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Tuesday, April 28, 2009

E-Commerce Tax



Ok, so the economy has been doing bad. We can go on for hours on the causes, the culprits and the results of many of the actions taken. One action trying to be done will automatically prevent new jobs, destroy thousands of current ones and cause any type of recovery we see now to go out the window. It's a law that would force you to pay sales tax on say anime figures you buy outside your own state.

I'm talking about the tired case of Quill vs. North Dakota, aka the e-commerce tax, or the "amazon tax." Looks as if two moronic politicians, Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Representative Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.) want to try to unconstitutionally break a Supreme Court ruling that clearly states that you only pay sales tax if the business you purchase from is in the state you reside. I've already made my point clear and as of today, the great editors and staff at BusinessWeek.com put my comment on the front page for today.



Many Internet businesses have grown despite what the economy has thrown at them. My anime business has grown steadily as well despite me starting it in late 2006 and throughout this whole recession, my customer service has been creating a thriving company that hopefully soon I can create jobs with. New York already broke the laws of the land by having it where you have to pay the already inflated New York sales tax even if you don't live in NY!!

Because many rich scammers out there can't run their hedge funds anymore, the states are strapping for cash they once had from these legal Ponzi Schemes and that means your anime items, not just from me, but from every anime business or all products from all e-commerce businesses will cost more for you. Instead of doing the right thing, many states want to steal money from the average citizen by imposing this tax. Granted a very small universal tax should be a solution to accommodate the state's need and ours but...we all know that won't happen either because of states like New York who can't balance their budget even in an utopian society.

I know I'm sounding much like Code Geass's Lelouche but fighting this is a must for anyone who wants to see the economy continue to recover from such idiotic actions. Call your state representative or aid ebay.com and overstock.com in their fight against this. You can also add to the discussion on BusinessWeek.com along with me. Despite what naysayers think, many e-commerce sites, including my own already pay enough taxes to our state government. I cringe every time I have to impose the Suffolk County 8.625% sales tax on anime figures bought by my fellow New Yorkers. An besides, if my company grows and I add more employees, income tax comes into play and that's where the money should come from! Its a crime to begin with and there is no way this crime should be allowed to expand.

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posted by princetrunks @ 12:34 PM


Monday, March 16, 2009

BusinessWeek Meeting


Last Tuesday me, along with a select few got the honor to visit the BusinessWeek headquarters in NYC. We were nominated as BusinessWeek's top readers of 2008 and the purpose of the meeting was to go over what BW and the BusinessWeek.com site should improve on and try to portray in this coming year. At the top floor of the McGraw-Hill building we were greeted to a wonderful and very talkative cocktail party and then a very tasty dinner and dessert.

(Update: check out the official blog post on this at BusinessWeek.com)


The view from the 50th floor (in dire need of a better camera ^^;)


The whole set up was thanks to BusinessWeek's Editor-in-Chief, John Byrne, and his top editors of whom we got to meet with. It was wonderful to see such a large media company take the time and effort to reach out to their readers like this. John and the staff are all very down-to-earth and a pleasure to speak wit. In no way, shape or form did we feel belittled by them being there. (Can't say the same about my p/t job's boss though.) One of the obvious truths we are seeing in public media is that the media is being diluted by the numerous blogs and of course the dwindling newspaper sales thanks to the good old internet.

The one of the biggest topics we talked about though was the workings of different comment systems on the website and on sites in general. Currently, BW has a more welcoming commenting system than say engadget.com or youtube. For the most part you can state your opinion logically like an educated adult and not get too much slack. The balance of whether to have comments or not is always a big choice for a webmaster. There are times that garbage and childish comments by "trolls" can ruin the image of a story or site, yet the user ingagement make the site come alive so you do need it to some degree. One good example just from here on CAS is the fact that I had to make it so members only can post on the "Otaku Blurbs". This was after a troll or two got a hold of the feature.

So, what comment system would be good for both here or on a site on say, BusinessWeek?


