Friday, August 30, 2013

Count me in as a disgruntled Etsy buyer not able to leave immediate feedback

Okay....
yep I do buy a few too many things on line.  ( Once in awhile )..heh-heh insert phrase told to me hubby about once in awhile :)
So I am living the part about Etsy sellers frustrated with the new stars system.
But now.....since the change happened I received 2 packages from the Etsy venue yesterday.
As a buyer...when I get the package....I go to the venue....and leave feedback.
That is what works for me as a buyer on any on-line venue.  Get the package.....open the package....leave feedback.
So as a buyer I go to my purchases I just received and get this message
Open for review on September 3, 2013.
Okay....
what this tells me is that many sellers will not be getting the positive ratings from the sales that they just made....but human behavior tells us that the ones who are going to stick around and actually leave comments are the ones who think that they actually have a problem with the purchase.
As a buyer on this venue....I would like the ability to leave a positive feedback or stars or whatever....but I do not want to be told that I need to wait until I can "leave" a "review".
I think in most cases that this is not gonna happen unless someone is hanging around to post a bad.

#two way street #who waits to leave positive FB? #Etsy stars
 

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Organized Hoarding

So I like to call myself an "organized hoarder"...hee-hee! 
Here's one of my shelves in the hallway with some buttons baubles and trinkets stored in old jars and containers.  
I like having them on display but must admit that I am not fond of all of the dusting I have to do around my casa :)

 #synchronized hoarding #storage solutions #vintage crack

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

When there is not a 2 way street....it sometimes makes one feel like they might be getting extorted..even when they aren't

Okay....
after my last post...dealing with the recent star issue and feedback removing another seller option of posting their side of the story....
today on eBay....
I got this message...
"I am awaiting the delivery of my feedback, which then immediately send your feedback" ..
okay.... I have been there and done that...
many many buyers do indeed want a positive feedback....they want a high five on buying and actually paying for the item...yes they do.
As a seller....I mostly always waited until the item was delivered to try and see what was really going on....(I never really thought that simply paying for an item meant it was a positive transaction for the buyer....)
but sometimes....they thrive on feedback..they want you to tell them what a good job they did finding you and buying your item is all that I can figure..
and yes once in awhile if you are dealing with someone trying to rip you off....they demand you to leave pos feedback first so that that they can turn around and neg you...........
It is not cut and dry......
there is no puzzle or path
because each situation with any given 
individual that you are dealing with is always 
a different story.
But before eBay went to this system....as a seller I myself never had to try and second guess a buyers' real motives....it was pretty cut and dry and in your face...they left the door open for so many people there to take advantage of unsuspecting others....
and it is still that way---
Okay....so normally me---- aka "no positive feedback just for paying..." mentality---
in this situation I somehow sense that all the buyer needs is a high 5 or maybe eBay is sending him their own e-mails saying he needs to leave feedback??  I don't know....
I am at this point  tiptoeing  thru the tulips right?
anyhoo I send him this-----

"Oh gosh sorry....
I Will be happy to do that for you.
Hope you are having a wonderful week :)"


and lo and behold....instead of some sort of feedback extortion ......
I got this one....

   "  good product, as advertised, excellent seller, AAAAAA++++++"---------

but to me the bottom line is....that sellers should not have to worry about it if there is a 2 way street and if there is a problem that only happens once in awhile.....
in my opinion.....the avenue should be open for both the buyer and the seller to state their opinion about the transaction.  That's it.
2 sides to every story.....why oh why can't we keep it that way and keep it real.?
This format does not discourage good buyers from buying....it only keeps bad buyers in check....
YEPPERS---I am old school but will indeed never be swayed on this opinion
#extortion #one way street #meaningless feedback #keep it real #one way stars is not a real deal

Déjà vu and noise and the eggs in the basket Etsy Vs. eBay aka what just happened?

So I'd have to say that it does feel like a Déjà vu thang....the Etsy noise Vs. the eBay noise from awhile back. And I would say it feels a bit surreal but actually it feels like we were just waiting for something like that to happen. 



