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Even though eBay is the world’s most popular internet trading portal, more Thais should be making use of the e-commerce site, says a local online merchant.
Currently there are about 34 million items being traded on the website, but successful valentines gifts Thai eBay trader Rattanachai Thapanaphong says eBay still has much more to offer.
The 27-year-old trainer runs courses to help Thai sellers analyse and develop their eBay professional trading skills at his Benzio School.
Traders must first determine which product they want to sell through eBay. More detail is then needed to successfully tap or establish a niche market.
“For example, if you want to sell garments, you have to be specific whether it is sleepwear, baby clothes or traditional Thai costumes,” said Mr Rattanachai. “You can sell any type of garment but it must be unique.”
He recommends beginners do plenty of research on eBay and study their competition and the market.
“If there are fewer than 1,000 pieces offered on the site, there are certainly opportunities for selling in that category,” said Mr Rattanachai.
From the keyword “Thai”, Mr Rattanachai found total sales of US$290,561 (9.66 million bangles) through eBay last month, up from $251,550 in October and $159,989 in September.
A gemstone and jewellery trader from Chanthaburi set the Thailand record for eBay by selling products worth a combined $108,362 in one month.
Mr Rattanachai said there were great opportunities for selling Thai religious items online such as kuman thong (child-ghost), nang kwak (beckoning women), Buddha amulets and san phra phum (resident deity).
Gold and silver jewellery, gemstones, old CDs, branded old watches, collectible car models and old books are also popular with foreign buyers.
Mr Rattanachai said buyers from different countries shop for different products and sellers should study the behaviour of their target customers. Brand-name or pirated items were not recommended, he added.
Product information can only be posted in English on eBay. But Mr Rattanachai said this should not be too great a barrier for Thais.
Choosing the right product and presenting it attractively on the site are more important.
“If you sell a T-shirt with dragon pattern, you should show clearly the dragon in detail and tell the history of the dragon,” he said.
When calculating profits and costs, sellers should translate the cost into US dollars then add 15 percent more for the eBay sales fee.
Traders should not embark on a price-cutting strategy by setting the minimum bidding price too rings as it would destroy the overall market, he said.
“You should know the price of the same product including shipping cost on eBay, so you can set your overall price a bit lower,” he advises. “You can also set a higher price if your product is really outstanding or you have a better presentation to show the item.”
Thailand Post is the most convenient way to ship items as the rates are reasonable and it has a tracking system. But sellers may need to buy insurance coverage for expensive items, he said.
The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show will be held June 3-6, opening one day earlier than JCK Las Vegas-at the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino.
Hundreds of exhibitors in estate jewelry, colored gemstones, one-ofa-kind jewelry creations, designer wristwatches and pocket watches will showcase antique pieces, including vintage items from Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Rolex, Patek Philippe, David Webb and Van Cleef & Arpels.
According to Andrea Canady, show manager, “The infinite variety of items attracts the most prestigious dealers from around the country and every corner of the world to exhibit at this show. There are so many beautiful and exotic items that can be found at the biggest antique jewelry and watch show in the country.”
The event is only open to the trade. There is no pre-registration, but entry requires a photo ID and business card. Show hours are Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $12 and is good for all four days of the show. Tickets are available at the Rio Convention Center box office.
Buyers can take advantage of a special discount room rate of $105 per night and $145 on Friday and Saturday. When reserving your room, specify that you are attending the antique show and the reservation code GJEWL6.
> Rio Suite Hotel & Casino: (877) 784-5737, (702) 777-7777. Andrea Canady, show manager: (239) 732-6642, andreacanady@us.dmgworldmedia.com
Defense attorneys will appeal Maurice Johnson’s conviction and sentence of life without parole for his role in the 1999 Valentine’s Day Cleveland triple murder.
Mitchell Bryant, co-counsel for Mr. Johnson, said Tuesday afternoon he and his co-counsel, Steven Ward, will file an appeal after Judge Amy Reedy sentences his client on a related conviction for especially aggravated robbery charge
Mr. Bryant said he was disappointed the jury found his client guilty Monday on three counts of first-degree murder for the Feb. 14, 1999, slayings of O.J. Blair, 18; Cayci Higgins, 19; and Dawn Rogers, 25.
Prosecutors alleged that Mr. Johnson and co-defendant Michael Younger broke down tiffany jewelry the back door at 431 19th St., bound the three victims’ hands behind their backs and shot them in the backs of their heads as they knelt on the floor.
