FAKE,COPIED BLOOMINGDALE NEW YORK LITTLE BROWN BAGS!!!!

Hiya, I am writing this Guide to warn you all of the number of FAKE, BLOOMINGDALE LITTLE BROWN BAGS

RC Helicopters some tips and warnings.

HI. This is my guide for RC helicopters, written by someone who plays with and sells small helicopters.It's written mainly for the benefit of anyone who has not flown an r/c helicopter before, those who have will have already paid richly for this knowledge...Read it, and you will save both time and money.Rule 1: The more you pay for a helicopter, the more it will cost you to keep it working.Rule 2: They all crash, but some are easier to crash than others, and some take crashing much better than others.Rule 3: The phrase "Easy to fly" is a lie... BUT some are easier than others, Just as some people are more natural pilots than others.After watching a friend accrue half a dozen dead helicopters, and buying a couple of naff ones myself, I realised one crucial thing: If you ever want to be able to properly control your helicopter you need A BARE minimum of 3 channels. That means the controller allows you to vary at three things, those being engine power, tilt forwards and backwards, and turn left and right. IF I am asked, I always suggest people start with a small indoor 3 channel helicopter that charges fast and is durable like the Syma 608 Mosquito helicopter. This will allow you to gain lots of basic experience as cheaply as possible, and the small size and weight limits the damage and cost. Of course if you are one of those healthy outdoors types, you'll want an outdoors helicopter. The problem here is the wind. Most indoor / small helicopters have been designed to be easy to fly, and hence do not have much spare capacity for fighting even the simplest breeze. My neighbours now just let me enter their gardens without knocking, when I'm flying the small stuff... The bigger more powerful helicopters of course have sufficient capability to fight the wind, but that increased capability also increases the severity of any crash, which translates as more time spent repairing and less time spent flying, until you have good flying skills. You simply won't gain those skills if you break your helicopter first time out. Which is why I recommend a small indoor 3 channel helicopter!Other small helicopters I have tried and evaluated as part of my research are: Syma S001 and Huan Qi (AKA "wanky") 813 are a little fragile, but are relatively easy to fly "nicely". The Huan qui has more power, but seems to get broken more than the syma. Double Horse 9094, 9089, which are more tricky to fly, but fly faster and can generally do better outdoors. The canopy on these models is a little ill fitting and falls off, but they crash surprisingly well, and are one of my personal favourites. Huan Qi 811 in our house is known as the "killer of fridge magnets" becuase when it collides with the fridge it always escapes unscathed but the impact is sufficient to dislodge the magnets. It's durable and flies real nice indoors or dead still air, but it's size and power makes it very unpopular with the missus or the cat when flown indoors and it's a bit under powered for out doors. It is however, incredibly durable, and is the only helicopter that I have been unable to break during testing. GT models Apache Gunship, 4 channel version, (Do not buy the two channel version except as a souce of spare parts for the four channel Heli) Flies quite well once set up correctly, but regularly consumes (mercifully cheap) blades and of course, is harder to learn to fly than a three channel. Silverlit X-UFO. Incredibly sophisticated, and initially quite durable, this in my opinion is a flawed product. Unfortunately the vast majority have a mechanical gyro that helps make it easy to fly and controllable until a gust of wind, or the pilot induces more than 20 degrees of lean, when the gyro "topples" and the craft immediately enters a mode known as the "flip of death". There's an entire modelling community devoted to hacking these things about, and some of em fly real well, but not out of the box. There are several version of this made by Silverlit, and apparently knock of versions as well, but spare parts are an ordeal to acquire, and it does like to consume motors and gyro's by all accounts. Silverlit stuff, generally seems well thought out, and attractive, but spares are expensive and seem difficult to locate, consequently, their stuff never seems to spend much time in the air. Twister Skylift. An awesome helicopter in many ways. costs around 140 quid and is very well thought out, and well supported with spares, but just stupidly easy to break, and surprisingly expensive to fix. For example: A rolling landing onto my lawn to my surprise instantly wiped out the flimsy front undercarriage. That instantly rendered the helicopter un-useable, and it's 4 quid plus a wait for the front spare wheels, in my case I had previously damaged and bodged the rear U/C so it's 8 quid plus postage, and the wait... As for the blades....

*Skylift extra notes. Since writing this review I have come to the conclusion that the skylift is unfeasible to operate, unliess you have deep pockets. Last week itaccidentally got dropped off a table. Broke the landing gear AND the canopy! That's about 36 quid's worth of damage... Since this week the "3 in1" electronics also packed up, (nearly 40 quid!) whilst I was discovering that this helicopter is not easily compatible with my futaba transmitters(Futaba are pretty much the industry standard in R/C). If anyone can tell me why this is, I'd like to know!!*Vital spare parts which should be easily availble for any helicopter (Unless it is a mosquito, or 811!) are spare blades. The blades tend to shatter on contact with hard objects at speed and, on the more expensive helicopters even tipping it over so that the blades touch the ground is enough. I own the Twister Skylift helicopter, which has two sets of rotors each with four weak blades. It can consume up to ten quid worth of spare parts each time I take it for a spin. I calculated that the first week of learning to fly the Skylift actually was costing me more than owning and running my jaguar... You'll notice that some very low airtime second hand "skylifts" are appearing on ebay for, I suspect, this very reason. I've had to import a bulk order of blades from the USA to make it feasible to operate this baby, but I think I may be able to come up with a mod that will allow it to use cheaper and more durable blades in a month or so. I hope this brief rambling guide has been helpful, it's certainly cost me a lot of time to be able to write it!General things to consider are:Flight time,Recharging time,Stabilty, Manouverability,Durability,and appearance!I'm sure this guide could be more complete, and it glosses over the more "serious" helicopters pretty much entirely, but it's just a primer, really.You can get really involved with r/c helicopters, which I guess why I am trying to assemble an electronically stabilised, BB firing, camera carrying monstrosity in my back room, even as you read this...Have fun.. Steve C.

Zutter Bind it All binding System Review

OK. So I gave in and bought one! I spent yesterday pracising with it. For anyone still thinking about getting one, here's my review.

The Mysterious Cities of Gold

UPDATE: 16th December 2007 - There is an official English version due to be released next year. The studio Fabulous Films is the company handling the release. They have been asking members of the fanbase for their ideas on what items to include on the release and have also been helped with access to additional material that was missing from the masters and provided with subtitle files (don't know if these will be used but they were provided in English and Polish). It looks a very promising time for MCOG fans.

"The Mysterious Cities of Gold" is a childrens cartoon from the 80s. It was produced by a collaboration betweenthe French andthe Japanese. It was animated by the Japanese company "Studio Pierrot".The show was written byJean Chalopin and Bernard Deyries and wasloosely based on Scott O'Dell's book"The King's Fifth". It was originally aired in Japan on "NHK" in 1982 and in 1983 on the French channel "Antenne 2". It was also later show on "CBBC" in the UK and on "Nickelodeon" inthe states. It has also been broadcast in other countries including Germany, Australia, South Africa, Polandand Turkey amoungst others. It is known as "Les Mysterieuses Cites D'Or" in France, "Geheimnisvollen Stadte des Goldes" in Germany and "Taiyo no Ko Esuteban" in Japan.

The series has recieved official DVD releases inFrance, Germany, Canada (in French)and Japan but has never recieved an official English release. The Japanese version is now not available and none of the releases contain an English audio track or subtitles. Indeed they do not contain subtitles even in their own languages. One point to note is the German's never had their own theme tune so the English one is used. The series also recieved high levels of merchandising in Japan and to a lesser state France and not certain items are highly collectable. Items of particular interest tend to be any Cels from the series, any story boards or audio scripts, the Japanese Manga books and also the French Golden Condor and Solaris models.

The three main characters of the show (see picture above going left to right) are Tao, Esteban and Zia. Tao is a desendant of an ancient civilisation known as the Hiva, Zia is an Inca girl who was kidnapped as a very young girl and Esteban is an orphan who has been raised in the Cathedral in Barcelona. These three characters find themselves searching for "The Mysterious Cities of Gold". Along the way they are frequently helped by a group of three Spaniards. Mendoza who is a navigator and his two comic helpers Pedro and Sancho. They also make many friends with the local tribes they pass through on their adventures and some enemies as well. Through out the series they are pursued by another two Spaniards Gomez and Gaspard who will stop at nothing to discover the location of the "Cities of Gold". Also later in the series their paths cross with the Doctor and Companions who are also besotted with Gold and likewise will stop at nothing to gain it.

During their adventures they come across a couple of machines that help them greatly in their quest for the Cities. The first machine they find is the Solar Ship Solaris that works either as a conventional sailing ship or can be powered by the sun to reach high speeds. It is also can use the power of the sun to power two weapons. The second machine they find is a Golden Condor which is a solar powered flying machine. This helps them cross large distances very quickly and also comes in useful when they have to take on the Olmecs towards the end of the series. The Olmecs are the mutated survivors of a war between two powerful ancient civilisations. I will conclude my guide here as I do not want to give too much of the plot away, but if you are interested in finding out more about this series a good place to start is Wikipedia,this sitehas an interesting summary of the series and a good link list.

Here are a list of searches you may find useful for locating "Mysterious Cities of Gold" items:

A search for the French nameof the show. The French name is the one that most frequently revealsofficial MCoG merchandise including LPs, Books, Models and Cels. Be warned that their are more than one set of French DVDs as a rough guide the more discs the better. Certainly I would avoid the 4 Disc version seen most frequently. The Sony 2000, 2001 or 2004 versions are the ones to look out for if you want a French set. (Gold outer box featuring Esteban and Zia on the cover.)

A search for the German nameof the show. Doesn't normally bring up much other than the German DVD sets or individual discs but worth checking from time to time. Also the only official version which includes the English theme tune.

A search for the English nameof the show. This mostly brings up unofficial items but from time to time you may get a cel or a few Japanese items listed. Please note that any English versions of the show listed on eBay presently are likely to be on recordable mediabecause no Official English version (as of the 07th Nov 2005) has ever been released and no-one knows who presently owns the copyright to the English version of the show. There is presently an open petition trying to get the show released.

If you have any questions please try the Mysterious Cities of Gold eBay group. It is not overly active but a few of us check in from time to time. (Also try Wikipedia for a link list.)

