A New American Christmas Tradition

Perhaps you have seen this already.  I have no idea who wrote it, but they are clearly not going to come after me for reposting it since they urged people to get the message out. Someone sent it to me today in an email, and I think it bears repeating.

Something to think about... As Americans, we need to support our own economy, and not be held  hostage by cheap, foreign-made products that are crippling the jobs of workers in the United States.
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Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans.  There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands.  Oh... Yes there is!

It is time to think outside the box, people.  Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?

Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut.  How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership?  It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed?  Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese-made flat-screen TV?  Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.

There are a gazillion owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates.  And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint  Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Americans with their  financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the American working guy?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom?  Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal.  Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves.  They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip.  And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

Honestly people, do you REALLY need to buy another ten thousand Chinese lights for the house?  When you buy a five dollar string of light, about fifty cents stays in the community.  If you have those kinds of bucks to burn, leave the mailman, trash guy or babysitter a nice BIG tip.

You see, Christmas is no longer about draining American pockets so that China can build another glittering city.  Christmas is now about caring about US (We the People), encouraging American small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams.  And, when we care about other  Americans, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we could not imagine.

THIS is the new American Christmas tradition!!

Forward this to everyone on your mailing list -- post it to discussion groups.

-- throw up a post on Craig's List in the Rants and Raves section in your city.

-- send it to the editor of your local paper and radio stations, and TV news departments.

This is a revolution of caring about each other, and isn't that what Christmas is about?

Use Ebay’s Buy It Now Feature to Your Advantage

Online auction sites like Ebay are very competitive. Sellers do whatever they can to make sure buyers bid on their items rather than a competitor’s. The lengths they go to include keywording, careful auction timing, and the use of Ebay’s many features which make life easier for buyers and sellers alike.

One of Ebay’s most popular features is the “Buy It Now” option. With Buy It Now, bidders can choose to purchase the item outright at a predetermined price. This option is best suited to buyers who want the item and don’t want to risk losing it to a higher bidder. Its appeal comes from its limited availability: once a bid has been placed, Buy It Now is no longer an option. Buyers will be tempted to make the purchase right away, before someone else places a bid.

But some pros caution sellers to be careful when deciding whether to use Buy It Now on their Ebay auctions. Should you offer this option? If so, how should you price your products? Are there times when you shouldn’t offer Buy It Now?

Buy It Now can be risky for sellers. If an item is listed for its full course of seven to ten days, it has the chance to attract watchers who will place bids at the last minute. But if someone comes along and snaps up the item at its Buy It Now price, the seller will never know how much money the item would have generated otherwise. They might even wonder if they should have listed the item at a higher price.

Sometimes it makes perfect sense to use Buy It Now. Holiday shoppers in particular are going online to look for gifts, and many won’t want to wait for auctions to run their course. Additionally, the holidays are a time when impulse shopping is at its peak. By using Ebay’s Buy It Now feature over the holidays, you’re allowing buyers to make purchases before they change their minds.

When should sellers avoid Buy It Now? If you’re selling an item of uncertain value, it’s best to let that item remain on the auction block for a full seven to ten days. For example, let’s say you’ve got some collectible plates but aren’t sure how much they’re worth. If you put them up with the Buy It Now option, you might be asking for much less than the plates’ actual value. Keen collectors would certainly buy the items right away, but you would have made a much larger profit had you forced buyers to place bids.

Ebay sellers should do some research before listing items with the Buy It Now feature. Search completed auctions to see how similar items have been performing. It’s a safe rule to price your items slightly on the low side, since Buy It Now makes it much more likely that they will be purchased quickly. But take care not to price items so low that they’re no longer profitable! Keep an eye on market trends by doing frequent searches for items in similar categories. If the market is saturated with items of this type, you could set your Buy It Now prices low, or switch to different items until the market recovered. If demand outweighs supply, go ahead and set your Buy It Now prices higher than normal.

Buy It Now is a useful feature when used correctly. Take this advice to heart and you’ll have no problem deciding which of your auctions should incorporate Buy It Now.

Utterly Off Topic Wednesday: Beware of the Doghouse

Wow, this is too funny! A cautionary tale for males during this Christmas shopping season.

