Archive for July, 2008
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Just Google ‘work from home’ and probably 90% of the results you get will be either scams or will ask you to pay a fee to join a fantastic programme.
You know how it goes…for a fee of anything from R30 to hundreds of Rand you can find the source of making money on the internet.
It’s funny how in our offline lives most of us are reasonably smart, but then we receive a forwarded e-mail from a friend and all reason flies out the window. All of a sudden we believe that Bill Gates (with a hotmail address) wants to give us laptops and software free of charge. If only we will forward said e-mail to 10 of our closest friends.
Yeah right!
Then we wonder why we wake up to never ending e-mails from our African brothers from up North, wanting help with accessing an inheritance! Not to mention the bottomless pit of lotteries money foreign governments want to bestow on us.
Having been a bit of an internet junkie for more than 10 years, I have still to find the great source of income that will bring in 6 figure sums on a monthly basis. Maybe it’s because I will never give someone my hard earned money for nothing.
The only way I have made money on the internet is with e-commerce (selling my own goods), affiliate marketing and with Google Adsense.
If anyone knows of anything else, let me know. Do not expect me to part with one cent of my hard earned cash though!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Auctions are a great way to transact on the internet. There are a few things to keep in mind though.
In nearly every aspect of life you will find someone who will try to do business in an unethical way. They however can only scam people who are receptive to their criminal intent.
I have been buying and selling on Bidorbuy since January 2007 and so far have only had one bad experience in more than 300 transactions. In that one bad transaction, I lost R50.00 in total. Including postage!
When bidding on any item on an auction, there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. If something looks too good to be true, it usually is! Bidorbuy crazy auctions starts from R1.00 though. There is a possibility that you could get an item at a great price, especially during the middle of the month and when the economy is slower than usual. However…
2. Ensure that the seller has a record that makes you feel comfortable. Check their ratings!
3. If you bid on a high end item, make sure that the seller is verified (has a tick next to their name) and for what amount the insurance is. Why? Because Bidorbuy will refund you up to the amount to the extent that the seller is ‘insured’ if the seller turns out to be less than honest.
4. If you are still not sure, either call the Bidorbuy offices or don’t bid!
5. Know what amount of money you are prepared to pay for any given item. Google the item and see what the normal price is. Know what amount you are prepared to lose if things go wrong. My maximum is always R100. I will seldom bid more than that.
Be vigilant, but have fun!
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, July 14th, 2008
From a newsletter I received this morning:
“One of the maddening things about being an entrepreneur is,
the people around you do NOT necessarily understand your
obsessions.”
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Monday, July 14th, 2008
In January 2007 I decided to try something new.
I am one of those people who had many ideas and plans, but never put them into practice.
Once the idea was formed I forged ahead and bought R50.00 worth of beads and findings from someone on Bidorbuy who was clearing her stock. I had no idea what materials or tools were required to make even a simple beaded bracelet. Once my beads arrived I enthusiastically threw everything out on the lounge floor and wondered what next.
My first few projects were made without tools (my finger nails were torn to shreads from opening jump rings). There are still some pictures somewhere of those bracelets, but I can’t even look at them. It is so embarrassing! You know what they say about luck favouring the brave though. I naively took digital pictures of my products and put them on bidorbuy for auction. A few bracelets amazingly were bid on and paid for!
So began my year of buying stock , orders, auctions and trips to the Post Office! I’ve learnt by trial and error and by referencing books at the library and buying some great magazines. My beading technique is still a work in progress and I’m still learning when to put my items on auction and when to sell to friends and colleagues. I find selling to friends and colleagues the hardest, but my goal is to have enough faith in my products.
In 2008 I diversified a bit. I noticed the affiliate programme attached to bidorbuy and started telling friends about the programme.
With the slow down in the economy and with fewer people buying beaded jewellery, I discovered that I could still earn an income if I kept telling people about the programme.
Glass Pearl
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