The jury on Monday convicted Mr. Johnson evening after about six hours of deliberation and took three hours Tuesday to decide on the sentence. They could have chosen the death penalty or life with parole.
Teri Walters, niece of Ms. Rogers, spoke to the jury in what’s known as a victim impact statement before they began deliberating Mr. Johnson’s sentence.
“I tried to let them know how much she loved her children,” Ms. Walters said. She emphasized all of the milestones her aunt would miss — birthdays, graduations, weddings and other special events.
Ms. Walters said it was hard to influence someone to choose a death sentence because that has to be an individual decision.
But she said Mr. Johnson’s life sentence will still allow him to see his family, even if it’s through glass.
“He’ll still get to experience milestones with his children,” she said.
Ms. Rogers won’t see her children grow, she said.
Despite the pain she feels for her family’s loss, she said, she still feels sympathy for Mr. Johnson’s family.
Richard Fisher, who was co-prosecutor with Paul Moyle, said the district attorney’s office and silver bangles especially Cleveland police detective Duff Brumley’s tenacious efforts investigating the case were what made the conviction possible.
Mr. Younger and Twanna “Tart” Blair also are charged in the case and face the death penalty.
Mr. Fisher said he and the defense attorneys for Ms. Blair are to meet with Judge Reedy on Friday to set a date for her trial. No date is set for Mr. Younger’s trial.
Switzerland’s Ministry of Justice has decided to evaluate the use of electronic monitoring tiffany jewellery for people convicted to light prison terms for minor offenses. A small budget has been made available for a test and evaluation program. Under the Swiss federal system, prisons and similar facilties are controlled by the Cantonal (state) justice and police departments. The implementation of electronic monitoring bracelets, as a result, will be the responsibility of each individual Canton (state). Also it is up to the individual Canton to decide if it wants to introduce electronic monitoring bracelets. The Swiss Federal Ministry of Justice will limit its involvement to study the technical and legal feasability. In addition it will propose the required legal ammendments and provide pertinent guidance.
Until the end of November 1998, Cantons seeking to participate in the evaluation process, in particular their Dept. of Justice & Police, must submit their proposals to the Federal authorities. The Ministry of Justice will then provide funding (for the evaluation) as deemed appropriate. The evaluation includes the technical equipment per se (monitoring bracelets) and the testing of the pertinent software and feed-back system. It is planned to set up two monitoring networks one covering German speaking and the second one covering French and Italian speaking Switzerland – provided the test results are positive.
The police department of the Canton of Basel (city) seems to have taken the lead in this process. earrings As a result, it was assigned the responsibility by the Federal authorities to coordinate all testing and evaluation activities. FCS Bern has provided names and addresses of pertinent U.S. manufacturers, in particular the Boulder CO based BI Corp. FCS Bern also learnt that Israeli and French brands have entered the bidding process.
Contact addresses:
Project coordinator: Polizei-Departement Basel Stadt Mr. Hans Jurg Buhlmann Spitalstrasse 41 CH-4056 Basel, switzerland Phone +41+61 267 7767
Federal agency: Bundesamt fur Justiz Bundeshaus West Ms. J. Schurmann CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland Phone +41+31 322 4171
or: US & FCS Bern c/o US Embassy Jubilaumsstrasse 93 CH-3005 Bern, Switzerland bangles Werner E. Wiedmer, Industry Specialist
Name of Product: Children’s “Groovy Grabber” tiffany Bracelets
Units: About 4 million
Manufacturer: A&A Global Industries, of Cockeysville, Md.
Hazard: The paint on the metallic band beneath the decorative cover contains high levels of lead. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: The recalled bracelets are made of flexible metal bands wrapped in tiffany accessories decorative plastic covers. The bracelets come in various colors and designs, including smiley faces, Chinese symbols, dogs, cats, aliens, checker boards, and flames.
Sold in: Vending machines located in malls, discount, department and grocery stores nationwide from November 2005 through March 2007 for 25 cents.
Manufactured in: China
Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the recalled bracelets away from children and discard them.
Customer Contact: For additional information, contact A&A Global Industries at (800) tffany keys 638-6000 ext. 314 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.aaglobalind.com
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products — such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals — contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s hotline silver bangles at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 or visit CPSC’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC’s Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (800) 638-6000
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Credit: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets has tiffany jewellery shipped to retailers nationwide from Activision Publishing, a subsidiary of Activision.
