Trader Lou Smile Deal

Available through Jan 21st., for just $6 you can choose from a selection of over 200 items. Retail prices for similar handcrafted items range from $20 - $73. Choose one or more. But, for just the next few days, these items are only $6. Over 200 designs in this selection.

Save an additional 5% off anything in the store for orders of just $20 or more. Enter promotion code SMILE5 at checkout for the additional 5% savings.

Tip: Click the ‘Show All’ button to easily see all the designs.

Available while supplies last. Not available with any other offer. Available just through January 21st.

Note: I am not affiliated with Trader Lou in any way and receive nothing for publishing this information or for any purchases which may result.

Best eBay tips for newbies – and some great deals

My kids all know that I like eBay, although “like” is a kind of weak word. I’m actually intrigued by it. And so I’ve taken my time to study it – and in the meantime, I’ve come up with some amazingly incredible deals that are available (you’ll see those later in the post)

Here are some of the things you want to know before you start buying on eBay:

Feedback: eBay works like a (very large) community. The feedback means a lot. You want to make sure you’re buying from people who have a very high level of good feedback. Anything less than 98% or so – stay away…

Read the whole auction before you bid. You want to make sure of the following:

• You’re bidding on the item you want to buy (I saw someone bid $500 once on an iPhone case, because he didn’t read through and was misled by the title of the auction). He subsequently reported the seller for fraud and didn’t pay for the item, but you get the point. Read the description. If the picture includes more than one item, make sure exactly what the auction includes.
• There are no ‘insurance’ or ‘handling’ charges that aren’t part of the price you’re paying (or, if there are, that you know about them before you start bidding).
• That the shipping costs you see are actually the ones to the country you want to ship to. eBay still hasn’t really worked out the whole ‘country’ thing and I end up putting mine in multiple times each session. Be really careful, so that you don’t discover after your bid on a pair of 99 cent socks that the shipping is another $14.99…

If you’re not sure about something, contact the seller. If the seller doesn’t get back to you within a day or two, move on.

Silver is not always silver, even if the person’s got good feedback ratings. As for gold – I’d stay local.

If you’re not sure how much you should offer for something and you don’t really have anything to compare it to, go into the user’s feedback. Often you can see exactly what other people paid for the same item you’re about to bid on. Also click the “Buy it Now” only tab above the results. You certainly don’t want to offer more than you could buy it for without an auction…

Most serious sellers have more than one of the same item. If you like something, but the price is too high, put it in your “watch list”. You’ll be able to see when the seller relists the item (which happens often).

If you want more than one of something, use the word “wholesale” or “lot” in your search. I’m eyeing these silk jewelry rolls… You can get one for ~$4.85 (see the green one) or 5 for $15.98 (see the link below – note that the picture shows 6 & you actually only get 5). These prices are both “buy it now prices”.

 

Some places will combine shipping – that means that if you buy more than one item from the same seller, they’ll cut the shipping prices. Make sure exactly what the combined shipping gives you (like 5% is hardly worth trying to find something else to add, but if the first item is $14 and the second is $4, it might make sense) – and then make sure to pay for the items at the same time and to check that the deduction has been put into the invoice. If it hasn’t, contact the seller before you pay.

OK – and now to some great deals…

This UV Checker tests ultraviolet radiation from your cellphone and changes colors according to the radiation level (or so they claim). It’s 99 cents, including international shipping anywhere in the world. (‘Buy it Now’ price)

 

This seller sells Oriental art – all signed originals. All of his auctions start at 1 cent & offer free shipping worldwide. A look at the prices toward the end of the sales show that some of the pictures go for prices in the $5-8 range and some higher. None of the auction pictures are mounted.

And how about washcloths? I’m not sure how much they end up going for, but the auctions start at 99 cents for either 3 or 6 washcloths, with free shipping worldwide! They’ve got Barney, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Dora, Hello Kitty, Disney Princesses, Peanuts, Thomas the Tank Engine and more. What kids wouldn’t love ‘em?

