "New and Used" list to see all available merchants.
For example, for the Melissa and Doug Wooden Birthday Party Cake, there are 76 items available from Amazon Marketplace sellers, and the price starts as low as $9.50!!! This usually retails for $19.95. There are 10 sellers selling it for around $13 dollars with FREE SHIPPING. That is a good deal.
Finally, if you like Disney Toys, you cannot beat DisneyShopping.com's Outlet
www.DisneyShopping.com
The only drawback to Disneyshopping is the constant emails from them. However, they always have excellent coupons, flat rate shipping for $5, etc. You can also receive 4% into your Upromise account, and special savings like 20% sitewide by using Upromise! The outlet prices on toys and costumes are excellent! Add the flate rate shipping, Upromise savings, and you are in business!
Each shopping experience may vary especially with consumer electronics. I cannot comment on purchasing consumer electronics online because that is the one thing I feel I need to see, touch, and speak to a live person before purchasing ( or at least have the option of going to a brick and mortar store as well as purchasing online). That's just me. My husband on the other hand, is an online electronics and computer consumer extraordinaire. I will have him share his expertise in another article!
Other than that, I buy almost anything else online. I have shopped at Overstock in the following main categories: furniture, home decor, bedding, sports, books, and toys.
The bedding dept I use to supplement my online stores. The quality and selection of the bedding is excellent. They do not have shabby stuff! There are many styles of quilts and comforters with prices close to wholesale, or at least my wholesale. There have been times I needed to fill a customer order and the manufacturer is out of stock.
Overstock has come to my rescue having the same bedding item for just a few dollars over my wholesale buying price. I understand that overstock purchases overstock and therefore can afford to offer low prices. I have to swallow my pride to make purchases like that since Overstock is also my competitor! I have also purchased sheets and other bedding for personal use.
In the furniture department I have used overstock for an entertainment center, Adirondack chairs, dining room buffet cabinet, dining chairs, and even a birdbath. I did not realize how much I had purchased from them until I decided to write this article! The best buy was my order for 4 Big Wheels I purchased for my kids last spring. 4 Big Wheels, around $20 each with discount coupon of 10% and free shipping.
Overstock pricing on the books is great and shipping time is reasonable. Speaking of shipping, shipping times do vary. If you are in a rush then go somewhere to pay expedited shipping. For me, it is worth the wait for a good deal online. The wait is never that long really. I have never needed anything quickly. The flat rate is only $2.95. Yes, there are extra shipping charges for oversize items. The extra shipping charge is not excessive. You can test that yourself by entering the weight and dimensions into a UPS calculator online and see how much it really costs to move giant heavy boxes around the country.
I think the only shipping problems that may arise will be around the holidays when every other retailer online experiences similar delays. My only suggestion there is shop early.
You can also find a good coupon online 5% or 10% off. They also run free shipping or $1 shipping specials. Once you get on Overstock's mailing list, you will get the coupons automatically. They are very good about not assaulting you with nuisance emails like some other stores.
Overstock now also offers a Best Price Guarantee which they do honor unlike some stores. You can visit their site for more details on this program.
Customer Service: Much much better than most customer service centers online, really! I have had a problem with a broken item needing parts. On that occasion, the customer service representative that helped me even took my cell phone number and called my back 3 times until the issue was resolved. Remember you are dealing with people on the other end of the phone, just like you. If you are nice they will almost always be nice in return.
I have also used their online chat pop-up help to ask questions during a purchase. Their customer service chat representatives are friendly and responsive. They are not experts in anyway on a particular camera or other item you are interested in purchasing. You have to save those questions for the manufacturers.
I believe once you try Overstock, you will be pleased. I am willing to write this article about Overstock and I am just a customer too. I think I will give their affiliate partnership a try. I have certainly purchased enough personally to feel confident enough to resell and market their website and products.
If you are looking to be thrifty online, pay Overstock.com a visit!
WebKinz Deals Online I don't usually go for fads or follow the crowd. However, my kids love stuffed animals and Ganz makes really soft cute ones. So, I gave in to Webkinz. I was concerned with 4 little kids wanting to go online and play in Webkinz world, but they really just love just playing with their Webkinz plush animals. We go online only occasionally, and I admit I love playing the games.
I won't pay full price for a toy, and certainly not when I need 4 of them just to get started. I went to my local Paperstore to get an idea of how much these little guys are going for. Webkinz, the 8.5 inch animals run $10.99 here in MA. The smaller Lil Kinz 6.5 inch go for $8.99. These are my baseline comparison prices for shopping online. The cost plus shipping should not exceed the local store price.
