Why The Hack?


In Vegas, looking at the pretty lights!

You can call me S. My "real" job is teaching. But I have started my own business on eBay-which I will keep separate from this blog. I'm a woman who loves to shop....ONLINE. I hate going to stores. It isn't a social thing, it is more of a convenience thing. I have been a member of amazon since 2005-and I have watched it EXPLODE. Sometimes I feel like amazon will conqueror the world. My first purchase was Hooking Up by Tom Wolfe. Ha. 

Fast forward 8 years and I meet my best friend (For the record-I have four best friends that know EVERYTHING about me-and MANY acquaintances, connections, colleagues, that know nearly nothing about me.) So, Tom Wolfe (let's just use an acronym) and I met. He had just quit his job of nearly ten years and was attempting to discover himself. He took some time off. We traveled together, partied, goofed off, went to see live bands at dive bars, went to see bands at MGM, Red Rocks, The Fillmore and so much more. 

But at some point-you have to start making money again. Tom decided to join in with a family member on their amazon seller's account. And then he got excited. Which got me excited. He double, tripled, quadrupled that business and then started his own, while still working on the current one. I decided to go with eBay because it was less stressful, I could take my time, and just have fun hunting for things to sell. 

While Tom was raking in $2,000 a WEEK- I happily did my thing on my small teacher's salary and the pennies I was making off of eBay. As I graded papers, and put packages in the mail, I listened to him rant and rave about A-Z claims, feedback, dishonest buyers and ratings. His account was shut down for an entire MONTH because of one of those 4 things I listed previously. I watched Tom live in anxiety and fear. He thought he found a stepping stone to build his own private labeling business and continue on from there. But it all came to a screeching halt. I hurt for him. It was his lively hood. With a snap of a finger-taken away. Tom was coming undone. By some miracle his account was turned back on and he has been at for several years-making money I could only dream about! But I'm not jealous because he sells medical durable goods that really help people. And I have listened to him speak with customers-he might not admit it-but I think there is more to it than just the money. 

It was then that I realized I have the ABILITY and the RESPONSIBILITY to leave reviews of sellers and products (in the same way I would complain or compliment a sales associate at a department store-or gush over my new perfume from that department store.)  How do people know the product they are buying IS what they are buying, and how do they know the seller is reliable? A little bit easier shopping at a brick and mortar store-but almost impossible without someone giving you their honest opinion. 

About a year ago, I started writing reviews for products I purchased on amazon. As I gradually climbed the Top Reviewer ladder, I began to receive emails asking me to test a product and write an honest unbiased review and I would get a discount. Then, I was invited to join websites that did the same thing but held me more accountable. Remember-all of this was just for products purchased on amazon. I still do it- and I love it. I love getting new products and giving my honest opinion. I also love communicating with sellers when their product is not working working-and helping them to improve on it. 

NOW I realize, I can move forward and start reviewing from other companies. I firmly believe in the philosophy of SheSpeaks. So why the Hack? I want my voice to be heard about products, companies/sellers instead of someone hearing or seeing an advertisement that is completely misleading. I want to help buyers so they don't get burned. But I also want to help small growing businesses by giving them feedback.      




PS I want feedback too! I have received a couple of "not helpful" clicks on amazon-with no reasoning behind it. So give me some feedback! Am I saying "um" a lot? Do I need a new camera set up (YES-I already know.)  Am I being too goofy? Am I talking too long? Is my writing too long? (YES) HA! 



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