Zombucks and other 1 oz Copper Rounds Coin Review

So for the past month you may have noticed Ebay and other auction sites flooded with these cool looking 1 oz copper rounds(coins). I've always been a fan of commemorative and challenge coins, but they can be a bit pricey, usually starting at about $10. So the relatively cheap 1 oz copper coins were an attractive deal to me, as they can be as low as $1. The most popular one by far is the Zombucks 1 oz copper rounds. These are advertised as, The currency of the Apocalypse, Ha Ha. But there are many other coins out there, a simple search on Ebay for "1 oz Copper" will bring up several dozen different coin designs.

I can't turn down a good deal, and I needed a few small things for stocking stuffers, so I bought a few of the Zombuck coins. According to info I found online, these coins will be released in a series. 2 new coins being released every few months til the series ends in 2015. The first 2 are pretty cool looking, the 'Walker' design is the first in the series & the 2nd in the series is the 'Morgue Anne' design. Both play on the designs of the old US coins, the Standing Liberty & Morgan Dollar. They are very detailed, and well worth the $1.50 I spent on each one. I've seen this particular series go for an average of $2 a coin... not bad, and in my opinion well worth the money.

Now I know that copper is all the rage right now, at least once a week I see on the local news a story about someone stealing copper tubing or wiring to recycle. One reporter even went as far as calling copper the 'Poor Mans Gold', which is historically true, but lets not look at these coins as Copper Investment opportunities. The simplistic math is an ounce of Copper is worth about 25 cents, and copper is traditionally only recyclable by the pound and preferably by the ton. So if your paying $2 on a 1 oz copper coin, you're loosing $1.75 on your investment. So don't look at these coins as investments, instead see them for what they are... great novelties, collectibles, conversation pieces or just cool coins if you need to make a 'heads or tails' coin flip.

I do have one problem with these Copper coins, its the same with a majority of the 1 oz Copper Rounds I've come across. The face of the coin is always a cool picture, where the back of the coin is often less impressive. Usually displaying the name of the company that minted it or some other less impressive yet still very detailed picture. So if you buy several different coins made by the same company, then they will all have the same back side, The first 2 Zombucks are a perfect example of this. So if you come across an auction that only shows the front of the coin, its probably cause its just unimpressive. I suppose if you want to collect all the coins out there, and want to keep them together in 'minted by' sets, then the back side being the same on coins minted in the same company is a easy way to identify them. But I have no interest in collecting entire sets, so I personally would of preferred the back sides to be just as different & impressive as the fronts. Thats just me though....

I'll be keeping my eye on these Copper Rounds auctions, and probably buying more if they come out with more designs I like.

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24k Gold Banknote Review - Is it Real or a Scam

Okay so lets get right to it, 24k Gold banknotes are selling all over the internet for about $3-$5 U.S. The question is are they real?? And are they worth it??

When I was roaming around Ebay I found these 24k Gold Banknote auctions, I also found them on Listia.  The banknotes come in different denominations that resemble U.S. currency. They looked cool all shiny like a 'Golden Ticket' from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. As I like things that are cute and more importantly.. shiny, I decided to bid on a couple of these auctions figuring they'd be a cute and cheap Christmas stocking stuffer. Well I was surprised at how high the bidding on these items was going. Okay maybe $3 bucks was fair, that works out to $1 for the bill and $2 for shipping. But some of these auctions were rocketing out of control, one reaching $9 for a single bill. WHAT!!??

After some persistence, and bidding on every single banknote auction everyday for a week. I finally won a 10 dollar banknote for $1.93 cents w/ free shipping. Still a bit high for my taste (I'm pretty cheap), but OK I got one now. When it arrived it came with a small sheet of paper claiming to be a certificate of authenticity. It even claimed to have a  unique 4 digit serial number that was supposedly assigned to the banknote & that the banknote is legal tender. I haven't been able to find that elusive number anywhere on the banknote though, and I can state as fact this is NOT legal U.S. tender. Meaning you CAN'T spend it... no matter whats written on that little "Certificate of Authenticity".

 In the auction item description it was made very clear that the banknote was made of pressed gold leaf, then because of its ultra thin and brittle nature had to be heat pressed to some kind of plastic coating. And as I hold this in my hand and look closely at it, I can't say that they lied or really mislead me. The auction description was pretty straight forward, except for one word that I just can't let go of... investment. Is this a viable investment??????

 The banknote itself looks very nice, and as a novelty item I would reluctantly pay a few bucks for it. However its the main claim to fame that has me concerned, it claims to be a 24k .999  pure gold investment. 
Now don't get my wrong, the banknote is very attractive. The pressed images on both sides are very nice and reminiscent of the gold plated First Day Issue stamps of the 80's or 90's... which then sold for much more than they were worth and can now be bought for about $1 each. Now I'm going to accept the word of the seller that this is 24k gold leaf. But even IF that is true, then how much are these worth really.

