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Using eBay for your Christmas Shopping [Guide]

Category: Tech Stuff | Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:56 pm

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If you're like me and you hate shopping for Christmas presents in crowded shopping malls then the Internet is a perfect alternative. This is my second Christmas using eBay as my source of gifts. "Hold on" you say, "doesn't eBay just allow you to buy second-hand items? I'm not that desperate!". Well that's where you would be wrong, you can buy completely new, packaged items at lower prices than elsewhere. The selection is also wonderful, you can find items on eBay that you can't find elsewhere online, e.g. Amazon.

Before I continue let me just mention that the easiest way to use eBay is if you have a PayPal account for making payments. Most sellers require that you have one to buy their items. Also it is the most secure way to make payments, I recommend avoiding other types of money transfer. I have a PayPal account that is tied to my credit card so that ordering items on eBay is a breeze..


Ok on to the shopping!

Visit eBay and search for something you are interested in. When I use eBay I like to view items that I can buy straight away without having to go through an auction process ("What, you can do that!" - Yes you can :)). When you perform a search you should see a little "Buy It Now" icon listed beside items you don't have to go through an auction to get. It looks like this:
You can filter your search results to only show "Buy It Now" results by looking for the area "Buying formats" on the left hand side and selecting the "Buy It Now" option.


When you find an item you may like to buy there are a few things to look out for:

- Seller's feedback score. This will tell you what the eBay community thinks of this seller in a useful percentage score. If it says 98% this means that 98% of buyers liked their interaction with this seller. It goes without saying that the higher score the better. Personally I like to look for a score of 97% or higher.

- Detailed feedback for the seller. It makes for interesting reading to peruse the comments left about a seller by the buying community. If I am interested in a seller's item I visit the detailed feedback and search for the item name within these comments (use the "Find" feature of your web browser for this, CTRL+F). That way I can find out exactly what others thought of this exact item from this exact seller (e.g. was the item as described when delivered). Set the number of comments per page to 200 to search faster.

- Read the item's description very carefully. Is it exactly what you are looking for? Are the features described what you are looking for? If it is an electronic item will it work in your country? (e.g. some DVDs only play in certain countries). Contact the seller directly through eBay's messaging system if you are unsure.

- Shipping and handling. Check if the seller ships to your country. If the seller of an item you are interested in buying resides in another country then you will pay higher shipping and handling fees then if they reside in your country. On each item's page there is a Shipping and handling section where you can calculate what the costs will be.

-Return policies. Have a look for the Return policy section on each item's page so that you know what your options are should you be unsatisfied with your purchase.

- Committing to buy. When you decide to buy an item you will be asked to commit to buy. Be aware that this is a legal agreement between you and the seller so in this way it works differently then adding an item to your shopping cart on a site like Amazon.


Using eBay last Christmas was a success. I ordered from 4-5 different sellers with high feedback scores and followed the rest of the tips above. I had all of the item's delivered straight to my family's home in Ireland so that I didn't have to so my shopping here in Sweden and carry it all home in my travel bags/rucksack.

I hope this short guide helps you in some small way. Happy Christmas shopping, wherever you end up doing it!

Last edited: Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:19 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 134 times

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Unshrinking a Wool Sweater, it works!

Category: Some Thoughts | Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:05 pm

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Last Xmas I bought myself a very fitting wool sweater (80% lamb's wool). Guess what happened a few months back... you guessed it I washed it in a warm wash. It wasn't so fitting anymore. So I resigned it to the clothes rack and there it stayed until I learned yesterday that you can unshrink a wool item. I scarcely believed it so I thought it was worth a try. It worked! Here's what you do:

1/ Fill a bath with warm water (not boiling hot!)
2/ Add shampoo to the water (about 2 hair washes worth) and mix it in
3/ Soak the wool item in the warm water for 30 minutes
4/ Take the wool item from the water and wring it dry as much as you can
5/ Lay out some newspaper on the floor and then placed the wool item onto it.
6/ Stretch it back to its original shape (you'll have to use your judgement for this, alternatively you could put it on and stretch it while on you but remember it is wet by now :))
7/ While it drys you may just give it a few tugs here and there at 1 hour intervals to make sure it is retaining its new unshrunken shape
8/ When it is dry, cross your fingers and try it on

I'm cannot guarantee that it will work for you but if an item is no longer wearable you have nothing left to lose by trying. Glad to have my wonderful wool sweater back!

