Date: Sun, 26 Aug 2001 01:00:27 -0400
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Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
Comments: Resent-From: crispen@netsquirrel.com
Comments: Originally-From: Patrick Douglas Crispen
From: Patrick Douglas Crispen
Subject: TOURBUS -- 25 AUG 01 -- PRINCETON REVIEW / HALF.COM
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TOURBUS Volume 7, Number 10 -- 25 Aug 2001
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\___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/
SIX YEARS of Searchable Archives at http://www.TOURBUS.com !
TODAY'S TOURBUS STOP(S):
Princeton Review / Half.com
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESS(ES):
http://www.review.com/college/rankings.cfm
http://www.half.com/
Howdy, y'all, and greetings once again from beautiful Tuscaloosa,
Alabama, home of the number six party school in the nation! WOO-HOO!
Longtime readers will remember that my alma mater, the University of
Alabama, was ranked the number two party school in the US last year by
the Princeton Review. While Alabama dropped four spaces in this
year's poll, let me remind you that this is a PRESEASON poll. Once
the party season begins, I am certain that Alabama will rise in the
rankings. :P
TOURBUS is made possible by the kind support of our sponsors. PLEASE
take a moment to thank each of our sponsors for keeping our little bus
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On with the show ...
--------------------
The Princeton Review
--------------------
"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is
being very wasteful. How true that is."
-- Former US Vice President Dan Quayle, 5/9/89
Each year, the folks at the Princeton Review rank 331 of the United
States' major colleges and universities in categories ranging from
academics and administration to quality of life and extracurriculars.
The rankings are *EXTRAORDINARIALY* unscientific, so don't give them
much weight. [Alabama's rankings were based on the results from 200
surveys handed out at Alabama's student union]. Still, the Princeton
Review's rankings are a fun read.
To find out how a particular college or university ranks, point your
Web browser to
http://www.review.com/college/rankings.cfm .
This page lets you search for a school or browse the rankings by
category. Like its college rankings, the Princeton Review's Web site
can be a tad bit flaky at times, so patience coupled with a sense of
humor is recommended.
--------
Half.com
--------
Well, it is time to put that giant sumatran rat out of its misery. :P
On August 11th we talked about how you can sell your old books,
compact discs, cassette tapes, DVDs, videos, video games, and other
commercial what nots on Amazon. You can find that post in our
archives at
.
Today, we're going to talk about another site that lets you sell your
old stuff online.
--------
Half.com
--------
You can find Half.com on the Web at
http://www.half.com/ .
Half.com is part of online auction site eBay, but unlike eBay where
prices are determined by what people bid, *YOU* set the prices for the
used thingies that you sell.
In fact, if you know about Amazon's Marketplace you know everything
you need to know about Half.com. Find some used thingy you want to
sell and then list it on Half.com. Set your own price. If your
used thingy sells, Half.com collects the payment from the buyer,
pockets a percentage of that money for its troubles, and then sends
you the rest. All you have to do is ship your used thingy to the
buyer, and Half.com even gives you a shipping credit to cover (most
of) the shipping cost.
As I said, Half.com is an awful lot like Amazon's Marketplace. The
only differences I could find between the two sites are:
1. Amazon's main business is selling new books and other stuff in
Amazon's inventory. Marketplace is just a service that Amazon
has tacked onto the side of their existing business. Half.com
was specifically designed to bring buyers and sellers
together. As far as I can tell, Half.com doesn't have ANY
inventory of its own.
2. While Amazon keeps US$0.99 plus 15% of the sale price from
every item that you sell, Half.com simply keeps 15% ... and
that rate decreases as the selling price increases. I think.
For Half.com's commission rates, see
http://www.half.com/help/index.cfm?helpsection=getpaid_p
3. Half.com will snail mail you your profits if you want.
Amazon's Marketplace doesn't offer this option.
Now for some bad news: as with Amazon's Marketplace, only people
residing in the United States can sell things on Half.com. Hopefully
that will change soon.
-------------------------
Selling Stuff on Half.com
-------------------------
To sell your used thingies, go to Half.com's Web site and then click
on the "Sell Your Stuff" link. This takes you to
http://www.half.com/help/sell.cfm .
If you know the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), Universal
Product Code (UPC), or Manufacturer Part Number of your used thingy,
just key it in in the appropriate box. If not, click on one of the
links that best describes what you are selling (Books, Computers,
Music, and so on).
Once you have identified what you are selling, you will be asked to
describe the condition of your used thingy, from "Like New" to
"Acceptable." Click on the red "Continue" button and you will be
taken to Half.com's registration and login page.
Key in your name and email address, choose a member name and password,
read and agree to the member agreement, and click on the red
"Register" button. This takes you to the Seller Information page.
Like Amazon's Marketplace, Half.com requires you to enter a credit
card number and billing address in order to be able to sell anything.
Half.com won't actually charge your credit card. Instead, Half.com
contacts your credit card company and verifies that you are who you
say you are. If your credit card number or billing address does not
match what your credit card company has in its records, you won't be
able to sell anything. This is just a way to cut down on the fraud
that has plagued online action sites like eBay.
Once you have keyed in your credit card and billing information, click
on the "Next" button. Half.com will contact your credit card company,
verify your information, and then take you to payment method page.
You have two choices on how you would like Half.com to pay you should
any of your used thingies sell:
1. Direct deposit
2. Printed check that will be snail mailed to you.
Choose the payment method that is most convenient, and then choose the
shipping method that you will be using to deliver your used thingies
to your buyers.
The next step is to set the price of your used thingy. Fortunately,
Half.com helps you choose the best price by showing you the:
1. Recommended price;
2. Last sold price;
3. Current highest price;
4. Current lowest price; and
5. Minimum listing price.
Choose the price you want to charge and then click on the red "List
Item" button.
That's it. All you have to do now is sit back, wait, and hope that
someone purchases your used thingy. :)
----------------
Even Better News
----------------
You know all that registration stuff you just went through? You only
have to do it once. Yay!
Once you have registered with Half.com, here's what you need to do to
sell more stuff on Half.com:
1. Go to http://www.half.com/help/sell.cfm (or go to
http://www.half.com/ and click on the "Sell Your Stuff" link).
2. Key in the ISBN, UPC, or Manufacturer Part Number for your
used thingy in the "Quick Sell" box and click on the red
"Continue" button.
3. Describe the condition of you used thingy and then click on
the red "Continue" button.
4. On the Login and Registration page, key in your Member name
and Password in the yellow box on the left side of the page
and then click on the red "Log In" button.
5. Set your price and click on the red "List Item" button.
Ain't technology grand? :P
That's it for today. Have a safe and happy weekend, and we'll talk
again soon.
TODAY'S TOURBUS STOP(S):
Princeton Review / Half.com
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESS(ES):
http://www.review.com/college/rankings.cfm
http://www.half.com/
---------------------------------
TODAY'S SOUTHERN WORD OF THE WEEK
---------------------------------
LAY-UFT (verb). To show mirth.
Usage: "Did you see CNN's new look? It's a RIOT! I just lay-uft and
lay-uft and lay-uft!"
[Special thanks to Ted Turner et al. for inspiring today's wurd]
You can find all of the old Southern Words of the day at
http://netsquirrel.com/crispen/word.html
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