UPDATE: 16th December 2007 - There is an official English version due to be released next year. The studio Fabulous Films is the company handling the release. They have been asking members of the fanbase for their ideas on what items to include on the release and have also been helped with access to additional material that was missing from the masters and provided with subtitle files (don't know if these will be used but they were provided in English and Polish). It looks a very promising time for MCOG fans.

UPDATE 2: 16th December 2007 - As well as the series been due for release next year there is also a film presently been worked on. This film contains a shortened version of the plot from the original series and is planned as a way to try and relaunch the series. It is hoped if successful that funding can be obtained for further series (or films) of the show. This information I read on a french website and they also had a picture of one of the possible English posters for the film. It is meant to be using update 3D ideas and production methods. Will wait for this (along with the DVDs above) with bated breath.

Beginner Flute - New or Second-Hand?

Beginner Flutes - New or Second Hand?

Static Caravan Advice - The Insider Buyer's Guide

Buying a Static Caravan Advice is essential.

There are many things to consider when buying your own static caravan or lodge holiday home but i'll point out a few of the more important areas to look out for and to make sure you are fully aware of before making what could be the second biggest purchase of your life in some cases.

Selling your Static Caravan or Lodge holiday home.......

But you've not even bought it yet! Circumstances tend to change over time, so at some point you may consider selling your static caravan. The time to find out aboutthe options available to youand get advice is before you buy in the first place and not years down the line when you may find that your options are limited. Just ask what would happen if you decide to sell the static caravan in the future? There are a few options which may be open to you. You may be able to sell back to the park operator, although bear in mind that they sell at retail prices and buy from the trade so your offer will be substantially less than what you paid in the first place. This is where some people's perceptions of the industry has been marred - because they did not know this when they bought, or how much they would lose if they took this option. Careful consideration of all the facts prior to purchasing is imperative with such a big investement in your leisure time - that's where solid static caravan advice comes in.

There are other options though.....Selling your static caravan or lodge privately on the plot to another buyer is the best way to get a decent return on your lifestyle investment.It takes a little longer to find the buyer, but you can set your own price for the static caravan holiday home, just be aware of the extra charges that the buyer will have to pay in the form of a commission to the park operator, typically 15% plus VAT. If you rely solely on the park operator selling it for you, be aware that they have their own holiday homes to sell first which make more profit for the park and it will take longer to sell. The more effort you put into it by advertising in the papers, eBay(!), supermarkets and shop windows, etc, the sooner you will find a buyer who is prepared to pay a price you are happy with. Keep in contact with the park team but do not pester them every day to see if they have had any viewers! (it helps to have them on your side, not become a nuisance). Bear in mind that if you are buyingyour holiday home to go ona premium plot on a park with large investments being made, you will probably retain more of the value than on a park with no investment history or plans (because it will be more desirable to future buyers).

The other option for selling your static caravan or lodge is to find a buyer or trader who will purchase the holiday home to take off the park. This can be a quick option if you need a quick sale, just bear in mind that you will get a 'trade' amount for it and there will be a disconnection fee (check how much this is, can vary from 200 - 1,500depending on whether a crane is needed and how credible the operator is).

Annual costs involved:

Site Fees - these are annual costs which entitle you to a license for your holiday home, contribute to park services andgrant you use of the facilties (check which facilities cost extra or are included, e.g. swimming?). Site Fees vary greatly according to the demand for the park, usually determined by location, length of season, facilities and views. They can range from around 1,000 to over 5,000 per annum so before you go shopping, set your budget accordingly.

Gas/Electricity - establish how it is supplied and how much they charge. How much you willuse depends on how often you are using it of course, but ask for a typical bill for someone using it in the way you intend to.Also ask if gas can be bought elsewhere if it is supplied by bottle because more often than not, it pays to shop around for cheaper gas by bottle.

Rates - there will also be rates to pay which contribute to the provision of water and sewerage and general rates. This is a charge indirectly set by the council so not a lot you can do about it except to allow for it when you are budgeting for your ongoing costs.

Insurance - you are free to have your own insurance, although there will be a clause stating that you need adequate public liability cover, usually 2m. Ask how much it is from the park operator and shop around to see which deal works best for you. Remember to weigh up all the facts regarding summary of cover,excess for claimsand the costs. I can't advice you on what's the best option with insurance but it pays to do your homework.

Other items - make sureto ask if there are any other mandatory items that you need to pay for. There will be services that can be provided for you, such as a drain down in the winter (to protect the caravan from frost damage - very important although does not have to be done by the operator), an alarm service if you choose to have an alarm fitted to your holiday home (advisable), spring cleans, etc These services are optional and can be handy to have, just make sure you budget for them....

You can offsetyour annualfees by letting the static caravan or lodge holiday home when you are not using it, some operations will offer a managed letting service for you. Ask them what you need to provide, what the start-up costs are, how much the fees are for the service and what age of holiday home will they accept onto the programme. Bear in mind that on top of the typical 15-20% commission, there are ususally cleaning charges per holiday let, so make sure you establish how much you will expect to come out with after all deductions. Fuel bills will need to be settled by you too as you are getting the income for the accommodation, the operator's income is for marketing andmanaging your holiday letsand the entertainment and facilities they provide, etc (another reason to establish the costs of gas).

You can also let the holiday home yourself, if the operator allows it - remember toask before you buy, even if you are not thinking of letting it out, because circumstances do change and you will need to know whatoptionsyou have for the future.Lettingyour holiday homecan be a great way to reduce the cost of owning, just make sure you know all the facts first and decide if it's for you or not.

If the park operator makes claims that you will make money by letting - ask them to prove it. If they can prove that the income from letting will repay your initial investment, the annual fees and return a profit - please tell me! In the main, it is purely to help offset costs, not to make money and any claims they make regarding this - ask for it in writing or to see some proof. The holiday industry can be affected by so many things, weather being just one of them, so remember, historical evidence is one thing, a crystal ball is entirely another.

Static Caravan or Lodge License Period

Almost all operators have a licence period for the static caravans and lodges they sell. It can be anything from 5 years to99 years, depending on policies and the age of the holiday home you are buying. This licence can be extended on an annually reviewed basis, depending onthe approach of theoperator. Some operators choose not to enforce the licence period (usually if they have empty plots) whilst others can be very strict especially if they have no room to develop and have no empty plots. Make sure you know what your entitlement is.

More to come...........such as:

"When is the best time to buy?"

"Which negotiation tactics work best?"

Here's one for free

*** Buy on a Sunday *** I'll tell you if you want to find out why, how much difference it can make and how to go about getting the best deal possible, including the most powerful way to get a better deal.....

*** Please rate my Static Caravan Advice Guide, after all i am fighting on behalf of the consumer in an industry that is cleaning up its act a lot, but there are still some park operators out there who will say and do anything to make as much money out of you as they can.***

Static Caravan Advice froman industry expert....

Find Out More at my eBay Page

Ebay Fees

Nows the time to act, ebay has really rattled sellers by racking up the fees for shop, end of auction fees and listing fees, ebay sellers pays for EBAY not the buyers ! we cant do much to stop the extortion but what can be done is to save your money, and we all like doing that. Close the shop , dont pay 14 a month, list fewer items in the auction instead and get more fun from it, save that 14, if millions gave you 14 a month that really is a lot of millions, what do you get for it as a seller, sweet jack. Ebay is the only company that employs no one, has no stock, posts nothing but gets all the money in from us, their workforce, they dont even chase up none payer or let you leave them negative feedback, What will buyers do if the seller slowed down, the Auction site would grind to a halt. Save all the stock you would normally sell , load up your computer hardrive and back it up and whack ebay on it cheap listing days, you will save money and get more satisfaction from it, how can they justify nearly 15 for a shop and also 3p listing fee up to 20p. Failing all this try other online auctions, we are closing our shop in defiance of their ruling and trying other auction sites who give free listing, get started now and start saving money instead of feeding the fat cats, it may involve a bit of work and some re organisation but we have listed nearly 200 of what was our ebay listings onto another auction site, it cost nothing, if loaded on ebay it would of cost 40, i like the money in my pocket and so do you. Act now save your money and try elsewhere but keep an account with ebay for the freeloaders days.

If you think this is usefull advise please vote below

thank you and good luck

*Lozzy*s -- Guide To Ear Lobe Stretching

What is stretching?Stretching is the means by which one can gradually enlarge a pierced hole in the body. This is done by slightly stretching the tissue, causing micro-tears to form, and maintaining the hole at the new size until these tears completely heal. The process is then repeated. This can be done a virtually unlimited number of times as long as it is done correctly, thus allowing for extremely stretched holes to be produced.How often should I stretch; how long does it take to heal?Stretching is a very individual activity, and there is no set time frame that will work for everyone. You should only stretch when your ears are completely healed. As a general rule, most people feel that their ears are healed after approximately 1 month. When you feel that your ears are healed, then wait another 2-3 weeks before stretching. A good rule of thumb is one stretch every other month.Maximum size that will heal up (otherwise known as the 'growing up' complex)This question pops up quite regularly, and unfortunately, the answer is extremely vague. Everyone's body is different, and therefore everyone's lobes will shrink up to a different point. Generally speaking, 2 gauge is widely considered the 'point of no return' - where your lobes become significantly less likely to heal even to the size of a standard earring.Stretching is not an exact science and should not be taken lightly. There is never any guarantee that your ears will shrink back up. If you are going to stretch, please make sure that you will be comfortable at that size as an old wrinkly person, and with having your children and grandchildren ask you why you have huge holes in your ears. Stretching Methods:Before even discussing stretching methods, it is important to discuss proper waiting periods. When stretching, you need to only stretch one size at a time (14-12, 12-10, etc.) - and you MUST wait until your ears are completely healed before stretching again.TaperingTapering is the most effective way to stretch your ears with minimal stress. To taper your lobes, you first need to procure a taper (a metal or acrylic device that tapers from your ending gauge down to your starting gauge - for example, the large end would be a 10 gauge

CLONE TROOPERS

The clone troopers were created ten years prior to the outbreak of the Clone Wars by the cloners on the planet Kamino at the behest of Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, according to the Kaminoans. There is some debate on this point, however, as Sifo-Dyas was killed more than ten years before the beginning of the War.

