Speedy Bump Sites for eBay listings

What is a bump?  It is a program that was 1st designed to promote eBay listings. It has been expanded to eBay stores, blogs and several other things. The creator - John- is the owner of auctionbump and speedybump.

How does it Speedybump work? The item listing number is copy and pasted into a box and viola the listing shows up with the picture. 

Imagine a column of 25 boxes.  The bottom box is #1 and the top box is #25.  When you fill in the form with an active eBay listing number it will automatically insert that listing into box # 25.  The item in box #1 falls off - is bumped off! 

The number in front of each link is the number of items the owner of that page allows each seller to have on their page at one time.
 
5 - http://powersellingmom.com/
4 - http://theirishshamrockcompany.com/
3 - http://auctionbump.com/
4 - http://www.sassyssavings.com/ 
3 - http://sb55-graphics.com/
4 - http://www.magiesplace.info/
4 - http://catpurry.virtualonlinelearning.info/ (was Mystery Bump)
5 - http://www.seasonedwithtime.com/ebay-bump/
3 - http://buzzbumpadz.com/speedy-ebay-buzz/
4 -  http://justbumpit.info/
? -  http://learn2earnok.com/Featured_ebay_Stores___Webs.html
3 - http://www.advertiseyourauctionsfree.com/
? - http://www.paulajeansjewelryandcloset.com/

Why bump? I think that eBay is spending lots of money on branding and bringing folks to the site.  But with big box stores, and large commercial vendors - I - as a very small speck of sand on the eBay beach - can get lost.  So it is part of my job to help bring people to my store.  And one way I do that is by bumping. 

I have compared myself to a very tiny corner store in a very huge mall.  The mall does a lot of advertising but I need to do something to to get myself noticed,too.  Just sitting and waiting for folks to wander by is not enough for me.   


How do I get noticed? Several years ago I learned about branding myself on eBay.  What does that mean exactly?  To me it means that when someone sees my name or logo they know immediately who I am.  I bet right now if I say a big red bulls eye you would think Target.  That is the idea of branding.  So when I bump my scarves I hope people recognize the mannequin and know it is me.  


What to bump?  Now that is a good question.  I notice that some folks bump the same item over and over again on every bump site. I suspect for some that is the only listings they have and that is great. It is so nice to see them helping themselves.


I like to put different items on every site in order to give a broad overview of my offerings. Here's how I do it - I go to the list of all my listings and then sort by whatever - never by best match or ending soonest.  (Don't want to bump something that is ending today.)


It depends on my mood and what is happening - some days I will do a color like pink in Oct.for breast cancer awareness, another time highest price 1st, or just Christmas items, only scarves or rubber ducks or I follow a theme or holiday. Somedays I will do one of each of my largest category items per bump site. So it is really up to each seller to decide what they want to promote.  


How do we know results? - When you go to My eBay page on the right side near the bottom there is a link to traffic reports. Click on it (doesn't work all the time), go to finding methods and referring web sites.  It is really interesting to see how the report changes from month to month. 




Can I say an item I bumped today sold?  For the most part no.  Have I made sales within a category and 24 hours of bumping? Yes! Does it matter if an item that is bumped sells or not?  It would be nice but as long as people visit my store and buy something or know what I have so when they need it they can come back, I am satisfied.  


I can go through that whole list in 10 minutes.  Who can't afford 10 minutes a day to promote themselves and drive their own traffic? 


In the end we all have to be responsible for our own business and not totally rely on someone else to bring us customers.  

And we have to be so grateful to the owners of the bump sites for allowing us to promote ourselves on their page / blog.  Thank you bump site owners!!  

(If you like what you read please leave a comment, or Like on Facebook or Retweet - thanks.)

Firsts!

There are many firsts in this trip, so far on Day 1 & Day 2. Gonna keep the post short and sweet (in narrative) but with lots of photos. *^-^*

We arrived Tokyo International Airport, Haneda in one piece on our first ever plane trip with Air Asia X. I do have to say the budget carrier exceeded our expectation and for th price we paid our fares, I certainly will consider taking it again!

First ever arrival to Japan via Haneda. We arrived 20 minutes earlier than scheduled, but even with the earlier arrival, most shops are already closed for the night.

First meal in Japan was bento bought at 7-11. 300+yen bento for each of us and a melon pan for Raimie, washed down with a grape drink thant cost 105yen for 1ltr.

