Misc news and reselling update

[I had written the following paragraph on 5/13, before it went public]

Amex 150K Code

In the spirit of transparency, this code originated from DDF.  I’m not sure how or why Amex made a code that could be re-used, but they did.  I made $0 referral credit on it.  All I did was share the code with a bigger audience once I realized it was re-usable.  A part of me is glad this is over.  DoctorofCredit actually found the link a week or so before it went “viral,” but I told him not to put it on his site because I don’t think I could have handled the traffic.  Seriously.  I’ve been emailing these out one-by-one.  I know it’s not the most efficient way, but that’s what I did.  Plus, I liked to read where people were coming from.  Then BH picked it up, RTC, CtP, and then Reddit and that’s when my site “exploded.”  Don’t get me wrong.  I love the traffic, but I honestly loved the interaction with the people more.  I’ll write another post about this later, but for everyone that emailed me about things other than the 150K code, I very much appreciate our conversations.  You know who you are.  Let’s keep the conversations going!  And for the people who thought I was short in my response, I apologize for that, but it’s better if you ask me specific questions like, “Does Vanilla Visa work at Walmart?”  versus “How do I manufacture spend?”  Hey, at least I responded to you quickly?  Plus, I was busy emailing out codes remember!  Now that it’s quiet, I can give you a longer, better answer.  I promise.

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20KAmexChallenge

It looks like the Lebron James of reselling (isn’t BH from Ohio too?) may be joining our $20KAmexChallenge.  He also recently got a shiny new Amex Business Platinum that he needs to meet $20K spend.  This challenge just got SERIOUS!  I’ll write an update later next week.

‘Favorite store as a kid’ update

A reader tells me and I had read reports online that there is now a register popup that says something to the effect of ‘no GC for GC.’  I only went down this route once, so it doesn’t affect me much.  For the rest of you though, let’s bring the pitchforks and torches!

Sam’s Club

Maybe I tweeted or DM’ed someone early in the week that Sams’s was going to pull the VGC and possibly their own gift cards.  That sounded ludicrous for such a big company.  Well, as of 5/14, they did something equally aweful – they started to charge shipping fees for both VGC AND THEIR OWN GIFT CARDS!  The only play now is if you really want a lot of restaurant gift cards, which you know I am ALL IN!

Amazon FBA Fail

Well my very first sale on FBA was returned by the buyer.  I most likely jinxed myself.  That or an internet troll got to me.  I emailed the buyer asking what went wrong.  No word back.  I’ll keep you guys posted on what happens next.  Thanks to Kushal, Shira, and Trevor who have been answering my ‘dumb’ FBA questions all week.

Kohl’s

This is what you get for banning resellers!  I’m not delusional; we’re just a rounding error to them, but it doesn’t make it any less satisfying.  If I was still actively day-trading, trust me, I would have shorted them.

The future of this site

I’m sure traffic will die down now that the 150K link is over.  Btw, for all you old-timers out there, deja vu perhaps?  I’ll keep writing stories and giving you my thoughts on stuff.   I have a handful of ideas, but I just wonder when the writer’s block will kick in.  The main reason for the site was for me to track my MS, so as long as I continue to MS, expect the site to keep chugging along.  You won’t read about the news or today’s “hot deal” from this site (there are plenty of other sites out there already for that).  You won’t hear about any secret manufactured spend techniques.  You also won’t ever hear me peddle a credit card either, but I’d be lying if I say you’ll never see a credit card link on the site (think FM, not MV. I kid.  I kid.  Honestly, I used to love his site.)  You won’t see ads embedded in places they shouldn’t be.  I like the minimalist look the site has now.

Daily newsletter

Some of you may be getting 2 newsletters.  Please use the Mailchimp one.  And I know, I know.  The newsletter looks horrendous with all the weird fonts.  If another blogger who knows how to fix this in Mailchimp, I’d be very appreciative if you let me know.  And hey, maybe it’s my way of making you click through to the site.

Notifications of comment replies

Thanks to CtP for letting me know to enable ‘notifications to reply comments.’ After I set it up, another user commented how she hated having to confirm her email each time she replies to a new post, which I agreed with her.  That’s when I realized you don’t have to do that on TC, and so I switched my comments system over to Disqus.  You’ll have to create your account only once, and you’ll automatically get email notifications of replies to emails.  Also make sure your Disqus account is set up to enable email notifications too, which should be the default.

Site logo & Purple Egg

I discovered fiverr from one of PointChaser’s daily newsletters.  Check it out if you need a logo made.  You guys can see if it was worth $5 when I have it in a couple of days.