Latest Articles by sydneyaus http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us Webkinz the Future Toy Investment Today http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/webkinz-the-future-toy-investment-today.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/webkinz-the-future-toy-investment-today.html Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Retro toys really are golden investments, as we grow older and get hit by nostalgia, many of us are willing to splash out for the toys we used to play with or didn't get when we were kids. A Japanese battery operated tin robot in good condition sold for $15000,- at a London toy auction. When I was a kid I had several of them, and their ending was gruesome as me and my best mate used the robo's for BB gun target practice, the robots were the Martian aliens invading our garden and we had to fight them off. Bye bye Japanese Robots. Bye Bye early retirement. If Only I Hadn't.

But for all of us a second chance has come up, and the magic word is Webkinz. Not just any Webkinz but the retired ones, the thing is Ganz ( the maker of Webkinz) releases special seasonal Webkinz for Christmas, Halloween, Easter and Valentines Day. These Webkinz are only for sale for a couple of months and are retired afterwards never to return again. Next year a new animal is chosen to be the new seasonal Webkinz. So within a year these retired Webkinz are flaming hot and really wanted by collectors. For instance a Webkinz Love Puppy ( last years Valentines special) is being sold on Ebay for up to $250,- and more, the retail price would have been about $12,- thats a whopping 2000 return on investment and prices are still rising steeply. My wife who got involved into Webkinz because of our kids, discovered what a good return buying and selling retired Webkinz could give, she already sold dozens of them. The demand is still rising, just buy the retired ones and you almost can't go wrong, keep them for a while and then put them up for sale again. Eventually any Webkinz will retire but it takes much longer for them to retire than the seasonal ones who are only on the market for a very limited time.

This is a pretty interesting toy niche that can only become more interesting when Webkinz is launched overseas. For the moment Webkinz are only being sold in the USA and Canada. The Webkinz fans though already come from all over the world, and an international launch will make the hype and demand for retired Webkinz only bigger. Go for it and grab a piece of the cake I would say.

--
Jack Thomson is an internet marketing researcher,
he has a wife and two kids who are totally devoted to Webkinz.
Webkinz
and Webkinz Love Puppy

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> New Years Eve party food http://www.articletrader.com/food/recipes/new-years-eve-party-food.html http://www.articletrader.com/food/recipes/new-years-eve-party-food.html Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600

We have listed some appetizer recipes that are sure to go down a treat with your guests and can be prepared in advance, so you can also enjoy yourself on New Years Eve.

    Cheese & Olive Bruschetta


1/2 cup mayonnaise (or salad dressing)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 medium tomatoes, seeded,finely chopped
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (preferably freshly grated)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 baguette, fresh, about 2 1/2" round and 27" long
1/3 cup butter, softened

Mix the first 8 ingredients (this can be done the day ahead and refrigerated). Cut the baguette into 1" slices. Butter one side. Arrange on a cookie sheet, buttered side up. Divide the mixture among the slices and spread. Bake in 350F oven for about 15 minutes and the cheese has melted.

    Tortilla Pinwheels


1/4 Cup Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Salsa
1/4 Cup chopped green onion tops
1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
4 Flour Tortillas, 6-inch

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese and cheddar cheese with a fork until the cheeser is incorporated. Stir in the salsa, green onion, and chili powder. Spread the mixture evenly on the tortillas. Roll up and chill. Slice into rounds.

    Deviled Eggs With Crabmeat


6 hard cooked eggs, peeled
3 1/3 tbsp. mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 1/3 tbsp. finely chopped celery
2 tsp. (dijon) mustard
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. onion powder
few drops Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 can (6 oz) salad crab meat, drained

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks. With fork, mash yolks; add mayonnaise, celery, mustard, parsley, oregano, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Add crab meat, mix well. Refill whites with yolk mixture and garnish as desired.
Serve immediately or store covered in refrigerator. Use within 3 days.

    Chocolate Truffles


1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur
1-1/2 teaspoons instant-coffee crystals
1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate pieces
1/4 cup butter
Sifted cocoa powder

In a bowl, combine whipping cream, Irish cream liqueur and coffee liqueur. Stir in the instant-coffee crystals; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove from heat; gradually stir in cream mixture until blended.
Transfer to a bowl; cover tightly and chill in refrigerator about 2 hours or until completely cool and smooth, stirring occasionally. Mixture will be slightly sticky.
Shape tablespoons of candy into balls. Roll each in cocoa powder. Place on a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet. Chill until firm. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you like, roll in additional cocoa powder before serving.

    Cream Puffs


2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set. Preheat oven to 425F. In a large pot, bring water and butter to a rolling boil. Stir in flour and salt until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or stand mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Centers should be dry. When the shells are cool, either split and fill them with the pudding mixture, or use a pastry bag to pipe the pudding into the shells.

    Sesame Chicken


24 chicken tenders
1 cup sesame seeds
4 tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. onion powder
2 cups mayo
1 cup honey

Grease baking sheet. Preheat oven to 450.
Combine dijon mustard, onion powder, mayo and honey. Dip chicken tenders into this mixture and then into sesame seeds. Place chicken tenders on baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.

