Tina Turner was my First Customer

Some of you may already know that I'm an Amazon marketplace seller. I sell used books--and a few new ones--on Amazon through my seller account. I'm not making a ton of money but I enjoy it. I started doing this because I 'd often look on Amazon when a book interested me to see if I could get it for less from one of their used book sellers (who also sell new books and books in excellent but "used" condition). During a conversation with my sister, Amy, we talked about books and she mentioned that she was selling books and a few CDs on Amazon, and told me it was easy to set up an account. I decided to give it a try. Ten minutes later I became a bookseller! It has been a real joy to sell books online. Amazon has a terrific system and after over a year as a seller, I haven't had any problems (knock on wood, even though I'm not superstitious). I love packaging up the books neatly and sending them all over the country. When I received notice of my first sale by email, I was excited. The first book I sold went to a customer named Tina Turner. I don't think she was the famous singer, but who knows? Probably not, though. Some people share names with celebrities. I actually know a Janet Jackson and a Ricki Martin who live nearby. I'm not kidding. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Coffee with Marge

Once upon a time, many years ago, when our children were very young, we were best friends, but as the years passed and our kids attended different schools, we saw each other less and less. Occasionally we'd see each other in town, and agree that we should get together, but our plans never seemed to materialize for one reason or another. On Saturday night I saw my friend, Marge, at a fundraising dinner for the YMCA. She said that we should meet for coffee, and this time, the plan sounded more definite. On Monday she called me, and on Tuesday we met at Starbucks. (Don't worry, this is not a plug for Starbucks, but it is a nice place to meet and talk over tea and whatever other goodies you desire. I also enjoy the music they play, and have been introduced to new musicians at Starbucks. Last summer, they had Damien Rice CDs for sale at Starbucks. In NY this summer, we went to Starbucks every day for breakfast and I pictured myself with a laptop working on my blog at a table alongside others doing the same, sipping tea.) Both of us ordered tea, rather than coffee, but no one really says "let's go out for tea", do they? We talked about all kinds of things, family matters and personal ambitions, and it felt really good to reconnect with Marge. She is funny, sharp, and original, and I enjoyed her company. I mentioned to her that I sell some books on amazon and she asked about setting up an account of her own. Later that day, she texted me to inform me that she'd made her first book sale on Amazon! That didn't really surprise me though, Marge used to collect and sell antiques, and is very gifted.

Amazon.com

Yesterday I mentioned Kindle, Amazon.com's book reading device. You can download almost any book on this lightweight wireless device in about a minute, and also get newspapers, magazines, and even blogs on it! Kindle has a built-in dictionary (for convenience during reading!) and access to Wikipedia. It's really pretty remarkable, and for people without enough storage space for all their books, it's a nice solution. I'd like to see Kindle feature color fonts and graphics in the future. Amazon.com has always been on the cutting edge. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1994, it has become an icon of internet businesses. I remember first hearing about Amazon at a class I took about writing books for children, over a decade ago, and wondering about it (again, I was behind the times a bit). Back then, it only sold books and music, I think. Now you can get almost anything and everything on Amazon. It is huge. You can also sell and review products on Amazon. (I sell some books, new and used, and also write reviews for books and other products as well.) It 's a great way to express your views and perhaps help someone else make a decision about buying something. I see Amazon as the starting point of the revolution in shopping. It works because it's easy, convenient, and absolutely brilliant. Who would've thought we'd be able to shop by computer?