Shisha

Hi, I would very much like to attend this trade show. Unfortunately, my business is too small to get me in and I can't afford the membership with my better half out of work. If anyone out there is going to the show and would like some free help manning their booth for 1 day, I would love to assist you. All I ask in return is to get into the show under your name (you're allowed to bring helpers) and to have at least a few hours of free time. 50/50 helping time/free time would be fine with me. I am friendly, presentable and live about 30 minutes away from the show. Let me know! email klhainsworth@yahoo.com or pm me.

Most of my designs have been ripped off repeatedly. I'm used to it and no longer take it to heart. I believe if a company isn't making smart decisions about how to market their wares, swoop in and show em how it's done. I rarely do these kinds of things to make money---more often I'm doing them because I want something that's not available and other fans end up wanting them too. I don't believe that just because there's a rule against something it makes the rule right, reasonable or enforceable. Last year I was at a swap meet and I found a family selling a garter snake squeezed into a clear plastic box about the size of a pack of cigarettes. No way was I going to pay the family for the snake and encourage them to sell more of the poor critters. So I waited until their backs were turned and popped that snake into my tote bag. After confirmation of the ecological neutrality of letting the snake go from my herpatologist neighbor, he was set free in the backyard and slithered away in happy liberty. Doesn't mean it's not generally wrong to steal, just that laws to regulate commercial interests are not held by most to have the same sacred quality as, for example, laws that regulate the protection of life and limb.

Regarding fragrances, the name and the exact formula are the only things that can be trademarked. The actual smell cannot be. So you can come up with your own formula, that may smell exactly the same, and you're still doing fine. When you give it a name you must use something that shows it's not the trademarked original. (Using "type" after the name will work in most instances.) Most manufacturers do not publish the formula so you can rarely duplicate it exactly unless you use complex analysis technology, which is legal.

BTW what's up with this self-righteous buyer anyway, she thinks Kitkat is going to be selling a soap? Honestly...git a life. She might actually be a competitor trying to scare you off.

I think you have to look at it as a risk. Personally, there are some risks I am willing to take and not others. I wouldn't take this particular risk but that's just me. At other times, I have been willing to take this kind of risk. I sold a t-shirt that used the logo of a MLB team and knew I was taking a risk, but thought it was worth it. MLB didn't make the sizes and styles the fans wanted. I knew that once I got on the MLB's radar, they would eventually send me a cease and desist and they did, but up until that time I sold the items like hotcakes & have no regrets. I'm a rule-breaker though, and have broken the law on numerous occasions without losing too much sleep For example I am pro-legalization of marijuana (even tho I don't smoke it). U just have to decide if you are willing to take the risks. They are not going to come and arrest you because you sell a Kitkat molded soap. They'll just eventually shut down your auctions.

I think the seller is saying that he mailed it, but you're out of luck because you didn't purchase insurance, and expressing his frustration that every time he has a customer that doesn't purchase insurance, it's that particular package that gets lost. I am sure he doesn't really mean "every time" but is using that as hyperbole because it has happened more than once. I can almost guarantee he doesn't mean that he doesn't send out the banner if you don't purchase insurance. This is because Ebay has a very active feedback system and if this was true, his feedback would be horrible and OP never would have purchased from him. Just file Item Not Received from Paypal and you'll get the money back. Kim (longtime Ebay seller and buyer)

I recently had a problem with my website that I did not know about. An order was placed, and I sent the item. I did not realize that the money was never taken out of the customer's card. A few days later she wrote that she loved the item. She said she still hadn't been charged, was there some mistake?. I thanked her over and over for her honesty, she said "I couldn't sleep at night knowing I had taken something and not paid for it. " Wouldn't the world be a great place if everyone just did the right thing? She made my day (and I fixed the problem!) Ignore your tacky buyer. Her behavior is sad, and sure to rebound on her some day.

Well, all I can say is I LOVE GOOGLE!! Why? Because unlike other search engines that bring up all kinds of garbage that's not what I need, typically a Google search will bring up exactly the page (or type of page) I am searching for within the first couple of listings, and over 50% of the time it's the first listing. I presume this is because it uses people's links to rank...people don't link to crappy ad pages generally!! This is a positive, not a negative in my mind. Yahoo and MSN have irritating paid links first in their results...I prefer Google's because it solves a problem for me. I buy stuff based on Google searches every. single. day.

I have seen it all....from the lady who thought the incense holder was a shoehorn to the guy who thought I sold hot dogs (I sell soap....where did he get hot dogs? He actually asked for two hot dogs!) I have come to believe that sprinkled among the thousands of wonderful people out there are a few who shouldn't be driving, reproducing or operating heavy machinery. Regarding other vendors, I have a pretty firm discipline to never spend more than $10 at any show, on any merchandise. If I spend more than that, I'm cutting into my own profits. So I've passed up a bunch of great stuff, but rarely regret it. At a huge show I did last summer with my perfumes & incense, I had this one teen gal who repeatedly asked to "trade". She hung around and sniffed everything in the booth. Turned out her mom made expensive hand-knit scarves (beautiful) and a "trade" would have cost me half my booth. I have no idea what she was thinking....from her designer clothes & purse & shoes she sure as hell could have afforded a $3.00 pack of incense. She did finally buy it with cash, but it was like pulling teeth. ???

I have been making and selling these for years and I can tell you that every FO is different. I use a larger percentage for some FOs and a much smaller amount of others. It depends how strong you want it and how strong the FO is. Then your carrier throws in another variable. There is no substitute for experience. Get out a bottle, add 5 percent FO and 95 percent whatever your carrier oil is going to be, and see if it works for you. Go up on the FO if you need to, to get the scent you want. No one person can give you a recipe because it depends on the FO and the supplier and carrier you use. Fortunately, it's hard to screw these up. Making them a little too strong or a little too weak is not a terribly dangerous mistake.

When I started doing this several years ago I checked out all the threads and experimented a bit. Ultimately the mix my skin liked best was a blend of sweet almond, jojoba and avocado oils. I don't need moisturizer anymore and I never get breakouts. Yay!

I have help maybe 50% of the time at shows; the other 50% I am on my own. My solution was this: I got 4 of those rolling travel bags (big ones) which have the retractable handle. I bought 1 new at Ross for $20, 2 at thrift stores ($5 each) and I had one already, so the cost was minimal. I pack these things very tight and they are a godsend. I can whip them in and out of the car in no time. I have a "kit" of stuff that always comes with me (bag of scissors, tape, pens, labels, aspirin) that stays in the car all the time. When I do a show, this bag is unloaded first. For whatever reason, most of my shows provide tables, so fortunately I don't lug those around. If I have to, I have several folding tables that fit in the car, but I avoid using them.

I sell hundreds of these things (altho I use jojoba oil, don't like cyclo) and believe me, the amounts are different for each FO. I need just a couple of drops of Pink Sugar (I use SW) to scent the whole .33 oz bottle, but I need a heck of a lot more than that for a lot of other fragrances. You have to test it out.

I'd be skeered to death to use these!! Maybe I just have dense customers, but I have a terrible feeling that if I sold tarts like this, more than one would park the little cup right there on the electric candle warmer! That would NOT be good!! Do you provide instructions for TAKING the TART OUT OF THE CUP or are your customers just naturally sharper than mine?

My tip on these? Don't put them in the fridge, just let them harden in their cups right on the counter. No sweat, no weeping, smoother finish.