Once I started searching with Google (the search engine not the WebKin by the same name) online, I discovered the first benefit of finding these little WebKinz online: greater selection! There was a huge selection compared to my local store. There were also tons of websites. Everybody is in on it! I started getting lost in surfing for WebKinz.
I discovered there are lots of WebKinz cheat sites. Yeah, you can cheat in WebKinz World. How awful! Of course those sites caught my attention. I had to see what they were about. Geez, just as in real life people have discovered ways around earning money honestly, there are lots of folks out in cyberspace ready to help you cheat and get easy WebKinz money (Kinz cash). Some are legitimate hints on how to play the games better on WebKinz, and buy and sell your WebKinz possessions.
However, others site suggest cheats that looked too much like dark alley dealings for small plush pets! Here I thought these were just sweet innocent little pets and sweet innocent little kids behind them! WebKinz website of course will kick off you and your misbehavin WebKinz pet if you are caught cheating!
Back to shopping for WebKinz deals!
I went to the big toys stores online first, eToys and Toysrus. Toyrus isn't playing with WebKinz. They support Shining Stars where you not only get a plush animal and a magical online virtual world, you also get to register a REAL star in you name in the International Star Registry! Cool, huh? I checked out the Shining Stars, and still wanted a WebKinz (I mean for my kids, not me.)
eToys.com was overpriced, even with any sales they sometimes offered. When I checked the website, some were on sale for $14.99. I will use the white WebKinz Rabbit as an example, since that is one of the ones I eventually purchased (from eBay). eToys: $19.99 + $4.33 shipping! Yikes! Who are you guys kidding??? I can get 3 Rabbits on eBay!
eBay
Speaking of eBay, I looked there next. I purchased WebKinz Rabbit as well as Cheeky Monkey, Koala, Googles, Alley Cat and some Lil Kinz like the Lion, Penguin. Yeah, I got addicted quickly, even for a veteran eBayer. I even got caught up in a LOT auction of WebKinz and ended up with 4 duck-like platypus animals named Googles, which I promptly turned around and resold 3/4 on eBay.
On eBay, do a search for a particular Webkinz you would like. Check the auction description to ensure the tags are unused so you can register your WebKinz on the WebKinz website (otherwise you are purchasing just another plush pet). Also, check the seller's feedback to ensure you are buying from an excellent eBayer seller. ( see my post about smart shopping on eBay: How to Shop and Save on eBay)
Click on completed auctions to see the completed auction final sold prices and shipping costs. You can get some good deals. I don't have the patience for auctions, so usually I only bid if there are less than 10 minutes left. There are enough eBay sellers selling WebKinz that you have plenty of choices. I love the ones that have less than a 1 minute left. That's how I got Rabbit for $2.99 + $5.95 shipping.
Amazon.com My next stop in search of WebKinz was Amazon.com. There, I also discovered there are more Webkinz than you can imagine. Retired or not these furry little guys are taking over the world like "Trouble with Tribbles" on Star Trek! Some animals are retired after a certain time. The retired Webkinz do command a higher price on eBay and Amazon.
For each WebKinz listing on Amazon, you will find about 10 or more sellers offering the same animal for a variety of prices and shipping rates. You can find a WebKinz for a reasonable price on Amazon.com.
I found another good deal at Costco.com wholesale club. You do need a wholesale club membership to shop at Costco. I would not recommend the membership fee just for some WebKinz but if you happen to have a membership, I found some 4-pack variety packs on Costco for $39.99, shipping included. They include the Black Cat which I found out is seasonal for Halloween.
The WebKinz have been around for a while now since Ganz introduced them in 2005. I think that means they are lasting longer than version 1.0 of TY Beanie Babies. They are going for less and less on eBay. I noticed some auctions end at a starting bid of 0.99 cents with $5-$6 shipping. Maybe the fad is nearing an end? Regardless, my kids are loving them, and I may get them one more each.
WebKinz List of Pets If you are not sure who's who in the WebKinz world, start with Wikipedia.org under WebKinz:
The above link is the list of all the WebKinz pets available. On the Webkinz website, once you register and adopt your pet, each pet has a special item and special food. Those items are identified in this list as well.
Stuffed Animal Donation Locations So if you have allowed WebKinz into your home or are planning on letting some of these pets move in, you probably need to discard some other plush toys to make room. There are many places that accept clean, good condition stuff animals as donations. You don't have to take abandoned stuff animals to the landfill.
Clean small stuffed animals are always needed by EMTs, Fire and Police Departments to give to children who are involved in trauma and accidents.
This is one site I have used that is in MA.: Project Smile, "Help Bring Comfort to a Hurting Child." You can send your stuffed animals from anywhere to Project Smile, or do a search on Google for stuffed animal donation centers, near you. Maybe after the year free subscription runs out on some of your Webkinz, and your kids have moved on, your littl Webkinz can make another child smile.
