Hiho everyone. Todays update will has to last for the next three days, as I will be offline for the next three days. We will be going to the Netherlands, Arnheim to be precise. They have a wonderful zoo there (Burgers Zoo) if anyone is interested and on top of that a hill, where the apes roam freely and you can move along them. Looking very forward to see that.

Speaking of apes, I am kind of reminded about our Ebay business. But that was probably too disrespectful towards our closest relatives, as I am sure they would handle some of the situations I came across more professional than their human counterparts. Just in one of the last posts I was taking about liars and cheaters. This time I came across a very dumb one. For over one and a half week, he told me that he had paid and that he was wondering why the heck it would take that long until the money was being transferred. He even offered me to provide me the bank statement where his transaction would be documented. I however replied something like that he should not worry as some banks have a habit of delaying transfers and that a week is sometimes kind of normal. Anyway, I told him that I would not be pissed at him for the moment being. Guess what that bitch replied ? He thanked me for my understanding that he could not pay for the moment being because he would have to lend the money in order to pay me and as he would get his wage on next wednesday, he would pay me as soon as possible !? Can you believe this ? This sucker forgot his own made-up story and that is what I told him straight to his face. Well, the ear at least as I called him. I told him, the last thing he will ever hear from me is the letter of my lawyer claiming a couple of hundred bucks charges from him if he would not pay by wednesday. Unbelievable.

On the other hand, some guys are h´just overly cautious. I have a customer from Portugal now, who is a real nice guy. He wanted to get on one auction for an 8800 last minute and I opened it up for him personally as I do normally restrict my allowed bidders to germany and austria after that nigerian scammer incident. Anyway, he won that auction and I was a bit suspicious at first. Portugal. Isn’t that the country where besides Nigeria the second most scammers come from ? At elast the guys at the various GSM-Forums tell so So, I became infected with doubt. I send him some mails, claiming his phone number and correct adress…the full monty. Turned out however, that this guy was a real fast payer, as he sent me the payment via paypal (plus his phone number). And then it all started. He asked for whether I did sent the parcel not only twice in an hour but three times. I, the respectfull and well-raised person I am, answered him. It was until his third inquiry until I began to understand that he probably had not gotten any of my mails So, I wrote him directly via ebay and asked whether he had gotten any mail and guess what ? He had not and was dead worried. Well, we exhcanged then mails via a different account, which were all like him asking me details about the shipment and me answering them as much as I could up to that point that I had to call the third-level support of DHL. Well, at 8 o’clock in the evening I called it a day, after I had sent him even the scan if the postage receipt scanned with the scanner that I bought just to do this favour to him. I got on the phone and called him to ensure him that everything will go allright. It has to know because I am not sure if he will do himself harm if anything goes wrong.

But then there was even this other guy, Köse. I was very convinced that I was about to get ripped of by him since this time he did not reply to any of the 5 mails I did sent to him, so I called him. Turned out however, that he was absolutely convinced that he already payed me by paypal until I could make it clear to him, that he was not paying me but that he had transferred the money from hsi bank account into his paypal account and that the last step to transfer this money to me was due. So, I am looking forward to get his payment by the weekend. The russian girl however could be a different story. No contact yet, no reputation point and no phone number. Well, by Sunday we will know.

Next week then we will meet our probable next supplier of mobile phone. We won’t open any new business case until then. First of all in order to collect all the money people owe us first, and secondly to be able to think about some business alternatives.

To make up for the next days where you will surely miss me, I have brought you something to read and to think it over, Trading Hours For Dollars. A provocative reading for sure, but I think he got it right mostly.

As you may have noticed, the link to M’s blog is working again, as it was my stupidity preventing it from working. M is back at the UK for some time so I am anxious to here from him about our idea regarding the “swapped trading zones”.

After I am back, we will then have to concentrate on spreading the popularity of this blog. izt is all no fun for sure if we don’t have some cheering crowds at the side pushing us to the next step