In the 80’s, the biggest, baddest gamers played Robotron 2084 in the arcades. Twenty years later, the biggest, baddest gamers played Geometry Wars on their Xbox 360 at home.

Now, in the logical end to this story… you can be the biggest, baddest gamer… snapping up the world’s only Geometry Wars arcade cab.

No, it’s not an “official release”. Aussie arcade enthusiast Liam put the machine together late in 2008. His motivation? “I was totally hooked on Geometry Wars and thought this would be a fitting way to play it. A retro styled game – in a retro styled cabinet and control scheme.”

Hmm, why’s he getting rid of it so soon? Liam writes that “he and his Mrs have just bought a home”, and regretfully, it’s “time to go” for this rather unique cab.

So, who wants it? Must be a few gamers who’d like to play this arcade-like game the way it was MEANT to be played. BTW: If you’re a non-Australian J-OMG reader, I’m thinking your shipping on this one might be pretty big…

The Geometry Wars Arcade Cab features:

• 2x Top Fire Joysticks.
• A 20″ CRT Monitor.
• Stereo Sound.
• A GW “claw ship” perspex cutout with Green Neon lights inside (Lights can be set to “Static” or “Flash” modes).
• A GW:RE marquee lit by a separate neon light.

NB: Feel free to give this blog post some love on Digg or Reddit.

Liam’s ePay auction is set to end in 5 days time. It’ll be interesting to see how high the bidding goes.

The big UK ePay auction we covered last week has now ended.

Someone’s done pretty well: £4100 for a gazillion pieces of videogaming equipment, games & memorabilia. I just hope the seller wasn’t counting on a much higher price…

You’ve probably heard about the current eBay UK auction with “over 1000 videogame items”.

But what’s the story?

J-OMG tracked down the seller RetroBoyG to ask all the questions you want answered…

Gianni, you’ve got a *serious* amount of Nintendo stuff listed (Over 400 items). What’s the ONE question you’d like to ask Miyamoto?

Father?

You’re selling a lot of collectible “merchandise” type items… Are there any collectibles you missed out on getting – and regretted later?

There isn’t much I would bother about much. The only thing that comes to mind is an SNK towel set listed on eBay once.. That kinda pissed me off.

If someone was going to start collecting just 1 console & it’s carts.. which would you suggest?

It has to be a consolized MVS arcade system and a copy of Blazing Star. You cannot beat the Engrish in that game!

Some online commentary this was a “pre wedding sale” – but you said that wasn’t the case. *Do* you have a partner – and if so – how supportive/active are they in gaming?

I’m a 40 year old virgin! Haha… but seriously, i have a beautiful girlfriend who I’ve been with for just over 3 years. From the moment she saw my collection – till the day i decided to sell it – she has shown me nothing but 100% support. She really didn’t want me to sell it but she understands why I am doing it and appreciates that it’s for our future. By the way – She is more of a gamer than i will ever be.

Which *3* items in the collection that you have a real attachment to – and why?

Number 1 HAS to be my IIDX Beatmania Controller.. This thing is just the most sexual bit of hardware I’ve ever owned.. It’s like a bloody disco! I’m actually really sad to let this one go as I know they’re certainly hard to come by..

Last but not least – would probably be my PS2 collection.. I have no idea why – as I barely played any of the stuff but i guess there are just some classics in there. PS2 in my eyes is one of the best consoles ever made for arcade ports – and i truly believe we will never see another machine like it.

What game did you buy – and severly regret – afterwards?

This one is very easy as I only purchased it a few months ago.. it HAS to be the World Heroes Anthology on the PS2. Oh my god – this is the crappiest game I’ve ever played! I’m very very glad I didn’t buy any of the original MVS carts.

What’s the best gaming controller you’ve used?

If the IIDX Beatmania controller counts, then that’s my answer! Failing that – is has to be the Saturn pad, yeah? I thought this was world famous for being the best controller in the world.. well for 2D stuff anyway!

You’re selling 2 arcade cabs. Would you buy cabs again? If so, which boards would you buy again?

Hell Yes! I even know what one exactly! I’m going to buy a Sega New Astro City cab when I’am settled down in a few years. These cabs are just the dogs danglers.. You can have a perfect button layout for CPS2/3 and MVS stuff with the control panel. The screens are amazing! I think I’d need to buy another AWSD though, to play Hokuto No Ken (Fist of the North Star) as this is the only bit of arcade hardware I’m keeping.. and it looks best in hi-res!

You’ve said that you’re hoping to raise some money towards a house. What sort of “game room” would the ideal place have?

Well, if our house is big enough to even have a games room i would like to pretty much just stick to the next gen stuff. All i really need is my PS3 and Xbox 360 and I’m a happy chappy! The Wii can go in the living room as that is where they belong surely..

I hear you’re really looking forward to the Insert Coin exhibition in the UK. What’s the go?

I’m good friends with the organisers, and part of the IC09 team so i have pretty much knew about it from the word go.. I’ve been on the arcade scene for a few years now and am looking seriously forward to finally meeting all the people I’ve spoken to over the years. A room full of sweaty men playing arcade machines for 2 days.. Oh yes!

Gianni, thanks for your time. Good luck with the auction… and enjoy IC09!

