I'm officially HoosierWebs.ws

I signed up to be an affiliate for Global Domains International (GDI) and bought the URL HoosierWebs.ws .
I also joined a great team, which seems to be in the start-up stages, so it's a new team and I'm in on it from the beginning.

The team is the Online Biz Team and I'm presently serving as public affairs.

Global Domains International

I've been wondering about this company for several months now. I keep coming back to it to research it, to check out testimonials, videos on YouTube, read consumer reports, etc. Each time, I get more and more in-depth info and nine out of 10 times, the info appears to be positive.

So I'm thinking of joining for a few months to see what all the fuss is about. It's only $10 a month and that's less than what I pay for my Pre-Paid Legal plan. Plus I pay more in my GoDaddy accounts for my three websites and GoDaddy doesn't give me any referral or affiliate commissions.

So I'm gonna check it out and try to write about my experiences with it (alongside all my other online ventures -- GetOffYourRockers, Sequential Sound LLC and of course Elias Koteas' unofficial fan page!
Not to mention my full-time job with the Army at Crane, my eBay consignment auctions and Bonanzle.

I love to stay busy and need a new online challenge.

P90X

Just began this 90-day program on Monday. Already my arms feel very light weight and my muscles are warm like there is blood all pumping through them. It's very intensive, but I like how I feel breathing after it's done. My 90th day is Sept. 12, 2009. I've taken a before photo and will do so every few weeks. It will be interesting to compare the after photo on Sept. 12, that is if I can keep up with it, as I've been busy with the Bonanzle store, eBay sales and just doing things around the house. :)

May 4 Featured Bonanzle Item: Longaberber Umbrella Basket

Longaberger Umbrella Basket J

Longaberger Umbrella Basket
J.W. Collection

This is one of the nicer baskets I have in my Bonanzle store. The
basket belongs to a consignor and from what I understand, this is an early
umbrella basket from 1994. This basket is retired and only 95,000 were made. It is from the
J.W. Collection and has the distinctive J.W. blue weave around
the center of the basket. I'm told that this basket was used for display
purposes only, not for umbrellas, so it's in good condition and there are no
water stains inside.

Measures: 17.5" tall x 10" in at top, 8" diameter at bottom;
Date: 1994,
Initials: GH1994
Weight: Item weighs less than two pounds.
Condition: Very nice condition, no noticeable nicks or chips in the
weaves.

To see this item and other collectibles, Get OffYourRockers and visit my Bonanzle booth.

Customs Declaration info

I just found this on an eBay forum regarding international sales. I've sold on eBay to numerous countries and have been asked by the buyer if I could select 'gift' on the customs form. I politely inform them that I will not do that (as it's illegal), but I also mention in my auctions that all customs and declarations forms will be filled out accurately and honestly. Anyway, since I found this information, I can now quote a source for those international buyers who still insist on trying to get something for nothing.

"Postal administrations in several international countries have contacted the United States Postal Service about the declaration of value placed on customs forms. They have noted that in many cases, the declared value is understated when compared to the actual invoice or known value of the item, especially for sales conducted over the internet.

While this applies to sellers both on and off eBay, the USPS has asked us to remind our sellers to declare the proper value on all customs forms.

The correct value of each item is required on customs forms as it helps determine the proper duties and taxes, and whether they should be applied. Some countries will soon begin taking steps to address this issue, such as levying fines on the addressee when the declared value is determined to be lower than the invoice.

To make sure you're complying with international regulations, please make sure the stated value on your customs declaration is supported by your invoices or other documentation."

First Bonanzle Sale!!

I've been Bonanzling for about a month now and just made my first sale (a Trigonometry book). The sale was to a new user who just joined Bonanzle, so no doubt the person was looking for this particular book and the Google key words brought the buyer to my booth. That's a great feature that Bonanzle has -- you can automatically "search optimize" with google attributes using Bonanzle's batch edit and the item gets in a google search engine. I find using the ISBN very effective.

Also, apparantely Bonanzle is really growing. This website shows the statistics and traffic of the top e-commerce websites (obviously eBay's #1). But Bonanzle is already at #4, quickly surpassing more than 15 other sites. EBay has more than 26 million listings and the second most popular site, eBid, has only 2.4 million (Bonanzle has 1.6 million). Obviously these other venues have a long way to go before they really give eBay a run for their money. In the meantime, I'll just keep tooting Bonanzle's horn every chance I get. It's such a fun place to be on!

Just started Twittering

I'm not quite sure what to expect. I joined Twitter (name "offyourrockers", which is pretty much what I use on everything from eBay to Bonanzle to my website). I joined a couple of Twitter groups and started one for Elias Koteas fans .

I invited everyone from the Yahoo Group to join. I guess only time will tell if it works and I begin to understand exactly how it works or if it gets a loyal fan following. Who knows, maybe Elias will Tweet along with us. One can only hope!