Last edited: Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:08 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 1122 times

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The Good, the Bad and the Downright Cute

Category: Just Photos | Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:34 pm

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The art of photo taking - sometimes the moons are in alignment and you snap a fantastic photo, other times the moons play a trick on you and you end up with quite an unflattering example. Well both these scenarios both happened to me on my Irish vacation last month. Plus a bonus third scenario that surprised me.



The Good:





The Bad:





The Downright Cute:


Last edited: Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:49 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 189 times

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If It Ain't Broken, Don't Fix It

Category: Some Thoughts | Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 1:37 pm

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Now I am by no means a luddite, I love technology in all its shapes and forms. But I have a hard time comprehending why one should switch to something newer just because of the fact that it is indeed newer (not necessarily because it is more useful).

A phone conversation I had yesterday (shortened and edited for simplicity):

*phone rings*
Me: Hello
Phone Seller: Hello Sir, I'm calling from "insert company name here". I see you run your own business. I have an offer that you'll just love!
Me: Ok sure, what is it?
Phone Seller: As well as enjoying our low network rates for just this week when you sign up to our network you'll receive the newest Samsung XG120-blah-blah-#%&D! (ok I made that model name up)
Me: Hmmm not sure I'm interested
Phone Seller: It's the newest model
Me: Ok I'm still not s...
Phone Seller: But Sir you do know that this model hasn't even hit the marketplace yet?
Me: Well I wasn't aware of that but still...
Phone Seller: It has... (begins to list off a raft of features that I wouldn't personally use)
Me: That's cool but...
Phone Seller: May I ask how old your current model is?
Me: Sure, about 3-4 years old I think
Phone Seller: *clears throat* Ok (continues to repeat features)
Me: My phone works out fine for me though, I'm happy with it

Some more sales speak happened after that but I repeated that I was happy with my current model. And the truth is that I really am. Sure it's getting on a bit in years and the technology nut in me would like some new whiz-bang features. But then the pragmatist ultimately shines through and tells me that what I have works just fine for my needs. And I wholeheartedly agree.



This blog entry has been viewed 701 times

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How to Prevent Email Spam

Category: Tech Stuff | Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:15 pm

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Ever now and then I'll get an email into my inbox saying something like:

"I'm receiving lots of spam all of a sudden and because I signed up with your site then of course YOU are the reason why I'm getting it!!!"

I really hate these mails but rather than get peeved I'm going to share a few tips that everyone can follow to reduce the amount of email spam they receive.

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- If you receive a spam/unsolicited email NEVER follow their 'helpful' Unsubscribe instructions at bottom of the mail. What the spammers do is send out millions of emails to random email addresses. If you happen to prove that your email address is alive by Unsubscribing then what you are really doing is subscribing to their spam list indefinitely. I'm tech-savvy but I still fell for this one for a while.

- Related to the previous point, it's a good idea to use an email provider that doesn't display images in emails until you specify to display them. This is because if you open a spam email containing images as soon as the images load the spammers will recognize this and you have proved that your email address is alive. Gmail is one of the email providers that offers this protection.

- Never sign up to any forum/community using your email address as your username. If you do this spammers can read your email address straight from your profile page and when you write posts. You are displaying your email address to them, it's like throwing a little innocent lamb in front of a pack of lions! DINNER TIME!