If you haven’t seen Gianni’s auction yet – here it is… (I hope you’ve got fast broadband)… and you’ll find more information on his blog.

The Electronic Marketplace is booming! Most retailers have electronic stores open 24 hours a day on the Internet and many retail stores operate exclusively on the Internet. Consumers now understand the benefits of buying online and are becoming more and more savvy with every shopping experience. U.S. online sales grew 21% from 2006 to 2007, according to Forrester Research. With skyrocketing gasoline prices, online sales are expected to continue grow in 2008 and 2009.

The billing marketplace has also responded with many new billing options and alternate payment technologies. While no one alternate payment methodology appears to be dominating, the push in the industry now is in the selection and integration of the right combination of payment alternatives for each customer segment.

Electronic Bill Payment has been gaining ground too, in terms of acceptance by customers. CheckFree’s recent survey, “The Latest Consumer Billing and Payment Trends”, found that 69 percent of U.S. online households are paying at least one bill online, up from 56 percent in 2005. Interest in subscribing to a consolidated bill payment service was also higher among households that were not currently paying bills online.

The rush to accept online payments has been a major driver of Electronic Bill Presentment & Payment (EBPP) programs for many. The focus appears to be shifting. Electronic bill presentment is now being pushed more urgently, in the hopes of reducing printing and mailing costs, and saving a few trees.

Companies are also trying to tap into the mobile banking services market which is expected to increase 10-fold by 2011. While the greatest growth in mobile transactions is predicted in China and the Far East, Western Europe and India are also expected to grow quickly. Acceptance is a bit soft in the U.S., with a study by Harris finding that half of all Americans have no interest in using their handsets for banking or commerce. However, a growing range of new mobile banking products and services are being introduced, such as bill payment and presentment, funds transfer, and account management.

Mailed Payments Slowly Declining

The Ascent Group recently conducted research into billing and payment practices. We asked companies about billing services and payment plans, including Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP). While we confirmed that companies from many industries are actively implementing EBPP, we also confirmed that customer adoption is still quite low—averaging 5.3 percent for eBill presentation and 8.6 percent for ePayments.

Our study participants indicated that most customers still prefer to pay with paper check by mail—both business customers and consumers. Surprisingly, many consumers and business customers still pay face-to-face—more than 21.8 percent of consumers and more than 19.3 percent of business customers.

However, the percentage of payments received through electronic means is growing and slowly displacing the paper check payment. A study by the Federal Reserve Bank, NACHA, and the TowerGroup noted that check volume is decreasing, mainly because of the growth in acceptance of alternative payment methods.  However, paper checks are not going away any time soon as analysts predict that checks will represent 50 percent of business payments as far out as 2012.

When EBPP was first introduced, most companies offered online payment options while continuing to send paper bills to customers. Now, companies are looking for ways to encourage the adoption of EBills and discourage paper statements.

While many consumers are eagerly paying online, they may not be ready to give up the paper bill. A study by Forrester revealed that nearly 40 percent of U.S. households receive electronic banking statements and services online. However, only 8 percent have opted to eliminate the paper statements. These findings are consistent with our study’s findings—only 5.3 percent of customers have signed up for electronic bill presentation.

eBilling Moves into the Spotlight

Companies, including many of the participants in our research, are now offering fully featured web sites that allow customers to view bills, access billing and payment history, as well as accept electronic bill payment. Several companies in this year’s study have also added options to securely deliver bills and offer payment options via email, hoping to expand eBill participation. While email bill presentation has been around for a while, it was pushed to the back burner in the rush to deliver EBPP via the web. However, it’s getting another chance thanks to several vendors that have found clever ways to deliver email bills and offer secure payment options without the need to log-into a web site.

Email bill delivery “pushes” the electronic bill to the customer, eliminating the need for a customer to log into a web site to view and pay a bill. This is easier for many customers and often speeds up payment of the bill. Companies are taking a second look at this option, especially as web-based EBPP adoption rates stall.

How Does It Work?

There are two primary models for delivering Internet bills to consumers—Biller Direct and Consolidator.

Biller Direct Model

Companies make customers’ bills and statements available on their own Web sites where customers log-on to view and pay their individual bills. From the company’s perspective this is a good model because it allows tight control of the user interaction and customers can be exposed to other utility marketing efforts on the same Web site. From a consumer perspective it might be less appealing to have to visit every service providers’ Web site to pay all their bills, each with their own log-on procedures and account numbers and PINs. It’s really the equivalent of driving all over town to pay all your bills in person.

Consolidator Model

A third party is responsible for presentation of the bill and/or processing of the electronic payment. Consolidators receive and store statement data from a number of billers. Consumers go to the Consolidator’s Web site to retrieve and view their billing statements. This model is more convenient for consumers, but it’s also more complicated for billers. Companies selecting this model have to interface their systems with the consolidator’s systems, downloading statement data in a specific readable format.

Within our participants, 40 percent have implemented a Biller Direct EBPP model while 32 percent have implemented a Consolidator model. Twenty-four percent offer both. Basically it appears that companies are currently leaning towards the Biller-Direct model.

There are two basic models of electronic bill presentment:

Push—delivers electronic bills directly to customer via email. In some cases a link is embedded in the email message. When a customer clicks on the link they are taken to the appropriate web page to view the bill. Other times, the bill is delivered in the email, along with a secure method to pay, totally eliminating the need to visit a web site.

