Yesterday, I posted a blog about some pretty hefty shipping charges for a 4oz. package, and eBay pulled it down this evening...hmmm... I read the thing through three times...to make SURE there were no curse words in it...NOPE...no html coding in it...NOPE...no malicious content, nothing that would violate eBay policy. I did mention the sellers name who charged me the outrageous shipping, but that isn't a trademarked company name or logo, its an eBay seller ID, and I am not in violation of policy by doing so. So, after having read the blog through three times, reading the eBay community policy and comparing the blog to it all the while,  trying to identify this greivous violation of eBay policy that warranted them removing my blog, and being unable to do so, I emailed the eBay Trust and Safety Department back, asking them to please tell me what, SPECIFICALLY, it was about my blog that was in violation of their policy. They sent me one of those famous pre-written replies:
 
Hello,

Thank you for contacting eBay regarding the listing violation notice 
that you received. We understand your concern and hope that the 
information in this message will be helpful to you.

To make sure that eBay remains a safe and fun place to trade all 
listings need to meet certain guidelines. When a listing doesn't meet 
these guidelines, the listing may need to be ended early. For an 
overview of the eBay listing policies for sellers, please go to:

with a nice little link to the policies I had just spent the previous 30 minutes reviewing to make SURE I didn't violate.  I don't get it...can someone help me 
out here? Is it common place for eBay to go around pulling off blogs that arecontraversial, or is this likely a case of the seller seeing it and getting ticked.
 I tend to get a little heated when something like this comes up and I feel like my voice can't be heard. Its not right.  

 Here's my thing...I am a big one for reviewing a seller's feedback before I buy from them...I want to see happy customers..but not only that, I want to see happy customers for the TYPE of purchase I am about to make. So I actually take the time to look at the items that others have purchased. Like today, I was looking at a beautiful diamond right hand ring from a seller I have never bought from before..only I have discovered a new trend on eBay that sellers are using ..keeping the ITEM SOLD private. Hmmm....now what would be the purpose in that?? In this particular case, the buyer did NOT keep private item links to items such as gold chains, and the like, but the rest were kept private. No feedback for me to review on things such as the purchase I was about to consider, so there isn't a snowball's chance in Hades that I'm gonna' make that purchase. Do they not realize they are shooting themselves in the foot with such things?? That new customers find comfort not just in positive comments, but in positive comments for SIMILAR PURCHASES?? So what Johnny was happy with his $50 gold chain, we're talking about a $595 diamond ring here! That's apples and oranges if you ask me! Show me some oranges for Heavens sake!!
I don't understand the rationale behind making items private. Why? It's not like you're gonna' get a name and address out of it, I don't know who in the heck tickets4u is, nor do I CARE...They could be buying hand cuffs and feather boas for all I care, as log as they get what they pay for...GEEZ.
BUT as consumers we CAN do something about it by way of SPECIFICITY in our feedback comments..for example... What a beautiful DIAMOND RING! Fast shipping..tada, tada. ... "What a beautiful Anthropologie dress!" (You get the picture.) Instead of using the generic words we tend to use, "item", "product", etc...we call it what it IS, and therein defeat the purpose in sellers making item listings private in the feedback forum. There are a lot of sellers on eBay who deal with meany different areas, from clothing to collectables, from jewelry to household goods. I have even seen a dealer that sold both photography supplies and CAR PARTS. We deserve to know what the feedback we are reading is really about...and we CAN, if we will only BE SPECIFIC with the feedback we leave. **Repost in your own blog if you agree.**
Many Regards!
Renee

I have bought diamonds on eBay before, and have gotten fairly saavy at doing the necessary "hunting" through the chaf to get to the wheat....and I definitely found it this time around. My maid of honor is my best girlfriend. I wanted to give her something that signified not only the love I have for her, and the honor I will feel in that moment, as she is standing by my side as I say "I do" to the man I love, but that will also signify the enduring nature of our relationship as well. What better than diamonds? It is the pressure and heat of time that serve to make them into the beautiful stones they become. But God knows withthe expense of a wedding, I had to be saavy with my hunting to find that special something at a great price.
What I've learned is that I want a clean diamond. I want an appraisal certificate with my purchase, and I will set a price for myself  BEFORE I start bidding that I won't allow myself to exceed. I look for a seller with at least 99.5% positive feedback who has been an eBay member for at least 6 months with a feedback score of  < 100. I did that this time around as well, and was not to be disappointed.

Seller ID:  naturediamond 
 I got a diamond pendant with .40 ct. of briliant cut pave set diamonds VS2 G for $132.69 including the shipping. UNREAL!
Now THAT'S a birdesmaids gift...and I got the appraisal certificate that puts the value of the pendant right at $1000.
I'm pleased to say the least!

Just like any other site on eBay, there are some items on this one that ae a little pricier than others, so you will have to pick and choose and do some comparison shpping with other sites, but there are some really great deals to be found, as well as some very uniqe and diffeent items that I was not able to find elsewhere.

Good deals:

Personlized Digital Photo Guestbook  - $75.00   These are rather pricey on most sites
100 Butterfly Design Candle/Placecard Holder - $165.00 - Serve both purposes FREE SHIPPING!!
100 Save The Dave Cards - $40.00 - Lots of Designs - All of these are a great deal!
100 Laura Ashley Program Papers - $36.50
30 - Disposable Cameras - Gold Design - 27 Exposures $120.00 ( that's $4.00 a piece, well below retail! ) $9.99 for S&H
100 - White resin place card frames with linked heart design - $175.00 FREE SHIPPING - Less than $2.00 a piece!

They have some gorgeous garters as well, a break from the plain jane that you typically find, some adorned with heart charmrs, vaiour patterns of lace and bows, very delicate, calssic, and intricate. Reasonable prices, with very reasonable shipping, well below other sites I have found on the internet for comperable product.

eBay ID: birdesplaceforweddings
eBay store: http://stores.ebay.com/Brides-Place-For-Weddings

Look her up and let her know ALzkiddo sent you! :-)

I was really hesitant about making a purchase like this one over the internet. I was afraid of getting very thin, poor quality glasses with little weight, and sloppy engraving. However, I figured I could order one set, and the most I would be out if it turned out this way would be $12.00, and I could go elsewhere and pay retail price for the quality I wanted. So I took a calculated risk. I looked around on eBay for a seller that offered various fonts for engraving...there were a lot. So I narrowed it down to the ones with more than 1000 positive feedbacks, and then picked the one with less than 20 negative feedback in the last 12 months. I figured over 4000 positves and less than 20 negatives, my odds were pretty good. I ordered the first pair of glasses as my "sample". They came, and I was VERY happy. Great quality, beautiful engraving. So I ordered the remaining sets I needed!

Seller ID: alastinggift
eBay Store: dsdecals

They also offer all kinds of engravables for the wedding party/wedding decor : keychains, shot glasses, beer mugs, bud vases, picture frames, and bookmarks, all are very nice.
Check them out and tell them ALzkiddo sent ya! :-)