The next day, our first lunch in Japan was at Tenya, at Shin-Yokohama station. We were famished! Raimie keep wanting to go eat curry at Coco Ichiba and we keep reminding him that we cannot eat the Japanese curry in Japan. Oh dear.

First time setting our eyes on the Nippon Maru but didn't go and visit the Maritime Museum.

Raimie having a breather at the nearby park. It was noon, the weather was nice, cool & sunny. Saw a few runners doing their lunchtime run and got jealous & wish I'm running too. LOL

First "aki" experience in Yokohama

then, we walked to this Red Brick Warehouse

then, Raimie got tired and decided to plonk his butt anywhere

but we managed to prod him to get moving with a promise to let him buy the thing that he's been hankering for and we walked from the Red Brick House to the Cup Noodle Museum then all the way to Yokohama Station and went to Yodobashi Camera which is near the station. We even stopped at a sports store and spent ages there and went to buy some Uniqlo stuff for Raimie.

And let Raimie buy what he's been waiting eagerly to get - a Nintendo 3DS and two games.

In total, we spent almost 10 hours on our feet today, with only a few short breaks - to eat lunch & stuff. Zaini is now happily snoring away and Raimie is still badgering me to let him play his new Nintendo but it needs to be charged first! I gotta get some sleep soon. Planning to hit a nearby park early tomorrow morning for a bit of run. Night!

Giving Thanks and Growing Older in Florida OLA

the little cake for blowing...after the big cake was gone

Last Sunday the parish priest at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Wildwood, Florida echoed the sentiment of the week when he said that we have a lot to be thankful for but that sadly…turkeys don’t!   Everybody had quite a laugh. According to the National Turkey Foundation, the U.S. raised a whopping 244 million turkeys last year. Approximately 46 million, a high 20%, found themselves roasting in ovens over Thanksgiving across the country!

my birthday cake and the dessert spread!

Thanksgiving

This is indeed a big American holiday, dating from the Plymouth celebration in 1621. And at the Three Flags Resort (for Canada, US, and Mexico), the campground was guilty of providing the roast turkeys. Most of us campers contributed dressings, sides, and dessert! Since it was also my 63^rd birthday, Bill surprised me with a huge birthday cake plus a little one (for the singing ceremony) to decorate the spread! I had an instant big party of about 80 people!

the turkey and dressings and sides spread

Three Flags RV Resort

The campground has a great clubhouse where we held the party. It is also equipped with a billiards hall and a card room. The campground also has a heated pool, mini-golf and horseshoe courses, free DVDs and coffee. But the reason many Eastern snowbirders congregate here for the winter is because of its weekly well-attended activities: bingo, Texas Hold’em, karaoke and jam sessions, great potlucks and ice cream socials. I classify it as an RV haven, an hour from Orlando with special amenities or activities.

    

Bill takes me out to TGIF near Universal Studios

My 63rd Birthday

The day after Thanksgiving was my birthday and it started with our usual session at Bally’s Fitness Center in Orlando, Florida (when we settle down after all this traveling, it will have to be where there is a Bally’s!). Then Bill took me to lunch at TGIF near the entry to Universal Studios. I finally got a smart phone on my fingers as Bill gifted me with the newly launched, most powerful, and thinnest Droid Razr! Afterwards, I had a taste of America’s Black Friday complete with crazy traffic jams and even crazier store crowds! Next time we will just do online Black Friday deals and Cyber Monday!

balloons and gifts

The Gift of a Cruise

I also got another perfect gift…a Caribbean cruise for birthday and Christmas leaving Miami on February 24…from my kids! They figured that since we are in Florida, we might as well. We definitely would like to experience this other kind of cruising...on water. It will give me plenty of juicy stuff to write about, comparing and contrasting the two! Maraming Salamat, my three lovely daughters: Trisha, Claudine, and April!

