Well after many hours in meditation I have this week diversed my selling activites into new lines and products, but still retaining my core bussiness of fair trade goods from nepal,India and Tibet. When i commenced trading on ebay many years ago there was only me retailing my lines, but over the years new sellers appeared selling the same lines causing the effect of loosing trade. Athought this does not bother me and it's a free market and the only thing one should remember is that many of the cut price items are not ethically sourced, you know bought for ruppees and very few of them in Nepal and India then arive on Ebay under the fair trade banner.

This always make me wonder if people are aware of the damage unfair prices for good out in india cause, you know like keeping people poor while us in the west grow rich from the poverty of the artisians that give us such wonderfull handcrafted items?

Having traveled to India and Nepal to see and source my goods and form good contacts both here in England and out In Nepal and India you tend to understand the poverty and poor conditions these people live in, plus of course the caste system in practice, this is where you are treated acording to the tribe or section of society you are born into.

Most of my items I am aware of the place they are created and the conditions of the workers in that they are paid a good wage and have good conditions for there respective labours, indeed one of my most trusted suppiers helps to provide items like computers for a school out in India to educate the children, so soome of the profits he makes from me go to a great cause.

Anyway back to Ebay :-) to keep trading through the slump I will indroduce a more diverse range till things pick up again.

Namaste and may your god or teachings be with you :-)

Last month I made the painfull decision to increase my prices on Ebay, This was not something I do just to make some extra pounds the price increases where due to that over the last year of so I have traded at a loss. Rather then cease trading and let some of the un-ethical traders on Ebay sell cheap made goods for cheaper prices, thus create a distrust in the fine handcrafted good from Nepal and India I increased my prices.

As many will be aware my prices are low, this does not mean the product is of poor quality, rather it means I cut out the middle men in the chain of sales and sell direct to the customer from imported goods. This way I can charge less then the high street and other ebay sellers that increase prices becuase some consider the more expensive item is better, they are the same.

Anyway, I have to pay my bills and in order to do this my prices have increased but only by pence, not pounds. I hope all will understand this and I have not increased for vast profits, far from it.