eBay's International Shipping Program

eBay's international shipping program makes international shipping much easier for sellers, who don't have to figure the shipping costs.  eBay also assumes all the liability, so this increases the likelihood that an eBay seller will be willing to ship internationally.  It can also save the buyer some money.  This is a win-win situation.  

Currently, eBay's program does not offer combined shipping.  If you are an international buyer and want to purchase multiple items from a seller, ask the seller to put them in one listing.  For instance, I had a buyer from the UK wish to purchase two Sweet Valley High books.  eBay was going to force the buyer to pay twice for shipping.  I created a listing with both books included, and this cut the buyer's shipping charge in half.  I didn't have to do anything special except place the two books in the one listing.

Every so often, an international buyer feels that eBay's shipping charge is too high and wants to negotiate with me.  Each time I receive an request like this, I play along but know immediately how the situation will unfold from start to finish.  Spoiler:  The buyer ultimately will decline to make the purchase because the shipping is too high.

I recently had an inquiry about this bulk lot of blue tweed Nancy Drew books that are in rough shape.

The bulk lot was priced at $59.99 with free shipping to United States addresses.  When I price these bulk lots, I am always giving the books away at cost or at a slight loss.  My expenses include the cost of the books, the shipping cost, the packaging cost, and eBay's fees.  All that combined meant that I was taking around a $5.00 loss on this lot at my price of $59.99.  I have no room for negotiation since I'm already taking a loss.  I seldom explain any of this to potential buyers, since it's irrelevant and doesn't impact them.

I would rather sell the books at a slight loss and send them to someone who wants them than drop them off at a thrift store.  I would get nothing if I were to do that, and I also would risk the books getting thrown away.  The books and I are both better off if I sell them at a slight loss.

An international buyer contacted me, offering me $70 including postage cost.  I didn't respond, for several reasons.  I don't accept offers, and I could not possibly accept just $70 including international postage costs.  I also didn't know what the buyer was seeing on their end, so I didn't have enough information to know what their costs were going to be.

The buyer then sent me another message, to which I replied:  "I never see what eBay charges for international postage, so I have no point of reference.  I don't know what I would need to take off of my price to get the total to be $70.00.  I suspect that the amount is higher than what I can do, but I have no way of knowing since I don't know what eBay's international postage charges are.  They hide it from us."

The buyer's response (paraphrased) observed that eBay makes money off of us sellers and that they would rather the money go directly to me.  They wanted me to avoid eBay's international shipping program so that I could figure the shipping myself and pay for the label directly.

Even if the money for shipping were paid to me instead of to eBay, I still would never see it.  I have to pay for the postage label which takes all of the funds.  Also, it should be noted that I pay fees on shipping, so I would then pay fees on the high international shipping charge.  If I charge directly for shipping instead of using eBay's international shipping program, then my eBay fees are much higher.  This isn't beneficial to me.

As I already stated, I knew that this wouldn't result in a sale.  Nevertheless, I retrieved the stack of books and weighed them.  I figured out the postage cost and added $18 to it to cover the eBay fees on the postage.  Since I was already taking a loss on the lot, I wasn't about to add $18 to my loss.  

I wrote in response:  "I doubt it will be cheaper for me to pay the postage directly.  I figured the postage, and my cost is $135.00 to mail the books.  This would make the total $194.99.  We are no longer able to use surface mail.  I have to use priority mail international."

I have no idea what eBay's international shipping was going to charge the buyer.  However, it was apparent by the buyer's reaction that what I quoted was even worse.  The buyer declined to proceed.  

So, eBay's international shipping does save the buyer money, besides being easier for the seller.  

Dana Girls #3 In the Shadow of the Tower Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett

The Last to Die by Kelly Garrett was published by Sourcebooks Fire on November 5, 2019.

Publisher's summary:

What started as a game turns into something much darker in this fast-paced YA thriller with a plot to die for, perfect for fans of Natasha Preston and Hannah Jayne.

Harper Jacobs and her friends are just looking for some fun when they decide to start breaking into one another's houses.  It's enough to give them a rush, and it's pretty harmless since they all promise not to take anything that can't be replaced.  But when they target the home of a classmate, it crosses a line, and one of the group turns up dead.

