James L. Paris's Blog, page 223

Airfares So Low, This Website Is Being Sued By Airlines

On this episode - Who knew that Snopes.com is run by atheist liberals? Sylvester Stallone's Social Security number posted online in Sony Pictures hack, Senator Charles Schumer asking the Justice Department to investigate why airfares have not dropped with the price of oil, flea market goes bankrupt after feds discover counterfeit purses, new home security system options, buying things offline and reselling on Amazon at higher prices, and Exodus God and Kings opens to mixed reviews from Christians.

10 Ways To Find Last Minute Christmas Deals

Holiday shopping sales were down 7 percent on Black Friday. This means that retailers will have no choice but to continue to offer deals all the way up to Christmas. If you missed out on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this year you still have plenty of time to grab some great deals. In fact, if sales don't pick up, the clearance sales after Christmas could be epic. 

1. Major Retailers

There are deals just about everywhere, and this year retailers across the board are more competitive than ever. Bricks and mortar stores are also being very aggressive about matching the prices of their online competitors, so be sure and bring your smartphone on your shopping excursion. If you find a better deal online, don't hesitate to ask for a discount. 

2. Amazon.com Hidden Deals

Of course, Amazon is one place to always check prices. There are a couple of ways to find what I call Amazon hidden deals. First, when considering an item on Amazon always click on the 'other sellers' link to see what other pricing may be available. This can also include a slightly used item. I buy a lot of books this way. Many times a book will be sold as 'used' but is described by the seller as 'like new' and the difference in quality is virtually undetectable (many times I save 50%). 

Amazon Gold Box Deals provide an ever changing list of deals 24 hours a day. These deals are all timed, so you have to jump on them when they become available.

Utilize Amazon price range search to find deals within your budget. I have even found that I was able to discover a lower price on the very same product using this tool on the right hand sidebar (see example below). Note that you must select a department first before you can use the price range tool. If you are an Amazon Prime member you would likely also select the Prime option to show only those items with free shipping within the desired price range.

Another great tool is Price Jump. This is an extension for the Chrome browser that will tell you whether or not Amazon has the best deal online for a given product. If not, it will direct you to the site with the lower price.

3. Woot

Woot is owned by Amazon and is all about daily deals and bargains. Everything from computers, to sports, to kids items, there is a very wide selection. Deals are limited by time on Woot, but you usually have a few days (while supplies last). Despite being owned by Amazon, free Prime shipping is not available on your purchases. 

4. NoMoreRack.com

NoMoreRack is known as a flash deal site. This is comparable to Amazon's Goldbox (as the deals come and go based on time and quantity and usually only last a few hours). 

5. Overstock.com

Overstock  has great prices and deals mostly in clearance items. I have bought quite a lot of items from this site including furniture and even a jacuzzi hot tub.

6. Thrift Stores, Garage Sales, And Flea Markets

If you are shopping for someone that you know well, you may find that perfect item at a thrift shop, garage sales, or even a flea market. It is always a lot of fun to go out looking for a collectible item for a loved one that has a niche interest. My mom, for example, collects cows. Yes, kind of odd, but any kind of cow figurine and she is thrilled. It might take two or three hours of shopping, but then pay dirt! Many times the item itself does not even cost all that much, it is more of an investment of time to go on the scavenger hunt to find it. Also, it is interesting to note that Goodwill is now online as well.

7. Ebay

Ebay is also a great place to find unique items and even new items as well. I bought my wife a collectible item on Ebay for Christmas this year. I know it will be more appreciated than any new item I could ever find. Trust me on this, buy an adult a toy they had as a child and you will never go wrong.  

8. Etsy

Etsy is a very interesting site that many people don't know about. Etsy is a marketplace of all handmade items. The neat thing about Etsy is that the prices are surprisingly reasonable. If you are looking for something truly unique, this is the place to get it. Everything from handmade clothing, to a quilt, to original art, a great site to consider.

9. Discount Gift Cards

CardCash is just one of several websites where you can buy gift cards at a discount to face value. Another site is GiftCards.com. Discounts of 5% to 35% are available on major retailer and restaurant gift cards. Be sure that you never pay sales tax when you buy a gift card (online or otherwise). Sales tax is charged against the purchases made on the card, but never on the sale of the card itself. 

10. Groupon Goods

There is a unique and growing section on the Groupon website called Groupon Goods. You will find a wide variety of items for sale and the prices are downright incredible. 

Helping you make the most of God’s money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio

Jim Paris Giving Away Free Product Scanner For Amazon Flipping

Just a quick update here to report that I have now had 11 sales in the last 7 days and a total of $165 in earnings. As I have reported in my previous articles on this, I am very surprised at how quickly items are selling. I have another big shipment to put together to send out to Amazon on Monday. 