Pull—bills are posted on a secure web site that requires a user to log-in to view and make payment.

The Benefits are Alluring

EBPP offers significant cost reduction opportunities for companies, especially as companies move to a paperless billing environment.

Internet payment offers opportunities to streamline payment processing as well as remove paper from the processing. More companies are moving more and more payments to electronic format, thereby speeding processing time and receipt of funds.

Electronic bill presentation and payment is an attractive opportunity for high-volume billers. While electronic payment does offer some savings and the elimination of many manual processes, it’s really electronic bill presentment that offers the biggest savings for companies.

Some analysts argue that EBPP can build loyalty, enhance customer service, and improve customer communications. EBPP certainly offers customers the convenience of paying bills when they want to without writing checks. A well-designed web presence, however, probably does more to impact customer service and improve customer communications.

Web bill presentation offers the opportunity for companies to target audiences and cross-sell and up sell. Through artificial intelligence, the computer can recognize who is logging on to pay and then make some determinations about suggesting additional services. Anyone who has shopped at Amazon.com, a popular Internet superstore, will recognize how the Internet and the computer can be used to remember past purchase and profile a consumer’s taste in books, music, and other merchandise.

These are just a few of the obvious benefits that can be realized through electronic billing and payment services. All that is needed now is an audience.

The Right Combination of Billing & Payment Options

Companies are expanding electronic payment and electronic billing options offered to customers, in hopes of increasing the likelihood that they will choose an electronic billing or payment service.

Most companies have the ability to accept electronic payments. However, not all have the ability to deliver electronic bills. But there is a growing interest in this now, especially since it appears that consumers are getting more accustom to electronic payment options,

Direct debit (recurring ACH) is seeing a renewed interest among companies. While direct debit has been offered for 10 to 15 years in many industries, many companies are now emphasizing this as an option to customers. Consolidators also offer the option to set-up recurring ACH payments to service providers, thereby encouraging a higher participation rate among consumers.

Changes initiated by the Federal Reserve have also impacted billing and payment service offerings. Accounts Receivable Conversion (ARC) converts paper checks to electronic payment transactions (ACH). NACHA reports that ARC volume grew 24% from 2006 to 2007. ARC is the conversion of checks sent to lockboxes.

More and more companies are now converting checks at the point of sale using Back-office conversion. POP (point of purchase) e-code volume grew 72 percent from 2006 too 2007, driven by large retailers such as Wal-Mart and AutoZone, while WEB, for Internet-based check conversions, grew 27%. TEL, the e-check code for telephone-based check conversions grew 14 percent.

Companies are also actively looking for ways to move more and more “traditional” payments to electronic, leveraging ACH and moving to ARC. More companies are implementing self-service payment services through IVRs and Web sites that accept check, credit card, and debit card. Others are offering options for recurring payment through a credit card, recognizing that many consumers are paying with credit cards to maximize loyalty points or consolidate bills.

The point is that customers are interested in paying for services in a variety of ways, as long as they are convenient—anytime and anywhere. Do the research to understand how your customers want to pay for services and align your payment options to meet customer expectations. Make it easy for customers to pay your bill.

Make sure your billing and payment processes, both the people and technology-driven processes are effective and efficient. Review work tasks, route standards, and systems periodically to identify opportunities for improvement, with a keen eye for those customer-facing processes. Make sure your company develops the ability to transfer payments through check image exchange and the ACH network.

Benchmarking performance is an effective technique to understand your department’s level of performance and opportunities. Be sure to compare cost and service for a balanced view of performance. You can actively participate in the Ascent Group’s benchmarking services to monitor your billing and remittance performance and improvement. Contact Christine Kozlosky at the Ascent Group for more information – www.ascentgroup.com

Benchmark Study of Billing and Payment Practices

To better understand how companies and different industries are approaching billing and payment services, the Ascent Group conducted a benchmarking project to evaluate billing and payment performance and practices. Sixty-six companies participated in the research. A list of participants is included at the end of this report.

The main objectives of the study were to evaluate the various tactics and strategies used today to bill customers and provide options for payment. The study also identified best practices and opportunities for improvement. Secondary objectives included understanding:

• The range of performance by company and by industry segment;
• The use of technology to reduce costs and improve customer satisfaction.

Participants were asked to share management tactics and strategies, as well as identify any improvement in performance. The study also asked companies to include lessons learned, successes, and plans moving forward.

Our participants included companies from the Healthcare, Insurance, Telecom, and Utilities, with the majority of participants from the Utilities industry (88 percent).

Half of participants present bills electronically and 82 percent accept web payments. EBPP—as represented by Electronic Bill Presentment, Internet Payment, and Paperless Billing—remains the top plan for the future and the most recent implementation effort.

When asked to identify the last billing or payment option implemented, the most popular offering was Internet Payments (32 percent), Electronic Bill Presentation (20 percent), Credit Card Acceptance (12 percent), IVR Payments (12 percent), and non-recurring ACH payments (12 percent). Clearly electronic payment and credit card acceptance are a key emphasis for companies offering new payment options.