Harper needs to figure out what's happening fast…or else she might be next.

I found the early part of the book to be extremely interesting.  After Harper's friend dies, the plot seems to stall.  The story is not very interesting for a large chunk of the book.  Towards the climax, the story becomes interesting again, but not nearly as much as the beginning of the story.  This book is just okay.

Dana Girls #2 The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Don't Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack

Don't Let In the Cold by Keely Parrack was published on September 6, 2022 by Sourcebooks Fire.

Publisher's summary:

A claustrophobic, high-stakes thriller that will have you fearing what waits out in the cold.

It was supposed to be just one night in the cabin: one night for Lottie and her brand new stepsister, Jade, to try to get along. When a solar flare causes a massive blackout—no power or cell signal—Lottie knows they've got a long night ahead of them.

Then, in the dark, someone else shows up at the cabin—a stranger named Alex, claiming to be lost and needing shelter from the coming snowstorm.  But later that night, Lottie spies him in the driveway talking to two mysterious men in a pickup truck, and she's sure he's lying about why he's here.

Before Lottie can find out more, a fire forces her, Jade, and Alex out into the blizzard, where they must rely on one another to get to safety—wherever that is.  In the remote, freezing Tahoe wilderness, they have to survive more than just the elements.  Soon it becomes clear that Alex's accomplices are hunting for all three of them, in a scheme that's gone too far and taken a chilling, deadly turn.

Lottie, Jade, and Alex end up on the run in a blizzard near Lake Tahoe.  Two men are out to get them for some reason, and they must survive the cold while staying away from their enemies.  

The book is harrowing and suspenseful, but it's also a story of personal growth.  Lottie and Jade intensely dislike each other since they don't want to be stepsisters.  Lottie also despises Alex, since she has good reason not to trust him.  These three young people are forced into the wilderness in a blizzard and must work together.  The best part of the story is seeing how the three teens gradually come together through adversity and learn to respect and even care about each other.  It's beautiful.

This is an excellent book.

Dana Girls #1 By the Light of the Study Lamp Glossy Internal Illustrations

The early Dana Girls books have glossy internal illustrations.

Click on each image in order to see it at a higher resolution.

Glossy frontispiece used from 1934 to 1942:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Glossy internal illustration used from 1934 to 1937:

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle was published on November 7, 2023, by Sourcebooks Fire.

Publisher's summary:

On a sunny September morning, the creatures first appear.  Shur sees one of them hovering outside the window in history class: it looks like a giant butterfly, at first too beautiful and strange to seem like a threat.  But when emergency alerts light up everyone's phones around her, she realizes something very, very wrong is happening outside.  These… things are everywhere.

By the time Shur makes it back to her house with her brother, Keene, and their two best friends, it's clear they must face whatever comes next on their own.  A terrifying species the world's never seen before has suddenly emerged, and few living things are safe.  As the creatures swarm and attack outside, life for Shur and her friends becomes a survival game.  They board the windows, stockpile supplies, and try to make sense of the news reports for as long as the power stays on.

Yet nothing can prepare them for what follows.  The butterflies are only the beginning.  The next onslaught will be deadlier, and even closer to home.

This story is quite reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic.  After the huge butterflies appear and begin attacking, Shur and Keene pick up their brother, Little, from daycare.  Their friends Nathan and Jenny are also with them.  The group of four teenagers and four-year-old Little escape to Shur, Keene, and Little's home.  They end up trapped in their home for the entire story.  The story clearly mimics the lockdown phase of the pandemic.

There are also some references to how people react to the swarm, and the reactions also mimic how people reacted to the pandemic.  

This is an excellent story, and I highly recommend it.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: The Chronological Order of the Forgotten Secrets

Here are my previous posts on the Forgotten Secrets.    

The Forgotten Secrets
More on the Forgotten Secrets

This post contains MAJOR SERIES SPOILERS.  Stop reading NOW if you have not already read all of the books including #8.5 and #9.