Lets do some math... Lets say current gold price is $1400 per ounce 24k gold. Now in the title of several auctions it claims these are 5.5 grams. But my guess is that's total weight which includes the flexible plastic outer shell. So to make this easy lets say the pressed gold bill is exactly 1 gram. There are approximately 28 grams in an ounce. And if current gold price is 1400, that makes each gram worth around $50. Now correct my math if its wrong, it was my worst subject in school. But to me, I don't see how anyone in there right mind would auction off a gold banknote worth $50 for at tops $9 each... do you? So lets cut it down some more, even if the gold bill were 1/4 of a gram it would still be worth $12. Its just not likely that these have that much gold in them

Okay lets forget gold content for a minute and do some common sense profit analyses. Professional meaning full time Ebay auctioneers sell for a profit, not a loss. And although they may occasionally accept a loss on an item, they would never accept a loss on items consistently cause they would go broke. So lets say the average 24k banknote selling price is $2.50. Most of the auctions I've seen are free shipping, which is about $1.69 minimum if they use 1st Class Pkg for tracking purposes, paid by the seller. So that means they sold you the actual banknote for about 80 cents. Oh and there's seller Ebay & PayPal fees, around 10% so we're down to about 75 cents to the seller. Now the seller needs a profit, and most don't settle for less than 80% profit, which means they likely bought that bill  for about .25 cents. Now of course they likely bought in bulk, and were required to spend several hundred dollars for several thousand bills, basic commerce. Oh and don't forget the supplier, he had to make a profit too, which means the actual banknote was probably only worth about 5 cents to start.

My point with all this is, if there is 24k gold in these banknotes, which I choose to believe there is. The amount is so minor that the envelope you received the bill in is probably worth 10x more than the gold in the banknote. That's not to say this is a rip off, I'm just pointing out that this IS NOT an INVESTMENT.

If you think this is a nice looking bill, and you like collecting things that are shiny and new, then go for it. I did, and I'm not disappointed. Just go into this knowing that these banknotes are novelties, something fun to have hanging in a frame or given to a  friend or family member as a cute collectible. I may buy a couple more to use as a stocking stuffer, but I won't pay more than a few bucks each.

Now if I'm wrong about any of this, and you can PROVE to me that these are a good GOLD investment & not just a passing novelty item, I'll rewrite this to reflect your proof.

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Listia Freebie - Lara Croft Tomb Raider Play Arts Kai Figure

As it says in my blogs description and title, I'm a collector of anything and everything. If I see it, and I like it, I'll snatch it up like a mouse going after cheese. Last month I did a review on and joined a site called Listia.com. It advertised that you could get all kinds of things for free. I of course didn't believe it til I tried it. I started small, using only the 1500 points that they give you when  you join. I won my first auction the first day, I won a small trading card of the actress  Marisol Nichols. Not a big win, but I was testing the waters, to see if it was totally free. And it was, it arrived a few days later. So I tried another auction and then another, all small items that arrived with not fuss or hidden charges. So I decided to try selling some stuff, small things, you can look at my Listia selling guide ( My Listia Selling Guide for Beginners ) if you'd like details on selling there. Its the best way to get points for spending. If you join through the banner link, feel free to contact me on Listia and I will be happy to help you get started.

Anyways I sold a few things and within a couple weeks I had over 10,000 points to play with. So I went back out looking for auctions to bid on, I only bid on auctions with free shipping. This time I was being picky, I was going to wait for something I really wanted... and guess what appeared. A Lara Croft Tomb Raider Play Arts Limited Edition Collectors Figure. It came with everything except the game. But it had all the patches, weapons, spare hands.. etc, and was marked FREE SHIPPING.  Score!! I bid & bid.. and won with a final bid of 3,948 points. Thats peanuts.. I made that many points after my first 3 auctions. Yay!! I was sooo happy. But then I had to wait and see if it would really get sent to me, I'd never spent that many points and was on edge til the day the postman came to my door with this HUGE box. I tore into it like it was Christmas morning. And it was better than what was listed... it was completely mint condition in the tin box, and all the extra parts were still in their unopened bags. Since then I've been selling and buying on Listia, and though I've continued to get some great Free stuff, Lara Croft is my favorite. Here's some pictures of the Lara Croft Figure I got... FREE!!

I'll continue to upload photos of things I get on Listia, so come back often to check out my wins. Cheers!

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Selling on Listia - A Beginners Guide to Successful Selling

If you like a good deal, or even better, a free deal... then Listia is the place for you. I think of Listia as an online yard sale. A place for people to sell the junk that they don't want. You know the old saying, 'One mans junk is another mans treasure'. In many ways its what Ebay used to be, before it became a huge commercialized online shopping mall.

First lets be very clear, Listia DOES NOT use money, they use points. The points are earned by you and then used to bid on other sellers auctions or buying items from the Listia Store. In a different post, I'll show some photos of cool things I've bought on Listia with the points I've earned from selling my junk. In this post, I'll give step by step advise on how, what, and when to list items, so that you earn the most coins possible. My advise comes from 'Trial and Error' on my listings, so you're going to be learning from my mistakes. So lets get started.....