Bill and the 'plain-looking' Hooters girls

Hooters

The day before Thanksgiving we went to Hooters to watch the Nadal-Federer match of the ATP Finals in London. (We thought they would have it because they had the Pacquiao-Marquez fight on ppv the week before). I was so thrilled and even wondered what the kids will say when I tell them I, not Bill, want Hooters gift cards for Christmas! But alas! They didn’t have the Tennis Channel! And Nadal was trashed! Utterly dismayed, I vented my frustration on Bill! He had to deal with three plain Hooter girls!

the dance at The Villages

The Villages

As if the 3 day celebrations were not enough, on Saturday we still went with full timer friends Bev and Dan Johnson to an evening dance with live rock and roll music at The Villages and some chowder, nachos and chili at a bar nearby. We met them at Moses Lake last year. They own a Mountain Aire, too, and, like us, originated from Seattle, Washington! The Villages is a fabulous retirement community where, out of 77,000 residents, there are 40,000 golf carts plying around neatly manicured golf courses, sports/recreation centers, and shopping havens through special lanes, overpasses, and crossings.

music provided by the jamming campers led by Jim

Bill and I have a lot to be thankful for that we regularly include in our prayers. But this Thanksgiving 2011 we give special thanks for the opportunity to live this cruising lifestyle and the wherewithal to capture, in writing and photography, this exciting period in our lives. We could not have done it without the continuing support of our children and their beautiful families and the ‘company’ of our lifelong friends. Relative good health helps, too, as well as the new friends we meet on the road.  And my birthday that always hovers around this great American tradition makes for a grand celebration for me each time!

  

Japan In A Few Hours!

By the time this post is up, we should be on our way to Japan and will be arriving Haneda Airport at 10.30pm.

Not flying JAL this time. We are taking AirAsia's flight for the first time in our lives! It's gonna take a bit of getting used to flying during the day instead of a night flight like we had all these years either with SQ, MAS or (mostly) JAL. Not to mention, no free in-flight entertainment. It's time to read some books! 

See you in Japan in a few hours!

Holiday Sale and Gift Ideas

Here are some ideas from our eBay store for Holiday gift giving and stocking stuffers. A lot are marked down until Mon. 12/5 @ midnight

 Many of our items make great gifts for teachers, helpers, grab bags and so many more - Scarves, visors, shoelaces. Priority shipping is available on the majority of our listings.

Scarf Clips to go with all our long scarves.

35+ Fun, Clean Gag & Survival Kits

Many Antique and modern Christmas Tree Ornaments

And our own creations- Louise's String Scarves - so soft and so warm.

And don't forget your herbs & spices for holiday cooking & baking . 

Both Gene and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope you visit our store often because we are always adding new merchandise.

Parking Space for an Electric Car

 OK I know I don't get out much - but who knew?  This was in Chicago the end of Sept. 2011.

This is in a parking lot for a Walgreen store on Fullerton near Central Park St. in Logan Square area

Looks like a parking meter.  I was so enthralled I didn't even look to see if it was free.

Well we don't have anything like this YET in Colorado Springs.  (At least I don't think so). 

 

 

 

WIth Chicago traffic what it is this is such a great idea for a store to entice customers to come to that location so they can charge up while shopping.  Very clever indeed!!

The Itinerary So Far

OK... A few more days to go. W00T! W00T!

Lets' see... Where are we heading off to in Japan this time? What will we be doing, while traipsing the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu?

For the benefit of you who might or might not care, here's the "hazy" itinerary so far. Like most trips we did to Japan, it's subject to change - depending on mood, budget, weather and general goodwill of the parties (mainly me and hubby) involved. ;)

So far the plan is:

• Day 1 Arrival Haneda. Too late to do anything so it's pretty much, checking-in and zzzzzz
• Day 2 Yokohama
• Day 3 Taking a loooong train trip (not that I'm complaining) all the way to Yufuin. Checking-in at Yufuin Bettei Itsuki for the night. Onsen time!
• Day 4 Sightseeing in Yufuin before heading off to Fukuoka
• Day 5 Huis Ten Bosch!
• Day 6 Takamatsu
• Day 7 Takamatsu
• Day 8 Final day on the island of Shikoku before heading off to Osaka. Night trip in Osaka. Wanna take night photos there
• Day 9 Kawasaki. Raimie opted to not go to Ultramanland in Kumamoto in favour of One Piece at Huis Ten Bosch so we'll just go to Ultraman Club at Namco Wonderpark in Kawasaki instead.
• Day 10 Kamakura? But I wanna go to Enoshima too!
• Day 11 Meeting up with a blogger friend and sightsee around his home area - two parks and a traditional street. *Tanoshimi*! ^^
• Day 12 Asakusa/Ueno/random places in Tokyo. I think I wanna go to Showa Kinen park, after seeing Rurousha's excellent photos - Tokyo's best ginkgo avenue. I'm sure you'll be tempted to visit too after seeing her awesome photos!
• Day 13 Nikko maybe?
• Day 14 Random places in Tokyo. Time to do some shopping!
• Day 15 If we have enough leftover cash; maybe we'll head to Disneyland again. But we'll see.