    Marinated Mushrooms


1 lb. fresh mushrooms
1 tsp. chives
1 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. tarragon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. garlic powder

Clean and dry mushrooms. Mix all ingredients together. Let marinate in refrigerator for 8-12 hours and serve.

Have a look at Womansindex.com for more great recipes! Happy New Year!

--

Daisy Jones is an editor for Womansindex.com the magazine for smart and savvy women.


For more recipes go to WomansIndex.com




Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Beware of this Domain Appraisal Scam. http://www.articletrader.com/internet/domains/beware-of-this-domain-appraisal-scam.html http://www.articletrader.com/internet/domains/beware-of-this-domain-appraisal-scam.html Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
In the first mail they tell you that they are a new player wanting to invest money in the domain market as a side business and inquire how much you want for the domain.

Next step is the mail in which they accept your asking price for the domain. The scammers tell you that they want you to get the domain appraised as they don’t want to make a bad investment. The scammers want the appraisal from a certain manual appraisal website, which they believe to be a good one ofcourse this appraisal website is part of the scam. This appraisal website gives a highly inflated appraisal value and asks a high fee for it ( up to over a hundred dollars) as they know you need the appraisal to sell the domain.

The end of this story is that once you have mailed your appraisal you never hear from your buyers again. leaving you one hundred dollars poorer and an absolutely useless appraisal richer. This is a very cunningly operated scam and to show you how such a scam mail looks i give you a real example of such an email below.

Email 1:

Hello,
We ‘ve found your domain name listed for sale..
If you are still interested in selling please send your quote and I will
consider it with my partners.
Main direction of our business is software development and technical
support.
Domain names is not our business but a new way to earn on reselling. We are
going to buy domains to resell them at higher prices since we have a large
database of clients interested in good domains.
Looking forward to do business with you.
Regards,

Email 2:

You want 13,500 USD. Ok.
Do you sell domain with a web site or just the name?
If it’s just the name it’s ok. A web site is not necessary.
Have you had your domains appraised already? Can you show me your valuation certificates? As far as I know it’s a common practice to show appraisal of domain name (even without traffic and web site) before doing business.
Without an appraisal I risk to overpay. In other words I won’t be able to make a profit on reselling this name. It’s very important for you and me to know the current market value of your domains.

Of course, we must be sure that you are engaging an appraisal company with REAL manual service. I heard many appraisal companies often made inaccurate auto-generated appraisals. I will only accept appraisals from independent sources I trust. To avoid mistakes I asked domain experts about reputable appraisal companies in a forum. (they now give you a link of a forum you have to check out)
Just check this posting.

If the appraisal comes higher you can adjust your asking price accordingly. I also hope you can give me 10 discount of the appraised value.
After I get an appraisal from you we’ll continue our negotiations.
How do you prefer to get paid: Escrow.com, PayPal.com check or wire?
Hope we can come to an agreement fast.
Looking forward to your reply.

So if you ever get an email like this, you know what to do. Scrap it. Just remember this wise saying that if something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

--

Brian Holland works as a moderator for GoogleGoogle.net and gets first hand information on new trends and scams on the web.


http://googlegoogle.net



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Mum is into Webkinz http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/mum-is-into-webkinz.html http://www.articletrader.com/home-and-family/hobbies/mum-is-into-webkinz.html Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0600
I recently found the answer, my wife told me all about these smart cookies at the Ganz marketing department (Ganz is the maker of Webkinz by the way).
Instead of just making a cuddly toy representing all the species of the animal kingdom, they have created a virtual online world in which their webkinz live.
This Webkinzworld is hidden from us ignorant mortals by a secret entry code. Each new Webkinz comes with a sealed tag which contains the entry code. In order to give their pet webkinz all the stuff they need ( food, shelter, flatscreen, jacuzzi) our kids need to do chores in this virtual world. This way they make money called Kinzcash and the more money means the more goodies for their friends. This keeps our kids pretty busy during their spare time, as they want nothing but the best for their Webkinz pet and need to do lots of chores for lots of Kinzcash.

Lately something disturbing took place, it's not just my kids being hooked on webkinz, now mum is hooked too!
Mum is hooked for a different reason though, she's in it for the cold hard cash. Mum buys and trades retired Webkinz, the special one off seasonal Webkinz which are released on special occasions like, Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentines Day.
Mum keeps here Webkinz boxed up and the tags sealed, which is extremely important for resale value.
Lets take an example, a Webkinz Love Puppy (last years Valentines special) would have cost about 12 dollars retail last year, is now being traded on Ebay for up to 250 dollars and then some. This is a 2000% return on investment in a year, not bad at all I would say. Other retired seasonal Webkinz are sold for more or less the same figures.

Me loves my wife, me really loves my wife, my wife's hobby is better than my retirement plan. Please keep doing the good work Ganz because daddy wants to retire in Florida soon!

--

Jack Thomson is an internet marketing researcher, he has a wife and two kids who are totally devoted to Webkinz.


Webkinz


Webkinz Love Puppy



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>