Category Archives: Service Reviews

AmaBay: eBay vs. Amazon price comparison

AmaBay is an online service created by Linked8 Apps in 2009 to enable online shoppers to easily compare Amazon and eBay prices for any product for all countries covered by Amazon and eBay.  As its name indicates, AmaBay = Ama(zon) + (e)Bay, its search result combines those of Amazon and eBay for a certain keyword in the same screen.

How to Use AmaBay

You can start comparing prices in either of the following ways:

  1. through browser add-ons (AmabayFox for Firefox and AmabayChrome for Google Chrome), this way is the easiest.  The browser add-ons put a small button on browser toolbar or address bar when you are viewing any eBay or Amazon product page, one click on that button will show you the Amazon or eBay prices for that product or similar products.
  2. through AmaBay website (http://amabay.linked8.com), just like how you search a keyword on Google, you go to AmaBay homepage, enter a keyword, then hit search button, then AmaBay will search Amazon and eBay databases and throws out most relevant products from both Amazon and eBay side by side.

Amazon vs. eBay, price and beyond

AmaBay is both a price research tool and a product research tool.  Using this tool, you can research any product and find interesting differences between Amazon and eBay:

Generally, Amazon is more specialized in branded products, due to this reason, Amazon is more often to be chosen to be the official retail channel for well-known brands, such as Microsoft Zune HD video mp3 player.  In addition, Amazon also offers free shipping on any $25 or greater orders and pays return shipping on items shipped by Amazon.com itself.

eBay is more specialized in non-branded, commodity like products, such as car mp3 player FM transmittter, more often than not you can find better deals on eBay than on Amazon for these products.

However, these guidelines are not true in many cases, eBay can offer unbeatable price on branded products for example, Brother QL-570 label printer, while Amazon could offer great deals on non-brand products such as car charger socket power splitter.  Therefore, you want to use amabay to research any individual product before you conclude which retailer offer the best price.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Amazon prices?

There are four types of Amazon prices:

  • Amazon listing featured price
  • Lowest price for new product
  • Too low to display: you have to go to Amazon.com, add the product to shopping cart to see the price
  • Currently unavailable

What are eBay prices?

eBay prices are the sum of product price and shipping fee.

Price Comparison: Warehouse Clubs – BJ, Costco, Sam’s Club

WSJ’s SmartMoney recently ran a report that compares prices of major grocery items between regular supermarket and major warehouse clubs: BJ, Costco and Sam’s Club.  The price data was based on their visit to supermarkets or warehouse clubs based in New York, New Jersey area.

In summary, it’s pretty clear that 99% of the daily grocery items in Supermarket are sold cheaper in warehouse clubs, so that’s a win for warehouse clubs as a whole.  Among them, however, there is no clear winner on an overall basis, since different clubs seem to have strength in different items.

Here is the result:

Item Supermarket BJ’s Costco Sam’s Club
Skim milk, one gallon
$3.29
$2.09
Savings: 36%
$2.29
Savings: 30%
$1.88
Savings: 43%
Eggs, 1.5 dozen
$2.79
$2.99
Added cost: 7%
$1.50
Savings: 46%
$2.93
Added cost: 5%
Strawberries, 2lbs.
$5.98
$3.99
Savings: 33%
$3.50
Savings: 41%
$3.48
Savings: 42%
Bell peppers, six count
$2.97
(on sale)
$5.99
Added cost: 102%
$6.99
Added cost: 135%
$5.88
Added cost: 98%
Boneless, skinless
chicken breasts, 10lbs.
$29.90
$22.29
Savings: 25%
$29.90
No savings
$19.70
Savings: 34%
Skippy Creamy peanut
butter, two 40 oz. jars
$14.26
$7.39
Savings: 48%
$6.99
Savings: 51%
$6.04
Savings: 58%
Claritin allergy medication,
90-count (over-the-counter)
$69.97
(after a $5 coupon)
$29.99
(after a $5 coupon)
Savings: 57%
$34.49
Savings: 51%
$31.74
Savings: 55%
Lipitor 10mg cholesterol
pills, 90-count (prescription)
$255.97
N/A
$259.79
Added cost: 2%
$250.72
Savings: 2%
Charmin Ultra Soft toilet
paper, 36 rolls
$31.22
(after a 25-cent coupon)
$18.74
(after a 25-cent coupon)
Savings: 40%
N/A
$17.88
Savings: 43%
Tide Original liquid
detergent, 170oz.
$31.93
(after a 35-cent coupon)
$20.14
(after a 35-cent coupon)
Savings: 37%
$20.99
Savings: 34%
$20.97
Savings: 34%
Secret Invisible Solid women’s
deodorant, four-pack
$20.96
(after a $1 coupon)
$3.79
(after two $1 coupons)
Savings: 81%
N/A
$6.83
Savings: 67%
Huggies Step 4
diapers, 176 count
$71.11
(after a $1.50 coupon)
$37.99
(after a $1.50 coupon)
Savings: 47%
$42.79
Savings: 40%
$36.43
Savings: 49%
Poland Spring
water, 35 bottles
$10.19
$4.19
Savings: 59%
$4.99
Savings: 51%
N/A
Pepsi, 36 cans
$14.97
$9.49
Savings: 37%
$9.49
Savings: 37%
$9.10
Savings: 39%
Folgers Classic Roast
ground coffee, 48oz.
$17.72
(after a 50-cent coupon)
$8.49
(after a 50-cent coupon)
Savings: 52%
$8.99
Savings: 49%
$8.39
Savings: 53%
Grey Goose
vodka, 1.75l
$68.99
N/A
$59.99
Savings: 13%
$57.82
Savings: 16%
Purina Dog
Chow, 50lbs.
$31.23
(after a $1.50 coupon)
$21.49 (after a $1.50 coupon) Savings: 31%
N/A
$22.58
Savings: 27%