The genetic template of the clone troopers was Jango Fett, one of, if not the most, feared bounty hunter in the Galaxy at that time, as well as one of the last surviving Mandalorians, an ancient warrior culture. The clone troopers were outfitted with armor styled after Fett's Mandalorian battle armor and armed with weapons and vehicles produced in secret by Kuat Drive Yards.

Clone troopers were grown with accelerated speed, nearly double that of a normal human,though this rate would slow at the biological age of 10. Clone Troopers continue to age faster than humans, giving them a much reduced lifespan. At the age of 10 they are flash-trained in their specific tasks. Their genetic code was altered to make them more docile and subject to military discipline, though some clone units such as the Advanced Recon Clone (ARC) Troopers and Republic Commandos were allowed to retain more of Jango's original personality such that they could more-directly draw on his guile and years of combat experience. It is also noted that while some of the clones do possess a few human emotions including remorse and humor there is little that they can do if an order is given.

The Battle of Geonosis marked the first deployment of the clone troopers as well as the beginning of the Clone Wars. Beginning with the rescue of the remnants of Mace Windu's Jedi strike team, the clone army fought the Separatist forces on the rocky surface of Geonosis, forcing their retreat. Following that battle, the clone troopers were spread throughout the galaxy to engage the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

Clone trooper armies were led by Jedi Generals, who were in turn accompanied by Clone Commanders. Many clone commanders were placed into the ARC Training Program and became ARC Commanders, allowed to add to their standard kit and specialize their armor as well as the armor of their soldiers. Most of the ARC Commanders also took names which replaced their numerical clone designations. Commander Cody, who served with Obi-Wan Kenobi throughout the war, Commander Gree, who served with Jedi Master Luminara Unduuli, Commander Bacarra, who served with Jedi Master Ki-Adi Mundi, and Commander Bly, who served with Jedi Knight Aayla Secura, were all some of the most accomplished and superb examples of the ARC Commander program.

The clone troopers would eventually carry out Order 66 at the behest of Chancellor Palpatine and turn on their Jedi Generals. This marked the end of the Clone Wars, as well as the death of the Old Republic and the birth of the Galactic Empire. It was at this time that the clone troopers became the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps.

My Ebay Experience - Shared

Come on, you must of heard about these amazing people with the business sense of Alan Sugar and Richard Branson who woke up one day, registered on ebay and within a year were sunning themselves in the Bahamas! They exist apparently!

Well this is a story about me and my efforts to make a few quid. Which I did! You know how they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?, well depending upon what side of the fence you sit, you may disagree with my definition of fortune!

It all started with 'real used las vegas casino playing cards', i like to dabble in magic, and my card supplier was flogging a dozen vegas card decksfor 10. HANG ON! i've seen them going for 3,4 and even 5 each!!, surely i could make a few quid here! If i sell them dead cheap, undercutting everyone else then i'll get more business, sell in bulk eh? The whole point of ebay is to bring ebayers the best deal isn't it? NO, apparently not! 3 postage on an item that cost 96p to send. I can beat that! So off i went, bright eyed and bushy tailed to make my fortune!

Next came the spelling mistakes! If you search for popular items and pick them up cheap (because everyone else is searching on the correct spelling), you can resell correctly and make money. So off i went again, concentrating on Subbuteo (easy to spell wrong). The thing is ive just turned 30 and remember subbuteo from my youth. So i ended up playing with it! I sold it in the end and made a few quid again!

This kind of thing continued and I carried on making a few quid. But do you know what, it's bloody hard trying to do a day job, look after your family, be sociable, do a degree and ebay your life away! So as time went on my expectations changed. People expect perfection from your junk! Your entire ebay history can be ruined by one idiot who leaves neg feedback because the Royal Mail broke his item! Thats not me mind you, my feedback still sits at 100%. Looking after your customers on ebay is a bit like nursing children! Some are as good as gold and treat you like a fellow human, others! well others just like complaining and whingeing!

How many trips did you make to the Post Office before you started selling on ebay? Car Tax? the odd stamp? well, sell on ebay and you'll be on first name terms with your local Post Office workers! You start getting good ebay history from buying jiffy bags and boxes!!! What has become of me?

Amateur ebaying is exhaustive and inefficient, and i don't care what Ebays Protege's tell you. If you're a business it's a good outlet. If you're a buyer then ebay's great because you can find Kylie Minogues 'i should be so lucky' on 7 inch! or that spongebob squarepants tobacco tin that you've always wanted!

So, what about finding my fortune? Well yes i made enough quid to avoid spending my own money to buy myself my all singing and dancing Poker set from Texas that comes in at 400 over here. I now own most of the bits and bobs i've wanted for ages, but couldn't justify buying out of my wages. BUT if i was to work it out at an hourly rate, i reckon i'd do better picking tea leaves in India or making NIKE trainers in Taiwan!

Despite this though, as corny as it sounds i did find my fortune. I realised that i actually have a pretty good life and a damn good family when i eventually wrenched myself off the computer and away from ebay!

If your gonna have a go at making a few quid, then do it properly, don't play at it!

So if i had one piece of advice to give to anyone thinking about making their fortune on ebay it would be to have a good look at your lot in life, and ask yourself if you really need to supplement it in this way.

Good luck and Happy Bidding

(don't forget to check my listings, hahahahahahahahahaha!!!)

Update 12/8/2007

Well, it's been a while since I wrote this and I still remain gobsmacked at the amount of comments i've had re this article. I'm glad it brings a smile to some peoples faces. Over a 2000 people have read it now...amazing!

I'm still dabbling in ebay to get some bargains, my theory still stands.

Thanks for your kind messages, and if you do read this article feel free to rate it, leave a message, whatever, it's always nice to hear from fellow ebayers about their experiences.

Good Luck

Testing pond water for oxygen.

If you have read my guide Fish need oxygen too, you will know that oxygen inpond water is vital for fish to survive.

The ideal level of oxygenin pond water is11mg DOC (Disolved oxygen content) per litre of water.

"So how do you measure that" I hear you cry,"do you want me to count the bubbles."

Err No, you will need to purchase a test kit.

This is basically a few chemicals that change colour when added to water.

The more DOC present the greater the colour change.

You should also be testing your water for Amonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH and Salinity.

Changes in the make-up of your pond water can have a dramatic effect on your fish, especially Koi

If you have Koithat are looking a bit pink, this is probably due to stress caused by chemicals in the water, lack of oxygen, high amonia or nitrite etc.

In short, get a test kit and get your water sorted.

We have lots in stock, all come with easy to follow instructions and all the pots anddroppers etc that you will need.

water treatments

Bob De Feitas

Icklesham Koi.

01424 815200

DIESEL CARS MONEY SAVER OR MONEY SPENDER

hi, just writing this guide if you are thinking of buying a used diesel consider the following b4 buying. there is a myth that diesels are dearer to keep than a petrol also thah they are dirtier and messier than the a petrol. also that they are noisier and a noisey engine means that the engines faulty etc. well lets sort this out.

1. diesels are more economical than petrols

2 diesels are in some cases dearer to service than petrols but you get your money back.

example. i drove a ford galaxy 2.2 tdi from rochester kent to bristol (jan 06) a full tank cost me 80 quid.

on the way up and backdown we had the air con going and were were doing speeds that were quite fast *** per hour. the car was carrying 7 people.we did a round trip and then the following day we went to southall on the same tank and as we were approaching the m20 junc4 the diesel light came on. so 5oo mile plus the air con going etc.,

two weeks later we went to bristol again and this time we hired a vauxhall zafira 1.6 life(basic petrol) i tankd it up with 74.00 petrol.same journey as we approached bristol the petrol light came on. we only had 4 people in the back. on the way back i had to tank up again for 60 which gave me just under a whole tank. the comparison ?

diesel is a few pence dearer but is worth it. if a diesel engine is noisey theres no need to worry. usually they take a few minutes to warm up. diesels also smoke when they start again not to worry. the newwer a diesel is the less noisey it is. if the pulling is not there there are several things to look for .

when were the glow plugs changed ?

is there any oil in the sump if so is there enough ?

these usually solve any problems. if your diesel will not start in the morning then either the compression is going or your battery needs to be checked. if possible bump start it. if it starts then the chances are you left something on.

Buying a second hand engine

Thinking of buyinga second hand engineSome key points to buying a second hand engine whether it's off eBay or else were.Preferably the engine should still be in the vehicle and in a position to be heard running so you know it works.If it's still in situ check the engine oil first for colour and texture if it looks new and the vehicle is being scrapped what are they trying to hide chances are there were probably bits in it so something has broken or at least be damaged.If it runs does it smoke alot if so is the smoke black thats a sign of worn piston rings or valves and would be very expesive to repair. If the smoke is whitish and is still that colour after 10 minutes then it unburnt fuel not to much of a problem.Check the log book (V5) to check the engine number is correct with the vehicle in question.If it's been removed from the vehicle then this is the gamble you have to take and what to look for.If the engine has been power washed or steam cleaned what are they hiding from you. Has the engine got a bad oil leak an oil seal or gasket gone.Also check the oil level and again colour and texture if it looks new why top up with new when it's no good to the seller anymore.Take some tools with you and see if you can turn the engine over with a spanner is it easy or not. If it wont move then the engine is ceased up and how long has it been stud for.Has it been covered up at all and have all the hole been plugged with a rag or other to stop water from entering the engine it's self.What milage had it done before being removed from the vehicle.Check the engine number is still in place and that it hasn't been either removed or restamped if it has then the engine is stolen.And most of all don't be afraid to ask questions like why are you getting rid if it's in excellent condition and it's cheap then usually there's a rat.

Research your watch, don't be afraid to ask

Do your research properly and you could be the proud owner of a beautiful andvaluable timepiece.

Many people in the trade will look at eBay because they will find some unbeatable great deals. The key word is knowledge. The more you know about the product you are after, the more you will know if, when and how to find a good deal.

Some time ago a friend of minewas offereda Parmigiani watch. My friendthought it was the aim of a practical joker.He thought Parmigiani was a cheese or a dish.As hedidnt know that this brand is one of the top watch brands in the world, he missed on a great opportunity.

What do we need to look at and where does a watch come from? Some watches advertised state - Swiss made - but they are not. Other wording used that stretch the truth are: sapphire crystal, automatic movement and water resistant. In reality, some watches are not water resistant at all, the sapphire crystal is a normal piece of glass and the automatic movement is a cheap version made in China that will break down at the earliest possible opportunity. It is impossible to tell the quality of a watch from a picture posted on the Internet and it is impossible to tell quality even with the real item unless you have the right tools to testglass, water resistance and movement.