Companies are implementing Internet payment and electronic bill presentment, together and separately. Some companies are adding eBill Presentment after having an ePay service for a year or so while others are implementing EBPP at the same time.

Clearly electronic payment acceptance, whether Internet or ACH, is a key emphasis for companies implementing new payment options for customers. ACH debits cost as little as 25¢ to 35¢ per item, providing a cost-effective method to process a payment. ACH payments usually clear within one day, representing a significant opportunity to improve cash flow over other non-electronic payment channels.

Mail is still the most popular payment channel among our consumers (48.8 percent) and business customers (58.6 percent). Surprisingly, quite a few consumers still pay face-to-face—averaging 21.8 percent—14.1 percent at a company location, 7.7 percent at a pay station. Most of our participants accept walk-in payments through a company location (38 percent) or a 3rd party pay station (12 percent) or both (45 percent).

Business customers also like to pay in person—19.3 percent pay either through a company or 3^rd party. The next most popular channel is by web payment—8.2 percent. EBPP adoption is still quite low when compared to other payment channels.

Most Companies Rely on Traditional Approaches to Promote EBPP Options

Companies are promoting billing and payment options primarily through billing inserts, bill messages, and website advertising. A much smaller number are resorting to direct mail, outbound calling, or email campaigns to promote usage. More and more participants are eliminating fees or waiving deposits for customers who sign up for electronic billing, direct debit, or electronic payment.

Companies are also jumping on the “green” bandwagon, offering promotions to customers to “go green” by signing up for electronic billing. Some are giving away hybrid cars, green home makeovers, and eco-vacations. Others are planting trees for every customer that signs up for paperless billing.

Actively promote your EBPP options. Use traditional and non-traditional means to introduce options and expand adoption. Print reminders on the bill, on the insert, as well as on the return envelope. Train customer service representatives to refer customers to electronic billing and payment services. Ask new customers for email addresses during service initiation, and if they’d like to receive electronic billing statements.

Consider Offering Incentives To Encourage EBPP Participation. Incentives and discounts do increase participation. Make sure the incentives are fair and worth the effort. Conversely, transaction fees discourage participation. Make sure your fees and discounts are pointing customers to the lowest cost channels. 

Direct Debit Program Participation Exceeds EBPP Program Participation

Excluding paper check or cash payments, the most popular payment method for customers was through a recurring ACH payment, frequently called “direct pay”. Customers paying through direct pay submit banking information to the company so the amount due can be automatically debited from their bank account to pay the balance each month (or a budgeted amount). This approach has been very popular with utility companies for many years. Customers receive a notice of the amount that will be automatically deducted from their bank account each month. 

Companies are Extending Self-Service Options

While EBPP programs continue to be popular, companies are looking towards IVR technology and kiosks to further expand self-service options. Accepting payment through the IVR was the most often mentioned newest billing or payment option and the most mentioned option under consideration.

Look for ways to extend self-service offerings to take advantage of ACH transfers. Non-recurring ACH payment options capture ACH information each time the customer chooses to pay the bill over the phone, IVR, or web. The amount due is then transferred using ACH. Most customers pay their monthly bill with a check. Introduce payment options to accept check-by-phone, check-by-IVR, and check-by-web to make it easy for customers to pay their bill. 

Credit and Debit Card Acceptance is Key to Self Service Offerings

Nearly all participants accept credit or debit card payment (97 percent)—Internet and IVR are the most popular channels to accept credit/debit card payments.

Debit and credit cards continue to interest customers, especially consumers. Debit cards are readily accepted in the retail industry and consumers are becoming accustomed to swiping a debit card in lieu of writing a check. Additionally, loyalty programs have increased credit card spending. Expand your payment options to accept debit and credit cards. Make it easy for customers to pay with a debit or credit card. Consider accepting recurring credit card payments. Vendors offer many solutions to process credit and debit card payments—by phone, through the IVR, on the web, and in person.

Billing & Payment Preferences Change Over Time

Customer spending patterns change over time and with the introduction of new technology. Conduct periodic customer research to better understand customer billing and payment preferences, by customer segment. As demonstrated in this study, consumer and business payment preferences vary. Customer research will arm you with the information you need to match service offerings to preferences.

Weitere Sachen müssen verkauft werden, u.a. ein Zylinder für den großen Turnierauftritt. Zum Dressurreiten in den höheren Klassen tritt man nämlich nicht mehr mit einer normalen Reitkappe an, sondern mit einem Zylinder.

Die Beschreibung bei epay muss natürlich perfekt sein. Man liest also die Beschreibung ähnlicher Artikel. Und da stellte ich fest, dass es einen erheblichen Preisunterschied gibt zwischen Zylindern aus Haarfilz (extrem teuer: bis 300 Euro) und welchen aus Wollfilz.

Ich rufe also Herrn H. an (bei dem meine Sachen eingelagert sind) und sage ihm, er soll doch mal bitte gucken, was da auf dem Schniepelchen im Hut draufsteht. Er guckt, liest vor (fine fur felt = Haarfilz) und fragt dann, ob ich meine Stiefel auch verkaufe. Ich verneine, worauf er meint:

“Dann kannst du ja für mich noch mal nackt mit den Stiefeln posieren.”