Bead Wholesale currently has over 10,000 items for sale on eBay. They’ve got any type of clasp, bead, hook or pendant you’re looking for. And their auctions often start at just 1 cent, with free international shipping. How about 5 cute mother & baby turtle magnets? Or 20 Millefiori glass heart pendants… The beads below, for example, are 4mm glass bicone beads. You get 200 for $2.99, including shipping anywhere in the world (‘Buy it now’ price).

My personal favorite is jewelry, but I’ll leave that for another day. Any great deals you’re looking for? Let me know and I’ll help you find them!

Personalized t-shirts & clothes you can ship worldwide

Check out Printfection - they're currently running a $2 white t-shirt promotion. Yup. Just $2 and you can design your own shirt - excluding shipping, which is another $6.99. Still a fantastic price for that shirt you've always wanted to make your sister for her birthday (I ended up drawing my own. Some people thought it was pretty scary...) They've got t-shirts and sweatshirts, but they also sell water bottles, mouse pads, cutting boards and aprons.

You can even personalize coasters. If you buy just one, it’s $4.49 – but if you get a set of 6, you’ll pay only $3.99 each.

At Shopbop, you’ll have to shop their sale items to find anything under $50, but they do have some. This shirt is just $13.50 – and they offer free shipping everywhere. They currently have an extra 20% off of all sale items that are 50 or 70% off, which would mean an extra $2.70 off – that’s $10.80 (coupon code EXTRA20). You could also get this dress for $34.50 (before the extra 20%) but I have to admit it looks more like a slip than a dress to me… And then there are leggings on sale for $30. You’d have to pay me much more than $30 just to try them on (in a private dressing room, preferably with no mirrors so I wouldn’t have to suffer) but hey, it’s a matter of taste (or lack thereof…), right?

Freepeople is a site worth going to whether you’re looking for clothes or just like beautiful websites. It’s actually 3 sites – Free People, Intimately and We the Free. Free People sells clothes, accessories and shoes. Intimately sells beachwear, bras, undies (their word) and more. Their shipping is expensive ($35 international flat rate), but wow – I love the site…

More shops coming soon…

Revisiting & updates

Book Depository - great site. I've now bought quite a few books from them and I love the freedom of being able to just buy a single book on a whim. Several of the items I've posted about have gone out of stock, which makes me wonder how much stock they hold...

Hong Kong Silk continues to offer a variety of items with free international shipping, like a silk scarf for just $10.99. Their other items include silk pillowcase covers, a variety of boxers, briefs & panties; camisoles, nightgowns & robes.

Jewelry: Trader Lou* is awesome. I highly recommend joining their mailing list to find out about their specials. I ordered a $5 surprise pack they offered & I got a really cute silver charm. The $5 included international shipping - who can beat that? CeeGee* continues to have beautiful items & with shipping at just $5.00 worldwide (and just 50 cents for a second item), totally reasonable.

Cosmetics: Strawberry Net is having a sale & some of their items are 65% off - If you're thinking about buying make up, hair care products, or fragrances - check them out now. All of their prices include free shipping worldwide. The Pupa make up set I featured at $22 is now just $17(!)

Brabraland* is now also selling women's clothing - suits for $30 with an additional $13.40 shipping.

Gadgets: FocalPrice is running a Christmas sale with 99% of one item for every order over 99 cents. They choose the item and I believe it changes daily. DealExtreme continues to surprise me with new items (check out their New Arrivals section). I got their silly spoons last week - love them (collecting interesting spoons is a hobby of mine)!

eOutlet4U* which sells children’s clothing (OshKosh, Carters, Ralph Lauren & Disney, mostly) is running a 15% off sale on everything (not including shipping). You can only see their shipping costs once you put items in your cart, but I've found it runs around $12 for the first item and much less for subsequent items.

I added several links on the right - a whole section for glasses & contact lenses; PinkApple - a site that sells feminine products (like the difficult to obtain Gynol II contraceptive jelly, and a wide variety of feminine hygiene products, massage oils, ovulation & pregnancy tests, books and more); UndercoverCondoms - a site that deals almost exclusively with every type of condom I never knew existed (and those I'd heard about too). At both these sites, international shipping on your entire order is just $11.95.