The game features Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr. — owner of a world record eleven WSOP bracelets — in a special “Beat The Brat” Heads-Up mode and thrusts players deep into the high-stakes world of tournament poker to face off against other A-list pros such as Johnny Chan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow on the quest to win the championship bracelet for the $10,000 Main Event and over $60MM in total prize money.
“World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets allows gamers to challenge all tiffany necklaces of their favorite poker pros in one of the largest sporting events in the world,” said David Oxford, Activision Publishing, Inc. “We are proud to deliver intense poker tournament action to gamers who want to experience the high-stakes competition of championship poker from the comfort of their homes.”
In World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets, the #1 poker video game franchise returns as players challenge over 30 of the world’s top poker champions. With intense heads-up tournament play, expansive poker tutorials, and strategy clips from Phil Hellmuth’s Ultimate White to Black Belt Course as produced by iAmplifyVegas.com, players can learn from the very best in the industry and take on all opponents in real-world locations such as Las Vegas and New Orleans.
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets is available on the Xbox 360 video game and bangles entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system and Nintendo DS, and the PC. The game is rated “T” (Teen) by the ESRB.
When Renee Greenstein decided to capture a rainbow of free-floating gemstones inside a tiffany jewelry sterling silver-encased glass pendant, the top designer at Attitudes by Renee(R) had no idea that her jewelry creation would catch lightning in a bottle.
An instant favorite of QVC viewers, the popular designer’s “Life is Half Full” Enhancer returns to the air Thursday, October 22nd at 10 p.m., this time with two fabulous companion accessory charms and bracelet.
“It thrills me that the message of my Life is Half Full collection has touched the hearts of stylish ladies at a time when our hearts need healing,” said Greenstein. Unsolicited comments from QVC views leave no doubt: The unique designs are more than beautiful baubles; they’ve become tiny symbols of hope.
The enhancer and new charms can beautifully update a favorite necklace, chain or cord. A striking sterling silver bracelet, with Renee’s signature unity links carved throughout, is another way to wear the charms for a most up-to-date fashion look.
The Life is Half Full enhancer and matching charm feature genuine gemstones and are encased in glass Tiffany Accessories with a sterling silver scrolled frame and graced with eight and a half carats and one and one-third carats of dazzling gems
About Attitudes by Renee
Attitudes by Renee(TM) is a reflection of designer Renee Greenstein’s flair, serious playfulness and her amazing life experience.
After studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology, Renee made her industry debut as a showroom model, which led to a stint as a fitting model. She learned from the ground up, literally, traveling across America to see what real women were really wearing. Wherever she went, Renee drew rave reviews on her own jewelry and clothing, most Tiffany Keys of which she had designed herself.
Eventually, Renee set off on a new path and began creating her own collections. Widowed with a teenage son when she was in her 30s, she learned to “shoot for the moon and the stars.” Through it all, her girlfriends proved to be the gems in her life. They always helped her see that the glass is half full. Renee’s gem-filled “Life is Half Full” necklace was created in their honor. Like all Attitudes by Renee(TM) designs, this best-selling enhancer is made with love, inspiration and attitude!
“My career has taken me to every corner of the world, affording me the opportunity to be with beautiful women from all tiffany bangles different walks of life,” Renee says. “Something we all have in common is that we have the little bit of ‘attitude’ that helps us stand out from the rest.”
You can call the Colorado blue spruce standing in Lake Superior Plaza whatever you tiffany jewelry want. Minnesota Power isn’t giving it an official label.
A news release from Minnesota Power announcing that the 50- to 60-foot tree would go up Wednesday referred to it as a holiday tree, and that is what it was called in coverage of the event held at 30 W. Superior St. This sparked a debate in the comments section of duluthnewstribune.com, pitting Team Christmas against Team Holiday.
“Some call it a Christmas tree, some call it a holiday tree,” Minnesota Power communications manager Amy Rutledge said Thursday. “When it’s set up for us, it symbolizes the start of the holiday season. It’s important to focus on the fact that it’s a community tree.”
This is the 25th year that Minnesota Power has put up a tree, which was donated this tiffany necklaces year by a local family. It will be lighted Nov. 20, before the Christmas City of the North Parade, and taken down sometime after New Year’s Day.
Rutledge said there was never an internal discussion about what to call the tree. The news release said “holiday tree,” but a Minnesota Power employee referred to it as a Christmas tree on television.