Wahnsinn, was der Mann für Assoziationen bei meinen Reitstiefeln hat ;o))

Dear All:

Please expect 3000 pcs of bunting coming in today from epay’s supplier and clear enough space for the storage of the above.

Please note that Ms Yan will deliver the remaining consignment note to us and there is no pickup from United Express today. Please work together to complete the remaining ASAP.

Today our target will be 500 pcs. We have 8 hours to work on it. i.e. Every hour excluding lunch hours, 63 pcs per hours, which is equivalent to 1 pcs /mins for 3 person. Don’t you guys think is non- achievable?

As a token of incentive, should you all achieve 500 pcs before 6 o clock, you will be invited to Karaoke with buffet at Neways Puchong beginning of next month.

Work on the target, and let me know the result.

Also ich habe ein ganz schlechtes Gefühl…

Heute hat jemand für einen Euro eine Pferdedecke von mir ersteigert. So eine Decke ist ziemlich groß, so dass ich also ein Paket verschicken muss, was ich dann innnerhalb von Deutschland mit 7,20 berechne.

Nun habe ich festgestellt, dass dieser Käufer aus der Schweiz ist. Schweiz. Nicht EU. Der Preis für so ein Paketchen steigt dann auf 30 Euro, aber nur wenn es unter 5 kg wiegt, bis 10 kg kostet es 35 Euro!

Ich merke nochmal an: Die Decke selbst kostet EINEN Euro.

Das was mir aber die Sorgen macht ist, dass der Typ nur zu 77% positiv bewertet wird. Und dass da die Rede ist von “Spaßbieter” und so.

Nicht, dass es jetzt gerade ein immenser Verlust wäre – aber die Rennerei … Ich will umziehen und dann muss das Zeug weg sein!

Ganz ganz schlechtes Gefühl….

Liebe Frau M. aus S., nicht nur N.utell.a hat Suchtpotenial.

Ich merke, wie ich langsam der Sucht des Ver-epay-ens verfalle. Ich hätte nie gedacht, dass das so viel Spaß macht. Zuerst ist es natürlich ein großer Aufwand: man muss fotografieren, Bild bearbeiten, beschreiben, vermessen, in Internet nach Beschreibungen gucken, dann online stellen.

Aber dann fängt der schöne Teil an: Man wartet einfach nur noch auf die Kohle. Man sieht zu, wie sich die Leute um die Sachen streiten, wie es pling pling macht, man malt sich Eurozeichen auf die Backe, man jubelt, tanzt und schreit.

Bis jetzt habe ich so um die 270 Euro damit verdient. Manchmal ist es auch traurig, wenn Sachen für einen Euro weggehen, die man wesentlich wertvoller schätzen würde. Aber das Zeug muss einfach raus – und zum Wegschmeißen sind die Sachen auch zu schade.

Und außerdem habe ich zufällig eine wirklich gute Zeit gewählt: Die vielen Pakete, die zur Verpackung nötig sind, gibt es gratis! Alte Erdbeerkörbe! Die gehen von der Größe her als Päckchen durch und soviele wie wir davon haben kann ich gar nicht verwenden.

Also heut ist mir ja was passiert…

Ich verkaufe ja immer noch verschiedene Sachen bei epay. Und nun geht’s an die größeren Sachen – ein Tisch in diesem Fall. Da bekam ich eine Nachricht von einem anderen epayer. Der meinte, der Tisch würde doch so gut aussehen und hätte auch so eine dünne Tischplatte – das sei doch typisch für den Bauhaus-Stil. Und das solle ich doch schreiben, dann würde ich bestimmt mehr und bessere Gebote bekommen.

Das ist doch mal was, oder?? Wer macht sowas? Also ich bin wirklich vonne Socken.

Ich verkaufe ja immer noch alles Mögliche bei epay. Aktuell gerade fast mein gesamtes über die Jahre gesammeltes Pferdeequipment. Und da dachte ich mir: Machste das mal ganz toll. Dazu muss man noch sagen, dass ich eher der Typ bin, der Sachen gern auf den letzten Drücker erledigt, aber ewig davon träumt, mal das Gegenteil zu tun und schon Tage vor Termin fertig zu sein.

Also, in heroischem Einsatz habe ich also alle Sachen, auf die es schon mindestens ein Gebot gab, eingepackt. Also Briefe und Päckchen geschnürt, Absender schon draufgeschrieben. Total super, dachte ich mir, dann kann ich alles schnellstens losschicken, wenn das Geld da ist.

Ja Scheiße wars… Da wollte der eine wissen, wie lang denn die Sporen nun genau seien – also Brief wieder auspacken. Die nächste fragte nach einem speziellen Maß vom Reithalfter – auspacken! Dann als alles verkauft war, fragte ein Käufer, welchen Spar-Versand-Preis ich ihm denn anbieten könne. Ich wunderte mich schon ein bissel, bis ich dann feststellte, dass der 5 Artikel von mir ersteigert hatte! Da konnte ich also grad die Hälfte der Pakete schon wieder auspacken, da ich ja nun das Zeug für diesen Käufer in EINEM Paket schicken konnte.

Nun ja, was lernt man daraus? Manchmal kann der letze Drücker besser sein.

Das war vielleicht ne Aktion gestern morgen.