As you can see, Day 13 -15 are still pretty much unplanned yet but we'll be staying in Tokyo. I'm looking forward to do a bit of run along Sumida River. :)

Can't Wait

 to see this. Hope we aren't too late to view them!

eat of lot of these, over and over again over the course of two weeks.

 ride a lot of these. The fast ones, the slow ones - we don't mind. We'll ride them all if we can. :)

 take a few dips in these. Yufuin, wait for us!

and visit a few of  these too

Can you tell that I'm excited? Just one more week to go and Japan, see you there! ^^

Reflections back as we approach Thanksgiving Day 2011

I just did a status update in Facebook and thought that would make a good blog.


It started off by saying I was grateful I was born when I was.  I don't think there was a time in any of our lives that was simple or uncomplicated by those things around us like war and prejudice and the daily struggles of living. But growing up and while we were still in school, most of that was a non issue for us.

But we all survive by doing the best we can.   Last week we were at a craft show and the fire alarm went off.  We had to go outside and wait for the fire department to do a check of the high school and turn the alarm off.  One woman was just beside herself.  Pacing and mumbling that this was ridiculous and it will be at least 1/2 hour before we can go back in because they will have to check the whole school and on and on.  


I said "hey lady, it is what it s and better safe than sorry".  But isn't that is a true testament of the world we live in?  She was inconvenienced.  She was going to maybe make a sale, and it was all about her.  How did we ever get to such a self centered place? 


When I was growing up we had a telephone and lay on the floor in the evening listening to the radio.  We got a TV in the early 50's - a Dumont with a tiny little screen, but oh how it was so precious. 


There was no air conditioning in houses (for regular folks anyhow) and I remember sleeping downstairs on a sheet on the living room floor in June 1958 in NY when it was too hot and sticky to sleep upstairs in our beds.  


When we went to church we dressed up - a hat, gloves and even stockings  (with seams that we had to constantly check to see if they were straight.).  And there were corsages for special occasions.


When there was a birthday, anniversary or even if someone was sick, we sent a card and / or actually called on the phone. 


Cars didn't have turn signals - we had to stick our arm out the window and no seat belts either.  A baby car seat hooked over the front seat facing front.  The kids played with the little horn that was attached to the seat.


Our music is what is now called the Oldies but Goodies - the very beginning of rock and roll.  There were sock hops every Friday night and I won a dance contest and got to go New York City and be on Ted Steele's T.V. Dance show.  (That was before Dick Clark!).  We listened to Alan Freed on WINS radio. 


People were respectful of themselves and others.  Adults were addressed as Mr. or Mrs.  In-laws were Mom or Dad (out of respect to our spouses),


So like so many, I am thinking back to what it was and what it is today and thinking I would not change any of those early experiences.  They have given me the attitude that things are what they are and not much I can do about it, except live my life. 


I really like living in Colorado, I love our home and being close to my son and his family.  The crafts shows and eBay keep our minds and bodies active and hope we can continue doing it all for many more years. (Someone inferred the other day that 69 and being a grandma was old - really!?  I am 69 and certainly don't feel or think I am decrepit and need special handling!)

Please take time to be grateful for the all things that made you who you are and share them with your family and friends this Thanksgiving Day. 

WOW: Classifying Campgrounds

Star and Vino at the Joshua Tree National Park, a nature preserve

RV camping is very much alive in the US. Out of 30 million RVers in almost 9 million households, about 1.3 million are full timers like Bill and me. We all have almost 2,000 campgrounds to choose from. Cost, location, and facilities may be hard to balance. Being members of Thousand Trails, we can stay at any of their campgrounds for three weeks at a time so it is not that hard. But those three weeks should be as enjoyable as possible so there is still a choice to make. I came up with the following system.