Coming up next – where to buy fancy dresses for girls for prices you won’t believe.

* I am in no way affiliated with these sites & do not receive any payment or commissions from them

Baby gifts with international shipping

Who hasn’t needed to buy a baby gift and have it sent to someone?

Books always seem to be a good option – inexpensive, meaningful & don’t take up too much space. Here are some of the ones I really like.

Time for Bed by Mem Fox, illustrated by Jane Dyer. Runs just under $6.50 (including free international delivery). It’s a gentle book in which the various animals send their young to sleep. I especially like the cow who asks her calf, “What happened today that made you laugh?” This is a board book, probably for kids up to age 3.

Paul Zelinsky’s incredible “The Wheels on the Bus” book is one you shouldn’t miss. It’s got everything from an opening and closing bus door to windshield wipers that swish-swish and babies that cry as you pull their toes (gently, of course).

The illustrations are fabulous and there’s a whole other story going on in the book, so there’s always something new to notice, every time you read it.

This book is $18.50 (including free delivery worldwide) and worth every cent :-)

Glasses & contact lenses with international shipping

Buying glasses over the internet requires having measurements taken by your optometrist or ophthalmologist, in addition to having your exact prescription. Once you’ve done that, it’s mostly a matter of choosing what frames suit you and ordering. I’ve found it very practical to have extra pairs of glasses around, especially for kids – and if you can get them so inexpensively, it’s really worthwhile.

Optical4less has glasses starting at $15/pair. International shipping for a single pair is $8, but if you order 2 or more pairs, the shipping is free. They do charge an additional $59 if your cylinder is lower than -2.75 or higher than +2.75 and $3 for each degree of prism correction on each lens. Of course, they’ve also got other options that can make the glasses more expensive, but you can actually get away with 2 pairs for $30, including free international shipping, if you go for a no-frills look... Optical4less also sells Acuvue, Bausch&Lomb SofLens & FreshLook Colorblends contact lenses starting at $16.25 a box (although, interestingly, the links from this page take you to 1800contacts – which also ships internationally...

Goggles4u also sells prescription glasses and sunglasses. It seems like their search is easier to use (you can plug in the width, height, bridge & other measurements & it lets you know what frames meet your needs). The glasses I needed ended up being $29.99, including free shipping.

Zennioptical offers a complete pair of prescription eyeglasses starting at $8. This includes frames & lenses with full UV protection, anti scratch coating,;a glasses case & microfiber lens cleaning cloth. International shipping is $5 no matter how many pairs you buy! Having your glasses tinted costs under $5 and they’ve got pure titanium frames starting at $39.95.

Know of any others? Let me know!

Gadgets with free international shipping

In addition to Deal Extreme, which I've ordered from several times (and highly recommend), I recently got an email about FocalPrice. The email was from PayPal, which makes me think they're probably totally legit... They've got more USB fans than I knew existed & a selection of inexpensive watches like this one on the right. It runs $3.70 if you buy one, but just $3.41 if you buy three or four. The price continues to go down if you buy 5 or more. These sites are great if you’re looking for watch batteries, cell phone batteries, or any of those little batteries for car alarms, digital scales, etc. (I just got a 10-pack of the kind I needed from DealExtreme for $2.14.) They’ve also got a crazy selection of computer and other gadgets; ipod, nds & psp accessories – including chargers, carrying cases, etc. The stock is always growing, so it’s worth checking out the “New Arrivals” section every few days.

How can you resist this adorable 5” bear for $3.33 (including free international shipping) – and only $3.05 if you buy 3 or 4…

1freeaday is another one to check out. They offer one free item per day with $3.49 flat shipping. The other items on the site include free international delivery on every item. They’ve got a wide selection of items – from baby products and clothing to laptop keyboards, various cables, usb hubs and lingerie (yeah, I’m not quite sure how these fit together either). This picture (on the right) gave me a laugh, but the item itself looks pretty nice – a hood you can wear as a scarf when you go inside -it’s $8.27 including worldwide free shipping.

And what girl wouldn’t love this pink tutu that costs just $10.07, including shipping anywhere in the world? (Currently only available in 3-4yr size).