A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a seller who said something like she couldn't believe that the mods were not doing more regarding the topic she was referring to.  And I was like.... "It's not them....they are simply doing and telling you what the investors want them to do and tell you.  That's their "day job" @ Etsy.
And it's not like I'm cupcakin' with any of the mods..... I just would think that expecting them to "resolve" any real issues is a bit much on the expectation ladder of what their job duties actually allow them to do :)
So the stars are there now....
and hey....it's their site.....they can do what they want.  Yep.  Bottom line.
Free country.....don't like it leave it sort of dealio...
I just wish they would be more up front about it.  A heads up....not a drop it and slam and say it was what the sellers wanted like doing sellers a big favor kind of thing.  (hmnnn---Isn't that kind of like getting kicked in the balzzzz and suddenly seeing stars even if ya don't have any?) I highly doubt that this is what the sellers asked for on that survey !  I also highly doubt if many sellers even yet are aware of how significant these changes will be to their shops.
When eBay did this.....they were trying to make like "Amazon".....they romanced those big box sellers......started calling the "auction" sellers "Flea market non noise makers" etc.  and the mass exodus began.   And yes eBay is still surviving.   But to me....the site will never ever again be as good as it was B.J. (a.k.a. "before Jon")  And many a seller on that venue will remember the day when they became a part of the disheartened crew.  We still like eBay but we fell out of love with eBay.  And just like in any relationship.....man when you lose that "trust" or feel as if you have been treated like you really don't matter in the over all picture.....it's hard to get it back. (That love feeling in your heart that is LOL!)
So after the first couple of rounds of investment @ Etsy... I was still thinking "Right On!"....more money means more successful sellers right?   But at the point when the reseller deal got huge....and people started realizing....."the times they really are a changin'" it was either accept the fact that Etsy would never be the same again.... or act like there was no way this could actually be happening.  I still love Etsy.  I reopened up my little shop there because of that.  And the reason?   All of the great interactions you can find there with unique individuals and items... and it is still for me at least a fun place to shop.  And all of the wonderful fun zany people I have met there......no way that can ever be over looked.  
eBay to me now seems  like some sort of a big boring discount store with some blue light specials going on here and there. And it used to be such an exciting fun place to spend waaaaay toooo much time....  because the variety that you could easily find (before it got purposefully hidden in the search.....) made it worth spending the extra time there.
Etsy to me is still a unique hand made venue..... you just have to look harder and be smarter and know what is going on  in order to bypass all of the stuff that is now on there.  But to me it is pretty crappy that they are using that "fact" ( the hand made uniqueness of the site)..... to seemingly turn it into another $ machine of cheaply made massed produced goods.   Like I said I know that any business is in it to make money....and the more money the better especially if ya have a bunch of investors in your pockets.  
But in my opinion..... doing things like a "one way feedback stars" system....  is not at all helping your artisans and unique sellers or even sellers who are selling quite a bit there.  And it is not helping Etsy in the long run.   They should instead be doing anything they can to keep these sellers on their site and to keep them opening up new shops there.  If the site simply becomes filled with bubble necklace  and fake vintage item vendors (for instance).........people will indeed lose their desire to shop there.   
Okay.....this is a little scenario I would be thinking about.....
Etsy has a built in cache A.K.A free cash cow of advertisers on their venue.  Namely the sellers...the ones who spread the word..."Hey check out this awesome venue" yada yada...even if they have a shop there and have made let's say....less than 10 sales so far.   Do ya'll understand how many of those Etsians are out there every day Facebooking tweeting and promoting your site....yah....trying to promote their little shops too...but at the same time telling everyone how great Etsy is.   Etsy gets all of this free word of mouth advertisement and not only are they getting it for free..... the many people spreading the word around about how much they love Etsy are also at the same time spending 20 cents per listing and buying things yada yada.   Okay.... I view that as a cash cow.  Now LIL ole me...I'm just a country bumpkin from Bakersfield so what do I know about this overall pic in the long run?
But.....if all you end up having are these mass produced resellers...."hey come buy my cheap chit...good price good price....come buy it here"...... what does that lead to in the overall profit picture?....Do we get more buyers and sellers of cheap mass produced items.... or does this in some way keep your unique artisans happy and willing to freely promote your venue ? 
I would have to think that if this is really where the site is headed..... you lose out on all of the free advertising and promoting that you have gotten over these years from sellers paying you in the meantime to promote your site :)
but hey.....once again just a little ole country bumpkin from Bako's opinion here :)
They say that no publicity is bad publicity..... but I just would have to think that all of this recent attention is not all that positive for the venue.
And like so many have said including me so many times......
never keep all of your eggs in one basket....
I am on several different venues but admittedly don't spend as much time as I would like to on any of them because I have a day job and the on-line deal is not something I can put a lot of time into.
Things like this recent change at Etsy are always going to happen on any site that you do not own yourself.   But all of these venues are indeed good stepping stones to get your product out there. 
And what you do with it from that point on is up to you.

