Many people had a love affair with eBay at some point in the last decade. Most of these people at one time or another managed to buy something they really wanted or needed at a price that seemed too good to be true.
Back in 2005, eBay was my first port of call for so many new purchases. The nest of three tables that have the pleasure of being handily spread out around my flat were purchased for about a fiver and picked up 20 miles south of my then workplace.
In 2008 I rarely visit eBay. The experience has changed. First, buyers and sellers alike got tired of the auction element. It's a ball-ache to spend days watching a listing when really only the final two minutes determine the winner, and it's a ball-ache to have to think so hard about setting up the auction in such a way that the item actually sells for a decent price rather than not at all, costing listing fees for no return. The initial entertainment wears off, and buy it now becomes the method of choice, again for both the buyer and the seller.
Problem is, buy it now prices aren't all that competitive. Unless i'm looking for some mass-produced cheap version of a gadget from China i'm going to find it very hard to find what I'm looking for at a price much below Amazon or their marketplace, and if that is what I'm looking for, I'll still have to sift through 5-10 ploys on raising shipping costs that land the price of the item from each seller at about the same level anyway. It's tiresome.
I've needed new strings for both of my guitars for over a month now. I have nothing in reverse if I break a string right now. I used to swear by buying strings online, as music shops mark them up to a ridiculous extent, but it seems like such a hassle. eBay for some reason makes it very hard to single out the guy that gave you a good experience more than a year ago, in my experience at least.
Royal Mail don't help matters. If a package didn't fit my letterbox and they left a card, three years ago i'd pop into the Swan Street depot just by the M1 junction at 7am on the way to work the next morning. Now they open at 8am, don't close any later, and it's hardly ever worth risking showing up the next day, because it's just not going to be "back yet". Their attitude stinks also. They show no remorse for making me wait in line for 15 minutes before telling me there was in fact no point waiting in the line at all. They've heard the complaints. They even have a sign which may as well say "don't bother complaining to us, call this number to be fobbed off".
That said, the Royal Mail point applies equally to Amazon in particular, who insist on sticking with a mail service that for some reason can't come close to the standards of 10 years ago. We've exchanged next day first class delivered at 7am for occasionally next day first class delivered at 11am.
eBay is making moves in attempt to regain popularity that it has to be losing, such as appeasing buyers by giving sellers no ability to react to a negative experience. It's tradition for eBay to continually shit on sellers with moves such as this, and of course raising fees, and most of the time I don't mind. I have yet to converse with a so called power seller that can string a sentence together, and I *wish* I was exaggerating. They constantly complain about changes to the platform that they now feel entitled to make their living. Where did eBay promise it's sellers lifelong use of their platform?
Okay I accept it I'm all over the place tonight. Let's just get on with it.
1. Still not great. Portions are fine, but dumb supermarket buying means that again I did find myself again indulging in unhealthy lunchtime snacks. It's so very easy to rationalise a snack because the healthy beans were too badly burnt. Long story, but if you cook Borlotti beans, keep an eye on them, and don't think just because only the ones at the bottom were burnt, the rest won't taste burnt. They do, and they're going in the bin.
2. Up and down like a yoyo. Still sticking to the rules.
3. I did go somewhere with the camera, but the nature of the event meant I didn't in fact use it. This still counts though.
4. Good weekend. Went to "Taste of Birmingham" festival and ate some small samples of some very good food. Really good lamb is reeeeaally good lamb. Also went out saw some not so recently present friends on Friday night which was good (it was, really, the post served a purpose - it wasn't some drunken outpouring as it may have seemed).
5. No progress musically this week. No excuse either. Been listening to more music, but not making any. Rectify!
6. STILL no work goals. When I finally get these i'm gonna post em up!
7. I've been thinking. No conclusions.
8. I did go for a swim. My ear started to ache in the pool under pressure of shallow water. That is very painful, but thankfully stopped. For the first time back after a 2-gap, didn't really feel anything was lost, which is progress. Not done much else exercise-wise this week.
I think it must be becoming apparent that I'm low on motivation right now. I'm enjoying myself more, thinking less, but also making less progress. In the back of my mind, although I never wrote it down, I had hoped that the exercise and diet goals would drive me to a point where i'd feel better about my body when going for a swim in Cornwall this summer. Now, there's no fucking summer, thats the first point, but i'm still going next week. Unfortunately, I am the same weight now as I was at Christmas. I am largely the same weight I have been for the last three years. The efforts have only had a minor effect. It's also hard to believe that I must have achieved my exercise goal at least 10-15 times, because it doesn't seem like that many. Having said that, I was slow starting on that one. The early summer made it enjoyable to be out on my bike, but since that disappeared I haven't felt the push to do it. I still should though, and why I don't lift those weights I really can't figure. I mean, I just need to actually fucking do it, but I don't. Sad to say, I seem to be lazy. Didn't realise it until just recently. Need to fix that.
Here's to a better week. This time next week I'll be somewhere in Cornwall. I might post up from the N800 if I get time, otherwise It'll be a much later catch up. Peaceout.
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