Thank you to the person who brought it to my attention that the eBay listing might be in violation of eBay's TOS. Michelle went through eBay's Live Help only to discover that their help isn't so much live. Or helpful, in fact. She's awaiting a response from eBay to find out if the listing is ok as is or if it needs to be modified somehow to make it legal. I guess if she can't auction her burnt cheese (never thought I say that sentence!) as a charitable auction, she can just auction it for fun. What she does with her winnings isn't anyone's business, right? She can just happen to give the money to umm, say a little boy with brain cancer, right? I'm sure it doesn't say anywhere in eBay's policies that the seller must retain all earnings.
Anyway, if it's relisted, I'll be sure and put a new link on here.
Thanks to everyone for checking it out! :)
There you go - right in the middle of our fun someone always has to come in remain us about the rules.
ReplyDeleteAs long as Michelle retains legal possession of the money made from the auction (which she should after it has ended) there is no restriction as to what is done with it. It IS hers, after all, and nobody but she has a say over what happens with it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I should mention that taking possession of the earnings from the auction only takes place after the item auctioned off has been remanded into the possession of the buyer unless he/she waives her right of possession (i.e. gives the item back to the seller as a gift).
Hope I could help a little!
I'll be interested to see what Michelle finds out. Last year I donated winning from a printer I sold to our local Down syndrome Buddy Walk and wasn't sure about the charity stuff as well. I said in my description that was what I was going to do with the sale and I didn't hear anything from eBay about it. I thought since it was a one time thing it would be ok. Hope I didn't violate any eBay rules, but I did donate my sales to the Buddy Walk.
ReplyDeleteI hope they will let her leave it!!!
ReplyDeleteMichelle dropped me a note and I checked it out too. I think it's definitely a sign from Cheesus up above!
ReplyDeleteThanks for listing the link to Michelle's page because no matter what we can still donate to help give Jullian and his family at least a little Christmas magic. Little things like this show how much love and support is out there even from strangers. I read Mimi's message on Michelle's ebay listing and it just tugged on my heart. It amazes me the strength one person can have even during such a trying time. It caused me to have a complete reality check and totally changed my outlook on my day. Puts a new perspective on life which needs to happen to those of us, who in comparison, are having a pretty good life with just a few minor bumps in the road. We tend to forget, sometimes, how truly lucky we really are. I pray that God can give them a true holiday miracle. God Bless! Tom
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of hoops she'd have to jump through in order to be a bonafide "charitable organization" on eBay, and to put "charity" in the auction title, you have to be a charitable organization.
ReplyDeleteSo...what she can do is put "proceeds to help child with cancer" in the title of the auction, and then in the body, explain who Julian is, put in a link, and again use "proceeds go to" - not "charity" or "charitable". A link to this post on your blog might also give the auction more "street cred", y'know? Since so many people read here (you're like....the Oprah of MomBlogs! HEE!!).
I think you will enjoy this. I don't know how to put in links to a page. Sorry. But this is funny. Ha Ha.
ReplyDeleteGold, Fur and Common Sense
My husband and I had been happily married (most of the time) for five years but hadn't been blessed with a baby.
I decided to do some serious praying and promised God that if he would give us a child,
I would be a perfect mother, love it with all my heart and raise it with His word as my guide.
God answered my prayers and blessed us with a son.
The next year God blessed us with another son.
The following year, He blessed us with yet another son.
The year after that we were blessed with a daughter.
My husband thought we'd been blessed right into poverty.
We now had four children, and the oldest was only four years old.
I learned never to ask God for anything unless I meant it.
As a minister once told me, "If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella."
I began reading a few verses of the Bible to the children each day as they lay in their cribs.
I was off to a good start. God had entrusted me with four children and I didn't want to disappoint Him.
I tried to be patient the day the children smashed two dozen eggs on the kitchen floor searching for baby chicks.
I tried to be understanding... when they started a hotel for homeless frogs in the spare bedroom, although it took me nearly two hours to catch all twenty-three frogs.
When my daughter poured ketchup all over herself and rolled up in a blanket to see how it felt to be a hot dog, I tried to see the humor rather than the mess.
In spite of changing over twenty-five thousand diapers, never eating a hot meal and never sleeping for more than thirty minutes at a time, I still thank God daily for my children.
While I couldn't keep my promise to be a perfect mother -
I didn't even come close... I did keep my promise to raise them in the Word of God.
I knew I was missing the mark just a little when I told my daughter we were going to church to worship God, and she wanted to bring a bar of soap along to "wash up" Jesus, too.
Something was lost in the translation when I explained that God gave us everlasting life, and my son thought it was generous of God to give us his "last wife."
My proudest moment came during the children's Christmas pageant.
My daughter was playing Mary, two of my sons were shepherds and my youngest son was a wise man. This was their moment to shine.
My five-year-old shepherd had practiced his line,
"We found the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes."
But he was nervous and said, "The baby was wrapped in wrinkled clothes."
My four-year-old "Mary" said, "That's not 'wrinkled clothes,' silly. That's dirty, rotten clothes."
A wrestling match broke out between Mary and the shepherd and was stopped by an angel, who bent her halo and lost her left wing.
I slouched a little lower in my seat when Mary dropped the doll representing Baby Jesus, and it bounced down the aisle crying, "Mama-mama."
Mary grabbed the doll, wrapped it back up and held it tightly as the wise men arrived.
My other son stepped forward wearing a bathrobe and a paper crown, knelt at the manger and announced, "We are the three wise men, and we are bringing gifts of gold, common sense and fur."
The congregation dissolved into laughter, and the pageant got a standing ovation.
"I've never enjoyed a Christmas program as much as this one," laughed the pastor, wiping tears from his eyes.
"For the rest of my life, I'll never hear the Christmas story without thinking of gold, common sense and fur."
"My children are my pride and my joy and my greatest blessing," I said as I dug through my purse for an aspirin.
All I have to say tonight is good one, Manic Mom!
ReplyDeleteKR
I can't find your post on The Golden Compass (you would think I could navigate this blog since I have one as well?!?) but thank you for posting something. I wrote an article for my church website but unfortunately it will be read by 1/1,000 the people that will see your site!
ReplyDeleteYou rock!
Kristen
Dublin, Ohio
I used to work for eBay customer support, and I just wanted to let you know that they are, indeed, real people. They use macros (automated responses that are programmed into their computers) to help them with the more common responses, because they usually work 3-5 at a time. It is an incredibly stress-filled job. I used to get so stressed before work that I would vomit. I hated that job, and I'm glad to be done with it.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to let you, and the rest of cyberspace know. :p