Listing an Item to Sell in 3 EASY steps

1)Click on the banner ad and open an account. All you'll need is an email account

2) After completing your registration, go to the top right of the screen and press List Auction
3) You'll be taken to the listing page and asked to enter the listings info. Just fill in the blanks:

• Title (what are you selling)
• Choose category (choose from the drop down list)
• Photo (add at least one photo or as many as you like)
• Description (describe what you're selling, include imperfections if any)
• Delivery (how much to ship item. Free Shipping will attract more buyers. I'll explain more about shipping in the next section)
• Location (general location. example: your country, state or city. DO NOT put your address here)

You could press submit at this point, but I always choose the advanced options. So lets try that too, press the small button that says Show Advanced Features. Its to the left of the SUBMIT button. You'll find a few other items to fill in:

• Auto Relist (uncheck it for your first few auctions)
• Start Bid (I always start at minimum 100. Listia deducts points from your balance for start bids higher than 499)
• Get it Now (unusable by you till you have some positive feedback from buyers, basically its the same as the BUY NOW feature on Ebay)
• #of Days (pick from the list how many days you want your auction to run, choose 3 days for your first auction)
• Double check your entries and press Submit

What to Sell on Listia

Actually you can sell almost anything you want on Listia, with a few exceptions. Check out the Listia rules for specifics, but basically if its illegal to own, you can't sell it. I've seen people sell everything from a photo of themselves to high priced antiques, and everything in between. So use your imagination. One person, posted photos of their sketch art and sold it, another sold Box Tops for Eduction tops. Just browse around the listings and you'll see the HUGE variety of things being sold. Some is useless junk... but again.. one mans junk is another mans treasure. And since there is NO charge for listing things, you may want to try listing something that you know would NEVER sell on Ebay.

For the beginner whose never sold online before, I recommend keeping it small in the beginning. Try selling small thin items that can be sent in a standard envelope with just 1 stamp (I also recommend going to your local Dollar Store and buying a box of medium size greeting cards, not the individual cards, the box of 10 or 20 for a dollar, these come in handy if you need a slightly larger envelope). Things like trading cards, photos, stickers, craft embellishments, post cards, coins, thin charms, etc. If its thinner than a quarter, you can usually send it in an envelope for 1 forever stamp, depending on weight. 1 forever stamp covers 1 ounce, if you're unsure, put on a 2nd stamp or take it to the post office and let them weigh it. These items can be safely sent in an envelope, costing you nearly nothing to send. Which means you can offer FREE SHIPPING, which attracts more buyers.


Heres's a few shipping tips

• Make sure you have a proper size envelope for what you are sending
• If you charge for shipping, don't accept cash. Only accept payment by Paypal or money order. And DO NOT ship til payment is made
• Coins - When sending a coin, use scotch tape to secure it to the inside center of a greeting card. This will keep the coin from rolling around in the envelope as well as keep it off the bottom & top of envelope where the postal machine stamps its information during sorting.
• Trading Cards - fold up in a piece of letter paper and put in a standard envelope
• Stickers, Photos - Small stickers can be sent in a standard envelope. Sheets of stickers or Photos may need a greeting card size or business size envelope.
• When using a greeting card size envelope, use the greeting card too. So what if its a Christmas, Thank you or Wedding Invitation card, no ones gonna care. Putting things like photos or stickers inside a greeting card gives the envelope a bit of stability and another layer of protection against the dreaded USPS sorting machines.
• When you've made alot of excess points, start bidding on forever stamps from sellers who are auctioning them. You can often get a much better deal than if you bought them at the post office.
• Large Items - Items too big for a regular envelope can often be sent in padded envelopes. Items such as silver ware, hat pins, toys, etc. Keep in mind that if the total thickness of your envelope(with the items inside) is 1/4" thick or more, its going to be charged First Class Pkg rates. Padded envelopes are considered packages by the USPS. The current minimum for sending a First Class pkg is $2.07, tracking/delivery confirmation is I believe .80 cents extra. If your item is valuable, I recommend paying the extra for tracking/delivery confirmation, maybe even insure it. Its a judgement call on your part. You can save a little if you are able to buy/print your own labels online.
• First Class Mail - I recommend sending most larger than envelope or bulk items with First Class Package. The price is often lower up until I think 2 pounds, then Priority is cheaper over 2 pounds, your postal office can tell you after they weigh it.
• Priority Mail - Only use Priority Mail if you have a heavy item or lots of items going to same place. You can get a fixed price box at the post office which will let you send heavy items for a decent price. Priority is not for speed, It travels only about 1 or 2 days faster than First Class Mail.

Keep in mind this simple rule: If you sell it, you have to pay to send it.


When to List you item

If you list your item at noon, it will end at noon on the day it ends. Keep this in mind, cause some bidders wait til the last minute to even place a bid. I've gone entire auctions with zero bids and then the last hour all the bidders just swarmed on the auction.There's no real perfect time, its trial and error, depending on the items your selling. I sometimes scatter my auction times to see if one time works better than the other.
Well I hope this has helped you become a biit more comfortable with the idea of selling on Listia. If there's any other information you'd like included, feel free to drop me a note or post a comment.

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Lego Minifigure Series 11 Bump Dot Codes - USA

Although I just updated my old post with the new minifigure bump codes. This is the post you should keep your eyes on if you're in the United States. We all know Lego releases different bump codes in different areas, so the codes may varies from region to region. The bump codes I've posted so far are from several regions, collected from friends (local & worldwide) and myself who have opened these figures. But I want this post to be only for the US release. So as I make more purchases and find more local codes, I will be changing the bump codes on THIS PHOTO only. So if you're in the US, check back often for the updated photo as I find more US region codes.

