There is a company out there whose business model is based upon lying. Yes that's right, lying. It's the same kind of model con artists, drug dealers and other criminals adopt. They'll piss down your back and tell you it's raining. When you call their bluff they act hurt and play victim.
Last year I noticed one of their many website was selling wholesale. I confronted them and they played stupid. I kept badgering them until they agreed to raise prices. They decided on 9/11. I wonder if they had anything to do with 9/11??? That's a funny date to pick. Basically they sabotaged all my sales because they saw me as a threat building a strong customer base and also effortlessly dominating search standings without spending one penny. Why was I so successful? Did I go to college to learn some new tricks? I was successful because I am a deal maker. I can negotiate. I am fair and just. I am candid. I know Halloween and people appreciated my knowledge and how I knew everything about the products I sold because I studied them.
So for 9 months last year I had to compete with my distributor who was selling wholesale to anyone who approached them or landed on one of their many sites including secret ebay handles. 9 fucking months I had a knife in my back. You see it's about the time kids go back to school(early Sept.) people take notice of Halloween. There is a chill in the air. The tomatoes are all turning red, bees are dying, days are getting noticeably shorter, it's warm during the day and cool at night, the brush is dying back and leaves are getting a little crisp as they make preparation to descend. You see by that time having held me back by undercutting me they assured themselves the larger portion of sales because they can afford to buy search standings. They're going to have people hit one of their numerous wholesale destinations. There other business model is back stabbing.
Very recently my sales have dropped and I was thinking it must be the economy. Then I went to one of their sites and noticed they were back to wholesaling. They were wholesaling everywhere including totally unknown sites like Amazon. No one shops on Amazon. It's not like Amazon doesn't advertise or anything. So I confront them again and their reaction was the last straw.
I was told the bmw driving dork of a ceo was just another reseller! I was told they don't make money on shipping. I was told they were very concerned with my concerns and had the audacity to ask me to point out which prices I did not like!!! They charge me $12-$14 to ship a little lightweight item that could easily ship USPS Priority(free box and all)but would charge customers on their wholesale sites $6 s&h. Mind you the principle was pennies or a dollar above the wholesale price they charge me!
It costs money to list on ebay or feebay as well as my own websites. I can't compete with those prices. In this day and age very few customers purchase without researching the lowest price. I worked very hard and they were the beneficiaries of my tireless efforts and this is an illustration of how ungrateful they truly are. Shouldn't really come as a surprise considering the criminal history of the city in which they dwell with a foreigner for a mayor whose father was a terrorist. They're nothing but a bunch of soulless fucks who can go fuck off!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Really really sick of relying on others to ship my orders
I can't even sleep because all i keep thinking about is how the reputation I built as a seller is being tarnished by those who don't give a fuck. I can't put a finger on things because I'm not there in the warehouse but things went from all my orders out the next day to they'll get around to it.
I remember very well when I 1st started selling for them there was this perception in their mind that 5 days to ship an item was okay. I worked very hard to push them and introduce them to the idea fast shipping results in greater sales. I think this is common sense. The entire retail industry is shifting in this direction. So they followed suit and my sales increased. Now they're back to leisurely shipping my orders and I don't know what to tell customers. If you're under the impression orders would go out the next day if not the same day because that is how it was or become and you've conveyed this to customers that is how it will be and it turns out to be not there is a serious problem.
The problem is much worse than this though. Selling on ebay in particular has changed. They now demand 1 day shipping or else you get penalized in search standings and in the wallet. Over the course of a year this can result in thousands of dollars not to mention the damaged reputation as your feedback is littered with bad comments.
It's really insulting to me because despite not handling these parcels I feel I played a role by pushing people by showing them how a company can grow by doing the right things. It's a slap in the face when all this changes overnight.
I can theorize as to why this is happening. Either someone is deliberately sabotaging my orders to help perhaps another reseller or staff changes don't understand.
Either way it is intolerable. I do not deserve such treatment after all the sales I generated for them over the years. When I think of this I start to really think sabotage is in order. Couple weeks ago they got a container coming in and orders started shipping save for all my old orders which got delayed a week. Someone just decided to ship everyone else's orders including new orders of my own and forsake customers waiting over a month and in some cases several months.
Simply sending the customer a cheap keyring does nothing to make up for not shipping their order in a timely fashion. That customer isn't going to hate them they're going to hate me and that really disturbs me. This is what I get for relying on others. I complain orders from last week hadn't been shipped and they ignore my concerns and take the weekend off. Then for a kick in the crotch they don't ship things on Monday!
