Last year I was reading a private "divorce support" blog. This was a group of ladies discussing their STRESS problems and some ways they developed to raise money to pay for extras after their bum of a hubby left them etc. I sent one of them some Cardboard and Christmas palm seeds and a few other things from my garden and they let me in to read the blog. They had some good ideas that I used in my own ebay selling account. The story was of a gal selling her handmade craft items on ebay and from a small website. She also sold seeds, plants and bulbs she grew from her garden in Florida. She was doing great and everyone in the blog was cheering her on. One day she was very upset. A seller on ebay stole her pictures and some of the wording from her website... and her sales were falling. The seller took her wording from her ebay listings and turned it around. They were careful not to steal her ebay pictures but they took the pictures from her website and copied her designs etc. They made some changes that sound similar to these ebay sellers in your story. Ebay never replied to this gal. And the nasty seller was very nasty to her. Anyway evidently the blog members are located all over the USA... and around 15 members living outside the state of this victim... all bought one item from this seller... the cheapest items offered. After the purchase, they baited the seller with silly questions and comments... and the seller got upset in an email with each of them... threatening wording and snotty remarks from the seller to these buyers. So each buyer had a good reason to give this seller Negative feedback and ratings of 1 and 2 DSR stars. What do you think happens if a seller gets 15 negatives and 1-2 DRS stars? Ha! Ha! Ebay will protect their MEGA sellers by changing ratings but not any seller under that catagory. If a seller gets that many 1-2 star DSR ratings, then ebay suspends the seller... so simple. I was laughing my head off reading the blog story. It happened over a 45 day period. They all used credit cards in Paypal and all got refunds on a DOA or crushed auction. Several buyers claimed they never received the auction when they saw there was no DC on the package. The blog members spaced out the negative feedback so it would not look obvious and each had a different comment depending on what the seller said to them in the email. The nasty seller probably suspected something was up but there was no way he could complain to ebay. In eBay's eyes, he was now a bad seller. They spotted this same seller under a new ID and 10 more blog members stepped up to the plate with 10 different ebay ID's. This seller was still using their blogmate's pictures and wording. They put this guy down within 30 days this time. It was great mental therapy for all these women too... banding together to protect the economy of one of their own members. The women all thought it was a good deed because the seller was also using the pictures from other websites and other ebay sellers too. I would hate to be the ebay seller that stiffs any of these divorced ladies in the future.

Rue Anemone: I have a suggestion for you, since you are new to the retail business. This winter, when you have a little time, perhaps you can attend at least one industry trade show. The two largest, and nearest to you, would be the Mid-Am show, which is in Chicago, usually the third week of January. It is a huge show, and you would find many vendors there, both in woody plants and perennials. Or, you could attend the CENTS show in Ohio - very big as well, and many nurseries and perennial growers represented there as well. This might give you a better overall view of the industry, as well as a wider palette of vendors to choose from. There are many excellent growers in the heart of the country, as well as east and west coast growers. These are not expensive shows to attend, if you like, there are optional seminars which are usually very well done and worth the time. Bring your walking shoes, a sturdy bag or briefcase to carry all your catalogs, and an open mind. I think you'd find this really helpful in your new business venture. Hope you've had a good season and are gearing up for an even better 2006! PP

I find these comments are quite humorous. I think the question was When to leave a welcome gift and NOT should I or what type of gifts? In my case, the seller bought a bottle of champagne to the closing. I was quite surprised and very pleased with the welcoming gift even though I don't drink. It surprised my real estate agent too as she hasn't seen it happened with her before. Perhaps, because like many of you, the seller would leave the gift at the house instead of bringing it to the closing. As I mentioned, I don't drink so I saved the bottle for my 1st year home anniversay party. I shared it with my friends & family that drink. When friends & family found out where the bottle came from, they were a bit envy that they didn't have such a nice gesture happened to them at their home purchasing :) As for home appliance manuals or other documents, I wouldn't consider these as gifts. I think it should be a must to leave a copy for the buyer(s). That is if you still have the documents. It will minimize the buyers calling you for every little thing. In general, my thought is, leaving a gift to the buyer is a nice gesture and when you don't have to do so, it makes it even a nicer gesture. The buyers shouldn't be offended with a gift whether they can use it or not. It's the thought that count....it's better than not having one at all as in the case of my family & friends. Shades_of_Idaho, you reminded me of the time when I moved into my first apartment. When I moved in, I had all the basic items in the kitchen and bathrooms. Sort of like when you go to a hotel. This wasn't a high price apartment neither. It made me feel that someonw cares. I'd love to have you as my neighbor! You're so sweet and very thoughtful. It's a good thing that your buyers let you know how appreciative they are for your extremely nice gesture. Knowing that there are still people like you in this world brings a pleasant feeling :o) By the way, I don't drink because I'm allergic to alcohol, not all but in most. There's nothing wrong if you chose not to drink neither. The world is plentiful of things to enjoy besides drinking.

Sorry to hear of your experience. I bought a new machine a year ago, and it's supposed to be heavy-duty. Yes, it's OK, but no more heavy duty than the old all-metal machines. The new one has the touchiest bobbin I've ever sewn with, and the foot pedal is plastic and moves all over the floor. I have not gotten rid of any of my old ones, and some date clear back to the 1800s. You can get parts, they're out there........if you hit the specialty sites online. I also prefer a direct gear driven mechanism and I'm not sure they're even made on any machine anymore. It's almost impossible to get the timing off on them, and a quick (do-it-yourself) fix if you do.