California Packaging Code: 419B3

North Carolina Packaging Code: 218B3

PHOTO UPDATED WITH NEW BUMP CODES
Sept 18 2013

 

Thank you to those who have sent me info for updating this

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Restaurant Review - Ocean Fish and Chips

Occasionally in my travels I come across food establishments that just need to be mentioned. Usually its a small local eatery that has such amazing food that it should be considered a 'Jewel' in whatever city it resides. Of course there is a flip side to that coin, there's very occasionally a place with food so horrible that I feel its a public service to spread the word. This is the case with Ocean Fish and Chips in Sacramento, CA.

This small little food stop is located on the outskirts of Metro Sacramento, in an area called Arden Arcade. It boasts as its signature meal as London Style Fish & Chips, written across the large window. When you walk in, you'll notice a few customers seemingly enjoying there meals, which will put you slightly at ease after seeing there were no cars in the parking spaces in front. I suppose they live close by and walked in??

The gentleman who takes your order is a very friendly Japanese man, his wife will wave and say hi, and you will feel quite welcome. I decided to try a few different things, and see if this was going to be my 'go to' restaurant in Sacramento. I was served up with my order which consisted of the London Style Fish & Chips, Fried Scallops, and a Teriyaki chicken bowl.

Lets start with the London Style Fish & Chips: The fish was deep fried and it was served with fries, that was as close to London Style that I could see. The batter was plain, and though light and crispy, really had no taste other than the oil it was fried in. The fish itself, I couldn't identify, though I would guess it was pollock which is cheap and commonly used for batter cooked fish. It had a nice flaky texture, but still it didn't really taste like fish. Now usually it's hard to mess up french fries, you drop a string potato in the the grease & fry to a golden brown, remove, drain, season, serve... easy peasy.... or is it?? These fries were obviously frozen, not a terrible thing for a local joint, but these were freezer burned.. and you could taste it. Sadly a little seasoning would of at least covered up the freezer burned taste a little, but they were served without even a pinch of salt.

Next was the Fried Scallops: Now I've met chefs who couldn't properly cook a scallop, and even more customers that have never eaten a properly cooked one. So I really didn't have high expectations or any expectations for that matter, and yet I was still disappointed. First they were overcooked, ok big deal I could live with that. But what really scared me was the taste. Have you ever bitten into something truly rotten, that taste of 'YUCK' that swirls in your mouth and causes you to salivate to point of wanting to vomit. I chewed 3 times and spit it out, nope I wasn't going to take the chance.

I spent a good 5 minutes trying to get the rancid taste out of my mouth. And when most of it was gone, I decided to try the Teriyaki Chicken bowl: I ordered the Teriyaki sauce on the side, to many times I've been burned with a really bad sauce on fairly good meat. Just because someone can make one doesn't mean they can make the other as well.. LOL! The amount of chicken was disappointing considering what I paid for it, about a 1/4 cup of chicken on a large bed of rice with sesame seeds sprinkled on it. I took a bite of chicken and was overpowered by the taste of salt. The same taste you get when eating one of those frozen over proccessed meat-like bags of chicken you buy at Wal Mart. This was not good, but I struggled through and dipped a piece in the teriyaki sauce, which didn't add anything. It was a weak and watery sauce... with barely a hint of teriyaki.

It goes without saying that I didn't finish any of this food, and sadly the only thing with any flavor was the overly salty dark meat chicken. I will ovoid this place every time I'm in town, and I recommend you avoid it to.

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Instagc Review - Is InstaGC safe & legit?

A friend of mine introduced me to InstaGC.com, a GPT site that promises instant gift cards to do offers, watch videos, play games, etc. I'm always a little cautious of any site that says you can get something for nothing. Yet it has been my experience that there are a few out there that actually deliver on what they claim. InstaGC is definitely one of the good ones. And the best part is, you don't have to wait for the gift card to arrive in the mail. These are instant E-giftcards, sent directly to your email address.

There are several ways to get the free gift cards they offer, and they have quite a variety to choose from. From PayPal to Walmart and everything in between. And they are always adding different gift cards to make the selection even larger. The easiest way to earn the gift card you want is to do the variety of offers that they have. Anyone who has been to a GPT site will easily find there way around this site, and if you need help, they have a forum full of helpful members... they even have a chat box if you want an instant answer from a member or there onsite Admin.

The site works on a point system, common among most reward sites like this. 100 points equals $1, and the site DOES NOT charge any kind of activation fee for ANY of there gift cards. You can easily earn enough points in a few days to get a gift card.

If you have a Facebook account and have played the games hosted on Facebook, then you know about the section on your account that lets you earn more Facebook coins by doing simple offers, watching videos and email registrations. InstaGC is basically the same thing, only they give you your choice of gift cards instead.