I do not see how I can continue to sell for them anymore. It's pretty obvious they don't like me anymore if they even did at all. What they don't realize is I am highly suspicious of what has been going on and if someone wants to play the sabotage game I will play too.
I remember very well when I 1st started selling for them there was this perception in their mind that 5 days to ship an item was okay. I worked very hard to push them and introduce them to the idea fast shipping results in greater sales. I think this is common sense. The entire retail industry is shifting in this direction. So they followed suit and my sales increased. Now they're back to leisurely shipping my orders and I don't know what to tell customers. If you're under the impression orders would go out the next day if not the same day because that is how it was or become and you've conveyed this to customers that is how it will be and it turns out to be not there is a serious problem.
The problem is much worse than this though. Selling on ebay in particular has changed. They now demand 1 day shipping or else you get penalized in search standings and in the wallet. Over the course of a year this can result in thousands of dollars not to mention the damaged reputation as your feedback is littered with bad comments.
It's really insulting to me because despite not handling these parcels I feel I played a role by pushing people by showing them how a company can grow by doing the right things. It's a slap in the face when all this changes overnight.
I can theorize as to why this is happening. Either someone is deliberately sabotaging my orders to help perhaps another reseller or staff changes don't understand.
Either way it is intolerable. I do not deserve such treatment after all the sales I generated for them over the years. When I think of this I start to really think sabotage is in order. Couple weeks ago they got a container coming in and orders started shipping save for all my old orders which got delayed a week. Someone just decided to ship everyone else's orders including new orders of my own and forsake customers waiting over a month and in some cases several months.
Simply sending the customer a cheap keyring does nothing to make up for not shipping their order in a timely fashion. That customer isn't going to hate them they're going to hate me and that really disturbs me. This is what I get for relying on others. I complain orders from last week hadn't been shipped and they ignore my concerns and take the weekend off. Then for a kick in the crotch they don't ship things on Monday!
I do not see how I can continue to sell for them anymore. It's pretty obvious they don't like me anymore if they even did at all. What they don't realize is I am highly suspicious of what has been going on and if someone wants to play the sabotage game I will play too.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Rare Hondo BZ-100 Formula 1 Series Electric Bass (Vintage mid 80's)
This a Hondo BZ-100 Formula 1 Series Electric Bass guitar. I believe it is from the mid 80's. Very hard to find information on this bass. This guitar needs a little work with the electronics. There appears to be some shorts. It sounds okay and certainly pickups could be upgraded along with electronics. It plays fine and doesn't have a lot cheap feel like a squire if you will. There is some wear to bass(scratches, dings, back of neck is worn etc). I'd say someone played this a lot if they took the paint of the neck. It's possible someone sanded it too but that is not something I know. So with a little work this bass would be a good choice for someone who likes projects or is just getting into bass. This is a fairly rare collectible bass as well. It reminds me in some ways as a kissing cousin to my Mako Telecaster from the same period. It is a quality starter guitar. I think this is a quality(with improvements)starter bass. Hey the kid ridding his bike last night as I was taking pictures did yell out "Cool guitar"! Kids are very honest and his dad plays drums. Bass with ship UPS ground and be fully insured or you can pick it up. 1978 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar (Black), Ash Body, Maple Neck 9.5 lbs
You're viewing a 1978 Fender Stratocaster Electric Guitar. Finished in black, this ash body Stratocaster rivals some Les Paul's in weight. Complimenting the tone machine body is a nice Maple fretboard with dot inlay. It appears most of the original parts are included save for the bridge pickup which had been upgraded to a Dimarzio single coil, the original Tremolo arm is missing along with the original case. However I have a brand new replacement arm and SKB/FENDER case on order to complete this outfit. Those items will arrive on Friday, the 6th of July. This item as a result will not ship sooner than Monday the 9th of July. This guitar is very old and has been played a lot from what I can tell. There is fret wear(which is natural), cosmetic wear to the body including belt marks and other dings, dents and scratches. It's 34 years old, this is to be expected. One of the tone knobs is worn so it tends to spin around the post of the potentiometer if engaged quickly. All