You can probably gather all the retired TY Beanie Babies you may have previously accumulated and any other stuffed animals piled in the corners of your bedrooms, and donate them to a good cause.
By the way, TY Beanie Babies generation 2.0 are online now too in their very own virtual world. It is pretty much unanimous: all stuffed animals now live in a virtual reality! I don't think any child will ever be happy again with just a plain ol' cute stuffed if that animal does not come with a sewed on, tied on, virtually irremovable super secret access code to allow the stuffed animal a life of its own on the Internet!
I am at least happy my children still sleep with their plain ol' loveys (We have Bunny, Pinky Puppy, Beary, and Teddy) which only exist in our real world. Oh, the WebKinz do sleep with them too.
More Information about Webkinz For general information about WebKinz, go to the source, the manufacturer, Ganz:
Talk to Anyone Anywhere over the Internet for FREE with Skype
Here is a great way to save online while staying in touch with your family, friends, and business associates, with Skype.
Initially, when eBay! introduced Skype, as a method of making internet calls, chat, and video calls for free, I disregarded it. In my previous life as an electrical engineer, I spent 6 years in the videoconferencing business. I left the industry just as internet videoconferencing was becoming common yet still bug-ridden.
All I can remember was the hours and hours I spent in labs testing calls, dropped calls, lost data, pixelated images, green screen of death, more testing, and the eventualy successful call! Yeah!
Hey, I met my husband while working at Picturetel so it wasn't all bad! Anyway, I digress. I disregarded Skype because I remembered all the difficulty I encountered in my audio, video and internet conferencing days of old.
Also, when eBay introduced Skype, I wasn't so sure I wanted my customers from my eBay store,A Modern Renaissance Furniture and Toys, to have instant access to me at all times of the day and night, especially since well, I do have 4 kids to take care of!
Well, one day, my dearest cousin in the whole world, Maria, called me from Greece, using Skype! (Internet to landline) She was so excited to now able to now call me every day for cents (well, tiny amounts of Euros) a day! International phone calls cost both of us at least $50 a call, so we didn't get a chance to talk very often.
Well, I was embarassed that I was the computer literate one, running online businesses and spending my entire career in high tech, and my cousin from our my Dad's little village in Greece was telling me to get Skype!!!
I did! It's free! We now talk via the internet whenever we want. We both purchased inexpensive Logictech webcam or video cameras, and we not only talk, we video call. My kids talk to their little cousin. I see my cousin's growing belly with her new baby on the way. I turned the camera out my window and showed her little boy, snow (lots of it!) and our snowman. I loved the excitement in his eyes!
My 6 yr old son put it best when he said, "It looks like we are really in Greece with little cousin Christo. I wish I could go through the computer and hug him!"
Now, if I have a stray thought or question for Maria, I hit the call button and she is there! It works pretty much every time. The only technical difficulties we have encountered is problems with setting up our video cameras, and they were minor.
Well, we got my Dad on Skype. Now I can see my parents whenever I want. They are only 20 minutes away, but through winter in New England, I still didn't get to see them often enough. Now I can "see" them anytime of day. My 6 yr old triplets will call Yiayia and Papou to show them their artwork, their first loose tooth, and new outfits.
Better yet, we conference together, My Dad from home, my cousin Maria in Greece. She call her Dad in the village on the landline puts him on speaker, and now my Dad can talk to his brother. On Christmas, we were able to be together, virtually, for the first time ever.
If only my Grandparents were alive. They would get such a thrill out of this! Heck, I do and I used to write the code to make videoconferencing work! It's just like The Jetsons!
Give it try! It is so easy to create an account. You don't need any equipment beyond your computer and its existing audio properties. If you can connect to the internet, you can Skype. Internet calls are free anywhere in the world. Internet to phone lines do cost a mininal amount per minute: 2.1 cents per minute to over 30 ountries. You can pre-purchase Skype credit to use for internet to phone calls. You can receive cell phone calls to your computer too.
For video calls, you need a webcam or video camera. Logictech is the leader in webcams. We have the following 3 cameras. We use the Logictech QuickCam Pro 9000 on our main computer, and the Logitech QuickCam Pro for Notebooks, on our notebook computer.
We also have the Logitech Quickcam Communicate STX by Logitech, and have given one of those to my Dad when we set him up on Skype.
We purchased all of out webcams on Amazon.com with free supersaver shipping.
Curious about how it all works? Here are some books you can try:
Once you install your camera, then you can go back into Skype, and edit the video settings to auto recognize your camera.