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Lego Series 11 Minifigures Bump Dot Code

Well we are so close to the new minis coming out, as soon as they do, I will post the bump codes as I open my bags

Any ways, check back on the first week of September, I'll have posted the Series 11 bump dot codes by then. I plan on being the first in line at Lego store they day they arrive on Sept 1st

UPDATED Sept 1st 2013
AS PROMISED - HERE ARE THE NEW BUMP CODES
These codes were supplied by several friends worldwide. Thanks guys!

For bump codes specifically for the minifigures sold in the USA check out my Bump Codes - USA post. That post will continually be updated as I discover new codes here in the US.

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What Is Listia? Is Listia Safe? Listia vs Ebay Review

So what exactly is Listia? Its a auction site very much like Ebay. The main difference is Listia doesn't use money of any kind. There are NO membership fees, NO hidden charges, NO cost to list an item or to buy an item. Everything is done on a 'points system'. The only exception is that some listings do charge shipping and handling, but you'll find just as many sellers offer Free Shipping.

What are points? Listia points are the currency you use to bid on things. When you first join the site, they give you about 1000 free points which is more than enough to bid and win 2 or 3 small items. This allows you to see how the site works, and if you're familiar with Ebay, you'll be more than comfortable with Listia. The site offers several ways to earn points for spending, the easiest and most flexible is to List an item of your own to sell. I was curious how the whole process worked so I listed a sheet of stickers that I just had laying around gathering dust. I set the auction time length and offered free shipping. When the auction ended, I got over 499 points for them. The buyers address was sent to me and I in return put the sheet of stickers in an envelope and with a standard forever stamp & sent them off. Easy Peasy!! Now I would recommend selling thin light items that can be sent in an average envelope if you offer free shipping. But if you want to sell larger things, charge a shipping fee to cover your costs. You can choose to accept Paypal, money order or what ever other payment type you find easiest for you.

Do you have a Facebook account?  You know that small section that allows you to do offers or surveys to earn facebook coins? Well Listia has one of those too, only you'll earn Listia points.

Listia has been around for many years and even profiled on a few news shows as being legitimate. This site is NOT for making money though. Its for having fun getting things basically for free. Here's a good example: Do you have some dvds that have broken cases or no case at all. No one will buy it on Ebay for more than 99 cents, BUT on Listia people will; and you may get 400 to 5500 points depending on the DVD title. And the points add up fast, so before you know it you'll have enough to bid on some really nice things. They even have a Rewards Store that is operated by Listia that offers all kinds of things at Fixed Price amounts & always FREE SHIPPING. So if you never find anything fun thats being auctioned by other users, you can save up for something being sold by Listia. And theere Rewards Store inventory is always changing.

All in all, Listia is a nice place for people who are not looking to make money, but have things they would like to trade. You auction your items, you bid on other items. Fun!

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Lego Series 11 Minifigures coming Soon!!

Anyone who collects the Lego Series Mini-figures will be happy to know that they have finally appeared. Unfortunately for those of us in the United States, they've only appeared in Europe. The release date in the U.S. is September 1st, but if you just can't wait til then, you have a few options. But before we explore those options, lets take a look at the new mini figures. My favorites are The Holiday Elf & The Tiki Islander

 Now how can you get these before they arrive in the U.S. Your best bet is a site like Bricklink. They are the unofficial lego superstore. Hundreds of sellers from all over the world selling everything from common blocks for a penny to super rare mini figs for hundreds of dollars. Buying these from a Bricklink seller, will cost you alot, likely 3x what you would normally pay for each figure. But if you just have to be the first one in the U.S. to have them, Bricklink is the place to go.

If you can wait a few more days, its very likely that most of the world will be getting them in there stores on August first. Its common practice for Lego to release to the U.S. last... so everyone else in the world gets their new releases a month earlier. Around August 5th you'll find Ebay is going to be swarming with overseas sellers looking to offload there new found minifigures. With shipping and the usual 30% - 60% markup, you'll be paying about $5-$7 for each mini fig if you're a cautious bidder. You can often pick up the entire set for around $60-$75, which is a pretty good deal if you don't want to search packs and end up with dozens of doubles and triples.  Again, if you just can't wait til Sept, then Ebay is the road I would recommend. Mainly cause there's always a chance of getting a lower price when bidding rather than just buying flat out like you would on Bricklink.

Oh and if you you're like me, you' re already wondering about Series 12, said to be released Jan 2014. Rumors on the Lego Facebook Release Page is hinting that the entire series 12 will be modeled after characters in the Upcoming Lego movie, which is also releasing in 2014

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Lego Minifigures Series 10 Bump Dot Code

Years ago I was walking through a Walmart and happened upon the Clearance isle. I looked up and saw a bunch of packets of Lego minifigures. I was shocked, as a kid I had loved Lego, but was stuck with only about 10 different styles of minifigures. These little packets I had found at Walmart promised 16 different exciting new styles. At a discount price of $1.50, I bought a few packs and ripped them open the minute I stepped out of the store, I was 'hooked' the minute I put them together. I ran in and bought the remaining ones and have been buying minifigures ever since.