the pickups work and they are quite hot. I generally play a Fender '52 Telecaster RI with a Twisted Tele on the neck and a Broadcaster PUP on the bridge and it's not nearly as hot as the pickups in this 1978 Stratocaster. I have another guitar I'll be listing, a 1974 Gibson Les Paul Special 1955 RI with P-90 pickups and those are not as hot as the PUPS in this '78 Strat. The action feels low to me. I felt as those I was right there. My Telecaster might prejudice my thinking because it is a U or boatneck. This '78 Strat's neck feels wide but not deep. It felt very fast and I suspect the former owner shredded. Set up is of personal taste though so that is up to the winner of this auction. All guitars really need new setups to perform their best and play with the player so that is my way of saying you might need to adjust things a bit to suit your style. Very loud and aggressive. I just replaced the strings with D'addario XL 10's. I've tried to add the most accurate, detailed photos I possibly can but Ebay probably reduces their size. I'll have a slide show below this text as well. You should be able to click on the slideshow pics and see more detail. If not or Ebay's display images are too distant I can send the larger files to you. They're 300 dpi, 3000x whatever the shortest size is. There should be details of all the inner workings, fretboard, frets, etc. If you have any questions feel free to contact me. To answer one I am not the original owner and do not know anything about the history of this instrument. I can say this much though, this aint no Highway 1 Stratocaster. This is completely USA made and probably designed for hardrock and heavy metal. Pickups can of course be replaced but as it is right now this is a lead guitarist's weapon not a background strummer's. It's got some wear but the only guitars without wear are the kind no one felt the need to play. 1974 Gibson Les Paul 1955 Special RI Electric Guitar 8.5 lbs * Super Relic*
This auction is for a 1974 Gibson Les Paul 1955 Special RI Electric Guitar. In 1974 Gibson re-issued the 1955 Les Paul Special(guitar was a go between the Les Paul Junior and the Les Paul Standard.). Based upon my sources from a Les Paul forum Gibson produced 1925 of these guitars in 1974 and shipped them all out. The source does note that in 1976 two were shipped but did not elaborate. They did not ship any more until 1977 when they added the tunomatic bridge assembly. This particular guitar has been modified in that fashion. Also the Kluson tuners have been replaced with Schaller tuning machines. That is a necessary upgrade if you intend on bending any strings. I have an old Epiphone Les Paul and the G tuning machine(Kluson) is hanging off. One of the first things Jimmy Page did when Joe Walsh sold him a Les Paul standard for $500 was replace the Klusons with quality tuners. The tuners on this guitar right now are an improvement. Guitar has a totally different feel compared with a Kluson rigged guitar. The former owner(not me)also replaced the pick guard(not included) and put dog ears over the P-90 Pickups. Nice vintage sound coming out of those P-90's to cut through the mix(something you wont do with most humbuckers). I plan on upgrading everything on my Epiphone the way this person did because it's the right thing to do. However as a result you will see holes here and there. Also since the stopbar had to be moved back you will see where the original holes have been plugged. The guitar's neck is very flat from what I can see and feel. It's a very intimate feeling playing this guitar. I'll include a new pack of strings with this guitar, D'addario xl 10's. There is a good amount of fret wear. I can take some more detailed pictures if requested. There is also a lot of body wear. This is to be expected coming from a guitar from 1974. Also as I've pointed out in my other listing for a 1978 Stratocaster, old guitars that are in mint condition are guitars no one wanted to play. That's a fact jack. The person who played this guitar played it a lot. I'd guesstimate he was a punk rock player or someone who played a lot of powerchord because there is considerable wear where he picked just behind the neck pickup. I think this is a pretty good guitar that could fit a lot of different styles(Rock, classic rock, alternative, punk rock, etc) thanks to those wonderful P-90's. This guitar has a lot of mojo going on. I'd even suggest now the only reason the original owner is no longer playing this is because he is dead. This was not a guitar for the corner of the room. This is a working man's instrument. Certainly a new setup is in order and depending upon your style and taste some fret work is always a possibility(leveling, crowning, etc). The original case is not available but I am including a Gibson case. It's not pictured but pictures are available. It's one of the brown high quality cases with pink interior. There is some wear or marks which look like plaster. Other than that it's in excellent condition. Some padding might be needed since I think it's for a regular Les Paul which is thicker. I'm not sure about that though. Guitar will ship UPS ground, insured or can be picked up if you are local. 