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I started thinking about the chronological order of the Forgotten Secrets after reading a post on Reddit that pointed out an inconsistency.  Sophie, Dex, and Oralie view the Forgotten Secrets in random order based on which color crystal they select. 

We know for certain that the secret with Bronte, Kenric, and the dead gnome comes first chronologically.  This is because Kenric's hair is in a ponytail, and the event occurs before Oralie becomes a Councillor.

If we go by what is stated in Stellarlune, then Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library comes last chronologically.

Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library

Stellarlune, Page 251:   He just held up the cache and studied the glints of color.  There were only six secrets at that point.  The blue crystal was missing—which made sense, since it was the memory they were currently watching.

This is impossible, however, since the memory cannot be the final one saved.  Kenric mentions Prentice's exile in one of the other secrets.  Prentice was exiled after Kenric recruited him as Keeper.

Kenric and Oralie questioning Fintan about stellarlune/Kenric reveals to Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark

Unlocked, Page 531:   "I saw how upset you were when Prentice was exiled.  And I saw the look on your face when Alden brought us that strand of DNA."

The secret presented in Unlocked must come after the secret from Kenric's library, even though the secret from Kenric's library was supposedly saved last.  This does appear to be a plot inconsistency.  However, Kenric is a tricky fellow.  Perhaps Kenric figured out a way to remove secrets that he had already placed in his cache.  This would allow for more secrets to be saved after the one with Prentice in the library, resulting in the seven secrets.

Here I give what I think is the true chronological order of the Forgotten Secrets.  I have included a few new observations I made on this rereading of the Forgotten Secrets.  I also have included the colors of the crystals, since the colors used must have meaning.

1st:  Bronte and Kenric dealing with a dead gnome (green crystal)

This one must come first because Kenric's hair is long and in a ponytail.  He cut it short after Oralie became a Councillor and made fun of it.

2nd:  Kenric and Oralie arguing in Kenric's readying room (red crystal)

This secret is from Oralie's first-year-as-Councillor celebration.  Kenric's hair is short in this secret.  Kenric and Oralie don't get along at all.

3rd:  Kenric requesting a matchmaker give him the hypothetical match lists for himself and Oralie (pink crystal)

Kenric is now in love with Oralie.  In this memory, he makes sure that number one matches will provide the DNA for Project Moonlark. 

4th:  Kenric and Prentice in Kenric's library (blue crystal)

Kenric ostensibly asks Prentice to be his personal Keeper, although he is actually recruiting Prentice to be the Keeper of the Black Swan.  This could have occurred before Project Moonlark was initiated, but I'm going on the assumption that Kenric recruits Prentice after he sets Project Moonlark into motion.

5th:  Kenric and Oralie questioning Fintan about stellarlune/Kenric reveals to Oralie that he knows about Project Moonlark (orange crystal)

This memory is from after Sophie's birth, since the Moonlark is mentioned.  Prentice's exile is mentioned, so this memory is after Kenric recruits Prentice.

Orange as the crystal color must refer to the orange glow of the Noxflares.

On this reading of the scene with Fintan, the following passage stands out.

Stellarlune, Page 239:  "Have you ever heard of Stellarlune?"  "Stellarlune?" Fintan repeated, dragging out the syllables.  "Can't say that I have."

Later in the book, Mr. Forkle makes this remark.

Stellarlune, Page 291:  "Stellarlune," Mr. Forkle repeated, dragging out each syllable.  "You'll have to forgive me—sometimes the abundance of strange terms gets the better of me.  Stellarlune is one of Lady Gisela's projects, isn't it?"

I wrote in my previous post, "Mr. Forkle is definitely playing dumb by dragging out the syllables in 'stellarlune.'  He's heard of it."  Fintan is playing dumb as well.  Ah, these former Councillors and their games...   

6th:  Oralie and Kenric in Elysian (yellow crystal)

I believe that Kenric gained some information about Elysian from Fintan's memory when he and and Oralie questioned Fintan.  If so, then this memory comes after the one with Fintan.

7th:  the map of Elysian (purple crystal)

I assume that Kenric created a map of Elysian after he and Oralie visited Elysian.