The only thing you can't do with Skype is 911 calls. Skype cannot replace your landline for emergencies. Otherwise, you can pretty much do what your phone does today and soooo much more!
Skype is an eBay company. Skype services are currently available in 28 languages. It is used in almost every country around the world! We can truly talk to anyone at anytime! How cool is that?
So how does Skype make money? Skype gets its revenue through its premium offerings such as internet to and from landline and mobile phones, voicemail, and call forwarding. Internet to internet calls are FREE!
Other features include document sharing, online chat features, and voicemail. Skype has a simple, user-friendly interface. Even a novice can quickly navigate their site, and start Skypeing!
The best part is the money you can save that you would be handing over to your phone company... you know, the monthly long distance fee, line fee, universal service charge (what is that????), , fees, fees, more fees, and oh, let's not forget taxes!
Getting started is simple:
1. Go to www.skype.com. Download the little wizard. It installs on your PC. 2. You select a cool username and password, and your are ready to go. 3. Skype helps you with a test call to make sure everything is ok with your microphone and speakers. 4. Now who to call? Find your friends through their email addresses, or call them up and get them online too! Add your friends to your address book. 5. Double-click on your friend's name from your Skype address book, and you are talking!
Have questions? Need help getting started? Just post a note and I will be happy to help you!
Talk to Anyone Anywhere over the Internet for FREE with Skype
Wholesale Club Shopping Online OK! Before you read my entire article, I will tell you the summary. Costco and BJs are worth giving a one year membership a try. Costco will even refund you at anytime if you are unhappy.
Worst case, a wholesale club membership only costs you a couple of dollars a months. You spend more than that on a cup of coffee. Wholesale clubs become money drains only when you feel obligated to use your wholesale club for everything because you paid a membership fee. That is not necessary to get your money's worth out of a wholesale club membership. If you have a wholesale club membership, that does not mean you have to buy everything there!
I can only comment on Costco and BJs wholesale clubs. I have never used Sam's Club even though it is right across the straight from their owner, my favorite nemesis, Walmart. I, like most people, have a love hate relationship with Walmart. You usually can't beat the prices but hate what they stand for. The truth is for a savings point of view, Walmart offer many items in bulk now. I shop there enough to stock up on TP and paper towels without paying a wholesale club membership. (Walmart should be paying me a membership fee! or at least offer a frequent shopper club!)
I had been a member of BJs for 10 yrs, until I let my membership lapse last month. I realized my once weekly visits had lapsed into every couple of months, to longer than 3 months stretches. I do not need Bjs anymore because I have the time to comparison shop and can get out more easliy now that the kids are in school.
I have been a member of Costco for 2 yrs with a business professional membership. I use Costco for many of my business purchases so I switched to only using Costco instead of having both memberships. Bjs and Costco carry most of the same things. Costco has a more ofice supplies, toys, etcs I need for my online retail business.
I feel Costco and Bjs are equally professional and offer good customer service. BJs has the benefit of accepting MFR coupons and accepts all major credit cards! Costco only accepts checks and American Express in their warehouses (they do accept all major credit cards online though) BJs lines seem to move very quickly, and their aisles, at least at the ones I have been to, are better organized.
BJs was a lifesaver when my children were babies. With triplets plus one, I went through alot of diapers and baby wipes. OK, now I need toilet paper in bulk, but as I mentioned before, I can get bulk TP at Walmart and Target too. I do have the luxury of many shopping choices nearby.
When my kids were babies, I could not follow the sales for the best prices because getting out with 4 babies was tough! BJs also offered the huge double seater shopping carts. My membership fee was worth the ability to safely strap all 4 kids and do all of my shopping plus get a bunch of boxes I could use for packing and shipping on my eBay business! (How did I strap in 4 kids? Well, the shopping carts with the toy car in front fit 2 kids, and the shopping cart also had double seater in the carriage. So worth it!)
I could get my eyeglasses reasonably at BJs, tires for the minivan, coffee and even my copy of People magazine - two of my few vices. I also purchased alot of our clothes there. Quality clothes like Levi's jeans, Dockers Khakis, Polo Oxfords, and Carters clothes for the kids. We stocked up on socks and undies too.
So although the grocery prices were not great compared to what I could find at local supermarkets, the convenience more than made up for it for me.
With small kids, one stop shopping is best! Of course, I would always end buying stitckers, snacks... loved the crossiants I would eat two in the car while driving around with all 4 kids sound sleep surrounded by our BJs loot.
Of course, the crossiants would go stale in a day, and I actually ended up paying a fortune for the two I ate! Some things just aren't meant to be purchased in bulk. Cheerios, Huggies, wipes, and paper towels... yeah families with small kids need those in bulk!
