Getting Back to Business…

Personally delivered to you by Steve Lindhorst, author of

"Selling on 'the River', "The Niche Book",

and "Amazon - The Quick & Dirty Guide."

I'd like to begin by apologizing if I missed some of your emails. As I mentioned last October, a very dear family member was informed she had inoperable cancer. She passed away last week, after a brave fight. Needless to say, it has deeply affected my wife and me. I'm now trying to get my head back in my work a bit more, but my heart is going to take awhile.

I've found writing about it, and your kind comments were very helpful, so I provide more details at the end of this issue. Meanwhile, I appreciate you all bearing with me during this time if I seem a bit distracted.

On to the newsletter...

In This Issue

1. Amazon's Buyer-Seller Messenger Service
2. Ten Ideas to Make Some Fast Cash!
3. Craigslist and the eBay Partner Network - Beware!
4. Sad News - A Death in the Family

1. Amazon's Buyer-Seller Messaging Service

If you sell on Amazon, you may have read the announcement about the new "Buyer-Seller Messaging Service" (not to be confused with the psychedelic band from the sixties Quicksilver Messenger Service).

In short, when you communicate with an Amazon buyer, your messages will be going through Amazon's system. Email addresses, yours and whoever you're dealing with as a buyer or seller, will be "anonymized" much like communication on Craigslist. You will have a unique anonymized email address. You shouldn't have to make any changes to your order processing system. You can treat the anonymized e-mail alias in the same way as you would a real e-mail address.

I know the conspiracy theorists out there will have a problem with this...but seriously, it's not likely that your email messages are all that interesting. If you're not doing anything wrong, you probably don't have anything to worry about if Amazon has the ability to look at your communication regarding an item sold on their site.

On the contrary. If you're involved in a dispute, and you need someone to referee, there is a benefit in knowing that someone can actually look at all of the communication between buyer and seller.  I could go on and on...but you can just check out the FAQ at: Buyer-Seller Messaging Service FAQ

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2. Ten Ideas to Make Some Fast Cash!

Use PayPal to download it instantly right now: Ten Ideas to Make Some Fast Cash!

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3. Craigslist and the eBay Partner Network - Beware!

One reader wrote to me this week with a very good point regarding Craigslist and the eBay Partner Network (ePN). You will find that many people, and ebooks suggest using a method that involves both sites to make money through ePN. I've mentioned this method before, and it's in The Craigslist Cash Cow.

It roughly goes like this: You go to the Wanted section of Craigslist and find people looking for...oh, I don't know...Elvis Lawn Gnomes. Then you go on eBay, find a lawn gnome in the shape of "the King" and create an affiliate link to the item through ePN. If someone clicks on that link and makes a purchase, you earn a commission.

Now you go back to that person looking for the Elvis gnome, and send them an email that says, "Hey, I heard you were looking for a Brown-eyed Lawn-gnome Man!" (Okay, it's as close as I could get to an Elvis song, work with me.) Anyway, you say "I found what you're looking for!" and send them a link to the item, with your affiliate code. They get their dream gnome, and you get a little commission. Nobody gets hurt.

Except that it could be against the ePN "Code of Conduct" (I'm not kidding, that's what it's called.) You are specifically prohibited from posting a Craigslist ad that includes your eBay affiliate code (ePN Code of Conduct, Section D (1)). But this is not a "Posting" per se, this is an email response to someone looking for an item. In that case, you might be okay, if you are emailing them directly and not using the Craigslist email system to send your link. But, then you might be violating the ePN rule that says you may not use your affiliate code in emails. Gheez! eBay's "Business Prevention Department" was working overtime on this stuff.

The other problem with this method is Craigslist's Terms of Use (Section 7 (k)) says:

7. You agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content:

k) that constitutes or contains "affiliate marketing," "link referral code," "junk mail," "spam," "chain letters," "pyramid schemes," or unsolicited commercial advertisement;

One could argue that emailing someone, outside of the Craigslist system is not included in the restriction above. I'll leave that up to you.

The bottom line is, if you follow the method above to try to make some extra eBay affiliate income, you are walking a thin line. If they choose to dump you as an affiliate, or Craigslist bans you from posting, it won't matter if you are technically right, you'll probably just lose. So beware.

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4. Sad News - A Death in the Family

Around 1:30 AM, March 15, 2010, my dear sister-in-law Jody passed away after a battle that began with breast cancer. She was only 35 years old. She left behind her husband Daran, and her 3 year-0ld son, James. Understandably, our family is very sad, and we continue to grieve. We miss her right now, and life will be different for all of her family and friends.

I was unsure about including this personal story in the newsletter. As you know, this newsletter generally deals with the comparatively less-important topic of making money and business. But I decided to include it for a few reasons:

First, she was such a good person. She was a quiet person, and kind. I told my wife, that in all the years that I knew her, I am not aware of her ever spreading harmful gossip or speaking harshly about anyone. I can never remember a time when she was angry or unfriendly to anyone, not even me (and I can be irritating). She was a great sister, mother, and wife - she was such a nice person. I want people to know that about her.

The way Jody dealt with her illness was amazing. I never knew of her to complain or feel sorry for herself. She went through the horrible ordeal of cancer with incredible dignity and grace. She was not a person of outward strength, she wasn't loud or pushy. But when facing a situation that can potentially rob a person of their dignity, she showed a quiet fortitude. She was a real lady.

Back in October, when I first mentioned that a family member had cancer, I received many encouraging comments and emails from you readers. Maybe my reason for including this personal story is slightly selfish. The many kind words helped a lot.

Ironically, another dear friend of mine died about a day and a half before Jody. The difference was, she was 95 years old, and although she'd gone through many difficulties in her life, she had a relatively short "final battle." One thing about her situation that made it just a little easier was that she'd lived a long life. But with Jody's young age, it was harder to find anything positive. There are some positive lessons though...

• When someone dies, I always tried to call, send a card, or at least share an encouraging thought with their family and friends. I used to think it didn't mean much, and now I know otherwise - it helps immensely. I'll never forget that.
• I've also learned that when you see a person a couple of weeks after they've lost a loved one, they may seem okay. But they are probably not okay. They may look okay, they might even say they're okay, but they are likely still hurting inside. I certainly am.
• And I've learned that when a friend asks you how you're "holding up" - it's okay to tell them the truth. It's alright to say if you're not doing too well. In fact, it's best to tell them, that way they can help, which is what friends do. Nothing compares to the hugs of good friends.

Speaking of friends, there were around 350 people at Jody's funeral, all for a soft-spoken lady who was not wealthy, she had no prominent position in the community, or special title. People were there because of her, not who might see them, or what they might get in return. That says a lot about the kind of person she was.

Although I don't discuss religion in this newsletter, and I know everyone has their own viewpoints, I personally find a lot of comfort in the Bible. I have a booklet with a verse to consider each day. On the morning Jody died, the verse was from Ecclesiastes 7:2, which says:

Better is it to go to the house of mourning than to go to the banquet house, because that is the end of all mankind; and the one alive should take [it] to his heart.

As we listen to the funeral of someone who has died, we should be moved to examine our own life course. As a result, we may conclude that we need to adjust our goals in order to use the remainder of our lives wisely. Jody made a good name for herself before she knew she had cancer. Her example makes me think of what kind of name I'm making now.

We don't know what our future holds...and things can sure happen fast.

Tagged as: Buyer-Seller Messenger Service, Craigslist, ebay partner network, epn