|
Inept posted:I quit my job and sold my car and it somehow took me a year and a half to make another one of those monthly box of random poo poo ordering websites: I kinda like the premise to be honest. It's expensive as poo poo so I'd never buy into it but the concept is interesting.
|
#
?
Jun 2, 2015 23:11
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 19, 2024 19:08 |
|
|
Inept posted:I quit my job and sold my car and it somehow took me a year and a half to make another one of those monthly box of random poo poo ordering websites: I actually think this is a cool premise, but yes bad implementation so far. You can also kinda use World Market for something similar. This person should have put their site up on an instantly scalable server before going public with this. Reddit seems to have knocked the site down costing them who knows how much in sales. Hindsight 20/20 and all but ouch. I want a candy package from ISIS personally.
|
|
#
?
Jun 2, 2015 23:15
|
|
|
The problem with all of the random bag of crap-esque sites is that people eventually realize that they're getting cheap junk that they don't like. Imagine Germany's equivalent of Tootsie Rolls. (also I don't care if you like Tootsie Rolls, the point is that they're cheap filler) They tend to come and go quickly. Aside from that, the guy quit his job even though he probably could have just worked on this site in his free time or tried to reduce his hours since he was a bartender, and there is already at least one site that does the same thing: http://www.universalyums.com/product/yum-yum-box-subscription Seriously I bet this guy is done in about 18 months. Inept fucked around with this message at 23:53 on Jun 2, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 2, 2015 23:50
|
|
|
Knyteguy posted:I actually think this is a cool premise, but yes bad implementation so far. You can also kinda use World Market for something similar. "Pop Rocks, Mentos, Diet Coke, and instructions to take them all at once? Don't mind if I do!"
|
|
#
?
Jun 2, 2015 23:59
|
|
|
My favourite box of crap site is the one that sends you a box of five pairs of socks every months for $45. Because I go through sixty pairs of socks a year.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 00:26
|
|
|
He would make a mint if all he did was distribute UK Cadbury chocolate, but I think he runs afoul of Nestle there who licenses the Cadbury name here and is stopping the distribution of UK Cadbury chocolate (because it's way better than the Nestle poo poo).
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 00:26
|
|
|
Inept posted:The problem with all of the random bag of crap-esque sites is that people eventually realize that they're getting cheap junk that they don't like. Imagine Germany's equivalent of Tootsie Rolls. (also I don't care if you like Tootsie Rolls, the point is that they're cheap filler) They tend to come and go quickly.  exotic snacks!" to "there's how much left?". I don't regret the international snack exchanges I've done, but it's definitely more of a once a year thing than a once a month thing.Inept posted:Aside from that, the guy quit his job even though he probably could have just worked on this site in his free time or tried to reduce his hours since he was a bartender, and there is already at least one site that does the same thing: http://www.universalyums.com/product/yum-yum-box-subscription
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 01:15
|
|
|
Inept posted:The problem with all of the random bag of crap-esque sites is that people eventually realize that they're getting cheap junk that they don't like. Imagine Germany's equivalent of Tootsie Rolls. (also I don't care if you like Tootsie Rolls, the point is that they're cheap filler) They tend to come and go quickly. Depends on how well the company can negotiate. I got my wife BirchBox for Christmas, so every month she gets her package with random lip gloss, dry shampoo, and other lady stuff. In this case, BirchBox probably pays next to nothing for the contents because this is direct marketing for the suppliers. But this probably only works if you can get the stuff for cheap. Unless chewy Deutschlandrolls wants to break into the U.S. market, he's going to be paying retail to fill his boxes with treats.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 01:59
|
|
|
Inverse Icarus posted:That's what I keep trying to tell my dad but it's like talking to a racist, conservative wall. Free healthcare and foodstamps is pro-small-business! A couple of VC friends told me, pre-Obamacare, that the startups they funded in Canada had an easier time attracting experienced candidates because running without employer insurance for a while wasn't rolling the dice with permanent poverty or untreated medical conditions for their family.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 02:30
|
|
|
Inept posted:I quit my job and sold my car and it somehow took me a year and a half to make another one of those monthly box of random poo poo ordering websites:
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 08:01
|
|
|
FrozenVent posted:My favourite box of crap site is the one that sends you a box of five pairs of socks every months for $45. agreed, unironically
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 08:09
|
|
|
I miss that startup which never got of the ground which was going to send $15 of rolled quarters every month for laundry/vending usage for the low price of $20. Eliminate inconvenient bank runs!