Vorgestern noch dachte ich: schläfste mal ein wenig aus und dann gemütlich zur Vorlesung. Dann guckte ich aber doch noch früh auf mein Konto und sah, dass die Djembe schon bezahlt war! Und da bei uns in BW morgen Feiertag ist und ich dann auch erst wieder Sonntag da bin, hätte ich ja erst Montag das Paket verschicken können.

Also hab ich in hektisch Herrn H. angerufen und der hat mir netterweise gleich seinen Bus gegeben. Da musste ich dann erstmal den vorgestern entdeckten Riesenkarton zu mir nach Hause transportieren, dann die Trommel verpacken (ich habe ja soo ne Angst, dass die kaputt geht …) und das das Riesenpaket zur Post bringen.

Hier auf den Dorfe haben alle Läden mittwochnachmittags zu! Das muss man sich mal vorstellen! Jedenfalls die Post auch. Das hieß dann, dass ich bis 12.30 dort erscheinen musste.

Bei der Post stellte sich dann raus, dass man Pakete heutzutage nicht mehr mit Schnur verschnüren darf. Ich hatte die zur Sicherheit und damit die Postler was zum Anfassen haben, drumgemacht. Musste ich also alles wieder abschneiden und hab nun noch mehr Angst, dass denen mal das Paket aus der Hand rutscht. Einer allein kann das ohne Schnur nämlich kaum tragen wegen der Ausmaße.

Der Käufer ist allerdings echt total süß. Der hat mir schon x Mehls geschrieben und alles Mögliche zur Trommel gefragt: wie groß die nun ganz genau ist, wie schwer, woher sie genau ist, wie sie klingt, was für ein Holz das ist, wie alt sie ist, ob sie schon eingespielt ist … süß oder?

Ich stell mir dann immer vor, wie der ganz hibbelig zu Hause sitzt, sich wieder und wieder die Fotos ansieht, im Geiste schon trommelt, die Füße zappeln, die Hände zittern, das Auge gebannt auf den Bildschirm gerichtet, alle paar Minuten rennt er zum Briefkasten …

Freitag isses dann hoffentlich soweit für den kleinen psycho ;o)

Und dann kommt die Bewertung, DIE e.pa.y – BEWERTUNG. bibb bibb bibb.

Ist ja nicht so, dass mit dem Verkauf dann die Sache gelaufen wär. Bisher hat mich ja tatsächlich der Gedanke ans Verschicken daran gehindert, Sachen über ep. zu verkaufen.

Naja, und nun ist es soweit - wie verpacke ich was Glasiges so, dass es auch heil ankommt? Oder wie verpacke ich diese riesige Trommel?? Gibts für sowas überhaupt Kartons?

Wieder mal hat mir Herr H. aus der Patsche geholfen. Bei ihm gabs noch einen Karton, der so um die 50×50x80 groß ist. Nu also noch verpacken. Und dann muss das Ding auch noch zur Post. Und da muss ich dann wahrscheinlich schon wieder den Herrn H. bemühen, weil ich ja kein Auto mehr habe ….

Ist aber auch schön, wie sich die bereits gepackten Pakete da stapeln …

Also, liebe potentielle ep-Verkäufer: Schmeißt bloß keine Kartons weg! Und wie man Bücher billig, einfach und als Büchersendung verpackt, ist hier perfekt beschrieben.

Ick bin ja sooo jeschpannt! Fiebert mit mir auf e.pa.y für meine Trommel!Ist gleich zu Ende!

[update]
Juhu! Fast 90 Euro!! Party!!! Wer geht mit?!

Ich versteh nicht, wieso ein Bieter auf e.pa.y am selben Tag um 11:57:20 10 Euro bietet und dann 11:57:37 auf 20 Euro erhöht und 11:57:56 auf 20,50. Kann mir das jemand erklären?! Ich hab ja nüscht dagegen, aber komisch ist das schon, weil dazwischen niemand was geboten hat.

Und dann gehts auf einen Schlag wieder um über 20 Euro hoch …. Ist das nicht strategisch etwas unklug aus Bietersicht?

Kennt sich jemand damit aus?

Vermutlich haben auch Sie in Ihrem Haushalt Sachen, die Sie einfach nicht wegwerfen können, weil sie doch einen gewissen materiellen Wert haben: Ming-Vasen zum Beispiel oder eine Briefmarkensammlung mit der blauen Mauritius oder Erstausgaben schriftlicher Werke usw..

Diese Gegenstände sind meist Ausdruck postpubertärer Sammelwut und mögicherweise für Sie heute kaum noch von Interesse.

Auch ich habe solche Sachen, bei mir sind das hauptsächlich Pferdeausrüstungsgegenstände. Die Sammelwut war anfangs hobbymäßig bedingt, später dann beruflich. Heute ist die Lage wieder anders: momentan reite ich weder hobbymäßig noch beruflich. Natürlich ist es gut möglich, dass sich das wieder ändert (O-Ton Frau M: “Bei deinem Lebenswandel weiß man ja nie…”). Aber im Laufe der Jahre hat sich gezeigt, dass manche Anschaffungen unsinnig waren, manche Ausrüstung unpraktisch und sich überhaupt viel zu viel angehäuft hat.