- If a site asks you to sign up but you don't completely trust what they are going to do with your email address then I would recommend using a temporary email address service like SpamBox. Using this service you can sign up using a temporary email address that you can discard afterwards leaving your original email address untouched. However if you are signing up with a website that you DO trust and that will need to use your email address for sending notifications etc... (like here at GardenStew or sites like Facebook, eBay) then I would not recommend using these services.

- Instead of using a temporary email address you can set up an entirely separate email account just for purposes like signing up to services etc... and use your existing email account for important tasks like emailing friends etc... Divide and conquer!

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I'm sure I've missed a few tips, when they come to me I'll share them. But for now these are the most important tips. Have a spam free day!

Last edited: Thu Oct 04, 2007 1:50 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 838 times

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A Beautiful Irish Garden

Category: Garden Tours | Posted: Fri Sep 07, 2007 6:48 pm

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When home in Ireland at the start of September I took the opportunity to take a few photo's of my brother's beautiful garden. The garden is a year old but to walk around it you would scarcely believe it. Here we go.

Note: Click on any of the photos for a larger version.




Overall view of the garden





Down the garden path





Patio area (perfect for barbeques )





Water feature (not switched on in photo)





"Up Galway!" A dahlia displaying the Galway colours





Mixed perennials amongst the turf walled beds





A young upright golden yew Taxus baccata 'Fastigiata Aurea'





Crocosmia arch above nasturtiums and rubus





"Getting there" a shabby wall on its way to being brightened up





Dalia and bee combo





The pink daisy-like Echinacea purpurea





A worse for wear Lavatera x clementii 'Rosea'





Penstemon on its way to seed





A misted Schizostylis Coccinea "Mrs Hegarty"





Here's what the garden looked like last year


As you can see it is an amazing transformation. The birds, bees and butterflies love it also.

Hope you enjoyed this tour of just one beautiful Irish garden!

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GardenStew Blogs are a Year Old!

Category: GardenStew.com | Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:28 am

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Today is a very special day for blogs on GardenStew. First of all today the 10th of October 2006 is a year to the day when the blogs system first launched officially. Not only that but this is the 1000th blog entry written too! Some coincidence eh :)

Here are some stats:
Blogs started: 49
Entries written: 1000
Comments posted: 3254

Initially I'll admit I wasn't too sure that the blogs would take off but they really surprised me and I don't think our little community would be the same without them. It's what sets us apart from a lot of other gardening communities out there.

So what I suggest today is to reflect on what your blog has meant to you and tell us in the comments below. Also maybe we could choose a few links to our favourite blog entries and post them below as well.

And also I'd just like to say:
THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to the blogs so far, that includes authors and commenters!!! Looking forward to what the next year has in store!

Last edited: Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:30 am

This blog entry has been viewed 505 times

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Earthworms in the Garden / Earthworm Facts

Category: Gardening Articles | Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2006 8:06 pm

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Notice the lowly earthworm, squirming away, going about its everyday business. Simple creatures you may think but they have quite a important use in the garden. Did you know the earthworms are nature's first gardeners? They don't exist just for kids to eat and fishermen to use as bait :)

Some Basic Earthworm Facts

Earthworms are present in almost every type of soil but the healthier the soil the greater the numbers. A healthy soil permits lots of air and moisture, both of which are needed by the earthworm for a continued existence. Earthworms have no lungs like you or me but instead breathe through their skin. Their whole skin absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. They also need moisture to assist them in respiration but too much moisture is not good for them.

There are four types of earthworm that you may run into:
Nightcrawlers: 8 to 10 inches long and the fisherman's favourite.
Garden Worms: 5 to 7 inches long and found commonly in damp soils.
Manure Worms: 4 to 5 inches long and found in manure rich soils.
Red Worms: 3 to 4 inches long and the most commercially available.

Why Earthworms in the Garden?

A garden without earthworms would miss out on all of the great benefits that they bring to it. Their first job is to till the soil by tunneling through it. Tunnels created allow air and moisture to pass easily through the soil, creating a healthy environment for plants. Tunnels retain water that the plants can take up and also hold air to help bacteria break down organic matter within the soil.