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 12:30
|
|
|
SpelledBackwards posted:I miss that startup which never got of the ground which was going to send $15 of rolled quarters every month for laundry/vending usage for the low price of $20. Eliminate inconvenient bank runs! This person took money laundering too literally.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 14:53
|
|
|
It's a clever idea if you want to separate idiots from their money.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 14:56
|
|
|
Suspicious Lump posted:What gets me about a lot of AMA on reddit is they are thinnly disguised propaganda for their new venture. Who loving gives a poo poo, the link is in the first post straight away. It's especially worse when they go on to pollute completely unrelated subreddits with their advertising. A year back some guy was selling candles and made a post in /r/pics every few months basically just showing candles and shipping boxes. That's the kind of cool content I want to see when browsing a subreddit (ostensibly) about cool pictures. It also turns out that he wasn't actually very good at running his business. http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/26pkug/after_starting_a_candle_company_while_high_doing/ http://www.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/1hvo7y/i_did_an_ama_a_couple_weeks_ago_about/ Barry fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Jun 3, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 15:24
|
|
|
Renegret posted:It's a clever idea if you want to separate idiots from their money. Not really. If you're too lazy to go to the bank, you're too lazy to sign up for this service, and if you put it off to the last minute because you don't have the cash in your pocket, you're not signing up for any auto delivery either.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 16:10
|
|
|
Renegret posted:It's a clever idea if you want to separate idiots from their money. Not really. Credit card companies will not let you give out cash for a credit transaction - that's their turf and they want to protect the sweet, sweet interest they get to start charging instantly on cash advances. In an amazing coincidence, the laundry quarters startup folded because of "issues" with payment processing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 3, 2015 16:15
|
|
|
Bad with money is asking for investment advice from bitcointalk.org. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1003429.0 quote:Is it better to save money in bank or invest it online, in real estate or maybe gold? quote:better to invest in bitcoin, gold maybe more secure, but bitcoin has more potential to grow quote:I would choose for spreaded investments. Leave 70% of your money in your bank, and invest 15% in Bitcoin and the other 15% in something like a Bitcoin startup. quote:If you are content with low returns then it is probably best to save your money in a low interest account. It will be insured and is 'safe'.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 05:32
|
|
|
Well, gold is a solid investment. If you want a liquid investment metal, try mercury instead. I skipped to the last page, and most of it devolved into "banks are evil and dumb" talk, but there were still some gems. quote:Just saw this thread... jesus... 25 pages of advice... did the topic starter really read all this?
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 06:05
|
|
|
My aunt literally invested in a gold mine and it's just been like throwing money down a never ending hole. She has invested several hundred thousand dollars (borrowed) and hadn't seen a cent back but it's all about the power of positive belief and the convicted fraudster who is managing the mine set up is just misunderstood. She lives entirely off a stipend from my grandparents now who have grumpily told her it's coming out of her section of their will.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 07:38
|
|
|
Every single I invested in X and got ruined story can be simply summed up with. You did not understand diversification. Seriously the concept of spreading out risk should be taught every single year of school.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 09:18
|
|
|
Barry posted:It's especially worse when they go on to pollute completely unrelated subreddits with their advertising. A year back some guy was selling candles and made a post in /r/pics every few months basically just showing candles and shipping boxes. That's the kind of cool content I want to see when browsing a subreddit (ostensibly) about cool pictures.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 12:55
|
|
|
GTAT is going to bounce back and my family will be well cared for when it does. I cannot have your toxic negativity in my life and must unfriend you. I'm sorry. But really, I'm sorry that you have such a terrible outlook on life, rather than looking inward for your own reward and happiness.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 12:57
|
|
|
BarbarianElephant posted:I heard a theory once that the UK had so many great rock bands in the '60s and '70s because the welfare state was so generous you could basically start up a band and get the dole until it took off (if it ever took off.) Most bands were no-hopers but some made it huge, which continued paying off for the country for years. This is also one of the reason why Scandinavia is punching above its weight in business and the creative industries; people aren't afraid to take risks, because a generous government will pick up the pieces if they fail. Then they all put the money they made doing music in offshore tax havens, so the UK government didn't get a penny back! The UK is not a socialist paradise - you get the dole to stop you starving. If you say "I'm not going to bother to get a job because my band will take off!" rather than "I have a band in my spare time" then EVERYONE will hate you here, reagrdless of class or background. I'm not sure whoever came up with that idea has ever been to the UK.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 14:16
|
|
|
