Category roofing

Dec 28 2019

Want a book? Check eBay before you check out!

My daughter and I have been using eBay as our “go to” bookstore lately. As an eBay seller, I’ll assure you that the fees are far less when selling used items, including books, on eBay. When selling via the big A marketplace, the fees start at about $4, and go up incrementally. Obviously, selling anything other than textbooks or other high end items on the big A marketplace is not worthwhile. However, eBay’s current fee structure is 12% for books, which means sellers can offer better prices to customers. Also, big A has a flat fee of $3.99 to ship a book, unless the seller offers “free” shipping. As USPS offers “media mail” rates for smaller books, the shipping can be cheaper via eBay. Win-win, right?

Here’s an example of a book that I have placed on the marketplace for a client; basically big A gets $6 of the $17 price:

Amazon fee

The fee for that book on eBay would be $2.04. The difference between selling via eBay vs big A is 23%, which is about $4 on a book that costs $17.

Let’s say you’re a bottom feeder looking for a deal. Here’s what happens with a $5.50 book listed via the big A marketplace:

Amazon fee 2

The sale price is $5.50 and the fee for selling it via the marketplace is $4.21, which means the seller gets $1.29. Not many sellers will opt for such a small amount, which is bound to drive up the prices of used mass market paperbacks and/or popular hardcovers. By the way, as of this post, this same book is available for $3.34 on eBay, while the lowest possible price on big A is $4.75. Clearly, bottom feeders need to go to eBay for book purchases. And, while there, check out all the other goods available, from electronics, to clothing, to collectibles— often at better prices than you’ll find anywhere other than the neighborhood yard sale.

One reason buyers flock to big A is the user reviews. Unfortunately, those reviews are not particularly reliable. Big A is purported to fighting this issue, whether banning reviews by customers who have not purchased the item being reviewed, or attempting to  control “paid” reviewers. Lately, the issue with reviews on big A is a problem with “hijacked” reviews, where in a product’s reviews are actually for a different product. Certainly, if you must read those reviews, really read them, and don’t be fooled by the number of stars highlighted. All in all, while there may be more variety available on big A, the prices are probably better on eBay.

As a matter of full disclosure, I sell on both big A and eBay. My eBay store is here:

The Alternative Article

Dec 5 2018

Flag draped caskets

Recently, hubby and I attended the funeral of a contractor who worked for us several times over a couple of decades, a craftsman who was also so personable that we viewed him as a family friend. In addition to being a darned good carpenter, he always visited a bit with us. Mike collected license plates from cars, and he asked for an old plate off my car. (I drive a Honda Odyssey, so my personalized plate says “HOMERS”, thus I drive around in Homer’s Odyssey. A lot of people don’t understand the tag, but Mike was one those who got the joke and thought it funny.) So, after he finished doing a re-roof and soffit repair, I gave him one my old plate, which he put into “a place of honor” in his shop. Since I love to read, he would bring me his old Time magazines. When he gave me a stack, he usually apologized for taking so long, and recommended the articles he had enjoyed the most. I am going to miss those visits.

The first person who eulogized him was his daughter. Although we knew him well, she was able to relay some interesting tidbits of his life, so we were able to know him even better in death than we had in his life. The minister who delivered the message also knew him well, and told some stories of Mike’s service to the church as well as the community.

I didn’t know that Mike had served in the National Guard until the funeral, but his casket was draped with a flag, honoring his service.

When I listened to the funeral of President George H.W. Bush, I was very much reminded of the accomplishments of the forty-first president. His presidency only lasted four years, but he was a hero during our nation’s greatest war, a congressman, an ambassador, and he was commander in chief during the first Gulf War, a crucial time in our country’s history. The remarks by former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney were particularly enlightening, as they blended the public accomplishments with the private persona of the former president. The remarks by his son, former President George W. Bush, a eulogy that was primarily about Bush as a father, also helped the nation know this man a bit better.

Most Americans know that Bush (41) was a warrior, and the military aspect of his funeral was a affirmation that some of the greatest Americans served the country well, and that flag draped coffin is a sign of honor which signals that another of our nation’s heroes has gone on to a greater reward.

Our friend Mike left his fingerprints all over the community, as he worked for many people in our area. President Bush left his fingerprints on the nation, because he was involved in government service at the highest levels. Regardless of the scope, to serve well is to live well.

Mar 23 2018

Righting the Roof

Architectural-Shingles-For-East-Coast-HomesHere in the south roofing tends to fail long before the “thirty…fifty” year supposed lifespan of the shingles. Our house has developed some leaks, so it is time for a new roof. And, as roofing is expensive, and the house is big, I talked with some friends and family about the roof before calling the first roofer. Everyone we talked to said that prices vary widely, so we should get multiple quotes, and we settled on trying to get three. That has been difficult.

Last fall,  hubby asked around and one of his co-workers recommended a roofer who lives close by, and he offered to come by and take a look. This guy was a no-show, but the house isn’t in horrible shape, so we just let it go through the winter. In February, we noticed some new damage, and got a recommendation from a friend who works in construction, and that company did send a representative, who crawled on our roof and through our attic for over an hour. He was supposed to send in a quote via email, but we didn’t get it. Hubby emailed them, asking again for a quote and we got no response. I called a company with billboards all over the area, and they sent a sales rep who offered me an instant quote, but it was so high that I got the impression that we would be funding billboards as well as getting a new roof. So, I called another company who is highly ranked on Yelp, and they sent a representative who toured the attic and did a walk around, and he was supposed to send in an email quote, but we got nothing from him either. Meanwhile, I sent an email to a contractor who has helped us in the past, and he wasn’t happy that we asked for a written quote, but he did provide one.

So, despite contacting four actual roofing companies and one general contractor, we only have two quotes (at 27K and 14K.) That’s a big spread. Fortunately, the lower one is from the general contractor, who is a nice guy, and I believe he will do a good job. I would have liked a company that offered a transferable warranty for when we sell the house, which he does not offer, but the high price quote doesn’t offer that either….

Honestly, the most confusing aspect of this is why would two sales guys spend the time to come out to our home, walk the attic and the perimeter and then not even offer a quote. Weird, huh?