Shipping with Omar

There has been a lot of controversy between buyers and sellers regarding shipping costs. i know I get a number of questions from potential customers as to why some of my items have such a high shipping cost. Believe me, If I could ship for less I would do it because I would attract more customers and enhance my bottom line. So here's the deal:

I ship almost exclusively with the US Postal Service. Fo me this makes the most sense. The type of items I sell ship better this way and frankly the overall service has been better. When I ship over seas I use USPS priority mail international. When I ship MM's, Reese's Mini peanut butter cups, or Reese's Pieces I use the flat rate envelope. I can ship up to 4 pounds of goods in this envelope worldwide for $11.75. That is what the postal service charges and that's what i charge my customers. If it is an item like mugs or globes or plates etc..., I ship either USPS parcel post or priority mail. I use the E-bay postage calculator on all of my aucions and store items. The price of shipping on each auction is dependent on the weight of the item being shipped and the size of the box. I also charge a one dollar handling fee foe domestic shipping and a $2.00 fee for international. The handling fee covers the cost of the box, packing tape, bubble wrap, packing peanuts and address label. If insurance is required then that cost is also factored in according to the USPS guide lines.

I realize that there are some sellers out there that charge high prices for shipping. many of them are legitimate costs but some are just padding their profit margin. Take the time to compare items and see what different sellers are charging for shipping. They may charge a low preice for the item but a high price for shipping or vice-versa to balance the price. Take all charges into consideration before making a decision and then decide if the item is worth it. Don't just base your decision on the cost of the item alone. Omar@omarstent.com

Nightmare Before Christmas

Recently I was getting the house ready for the coming holidays. I was cleaning a closet in my office and came across a box labelled Halloween. In the box were some Jack Skellington items I bought 3 or 4 years ago and completely forgot about. In looking at them I remembered why I bought them. They're really nice. I found a Jack Skellington doll in a coffin presentation box. Also a Sally doll in the same type box. There is a box of Nightmare Before Christmas Figurines and there is also a Jack Skellington head with a black cat standing on top as a candle holder. They are great for this time of year. i bought them at the Disney Store to use at Halloween. But now that I see them and because I already have too much for Halloween I thought I'd see if anyone else might like them. I haven't seen any of these out at the stores since the year that i purchased them. They are all in there boxes and have never been displayed. Take a look and let me know what you think.Oh I almost forgot. There is this great mug with Jack and Ooglie Booglie on it. I have not seen this one anywhere since the day I bought it.

Hershey's Kisses. Not to be overlooked!

There are things in life that we see every day and end up taking them for granted. Or we pass them by because familiarity breeds contempt. In the case of chocolate I think we tend to focus on Belgian or Swiss fine chocolates or the day to day chocolates of Britain such as Cadbury. I know I have certainly fallen into this trap. But, as I have recently discovered, Hershey's is not to be overlooked. Over the last year I have noticed that Hershey has been placing on the market a number of flavored kisses to quiet fanfare. Unlike the heralded presence of M&M's, Hershey's kisses have no sexy mascot or striking alternate colors. What they do have is a stable of unusual flavored chocolate drops that are worth more than a passing glance. What I have come across so far are Cookies 'n' Creme, Cherry Cordial Creme, Vanilla Yogurt Creme, Almond, Special Dark Chocolate and Caramel. They are all quite tasty. The Cookies 'n' Creme are my favorite with Special Dark a close second. Probably the only one that misses the mark is the Cherry Cordial Creme. That flavor just doesn't do it for me. If you are looking for a change or the price of European chocolate is becoming more than your wallet can bear then you may want to take a look at these fine confections. They are well worth your time and investment. Jim Thomasson, Omar's Tent

New generation of Disney Mugs

Disney has just come out with a new generation of coffee mugs that are a departure from past mug sets. The newest ones are shaped like a castle tower. Framed within this motif are color renditions of favorite Disney Princesses and their Princes. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine and many others. There are also some that have the appearance fine china or fine restaurant mugs with the same characters in different settings. They are well worth checking out.

"Watch Out!" The Transformers have returned!

2 years ago as part of the promotion for the new Transformers movie, Lunchables offered a new boys size Transformer watch when you sent in a UPC and some cash. I recently acquired a number of these watches at an overstock sale. They are really nice watches! I was surprised. Normally with a promo of this type the product is usually, well, crappy. But these are actually well made and aesthetically nice watches. You can see the Optimus Prime watch by going here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380051982888&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I also have Barricade, Star Scream, Autobot and Decepticon watches available. All are very nice. The Bumble Bee watches were especially nice and sold out quickly. All of the watches are new, in origianl packaging and have never been worn. Check 'em out! You won't be disappointed.

The Dark Knight is Back! In Reese's Pieces that is.

The Dark Knight Reese's Pieces are back! I have had the hardest time getting these from my supplier. Apparently Reese's didn't make that many of them and the demand has been greater than the supply. I just don't know how much longer they will be available. If Reese's is anything like M&M I believe that once Labor Day hits the Dark Knight products along with the Indiana Jones promotion at M&M will be a distant memory.

I have been able to capture some though and have listed them in the store. Check them out here and see how they do: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380055788371&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I was also able to get my hands on the ever elusive Dark Chocolate Bats. These too will be all but gone by the end of Labor Day. You can check them out here and see how they fare: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380055786538&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

If you haven't seen the Dark Knight then GO SEE IT! and take some of these Reese's Pieces with you. You'll love every minute of it!

Wildly Cherry M&M's

They are getting harder to find these Cherry M&M's. They came out in the early Spring and all but disappeared by beginning of Summer. The best description I have heard regarding the Chery M&M's is that they taste like Dr. Pepper and chocolate wrapped in a candy shell. They do indeed and are quite popular as indicated by the sales. I have listed the last 3 stragglers in my posession at omarstent.com you can see how they fare by going here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=380054849153&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

20 pounds of M&M's

I had a customer contact me that wanted 20 pounds of M&m's for herself and her friends overseas. Getting the number and variety of M&M's was easy but getting the right combination of types to get as close as possible to 20 pounds and not go over was a bit of a challenge. I finally came up the right mixture and it came to 19 pounds 8 ounces including the box. Check it out at omarstent.com If you are outside of the U.S. this could be a good way to get what you crave...

M&M's and lots of 'em!

M&M's. I love 'em! I can't get enough of them and apparently neither can a lot of other people. Every time M&M/Mars comes out with a new flavor people go crazy for them. When Wildly Cherry came out in the spring the stores couldn't keep them on the shelves. My "tent" had a hard time keeping up with demand. I hope that the people at M&M see the error of their ways and will bring back the cherries. I had a huge stockpile of them and have finally sold my very last one. I still have plenty of the other flavors though. Peanut Butter, Almond and the Indiana Jones Mint Crisp M&M's are particularly well liked. Come see them at my tent: www.omarstent.com Who knows? You might get hooked on 'em too! Jim Thomasson