Maximize Your Ebay Holiday Sales

Just as with other retailers, eBay sees a sales peak each November and December as buyers get serious about holiday gifts. Wise Ebay sellers enjoy a surge in income during the gift-giving season. What can you do to maximize your own profits during the holidays?

One good rule to follow is this: don't wait until the holidays roll around to start your sales campaign. Lots of online holiday shoppers start shopping early to avoid the last-minute shipping rush. To make the most of your Ebay holiday sales, you'll need to start early, too.

Start listing your holiday items in September or October. This will give you several listing cycles in which to promote your eBay items before the holidays.

Do some research on "hot gifts" months before you start listing. That way, you'll have time to build up your stock of items projected to be top sellers. News programs and web sites often have lists of the year's must-have toys and gadgets. You can also use Ebay's "What’s Hot" page to see which items are top sellers. Ebay Pulse lets you keep an eye on current trends. Remember that hot gifts are hot both online and off. If you find the next must-have at a great price, snatch it up! It will almost certainly turn nice a profit on Ebay.

Speaking of hot items, what else should you sell on Ebay around the holidays? Anything that would make a good gift. Finished products tend to sell better than component parts. Think about it: would you rather be gifted with a package of candle-making supplies, or finished candles? Most people will want the finished product. If you're a craft maker, really market and promote your finished crafts during the holiday season.

The holiday season is the perfect time to target impulse buyers. You can do this on Ebay by adding the “Buy It Now” option to most or all of your listings. And you can even sweeten the deal by offering free shipping for your Buy It Now items. With a deal this tempting, even casual browsers will be persuaded to make a purchase. The small amount of revenue you lose on shipping will more than pay for itself with your increase in overall sales.

Sears Jumps on the Layaway Bandwagon

Effective Friday, November 14, 2008, layaway returned to Sears! Sears Layaway Program is great for shoppers who can't use a credit card but just don't quite have the whole amount to pay right now. For $15 or 20% down, whichever is greater, you have a chance to get all the gifts on your loved one's wish list, with up till December 23rd to pay in full.

However, some restrictions apply to the layaway program that may affect the price you pay. For example, the layaway program does not apply to Sears.com. Only merchandise in stock at Sears stores is eligible. Home electronics, home appliances and doorbuster specials are also not eligible. So if there are special deals available on that TV, computer or dishwasher you really wanted this year, or if your favorite line of sweaters is featured in a flyer as a doorbuster available only before noon, you will not be able to use layaway to take advantage of the special pricing. Check the layaway rules to be sure the item you want is not on the prohibited list.

Decide in advance whether a somewhat lower price or the ability to have your purchase paid for before Christmas is more important to you. The size of the discount, and your own history of being able to pay off a bill quickly should guide you here.

I am excited about the Sears layaway program. We did a significant remodeling of our home recently, so Christmas is going to be a little spare this year. But Sears has all the items on our list, and they are all eligible for layaway!

My son has had his eye on the Elder Scrolls series of PC games, as well as a game for the Wii called "Tales of Symphonia - Dawn of the New World". But just to get those three games is $130, so I would be happy to stretch that out over the next 45 days and pay it off just before Christmas.

Then there is the question of his clothes. Ugh. His pants legs are too long so he walks on the edges and they are always ragged. Parents of teenage boys - you know what I'm talking about! He doesn't like certain kinds of materials, so forget jeans or any kind of hard, heavy material. He just won't wear it. Dress pants? Forget about it.

Enter Levi's Action Slacks. They are wrinkle resistant, comfortable and made of a flexible material - perfect for work or church or somewhere I don't want him to look like a slob. And right now they are on sale for $19.99 - so one in each color is only $60 and I can add it to my layaway order for a total of $190.

Finally, after 25 years it is time to get new pots and pans. So for my husband the cook comes a new set of Farberware Millennium Soft Touch Stainless cookware, including three covered saucepans, two skillets, two tools and a covered stockpot for only $99 after a mail in rebate.

Amazing - 45 days to pay less than $300. No interest, no balance after the holidays. I might even have enough left over to buy something for myself!

