Living Room Updates

Is this week flying by for anyone else? I cant believe it's already Wednesday.I am in the middle of freshening up my living room. Let me show you where I am.
I purchased another Turkish rug from my favorite Ebay seller. He is so nice, and always types "nice to hear from you, again". You know what I'm thinking......you don't remember me.

When it arrived, there was a free pillow cover included.....thanks Turkish rug dude!

While shopping Internationally on Ebay, I also bought this vintage Kantha quilt.

Here's the other side.

I bought it from this Ebay seller. It came from India and arrived a week early. It did smell a bit musty so I washed it on a gentle cycle two times and hung it to dry. It is fresh and clean. Now if I can just figure out how to fold it. 

It reminds me of that Martha Stewart video on how to fold a fitted sheet

Yeah Martha, that ain't happening in this house. #Overachiever

I went to my local hardware store to see if I could configure a creative way to hang my light fixture. The guys that work there are so helpful....well, one of them is helpful, the other one keeps telling me "it can't be done"... so far I am 4-0. Do you find that most men can't think outside the box?

Here are the pieces I brought home. 

And now they are gold.  That bending piece goes into the sheetrock, so you won't see it.

Do you know how to install a toggle bolt? It's super easy, and I will try to get a tutorial up soon.  I'm not sure I am going to use all these pieces, but if I didn't take them home....I know I would need them.

I think that's it for now. Oh, I also managed to get four loads of laundry done and cooked two dinners. I'm a on a roll!

I almost forgot, I don't want to break up with you when Google Reader goes kaput. Do you know what the social media buttons on my sidebar are for? Here are some ways we can keep in touch (KIT).

Now where are you at with your TTD list?

Happy May Day!

 

Rug Sources

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I took two naps, and went shoe shopping with my teen. I would love to have spent the weekend gardening, but Mother Nature is treating me like her unfavorite child. 

  Before I tell you about my rug sources, I wanted to say a quick thank you to Falon from The Bees Times Three for this adorable tote. I won this along with a Target gift card in her giveaway. #ILoveAGiveaway.
My daughter gets the tote (I filled it with her favorite beach stuff) and I get the gift card. Wouldn't this be adorable as party favors for kids Birthday parties?

As promised, here are my rug sources for my entry. After you grab the sources, you may want to read on because I will be telling you how to spot an unethical Ebay seller.
This rug was from Esalerugs.com 

I purchased it on an "extra 50% off sale. The price was good, and the rug was cleaned by the seller. I did think it needed a light cleaning when it arrived. No big deal, and many people might have been fine with it. I would buy from them again.

The next two rugs are from this Ebay Seller.

I fell in love with this detail

The prices are good, and I was able to negotiate for free shipping on both. There were a few glitches in the process. Federal Express notified me that I needed to fill out a form required by Homeland Security. There was also an additional $31 for custom/taxes. I notified the seller of the additional fees, and he immediately refunded me the $31 to my pay pal account. Getting the legal document to Federal Express was another story. 
I purchased the rugs last October. They arrived during Hurricane Sandy. I had no way of electronically receiving or sending documents. Days were going by, and Federal Express was informing me (via cell phone) that they would need to ship the rugs back if I could not get the paperwork to them in the next two days. I made it happen, and I can't even remember how.....I think my husband hacked into my email account from a remote location....it's all a blur.
The Ebay pictures of the rugs are shown on the streets of Turkey. They needed to be cleaned, and you should figure that expense into your decision. I had my rug cleaner clean them. I would and am currently planning on buying from him again. 
Here are my tips for spotting unethical Ebay Sellers.

I really don't care if the seller says I can return an item if I am not satisfied. We are talking about International Shipping......the likelihood of me returning an item overseas is slim to none, and they know it.
First - the legal disclaimer - I am not accusing anyone of anything illegal or inappropriate. The views I am about to share are solely my own. The examples I am giving are merely examples, and do not clam to be anything more than hypothetical situations.
Now look out for the following:
The reviews on Ebay can be manipulated. Shocked? I was, when my husband pointed this out. There was an article in some business publication that I would have never found.  He gave me the article, and here is what you need to know:
Sellers can open fake accounts and make purchases in their own stores. This will give them the ability to rate themselves A+ and thus increasing their percentages against negative or neutral ratings.  How can you spot one? Here are some red flags for me.
When you see an item that you are interested in, go check out the ratings. Pay attention to these two numbers
Neutral & Negative

Make sure you read what the people said about the seller. Then, go look at the sales, and check out the buyers. This buyer jumped out at me.

He has a low number of purchases...so far, that's ok. Let's go check out this buyer. Here is part of his purchase history.

On July 14, 2012...this buyer purchased 9 rugs from 2 sellers. What is even more concerning to me is that the actual item and the price it was purchased for, is missing or "private". 

I would not buy from either of the sellers listed. In fact, I do a "save seller" and make a note to myself in the comments section.

Another thing to look for:   Ebay Seller's can change their name and start a new store. One way to question if this might be the case is to look at how long they have been on Ebay in relation to their sales. An example of this is below. This seller has multiple listings at very high prices. I would not be comfortable buying from this person.

I love Ebay, and will continue to make purchases from the site. It never hurts to be a little cautious when you are not buying from a company, but rather an unknown individual. 

Do you have any Ebay experiences you want to share?