I should also point out (BEWARE) that a number of Swiss made brands are in fact made in China and only assembled in Switzerland.

There is not a great watch ownership tradition in UK like our counterparts across the channel. We should not be fooled by names that sound like an ice cream brand. We should do our research on the brand of our interest. All genuine watch brands have a web site these days. If there is no web site good chances are that the brand is very much a "Mickey Mouse" brand (with all respect to Mickey Mouse, of course. It is also worth looking at -Whois- to find out when the website was created, by whom and where the name was originally registered. A 200 old Swiss brand went out of business in the 70s. The brand name was bought by a Spanish firm. They created a new web site in 1999 and they re-launched the brand claiming that it is over 200 years old. The name on its own is over 200 years old but it is a brand new firm and those the name alone guarantee the original quality and craftmanship? Many brands went out of business in the '60s and '70s and several old brand names have been revived in recent years. The new owners of old brand names may thus use the same name as the original brand but quality, design and tradition is just not the same. The new watches are made with cheap components from China and so the old saying goes: the do not make them the way that they used to be.

Another old saying goes: if a deal is too much of a good deal, it is not a good deal at all. A good automatic movement (Swiss or Japanese) - good quality case (even made in China) - good sapphire crystal are costly enought components to make even the most average of watches cost over 120 retail and 60 trade.

There are plenty Forums talking about watches, but you have to distinguish the passionate from the experts. A lot of experts are in the pocket of a brand, and some Forum are sponsored by a specific brand. It is worth looking and asking questionsat more than one Forum, if you can. Feedbacks can be generated by friends; before you purchase a watch DO a lot of research on the brand and the seller, especially if you have never heard of them. Don't assume, in some cases, that because you have never heard of it - the brand is not as good as more well known brands.

PAUL SMITH - WOMEN - FRAGRANCE INFORMATION

As I'm often asked to describe fragrances, I thought I'd compile some guides to assist when considering purchasing a particular fragrance. Choosing a fragrance is a matter of personal choice and preference but I hope these guides are useful.

PAUL SMITH FOR WOMEN

DESIGN HOUSE - PAUL SMITHYEAR INTRODUCED - 2000FRAGRANCE NOTES - A CRISP, CITRUSY FLORAL BOUQUETRECOMMENDED USE - DAYTIME

This fragrance sums up the designers creative style - perennially elegant but with a hint of eccentricity. With fruity top notes of blackcurrant, green pear and pink peppercorns, and base notes of patchouli and vertiver. Its a light sensual scent.

Mattress Sizes UK

Divan and mattress are usually hand made, and are upholstery, which isn't precision engineering, so sizes are approximate.

UK SIZES CONTINENTAL SIZES (Ikea)

Small Single 2'6" (75cm) x 6'3" (190cm)

Single 3' (90cm) x 6'3" (190cm) 3' (90cm) x 6'6" (200cm)

Small Double 4' (120cm) x 6'3" (190cm)

Double4'6" (135cm) x 6'3" (190cm) 4'9" (140cm) x 6'6" (200cm)

King Size5' (150cm) x 6'6" (200cm) 5'3" (160cm) x 6'6" (200cm)

Super King Size 6' (180cm) x 6'6" (200cm) 6' (180cm) x 6'6" (200cm)

PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU FIND THIS GUIDE HELPFUL OR NOT.

I can't understand why anyone whould rate this as unhelpful. I presume it must be another seller who has done it out of spite. However, if you don't find this guide helpful, and you have any more questions, then please feel free to contact us direct.

Fake global knives

I boughta fake globalknifeoff ebay, well at the time of buying I did not know it was a fake.When it arrived in the post Icouldsee almost instantly that it did not look right. LuckilyI happen tohave 2 genuine globalknives bought over the counterat aJohn Lewis, soI could compare them.

I now see there are more fakes for sale, including the G45 ceramicrod sharpeners,and thanks to buying one fake already, Iknow what to look for in the photos. When you havea genuineand fake side by side,it fairly easy tosee the difference.

When I first got the fake knifein my hand, I could tell it did not feel right, agenuineglobal knifefeels heavy and solid, this one did not.Next Itried cutting some bread, tomatoes etc. Althoughit looked very sharp it could not cut worth a damn compared to agenuine global knife, it was more like tearing rather than cutting.

How to tell if its GENUINEby looking:The dimples on the handle, or dots if you like are indented.Theseshould be perfectly roundand equal in size, spaced evenlyaround the handle, equal distance apart. No smears or smudges.

Onmy FAKEI noticed thatthe dimples varied in size and depth and looked more oval than round, they were larger and smaller, the enamel paint dot did not always sit exactly in the centre of the indent and connected to dotson some parts of the handle.But then this is a fake, the attention to detail is not as good. This is the only visual clue you can use, its the only way you can tell by looking if its fake. Any imperfection of the dots / dimplesmeans its fake.You have to look very closely to see this, its hardly noticable but there is a difference in the finish. Its not nearly as neat and tidy as it should be.The dimples on a fakearecloser together and almost touch on some part of the handle. This is what I now see in some of the photos of items for sale on ebay.

The dimples should be the same size and diameterright across the handle, perfectly roundand evenly spaced, like these asterisks, evenly spaced, equal size, equal distance apart covering the handle** * ** * * * * * *

On a fake youmay see something like this across the handle * * ** * * ** * and they will vary in size.

All global products comeboxed, there is a serial number on the box, inside the box is a leaflet giving instructions on how to care for your product, plus a list of other products. No box with serialnumber andleaflet means its 100% fake. The only exception is if its secondhand, even then treat with caution. Look for the first 2 clues to verify. Ok it may be a bit blunt if its secondhand andused. Here is another clue, the steel on a real global is soft or finer than cheaper quality steel. By that I mean if you run it across a metalsteel rod sharpener to sharpen it, it will leave tiny scratches, thats why globalrecommenda ceramic sharpener to prevent this.

I see some sellers are using the excuse, "this knife is part of a set which wasbrokenup to give you a bargain", to get round not havingthe box. Some sellers will use a photo of a genuine knife, then when yours arrives in the post, guess what! surprise surprise,NO BOX. and theres a note saying sorry, the box got damaged, the dog ate it. From a pet free home :)

To recap, if its new then it mustcome withthe box and paper work to be genuine.What possible excuse can there be for not having a new item in its original packing. You are either very careless or selling fakes. The price is also a give away, these are very exclusive items only available to a selectfew wholesalerswho supplylarge stores in the UK like John Lewis.

If Joe Bloggs has a shed load of them on ebay, no boxes with serial numbers,they must be 100% fake

There is a Global Knife website where you can check the serial numbers, I have not included it but its there if you want to have a look.

I have now decided to try and buy a genuine global knife off ebay, to see if its possible. The hunt is on. Exciting isnt it. I dont hold out much hope of gettingone. But Iwill try. Watch this space ( )

During this quest to find a genuine globalproduct, I found thisfeedbackwhich read "FAKE FAKE FAKE I got on to grunweg (global importer) DO NOT BUT FROM THIS PERSON" What is amazing about this is, it is not the first neg this seller has for selling fakes andpeople are still bidding silly amounts. I guess this means some people like fakes, or they do not realise they arefakes or they cant be bothered to read feedback. Or they read the feedback and thought what the hell, I am saving a fiver.

There are sets of globalsin large boxes, I am not sure about these, I have not examined a box setbut I think these are fakes as well. The price is a good indicator here. I certainly will not buy a set off ebay unless there is a till receipt and paperwork included. I see one clever buyer left neutral feedbackstating heaskedthe seller to prove authenticityfor a set of globals, needless to say the seller could not. Good one that.

CAR FREEVIEW DIGITAL BOX 12 VOLT DC MOTORHOME CARAVAN

12VOLT DC FREE VIEW BOX DIGITAL DVB -TV RECEIVER.

Isaw this item listed on ebay, and thought that it might be, justthe unit to fit in my car. I already have a Multimedia stereo unit fitted, but it only has an analogue (Tv tuner). The picture tends to break up, and as we allknow 'the channels are very limited. Also 'In a cupple of years,there will be No More analogue television transmissions.

I must admit, I do enjoy having a television in the car. It helps past the time, when I go the collect my kids from the Airport, and end up sitting there for ages! But I also thought that it maybe great for camping! I have one of those portable DVD players, so I felt that, I might be able to run the Freeview boxit though it's monitor.

ButI was not really convinced. "What about areas with poor signal strength". 'Yes I could obviously 'see that as a big problem! Plus ' Would it be to big the fit in the car anyway!

The seller was: blacksilvertech. I emailed them, and received a prompt reply. Some sellers on ebay ' just can't be bothered! "Yes I know they get loads of time wasters". But this sellerwas really helpful and answered all my question clearly and fully!.

The items specificationseemed very good. I am an a Mechanical Electrcal engineer. Alsothe free view box its self,was not to big in size.

'Wellit came with a proper "Well written Instruction Book". Theremote control has decent/ proper buttons etc. ie, Not one of those cheap plastic faced / biscuit types! In fact its simular to my DVD remote control at home.

There were two options for connecting the 12 volt Dc power supply. Option (1), was a simple Gigar lighter lead. Itjust plugs into the free view boxand then into your cigar lighter "Great". The second connection was via a proper square type plug. It just plugs into the side of the unit. The Free View box also came with a (Free) mag mount roof aerial with a reasonable lenght coaxial lead, including a fitted plug.

The Free View box 'itself, was very impressive! It came with all the nessasary mounting brackets and fittings etc. The boxis really nicely made, and has a real feeling of quality about it! 'But to my amassment, it also came with an optical, remote control cable. This mean't that you could indeed place the box anywhere out of sight, andstill be able to control it. 'Mind you! If the box is placed in line of sight, "You simply don't need it". Also in the box came with a nice quality, (AV Cable) , of a good lenght.

Fitting the system was really easy peesy! I chose to use the proper power cable. However ' the unit does not come with an (Inline fuse holder). So 'it was off to the shops to purchase one! Once 'I decided where I wanted to position the box! (Under the dash and out of sight). I just had the drill a few holes for the mounting screws.