If you missed my prior articles on this, here are links for you -

Amazon Flipping: A Weird New Way People Are Making Money Online

Finding Items To Resell - Amazon Flipping Update

Amazon Flipping: Deciding What Items To Sell on eBay Instead

Planning To Pocket $500 On My First Amazon FBA Shipment

Buying A Desktop Scanner

I have reached the point with Amazon FBA that I am convinced I will continue to do this part time. I am also starting to learn some really cool shortcuts. One item that I just purchased is a desktop scanner. This will provide a way for me to skip the step of typing in the barcode numbers on each new product that I add to my inventory. This will be a huge timesaver for me and I plan to go automated on my next wave of products I will be adding to my inventory. Here is a video below outlining the benefit of grabbing a desktop scanner.

 

 

I have heard from so many of you that have wanted to join my training program but have missed out on the various bonus offers I have made in the past three weeks. So, here is another chance to get in with a nice bonus. Everyone that joins through Sunday night December 14 at midnight Eastern will receive a desktop scanner as a free gift. 

You will receive my four hour video, membership in my private Facebook group, and unlimited Q and A support for 60 days with me personally. 

Join Today - Click Here

 Helping you make the most of God's money!

 James L. Paris 

Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio  

 

TV Star Offers To Help You Get Rich In Real Estate

I have been hearing quite a few radio ads lately from real estate guru Than Merrill. He was featured in seasons three and four of the A&E TV show Flip This House. Merrill was also a notable college football star that was drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2001. His NFL career ended in 2003 when he suffered a knee injury.

 

The ad (voiced by Merrill) says that he is looking to add people to his real estate investing team, and that his flipping opportunity is ideal for the (insert city name) market. Yep, it said that Daytona Beach was the ideal market for his system, and it also said the same about Jacksvonille. See video below and note how it is customized for Medford, Oregon. 

 

I was suprised to learn that Merrill's seminar company, Fortune Builders, has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. It is unfortunate that we have to all immediately assume that a real estate seminar company is scam. Merrill's free seminar promotes a three day workshop for $197 - that sounds like a reasonable price. Maybe Merrill will turn out to be the exception to the rule within the world of real estate gurus.  We will see.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 

Who Is Behind Snopes.com?

You may have been involved in a heated debate on a political issue, or mentioned a news story or Internet rumor, and been rebuffed with the line, 'Check Snopes.com ... it is not true.' Snopes.com is a fact checking website that many consider to be the final word on rumors, urban legends, and even news stories. Most people trust Snopes, but who are they and who is running this site?

It is not run by a college journalism department or a worldwide research team, just a husband and wife team in Southern California. David and Barbara Mikkeslon, started the site in 1995 as a part time project, which later turned into a full time effort. According to Wikipedia, the site gets about 300,000 visits per day. Many now suggest that Snopes has a liberal bias and that the site should not be considered a neutral source. I don't visit this site often, but I was surprised to learn that it was operated by only two people. Christians should also know that the Mikkelsons are atheists. See this video below that highlights their godless views.

    

The next time someone brings up Snopes, give them your own facts about the fact-checkers themselves. 

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 

Bank Of America Must Pay $1 Million Dollars For Harassing Phone Calls

A Tampa couple received a judgment of more than $1 million dollars against Bank Of America for  “patterns of outrageous, abusive and harassing conduct.” The couple received more than 700 phone calls in four years after they became late on their mortgage in 2009. Even after sending multiple letters asking the bank to stop calling them, the calls continued. 

Each phone call was worth $1,500, bringing this all to a judgment of more than $1 million dollars! Stop debt collection phone calls with this simple letter - Cease Communication Debt Collection Calls. If they don't stop calling you after you send the letter, who knows? You might just be able to collect a windfall of your own.

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 

Who Knew It Was This Easy To Buy Tires Online

My daughter needed to replace a couple of tires on her car this week, so she called some local shops only to find out that they did not have the tires in stock. Since she was going to have to wait a couple of days anyway, we thought we would try the Internet. I had written an article on this last year lamenting the fact that I did not use the Internet and paid too much for tires at that time.

We did a basic search on Amazon for the tires she needed. We then limited the search to only tires that we could purchase with free Amazon Prime shipping. We were able to buy both tires for a grand total of $119. Our local Wal-Mart will put the tires on for $15 each. So for $150 she will have her new tires installed and be good to go. Now that I have had this good experience, I will always check prices available online when buying tires. In the end you may decide to purchase from a local shop, but it is good to get some prices to at least be able to negotiate. Be sure that you know your tire size, you will have to pay for the return shipping if you make a mistake on your order (you will find your tire size on the sidewall of the tire you are replacing). 