Doorbuster Values Worth Camping Out For at Sears One Day Sale - November 15

It's that time of year again. It seems like it is getting earlier and earlier. Stores are already decorated, Christmas music is playing, and Halloween is just barely over. But the "official" beginning of the shopping season is Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. My daughter and I scour the flyers on Thanksgiving Day and decide what stores we want to target, and then we get up early and start shopping at 5:30 AM or so.

I really hate mall shopping, so Black Friday is about the only day of the year I am willing to drag out of bed early in the morning to go shopping. But this year, I will have to make an exception.

Sears is having a Big One Day Sale Saturday morning, November 15th.

There are some really great items on sale for this special event, but the truly amazing values are the doorbusters that are only available from 7:00 AM until noon.

The item I am most excited about is the Sylvania 32" class LCD HDTV for only $429.99, which is a crazy low price. We already have one of these TVs that we bought last year for $150 more. There are only limited quantities of this TV available, so you can be sure I will be camping out with my cup of hot coffee and my warm coat so I can grab one when the doors open at 7 AM.

My husband is a fantastic cook, and he has wanted a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for years. I have never been willing to spend the money because they were just too expensive. He doesn't know it yet, but he is going to be getting his dream mixer this Christmas! One of the other featured products at this One Day Sale is a Kitchen Aid 4.5 quart bowl lift stand mixer at the unheard of price of $159.99. This is the lowest price Sears has ever offered for this mixer; again, worth standing in line for.

The mall has been pretty empty lately, so I am glad to see that Sears is having a sale that will lure shoppers back before the season gets underway. I am looking forward to getting a jump on Christmas shopping, but not so much of a jump that there is nothing left to buy on Black Friday!

Rediscover Layaway at Kmart

"Buy Now, pay later!"

And so we have, from swiping our cards for $1.39 to buy coffee at the Wawa to taking out monsterous sub-prime mortgages for houses we could not afford, creating a financial tsunami that now threatens to drown everyone.

The downturn has caused retail sales to come crashing down across the board, from high-end chains to moderate retailers, indicating that consumers at every income level are keeping their money in their pockets as the Christmas shopping season approaches.

But out of the ashes has arisen a Depression-era sales strategy whose time has come...again.

Layaway is back, and cash-poor shoppers are flocking to the layaway counters at Kmart instead of whipping out the credit cards and paying 22% interest for months after the kids' Christmas toys lie broken or forgotten in the back of the closet.

What is layaway? Layaway is a way to make a purchase without paying the entire cost at once. It differs from a credit card purchase in that the customer does not get to take the item home right away, but rather has to "lay" it "away" until it is completely paid for.

Kmart Lay-Away offers a generous eight weeks to pay, and a small service fee of $5. If the customer is unable to make the payments, the item goes back on the shelf and the customer is refunded those payments already made, minus a cancellation fee of $10. Kmart collects those front and back end fees ($15), or a 10% downpayment when the items are first purchased. As long as the bi-weekly payments are made, Kmart will hold the item for you. And best of all, you don't have to use your credit card!

There are a number of items that are not eligible for the program, including larger ticket items like cell phones and personal computers, but happily, not on that list is an item I never considered buying before because of the price - the Xbox 360.

At $299, it just represented more than we were willing to pay for yet another video game system, even if it does boast the best games and graphics for older teens like my son.

But now with Kmart's layaway program, even though there are only four weeks until December 5, when items needed for Christmas must be paid for and picked up, that is still only $75 a week, a much more manageable amount than trying to find $300 all at once. It's even worth taking a ride out to Brick, NJ, which is the nearest store to where I live that offers the layaway program.

I can remember the excitement of going with my grandmother to make layaway payments at the big department store downtown when I was a little girl. She would take out a $10 bill with a flourish and make a payment on a secret special gift for me. By the time Christmas came, it didn't even matter what it was. The thrill of anticipating the gift was a huge part of my enjoyment.

As shoppers are tightening their belts, we can use all the thrills and anticipation we can get to offset the anxiety many are feeling about job uncertainty and high gift prices. Bravo Kmart, for reviving a practice that will enable cash strapped families to have a Merry Christmas after all.