Service Review: Resume Distribution Services

Job searching process may be desperate, thrilling and time consuming, not only for fresh graduates but also currently employed.   However, things can be far more efficient and effective if you take advantage of the job search techniques and services thatInternet now offers.

Resume distribution is one of these services that’s very effective and cost-efficient.  It emerged in 2002, and became increasingly popular since then.  Job hunters can reach employers through distributing hundreds or even thousands of resumes automatically to increase personal visibility within the job market.

So far, resume distribution services can help you do these two types of work:

  • Resume blasting: directly email your resume to thousands of employers, recruiters, headhunters in short time frame.  Serious providers in this category include: EmailMyResume and Resume Zapper, Resume blasting is the most direct approach to market yourself to recruiters and head hunters, since it directly transfers your profile and resume to the emails of your targeted recruiters.   Comparing with posting your resume on job sites and wait for recruiters to find you, resume blasting allows job seekers to take a more active approach by reaching out and find recruiters.   By taking a more proactive approach, resume blasting allows job seekers more ability to target certain recruiters by industry, company or special areas.
  • Resume posting: post your resume to multiple job sites, one of famous providers in this category is Resume Rabbit.  No doubt, job sites are a major place where recruiters and head hunters spend a lot of time daily browsing, therefore getting your resume posted on as many as possible job sites is important.  In addition to Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Ladders.com, there are hundreds of job listing websites out there, each requires a complicated process of registration of your personal information and resume, resume posting service automates this process and immediately let your profile appear on hundreds of job listing websites.

Service Comparison

This post reviews major five resume distribution services on market now, compare pros and cons of each services to help you make an informed decision.

Company Service Audience Region Industry Price
Email My Resume Blasting 1000+ recruiters and employers 3 regions 3 industries $49.99
Resume Zapper Blasting 600+ recruiters 3 regions 3 industries $49.99
Resume Zapper Blasting 600+ recruiters 3 regions 3 industries $59.99
Resume Zapper Blasting 1000+ recruiters 3 regions 6 industries $68.99
Employment 911 Posting 76 career sites USA General $59.95
ResumeRabbit Posting 83 job sites USA General $59.99

Service Provider Profile

Detailed information of each resume distribution service providers:

Resume Rabbit

Pros: Password access to check status on your site postings in real time. Personal link list to all sites with your usernames and passwords.
Cons: If currently employed, posting your resume to the Internet job boards could lead to negative responses from your current employer.

EmailMyResume

Pros: You will be able to select companies where you do not wish to distribute your resume.
Cons: You will be able to add industries and regions for extra pay.

Resume Zapper

Pros: Over 10,000 recruiters in its US database and 1100 recruiters who make international placements.
Cons: You pay extra fees for additional services like increased exposure, privacy protection, report of resume activity, etc.

Employment911

Pros: Free electronic formatting.
Cons: Website design not so user friendly. You have to pay the service before the details of service are displayed.

Expert Take

Here is an excerpt from Jason Kay, a career expert, on the power of resume distribution services.

By utilizing a resume distribution service, you can help cut down your “to do” list, so that you have more time available to accomplish the items remaining on that list. This, in turn, allows you land a job more quickly and limit the time that you are unemployed and without a steady income.

A resume distribution service will also do something for you that can be particularly difficult and time consuming for you to do on your own – find out-of-area jobs in other towns and cities across the nation. This presents an amazing possibility for job hunters who are willing to relocate if the right opportunity presents itself.