Itwas just a matter of connecting up the (Red) Posativepower wirevia the fuse holder, to the(accessory side of the ignition switch). "So that when the key is removed, the unit is powered down".

'Then just connect the black Negative earthwire to a suitable earth. You then run the (AV Cable) from the free view box.Straight to your screen / monitor. ie, Red and Black phono'sto the (audio input) on your monitor or to the (audio input) connectors on your stereo. And then (Yellow) to your screen /Monitor.

"The great thing" Is that there are another, (3) spare video output conections on the free view box! So you can connect, Say' another two rear video screens,or flip down roof screens. "Brill".

I then fitted the optical (remote cable) and then simply fixed the sensor to my centre console with double sided tape.

When you switch the system on, It takes you thought a very simple and easy to understand menus. It really is "Fool proof". It then downloads all the avaliable free view channels. It even shows the aerialsignal strength etc.The remote control is very comprehensive indeed! It can do all the same functions as my box at home. But it has a much better (Guide etc). The picture quality is brilliant. The sound is very good indeed. " In Southeast London, I receive a signal strength of 89%.

Last night, I went and pick my son up from Gatwick. His plane was delayed. "So what's new". I simply placed the aerial on the roof, and found that I had only about a 10% signal strength showing. But to my amassment! I hada full , free view service, without any signs of digital brake up etc. However, with this low strength signal, there was a very slight hissing in the sound quality. But it was really hardly noticable. I sat watching free view for about 2 hours, and the time just flew by! I have alsoconnected the free view box to my camping leisure battery. I simply used the gigar lighter connection wire to a made up socket and lead. I connected the (AV Cable) to my Hitachi portable(Dvd player 'via adaptors. Put the aerial outside, and bingo ' we have free view Tv in our tent.

Sometimes when you buy these things ' you simply can't get any spare parts!!!

"Well some bars--ed, nicked the screw in aerial mast out out its mag mount, when my carwas parked! "No problem (blacksilvertech) quickly sent me a brand new one".

This Free View box, Could alsobe used, in a Works van: on a boat or in a caravan etc. I honestly think that its brilliant! Hence why I have taken the trouble to write this Guide / Review. Ron

Escort Mk2 : 1600 Sport,RS1800,RS2000,RS Mexico,Harrier

Escort Mk2

This is one of many illustrated classic car guides I've created for the eBay community. I hope you enjoy it. If you would like to find out more about the classicEscort Mk2car art featured in this guide please click here.

This guide features several classic Escort Mk2 cars.

Escort 1600 Sport 1975-1980

Sometimes described as the poor-man's RS, the 1600 Sport was produced in two- and four-door form (the four-door model was only made between January 1975 and July 1976), and used the famous 84bhp 1,598cc Kent power plant. The car featured circular headlamps, black quarter bumpers, and extra driving lamps, a black grille, sports wheels and distinctive side flashes. The cockpit was surprisingly plush for a low-priced mass-production model, with comprehensive instrumentation, a three-spoke steering wheel and well-contoured seats.

Escort RS1800 1975-1977

Replacing the RS 1600 and using a bored-out BDA engine, the RS 1800 was built along with the MkII RS2000 and Mexico at Saarlouis. It shared the same two-door reinforced bodyshell as the 2000, stronger suspension and a hefty front cross-member. A deep front air-dam, 5 inch sports road wheels and a soft boot-lid spoiler set it apart from the Sport and derivatives. Ford's most successful rally car, the RS1800 won more rallies than any other British car.

Escort RS Mexico 1976-1978

The RS Mexico used the same strengthened bodyshell as the other RSs but its striping mirrored the Sport. It was powered by a 95bhp, 1.6-litre Pinto engine, coupled to a Type E four-speed all-synchro box. Internally it was very similar to the basic RS 1800, using a centre console and clocks. Sports steel wheels were standard, although many examples were fitted with the optional four-spoke cast alloys. Two years after it was released in 1976. , Ford discontinued the Mexico replacing it with a low-spec RS2000.

Escort 1600 Ghia 1975-1980

Ford's plan for the MkII was to move the car up-market, and it offered a wider range of engines, improved braking and a range of Ghia versions to cater for the luxury market. The 1600 Ghia was available in two-door form between Jan 1975 and July 1976, adn in four-door body between January 1975 and Summer 1980. Ghia models gave the following features - wood veneer facia and glove box, vinyl roof, tinted glass, fabric seats, shag pile carpets, reclining seat backs plus other extras.

Escort RS2000 1976-1980

All the Mk2 Escort RS models, including the RS 2000 Mk 2 of 1976-1980 were built at Saarlouis, in West Germany. Faster and better equipped than the original car, the MkII, with its unique droop-snoot nose, which included four headlamps, offered 110bhp and was no slower than the RS1800 "Homologation Special". Yet, this car was also refined, being easy to drive with good handling. A practical four-seater, it could be easily repaired and serviced by every Ford workshop, in contrast to its exotic rivals.

Escort RS2000 X-Pack 1977-1980

Ford Rallye Sport offered the Series X kits for the RS2000 from Aug '77. It offered a combination of parts designed to compliment each other and focused on specific areas of the car's performance: engine, suspension, transmission and bodywork. Items on the comprehensive options list included: a Group One Spec. 145bhp engine kit. Rocket gearbox, Tarmac wing extension kit including airdam, limited slip differential, gas filled front struts, lower and stiffer front springs, gas-filled rear shock absorbers, 7 X 13 alloys and ventilated brakes.

Escort Harrier 1979-1980

Designed to celebrate Ford's 1979 World Rally Championship title, the Escort Harrier was a special edition based upon the 1600 Sport. Available in Diamond White, or Strato Silver, both with blue body stripes, it's comprehensive specification included: Recaros, tinted glass, a push button radio, boot spoiler and 6-inch AVO alloys. The white and blue model cost 4,330, with the silver finish an extra 35.83. Only 1,500 were produced during 1979-1980.

Thank you for reading my guide and I hope you found it interesting!

Fake Apple In-Ear Headphones on eBay! How to spot them

This is a guide to distinguish between the real and the fake versions of the Apple MA850G/A In-Ear Headphones with Remote

How to Avoid eBay Scams and Fraud

Countless people have been scammed and defrauded on eBay. eBay is a fun place to bid on items and to sell items but you must know how to recognize a scam, and how to avoid them, them or you quickly join the ranks of those who have lost their money to eBay scams. Of course, if you are scammed, there are some actions you can take to correct the situation but in many cases, the scammer does indeed get away! The best option is to avoid being scammed.

You can easily avoid many scams with the payment method that you use whether you are a buyer or a seller. eBay owns Paypal, and in most cases, Paypal is the payment method you should use. First, as a buyer, if you are scammed or less than satisfied with the item when it arrives, you can dispute the charge easily, and demand a refund. The seller must reply and show proof that the item was shipped, and that it arrived in the condition that you expected, or Paypal will return your funds to your account.

As a seller, you can protect yourself by only accepting Paypal. This will eliminate the chances of receiving a bad check or having the buyer dispute a credit card charge. Instead, they must dispute the charge through paypal, and you of course will be able to prove that you shipped the product. You cannot, however, prove that the product arrived in the condition that was expected. In this case, you should demand that the product be returned to you before the refund is issued.

Another common scam that buyers use is the bidding scam. This type of scam is run either with two separate eBay accounts with one person in control of both of them, or with two friends with separate eBay accounts. A very small bid is placed on your item, using one account. This is followed by a very high bid, from the other eBay account. Right before the bidding ends, the high bid is cancelled or withdrawn, leaving the low bid as the winning bid.This bid can only be avoided by setting a reserve price the lowest bid that can be placed is the same as the reserve price that you set.

If you are an eBay seller, you can further protect your auctions by placing a notice on your auctions page, declaring that you have the right to back out of the sale if you suspect potential fraud. As both a buyer and a seller, also beware of spoofed emails. These emails appear to be from eBay. The email may claim that you need to verify your information, and ask you to login to your eBay account, using the link provided. If you follow that link, the site looks exactly like eBay, but it is actually a scam to get your eBay login details, as well as your credit card details! eBay will never ask you to do this. If you suspect a spoofed email, report it to eBay immediately!

Dont let scammers ruin your eBay fun! Just use good common sense, and a reasonable amount of caution, and everything should run smoothly. Report suspicious activity to eBay, and if a deal doesnt feel right, simply back away from it and move on to the next auction.

The Difference Between Gold Plated

The Difference Between Gold Plated

Sun Holidays to be continued.............

Updated Spring 2010Updated Spring 2010Updated Spring 2010Updated Spring 2010Updated Spring 2010

Why Peppermint Soap?

Peppermint is tremendous for your feet and legs, it stimulates the cells and revitalises your tired and weary feet and legs after a hard day. We, at Purdie's Scottish Soap Company have included Shea Butter in our soap as a natural moisturiser to work long after you have scrubbed way at your feet because that's what tends to happen when people wash their feet. They scrub, and so they should as your feet dispels most of the really bad impurities from you body.

We also include Pumpkin Seeds in our soap to work as a natural exfoliant. These are very effective and really gets intothe hard bits of skin but amazingly will not hurt or nick you, they are effective yet gentle.

Peppermint also contains anti-fungal properties and this is a must for washing your feet.

Always remember to dry your feet thoroughly between your toes. It is the dampness that nasties love to live off!

How To Spot Fake Corsair Flash Drives

If you have brought a Corsair flash drive, And are not 100% sure it's Genuine, Maybe this blog will help! You might think oh well I got a cheap 64gb /32Gb Or 16Gb drive ect ect! BUT DID YOU?

1. Feel the flash drive does it feel as though there is room at the end of the drive and soft? Like the insides are to small for the rubber sleve where the flashing light should be? Genuine ones don't! As they have a metal shell under the rubber so feel solid.

2. On the metal bit that goes into the computer, Does it have numbers engraved in it? Genuine ones do on both sides!

3. Does a blue light flash (Not RED!) when transfering data? A Genuin one does!

4. Go to my computer and right click on the Removable Disk, Then go to propeties, Then hardware tab! Dose it show as USB2.0 Flash disk USB Device? (FAKE!) Or Corsair Voyager USB Device? (Genuine)

5. Most of these fake drives have been hacked! So if you have brought a 32Gb drive it might show as 32Gb But really it might be only 4gb or 8gb A good way to test the drive is to put data onto the drive (At least More then half the size of the drive! i.e. 32gb drive = Over 16gb) Once all the data is on the drive (Video files are a good test!) Try playing some of them back and see if they work or whever they are now corrupt.