Also, you can buy new hubcaps, tire chains, rims, and anything related to your tire needs on Amazon as well. My wife's car has a couple of very scuffed up hubcaps. I found a set of four on Amazon for only $20. An easy way to make your car look new again is to put some new hubcaps on (a great idea when trying to sell or trade in a vehicle).  

Helping you make the most of God's money!

James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com 
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 

Airfares So Good They Are Suing This Website

A website you may have never heard of before called Skiplagged is being sued by United Airlines and Orbitz (the online travel booking site). The lawsuit is to prevent the site from sharing so called 'hidden city' deals. Deals so good that they are suing this site to keep the information offline! How delicious, tell me more... Details on lawsuit here.

What Are Hidden City Deals?

Hidden city deals are based on a very unique travel strategy that has been used for years by super savvy travelers. The strategy involves traveling with only your carry on luggage so you can leave the flight during a scheduled layover. A current example involves very cheap flights to Bermuda from Los Angeles. They all involve a stop in New York. So,once you reach New York you simply get off the plane and enjoy your time in the Big Apple. You won't be showing up on the next leg of the flight to Bermuda. The airlines say that this practice is unethical, while one travel commentator said it is no different than buying a bag of potato chips and only eating half the bag. Why should you be required to use the entire itinerary if you choose to get off in the middle?

Why Do Airlines Care?

They say it causes delays when they can not account for a passenger that has not shown up for a connecting flight. They also suggest that there are additional issues related to security, calculating fuel requirements, and seating the other passengers. Some of these concerns may be valid, but the primary issue here seems to be all about the money. Passengers using this strategy my save 50% or more on what they would have otherwise had to pay for a ticket to the same city if selected as their final destination. 

What Is The Risk?

Travel experts say that the risks are minimal, but they should be considered. There is a chance that the layover city could be changed due to weather or other circumstances. Airlines do not approve of this strategy, so don't expect them to help you if you end up in a different city than you planned. Also, you can only do this with one way tickets as the airline will cancel the remainder of your itinerary when you don't show up for your connecting flight (to create a roundtrip itinerary, you will need to purchase another one way ticket for your return flight). Some reports also suggest that airlines may retaliate against passengers using this strategy by stripping them of their frequent flier miles, while others may be sent to bed without cookies and milk.

How Much Can You Save?

The savings can range from modest to enormous. Using the example mentioned earlier, I found a one way ticket from Los Angeles to New York for $142.

More Deals Than Just Hidden Cities 

Skiplagged also has a very unique visual tool to help you find bargain fares from your home city that are not necessarily based on the hidden city strategy. 

Other one way deals I found from Orlando -

St. Louis $29
Chicago $82
Philadelphia $29
Altantic City $68
Washington, DC $72
Bahamas $88

Helping you make the most of God's money!

  James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio 

New Options For Home Security

The Internet is changing yet another industry; home security. Traditional alarm companies are notorious for locking people into three year monitoring contracts. Most also promote a 'free alarm' or $99 alarm system, only to upsell homeowners into several thousand dollar packages. In many ways, the industry operates like the old days of the car business. 

The New Home Security Model

Each family has its own security needs and many are finding the answer in low cost plug and play alarm system. You may have heard Rush Limbaugh and a number of other national talk show hosts promoting SimpliSafe. SimpliSafe is the most well known name in the plug and play alarm system niche. Amazon.com sells a wide array of these kind of do-it-yourself home security systems. The SimpliSafe basic set up is currently going for $249.

 

These lower cost systems use wireless sensors, so no hard wiring is required. With the ability to connect one of these systems to the Internet, you can monitor your home while you are away. You can even add a camera to have a live video feed. Some of these alarms work like their traditional counterparts and offer monitoring. Simplisafe offers a no contract monitoring service for $15 monthly (about half of what traditional security companies charge). Monitoring is one option, while others provide a way for you to receive a phone call or an alert on your smartphone if your alarm has been tripped.

If You Move, Just Unplug Your System And Take It With You 

Where the plug and play alarm system really offers a huge advantage is its portablity. If you move, just unplug it and take it to your new home. On that issue, these kinds of systems are likely the only option for someone that is renting. 

How To Decide What Alarm System Is Right For You?

There are so many variables here, the most important piece of advice I can offer is to take the time to think through what your security needs are. Some people want and need monitoring, while others may only want the loud burst of a siren in the middle of the night if a window or door is opened. Some families can get by with a couple of wireless cameras that they can monitor online. Others many want the whole deal, including traditional monitoring. The good news is that all of the above is now available without long term contracts or thousands of dollars in installation costs.

