straighttalkonbiz.com

Are postage and packing costs putting you off selling on eBay?

John — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:27:38 +0000

No doubt eBay is a fantastic outlet for both buying and selling products. Maybe you want to clear out and create some space by selling your pre-loved items. Perhaps you are indulging in a spot of on-line retail therapy, or perhaps you have an eBay shop and are selling products to the consumer market.

Whatever your reasons for using eBay are you put off by postage and packing costs? Unfortunately if you are selling products at a distance these expenses are unavoidable, but there is a way for price savvy individuals to make some savings and add to their profits.

Here’s how.

Search on-line for “collectmyparcel.com”.

It’s a quick and easy way to get an affordable eBay parcel delivery at a price that may even be cheaper than Royal Mail.

This search term will introduce you to a relatively new internet based product – comparing courier quotes. This will not only save you money but it also lets you see at a glance what different carriers will charge you for the same parcel. Leaving you to decide which carrier you prefer.

The benefits are significant. These middlemen allow you to get quotes from a range of big named courier companies like Yodel, Parcelforce and CityLink at the same time. You save time because there’s no need to ring around to get quotes individually, and you can quickly make a decision as to which courier product is best (and cheapest).

What’s more this is a really easy way to ensure you always pay the cheapest price for your posting. That is good news for your bottom line.

Meaning maybe the costs of posting eBay items isn’t so prohibitive after all.

More Choice to Play the Lottery

John — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 13:58:11 +0000

Ok, so you have already selected your lucky numbers which you believe will scoop you the big jackpot in this weekend’s lottery draw, but where will you be able to find out if you have won or not? If you buy lottery tickets, then it is only reasonable to expect to get up-to-date information on the latest lottery draw.

Fear not, no more, as you can now choose to play any regional, national or international lottery game for anywhere in the world, getting news and results soon after they happen. It can be so much fun to pick your numbers or just splash out on a lucky dip ticket and see what comes of it.

You are no longer limited to taking part in lotteries based in the country in which you reside as geography is not a limiting factor. This means that as well as playing the lottery game online, be it the Powerball or Mega Millions draw, you can also check the results from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection.

Find out results from across the globe, with lotteries well documented on reputable lottery websites. Whether it is the NJ Lottery or the Florida Lotto, you can now check your numbers against the winning combination, within hours of them being published.

When the draw has been made and the results are now official, you will be waiting with baited breath to see how your numbers match up. Thankfully, there are now lottery pages you can refer to which include details on all the world’s most popular lotteries, such as the California Lottery which takes place in the United States.

Don’t hang around waiting. Check the latest lottery results and see how you fared. Hopefully you will found out you are now the proud owner of the winning lottery ticket, with access to a life-changing amount of money.

Looking for information, tips, advice or just to see if you have won the Florida Lottery visit the www.alottery.com web site.

Play bingo in your break to win cash whilst working

John — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:45:35 +0000

When you work from home and run a business mainly on the internet you can start to feel a little bit stale because you are stuck staring at your numbers and figures all day long. When business is slow, it’s only natural to need a few distractions, but you can’t very well leave your computer unmanned in case there’s anything you need to attend to.

What you really need to do is find a way to have fun at your computer to keep you refreshed and to inject a little bit of life into those slow periods. Online bingo might just be the perfect solution, because it not only breaks up the tedium of those long hours that seem to drag without any interruption – it also gives you a chance of winning money which means you aren’t necessarily procrastinating or wasting time.

Play Mecca Bingo online and you might just get your hands on a tidy sum of money, just because you had a bit of free time to spend on the site in between addressing business matters in your home office. It all comes down to luck and your winnings will feel even more special because you managed to win them in a break.

Working in the interest of your employees

John — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:13:38 +0000

Perhaps the most important thing you need to put into practice when you run a business is an active approach to looking after your staff. It’s really important that people feel comfortable and happy when they come to work, otherwise morale and performance can suffer.

As an employer, you ought to do everything in your power to make the working atmosphere is good as possible. This means demonstrating that you are working in your employees’ best interest at all times. Otherwise, you may struggle to keep hold of staff and you may struggle to attract people of the calibre you want working for you.

Business advice for musicians

John — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:05:46 +0000

A lot of people do things for a living that they don’t immediately recognise as a business. Take musicians for instance. People who make their living out of teaching music, running open mic nights and playing at local venues are actually businesspeople in their own right.

If you are an independent musician, then your fortunes will often pick up if you start to think of what you do as a bona fide business. Organise yourself with a proper business calendar. Hand out business cards and set up Facebook and MySpace pages to spread the word about your work and get a proper handle on your tax and business expenses.

Doing this will help to make your venture a successful one.

What’s your dream business?

John — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:01:37 +0000

Starting up your own business is the sort of thing that many people pipedream about all the time. The idea of being your own boss is something that’s bound to appeal to you, but there’s also the chance of getting involved in something you really love.

When I have these kinds of conversations with the people I know, the same kinds of businesses keep cropping up. It seems that lots of dreamers love the idea of owning their own little bar or their own independent café.

For me, I think a bookshop or a bar would be top of the list. How about you? Let’s hear your ideas on what you think the most attractive small businesses are.

Hilarious business names

John — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:03:35 +0000

Read on article on the website Real Business, www.realbusiness.co.uk (the champion of UK Enterprise) regarding some hilarious names found in the US. I thought I’d share them:

1. Big Dick’s Halfway Inn
2. Kidsexchange
3. Dick Liquor
4. Fuk Mi Sushi and Seafood Buffet
5. Analtech
6. The Dirty Hoe Garden Shed
7. Kum N Go
8. Superior Erection Company
9. Yeung Ho II Chinese Food
10. Master Bait and Tackle
11. Bunghole Liquors
These are actual business names so whether or not they have been purposely established as double entendres or even if the owners or unaware doesn’t matter. They ‘re still pretty funny.

Apple shares hold their price

John — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:43:50 +0000

I have stalled buying an Apple iphone 3GS for a while knowing that the 4th generation phone would be released in June. However, since it’s been released problems with the phone have caused Apple to schedule a news conference to lay fears about the alleged problems with the phones internal antennae.
At the conference on Friday Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, tried to suppress consumer discontent by offering free iphone cases to help troubleshoot the malfunction. This will cost Apple an estimated $180m if they were to supply one to each of the three million customers.
Despite this shares in the technology company held their price and some analysts predict Apple will still sell up to 71m iphones in 2011 and third quarter sales will beat expectations of $14.6bn.

BP Caps Oil

John — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:34:17 +0000

It looks like BP might have actually stopped oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico at last.
The oil was stopped yesterday for the first time since 20th April thanks to the 48 hour testing of a new cap.
This isn’t the only good news for BP because as news spread about the new cap being initiated, shares in the company also rose. The shares almost halved in the first two months but now they’ve bounced back to six week high.
They’ve increased by 4 percent to 417 pence at 1237 GMT after the U.S. shares closed up 7.6 percent on Thursday.
US President Obama gave a cautious welcome saying: “It is important we don’t get ahead of ourselves.” and that

Crown Prince Sheikh’s BP Investment

John — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:43:30 +0000

Despite the horrific oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico there might be some good news BP executives and shareholders. Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahayan, of Abu Dhabi, is reported to be considering an investment in the troubled company.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), of which the Crown Prince is Chairman, has been partners with BP and is now considering investment across the board.
Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive, has been seen with a senior official from another Abu Dhabi fund, and a report said Saudi investors were looking to buy 10 percent to 15 percent of the British oil company.