My Pretty New Email Button

Thank you, to my very talented friend, Amy, A Redeemed Sheep. The email button is exactly what I had in mind!

Imaginary Friends

Opening the small box our mail lady had just delivered, I gave a little squeal. My husband, who knows I’m not usually a squealer, walked into the living room to determine the source of my excitement. He squinted at the beaded, pink object I withdrew from its mailer. “What is that? A necklace?”

“No,” I answered, still admiring my unexpected gift. “It’s a pen!”

“Won’t that be a little large for your lapel?” he asked, feigning horror.

“Not a PIN . . . a PEN!” I clarified. “Amy made it for me.”

“Who’s Amy?” he asked, losing interest in a hurry.

“You know . . . Amy . . . my partner on The Swap?” I explained patiently, seemingly for the hundredth time.

“Ohhhh . . . one of your IMAGINARY friends!” he declared with a smirk. Having now completely lost interest, he disappeared back into the kitchen.

I stuck my tongue out at him and, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, took my new, hand beaded pen down to my office, where it would be safe from a dozen grubby little hands. Amy knows I love pink. She made this just for me! She’s such a thoughtful friend!

True, I’ve never met her. But after years of daily communication via The Swap.com, an online forum for homeschoolers, I know her better than I know many friends-with-skin. When Renna and Marilyn, the previous owners of The Swap, decided it was time to retire, I had no qualms about partnering with Amy in an attempt to fill their very large shoes. It’s been a blast! I have to admit I’ve gotten the best of the deal. Amy is one in a million, using her Internet savvy and creative talent to make improvements to the site, cheering for me when I come up with an occasional idea of my own, and text messaging with me until well past her bedtime. (And let’s not forget the presents!) “Imaginary Friend”, indeed!

The Swap was originally started in 1996 as a place for homeschoolers to buy and sell used homeschool curriculum. The message board quickly became a popular place for homeschooling moms to ask advice, share stories, and give and receive support. In the past twelve years, there have been few days I haven’t logged on at least once. I KNOW these people . . . their hobbies, their kids’ names, their favorite colors and, in some cases, their weight! So, yes, I consider them my friends.

In addition to my work on The Swap, I have half-a-dozen other online “jobs”. I’m not getting rich but, as a hobby, it’s more profitable than, say, golf. (Sorry, honey.) I appreciate being able to work at home because I’m free to wipe tiny noses as necessary, I can work in bare feet and blue jeans, and no one cares if I’m nursing a toddler and typing at the same time. Online work isn’t as solitary as you might think. I’ve gotten to know some very interesting clients, co-workers, and customers via email, text messaging, and online forum posts.

One of my newer online acquaintances is Doodlemom, who just started her own blog. When she emailed me about her plans, I felt privileged to be one of the first to know of her blogging intentions. I expect to find she has a lot to say. You know how encouraging those first few comments can be. Here’s your chance to welcome a new blogger!

Meanwhile, honey, the next time you tease me about my imaginary friends, I’m KEEPING my imaginary paycheck.

Curriculum and Cash

I’m a homeschool curriculum junky. When I hear of a new learning resource, it doesn’t take much to convince me that it would be JUST PERFECT for at least one of my children. After looking it over, that proves to be true a little less than half the time. The rejected material has often ended up on eBay.

The online auction process is a unique experience. Often, it’s profitable. Frequently, it’s educational. Usually, it’s entertaining.

Not too long ago, I listed a workbook from a popular publisher. Because virtually anyone shopping for this item would already be familiar with it, my description was brief: “This is XYZ workbook from ZYX publisher. The book is like new. There is no writing in this book.”

The next day, I received the following question in my email regarding said auction:  “Is there any writing in this book?”

I’m not sure why this person was interested in buying a book, because it appears she can’t read. (No, I didn’t point out her oversight. The potential customer is always right.)

A few years ago, I was baffled by one buyer who was the high bidder on three of my auctions. Instead of sending the total price for all three books, she issued three separate payments. I was mildly disgruntled about this, because PayPal charged me thirty cents per payment received. I decided not to make a big deal about the extra sixty cents, but was curious enough to ask why she had paid that way. She willingly answered, “My husband and I agreed not to spend over twenty dollars at one time without consulting each other. The books I purchased from you cost almost twenty dollars each, so this way I don’t have to ask him first.”

Can you say, “Creative Accounting”?

I’m always amazed when people are willing to pay more than the new price for a used item. I’ve often seen this happen when two bidders engage in a bidding war at the end of an auction. Up, up, up goes the price until somebody WINS. It doesn’t matter that the item is available for far less at a variety of retailers. What matters is that they WON! When it’s time to pay the invoice, I imagine this type of behavior gives “win at all costs”  a literal definition.

Once, the closing price of an item I was selling for My Husband was more than double what the overly-enthusiastic bidder could have purchased it for at his local KMart. Riddled with guilt, I emailed my buyer, explained how to research reasonable prices, and offered free shipping to help compensate for the excessive purchase price he was obligated to pay. He replied cheerfully, “Oh, don’t worry about it. eBay is the only place I can buy sports equipment without paying attention to what I am spending. If it comes from eBay, my wife thinks it HAS to be a bargain, so she doesn’t complain!”

I hope neither of these people are spending ALL their money. I suspect they’ll need it to pay for future marriage counseling.  

Since I have your attention, I will mention that I now buy and sell my used curriculum at The Swap, a site operated by my friend Amy and myself. Listing and selling costs only six dollars for three months, shopping and buying are free, you set your own prices and, unlike eBay, you can sell teacher’s manuals!

We would also be happy to have you join us on one of the fun, encouraging, informative and VERY active forums for homeschooling parents. The Swap is the oldest used curriculum site on the ‘Net! (Advertising is allowed only in the Classified Ads section. No advertising is allowed on the forums.)