Jingle Jinx
The holidays brings out the interesting in a lot of people. You learn who gets depressed during the holidays and who turns into a holiday zealot full of enthusiasm for all things merry. You also learn who is vicious in the event of a shortage of something they really want.
Personally, I try to do all of my shopping on the phone or online. I am a professional shopper, I must admit, but I hate holiday crowds. Still, a kid who still believes in Santa Claus will bring out the mission shopper in all of us, even me. You see, elves can make anything, so there are no shortages at the North Pole, even if it is a hot item like an I-dog. Those damn things were sold out everywhere, and I-dog clothing? Forgeddaboutit until FEBRUARY.
I was asked repeatedly, "Are you sure you paid enough into the Elf Security Fund this year so that Santa will bring the top five things on my list?" (I believe in politically correct fantasies. "Yes, dear, fat butt Santa slides down that little chimney and leaves you gifts, but somebody has to pay for materials! Parents pay into that fund so kids get stuff, and I ain't paying squat if you don't take care of your household jobs or if you talk back to me. Your limit is 5 things. No kid gets more.")
Faced with the I-Dog shortage, I did what a lot of other parents-on-the-prowl did, I turned to eBay. I didn't find an i-dog there, but I did find myself reading the ratings of the sellers. Lots of folks make a living on ebay(or at least it seems that way), and I enjoyed myself reading the ratings. Some of the raters were realistic, leaving comments like, "This handbag looked real enough for me," but there were tons of others who just didn't get it. "This bag is a fake!" Well, of course it is, rocket scientist. What makes you think that if you spend $200 with a seller in China for a handbag that normally sells for $1600 and is sold out in all of North America that you would be getting the real thing? Didn't you see 20/20, they can copy ANYTHING in China. The idea is, if you have a brand, new, unused real one (like a Fendi Spy bag for instance or a Chloe Paddington), and you are willing to sell it, wouldn't you sell if for more than you paid? eBay is based on the premise that you sell goods for what the market will bear, and if these items have a waiting list, it obviously can bear more than the suggested retail price. Besides, if they can get $1600 in a store, why would the manufacturer bother to "let" some of their brand new product wind up on eBay or some other street corner en masse? And then, don't be mad about what you get. Remember the adage, you get what you pay for. (Still think that Louis Vuitton is real? I have some island property in Central Texas that I want to tell you about. Yes, it will be fine to buy it just from pictures.)
After reading comments for about an hour, I ended up buying an i-dog direct from Santa's Elves at Hasbro. Jingle All the Way.
Personally, I try to do all of my shopping on the phone or online. I am a professional shopper, I must admit, but I hate holiday crowds. Still, a kid who still believes in Santa Claus will bring out the mission shopper in all of us, even me. You see, elves can make anything, so there are no shortages at the North Pole, even if it is a hot item like an I-dog. Those damn things were sold out everywhere, and I-dog clothing? Forgeddaboutit until FEBRUARY.
I was asked repeatedly, "Are you sure you paid enough into the Elf Security Fund this year so that Santa will bring the top five things on my list?" (I believe in politically correct fantasies. "Yes, dear, fat butt Santa slides down that little chimney and leaves you gifts, but somebody has to pay for materials! Parents pay into that fund so kids get stuff, and I ain't paying squat if you don't take care of your household jobs or if you talk back to me. Your limit is 5 things. No kid gets more.")
Faced with the I-Dog shortage, I did what a lot of other parents-on-the-prowl did, I turned to eBay. I didn't find an i-dog there, but I did find myself reading the ratings of the sellers. Lots of folks make a living on ebay(or at least it seems that way), and I enjoyed myself reading the ratings. Some of the raters were realistic, leaving comments like, "This handbag looked real enough for me," but there were tons of others who just didn't get it. "This bag is a fake!" Well, of course it is, rocket scientist. What makes you think that if you spend $200 with a seller in China for a handbag that normally sells for $1600 and is sold out in all of North America that you would be getting the real thing? Didn't you see 20/20, they can copy ANYTHING in China. The idea is, if you have a brand, new, unused real one (like a Fendi Spy bag for instance or a Chloe Paddington), and you are willing to sell it, wouldn't you sell if for more than you paid? eBay is based on the premise that you sell goods for what the market will bear, and if these items have a waiting list, it obviously can bear more than the suggested retail price. Besides, if they can get $1600 in a store, why would the manufacturer bother to "let" some of their brand new product wind up on eBay or some other street corner en masse? And then, don't be mad about what you get. Remember the adage, you get what you pay for. (Still think that Louis Vuitton is real? I have some island property in Central Texas that I want to tell you about. Yes, it will be fine to buy it just from pictures.)
After reading comments for about an hour, I ended up buying an i-dog direct from Santa's Elves at Hasbro. Jingle All the Way.
Comments
You have seen through the veil of Christmas economics....We need folks who buy on "the sight of it" so the whole premium pricing aura of higher end goods can go on. If everyone was smart, they would only buy the knock-offs and the quality stuff would lose it's percieved value. Call it voodoo economics, but the easily decieved is the same as the easily marketed to and those folks make the economy make money for those of us interested in getting rich a little bit quicker.
c/c