I'm not usually into electronic "toys," but I decided recently that I wanted a Palm Pilot. My subtle hints to David ("I want a Palm Pilot") worked - he got me a Handspring Visor for Christmas. I can now put my schedule and all my contact information into this little handheld device and carry it around with me. This is especially useful since I juggle AuctionBytes with my "day" job and have multiple email accounts and lots of items to track.

I'm going to look into a wireless service for the Visor so that when we go to yard sales and auctions, we can check out the prices and popularity of items on auction sites. I would say this is a significant competitive advantage for auction sellers! Plus, this should cut down on the duds that we end up throwing into the reject pile. That reminds me, I have to add "Hold Yard Sale" to my Visor "To Do" list.

Speaking of getting organized, we made a change to the way we link to the online auction calendar. This is the calendar that shows which days are good to post online auctions according to a formula concocted by David. http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/calendar/calendar.html. Before, each month had a unique link. Now this URL will always be the current month.

Super Bowl Sunday is coming up - January 28th at 6pm - and now we now have another reason to watch TV that day. Just when you thought it was safe, another "Survivor" television show begins! http://survivor.cbs.com/primetime/survivor2/survivors.

I'm just trying to survive the shipping increases of 2001. USPS rates go up today, and UPS and Fed Ex announced rate increases effective next month. David created an excellent chart comparing USPS Priority rates with the UPS ground rates - see the link in his article. (He'll have to update it next month when the new UPS rates go into effect!)

If shipping rate increases weren't bad enough, Yahoo Auctions announced it will start charging fees to sellers. More reasons to stay informed and become more efficient.

Here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous (and organized) New Year to everyone!

Ina Steiner, Editor
email: ina@auctionbytes.com