Below is a cheat sheet of bump dot codes for the Series 10 minifigures currently out. This list was compiled with purchases made in the U.S., although all across the U.S. since I pick a up a few in what ever city I'm in at the time. Each code is from a minifigure I purchased with the exception of the Sea Captain and Medusa. Those two codes were given to me by a friend, since I have not yet got those for myself. I know from previous minifigure series that the bump codes can be different for various countries or regions.

I've also been told that a few of the minifigures have the same or very similar codes to discourage exactly what I'm doing, by releasing a cheat sheet. So don't take these codes as perfection, use them as a guide, along with feeling the pieces, and looking at the size of the pack. Obviously the Medusa minifigure is going to make the pack look very large, and the baseball player is going to be a very thin pack. If you run into other codes that are different than mine, drop me a note and I'll update or add your findings to this list.

I've also heard a rumor that the Mr Gold minifigure has the same code as one of the other minifigures, but that's just a rumor for now. Anyways I hope this cheat sheet helps you find the minifigures you're looking for. Good Luck

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Ebay Guide: Should I buy from a seller with 0 (zero) or low feedback?

Most sellers with 0 (zero) or low feed back are just like you and me. People who just want to make a few extra dollars selling the stuff they don't need or want anymore. I always check to see when they signed up for the account in the profile section. If its fairly recent, then they probably are new to Ebay. If the account was signed up for several years earlier, than its likely the person has another account they've been using for what ever reason. Another reason could be that they did buy or sell in the past but haven't used the account for a many years, feedback.. positive and negative ages off from the persons account over time, I believe a year for negative and 2 years for positive.. not sure though.

That being said, there are times when you should be at least cautious of a seller. The feedback score on Ebay is not perfect, it has flaws which many sellers and buyers will gladly tell you about. However it does perform one rather good function, for buyers. Its shows you how many satisfied customers took the time to leave feedback, showing what they bought when they bought it and how much they spent. If looked at properly, this is very good information for a perspective buyer to have. For instance, it shows whether the seller is a full time seller or someone who just occasionally sells something a few times a month or year. Feedback also shows if there was a problem with the item bought, did the seller fix the problem or leave the buyer "hanging"? So feedback scores can be a useful tool, if you know how to use them.

Now what if a person has 0 (zero) or low feedback say a score of under 20? Under most circumstances, that's not really a problem. Every person who signs up on Ebay, as a buyer or seller, starts with 0 feedback. So at this point look other places to get a feel of whether they are legit or looking to scam you in some way.

1) Look at what they are selling. Are they selling a rare coin, fine jewelry, or some other high priced item? most sellers just starting don't sell something so high priced. They'll begin with less expensive items til they get the hang of how Ebay & shipping items really works and costs. If you see someone selling a high priced item (items over $200 U.S.) and they only have a feedback score of 1, you may want to just move on to another seller. Who knows what they'll actually send, you bought a ring & they send you a bottle cap. If your purchase was covered by Ebay Protection then you'll probably get your money back, but its a long process. I personally rather spend a few dollars more and buy from a seller who at least has feedback showing they've sold other high priced items, or at least a bunch of low to mid price items.

Also, if they have a score of 20 or less... look at the details page of their feedback, is it all from buying 99 cent items over the course of a week or two? Some sellers will buy a bunch of 99 cent junk to "beef up they're score" before selling in the hopes you will only look at the feedback number by they're Username, but won't go to the Feedback details page. "Beefing up" the feedback score like this doesn't mean they're looking to scam you, its just something to consider when you are looking to buy from someone.

2) The biggest problem with 0 (zero) feedback sellers I've run into is shipping costs. The seller is new and doesn't have a home scale, shipping supplies or an online postage meter. So they guess at what the price will be. They drop your item into an old box or bubble envelope and throw a few stamps on it. Your item is light so they figure the cost will be the same as an envelope... oops! Your item arrives a few days later and WHAT??!! The postman says you owe how much???

A standard U.S. First Class Package costs about $2.10 for the first 3 ounces. so you end up owing Mr Mailman the remainder of the shipping cost. Ugh!! This has happened a few times and I just pay the mailman rather then have it sent back to the seller. The USPS will mark on the package POSTAGE DUE as well as how much is DUE, so just take a photo of the front before opening you package. If your item is what you bought and it was only a few extra cents you had to pay, I would suggest messaging the seller of the extra you paid and just leave it at that. If you had to pay more than a dollar, request the seller refund that extra you had to pay. Also tell them if they need proof they underpaid on shipping you can send a photo of the package with the Postage Due scribbled on the front.

If they sent you your refund, or you only had to pay a few cents to the postman, DON'T leave negative feedback. If you don't feel good about leaving positive feedback, then leave neutral. Neutral doesn't hurt there current score, nor will it add to it.

3) You can get a GREAT deal from someone with 0 (zero) or low feedback. As I wrote earlier, new sellers are just getting the hang of things. Alot of new sellers will sell there items 10% to 30% lower than what the seasoned seller is charging. There's two main reasons for this great price. A) They didn't search the item first to see what other sellers are charging. So they list the item well below what they could actually sell it for. B) They don't care what other people are charging, they're Spring cleaning and just want the stuff gone.

After a seller reaches a certain level on there feedback score, they usually stop selling things at a big discount, even if they really want it gone. They realize that they can just relist the item over and over, and as long as they're price is even 1% lower than the rest, it'll probably sell.

