This post over at the Saving Advice blog is interesting: Will You Need A License To Sell On eBay? Apparently the Pennsylvania State Board of Auctioneer Examiners is taking eBay sellers whose business is established in the state to task, contending that they need to be licensed auctioneers to sell on eBay. From the Board’s … Read more
EBay has discouraged sellers from inflating their shipping prices for a long time, citing that it avoids final value fees. Until recently, though, eBay sellers could still benefit from inflating their shipping charges a little bit at least, because (1) it could trap buyers who don’t see, or ask, how much the shipping charges are, … Read more
The housing market is softening, and may continue to slump for quite some time. Energy prices are hitting business’ bottom lines. Job cuts in the financial and housing sector are taking their toll. No one is completely immune from job loss, and investing in yourself is a great way to build up a Plan B … Read more
I was spending time with a friend from church this past weekend. At one point the conversation turned onto the insane appreciation of our homes’ values over the past few years. My friend said that he didn’t earn all of that equity. That’s exactly the right answer. I’ve said that of my home’s value, but … Read more
(Geeky math stuff ahead. You’ve been warned!) Get Rich Slowly posted on how to learn to love a house that isn’t so big. They found out that they fit better in their first house, which had over 400 sq ft less than their current house. As additional reading he talked about an NPR article entitled … Read more
A big hat-tip to Consumerist.com for linking to my Chuck E. Cheese article! The point in that article that got their attention was how it’s possible to get tokens at a discount on eBay. They even linked to a few current auctions for arcade tokens. The first comment on that post set the tone for … Read more
My family went to Chuck E. Cheese’s this weekend. My wife had gone to Chuck E. Cheese’s when she was little, but I had never gone to one before, so when the opportunity came up we went. Man, those folks know how to encourage people to spend money. It took me by surprise how effectively … Read more
I’ve read a number of articles dealing with the dynamics of personal finance with couples, and one suggestion that pops up pretty regularly is keeping separate checking accounts for discretionary spending, or even for regular monthly bills that are in one person’s name or the other’s. The big motivations for doing this are freedom (“This … Read more