When life hands you lemons,
write a blog post about it.

My Hand-Made Journal empire is not getting off to a good start.

Despite selling a few to close friends, I have had no on-line orders, and initial explorations of possible local outlets have been rebuffed. But, not to worry, there are many more options to try. And there is always eBay.

I used eBay a lot when I lived in the States, where I off-loaded a lot of junk (I mean, items surplus to my requirements that someone else would certainly cherish) and made a few bucks in the bargain. As my move to the UK approached, I sold a lot of things on eBay, which helped lightened my load considerably before crossing the pond.

One of the many items I sold on eBay,
much to my future family’s relief, I suspect.

Over here, however, I had no need of it, so I cancelled the account and haven’t thought about it for over twenty years. Until yesterday.

eBay would, I thought, be the perfect way to sell my journals. I could control how many I sold (my fear in all this is that I’ll end up with orders for 157 books and be forced to work all hours filling them) and test the waters on how popular they might be.

So, I set up an account. Simple. Took minutes. And soon after I got an email welcoming me to the community.

So, I put a journal up for sale.

Twenty-seven minutes later, I got this message:

I was not disheartened. I was more amused and confused. They had obviously made a mistake. So, after spending more time than I thought should be necessary, I found where I could send an email to their customer service people.

The results were not encouraging. They merely parroted what the original message said and provided no details or explanation as to why I had been banned.

So, I sent a second email. And received this reply.

My third, fourth, and fifth emails received the same reply.

I then found an option wherein I could request a call from them—as long as I lived in the US or Canada.

xxx

Stumped, I tried the only other option open to me, which was to contact one of their Expert Sellers. I explained my predicament, and received this reply:

xxx

That seems a little draconian. I mean, it’s a journal! It’s not like I’m selling plutonium on the Dark Web (that’s my other business).

And so, I am now an ex-eBay user, unable even to set up another account (they promised). So, eBay, once a promising retail opportunity, is now a black hole in my erstwhile hopes and dreams.

It has, however, given me bragging rights: I am such a bad boy—a soon-to-be-legendary gangster—that I have been banned for life, for putting the eBay community, and all of Western Civilization for I know, in dire peril, for the crime of offering a journal for sale.

That, my friends, is the power of The Book—even, or perhaps especially, an empty one.