6. The red or blue colour on each side of the Corsair Drive should not rub off on your nail or leave any colour on your nail! If it does it's a fake! As the genuine ones are Red or Blue rubber and not paint!.

If it looks like a FAKE please go to your Paypal and open a dispute ASAP and if you do not get a refund within 24Hrs Escalate to a claim. And Please report the seller to EBay (We Need To Stop These conmen And keep Ebay a safe place to shop)

If this guide has helped you please click yes below :)

Oh Yes The One Person Who Did Not Find This Guide Usfull Was A Seller Of The Fake Corsairs Lol (Sorry Mate You Will Have To Sell Genuine Ones From Now On :p)

SaKo

crest strips,does it work?

just a quick note for anyone wondering about crest tooth whitening strips. i tried them while in america and have since bought them from ebay. my teeth were realy yellow and i debated paying the hundreds my dentist wanted to whiten them, but now i dont have tothe strips are realy easy to use and they realy work. ihave tried many other products on the market with no success, but be careful because there are many differnt strengths get a premium plus or more if you have a lot of yellowing. good luck

The best way to look at intruder alarms

Hi all, here is a little bit of thought for an alarm system once read if you could please rate this helpful or unhelpful as you find and read it thanks

Always plan ahead, Never ever get some thing that should just do the job ( most likely it will until you leave it on holiday then it goes completely wrong) Alarms are becoming more and more of a necessary, Insurance demands and personal security both are essential parts of an alarms life but very rare do the two go together quite as good as it seems,

There are two main areas in which to look at in both the planning and installation process, *When planning your alarm system look for the most valuable areas of the building, But then look at how you were to get there and what else some one breaking in might possible find on route, i.e. The lounge/sitting room: most likely one of the main areas of both personal belongings and also the highest value, ( Don't forget unless you take time and stealth away from the burglar the more time they have at looking and doing damage) is also more central in the building meaning the intruder has full roam to the building i.e. hallways in which clocks, Paintings ect. are on show,

Remember most insurance companies only look at areas of 1000 or more as a risk not the photo's or irreplaceable items of little money value but huge sacramental value, *Also look at the easy entry points of the building were not just talking about large windows or doors, The average intruder can open a small 30cm X 20cm window enough possibly to get there hand/arm through to open the lock on the window next to, or unlock the bolts off a door both on the ground floor and 1st floor, especially if the area is around the back where smashing a window would make a noise to alert people spending 5 minutes trying to prise and open a window will not,

When looking at a alarm system the main pointers to keep a eye on are: Easy to use system too complicated and no chance it will be used to pop down to the shops for five minutes Capabilities of the system i.e night setting remote setting of garages and out buildings and Zone capabilities,

You might for example only want 6 zones (4 pirs and 1 door contact and 1 personal attack button) but then you decide that it would be best to alarm the back door later on or alarm the garage, Or increase the zones inside the building itself so it might look good on paper to buy a six zone system now but 2 years down the line and you add 3 more zones it becomes a big job because your current system can't take the extra demand,

Make sure that you can fit a good size back up batteryon the system power cuts are becoming more and more of an occurrence and 6 hours might not be enough, There might be space for a bigger battery but if the panel can't take it then it won't charge the same and the panel is always trying to hard to do the job. The professional alarm system will have a minimum of a 12 hour standby time try to do the same,

Run one cable to one device not one six core to three devices, it might look cheaper but if that cable ever gets damaged then you lose three zones instead of one,

Put a good budget in for the alarm the more the alarm is to buy today the better and longer it will last tomorrow, Make sure that all the rooms on the downstairs that have value in are protected don't forget even though the dining room ( e.g.) might only have table and chairs in and that point in time with the burglar undisturbed the more time he has at looking through the draws or even nicking off with the dining table ( I've seen it happen)

Remember to look in to putting some form of communications on the alarm by means of a speech dialler, SMS(text) alert, ARC ( Alarm receiving centre ), Police response, Dual path, Redcare, as in todays world no one pays no attention to the bell ringing on some bodys home or factory just the annoyance of it,

Remember NEVER CUT CORNERS the burglar will exploit these to there full advantage

Hope that this is of some help to some one out there please rate this artical,

SPY CAMERA GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND BUYER INFO GUIDE

Hi , this is the second guide we have written about wireless pinhole spy camera's. Just from the amount of enquires that we recieve , we believe that this will be a usefull resource for those seeking to purchase one.

KBC STORE guide to buying a Mini spy camera

CMOS or CCD ?

Most of the camera's available to buy on eBay will have one of two chips, which is the componant of the camera which produces the images, also referred to as "the Image sensor". You will find the terms CMOS and CCD.

CMOS stands for "complementary metal oxide semiconductor". CCD stands for "charge coupled device"

So what's the difference?

CMOS imaging sensor chips tend to be used in lower price items , as the quality is ok , but not great. It will be able to provide with good images , but we have found them to be less productive in conditions of varying light. Therefore, with that in mind, if you are going to be using the camera in a condition where the amount of light is constant and plentiful, like indoors with artificial light, they are a good option as they are really value for money.

CCD however will provide you much more clarity and reliablity , interms of receiving a quality image. Due to advances in technology and design in the far east , you can buy camera's with these imaging sensors at good prices here on eBay. A camera which has CCD chip will always out perform a CMOS chip in quality of image and reaction to lighting changes. Good for indoors, better for outdoor conditions. Nearly all digital camera's these days will have this sort of chip.

The size of the imaging sensor. You may see 1/4 inch ot 1/3 inch appearing after the the type of chip used in the camera. This relates to the size of the chip. In general , the larger the size the better quality images. But this is not always te case as advances in technology are now producing smaller chips which provide the same quality as 1/2 inch size one.

TV lines

The number of TV lines which are mentioned on these adverts refer to the picture resolution. TV lines is the way which the picture resolution is measured. The more TV lines you have , the better the resolution of the picture. Most camera's will have a standard resolution of around 380. If you find a camera with 420 , great this will provide you with great images. CCD chip camera's and Black and White camera's may have around 520 TV lines , which will offer you superb viewing resolution. It will be like watching your TV as a measure of quality.

LUX

This is the measure of sensivity to light. A rating of 2 LUX means that the camera will function fairly well in a lit condition. We have tested this and have found you will need a similar amount of light available to that from a 40 watt bulb. The lower the LUX rating , the easier it is for the camera to work in low light condition. Most of the spy camera's indicate a LUX of 0.5, whcih means that they will be able to pick up images up until dusk, or on a dim night. You will night vision camera's have a LUX of 0 because they require no light at all.

TV SYSTEM

PAL is the tv system used in Europe , whcile in the USA you will NTSC. Make sure you check with the seller that the camera you are purchasing is compatitble and works in the UK. Most UK sellers based in the UK will only supply this type, but please check if you are buying from outside the UK, especially fromthe Far East !

Power supply adapters

All camera's and the receivers alike will need to be provided with a sustainable power source. Here there are two options, a power adapter or a battery clip.

Most battery clips will operate from a 9 volt power source. This is great as it will allow the camera to operate in a mobile environment. The downside is that the camera needs a lot of power and the battery may only last up to three hours or so. Batteries are also expensive! The other option is to power the camera and receiver via a plug power adapter. Most sellers do not sell these with the camera kits as there are heavy and importing these goods from china gets shipping costs high. But some will, as us at KBC Stores.

Always check thast the power adapter supplies a regulated power supply and that it has CE accreditation. This will ensure you safety when using the camera and will not fry the equipment.

Other sources for power can be in the form of a cigerrette power converter. For those of you which want to use the camera outside and have the receiver hooked up to a monitor in your car, you can use this. Just check the power specification is correct on the car power converter. KBC Stores sells power converters with a manual selection so that you can use it to power a number of electronical items.

How to check for quality before you buy?

Always check the seller feedback . This provides you with a good indicator of there level of customer service and quality.
Check to see if the seller has a free technical help desk.
Is the seller located in the UK. You will liable for import tax and VAT if you purchase from outside the EU.
This might be the most important , ENSURE THAT THE SELLER SELLS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR YOUR CAMERA. Should any of the parts get damaged while you are using them, if your seller does not sell spares , you will have to buy a whole new kit !
Look at the images in the item description.....

Does the camera kit come with an AV lead. whcih connects the receiver to the TV?
Check for good quality workmanship and finishing. Check that the wired connections are properly fitted as they will wear the most when you are using the camera.

PLEASE RATE THIS REVIEW BEFORE READING OUR OTHERS. THANK YOU FOR READING. Shaun1521, KBC Stores.

Other reviews and Guides by KBC Stores.

Bird nesting box camera's buyers guide

DVD reviews by KBC STORE employee's

See all guides by shaun1521, KBC Stores

Price of Far Cry on eBay

Far Cryis a still great FPS game for PCeven if it is nearly 3 years old. I couldn't believe the price some ebayers want for secondhand copies of this game when you can buy it new from Amazon for under a fiver ( that including1.99p

Don't get Scammed On Ebay and Paypal.

It is a little known fact that forevery item you postto a buyer, who has paid throughPaypal. Paypaldemand proof of posting in the formof atracking number. Should your item go missing in the postal system and the buyer makes a claim against you.Try telling their automated service form that you have a Certificate of Posting from the Post Office. Impossible. Paypal will debit your account after ten days and there is nothing you can do to stop them.

There are buyers who target certain sellers on ebay with false claims for items lost or damaged. These scamsters will not hita seller more than once. They would be asking for trouble otherwise. They will usually write a threatening emailfirst demanding a refundor they willhit the negative button with bad feedback. This will usually only happen when they have had to sign for the goods they received. Otherwise they will report the matter immediately to Paypal through the ebay system.Power sellers are more at risk from these scamsters because of their need to keep a 98 %positive feedback rating. All scamsters know this.

It is bad practice to leave positive feedback for any item that you have soldbefore the buyer receives the goods. You are leaving yourself open to being abused by fraudsters. Be wary of those buyers who will ask you to post to an address other than that on record with ebay. If in doubt send by recorded delivery.