A quick shot us at the table

The other major topic that came up has been the current buzz on the web for the past year now. I'm talking of course about Twitter. In the coming months, BW will be utilizing both the comment system and Twitter together in different ways, most likely with use of # hashmarks to better categorize the events in business and throughout their site. Finding a use for Twitter outside of its obvious social fad has been the main question for many in both social and business circles. I mentioned a bit of a site I just started working with, beamagpie.com in which you can approve tweets to broadcast on your account and the more followers you have..the more you can get payed. Not certain on how well it'll work and I'll assume more like it will be down the road. Granted of course, my goal is to never come off as money grubbing advertiser on Twitter. Such actions by any person there will prevent any meaningful followship and might cause many of the issues that plague Facebook for the site as a whole.

I'll ask you, the readers of CAS... what do you find useful about Twitter? For me right now, it drives traffic to my site...and is a great place to vent with listeners.

...
After a 4+ hour talk we all parted our ways and we even got some great parting gifts as well like a shirt, BusinessWeek bag, flash memory card and flashlight. Another little tidbit is that this Align Centermight be the first of many meetings with a potential creation of the Business Week Readers Advisory Panel.

Part of our parting gifts, a BW flash memory card


Here's the awesome BW we got

To everyone I met there at the meeting, I had a great time and it was an honor to meet you all, both the wonderful readers and the BW staff ^_^ Sorry I didn't mention any names, didn't want to single anyone out at all.

Here's to a great 2009 and hopefully more insightful meetings like this one.

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posted by princetrunks @ 2:50 PM


Friday, March 6, 2009

Top 100 Business Week Readers of 2008



Looks like I became one of Business Week's Top Readers of 2008 (not yet in pic above). Based on the list here, I'm actually in the top 12 ^^. Been in talks with the Business Week editors, going to be at a party held by them on March 10th in NYC. Much more to come on this. Congrats to Hugo who won the top spot and to all the other readers on Business Week.

Just letting you guys know that you have a fellow otaku trying to get the word out about anime, video games and all the Japanese stuff we love.

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posted by princetrunks @ 2:59 PM


Monday, January 5, 2009

An Otaku on BusinessWeek



For the second time I once again grace the front page of BusinessWeek's website. This time, instead of poking fun at Secretary of Treasury Paulson, I got my own article up there. The article might not be anything of use for my fellow anime fans but in it I talk about how email is the number one form of communication between me and my customers, which is usually fellow otaku. Business has been getting rather busy but even so, I'm not answering phone calls like a maniac as seen in my day-job or in many other businesses. Granted, the anime fan demographic is that of people who are in this century and who would use email instead of a phone to answer simple questions.

Basically, we all know jobs could and should be kept here in the US (for those of us living in the US). I know many people, anime fans or not would love job opportunities to open up if major companies just keep their international staff internationally. Anyways, check up on the article if you'd like.

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posted by princetrunks @ 1:20 PM


Monday, September 29, 2008

Me on BusinessWeek.com



Looks like my comments about the US economy got me on the front page of businessweek.com! My anime business and my old health business got me to realize different sides of the financial spectrum and as some of you know, many of us (including myself) were furious about that now failed Paulson $700 bailout plan that was going give the crooks who stole from the US the money back. I know this isn't really otaku related but I would assume that man of you can't avoid the news on it so I''m extra happy to see that my comments got me to the front page of the biggest business site on the web. You have to be living under a rock to not know that the US economy is in the crapper. Caused by the nepotism between Wall Street and the government, greedy Real Estate agents and loan sharks and an overpriced and overrated college system that teaches everyone to be worthless 9-5 cubical-slaves, this economy was just a house of cards that was ready to fall. All isn't doom and gloom though; one of my anime wholesalers, Diamond Comics did a report on the increase in sales anime and collectible goods and the turnout at the New York Anime Festival 2008 sure doesn't show signs of a recession there. Thankfully the internet has given all of us a voice and I'm very humbled and honored that I'm featured on the front page of one of the biggest business sites in the world. I of course commented about the incompetence of Treasury Secretary Paulson. Here's my entire comment:

"Secretary of Treasury Paulson was the CEO of Goldman Sachs, turned the company's $30 Billion debt into $100 Billion. The guy is not even qualified to count your cash as a teller at any bank let alone come up with anything that deals with money or in this case, have the US taxpayers write him a blank check. The guy hardly qualifies enough to flip burgers since there would need to be someone there to make sure he doesn't miscount the orders!"