I use Costco mostly for business purchases. I also find the same deals as BJ's on name brand clothes for my family. Their prices are good on toys and gift items. I am an authorized retailer for many of the same MFRs represented at Costco in the toy, furniture and gift departments. I can tell you the Costco markup over actual wholesale is only 10-12%. You are getting a great deal. I use them to supplement my stores when the MFR has a backorder on a certain item. AND there are also alot of eBay sellers making a nice profit off of dropshipping Costco items to customers! That is how good their prices can be!
I use Costco for seasonal and big purchases, like tires. We will eventually get that extra shed we need. I will make most of my big purchases and business purchases ONLINE and have them shipping to my front door. Now you can wholesale club comparison shop from your couch. Both BJs and Costco have great websites, and good deals online.
Costco and Bjs carry major name brand toys, bedding, baby, and electronics items online that may not be available in their warehouses near you. They even have exclusives with some MFRs on certain products. For example, if you want the most gigantic wooden Barbie Dollhouse by Kidkraft, you can only find the Grand Villa at Costco.com.
Costco also had the best and fastest photo processing for our holiday photo cards this year. I created and ordered our Christmas photo cards online on a Friday night, and picked them up at my local Costco Saturday morning.
When you are trying to decide if the $35-$50 is worth the membership, look beyond bulk purchasing rotten tomatoes! Look at what you can get and still be thirfty, online!
I never had success with fresh fruits and veggies at BJs. Nothing ever lasted long enough for me to get my money's worth. I prefer paying money for fresh produce. The only exception is that Costco does have some cool exotic foods, and ya gotta love their bakery!
Buying in bulk can save you money. You have more choices now than when wholesale clubs first started popping up. you have Target, Walmart and similiar stores. You also have wholesale clubs online on the internet. BJs and Costco are definitely worth a try!
eBay can be overwhelming even for a veteran buyer and seller like me. I have experienced many of the negative aspects like hostile buyers, account take-over, spamming emails, you name it. However, eBay has excellent customer service representatives that calmed me down and fixed my problems every time.
I find eBay to be a safe shopping experience if you understand a few rules!
1. Always price shop. eBay has great prices but not always! Search with Google to find your item online from other sellers. Look at the top ten. If the prices are all about the same or more than you would get through eBay. Then look at shipping cost and any discount coupons you may use to reduce the price. If that doesn't look good, go back to eBay!
2. Ready to buy? Check the seller feedback. Look at the negatives. Look at the withdrawn feedbacks.
Here is the truth about feedback... Buyers who are unhappy with a seller will often NOT leave feedback for fear of retaliatory negative feedback. Also look at the postive feedbacks. Sometimes buyers will provide some useful information about a transaction yet leave it as a positive feedback. Look at the detailed statistics. That information is left by buyers anonimously and is a better picture of the what kind of seller you are dealing with.
3. Read the listing carefully. Read the description carefully! If you ar enot sure about something, ask. Some sellers are offering items for sale from other suppliers. They are doing the legwork for you and are provding a valuable service for a price and acting as the "middleman". You can sometimes find their source by selecting a key part of their description,cutting and pasting that description into Google search with quotes, and seeing where else this is offered. Other sources may have a better price.
4. Another trick check the picture source within the description. Sometimes sellers don't always host their own pictures but use pictures from other websites. The secret is if you look at the properties of that picture you may find the source of the real supplier. Mouse over an image, right-click with your mouse, and then click on "properties" You will see where the image comes from. Most of the time it is on eBay or a picture hosting service. Sometimes, you will see the name of another store that sells the same item!
5. Does the seller have their own website? Check if the seller of the item you are considering has their website or web store. You can find this information on their About Me page. Usually, the same item will be cheaper directly from a seller's own website.
6. Ask questions about your item from the sellers you are considering. If the seller responds, you already know he is responsive.
7. Always check the closed listings for the item you are interested in. See what this item has sold for and from which sellers.
8. Protect yourself by paying through Paypal. Paypal offers the benefit of the doubt to buyers always! Trust me, I have been on the frustrating side as a seller, with buyers who file false claims of "Item not as described" Paypal always decided in the buyer's favor. Sigghhh but that's a topic for a different article where I can vent about Paypal's unfair treatment of honest sellers!
9. Feel like taking a chance on an auction and bidding on a item? Always search online first as to the price for this item. You can get caught up in the excitement of bidding and overpay for your item!!! The fixed Price "Buy it Now" listings may offer a better price.
10. Shipping Fees. Shipping is very expensive and gets more expensive every year. eBay has really done a good job to force sellers to offer reasonable shipping fees.