After digestion earthworms produce excrement about the size of a pin head. This excrement is called "castings" or "vermicompost" and is an excellent soil conditioning material. It improves properties of the soil such as porosity and moisture retention, aids plant growth and helps in the fight against pests and diseases.

Increasing Earthworm Population in the Garden

How does one go about increasing the number of earthworms in their garden soil? Well the best way to do so is to add more organic matter to the soil. Earthworms cannot get enough of the stuff.and will seek it out wherever they can find it.

Finally...

The earthworm is just as important to the garden as the gardener that maintains it because they till the soil and add a soil conditioner in the form of castings. They are as much a gardener as you are. The next time you see one wiggling on the ground in front of you bend down and say "got any good gardening tips?" You never know it may answer :)

I will leave the final word to a one Charles Darwin who once had this to say about the earthworm:

"The plow is one of the most ancient and most valuable of man's inventions; but long before he existed, the land was in fact regularly plowed and still continues to be thus plowed by earthworms. It may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world, as have these lowly organized creatures."

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The bird hierarchy outside my back door

Category: Some Thoughts | Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2005 2:27 pm

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Every morning I get up and before tackling into my big bowl of porridge I put some food out for my little feathered friends. Recently I started to put food out and love seeing the little community that shows up everyday. Most days it goes like so....

First comes the robin who I swear is perched on a wall somewhere constantly on the look out for the food. He must have a little camp set up somewhere. He eats until he is full or unless he is hunted away by...

... the flock of starlings who always tackle the food in groups. I've never seen a starling on its own tackling into the food. Although I have seen a solitary immature starling (they are easy to spot, they have a brown colour unlike the adult starling who is the traditional starling colours). They keep eating until all the food is gone or until they are scared away by...

... the magpie or the crow. I hate these guys. They say the pigeon is the 'flying rat' but I would put the crow and the magpie into this category as well. Depending on whether I have noticed whether the robin and starlings have had their feed I will hunt these guys away.

I'm looking out my back door as I type and I have 3 hungry starlings looking up at me doing their best to guilt trip me into throwing out some more food. Crafty little buggers!

This blog entry has been viewed 805 times

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Mulching Benefits / Organic and Inorganic Mulch Types

Category: Gardening Articles | Posted: Fri Dec 02, 2005 1:09 pm

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Mulching is the practice of placing a loose surface onto the surface of soil in your flower or vegetable garden in order to protect, insulate and beautify the area. This loose covering is called a mulch and it can be either of an organic or inorganic variety. Examples of mulches include compost, stone and grass clippings. Every gardener should understand the many benefits of mulching the soil in their garden. This article will discuss the benefits of mulching, how to choose the correct mulch and have a quick look at some of the different types of organic and inorganic mulches available.

Benefits of Mulching

Let us explore some benefits of mulching:

Prevents soil erosion - Soil erosion happens when winds or water slowly wear away the surface of soil and remove it. Mulching your soil will prevent this as there is now a protective, replaceable layer.that comes between the surface of the soil and the forces of nature above it.

Insulates the soil in winter - The harsh temperatures of winter can be unkind. Mulching the soil in winter will insulate the soil preventing it from repeated patterns of freezing and thawing and will insulate plant roots. It prevents heaving (buckling upward) of soil in spring. Mulch should be applied to the soil when it has frozen and removed in spring only when there is no danger of further frosts. Winter-mulched soil thaws out more quickly in the spring.

Cools down soil in summer - A layer of mulch in summer protects the soil beneath from the extreme heats of summer and reduces the need for constant watering i.e. water retention is improved.

Helps against soil compaction - The layer of mulch acts as a buffer or extra layer between entities that can cause compaction on the soil below e.g. people, equipment, heavy rains.

Improves appearance - A mulch applied to your bed can make it look more complete and attractive. This varies from mulch to mulch as some are more attractive and natural looking than others.