Link to the comment here.



(if any of you got this via email at first, sorry for the original typos and mispellings ^^;)

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posted by princetrunks @ 8:45 PM


Thursday, August 21, 2008

Chuck's Anime Shrine + Mile-Stone

In more anime business news, it was official as of this past Monday that my company has joined in a dealership with Japanese manufacturer, Mile-Stone. At around x-mas time and the beginning of 09, I will be receiving figures from them along with the other official anime distribution lines I have. This is great news for any collectors here in the US (and overseas, too) since this dealership has turned my business from retailer-ship to wholesaler-ship. Once I start receiving the figures from them and get my bearings straight, my 9-5 job's coffin will be locked and sealed with me not having to also rely on (but still will keep) my Swarovski line of products. If everything goes as planned, I'll most likely give lots of free shipping and maybe some other bonuses in the store. Check out mile-stone.jp to see what figures are in store for this site.

...Now I must learn Japanese, not just for my extended family but for my new business extended family ^^;

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posted by princetrunks @ 6:00 PM


Sunday, August 3, 2008

12 Year Old Starts An Anime Business

Looks like I'm not the only young guy who's dumping the job world to run my otaku passion full time. At the amazing age of 12, Umar Brimah of Cape Girardeau, Missouri has opened a shop named Yumazu Anime and Collectibles. With help from his mother of all people, Umar is selling figures and other cool otaku stuff. I know this is a bit old news though since this was first blogged about in May on Zimbio, but this is simply awesome stuff. Kudos to the Brimah family and I hope as of this date things are going well. I guess some parents actually really do support our otaku passion, a topic that was recently brought up in a DC topic a few days back.

Also, just to update those who are waiting for my exodus from my 9-7 drudgery, my goal date to quit my job is September 19th 2008. If I need a bit of an extra cushion of money and sales, I might extend my slavery... I mean job time till the end of October but most definitely before my 25th birthday at the beginning of November. I have much I want to accomplish like attending Japan and USA's video game and anime major conventions ('cause I missed a free pass to ComicCon ~_~). There is also my anime/flash video game in the works still simply dubbed, "Project Fumi" and the needed updates to my anime site (this one if you are reading from my blog directly).

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posted by princetrunks @ 5:16 PM


Monday, March 17, 2008

The Dollar is Less than 100 Yen...Japan Tender Looking Sweeter


It appears that we might have to start converting our dollars to Yen the way things are with the American economy lately. The greenback is now worth 95 yen and if I'm not mistaken... only a few years ago it was about 140 yen to $1. If any of you otaku keep up with economic news, the Federal Reserve once again cut interest rates due to Bear Stern's fall in liquid assets. In layman's terms, the US central bank added more money to the system to prevent investors to sell their stocks like a bunch of crazy store liquidators which would have lowered the stock market. All lowering the interest rate does is keep wall street happy in a fake sense of accomplishment. For the rest of the country, it means that the dollar, as you see, lost more value since there is more "fake" money in the system. This raises gas prices and causes everything to get more expensive therefore hurting everyone else. To be honest, I'd say abolish the central bank, back the dollar by gold and have banks be responsible for their mistakes so we all can continue to grow as technology makes it that every person counts now.
Anyways, I think I'm going to stash a few yen when Danielle and I go on our Japan honeymoon in a year or two from now becuase by then it'd be worth more than the dollar at this rate.

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posted by princetrunks @ 10:24 AM


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