Creative Compulsion

I admit it, I’ve been pretty lazy on the blog front lately. As expected (or at least I was hoping!), the kids going back to school and upcoming holidays have steadily pumped up sales on eBay and my sites - I’ve been hopping lately! Here in New York we’ve gone from record 80+ October temps to 46 degree blahs. Oh well, I suppose the cooler weather means more online shopping!

On the personal front, I’ve taken on (yet another) new hobby. Umm, did I mention I think I’m ADHD?? A few months ago, I tried using and then started making handmade soap. I did so strictly for personal use - I have super, super sensitive skin and almost every soap/detergent out there gives me red, itchy skin and sometimes hives. Yuck! So… I’ve been using handmade soap exclusively for about 6 months now. I’m telling ya, I swear by it! Not only has my skin been free of itchy flareups, it’s never been softer. I really don’t even need to use lotion anymore. Very, very cool! If you’re looking to try handmade soap, please visit my “net pal” Patty of PixieSoap.com. She has WONDERFULLY scented soaps that just feel good. She’s very reasonably priced and I promise, once you try handmade soap, you won’t go back to any other!

On the business front: WHEN is eBay going to learn that the holiday selling season is not the time to introduce new “glitchancements”? First of all, have you noticed the SYI form has changed? Yup, along with brand spanking new glitches! When trying to list new items yesterday with a custom weight, I received a message that my item weighed more than 150 lbs and I had to list shipping as Freight. HUH? The max weight I tried to list was 25 lbs. After emailing support, I was informed that this is a known issue, but there is a “workaround”. Gee… thanks. Here’s a thought - DON’T fix things that ain’t broke!

Next, we’ve been informed of a new multi-seller checkout system that eBay plans to introduce “by the end of this year”. Now, the checkout system does sound great - a bit more streamlined (read: easier for customers) while allowing payment to multiple sellers. But holy schmoly… why oh why would you attempt to introduce a major feature like this during, what is for many, the busiest shopping season of the year?

UGH… enough rant. I have to admit, while I wouldn’t consider myself an eBay cheerleader, overall I’ve been really happy with having a large portion of my business there. You would just think that a little more common sense (and perhaps a bit more bug-testing before roll outs) would prevail in a company the scale and size of eBay.

That’s all for today! Happy Fall and Happy eBaying!