And that's my ramble for the day except I would once again like to repeat my opinion on this---- that I have seen a lot of neg comments in various places about the mods in the Etsy forums....and me thinks that they are only doing what they are being paid and told to do. (Just like so many people who have to do what their boss tells them to do or they do not get a pay check....)
their day job is Etsy  and some of them might be in the Etsy fluff or cupcake department. 
 I guess alzz I'm thinking here is that if you have a complaint you hope will be heard....send it to some of those venture capitalists.....they are the ones rolling the dice here.


Sometimes stars are a good thang.... :) but in this new Etsy roll-out.....I hazz no hollahs for the starzzz


# Déjà vu  # noise #starzzz #feedback #B.J. #eggs in a basket #cracked an egg

Monday, August 26, 2013

About some Forms of communication...................

Sometimes we do indeed meet our match and once in awhile we might indeed meet someone that we'd like to strike a match and stick it between their toes after they fall asleep hee-hee.
Sometimes on-line and even in person we are forced to deal with some who have absolutely no communication skills.( insert  ZERO  ='s no here LOL! ) And sometimes we are dealing with complete strangers as well. (Who especially if they are on-line will sometimes lie about themselves and misrepresent themselves....

and once you catch them exhibiting  this type of wishy washy behavior....walk away Jonesie (in a run your arse like you have never run the mile before)
 kind of manner LOL! ) Just do it and you'll be glad you did instead of wasting any more time getting caught up in their warped up drama --(((JMO--speaking from personal experience of course hah!)))
 But even if we are "people pleasers" or "problem solvers" every now and then you just have to chalk up a bad experience to either dealing with someone who is totally bat shit crazy --or you are simply dealing with someone who will never be happy with whatever you can do for them---- or perhaps.....the person lacks communicational skills or lacks what most would simply consider to be "normal" feelings.  I think that is pretty much it in a nutshell.

In having to "work" on my communication skills after what recently happened to my brain... I think I am kind of eyes wide open now even more about how...some people you will never be able to relate to or "please".  And I am left with the feeling that rather than get offended that someone does something you perceive as being "wrong".....just mark it up to the fact that they might perhaps have ZERO communications skills or ZERO real feelings or maybe indeed are simply batshit crazy.

(And ya'll who enter here know that I myself readily admit that I can bring on some major "Kraaaa CRAAA" myself if I need to hee-hee.)

I guess the point I am trying to make here is that sometimes when you can't find a real reason for something that happened or you might think that something simply makes no sense whatsoever..
you should probably go with that instinct.....and move on......
the sooner the better.
#communicating #catfishing #it's called talking things over #wishy washy #liars #can of worms # 56 ways to lie #just say no to liars #stop burying your heads in the sand


Saturday, August 24, 2013

We Have The Sky

“For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”


 Vincent van Gogh quotes



#stars in your eyes #yeswehazstars #we have the sky #dreamers 

Thursday, August 22, 2013

MY BEST ME these days...About The Brain games and getting better

So yes...not wanting the sympathy vote or anything like that at all..
I have been periodically posting about my "recovery" after the stroke.
I still have no "multi-tasking" capabilities
I still have a lot of memory loss...short tem and long term.....
last week when I mentioned it to my Niece Heather....she reminded me how lucky I am that maybe this is my "best me" right now..
that someone else in her family who has gone thru this is in a care facility...and she just dealt with the loss of one of her loved ones who suffered from a series of strokes.
I get that.
I get that
and I count my lucky stars
someone still wants me here
is all that I can figure
at this point.
About my recovery
yah I always thought 
I was such a smart cookie
and I lost that when the
stroke happened.
I am swimming in a world these days
of just trying to get thru it.
That's all.
I just want to enjoy
and not concentrate on the
negative things
I am still here to be here
and to share me with the
ones who still love me
and support me.
So today my Bro in a conversation
we were having....
I repeated it....
he corrected me like I was 
some sort of a dumb ass
and I guess I have never had
to really deal with feeling like a
dumb ass before...
I know he loves me
I know he depends on me
and maybe the reason he was
being so dadgum snarky
is because he is trying to
"wake" my brain up...
he needs me
I need him
we are a team
we always have been.
But when he "called" me out
on not "saying" the right
"term"
I just told him
"DUDE....JUST CALL ME STROKER OKAY?"
and then my Nephew Larry flashes me a high 5 and calls me "Stroker ACE"
thank you.
I can not fix what went wrong with me.
And the way I have always tried to live my life.....
I can only try to make me right
#just call me stroker # my best me

