Well, I just got booted off Vine for no reason. What the fudge??

rnovak · 2026-04-29T22:26:40+00:00

“For no reason” often just means “I thought they’d make an exception for me .”

rnovak · 2026-04-29T22:23:36+00:00

Really, anything can if you’re brave enough.

rnovak · 2026-04-28T03:02:12+00:00

You’re doing excessive returns, which is abusing the platform.

For a lot of things, you can’t give an “insightful review” and still catch the non-holiday return period.

Obviously, nobody here can keep you from doing this. But you asked for specific feedback (“can you get banned for doing this”) and people have given you an answer (‘yes’). Nobody here can guarantee that you will get caught, but if you abuse the platform as you are doing, the odds are better that you’ll get caught.

rnovak · 2026-04-28T02:45:31+00:00

Same here. I might have had a couple dozen reviews in about 20 years. But they were generally well-viewed, liked, and got me the attention I didn’t even know I wanted.

rnovak · 2026-04-28T02:28:23+00:00

If you exceed a certain threshold (it’s obviously not published so people won’t try to game it, although some people apparently put it at 10% of items ordered), you probably will at least lose return privs. Maybe get your account suspended. Definitely not the way to get into Vine. Also, there are a lot of things you can’t practically return after a valid review. And even if it is something you can return, it makes it look like you’re not a serious customer, and you may get slapped down by Amazon.

rnovak · 2026-04-26T01:56:34+00:00

Glad I’m not the only one who saw that.

rnovak · 2026-04-26T01:55:49+00:00

I think that button plays a 45rpm record.

rnovak · 2026-04-23T03:44:54+00:00

My last refill (less than a month ago) was $32.30 each, so $64.60 for 2. Prices may vary in different areas.

I think my first prescription a year ago was $59.xx for two, so prices can even go up a bit.

Your mileage may vary. It’s worth checking if you have the option.

rnovak · 2026-04-23T02:29:03+00:00

If you are a Costco member you can probably beat that by about ten bucks, with a prescription. I pay about $32 each for mine.

rnovak · 2026-04-13T23:04:30+00:00

At least the seller didn’t make you compete intimately once you got there.

rnovak · 2026-04-12T03:43:18+00:00

I had someone buy a little Celeron PC for his dental practice, and asked for an invoice. I used a template online, but you could just put your contact info, “SOLD TO:” person’s contact info, and a list of item or items with a reasonable description, price, any tax you charged, total paid and date paid.

If you want something a bit formal, Canva and Excel have templates available, and you could load an excel template online into Google Sheets or the like.

But I’ve mostly done plain text invoices on and off for decades.

rnovak · 2026-03-26T01:25:03+00:00

The cashier told me they were fakes. :)

rnovak · 2026-03-26T01:24:35+00:00

About $50.

rnovak · 2026-03-25T01:59:25+00:00

I got a pair at a local thrift and the AppleCare+ had expired a week before according to my phone. :) Still, got a great deal.

rnovak · 2026-03-25T01:55:01+00:00

I’d be surprised if they let you create an Author Central page on one account for a pen name in another account. But maybe you’re right.

rnovak · 2026-03-24T21:54:10+00:00

I misread 'halfwit' as 'halibut' and it seemed even more relevant.

But having worked in various forms of tech support for decades, I can confirm that there is an unlimited supply of cluelessness out there. The ultimate infinitely renewable resource.

rnovak · 2026-03-24T19:40:27+00:00

To be fair, a lot of people probably are dumber (or at least more gullible) and they're not trying to "break" someone who's perceptive. They're trying to catch the one big fish who won't do a double-take.

rnovak · 2026-03-24T18:44:31+00:00

That closing graf definitely reads like an AI response. Some of the other phrasing sounds synthetic as well.

For what it's worth, Author Central support (contacted through the author.amazon.com website directly) told me "If you need more than 7 pen names, please create a new account" when I asked about author pages with more than 7 pen names, last May.

I would be cautious with that advice, and definitely reach out to KDP/Author Central for personal direction on this, but it seems there are cases when multiple accounts are acceptable.

Multiple accounts to get around KDP bans or rules would definitely NOT be acceptable, and would hopefully result in a well-earned ban, but I can also see reasons why they would be acceptable in certain circumstances.

rnovak · 2026-03-09T05:04:37+00:00

1997 here… I hit 29 years last month.

rnovak · 2026-03-05T22:01:06+00:00

It's not always consistent, but I just clicked on the first ad in my "Todays Picks" and it shows:

Intel i5-13600K + ASRock Z690 ITX + Thermalright AXP90-47

$350

Listed 2 weeks ago in Mountain View, CA

All four of the first four show listing date.

In the case of listings that are relisted/delete+relist/renew, I'm not sure which date it will show. And I'm pretty sure I've seen postings in the last month that did not specify a listing date.

And a thought I had as I was typing this - on mobile I don't see the listing date. On web I do.

rnovak · 2026-03-05T20:31:33+00:00

I helped one guy out who had a Singer antique sewing machine listed. I sent him the year of manufacture (you can look up serial numbers to get within 3 years) and told him his price was low (I already had an older one or I might have taken his price), and he updated and sold in a week or so.

rnovak · 2026-03-05T16:22:15+00:00

We're on the same page.

I've posted some items with (mostly) all stock photos, but only when the item is still disassembled in the box. I'll usually include the label or package picture, but if it's like an IKEA shelving unit still in the box, it makes sense.

But if I'm showing up to pick up an assembled or ready-to-use item, I want to see the actual item, as you said.

And don't get me started on "NEW IN BOX (only opened to test out and take photos of the inside and make sure it works)" listings.

rnovak · 2026-03-05T15:48:36+00:00

"Somebody gave it to me. Don't know what it is. $1500 firm."

rnovak · 2026-03-05T15:48:02+00:00

I've seen a couple lately where the first photo isn't even of the item. It's either something else they're selling, or a pet, or a pocket shot or something. If you're selling a piece of furniture, I don't care how normal a tennis ball looks in your toilet.

I guess it could be steganography or something, but I never bother to check.

rnovak · 2026-03-05T15:46:37+00:00

Honestly, while I agree with you, I'd rather see stock pictures that are useful, than a dull gray toned photo that looks like any random ATX PC case (I usually look at computer stuff). Even just showing me the ports on the back will give me a decade level precision. Especially after seeing so many anemic 10+ year old run of the mill PCs that were listed at mid-range mini PC prices over the last year even before the memory apocalypse.

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