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
What really sucks about this hot and humid day
It's not the temperature rising and becoming very uncomfortable as I type in an attic dormer. It's not the blood suck mosquitoes draining me dry. It's not even the high grass pollen count making it difficult to breathe as my nose runs and i have to keep blowing it. It's none of these things.
What sucks about today is not having enough funds to do the things i want to do.
I'd like to be roto-tilling a new garden bed 30x12 as I await deliveries of a top soil/cow or horse manure blend(27 cu yards)and some cedar boards with corners and connectors to create a rise of 2 feet.Call it 3 days of delivery for the soil mix.
Yes I'm willing to wheel barrow 27 cu yards of top soil from one end of the yard to the other some 150 feet or more away. This spring it took 7 hours to move 8 cu yards less than half that distance. Crazy? Nope, I just like to get things done and like being productive. Could i work as a landscaper for someone else? Absolutely not no matter how much they paid me.
Would it cost a lot? Yes and no because it would be a decent investment since there is really no soil in that portion of the yard and the corn would look spectacular all up high like that.
Of course I would probably install a greenhouse over the top to ensure the corns looked spectacular. Green house, even in the summer? Oh yeah because it's the long term effect and ability to extend the season quite a ways, especially if it was Solexx.
What's the point though? Besides entertainment watching me kill myself? It's called being an inspiration to others to create a victory garden of their own.
Although every single one of my previous calls for funding projects have failed, why not attempt another one?
I'm not sure what sort of rewards I could offer. It's not a charity. Although food will be produced the basic idea is demonstrate how one can feed themselves and or their family. It's not a project to feed the homeless. The entire project would lose it's spirit if it were otherwise. Possibly sponsorship but that's hardly to be counted on. Just the same I'm not your regular guy. I've moved a lot of soil into my yard before. 24 cu yards to be precise. As a result my main bed is doing quite well now that I enclosed it in a raised rock bed. My corn is as high as 6 feet. I expect possibly 7 feet by morning. It is hot and steamy in that green house and I'm going to water all day long.
Unlike the current "victory garden" show my victory garden is much more ambitious and impressive. Takes a long time to turn regular soil into brown gold but I am trying. Really though there are very few people who would even attempt some of the projects I have attempted. Some people probably couldn't even watch me it was such a chore. Now that I think about it, it would probably take 5 days to move that much soil with rest days in between. I am certainly the one for such an exhibition though.
What sucks about today is not having enough funds to do the things i want to do.
I'd like to be roto-tilling a new garden bed 30x12 as I await deliveries of a top soil/cow or horse manure blend(27 cu yards)and some cedar boards with corners and connectors to create a rise of 2 feet.Call it 3 days of delivery for the soil mix.
Yes I'm willing to wheel barrow 27 cu yards of top soil from one end of the yard to the other some 150 feet or more away. This spring it took 7 hours to move 8 cu yards less than half that distance. Crazy? Nope, I just like to get things done and like being productive. Could i work as a landscaper for someone else? Absolutely not no matter how much they paid me.
Would it cost a lot? Yes and no because it would be a decent investment since there is really no soil in that portion of the yard and the corn would look spectacular all up high like that.
Of course I would probably install a greenhouse over the top to ensure the corns looked spectacular. Green house, even in the summer? Oh yeah because it's the long term effect and ability to extend the season quite a ways, especially if it was Solexx.
What's the point though? Besides entertainment watching me kill myself? It's called being an inspiration to others to create a victory garden of their own.
Although every single one of my previous calls for funding projects have failed, why not attempt another one?
I'm not sure what sort of rewards I could offer. It's not a charity. Although food will be produced the basic idea is demonstrate how one can feed themselves and or their family. It's not a project to feed the homeless. The entire project would lose it's spirit if it were otherwise. Possibly sponsorship but that's hardly to be counted on. Just the same I'm not your regular guy. I've moved a lot of soil into my yard before. 24 cu yards to be precise. As a result my main bed is doing quite well now that I enclosed it in a raised rock bed. My corn is as high as 6 feet. I expect possibly 7 feet by morning. It is hot and steamy in that green house and I'm going to water all day long.
Unlike the current "victory garden" show my victory garden is much more ambitious and impressive. Takes a long time to turn regular soil into brown gold but I am trying. Really though there are very few people who would even attempt some of the projects I have attempted. Some people probably couldn't even watch me it was such a chore. Now that I think about it, it would probably take 5 days to move that much soil with rest days in between. I am certainly the one for such an exhibition though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)