Buyers who pay by cheque can present another problem. Never post out the goods under a ten day period. A cheque might appear to be cleared after a few days, but the sender has still the power to cancel the cheque for up to aten dayperiod.

The days of personal communication skills and transacting business in a more old fashioned way have long since pasted. Greed has taken root and the money is all that counts in the modern world. I don't personally care if you are a greed merchant or not. But you are not taking me to the cleaners !

Late last year I was stung by two seperate American buyers who managed to get two valuable painting from me and obtain a refund from paypal as well.

A a result of this I removed the Paypal logo from my selling page and I shall definately not be dealing with them again. All ebay sellers should should follow suit anddo likewise until we obtain a better deal.

Selling without Paypal has become a better experience. When I got paid through Paypal in the past I was loosing 5% in fees. Now I am saving that money and it is going directly into my Bank account. The other disadvantage of using paypal is that you have to wait for up to 5 - 7 days for Paypal to transfer YOUR money to your Bank account.In the time it takes Paypal to transfer YOUR money. You are better offjust waiting for your buyer to pay by cheque.

Post Script : The lastest scam involves buyers who purchase two items in the one day. If you combine postage you are leaving yourself open to being scammed. One recent buyer claimed that they only received one item, when in fact both were posted togather in the one package. Fortunately I posted by recorded delivery. A postal certificate would not been much use because this latest scamster was determined to obtain the goods and their money back as well. They reported one item asnot received to ebay in an attempt to claim apart of their money back. If both items were posted without a tracking number being obtained, the scamster would have laughted all the way to the next victim.The majority of your customers on ebay might be decent people, but you can trust nobody when it comes to money. You have to apply the same standard of service to everyone and be mindful that there arecheats about who don't play by the rules.

How to spot fake anime DVDs

There are many fake and bootleg anime DVDs being sold on eBay. It is always quite a shame when you think you've found a good deal, only to discover it's just a cheap knockoff. Here's a small guide of things to look out for when purchasing anime DVDs:Many bootleg DVDs, anime or otherwise, come from Hong Kong. I'm in no way saying that all sellers from Hong Kong are peddling fake merchandise, but you should bear this in mind.A good giveaway that the DVD is a Hong Kong bootleg is the languages available. Most legitimate DVDs have Japanese or English audio with English subtitles. If the DVD states it is just Japanese with English or Chinese subtitles, it is most likely a bootleg.If the DVD is quite cheap for the amount of episodes offered (e.g. a box set of a complete 51-episode for a tenner), this might seem reason for suspicion.Region coding is another contributing factor. Anime bootlegs are almost always region free. It's more likely to be legit if it's coded for the country it was released in.This is not a definitive list of things to look out for, but it's a very good indication. Also, if a DVD has a couple of these characteristics, it does not automatically mean it is a bootleg. However, if the DVD has many or all of these characteristics, it may be a cause for alarm bells to start ringing.Because of their cheap price tag and region free coding, anime DVD bootlegs may often seem more appealing than their legal counterparts. However, aside from cheating the creators of the anime out of money, there are several downsides to bootlegs. You may be lucky and get a high quality fake, but more often than not, anime bootlegs are characterised by the following things:Poor picture and audio quality, often recorded straight from television, complete with the logo of the broadcasting TV station on all episodes.Very bad translation in the subtitles, often too literal, as if an online translator was used.If there is English writing on the packaging, there is sometimes typing/spelling/grammar errors.Overall bad packing, poor quality printing or even incorrect artwork used.I hope this guide proves useful to those looking to complete their anime DVD collections through the use of eBay.

Be Wary of FAKE 1GB/2GB/4GB/8GB USB Flash Drives Part 2

Just because you buy from a UK seller, it doesn't mean it's perfectly
fine. Do you realise that maybe the UK seller buys in bulk from a
seller in Hong Kong, China, or somewhere in the Far East and then asks
the seller not to leave feedback so people won't know that it's Far
East stock?Some sellers say it's 'UK Stock', which I think is a safer bet but still no guarantee.The
best thing to do is buy from a UK seller who sells 'UK Stock' and then
test it immediately after receiving it to see if it really holds the
storage it claims to. Most people who buy a 2GB, 4GB or 8GB USB Pen
Drive don't try to fill it up fully for a long time and so they don't
realise until it's too late.Adding files slowly upto the 'fake'
storage size will seem fine as there is some sort of programming, code
or application which either compresses or 'fakes' the files you save.
For e.g. a 128MB USB Pen Drive re-programmed to 2GB will save 128MB
fine, but anything above that is compressed or fake 'hex' data and
these files will stop working within days, weeks, or months if you are
lucky. Too late to get a refund. Sure the seller will say it was a
one-off problem if you have a problem with yours within days, and send
you another fake 128MB posing as 2GB and you'll happily delude yourself
for a short while until you realise that you ignored your instincts,
the alarm bells, and me telling you that you should ask for a refund -
yes, some have ignored my advice when I have shown them proof, they
don't want to face the fact that they've been scammed. It's a natural
human instinct... but ignoring the proof is just plain stupidity my
friends.Look up the seller x.gui by clicking community at the
top of eBay's pages, type in x.gui and look at how many negatives he's
got. He's recently made his feedback private (maybe he got the idea
from me) to hide the feedback comments I left for him. I hid my
feedback before I had the negative feedback from him, I wanted people
to go to my 'About Me' page and see it. My feedback is shown there so
I'm not hiding anything, just encouraging people to read my 'About Me'
page and my Guide/s.He's been scamming people for months,
probably years I don't know. I was suspicious of how cheap they were
selling so took my vigilante approach and bought a few with the
intention of sending them off for inspection. It cost me a little to
say the least, but I counted on getting a refund.Unfortunately
I couldn't get my refund as I couldn't resist letting others know they
are buying fakes. How could I stand by (or sit by) and watch people buy
128MB USB Pen Drives that have been messed about with to appear 2GB?
They weren't really Sony either but most didn't care about this. I knew
they'd care that their shiny 2GB USB Pen Drive wasn't actually 2GB so I
risked getting my refund to help others. Noble? Not really, I just
can't sit and do nothing and I thought I'd still get my refund. I'm a
little selfish like the rest of us so I wanted my money back first but
I thought I'd still have a chance of getting my refund AND I could stop
him selling so went for two birds with one stone.I stopped him
selling... for now. If we stick together as honest eBayers, then we can
help make this large problem a smaller one. I'm not going to delude
myself, it won't completely disappear but we can help reduce the
problem.Just remember, the best thing to do is not buy USB Pen
Drives that will be shipped from Hong Kong, China, anywhere in the Far
East. Even if you buy in the UK, the seller you bought from could be
getting his stock from the Far East. Go for a seller who sells 'UK
Stock' and even then test it thoroughly. If you buy a 1GB USB Pen
Drive, try saving a LARGE file, like a 700MB file on it. DON'T save
something like ten 50MB files and think "yeah, I've tested it upto
500MB" because you you added ten 50MB files, not a LARGE 500MB or 700MB
(any large file) to it. The Pen Drive is designed to fool you. It can
easily deal with small 50MB files and 'fake' them. If you try saving a
LARGE (about 700MB or more is best) file to it, a 'fake' USB Pen Drive
cannot work quickly and hard enough compress it, or to 'fake' it onto
the USB Pen Drive. A real one? A real one will have no problems at all.
This is the BEST way to test it. As far as I know it works everytime.One
last note, all of the above can also apply to Memory Cards. A lot of
Sony PSP compatible Memory Sticks are on eBay, naturally as the PSP is
quite popular so I'm told. I don't know as much about these Memory
Cards but I have heard or people (and read on forums) of people's woes
with fakes so be careful!Take care, and enjoy eBaying, because I do...

ECheques, Confusion for sellers and buyers

I receive quite a few echeques and my buyers become very confused when they have not received their purchases after a couple of days. I don't think things are explained enough so I thought I would write a little guide informing people of what Echeques are and how they workWhat is an Echeque?An Echeque is basically a cheque that is sent electronically over the internet, such as into a paypal account. The consumer purchases an item and then makes payment through Paypal, instead of making paying on a credit or debit card or from there paypal funds it gets sent directly from their bank account. An Echeque takes between 7 to 10 days to clear and this is the reason Sellers do not send the consumers purchases instantly. An Echeque works in the exact way a normal cheque does, so if the consumer does not have the funds in their bank account, the cheque will bounceWhy Use Echeques?Echeques can be handy for consumers who do not have a credit card or debit card, they are very secure and you cannot get into debt. You must have the funds in your bank account for an Echeque to clear. However, you cannot send Echeques from all countries, If you live in the UK or the US then you should not have a problemHow do I pay by Echeque? Log into your paypal account and click Send Funds, enter the required information and then click continue, then click change under the payment method and click on echeque, continue then sendDo all ebay sellers accept ECheques? Any ebay seller who uses a paypal account must accept echeques under eBay's and paypal terms and conditions.Is it worth it?Echeques are more secure than sending personal cheques, however, as a payment method they are still very slow to clear. This means that the consumer has to wait until the funds have cleared before they will receive their purchases. Sellers are warned by paypal when they receive an echeque, not to send any items until the funds are cleared. I have had many echeques bounce and this is the exact reason that paypal send this warning out.In my experience, echeques are very handy for people who have limited access to banking facilities and credit cards, as they can still make payments without costly charges for postal orders or bankers drafts. However, the waiting time for the consumer can be annoying, and its very easy to forget about the payment, therefore if the funds are not held in the bank account, the cheque will bounce.I don't mind accepting echeques as they do not make any difference to me, but I thought I would try and solve a little confusion to some of the buyers and sellers who do not understand how the process worksIf you find this guide useful, then please rate itThank you

New to ebay - read this to stop scams and you losing

A quick guide to ensure you dont lose your money or your ebay or paypal id's.

There are many ruthless people out there who make money out of our hard work. i have been conned a few times. this is my experience and want to share it with all the newbies or those that havn't been fortunate of being scammed :)

1) Yousee something you like which is extremly cheap and hard to believe - this is most likely true, it is hard to believe so stay away.

If your still interested in the item then a few things to note:- pay via paypal as it has protection for buyers. never pay via WESTERN UNION as they will not track your items or chase up the seller when you have found out that you have been ripped off and they (Western Union) knows who the person recieving the money is.