However, if you feel a seller's shipping fees is extreme, ask the seller the weight and dimensions of the shipping box, and find the actual shipping fee estimate from UPS, FEDEX or USPS websites. Remember, the seller will add a nominal packaging and handling fee. That is expected. Also, if an item ships direct from a manufacturer, the shipping fee will also reflect a required manufacturer's dropship fee. So the shipping fee you are paying is: actual shipping + seller's handling fee + dropship fee (if any).
11. Insurance: UPS and FEDEX automatically insure any package under $100 dollars. You should never have to pay an insurance fee if your item is shipping UPS or FEDEX and is under $100 dollars.
12. Quick Tips on avoiding account hijacking and spam mail:
The biggest source of fraud on eBay is criminals who steal your account information. One day, you try to login into eBay and your password no longer works! First, double check you have not forgotten your password. I make myself panic every once in a while by typing in my password wrong!
How to avoid eBay and Paypal account theft:
Tip#1 If you get an email from eBay in your regular email account like "message from eBay member" or "account information needed" , "unpaid item dispute" , etc. ALWAYS check that email is really from eBay. A real eBay email will also be in your eBay My Message Folder in My Ebay" Login into eBay from a NEW WINDOW, and double check that email is also in your email folder. You can also double check from withint the email itself. eBay always uses your registered full name and eBay user name in any email sent from eBay:
In this example, this a real eBay email because the email is addressed to the user's full name, John R. Smith, and his eBay username, Propayer56 If the email say something generic liek "ebay user" or just a user name and not the full name, it is spam! Do not click through that email. You will go to a website that looks like eBay but is a fake website and someone is just stealing your login and email information.
Don't click through the email to response to the question. Always open a new window, and login into your eBay account separately. Answer the question through eBay My Messages center.
Tip #2 Always log-off when you are done with eBay. Don't just close the window. Log-off
13. Get and use a Paypal Security Key Consider this cool little device available through Paypal, to add an extra layer of security when you log in with the PayPal Security Key. It’s easy, secure, and portable – so you can access your account from just about anywhere.
What is it? It’s a little 1.5 inch long device that generates a temporary 6-digit security code every 30 seconds. Use it every time you log in to eBay or Paypal for added security.
The same security key works for Paypal and eBay! Everytime you login, you login in normally with username and password. Then you get prompted to enter your security code. Click the button on the Paypal security key, and enter the number who see on it!
14. Good Sources of eBay Secrets. Here are some books that I recommend about using eBay. Read their reviews and you will see they are trusted eBay resources from trusted authors.
So are you ready to go shopping?
If you have any questions or doubts, just ask me! I would be happy to help!
How to Plan a Disney Vacation My family loves going to Disney World. Why? It is exhausting in the best way possible. Not only do my husband and I enjoy the pleasure and excitement of our 6 yr old triplets and 4 yr old but we are children again too.
You know that commerical on TV when the Dad turns into a child along with his son? Yeah, I feel like that. I have given myself over to the Disney! However I am well aware Disney World is a very successful business, profiting from everyone's need to be a child again.
So how does a family of 6 afford Disney luxuriously on the cheap? Well,for us it is mostly my husband's excellent internet research! We went to Disney before we had children on the cheap cheap! less than $1000 all inclusive for 6 days. We had fun, ate well, and enjoyed Disney but luxury was not a word I could use to describe that vacation! That is not the one I recommend.
I like the Disney resorts! I like the safety, the courtious well-trained staff, the clean rooms, free coffee, and easy access. A vacation should be carefree, comfortable, and safe!
With that said, where do you begin? Our favorite site is www.mousesavers.com
Everything you need to know is at your searchable fingertips!
Basic Disney Vacation planning travel tips:
1. GO OFF SEASON! I can't stress enough the pleasure of less crowds, easy access to rides, restaurants. PEAK SEASON = STRESS! We small children, heat and crowds leads to crankiness which turns the "happiest place on earth" into misery. You can't control the wather but you can choose to go to Disney World off season. This means pulling kids out of school ( yeah I know many schools and teachers frown on this.. but they are only kids once. They have plenty of time to be chained to obligation.) Family time is much more precious that a week out of formal schooling!
The best off season times: September, January. We have found September to be the least crowded but HOT! and stormy. With proper hydration, and the available awesome resort pools, water parks, lower hotel costs, lower flight costs, and less crowds, September is a great time to go to Disney World.
We have also gone in January 3 times now, once with children. The weather can range from perfect (70s) to cold. You lose the pleasures of using the resort pools. The water parks are usually closed but walking around the parks is a joy. The grass is green, the air is crisp, and the crowds are low.