Daher habe ich nun von meinen anfangs FÜNF Kisten mit Pferdezeugs eine gepackt mit meiner Lieblings- und sinnvollen Ausrüstung. Den Rest habe ich dann in “nicht verkaufbar” und “verkaufbar” eingeteilt.

“Nicht verkaufbar” geht als Spende an den örtlichen Reitverein. “Nicht verkaufbar” heißt, dass ich beim meiner Wertschätzung dafür einen Wert von 0 – 3 Euro angesetzt hab. Könnte man ja eigentlich auch noch verkaufen, denkt man sich nun – aber bei Pferdemenschen ist das so ne Sache: Die Pferdebesitzer hier in der Region sehen ihre Hottehühs oft als ihre Kinderchen an. Und für sein Kindchen wird man doch nicht irgendwas Gebrauchtes kaufen – das wächst ja im Gegensatz zum Menschenkind noch nicht mal mehr. Ich hab schon mal versucht, Sachen hier per Aushang zu verschenken/verkaufen: die Resonanz war äußerst gering.

Daher bleiben also nur die verkaufbaren Sachen, das sind die, die auch in Reiterkreisen mal gebraucht gekauft werden: Sättel, Kleidung. Und dann gibts noch ein paar neue Sachen, die ich als Preis bei Turnieren gewonnen aber nie benutzt habe.

Man kann sowas auf speziellen Flohmärkten verkaufen. Das Blöde ist aber, dass man zuerst mal wissen muss, wo sowas stattfindet und dann auch die Sachen hinkarren muss.

Daher bleibt eigentlich nur e.pa.y. Um dort gut zu verkaufen, fotografiert man seine Sachen und zwar möglichst von allen Seiten. Nun ist es aber so, dass zusätzlich angezeigte Bilder Geld kosten. Ich habe für meine Bilder deshalb einen flickr-Account eingerichtet und verlinke in meiner e.pa.y.-Anzeige dahin. Finde ich total praktisch: bin nicht begrenzt in der Bilderzahl, kann noch mal beschreibenden Text dazu schreiben, die Bildergalerie jederzeit erweitern …

Das erste Objekt, dass ich verkaufen will, ist allerdings kein Sattel, sondern eine Trommel. Eine riesige Djembe, die ich mir mal nach einem Trommelkurs im Überschwange gekauft habe. Nur hab ich sie dann nie mehr benutzt, man kann ja schlecht in der Wohnung im Hause seines Vermieters mit Trommeln anfangen.

So, liebe Leute – auf gehts also zum nächsten Schritt: Trennen Sie sich von wertvollen aber sinnlos in der Wohnung rumstehendem Krempel!

Noch nie hab ich was bei e.pa.y angeboten. Aber vor ein paar Tagen hab ich mal begonnen. Wie Sie wissen, soll meine Welt, genauer: meine Wohnung, leer werden. Also verkaufe ich jetzt ein paar Sachen. Unter anderem eine große Trommel, eine Djembe aus Afrika.

Und heute, DREI Tage vor Auktionsende, gibts schon recht anständige Gebote auch für die anderen Sachen – ich bin begeistert!!

 Нещо не ми върви с банките напоследък. Добре поне, че ми върви в любовта!

Историята ми с ПИБ е дълга и епична и още не е свършила, за съжаление. Преди време, докато гледах идиотската реклама с презерватива върху дебитната карта, ми беше смешно. Сега направо съм бесен! А видях, че и други хора са пострадали от кампанията за по-сигурни карти.

Неуместни първоаприлски шеги от Първа инвестиционна банка

За по-лесно преглеждане на този блог препоръчваме използването на RSS FEED! Направете своята регистрация от тук!

Нещо не ми върви с банките напоследък. Добре поне, че ми върви в любовта!

Историята ми с ПИБ е дълга и епична и още не е свършила, за съжаление. Преди време, докато гледах идиотската реклама с презерватива върху дебитната карта, ми беше смешно. Сега направо съм бесен! А видях, че и други хора са пострадали от кампанията за по-сигурни карти.

Уморен от бавното и трудно обслужване в Банка ДСК, реших да пробвам да си отворя фирмена сметка в Първа инвестиционна. Имам лична сметка там и активно ползвам дебитна карта не само за ежедневно теглене на пари, но и за разплащане през epay.bg. Та, отивам миналата седмица в ПИБ и се разбираме за фирмената сметка. Междувременно трябва да изтегля пари и се обръщам към техния банкомат. Там забелязвам съобщение, което ми казва, че картата ми е невалидна, защото до 27.02.2008 е трябвало да я сменя с нова. Пробвам на банкомата – работи. Значи има нещо измамно в това съобщение, си казвам аз и отново влизам в банката да изясним този въпрос.

Обясняват ми, че съм бил длъжен да си я подменя веднага. И това, че в момента работи, е чиста случайност. Питам ги защо не са ме информирали по-рано, а те ми отговарят: “Ми господине, то съобщението стои тук от няколко месеца!” Излиза, че аз някак си съм длъжен да минавам от време на време през банката, да видя дали няма някое съобщение, което да ме касае. Абе, хора, нали за това съм си я извадил тази карта! За да не идвам при вас, а да си ползвам парите от банкомат или направо да се разплащам през интернет!