Monday, August 19, 2013

I like Big Books :)

One of my sweet on-line buds recently ordered a necklace from me and of course...I had to make her a matching pair of earrings :)
I also made this little extra for my fave "Naughty Librarian" :)


And the question for today is "Do you like BIG BOOKS?"....
Hope ya'll are having a mahhhhhvelousssss Monday :)

#big books #naughty librarian #I can not lie #shift lock
 

Saturday, August 17, 2013

My Niece has always had a beautiful belly :)

Women.....we often worry about our bellies and mid sections....after about the age of 45......or when we are preggers....and women don't stop and think a lot of times about how absolutely beautiful their bellies really are.  Guys don't care....they rock that belly pop from day one.....they never really care much about such in my experience hee-hee.
So I posted pic on FB tonight from way back in the day....my niece Heather and son Kev....playing in the sprinklers and having what I called way back then and wrote it in my photo journal as--"The beautiful belly contest"....
Today....Heather with little Kolbe in the oven of course rocks the better belly hands down... laugh my cra cra arse off.....but I think my Kevie back in the day was up in the running of "Belly Rocks" kinda winner thang thang thang.....
whatchall think here :)  hee-hee
#middle of the sprinklers #bischh I own this water #we got good bellies and we can not lie

Thursday, August 15, 2013

My new fave blue

We went to Pasadena last Sunday and it was another beautiful day.  I ended up scoring some more junk that I definitely don't need hee-hee but you don't roll around an empty cart in that place....the object is to fill the cart up and then empty it and then fill it up again until you have no more room to empty anything.  At least that's how it goes around here. :)  I actually got mostly smalls this trip but my fave thing that I brought home is this old chest that has quickly become my fave thing for storing some of my trinkets.  

hope ya'll are having a great day :)

#trinket troth #my new fave blue #more drawers #organized hoarder solutions
 

Recovery.....and lips droppin deals

So I took this self pic last week...
just as a so called "log" for myself
to see how I am improving after
the stroke happened....
hope you can't see any buggers in my nose
LOL!
But am not so great at taking those
"self photos"...
guess I need to get a 
smart phone or something....
hee-heee
anyhooo......
I think even tho I am not one
to notice small things.....
that my droopy side of my face
is improving
even when I don't crack a smile
:)
here's to healing 
cheers on that one!
hope ya'll are having
an awesome August! 
#smiles #strokes #lips dips #we be kay

 

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Still learning how to lose A.K.A. my life at 52

It seems to me
AS IF........
We spend most
of our lives
being told that
winning is everything
and we end up
(if we learn our lessons correctly)
only
wanting to
come out on top.
That's all.
BUT at this
point in my life
I think that....
the older you get
(no matter how
much older you
seem to be
getting)....
you
always
HAVE TO
learn
MORE

about----
how to be a good
loser...
how to let go
(of so many of those
things that have
risen to the top of your
list.....)
the cream of the
crop
the list of things
that are
truly important
to you
and
the older you get
the more
specific
and
picky
you are
........
(as you grow)
.........
you will find
out that
you finally
think you
know what is
precious
and most
important....
and as the years
go by....
the older
you are
ONLY
means that you
will know
and meet
so many
MORE
things that
WILL THEN
fall
into your top
categories
of things
you do
NOT
EVER
WANT
to lose.
above all
of the things
(that I
myself  have
learned in
the past few
years....)
 is the
KNOWLEDGE
that life is

not REALLY
about
winning
but will
actually
EVENTUALLY
end up being
about learning
how to lose
and when this
happens over
and over
and over....
the knowledge
that you gain
about how important
it is
to grasp
to hold
to cherish....
the things
you love
you need
you want
that you
STILL
have in your life.
(and knowing
that learning
how to lose
means that
you were
gifted with something
that made you
want to keep it
in your life
forever
and
always.)
Learning how
to lose
with GRACE
AND HOPE
and above all
DIGNITY.
At the same time
that you
STILL
every day
are still
learning what
is important
to keep
and how to deal
with
letting go.
And the older you get
you just have more
lessons------
(TO deal with...)
That's all.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Spanky Luvs Had A Dream 2013
#learning #letting go #good losers #winners #still learning

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Your Beliefs...

