Having some computer problems...thredUp, and paperbackswap tips and reviews

My laptop is broken.  At least for me it is.  The screen is blacked out, but if you put a flashlight up to it, it faintly shows you what is going on on the screen.  Paul said he will look at it later, and it is still under warranty, so hopefully I won't be without my laptop for too long.
We did just buy a netbook about a week ago.  I was trying it out to see if I could get used to it, this issue is pretty much forcing me to get more used to it.  I was planning on just letting the girls use the netbook, and using it for myself as a backup to my laptop.  Or when I'm traveling to and from my parents house and what not.  My 17' laptop is HUGE, and heavy, so its not easily manageable when I'm traveling.  The netbook makes things easier.
Anyway, what this means for my blog is that I may not be able to put on very many giveaways, or update as readily.  I don't want to upload a bunch of pictures onto the netbook because of the small amount of space on it.  So that is where I am at.  Oh fun times.  I'm just very grateful that Paul is still around and not deployed.  He's the computer guy, and hates it when something happens and he's not around to fix it for me, so better that its happening now huh?!


So what else is going on in the land of Stephanie?  Have I told you about thredUp yet?  Its this new site that basically you can get gently used kids clothes to buy for only 5 bucks a box *the shipping is 10.95 though.  You can get some really great deals on the daily deals sites if you are a NEW member.  I recently bought a pro membership with a free box of clothes from Deal Plum and come to find out, it was for new members only.  Since I had already purchased my first box, I was no longer a new member.  It wasn't clearly stated in the ad, so make sure you look out for that.  I am disappointed about the whole thing.  I asked if I could just give up my box and just get the pro membership.  Apparently not.  Its pretty LAME.  I've also seen quite a few bad reviews online for it.  The ONE box that I got was great, it had a few pairs of pants for my younger daughter, and nothing was stained, or ripped, or torn.  I have also shipped two boxes of clothing, describing them as best as I could.  I got great star reports.  But again, I've seen bad reviews, and that does worry me.  I would hate to buy a box, get it and realize that everything in it was not wearable for my kids.  So I've decided to stick with what I know.  I may still send boxes out, but the clothes I'm getting rid of are very nice name brand clothing that I potentially sell on ebay or craigslist for much more than the $20 that I will never see.  So its up to you.
I think its something to try out at least once and see if you like it.  I think I'm just going to stick with what I know, and feel a little more secure with.  I'm not so good with change.  I definitely wanted to make this work with the company, but seeing as I had an issue with the "deal" that I got, then I started hearing the horror stories, I am just very wary.  Plus the second box I ordered was just cancelled.  The person that I was ordering it from didn't or couldn't ship it, which is just lame beyond anything else.  I mean HELLOOOO!!!

ThredUp is similar to my paperbackswap.com place that I do enjoy using.  But I've also run into issues with them as well.  One issue is that I can't get the newer books normally.  It takes a while for people to put them up I guess.  I CAN easily get older books, but some of the books that I'd like to get that are a little newer aren't readily available.  I've also had issues with cookbooks, and biographies (like Julie Haden's book, or Ali Vincent's book *both biggest losers).  It takes a long time for them to become available.  Another issue I've come across is people have different versions of what is acceptable.  Most of the books come to me just fine, I've had an issue with two.  One person said I could send it back.  I would have, but I still want to read the book, I just won't be able to re-post the book.  Another one was a book that I sent.  It didn't have anything wrong with it when I sent it.  It did get some water damage in transit apparently, and I refunded the credit.  I guess I'm just an honest person, and when I have "customers" I want to make sure that they are treated well.  Because of this reason, I sometimes get "walked" all over, or taken advantage of.
I guess its just who I am.  Needless to say, I've become more wary of both sites because of these things.  I am still going to get some of my books from paperbackswap, I will also buy some of my books from goodwill, or half priced books, or amazon.  I will also still use my kindle for other books.  For now, its working out for me, and a few little tricks I've found are to request the hardcover edition of the book if available.  I've also learned to ask for books from a non smoking home, and if its hardcover, I want to make sure it has the dust jacket.  I don't know why, but I don't like hardcover books without their dust cover, maybe its just a pet peeve.
I think I will also give thredUp another chance and get another box of clothing if I can find it in the size that I need, I'm just not sure that it will be a long term solution for me.  We'll see, and I'll keep ya posted!