Prevents weed growth - One of the more useful benefits of mulching is in weed prevention. While the mulch itself will not stop weeds from germinating it serves to act as a barrier between the weeds and the outside world above. When a weed reaches the mulch layer it will not be able to break above it and it will eventually die back. Some mulches perform this weed prevention feature better than others. Depth of mulch is also a contributing factor. Care should be taken however when selecting mulches as some mulches like grass clippings and straw may actually contain weed seeds.

Keeps fruit and vegetables clean - A layer of mulch reduces the chances of fruit and vegetables getting dirty from splashes from the soil below.

Choosing the Correct Mulch for Your Garden

Careful thought should be given when choosing a mulch to apply to your garden as each is different and should fit in with your exact requirements. Here are some common factors that should be considered:

Soil pH suitability - Some mulches like bark mulch and pine needle mulch can affect the pH value of soil so they are best used on soils containing acid-loving plants.

Removal in spring - Certain mulches need to be removed in spring because they can smother emerging plants. Examples include stone mulch and bark chips.

Cost - Is cost a limiting factor in your choice of mulches? If so you can find your mulch for free if you choose certain types. If you keep a compost heap then you will have compost for mulching. Other free mulches (if you have the sources) are pine needles and grass clippings.

Appearance - Do you care about how the bed will look when the mulch is applied? Each mulch adds a different look and depending on the design of your garden you may want to choose a mulch that matches it in colour and texture.

Penetration by water and air - Some mulches are better at allowing water and air to pass through them than others. This may be important depending on a plant's watering requirements.

Addition of nutrients to the soil - Organic mulches add nutrients back into the soil when they decompose. The nutrient types and their amounts added back into the soil depend on the mulch and it varies quite a bit. Using compost as a mulch guarantees plenty of nutrients for your plants.

Some Types of Organic Mulch

This type of mulch once used to be living material and as such will decompose over time. During their decomposition vital nutrients will be added back into your soil. However you may want to avoid using organic mulches if you have rodent problems. Some common organic mulches are:

Compost - Mulches and feeds the soils as it decomposes. This mulch is free if you have access to your own compost heap. Apply at a depth of 1 - 3 inches.

Pine Needles - Commonly used with acid soils. Cheap, looks great and allows water to pass through freely to the soil below. It decomposes quite slowly however. Apply to a depth of 1 - 1.5 inches

Straw - Provides great insulation, water penetration and weed control. Care should be taken that straw does not contain weed seeds itself. Apply to a depth of 6 - 8 inches.

Grass Clippings - Readily available and decomposes quite quickly adding nitrogen back into the soil. Try not to apply too fresh as it can heat up quite a bit and possibly cause damage to your plants. Apply to a depth of 1 inch.

Newspaper - Provides great weed control and is readily available. Apply another mulch on top to keep it in place. Apply in 2 layer sections.

Some Types of Inorganic Mulch

Inorganic mulches are inert materials that have not originated from living material. Sometimes inorganic and organic mulches are used in conjunction with one another. For example a geotextile (inorganic mulch) may be covered and held in place by bark chips (organic mulch). Some common inorganic mulches are:

Stone - Looks great and provides great insulation. If removal in spring is a factor in your choice of mulch avoid using stone. Degrades very, very slowly. Apply to a depth of 2 - 4 inches.

Plastic - Does not decompose so it does not add anything into the soil. Acts as a great weed control and is easily laid. Must be perforated to allow water to pass through. Apply in a thickness of 1 - 6 mm.

Geotextile - Expensive blanket-like synthetic fiber that provides great weed control and allows for water penetration. Almost always used in conjunction with a cover mulch (e.g. bark chips). Apply in a single layer.

Conclusion

In this article we looked at the many benefits of mulching and the different types available. Maybe take the time today to decide which mulch to use in your garden if you have not mulched in the past. You may be surprised at how cheap the process can be if you use mulches such as compost from your compost heap, grass clippings from your lawn cuttings and/or the Sunday newspapers! Happy mulching.

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