Rutledge said that no one complained to Minnesota Power about what the tree has been called.
The holiday vs. Christmas debate itself seems to be a sort of holiday tradition. During the 1990s, the decorated tree at the White House was referred to as a “holiday tree.” The one recently shipped from Arizona to the U.S. Capitol has been tagged as a Christmas tree, and has been since 2005.
In 2005, the Rev. Jerry Falwell started the “Friend or Foe” campaign to combat what he said was an attack on Christmas. This included boycotting major retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart that used “holiday” instead of “Christmas” in advertising.
A local Catholic priest’s take: If the tree is on Minnesota Power’s property, then they can call it whatever they want.
“If it were on my land, it would be called a Christmas tree,” said the Rev. William Graham, the rings chairman of the Catholic studies department at the College of St. Scholastica. “I think Minnesota Power, since they own the land, they get to decide. They’ll get no lip from me.”
The News Tribune couldn’t confirm Thursday whether the tree stands on company land or public land, but Lake Superior Plaza is clearly a public space.
Rabbi Amy Bernstein of Temple Israel said it should be called a Christmas tree, but she thinks there are good intentions behind calling it a holiday tree.
“It’s an attempt to be inclusive and respectful of other traditions,” she said.
But since there isn’t a tree associated with Hanukkah, Bernstein added, it doesn’t make any sense.
“It’s a Christmas tree,” she said. “Nobody else has a tree.”
Dave Jensch, the station manager at the Northland’s NewsCenter, said the tree was referred to as a Christmas bangles tree during Wednesday’s 6 p.m. newscast show and a holiday tree at 10 p.m.
Jensch said his station typically uses the term “holiday” but has no plans to lose the “Christmas” in the Christmas City of the North Parade, which it sponsors. A name change — to the “KBJR Christmas Parade” — was experimented with a decade or so ago.
“And people went crazy,” Jensch said, adding because of the link to the Merv Griffin song “Christmas City,” it’s unlikely it will ever change.
Bill van Druten of the Lake Superior Freethinkers has a take that goes beyond whether it’s a holiday tree or a Christmas tree.
“It’s foolish to cut down a living tree for that sort of nonsense,” he said. “We can have a very happy December or holiday without destroying nature.”
Credit: Duluth News Tribune, Minn.
The autumn leaves, red and yellow and brown, are tumbling from the trees, resigned to their fate. Weekends are full of football and the scritching of rakes. Lazy squirrels are still munching on moldering jack o’ lanterns left over from Halloween. In other words, it’s beginning to look a lot like silver jewellery Christmas.
Disney released a new version of the Dickens Scrooge story last week, timing it so that “A Christmas Carol” will be lucky to be in distribution past Thanksgiving Day.
Starbucks has already retired its white cups for the duration, replacing them with cranberry-colored, snowflake-flecked seasonal substitutes. Wal-Mart is just one of the retailers already Kringling away like crazy, running television ads with Andy Williams crooning “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” Who knew that the weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving were the hap-happiest season of all?
The day after Thanksgiving used to be the official launch of the commercial Christmas silver key rings season. Now Sears is running “Black Friday” specials all through November.
Given half a chance, retailers would probably try to get their plastic garlands hung just after Labor Day. (Ho-ho-ho, it’s back to school!) But we’ve been spared that particular encroachment, thanks to a holiday that has proved capable of standing athwart the relentless forces of Christmas-creep — Halloween. Once a quaint bit of Americana built around the simple pleasures of costumes, candy-grabbing and petty vandalism, Halloween has become a marketable and profitable holiday, putting many official holidays to shame. If only Presidents Day had some sort of free-candy angle.
In contrast to Halloween’s stalwart ability to keep Christmas from jumping the queue, Thanksgiving has lost its cultural muscle. The early advent of the Santa season may have less to do with the red-and-green imperative than with the weakness of Turkey Day. What happened to this quintessential American holiday?
Lydia Maria Child’s ode to going over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house is a silver necklaces good place to start in decoding Thanksgiving’s decline. First, there is the anachronistic attention given to grandmother. Thanksgiving is one of the few occasions left, in our fanatically kinder-centric culture, to honor the elderly. Picture the famous Norman Rockwell illustration “Freedom From Want” — at the Thanksgiving table grandpa and grandma have pride of place. No wonder the day gets short shrift.