OldMemes posted:Then they all put the money they made doing music in offshore tax havens, so the UK government didn't get a penny back! Some of 'em. Did you know that J.K. Rowling wrote large parts of the first Harry Potter while on government benefits? OldMemes posted:The UK is not a socialist paradise - you get the dole to stop you starving. If you say "I'm not going to bother to get a job because my band will take off!" rather than "I have a band in my spare time" then EVERYONE will hate you here, reagrdless of class or background. I'm not sure whoever came up with that idea has ever been to the UK. This is why they closed that loophole. Everyone hated it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 14:29
|
|
|
BarbarianElephant posted:Some of 'em. And she refuses to use any tax avoidance schemes because of that: quote:I chose to remain a domiciled taxpayer for a couple of reasons. The main one was that I wanted my children to grow up where I grew up, to have proper roots in a culture as old and magnificent as Britain’s; to be citizens, with everything that implies, of a real country, not free-floating ex-pats, living in the limbo of some tax haven and associating only with the children of similarly greedy tax exiles. I have a lot of respect for her. Whereas Bono and U2 move their corporate headquarters from Ireland to tax havens, whilst berating governments for not doing more to support the needy.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 15:05
|
|
|
Space Gopher posted:Not really. Credit card companies will not let you give out cash for a credit transaction - that's their turf and they want to protect the sweet, sweet interest they get to start charging instantly on cash advances. You sure about that? I'm pretty positive they're still kicking here in SF, but I believe they also do pick up and drop off for wash n fold now as well.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 17:12
|
|
|
OldMemes posted:Then they all put the money they made doing music in offshore tax havens, so the UK government didn't get a penny back! While everything you said is true so is the dole-artists thing. I know at least four or five in my small town alone who openly spent the eighties claiming while working on their art and music. Yes everyone hated them, no they didn't give a poo poo because hey free dope money. Nearly everyone else in our pit town was on the dole at the same time anyway. There was another arts funding initiative in the mid-Thatcher years which basically promised a grand no string attached to anyone with a business proposal. A lot of musicians got their start from that, some you'd recognise like The Specials.
|
|
#
?
Jun 4, 2015 18:14
|
|
|
Anybody have any stories or experience with Vector Marketing? My cousin, who is a sophomore in college, just asked to set up an appointment to sales pitch me some knives. After reading this thread for so long the alarm bells triggered.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 02:56
|
|
|
Rythe posted:Anybody have any stories or experience with Vector Marketing? My cousin, who is a sophomore in college, just asked to set up an appointment to sales pitch me some knives. After reading this thread for so long the alarm bells triggered. It's a MLM scam. Your cousin is going to try and sell you on several hundred dollars worth of knives that aren't worth that much money. They're decent knives, but not $500+ for a set. He'll make next to nothing in commission even if he does sell. e: totally forgot they make you buy your own set of demo knives (at a discount, lol) and don't pay you for training. Oh and there's the conferences you technically don't have to attend and nothing is reimbursed. ladyweapon fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Jun 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 02:59
|
|
|
Rythe posted:Anybody have any stories or experience with Vector Marketing? My cousin, who is a sophomore in college, just asked to set up an appointment to sales pitch me some knives. After reading this thread for so long the alarm bells triggered. There was a MLM thread in GBS (http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3708526&userid=0&perpage=40) that had a bunch of Vector anecdotes.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 03:04
|
|
|
Not Reddit, for a change: OP uses his company credit card for personal use, racks up $20k balance.quote:A reader writes: It gets worse from there. http://www.askamanager.org/2015/06/i-racked-up-20000-in-personal-charges-on-my-company-credit-card.html#comments
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 03:37
|
|
|
HelloIAmYourHeart posted:Not Reddit, for a change: OP uses his company credit card for personal use, racks up $20k balance. Sounds like the company is pretty terrible with money too, do they not reconcile the company cards ever? I don't get how the company credit card was supposed to work at all even if they weren't putting personal expenses onto it since clearly they don't just pay the balance each month since there's $20k sitting on it they're not paying off, and if they just blindly paid what they got receipts for they wouldn't cover any interest or fee's. I don't know, I'm confused. EDIT: quote:The orginal plan was to use the money for a deposit on a car, and once the car was paid off, I would then have the car as an asset, which I could use as security on a loan, which I could use to pay off the card. All was going to plan, but the car got written off due to the engine totally breaking down after a month, so I then had to get another deposit on a second car. That was also ok until one day while at a red light a semi-truck smashed it up , and that second car was nearly paid off but then it got writen off as well. Luckily, for the second car I did have insurance, but the insurance company only agreed to pay out the remaining balance on that car loan and so I was again carless. Third car deposit, and four years later I am feeling trapped in this cycle where I am getting about $600 in PayPal fees every month. Holy poo poo  maybe they shouldn't work in a job that requires a lot of driving around....