Както и да е. Попълвам молба да ми изпратят новата карта в кварталния клон и ми обясняват, че до 3-4 работни дни ще дойде. Чакам си аз спокойно, но по мейла получавам съобщение, че имам сметка за плащане през epay. Тръгвам аз да я плащам и изведнъж получавам някаква странна грешка номер 5 с невнятно обяснение, че проблемът бил от авторизационната система. Питам се: да не би нещо паролата да не ми приема? Дай да пробвам да си направя една справка за наличност по сметката, да видим дали тази операция ще мине. Пускам справката и сърцето ми пропуска няколко удара – пред мен на екрана се мъдри една малка, невзрачна нула.

НУЛА!

В сметката ми няма никакви пари!

При положение, че до вчера съм имал няколко хиляди лева вътре, тази нула направо ме докара до прединфарктно състояние – изби ми студена пот, гърлото ми пресъхна и почнах да притрепервам. След няколко дълбоки вдишвания се усъмних, че може би тази нула има нещо общо със заявката ми за нова карта от миналата седмица. За да съм по-сигурен, решавам да се обадя на поддръжката на epay. Любезна госпожица ми обясни, че действително, най-вероятно е банката да ми е блокирала картата, поради което системата за разплащане вижда нулева наличност и не може да извърши операцията.

Аха! Нещата започнаха да се разплитат. Обаждам се в банката и ги питам дали има нещо вярно в това предположение. “Да, господине – отговарят ми най-любезно те. – Картата Ви е блокирана, но за сметка на това новата Ви карта е тук. Заповядайте да си я вземете!” Абе как така ще ми блокирате картата, при положение, че си е още в мен, а новата не съм я взел?

Не стига другото, ами жена ми сутринта ми поиска пари да внесе по един кредит и аз й дадох последните си пари, с идеята, че по-късно ще си изтегля. При това положение не ми остава нищо друго, освен да се изстрелям мигновено в банката с двата лева, подрънкващи в джоба ми, за да си взема безценната нова карта.

Отивам, вземам я и аха да се запътя веднага към банкомата, но ме спира благият глас на касиерката: “Картата Ви ще е активна утре след 18:30 часа.”

Утре? След 18:30?

Това е след два дни бе! Аз с какво ще преживявам, че и цялото ми семейство, а?

Хубаво де – ще намерим някакви скътани пари, ама това си е голяма простотия – блокират ми картата преди да са ми дали нова, а новата пък трябва да я чакам цели два дни да се активира и да си я гледам като картина, защото за друго не става. До този момент картата ми все още не работи и аз си седя вкъщи и се нервя. Ама вече не ми се разправя с банкомати – утре ще видя дали ще яде Хасан баница. И пак ще пиша.

Познайте дали ще си открия друга сметка там! Аман от български банки!

If Zoho Creator has a component about Price (money transfer) and this component enables the visitor to enter private information without the creator of the form to be able to get this information.

Internet and transferring money through it aren’t designed to apply the general open policy of the Web. In order to open an Internet store you must have your own server with additional technologies installed on it. Even then you are technologically free to access information about your buyers and this way break the law (i.e. credit card information). Buyers knew that and try to recognize secure stores in the Internet by trusting on friends and media advises.
Selling and buying something on the Internet doesn’t seem very secure at all.

First, the seller have to provide a secure connection. He have to explain well what are the product offers and how the price differs.
The buyer should be sure that the seller will not take more money that the offer says. The buyer have to be secure that the numbers of the credit cards wouldn’t be saved and after the transaction used again.
Both the buyer and the seller have to establish a secure web connection disabling any hacker intervention which can steal a password by sniffing or by using technology holes on the server (e.x: XSS). It is a lot of technology work to be done in order to establish a service which works with credit cards on your web page.

Why don’t you use Zoho Creator like application which will not allow the seller to say one price and then transfer different, which will not allow the both sides to know each other’s private information. But to know only the information that they was agreed to transfer and what the law says.

The reason Zoho Creator will beat the rest application in the field of Internet money transactions is that Zoho Creator enables to its users (the sellers) to fully explain (implement) their offers by presenting them into form based applications, easily built with non-developer skills.
Zoho Creator enables a more natural and dynamic conversation between the buyer and the seller, the seller is not forced to have its own server in order to implement there its offers strategy (business strategy) which is based on the buyer’s accounts (promotions to big clients and so on) and many different circumstances.

Future suggestions
Implementing SOA (WSDL- Web services description language) to every service and controlling them through SOA, too, will enable to create and wire a complicated application just on the web. If Zoho provides this ability of executing WSDL requests, it can turn Zoho Creator into a powerful coordinator of on-line business.

More major opportunities
There is one major difference between real life juridical rights and real life ones. In the virtual world the speed of browsing different content (surfing) is higher in such a way that the user is not able to read/ understand the contracts between him and all of the web apps/ sites he visits. Going this way it is not right to judge someone about something that he is not aware of, something which is not on his control (i.e. authors right and MP3 music sharing, Spywares programs (products)- software that steals your personal information while you use it).

Using forms and animations (created with Zoho Creator) the owners of the web sites and applications will explain in deep what is the contract between the user and the application.
The user can be presented with options of choosing contract (anonymity in example) and other with explained benefits of them.