A Weblog @ LIVE SMALL BAG

The writings here are just personal spoutings. They might be related to other content on this site but that is no guarantee.

2011-07-11 Empty is Potential

The world is full of potential. Every empty space has potential. Every newborn mind has limitless potential. A home can be anywhere when it does not need to contain countless things.

Have you ever shopped for a home or apartment? I enjoy it, because every time I walk into an empty space, I get a rush. It's almost intoxicating, feeling the possibilities a room has unencumbered with stuff. A large empty room can serve many purposes. An empty bowl is always ready to be made useful. A mind kept open without pretenses is able to learn new incredible things.

Keep the things in your life uncluttered. Let your home, your mind, your body and your desires be a thin shell wrapping open space. When something is empty, it has limitless potential, and is ready WHEN YOU NEED IT.

Empty is potential.

2011-07-05 Moving

You never realize how much junk you accumulate until you have to move. I am amazed that even despite my efforts to donate / sell / throw away so much that there was still even more to pack up.

I feel like I am at a constant battle with my stuff. Even after having settled I catch myself thinking about things our new place 'needs'. We bought some curtains for the living room, and a few other things. For the most part, I've been trying to keep it frugal; we haven't bought any new furniture despite constant pleading from my parents to at least get a real bed. I think my mother assumes that I will die a horrible death from sleeping on a mattress on the floor. It consumes her worrying about it. *sigh* Sometimes the expectations of other people are what drive us to live life at a certain standard. Peer pressure!

Beyond occasional nagging about not having a bed, the move went without a hitch. We are mostly settled, and I will be consumed with cutting even more stuff out of the equation as the boxes get unpacked.

2011-03-18 Jumping the Shark: eBay

EBay was once a wonderful place where people could find unique, rare and odd items from around the world. It was akin to a digital flea market. I remember vividly signing up for an account to purchase some Japanese video games that could not be found anywhere else. That was 2001.

Spin the time dial forward 10 years. EBay is now a market spiraling toward disaster. Fees have increased as fat cats have realized they can leverage their trust network for more cash. EBay caters to buyers, thinking that doing so will support the sellers that eBay TRULY depends on. EBay does 'daily deals', they have 'store fronts'; they are basically trying to be every online market place on the web, instead of sticking to the thing that made them so wonderful to begin with.

Their latest pricing structure changes, effective in April 2011, highlight the website's desires to move from that awesome digital flea market to something resembling an e-mall. Make a 'store front' on eBay, peddle your wares with an emphasis on 'free shipping' items, and keep filling eBay with listings of the same stuff that you can get at so many other web sites.

But all of that is just strategy and reform of the seller behavior. As of this April 2011 change in service, eBay will also charge Final Value Fees on the cost of shipping. EBay will collect on a service that is provided solely by the seller and courier services. They will collect on something that they have absolutely nothing to do with.

There are several speculations as to why eBay has decided to make this change. I think it was both an answer to sellers who 'game' the system, and a way to try to get sellers to align with eBay's 'simple for buyers' manifesto. One price (with free shipping), one payment method (Paypal only please), no choice. The sad part is, there are other ways to fix those problems without punishing the people that made their service what it is today. EBay has the ability to confirm that auctions have a legitimate price for shipping compared to the item and the shipping service provided. There are other ways to offer 'incentive' for sellers to roll their shipping costs into the flat price of the Buy It Now item. Punishing infrequent sellers, sellers that sell heavy items, and sellers that are willing to sell internationally makes little sense to me and speaks of a business acumen that has no regard for the history of the website.

My use case is remniscent of classic eBay. I buy and sell infrequently, with the stuff I buy and sell usually obscure computer hardware or out of print or otherwise hard to find video games. I might list a dozen things a year. Over the 10 years I've been an eBay member, I've collected 313 feedback. I've probably actually done around 400 trades on eBay. I maintain a 100% feedback score, don't gouge on shipping as a seller and always pay as a buyer. I am the EXACT user that eBay is trying to get rid of, turning themselves into just another web store front.

For these reasons, I am seeking an alternate resource for online bartering. I might list things on forums, I might just stick to listing pictures and descriptions on my website, or if another web auction site builds up enough momentum and market share I would love to try them. As for now, I am weaning myself from eBay, and I recommend that those who can do.

And I haven't even touched the hideousness that is PayPal!