And then there is all that over-the-river-and-through-the-woods business, which in our day means a choice between stripping for the nice TSA agent or creeping along I-95. Thanksgiving is the official holiday of planes, trains and automobiles. What the modern travel experience lacks in charm it makes up for with sheer ordeal. And what’s the payoff for all this effort? A chance to make small talk with in-laws.
The Food Network may be the only institution in America unapologetically boosting the holiday. For weeks, the cable channel’s programming is packed with turkey tutorials, stuffing suggestions and investigations into the mysteries of cranberry sauce. But Food Network’s programming is less an indication of popular enthusiasm for Thanksgiving than a measure of the fear the holiday engenders. Hostesses know that they will be judged on the juiciness of their turkey, the cooking of which is an exotic undertaking chanced but once a year. And the result must be achieved while juggling a half-dozen side dishes, all the while making the above-mentioned small talk.
None of which would be so daunting if the day meant more to us. Could it be we’ve lost our capacity for gratitude? A successful harvest occasioned thanks back when it was all that stood between us and a long, cold, hungry winter. But now we’re divorced from the seasonal rhythms of the farm, where the harvest is celebrated as the payoff of all the year’s labors. Even in the midst of this Great Repression we enjoy perpetual plenty. What resonance does a cornucopia have to people who have come to expect ripe blackberries in February? If anything, bangles we should be more grateful, but that’s not our nature. Anything we struggle for, we hold dear; anything that comes easy, we take for granted.
Not only don’t we celebrate the astonishing abundance that is our good fortune, we whine and moan about how it makes us fat. Lydia Maria Child’s poem ends, appropriately enough, with dessert: “Is the pudding done? / Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!” A version for our time would read, “Is the pudding sugar-free?” And if that weren’t enough to squeeze the pleasure from the day, no modern Thanksgiving is complete without a college student home from school, lecturing the family on the cruelty of meat. (To which the only appropriate response is: “Does that mean you don’t want the drumstick?”) That same sophomore is also likely to bemoan the grim fate of the Native Americans who made the strategic mistake of helping the Pilgrims avoid starvation. In some circles, Thanksgiving is second only to Columbus Day as an occasion for grieving.
There will be plenty of time next month for all the secular manifestations of Christmas: shopping, trimming the tree, shopping, mugs of frothing Tom & Jerry, shopping, and watching Ralphie get his Red Ryder BB-gun and Clarence get his wings. Oh, and yes, shopping. But before we break out the ornaments and dust off the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack, let’s make the most of autumn and its particular pleasures. Jump in a pile of leaves. Savor the waning daylight. And go ahead. Week after next, eat that second slice of pumpkin pie — just be thankful for rings it.
For the second year, Christmas tiffany will arrive early in Yough River Park with Christmas in the Park on Nov. 21.
“Santa and Mrs. Claus will return this year,” said Lori Kaczmarek, a member of the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce and one of the organizers of the event that is sponsored by the chamber.
Along with photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, Kaczmarek said that also returning tiffany bangles for the day will be buggy rides, free hot chocolate and cookies for the children and a Chinese auction for gift baskets that were donated by local businesses.
The 10 baskets — including a Steelers basket, a snowman basket, childrens’ baskets and an animal basket — are currently on display at the Greater Connellsville Chamber of Commerce office located at 923 W. Crawford Ave. in the city.
Those interested can also purchase tickets at the chamber office. Tickets for the baskets are one for $1, three for $2 or 10 for $5.
Refreshments will be sold to adults, children will be given treat bags.
Even though the weather wasn’t cooperative for last year’s Christmas in the Park, the tiffany rings chamber is preparing to assemble 400 treat bags for the children.
For more information on Christmas in the park, call the chamber at 724-628-5500.
The event will be held 1 to 4 p.m.
The festivities won’t end there. The New Haven Hose Company will organize the annual Christmas parade after the city has its light-up night at 7 p.m.
New Haven Hose Company volunteer firefighters have placed 140 Christmas trees throughout town and 14 decorations purchased by the chamber. Those decorations line West Crawford Avenue from Pittsburgh Street to Arch Street. The firefighters store and maintain the decorations.
New Haven Hose Company is asking for any donations to help the fire department with the tiffany bracelets Christmas decorations.
Donations may be mailed to New Haven Hose Company, PO Box 415, Connellsville, PA 15425, marked “Christmas Tree Fund.”
Mark Hofmann can be reached at mhofmann@tribweb.com or 724-626-3539.
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