3 quadrants: RV Park, country club, RV haven, and nature preserve

 Construct a chart with an x-axis and a y-axis. Let the x-axis stand for the location of the campground from city to country, going from left to right, and let the y-axis represent amenities and activities from basic to special, going from up to down. We can thus subdivide the space into four quadrants. Going counter-clockwise, at the upper left quadrant is the RV Park, lower left quadrant is the Country Club, lower right quadrant is the RV Haven and upper right quadrant is the Nature Preserve.

camping at the Docks' driveway

RV Park
This is an RV campground within or almost within city limits and has basic amenities or activities, often none. An example is The Oaks at Point South which became our jump-off point to Beaufort, Hilton Head, and Savannah for my friend Dittas when she visited us. But the best example of this category is a hotel in Hermosillo, Mexico which allowed RVs to park at their back parking lot. Another great example is the campground which was within walking distance of the French Quarter in New Orleans!

Walmart RV Park

Now Walmart is America’s best known RV Park! It is said that the average “campsite fee” is $45, the amount one spends for one night of stay. So other grocery chains have followed this excellent strategy. Canadian Tire even has dump stations and fresh water. Belonging to the same class are rest areas (a great number is being shut down due to lack of funds), huge truck stops, and even casinos. But the best example is the driveway of the Rosemary (Bill’s sister) and her husband Jack’s home in Pittsburg,

Country Club 

Palm Springs Country Club

Close to a city, this campground also has many amenities and activities! Where we will be next week, Orlando Thousand Trails in Orlando, Florida is of this type. So is Las Vegas Thousand Trails in Las Vegas, Nevada. They are both just a few miles from great tourist spot and have all the musts: amenities like pool and hot tub, fitness center, mini golf, table tennis and billiards, tennis and other outdoor courts and activities like karaoke, dancing, Texas hold ‘em, pot lucks, movie nights with free popcorn, and concerts.

Nature Preserve 

dry camping at the roadside enroute to the Arctic Circle

Far from a city, this campground may not have amenities or activities but there are fantastic views afforded by its special location. A good example is Kirk Creek Campground of the US Forest Service right at the cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Big Sur! State Parks are the same. The campgrounds within well-known national parks of the National Park Service like Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Great Smoky Mountains, the Grand Canyon are perennial favorites but require months in advance to book.

Bill relaxing at our campsite in Green Mountain, an RV haven

RV Haven 
Farther from the city, this type of campground is also well equipped with amenities and activities. At Green Mountain Resort in Lenoir, North Carolina, each campsite has a large deck beside a little stream which makes soothing ‘music’ throughout the day. The park also has a lake for fishing and great hiking trails all around, a tennis court, a 9-hole golf course, a large clubhouse with pool and table tennis tables, and eature great concerts and parties. Because it is near the town of Lenoir, we could also use the community center’s gym and spa.

a nature haven in winter...

The statistics of RVers is up by almost 10 percent from 5 years ago! And although the 2,000 campgrounds may not all be full all year-round (northern ones are busy during summer while southern ones are cramped during winter), given the right time of year, they can be literally buzzing with activity. To maximize enjoyment, we need to choose the campground well. After all, it is our home for the duration of our stay. So I have found this classification system very helpful.

a country club in fall

We like country clubs and RV havens best. But we also take short breaks in nature preserves. M’A can comfortably dry camp only for 4 days max (constraints of fresh, black, and grey water tanks and battery power). On the other hand, RV parks are places we use to rest for a night (or as a jump-off point) as we make our way to our next campground. We usually try to limit RV driving to at most 6 hours a day. Driving longer can become pretty tiring for Bill (and really boring for me)!

We looooove the campground infrastructure in the US but we often wonder how it is in Europe or Australia/New Zealand? Can we RV there as well? Watch for the results of our research!

Asakusa Walking, At Night

As you know, we have a soft spot for Asakusa. The nightlife in Asakusa may not be that happening but that's the way we like it. It's a place where I can comfortably walk around with my son when Zaini went out to do his "own" thing at night.

But it doesn't mean Asakusa is dead at night. Plenty of interesting stuff to see, once the night comes.

You have to know too that Asakusa does have its seedy part. Walk further and out of the tourist trail, you can find a certain "theater" that you might not want your child to see its posters. Charming, eh?

Homemade Cranberry Relish - Cooked

The best way to start making cranberry relish is to wash then sort through the cranberries removing any soft or shriveled ones.

 

 I usually follow the recipe on the bag - 2 oranges, 2 cups of sugar and 1 bag of cranberries. I put the cranberries into the pot whole and either grind or grate the oranges in the salad shooter.  Stir in sugar.

Cook until the cranberries start to burst and the liquid thickens.  

Serve in a crystal bowl on your Thanksgiving Dinner table where the rich red color shine through!!