An easy revamp for an old picture frame.....slap on some home made chalk paint....and have yourself an ever changing sign :)
We got this orange paint in the "oops" pile at Home Depot a few weeks ago.... I really like the color and am glad someone else didn't hee-hee.
#DIY chalkboard sign #your beliefs #orange ooops paint #chalk talk

Flying Monkeys On Fire For Handmade Treasury challenge #113

Keeping our eyes peeled for some Flying Monkeys

Monday, August 5, 2013

Pop a squat and drop that anchor

Hubby brought home 2 wee little yellow chairs a couple of weeks ago that he found at a yard sale.  I finished this one today for my Niece Heather who's rittle Kolbe bun is still in the oven :) 
I used some DIY navy chalk paint and some Martha Stewart "Anchor gray" metallic glaze for the main paint base.  Also decoupaged part of a vintage post card to the back of the chair.  I just love little kids' chairs :)



#dropyouranchor #popasquat #kolbeschair #nautical #chalkpaintkidschair

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Hood, Pounds set for another IMCA clash

Wednesday, Jul 31 2013 11:20 PM

Hood, Pounds set for another IMCA clash


  1. 1 of 1
    By Tom Macht
    In a recent IMCA Modified heat race at the Bakersfield Speedway, Larry Hood (2) battles with Bryan Clark (51B).
    click to expand click to collapse
By BY MIKE GRIFFITH Californian staff writer mgriffith@bakersfield.com
Drivers Larry Hood and Brad Pounds are locked in a dead heat with three races left to determine the IMCA Modified championship at Bakersfield Speedway.
Twelve races into the season, the two have accumulated 435 points apiece, putting them comfortably ahead of third-place Justin Schweitzer.
Pounds has won the past two races and is batting .500, having won a total of six times.
But the IMCA points structure awards consistency more than winning as just one point separates each finishing position, with the winner earning 40.
Pounds got off to a great start, winning the first two races, with Hood falling 17 points behind. But Hood raced to his lone win in Week 3 and then finished ahead of Pounds in five of the next seven races to take the points lead.
Now, with back-to-back wins, Pounds has clawed his way into a tie, setting the stage for what could be a dramatic championship battle.
The two will be back on the third-mile clay oval Saturday night, and when the 30-lap feature concludes one of them will have the advantage.
Pounds has the momentum on his side but Hood’s strong suit all season has been consistency — nine top-four finishes. Pounds has just one other top-five finish, a fifth, to go with his six wins.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Also in action will be Sport Mods, Mini Stocks and Mini Dwarfs.
The Sport Mods also feature a close race as Jared Schweitzer holds a four-point edge over John Piker. Schweitzer has six top-fives, including a win, while Parker has five top fives and leads the divisions with three wins.
Racing starts at 6. All fans will receive a ticket for a free Coke.
Kern County Raceway
Legend and Bandolero drivers will have a busy weekend at Kern County Raceway Park with both divisions competing on the quarter-mile oval on Saturday and Sunday nights.
On Saturday night the Legends and Bandoleros will be the support divisions for the Late Models and Pro Late Models, which race on the half-mile. On Sunday, the Legends and Bandoleros take center stage as they compete for regular track points as well as a guaranteed starting position in the 2013 Nationals on the East Coast.
Buddy Shepherd, 13, has won back-to-back Legends features and is the track point leader. Tyler Bannister has won all but one Bandolero race.
Eric Richardson swept twin 35-lap Late Model feature races last Saturday night and wil be looking for win No. 4 on Saturday. David Mayhew has seven wins, leads the division in points and is third in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series state title race.
The Pro Late Model division has had five different winners in five races.
Racing starts at 7 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.
Thorn wins again
Bakersfield’s Derek Thorn qualified on the pole, sat out a long rain delay, then led all but two laps in racing to victory in the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts 150 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Colorado National Speedway on Saturday night.
It was Thorn’s second straight victory in the series and third of the season. He increased his lead in the championship standings to 13 points over three-time winner Michael Self, as the series heads to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, for a combination East-West race on Friday.
There have been eight different winners in the eight previous East-West events at Iowa Speedway, with Self getting the win in a race there in June.
Bakersfield’s David Mayhew, who won at Iowa in 2010, will also be competing. He will fly back to Bakersfield after the race to compete in a Late Model on Saturday night at Kern County Raceway Park.