4) Item Descriptions from new sellers can be lacking alot of information. They list the item as USED, add a few photos, sometimes fuzzy or bad lighting but never explain that what you can't see in the picture is a huge scratch down the side, or faded colors or any number of other problems that they deem unimportant to a potential buyer. Alot of new sellers also don't accept returns, so if you feel mislead or cheated, your only course of action would be Ebay Protection.

Ebay Protection will protect a Buyer to a point, but if the item you receive IS the item you bought, there's not much they can do about it. A USED item is expected to be imperfect, so it would really be a "Crap Shoot" as to whether you get your money back. And in 99% of the time you will be required to send the item back to the seller at your expense. So if there is no detailed description of the item, its best to message the seller and ask them for specifics, then you have the Ebay message to prove the item was or wasn't in the condition the seller told you it was in.

All in all, my experience with buying from sellers with 0(zero) or low feedback has been acceptable. Everyone has to start somewhere, and the learning curved for Ebay selling is not to high. So any failures or mistakes made with my purchases I'm sure turned into a 'lesson learned' for the sellers, who I would hope improved for future buyers.

A friend of mine once told me she was afraid of buying on Ebay because she didn't want to give her name, address and phone number  to some stranger. I sat her down at my computer and we Googled her name. You should have seen the look on her face, when all her information came up. Pictures of her on social networks, the name of her gym, her home address and phone on several online phone books (like whitepages), Google maps, and much more. She doesn't worry much about Ebay buying now.

If you have any additional thoughts or things I should add to this, let me know, and I'll update it if I agree with you.

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Field Review - Astrorox Astronaut Ice Cream drops

I'm always looking for a light weight snack that can be tossed in my pack with little worry of it smashing or leaking. I mean Hersey & Snicker bars are great, but the first time one rips open in your pack on a hot summer day, you'll start giving other snack options a serious look. One snack that I've come to love is the Mountain House freeze dried Neapolitan ice cream. Now these can be a little pricey, especially if your buying online. So I decided to try to find a lower priced alternative. One thing I've learned over the years is, you can find 'anything' on Ebay, and if you're patient you're sure to find a great deal. Which is what I thought I found when I discovered Astrorox Astronaut Ice Cream drops.
Now at first glance they seem like a great deal. If you bid rather than using the Buy Now option, you can pick up a 4 pack for around $4-$6 U.S., which is what I did and I won the Neapolitan flavor for $5.50. When they arrive, you feel a little ripped off, especially if you're not used to freeze dried food. But keep in mind that is why you bought it, light weight and no mess. You can get about 4 mouthfuls out of each container, but be careful when you throw back a handful, these light weight little dots fly into your mouth and I almost inhaled a few. I would think one container per weekend hiking trip should be a sufficient snack. They taste alright, BUT...... If you are addicted to Mountain House freeze dried ice cream like I am, these will be a HUGE disappointment. My big problem with these is they don't melt in your mouth very well. What ever the coating is that they use on these, it keeps them from melting on your tongue the way Mountain House ice cream does. Because of that, you have to swirl them around in your mouth or chew them, and that just becomes a chalky flavored mess in your mouth.

Now I'd like to say that the low price makes up for the lack of quality and taste... unfortunately I can't. A 4 pack of these Astrorox dots have about as  much ice cream as 1 Mountain House Neapolitan Ice Cream. So what looks like a great price of $5 or $6 for a 4 pack is really more than what you'd pay for 1 Mountain House Ice Cream, which in my opinion, is a much better quality and tasting product. Now as I said in the beginning, Mountain House Freeze Dried Ice Cream can be a little pricey , especially if buying online. At a local Wal-Mart or Sporting Goods Shop you can probably pick it up for about $2.99 plus tax each. And online, you're looking at shipping costs, they're light but they're bulky. So figure about $5.00 each online from Ebay or a online sporting goods shop.

Now if you're set on buying these Astrorox, keep this in mind. They're geared towards the novice outdoors person, who will be so impressed with the packaging and novelty of ice cream in a tube that they won't care about taste or quality. But even for the novice outdoors person, I wouldn't recommend these. Incidentally, I wouldn't even recommend these for your children as a treat, in my mind they're a choking hazard. It'd be like handing your kid a tube full of tiny Styrofoam balls.

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Who is Clara Oswin Oswald?? My Who Theory

With all the theories rolling around about who Clara is, I decided to throw in my 10 cents worth. Most Doctor Who fans agree that she is going to be a pivotal part of the climax in the 50th anniversary special due out in November 2013. Several people have theorized that Clara is the daughter or great grand daughter of Doctor Who from a previous version of himself. Possible, but none have really shown a good timeline of how, and keep in mind that the Doctor Who story line goes forward, seldom reaching to far into previous versions or series for content. Grabbing story lines from the past and linking them to a future episode would appeal to us who have seen the whole series, but would tragically confuse any new watcher.