2. MOUSESAVERS and more
Start at www.mousesavers.com for pretty much every time saving and money saving tip available.
There are also some guides written by oridinary people who love Disney and are sharing what they have learned. I recommend these reviews and guides on eBay:
Great advice from a family that went to Disney World during one of the busiest weeks of the year: April vacation!!!
3. Airline tickets: www.priceline, AAA, www.expedia.com, www.jetblue.com compare estimates. We got a greal deal direct from JetBlue.
4. AAA Travel Services and Parking
If you are AAA member, you should purchase you Park Hopper Passes at AAA, and also take advantage of the AAA Diamond Parking at Disney World (if you plan on renting a car.
You can see all the AAA park pass options under the travel section on the AAA website:
AAA airline ticket prices were not as good as what we have found online through our own searches (ok, not "our", my husband's searches. He is much better finding the best airline and hotel prices online. I am better at the shopping!)
5. Dining: The Disney Meal Plan is a good idea. Took us a few days to get the snacks and point system right on the meal plan in 2006. We were also not happy with the limited food choices for kids: chicken nuggets and french fries, mac and cheese. We ended up at a alot of buffet style eateries so out kids could eat the veggies and salads off our plates.
In 2008 we figured we would got it alone, eat off Disney for some meals since we had a car this time, and compare how much it cost us versus the meal plan... we tried hard but it was a bit more. Disney added more to the kids' menu too. We noticed salad choices, and more fruit on the kids menus! We will do the meal plan again.
Pack snacks and cooler bottles to refill with water. Buying water bottles, and snacks during the day add significantly to your cost! Packing plenty of snacks curbs crankies and keeps whining at a minimum as well (yeah there is whining in Disney, alot of it, and all around you. You are in good company!)
6. Ride or Drive: To rent a car or use the Disney Magic bus? that is the question! We tried renting a car for more freedom and to save money by going off Disney for some meals. I prefer the happy bus. That is the magical bus that picks you up at the airport, decorated in bright Disney decor, with Disney music playing and a cheerful driver. Yup, I like to swallow the happy pill right off the plane!
Renting a car can be very convenient. The rental car companies run smoothly. They are easily accessed within the airport. However, 4 excited and tired little kids, 5 big bags, 4 back packs, and tired parents, getting carseats into a rental car, and then driving, added some unnessary stress to our vacation. We should of let Mickey do the driving.
We had the benefit of AAA Member Diamond parking. We were looking forward to premiere parking ... gonna park right in front of the park's gate... uummm no. AAA diamond parking is close to the gates but since we travel off season, regular parking is pretty close too.
There is a big drawback to driving to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot because the parking lots for these 2 parks is not in front of the parks. Parking is a parking station with only monorail access to the front gates of the parks. This is fine in the morning but a nightmare in the late afternoon crowds and at night when hords of crowds ( yes hords of crowds in off season... can't imagine this during peak seasons!) are carrying or dragging half asleep cranky kids. The Magic Kingdom/Epcot parking lot might as well be in the next state!
Of course there are crowds waiting for the happy bus, monorail, and boat access to the resorts but they take you from the front door of the park ( inlcuding Magic Kingdom and Epcot) to the front door of the resort or your hotel. You don't have to do any thinking. It is easy and safe.
7. Park Passes: Park passes can be purchased online, through a Disney store, at AAA, or at the front desk of your resort. The rates vary based on season but they are the same anywhere you purchase them. No real cost savings there other than buy a park hopper multi day pass - that is a given. Then again, you could use my Upromise trick to saving a little bit more. Go through Upromise to Disney Shopping and then get your tickets!
8. Souvenirs: Purchase a few ahead of time and brings them with you. You can get great Disney merchandise from these online merchants as well as aw geez, I hate to give these guys a plug but you can't beat the prices... Walmmmmmart!
I also like to purchase our Disney merchandise from Sears. Buy online ( through Upromise first!) and choose their site to store delivery. Buy online and get free shipping to your local store. See Disney Toys at Sears
Another great choice is the Disney Shopping Outlet. I would never pay the full prices on Disney Shopping. However the outlet prices are reasonable and they are always coupons available!
9. Of course you won't be able to leave Disney World without some unique souvenirs like my cool black te shirt with a fuzzy leapard Mickey Mouse emblem. This one was only available at Disney Animal Kingdom. The tee shirt and sweatshirt styles at the parks are truly unique even though they are more expensive. Maybe you could purchase the kids tees online prior to going to Disney, and buy yours at the parks!
10. Recommended Reading:
There are sooo many Disney Planning Guides out there but here are the ones I recommend. If you read the reviews you will see many agree these are the best!