All in all, a resume distribution service can be the perfect solution to simplify a process that can otherwise be draining, time consuming, and slow down other important activities that contribute to a successful job search. It is almost like having your own personal assistant to assist in your job hunt – one who is dedicated to helping you discover the best job opportunities out there and bringing you one step closer to finding the job of your dreams

Resume distribution services offer a wide range of services. Depending on your job level and field you may choose which services, and what cost, is right for you. Be sure to compare services, especially former customer reviews, of a resume distribution service before you choose to purchase their service. After you find the distribution service for you, relax, let them do the work, and get ready for a career boost.

Rate Q&A: APY to APR and APR to APY conversion methods

APR and APY are common concepts of savings interest rate that you have to deal with.  For example, the review of online saving accounts lists APY version of various bank’s saving account interest rates.  The concepts of APR and APY are so close to each other, they sometimes confuse a lot of people.  In fact, they describe the same thing, interest rate, from two perspectives.  APR stands for Annual Percentage Return, it measures how much interest dollar you will get if you cash out whenever you earn interest.  APY stands for Annual Percentage Yield, it measures how much interest dollar you will get if you don’t cash out interest earned, but put it back to earn interest again.

The two types of rates are interchangable, here is how to convert one to the other.   Before you calculate, you need to set a method of compounding, which is how many pieces you want to slice a year into.  Daily compounding slices a year into 365 days, then periods of year is 365.  Monthly compounding slices a year into 12 months, then periods of year is 12.  With this in your mind, you can start converting.

Supposing you want to calculate daily rate for the year of 2009 which has 365 days total.

If you have APR available, here is how to calculate APY:

APY = (APR / periods of year + 1) ^ periods of year – 1

For example, for APR 2.08%, and you want daily APY,

APY = (2.08% / 365 + 1) ^ 365 – 1 = 2.10%

Converting APY to APR is a little more complicated, say If you have APY available, and need APR

APR = ((1 + APY) ^ (1/periods of year) – 1) * periods of year

For example, for APY 2.10%, and you want daily APR,

APR = ((1 + 2.1%) ^ (1/365) – 1) * 365 = 2.08%

Credit Score Q&A: Positive and Negative Actions on FICO Score

Q: if you cancel/close a credit card account within a short time (lets say 6 months) you took it, will it affect your credit score?

A:  It will probably not.  This kind of behavior should fall into the “New Credit” section that is in your credit report, however, since the majority of this section is to figure out your interest to new credit, the more you are interested, the more negative to your credit.  Given this guideline, if you close new accounts shortly, that doesn’t affect your credit score negatively.

References: How Your FICO Credit Score is calculated from myFICO.com.  You may also find out your FICO score by visiting here.

FICO Scores are calculated from a lot of different credit data in your credit report. This data can be grouped into five categories as outlined below. The percentages in the chart reflect how important each of the categories is in determining your FICO score.

What's in your FICO?

These percentages are based on the importance of the five categories for the general population. For particular groups – for example, people who have not been using credit long – the importance of these categories may be somewhat different.

Payment History

  • Account payment information on specific types of accounts (credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, finance company accounts, mortgage, etc.)
  • Presence of adverse public records (bankruptcy, judgements, suits, liens, wage attachments, etc.), collection items, and/or delinquency (past due items)
  • Severity of delinquency (how long past due)
  • Amount past due on delinquent accounts or collection items
  • Time since (recency of) past due items (delinquency), adverse public records (if any), or collection items (if any)
  • Number of past due items on file
  • Number of accounts paid as agreed

Amounts Owed

  • Amount owing on accounts
  • Amount owing on specific types of accounts
  • Lack of a specific type of balance, in some cases
  • Number of accounts with balances
  • Proportion of credit lines used (proportion of balances to total credit limits on certain types of revolving accounts)
  • Proportion of installment loan amounts still owing (proportion of balance to original loan amount on certain types of installment loans)

Length of Credit History

  • Time since accounts opened
  • Time since accounts opened, by specific type of account
  • Time since account activity

New Credit

  • Number of recently opened accounts, and proportion of accounts that are recently opened, by type of account
  • Number of recent credit inquiries
  • Time since recent account opening(s), by type of account
  • Time since credit inquiry(s)
  • Re-establishment of positive credit history following past payment problems

Types of Credit Used

  • Number of (presence, prevalence, and recent information on) various types of accounts (credit cards, retail accounts, installment loans, mortgage, consumer finance accounts, etc.)

Also check out service review of credit reporting/monitoring and identity theft services