So my theory will grab on to the last series(season) and explain why and how I think Clara is the daughter of Doctor Who and River Song. First lets look at River Song, its shown in past episodes that she can re-spawn like a Time-Lord, a side effect of being conceived in the Tardis.. naughty naughty Rory and Amy.. Ha Ha. We also know that because her parents were human, her bio signs always read as human, even though she was part Time-Lord. River Song was a baby, then sent back in time to become the best friend of Amy Pond & Rory Williams while they were in school, then was killed in Nazi Germany and re-spawned into the River Song (Alex Kingston) we are all familiar with. As of today we don't know where River is, though presumably back in prison or off on yet another adventure. We also know that she and Doctor have gotten frisky, so it is reasonable to think that she may have gotten pregnant. Now although we all love the beautiful adventurous and kick ass personality that IS River Song, can any of us seeing her raising a child, or carrying a baby in a papoose while off on an adventure.. NO! So I would guess that while she's off somewhere, whether prison or adventure, her child would be in the care of someone else. Now here's why Clara doesn't know her mother.. As we all recall, the day the Doctor first met River, she sorta died and her essence was downloaded into a computer where she could continue living in a way, but the then older River, would never return home to her child, and Clara would have been raised by someone else.

Now who knows what the effects of River Song and the Doctor producing a baby would be, but because of Rivers human DNA is plausible that Clara would also always have human bios signs. But how does Clara end up in different times and always near the Doctor?? Well here's my thoughts.. Clara lives her life normally as a human, but when she dies, instead of re-spawning into a new face like her mother and father would, she instead retains her skills (computer programing, languages, etc), physical appearance & basic personality then re-spawns randomly into a different time period past or future, like a computer being hard drive wiped & then rebooted in a different location.

Because shes the Doctors daughter, the first time she died and re-spawned into a new time period, it set off a sort of temporal flare gun that the Tardis recognized and started sending him to where she was. Now if you're wondering why she didn't re-spawn when the Daleks took control of her, its because she didn't really die till the end of the episode.. her spirit, life force, essence, or whatever you want to call it, remained in control even though she had been physically transformed. But when she did die she was mind wiped and sent backwards in time where the Tardis homed in on her.

I also believe that at the point of her death or for only the first few moments of a new life, she remembers everything and is able to leave the cryptic messages for the Doctor to discover. The cryptic messages obviously being a trait adopted from her mother, River Song, who once carved in the side of a mountain the very first words ever written in all of existence.

This theory also explains why The Doctor is so attached to Clara, and why he feels such guilt over her deaths. He doesn't conscientiously realize it but he's having a fathers reaction to her. Anyways those are just my thoughts

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Movie Review - GI Joe Retaliation

I was a huge fan of the GI Joe franchise as a kid. When the first movie was released I was so eager and happy to see a GI Joe movie, that I didn't judge it too harshly on its story line. Sadly when this movie was released, it was just a big disappointment. First lets talk about the main storyline, Why.. why.. WHY!!??? Would they kill off the majority of the GI Joe Forces. Seriously, this movie would of worked just fine with killing off a single main character (as they did DUKE), and could of had the other Joes framed or on other missions. But instead they kill off all our main characters and I have to ask why? Do they not expect to make a 3rd or 4th movie? And the story doesn't match the movie, sure in the first 30 minutes its all about retaliation and getting revenge for Duke and the other Joes, but by the middle of the movie it was about saving the Presidency and pulling Cobra Commanders claws out of the White House. I personally would of named it GI JOE: Operation Stronghold, implying that there was a stronghold situation that had to be broken, which in the end is what the movie was about. My title would of also allowed for new movies to use other GI JOE characters, and not worry about being in linear order, always using the word 'Operation' in the title.

Now the actors... I want to say that I don't think Bruce Willis had any business being in this movie. It was a step backwards for him, he's an established 'Action Hero', and the mediocre storyline arc of the "Original GI JOE" that his character was on was unbelievable and poorly written. In fact if you watch the movie closely you can pretty much remove Bruce Willis story arc from the movie and with only minor tweaks, the story works just as well.

Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) is a great actor when he's given a good script to work with, this was not it. There are some actors that we will always associate with a character in a movie, Carrie Fisher: Princess Leia, Bruce Willis: John McClain, John Wayne: Rooster Cogburn, Robert Downey Jr: Iron Man.... etc. Dwayne Johnson like the aforementioned actors is very talented, and I thought this movie would of been his to own when it was announced he'd be in it. But again, the story and writing was just so simplistic that it was a shame to see such a great actors talent go to waste.

Don't get me wrong, this was a decent movie, with some ok action scenes. Unfortunately that's all it was, action. Yes they tried to add some substance with the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow revelation, but it just didn't work. After I left the movie, I had all but forgotten a few of the characters. Lady Jaye was a kickass part of the GI JOE Universe and yet her character in this movie was shallow and predictable. Adrianne Palicki shined in Legion, in this movie she... well did the best with what she had. As I write this I can barely remember the scenes or the actors that played Flint and Jinx... that is just bad writing. The fact is this movie was a disgrace to the GI JOE Brand, it was just a studios attempt to cash in on Name Recognition, hoping we wouldn't notice the pathetic storyline by throwing in some 'Big Name Actors'.

This movie was a joke and I'm feel ripped off for having to pay to see it and the time I'll never get back that I spent watching it.

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