December 14, 2008, 5:04 pm : Thank you for being so patient

Filed Under: New Websites, Vintage Gems Emporium, Virtual Gems Emporium, Virtual Shops
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I know that it has been some time since we have posted anything. We are working to make this blog the best ever and we will be bringing you new news in the jewelry, kitty and overall fun departments. As some of you may know there has been a change in mangement over at Virtual Gems Emporium and we are working very closely with them for a smooth transition. Part of the team has left and formed a new website called Vintage Gems Emporium. Although they are using our code and look a lot like us they are no longer a part of the Virtual Shops family. Thank you for being patient and we look forward to having a great year.

July 20, 2008, 7:48 pm : EBAY HAS TURNED ITS BACK ON THE SELLERS THAT MADE IT WHAT IT IS

Filed Under: Problems with Ebay
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1. Ebay doesn’t need the small seller anymore, why? Because the large seller is less hassle and make ebay more money. So where will ebay be without the small seller giving their total assortment of auctions a little specialty store attitude. Ebay wants to be Walmart or really Amazon.com…lesser quality and more volume and have moved away from smaller shops that offer variety and quality. Ebay wants to secure their buyer base to shore up their market penetration .. thus the whacked new feedback policy and paypal (owned by Ebay) resolution group finding for the buyer more often the seller even when proof is provided. Since Meg Whitman left and believe you me she was no saint, Ebay has become de-sensitized and de-humanized and has turned its back on the small seller who made them what they are today.

July 20, 2008, 7:46 pm : HOW EBAY HAS CHANGED SINCE ITS INCEPTION

Filed Under: Problems with Ebay, Uncategorized
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1. In all of my years of buying and selling on Ebay, things have really changed. I started shopping on Ebay from a little Webtv unit in my living room in 1995-96. I remember feeling how great this was that I could reach out and bid on anything with the hope to win it. I remember many of Ebay sellers did not even have photos with their auctions but that did not stop me… I went by the written description and I never remember being disappointed with what came in the mail.

   I also remember never worrying about sending money (those days it was a check and money order payment plan) to virtual strangers and again I do not remember ever getting stiffed. I am going to sound my grandmother when I say “those were the good old days”. All my life I had been a collector of all things unique. I have about ten collections I add to on a regular basis and they include Native American jewelry and pottery, Salvadore Dali’ prints and paintings, boxes… anything with a lid and most made from natural materials like tortoise, horn, ivory and more, well anyway you get the picture… I collected everything and anything so in 2000 I decided to start selling on Ebay. At first it was things I had tired of and then I slowly bought things at auctions to resell. Mostly it was china and glass which I had a general knowledge about and in my first month I sold $8,000…. I though wow this is easy, I like it and most of all I am making great money. Well the years went by, fees went up, things became more cumbersome (they always try to fix things that aren’t broken) and getting any type of service from Ebay had become a thing of the past. Well getting to my point, I have seen Ebay go from a terrific and fun place to visit and eventual sell to fearful of getting the “boot” for some ridiculous misstep on my part. Ebay doesn’t care about the small boutique seller that I am. Ebay has moved their emphasis to being more like Amazon.com and their business model seems to be one of selling a lot of new and in some cases garbage stuff at fixed prices. Life for small seller like myself on Ebay has changed dramatically. These changes have included paying up to 11% of my auction sold price back to Ebay, not being able to leave negative feedback which quite honestly takes away my incentive to work with buyer to resolve anything, lower powerseller service and it goes on and on…. and to make a long story short… I want to sell in an auction format somewhere other than Ebay!!!

July 11, 2008, 3:27 pm : Welcome to SillyKat

Filed Under: New Websites, SeannLewis.com, personal
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Welcome!

I am glad that you are able to come to my site. My name is Seann Lewis and this is where I write about things that interest me. I mostly like to talk about my various business interests. I call the site SillyKat out of remembrance of my cat Snowbell. I also enjoy, video games, politics and a lot of other stuff. I hope you enjoy this site. It is a labor of love and allows me to verbalize what I am thinking while also allowing me to publicize a lot of my work.

I own two businesses and a variety of websites:

• SeannLewis.com, LLC – An IT business that services the needs of both small business and govenment interests
• Fobbs World Travel – A travel business
• The Jewelry Auction – an online jewelry marketplace
• Omni646 – an online networking and multi-media site
• Virtual Art Auctions – an online art marketplace

I am glad that you took the time to check out my sites.

-Seann