I don't think the traditional alarm companies will disappear any time soon, but this new competition should drive prices lower on equipment and monitoring.  

Helping you make the most of God's money! 

  James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio  

Finding Items To Resell - Amazon Flipping Update

Well, I have to tell you that this whole situation has taken on a life of its own. I started all of this as research for an article. Next, that turned into a four hour course, and now I am finding stuff to sell almost everywhere I go. To be honest with you, it has really become very fun. Maybe I will get tired of the scavenger hunt at some point, but for now it is like a never ending adventure. The amazing thing is that the more I go out looking for things to sell, the easier it gets. I am even finding items to sell when I am just out doing regular shopping.

First let me share with you what is happening with the products I have already sent to Amazon FBA. Out of the thrity items in my first shipment, I have already had nine sell. This has generated over $140 in payments to me from my Seller Central account. What is remarkable about this is that most of my items just became available. It took about a week to ten days for my merchandise to arrive at Amazon and become active. In fact, some of my first shipment is not even showing up yet as available. I am really very surprised at the amount activity I have seen. Maybe this is due to the proximity of Christmas, who knows?

Continuing To Easily Find Items To Sell 

This exact toy is going for $9.99 at CVS. It is selling for $26 at Amazon.

Another CVS find are these remote control cars pictured below. I bought one and it sold almost the minute it hit Amazon last week. I went back to my local CVS and they were all sold out. I found a couple still on the shelf at another CVS about 20 minutes from my house. I bought these yesterday for $9.99 each. They are going for between $22 and $31 on Amazon. Since I am fulfilling through Amazon FBA, I will list mine for around $31, as this is the amount that others are charging when free Amazon Prime shipping is included (It is interesting to note that you can get significantly more money for your items when you have Amazon do the shipping. It seems like people are more trusting of an Amazon fulfilled order and the free Prime shipping benefit really adds value to the overall transaction).

Don't Walk Too Fast Past The Clearance Table

I am using a couple of examples here from CVS, but I have also found items at Ross, Marshalls, and a ton of items at thrift shops as well. I am also unloading a bunch of books that I have no use for that are already sitting on my bookshelves. Just random items that jump off the shelf... take a look at these collectible Marvel wallets in very unique tin boxes. These were on the clearance table at Ross. I paid $14 each on these and hope to get around $40 to $45 as they seem to be highly collectible. I had to go mostly on instinct as I could not find these exact items for sale on Amazon. In fact, when I scanned the bar code the result was 'product not found.' Based on the prices that I was able to find for Marvel wallets alone, these boxed sets should be easy to unload at a profit. We will see...

Elmo Live (2007) Collectible Toy For $1 

As I have mentioned in my prior articles on this, some items are more appropriately sold on eBay. I found this Elmo doll in a stack of stuffed toys for $1 at a thrift shop. I noticed that it was some kind of electronic gadget as it was a little heavy, and had an on/off switch on the foot. Well, I clicked it on and it was not working or the batteries were dead. Well, for $1 I took it anyway. I brought it home and opened up the battery compartment. Six new AA batteries and a 5 minute cleaning of the corrosion on the battery terminals and voila, ...good as new. This toy is crazy - it talks and sings and moves around. The most hilarious thing here is that my dogs are terrified of it. I set it on the floor and turn it on and they go insane (maybe I should keep it just to torment my dogs ...).  It looks like it will bring $30 to $40 on eBay, and that is where it will likely end up.

 What's Next? 

I just started looking into how to buy items wholesale and resell online. Much of this has to do with purchasing from overseas and importing. The good news is that importing is not as difficult as it used to be. It is now possible to buy in modest quantities and the shipping time has greatly improved as well. I am also researching the whole concept of private labeling. This would involve creating my own products. For example, I could locate wholesale sources for magic tricks and then create my own magic kit. I would design my own box and have it printed, and come up with a product and brand name. I would then put say, ten magic tricks in the box, and now I have my own unique branded product. This is really exciting because it would be a lot easier than having to constantly go out and look for products to sell. Additionally, it wipes out any chance of head to head competition (no one else would be selling the exact same item as it is my own unique product).

I still feel like I have so much more to learn, but I guess I am doing a few things right so far. The cash register is ringing, and that is the ultimate judge.

Other articles on Amazon Flipping -

Amazon Flipping, A Weird New Way That People Are Making Money Online

Planning To Pocket My First $500 On Amazon FBA Shipment

Amazon Flipping, Deciding What To Sell On eBay Instead

Helping you make the most of God's money! 

  James L. Paris 
Editor-In-Chief ChristianMoney.com
Follow Me on Twitter Twitter.com/jameslparis
Christian Financial Advice 
Jim Paris 24 Hour Radio