1. Birmbaum's Guide to Disney World 2. Birmbaum's Kids Guide to Disney - we bought the previous year's guides for each of the kids and saved money! The kids loved having their own guides! 3. Hidden Mickeys - This turned out to be a very fun game for all of us while waiting in line or just walking around the parks and resorts - trying to find the hidden Mickey Mouse ears, and figures in the architecture, the rides, the ground, and everywhere in Disney World.
How To Find & Use Coupons Online I have bookmarked some of my favorite coupon websites on this blog. However, I usually do a search on Google before I go to the the store. For example, I shop at JCPenney online alot for my kids school uniforms, and frequent their clearance items. I always go through www.upromise.com first, to collect my percent cash savings into my Upromise fund, then I fill up my shopping cart.
Next I open a new window and do a search on Google for JcPenney + coupons
Today I hit a new site http://www.jcpenney-coupons.com/ that has a 15% off offer or a free shipping over $99. I take the free shipping because the that is the bigger savings for me. I copy the coupon code (Hightlight with your mouse, and Ctrl-Insert keys on your keyboard)
Back to my Jcpenney shopping cart window. I enter the coupon code into the checkout page (Shift-Insert keys) and continue with checkout. Sometimes the code does not work, and I will repeat the search until one does work.
Some coupons sites are easier to use than others. Some are so full of ads and pop-ups, than your time is wasted searching for your coupon! If the site blinks and pops up, and is too busy, move on. There are plenty of other sites on the Google search results. When you find a site that works for you, just bookmark it for future use.
If you shop consistently at certain stores, then geton their email list. Yes you will get emails weekly, but there are some great coupons that way you can't always find online.
Oh, one more coupon tip! If the google search results fail you, then try searching on Jcpenney (example)+ coupons + forums. Then you will end up in forums and user groups where someone has shared a coupon they have that you can use!
You should never have to shop online and pay full price and or shipping costs. Your online purchase should always be less than if you loaded the kids in the car and went to the store physically (sometimes though the saved effort is worth paying a little more online! Your time and sanity is worth more!) You should always save while you shop through Upromise or another savings program. You should always pay with a credit card that gives you cash back. How To Find & Use Coupons Online
Save Through UpromiseI do almost all my shopping online. I shop through reputable sellers and major department stores with free shipping, a discount coupon code and always through Upromise.
Through Upromise you can save at least 1% (Earn from 1% to 25% in savings from Upromise partners)every time you shop online, make travel arrangements, buy tickets, and more. By registering your credit cards through Upromise, you can also save every time you use your credit card in brick and mortar grocery stores, malls, gas stations, and more! You build up your savings just by doing what you normally do.
Upromise can even help with 529 college savings plans and student loan options.
It is easy and secure, and you can withdraw your savings for college or any time you need it!
Upromise partners include trusted stores like Sears , Target, Walmart. Like to shop on eBay? They are there too!
How Upromise Works
1. Sign up for an account 2. Everytime you need to make a purchase, go th www.upromise.com, login. Under the EARN tab, select Online Shopping
3. In the Search box, enter the name of the store you would like to shop, and click Go. I am using Sears in my example. Click on the store to open a new window (my example uses www.sears.com )
4.Upromise opens a separate pop-up window on the corner of your screen that looks like this. This window keeps track of your purchase and shows you your savings (2 % with Sears) and any specials like sales, additional discounts or free shipping. Don't close that window until you have completed your transaction with your vendor.
5. Checkout as usual with your vendor. As soon as your payment is accepted by your vendor and your order ships, your savings register with Upromise and your savings is deposited into your Upromise account. 6. Withdraw your savings when you need it to pay for college or other expenses.
It is that easy. There are no catches. It makes sense to save every time you shop!
This is a snapshot of my savings so far in the past 12 months. This is just for my normal purchases online for my family, some business, and of course holiday shopping.
Want even more savings? Before you complete your purchase, search Google for a coupon code for discounts or free shipping. Use that coupon code when you go through your transaction!
I am a working Mom of Triplets plus One.
I am a CAD and Engineering teacher focused on teaching sustainability through STEM based curriculum. I am also an author and small business owner, previously employed in the high tech industry as an electrical engineer. The birth of my first children in 2001 inspired me to change careers to enjoy my children and still maintain my interests as well as a source of family income. My online stores are currently on a little break while I focus on my children and students!
Always look for a coupon code for FREE SHIPPING or PERCENT OFF before you make a purchase.
These are my favorite sites for discount coupon codes, printable coupons, and free shipping offers. I almost always find a coupon when I check these sites!
The American Bar Association, has created a great site to help you order safely when shopping online.
Shopping online is fast and easy, and SAFE.
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