I've noticed, lately, there seems to be a whole lot more complaints about the rising prices of everything. And I'm not immune. I catch myself making cry baby comments, too. Mine seem to be about things which I just can't comprehend.

Fuel prices. That's the one. Since I don't get how or why the prices are set, there's no level of acceptance I can achieve. The rise in prices of other things I can explain. Most increases are due to shipping costs. Which equals fuel! Postal increases? Fuel.

Wages need to increase to make up for all the other increases, which increase the prices, to pay for the wage increases. Even if I don't work more hours, or use more expensive equipment, the cost of running the equipment has increased, which either cuts into my bottom line or has to be compensated for in some other area.

Up in our neck of the woods, the utilities have increased 30%. In our wrecker business, we've had to increase our prices a bit, as fuel prices keep going up. $50 goes up to $60, but then we pay/include sales tax, so it's about a $6.50 increase, not $10. ($6.50 = 1.5 gals of fuel) The Motel, we've decided, will stay the same, and I'll try to make up for the rising costs of everything by using the economy setting on the washer, actually measuring my laundry soap instead of just pouring it in, putting 3 soaps in the rooms instead of 5, and so on.

It's a lot easier to swallow a rate increase when it's been a long time in between. Our cable bill has increased 3 or 4 times in the past 2 years. That's every 6 months and makes us wonder, as there are no additional benefits. If one were to follow the trail backward, it probably goes back to fuel.

Ruby Lane has instituted a rate increase to start in March. There are no new bells and whistles, no fancy stuff that needs new gold plating, and I haven't heard that the staff can now all get new polo ponies or yachts. It seems that all or most of the increase is going toward benefits I enjoy, like advertising, etc... Not only that, but there hasn't been an increase in 8 or 10 years. And, on top of all that, I still don't have to do anything...they do it all for me!

People get funny about things when it's out of their control. I know the gas station on our little town only makes a few pennies per gallon of gas sold. I still find myself hollering about the .70 cent/gal increase over the past few weeks. "What are 'they' thinking?!?!?!" The people that own the station aren't 'they'! I don't even know who 'they' are! But I do know the station owners don't dress any better or drive anything nicer than the next guy, so you know they're not getting anything extra. And they're still open 7 days/week.

Ruby Lane is there 7 days a week protecting my interests, and doing everything they can think of to maximize exposure of the site, thereby maximizing exposure to my shop. And yours. On top of all that, they're the ones that have to figure out a way to compete, on our behalf, with some billion dollar big guns. Try squeezing into an elevator that's full of linebackers when you're smaller (but, may I add, much better dressed and much nicer smelling! Figuratively speaking.). You can't knock them out of the way, but you can kick 'em in the shins so they'll move over a little.

That's what the Ruby Lane increase is...a kick in the shins of the big dogs. I'm glad to be a part of it!

Everything is increasing for me, and I'm breaking this one down into making 2 or 3 more additional sales over the course of a year to make up for it. I break things down like that so as to make it more manageable. Especially emotionally manageable.

As far as I'm concerned, I'll continue to support the growth and integrity of this sale venue. You simply cannot put a dollar figure on integrity. If I lose a sale to a site that doesn't really care about the customer or seller, I feel confident that one day that customer will come to my shop, or yours, simply because they can trust Ruby Lane. There's more bang for the buck. And......The Bang Isn't Just About The Buck.

Elizabeth Allison
The Other Place, ABC Shop