2) If you get paypal or ebay emails saying to update account information or they are upgrading security etc,,, NEVER CLICK THE LINK ON THE EMAIL. You will definatly get many emails regularly which looks like genuine ebay or paypal emails. just remember one thing i say "NEVER CLICK THE LINK ON THE EMAIL". what you do is log-on to ebay or paypal from another browser and check your account details their. IF ebay or paypal have actions for you then they will be shown on your account.

These fake emails are there to capture your user details. Then they can hack in to your account and change user details so you cant access and they are in control.

This has happened to us a few times and it isnt nice at all. you are not in control of your id and other customers are being ripped of as these hackers will not send out the items once they recieve the money.

3) Change your ebay password regularly, we change ours every 3 months. Paypal passwords are fairly secure.

If you are unsure that you clicked on the link from emails then change the password to be safe. If in doubt change your details.

IF YOU FOUND THIS OF INTEREST THEN PLEASE VOTE YES.

Help with Pay-Pal??

Want some help with a problem with Pay-Pal? Having had some personal experience may I point you in the right direction?? Certainly this helped me out!! And the FSA representatives reaction was?? (SIGH!!! NOT pay-pal again!!) Well here goes!!I have done all that I can in dealing with Ebay before writing listing with some regret. Unfortunately, like most of the other professional sellers I know on Ebay, I have become exceptionally frustrated

Land Rover Discovery 3 tips - seat belt chime removal

Don't pay to find out how to do it.Just engage and dis-engage seat belt buckle 9 times in under 1 minute and the chimes for non-use will stop. Repeat to re-enable.Top tips like this can be found by Googling (tm) or coming to Land Rover forums like disco3 dot co dot uk.Be Excellent to each other!lex

UK Marvel Comic Free Gifts from 1972 - Updated

Delrin vs Acetal

These are both polyacetal grades, manufactured by companies such as Quadrant Engineering Plastics.

Acetal is a copolymer version;
Copolymer grades tend to be more resistant against hydrolysis, strong
alkalis and thermal-oxidative degredation than the homopolymer grades.

Delrin is a homopolymer version;
The homopolymer grades have a higher
mechanical strength, stiffness, hardness and creep resistance as well
as a lower thermal expansion rate and often it also presents a better
wear resistance.

Be wary of listings with both the words 'Acetal' and 'Delrin' in the
title- they may be trying to sell Acetal at Delrin prices, which are
usually slightly higher.

Look out for brand-names, Ertacetal for example comes in a
number of forms- Ertacetal C is a copolymer Acetal, Ertacetal H is a
homopolymer made from genuine DuPont Delrin resin.

Both products are usually available in Natural (White) and Black.
Acetal is made in other colours, with Blue being a popular choice in
the food industry.

Search for Acetal on eBay | Search for Delrin on eBay | Visit eBay Shop \'Plastic Supermarket\'

GETTING THE REAL LACOSTE DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As much as ebay tries to prevent fraudrulent clothing, they are many sellers out that persist to sell them. A popular brand of clothing is Lacoste, the famous alligator brand. As an honest seller I like to exploit real vs. fake shirt differences.

We can begin with the obvious. Real Lacoste shirts have real pearls, known as mother of pearls. Since the pearls are natural, no two pattern of pearl should be the same. The second obvious thing is the alligator. The Lacoste logo is very distinct, the alligator should show scales and claws.

On men's clothing, the alligator is a patch, then sewn on to the clothing item. On female's clothing, the alligator is sewn directly on the clothing item.

Now comes to the alligator's location. On men's polos, the alligator is on the left hand side, between the bottom stitching and the second button. Notice how the alligator is directly in the middle of the button and the bottom stitching. This is an authentic shirt. Most shirts sold on ebay are fake items.

Notice on this shirt, that the alligator is very low, lining up to the bottom stitching.

Lastly, size of Lacoste clothing are numbers. IE: 3, 4 , 5. They do not come in small, mediums, or large.

Good luck shopping for Lacoste clothing, thank you.

Mobile phone buyers scams

I recently tried to sell a mobile phone on ebay. It took me 4 attempts to sell it due to dodgy buyers.
First time, I received am email asking me to post the phone to Nigeria - this is despite me saying I would not post it abroad. Buyer offered extra 10 payment to send immediately to Nigeria.
I relisted the phone and the winning bid was from India, next time it was from the Netherlands. None of these buyers ever sent any money. One of the sent a counterfeit email from Paypal saying that money had been transfered into my Paypal account but when I checked my account there was nothng there.
Each of these buyers had several things in common that should be watched out for:
All were based abroad
All wanted phone posting immediately abroad
All were new members to ebay with zero rating
All made bids at very last moment so I could not cancel them

Tips for future sellers:
Block any buyers from abroad and with zero ratings
Always check your Paypal account to see that money has been received. It will show up on your statement.

Yugioh Card Set Identification Guide

Yugioh Card set Identification

Each Yugioh card is different, different in many ways.

Each card has its own picture, title, wording (effect) and card number in a sequence at the extreme bottom left of each card and more importantly at the bottom right of the picture.

This identification number tells you the set of cards that the card is from as well as the number of the card within the set.

For example - CRV-005 isWINGED KURIBOH LV10

TheCRV is the abbreviation used forCYBERNETIC REVOLUTIONS- and005 represents the card number from within theCybernetic Revolutionsset which actually goes fromm 001 up to 060. Quite asmall set compared to some.

If the number is prefixed with an E or an EN then this indicates that the card is from an English set as opposed to a worldwide set (mainly in play throughout the United States and Canada). Germanyamongst other countrieshave their own cards written in their own language.

LOB = Legend of Blue-Eyes

MRD = Metal Raiders

MRL = Magic Ruler (US) - SRL = Spell Ruler (GB)

PSV = Pharaoh's Servant

LON = Labyrinth of Nightmare

LOD = Legacy of Darkness

PGD = Pharaonic Guardian

MFC = Magicians Force

DCR = Dark Crisis

IOC = Invasion of Chaos

AST = Ancient Sanctuary

SOD = Soul of the Duelist

RDS = Rise of Destiny

DB1 = Dark Beginning 1

FET = Flaming Eternity

DR1 = Dark Revelation 1

TLM = The Lost Millennium

DB2 = Dark Beginning 2

CRV = Cybernetic Revolution

EEN = Elemental Energy

DR2 = Dark Revelation 2

DR3 = Dark Revelation 3

SOI = Shadow of Infinity

EOJ = Enemy of Justice

POTD = Power of the Duelist

CDIP = CyberDark Impact

STON = Strike of Neos

FOTB = Force of the Breaker

TAEV = Tactical Evolution

GLAS = Gladiator's Assault

PTDN = Phantom Darkness

LODT = Light of Destruction

There are also numerous other card set numbers from promotional sets (inside GBA games etc) as well as Deck Sets such as SYE, SDK, SDJ etc. On top of this you have the Tournament Pack cards indicated by the first two letters being TP. Collectors Tin cards CT1 and CT2. And lets not forget all the foreign sets from Japan and elsewhere.

Most sets listed with a number at the end such as Dark Beginnings 1, contain mainly "repeated" cards from earlier sets in a different format for example a "Left arm of the Forbidden One" in common format whereas the original set Legend of Blue-Eyes White Dragon (LOB) ran this card as an Ultra Rare.

DUELIST PACKS

DP1 - JADEN YUKI (Elemental Heroes)

DP2 - CHAZZ PRINCETON (Best card - Armed Dragon LV10)

DP3 - JADEN YUKI 2

DP4 - ZANE TRUESDALE

DP5 - ASTER PHOENIX

IF THIS GUIDE HAS BEEN USEFUL TO YOU, PLEASE VOTE YES ON THE TAB KEY BELOW. THANK YOU AND HAPPY DUELING!

Tuning your car for more power?

Be Careful With Cheap Tuning Add-ons . . .

On eBay and in various car magazines you will find all sorts of little gizmos that claim to give your engine more grunt, better bhp or greater miles per gallon etc, etc.

Most of these "chips" are not chips at all, they are 2pence resistors placed in circuit with the air-flow meter or the water temperature sensor. The air-flow meter trick is to make the engine management computer (ECU or ECM) think that more air is being drawn into the intake manifold than actually is. This is done by altering the true voltage sent on the signal wire to the ECU and thus the computer squirts the fuel injectors a little longer and therefore more fuel enters the cylinders. This extra fuel may increase power a teeny weeny bit, but you are more likely to simply sufferless mpg.

The other trick, again using a resistor, is to cheat the ECU into thinking the engine is not fully up to running temperature and therefore, again, a little more fuel will be injected into the cylinders. I used to put this "mod" on the early Cavaliers and Astras with the Bosch LE2 injection system whose software was good until the engine had covered 40,000 miles or more. At about this time in the engines life, due to general wear and a little bit of "engine breathing", the software couldn't adjust the fuel requirements satisfactorily. This little trick worked well and cured the "flat spots" and generally poorthrottle response.

HOWEVER . . . If your car is a 1992 or younger, forget the gizmos completely. Your car will have a device called an oxygen sensor (lambda sensor) inserted in the exhaust downpipe usually. It's sole purpose in life is to tell the ECU if the engine is running too lean or too rich. So suddenly, we have a problem . . . we've tried to artificially richen the mixture for more power. What is the oxygen sensor going to do when it sees this richer mixture? It will command the ECU to lean things off a bit until the mixture returns to it's designed ratios. Doah! We are back to square one again. Our little add on chip has done nothing.

The only timealterations work with any great successis on turbo charged engines when the boost is increased along with the all important re-mapping of the ECU to give more fuel in the correct proportions for the extra air that is being pressured into the engine by the turbo. This time the oxygen sensor is happy with things because nowthe air and fuel charges entering the cylindersare in the right proportions. Here enormous power gains can be found because basically by turbo or super charging an engine you are increasing it's effective capacity, i.e. a 2 litre engine when boosted by a turbo or supercharger suddenly becomes a 3 litre engine. Up the figures by further boosting and re-mappingand now we are getting some huge gains in bhp., but mind you don't overdo things and stress the roundy roundy or up and downy bits. You'll know when that happens . . . there's a huge bang under the bonnet and lots and lots of smoke! Impressive, but expensive.

Safe motoring.

If you found this guide helpful or interesting, and you would like to say so, please give it a "yes" vote below. Thanks.