Rudager fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Jun 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 03:53
|
|
|
Rudager posted:Sounds like the company is pretty terrible with money too, do they not reconcile the company cards ever? I don't get how the company credit card was supposed to work at all even if they weren't putting personal expenses onto it since clearly they don't just pay the balance each month since there's $20k sitting on it they're not paying off, and if they just blindly paid what they got receipts for they wouldn't cover any interest or fee's. At least for me, my corporate credit card is my own card. I charge things, I pay the balance myself. I can submit reimbursable expenses to teh company, who verifies the receipts and cuts me a check, which I then use to pay off the balance. The company doesn't actively monitor the card, it's all on me to take care of it. Which is why I leave it in a drawer and use my own card to cover non-airfare expenses. At least I'll get points.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 03:58
|
|
|
Omne posted:At least for me, my corporate credit card is my own card. I charge things, I pay the balance myself. I can submit reimbursable expenses to teh company, who verifies the receipts and cuts me a check, which I then use to pay off the balance. The company doesn't actively monitor the card, it's all on me to take care of it. Oh, guess it's different in different places, here someone reconciles all the company cards with the receipts every month and if it all balances out, pays off the card.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 04:24
|
|
|
I've got a corporate card that's heavily monitored, every expense must have a receipt, explanation, or pre-approval. Though I can see people using company cards for emergencies where it's the only way to pay and then getting it cleared up with the company later. I imagine most companies would probably be cool with that as long as everything was out in the open. Also isn't using a credit card to pay off the balance of a credit card, especially itself, illegal? No matter how indirectly you do it? Part of it is on his company though, even if they'd be completely in the right to fire him and leave him with 20k in debt. They could have realized what a moron he was years earlier if they followed through on checking the card monthly when it wasn't fully paid off; it would have been better for both him and the company.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 04:39
|
|
|
Omne posted:At least for me, my corporate credit card is my own card. I charge things, I pay the balance myself. I can submit reimbursable expenses to teh company, who verifies the receipts and cuts me a check, which I then use to pay off the balance. The company doesn't actively monitor the card, it's all on me to take care of it. I suspect that the guy may be in this position as the card is just a corporate card that's effectively his liability. That may be the case but it almost feels like he might be loving himself over. I just don't know what the terms and conditions of those corporate cards are. AMEX only seem to do corporate charge cards and not credit cards but I found their terms and conditions. quote:3 LIABILITY FOR CHARGES You agree to use the Card for bona fide business expenses The company is liable and the company needs to notify the provider of any misuse on the card. He's in a heap of poo poo if the agreement for the corporate card looks anything like this. Devian666 fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Jun 5, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 04:41
|
|
|
Omne posted:At least for me, my corporate credit card is my own card. I charge things, I pay the balance myself. I can submit reimbursable expenses to teh company, who verifies the receipts and cuts me a check, which I then use to pay off the balance. The company doesn't actively monitor the card, it's all on me to take care of it. This setup makes no sense to me. There's literally no upside to using the corporate card unless you're an idiot that enjoys filling out expense reports and getting no benefit from it (which you've obviously figured out, this is aimed more at your employer). I suppose it might be useful if you can't otherwise get a credit card, but I would hope a company wouldn't hand out corporate cards of this nature without running a credit check on the employee, which just circles back to my first point.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 06:18
|
|
|
Ornamented Death posted:This setup makes no sense to me. There's literally no upside to using the corporate card unless you're an idiot that enjoys filling out expense reports and getting no benefit from it (which you've obviously figured out, this is aimed more at your employer). Yea i dont think most people would call that a corporate car. Hey guys i got a company car. I even picked it out myself. Well, i also put the down payment on it. Yea i make the monthly payments too. Oh yea the loan is in my name as well. But company car!!!
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 06:26
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 19, 2024 19:08 |
|
|
Holy poo poo, that is such an inconceivable situation to be in. Not only is that guy getting fired, I'd wager that he is going to go to jail as well. What blows my mind - beyond the fact that no one has audited him to discover this in four loving years - is that he is accumulating $600/mo in balance transfer fees in the shell game system he has rigged up. That person is in deep, deep poo poo.
|
|
#
?
Jun 5, 2015 06:40
|
|
