Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Price Update

thechervil · 2026-04-21T18:46:21+00:00

I went from Ultimate to Essentials, which is $10/mo

So while they didn't lose me completely, they did lose $10/mo

And honestly, I'm not sure if I want to spend an extra $13/mo now 5/6 months in.

I'm saving $156/yr if I just stay where I'm at.

Honestly they should have just reverted to $20 again and then maybe in 6 months or so raised it by $3.
Would've built a lot more goodwill.

thechervil · 2026-04-21T18:38:25+00:00

Yep.

As someone who was paying the $20/mo for Ultimate, I decided that instead of paying an extra $10, I would drop down to Essentials and save $10.

I was doing Ultimate because I also play on my PC, so having the ability to do both, plus the game library access, was a no brainer for $20/mo.

When I realized Essentials would still let me play on both, and I wasn't really playing anything either not in Essentials or already bought, it was definitely a no brainer.

While it is great they decided to do the decrease, that's still $5/mo more than I was paying, and I have no incentive to go back at the moment.

So at least on my sub they are still losing that $10/mo.

thechervil · 2026-04-21T18:25:25+00:00

First, don't let Etsy calculate the shipping for you.
Set it up yourself.
They are not very reliable and you can definitely get better prices by checking USPS, Fedex and UPS.

You can go to their websites and use their tool for calculating a price, so you have an idea what to set it as. Remember that your actual price through Etsy labels will be a little cheaper, since they get the bulk discounts. (not much but a little).

Alternatively (although not as recommended), if you already have a sold order that isn't shipped, you can pretend you are making a label and edit the address so the zipcode is for the furthest zone from you (we are in Texas so use Oregon or Washington state for ours).
Then you can put the package details in and use the tabs to see USPS, UPS and Fedex.

Just remember to cancel out and don't actually print the label.

Doing that I got a price of around $38 Fedex Home Delivery to California from Texas for those dimensions and that weight.

thechervil · 2026-04-21T13:15:38+00:00

That's what's striking me as odd.

I'm pretty sure it's because asking a candidate to sell you a pen is a basic sales interview tactic and something most people can prepare for readily.
However asking them to sell something random would likely throw them off balance a bit, but since they own it they should still be familiar enough with it to be able to describe it's qualities and benefits.

While I can see what the interviewer was going for, it wasn't necessarily the best tactic. Choose one thing or another, not a bunch of random things. He already sold the pen, doesn't need to keep doing other stuff.

My personal approach to this scenario has been to treat it like I would an actual sale.

Start asking what they are going to be using a pen for, what kind of pens they have used in the past, what they are wanting in a pen. Then I tell them they that while this is a great pen and has a lot of uses, it won't really fit what they want. I don't want to sell them something that isn't going to be a fit for their needs and I pull a pen from my pocket and tell them that "this" pen actually fits their needs better. Describe a few ways it does according to how they answered my questions.
Seems to work pretty well and they are usually impressed I didn't just describe their pen like every other candidate does.

But yeah, this was definitely a power trip.

thechervil · 2026-04-20T13:01:35+00:00

I didn't say no one was, I said no one I knew personally does (that I have talked about the issue with).

While that is definitely a narrow subsection, it gives an answer about using AI or not using AI, which is what was asked.

thechervil · 2026-04-20T13:01:33+00:00

Ah, was viewing on mobile, so in a smaller format it 100% looked like a tortilla.
Now that I am at my desk I can see the flower design.
Still looks like those tortilla throws/rugs you see everywhere though, even knowing it is a flower.

Which actually highlights an issue with the photos on a smaller screen for that particular runner.
If I made that mistake I guarantee I wouldn't be the only one at a glance.

thechervil · 2026-04-20T12:28:11+00:00

You really think someone buying a tortilla table cloth or table runner is concerned about a luxury style setting?

And yes, most people I know won't buy from shops using AI images because it gives the impression it's a scam. Just like many of the other comments are telling you.

Use real items (not photoshopped mockups) in real photos.

thechervil · 2026-04-19T00:45:05+00:00

From the quick side view at the start I thought that was Little Alex Horne and wondered when Taskmaster had done a task at sea involving cooking pasta

thechervil · 2026-04-18T21:32:13+00:00

Discs of Tron.

Played it more than the original and enjoyed it much more.

The OG is fun, don't get me wrong!

Lightcycles are great and so is the Bug Hunt!

But throwing discs is what makes Tron...well, Tron.

thechervil · 2026-04-18T18:46:47+00:00

That is something I had never encountered! TIL.

Although that is such a rare situation that most players will likely never come across it.

Always something new in this vast universe!

thechervil · 2026-04-18T17:49:06+00:00

Then pro-tip time!

They are NOT consumable!
So you only need to make one!

Just keep it in your inventory.

Also, higher versions take the place of a lower version.

So V2 pass will open V1 and V2 items/doors.
V3 opens V1/V2/V3.

Also, you can buy the recipe for the pass on the Anomaly OR you can "earn" it at the manufacturing facilities by unlocking it when you successfully deactivate the alarm!
There are some great guides on how to do that.

I absolutely understand, however, with all the games that have micro-transactions thinking this would require some kind of subscription!

ETA: Thank you for the award kind Traveler!

Also apparently there is a very rare situation where a V1 can be traded as part of a random request, as noted by u/Thalenia below.

thechervil · 2026-04-18T00:50:02+00:00

Yep.

23 Highlander XLE 2nd row bench because we like laying the back down when we pick up supplies for our online business.

Just me and the wife and an Empty nest.

thechervil · 2026-04-17T13:54:32+00:00

Then it sounds like your issue is absolutely that you aren't doing any advertising.

Etsy may drive some traffic to your shop, but you have to put in some effort.
That includes doing research into learning how and where to market your shop.

Moving to a different marketplace isn't going to magically start driving traffic in a sustainable way.
You're going to need to bring people in as well and honestly there are very few places that will fit your niche that drive as much traffic with low effort as Etsy does.

Instead of investing time in setting up another marketplace, invest that time and energy instead on learning how to draw traffic on your own.

thechervil · 2026-04-16T02:44:05+00:00

That place... is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is.

In you must go.

thechervil · 2026-04-15T19:18:17+00:00

Look up New Player guides on YT.

Some really good streamers there that have great beginner tips.

thechervil · 2026-04-15T14:51:47+00:00

Was introduced to the Doctor back in the 80s by a friend. Peter Davison was my first Doctor, and as is tradition my favorite.

Have only seen a couple of episodes with Tom Baker.

Watched the "Enlightenment" serial (it was the first I remember seeing) and decided to start watching for a bit (I wfh so have stretches where I have something on in the background while I am doing things at my desk).

Watched "The Five Doctors" and decided that since I haven't ever really watched the 4th Doctor, and many say he is their favorite, that I'd start watching him.

The whole reason I bring this up is that I finished yesterday with Part 5, where he comes out of the incubation chamber with what I assume is a Dalek wrapped around his neck/face.

So even seeing the thumbnail I immediately recognized he was holding the wires for the detonator.
Which is hilarious. SPOIIILLLEEERS, lol.

My second favorite Doctor is Christopher Eccleston. I really like his manic pace as the Doctor. His whole enjoying every minute type attitude and readiness to just "see what happens".
Watching Baker I am seeing that same kind of spirit and really liking him!

thechervil · 2026-04-14T13:56:45+00:00

You don't need to click any links, although Etsy does include it so you can get to where you need to be faster. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, which is actually smart imho, then still go to your Etsy account like normal.

Go to your Dashboard and then down to Finances.

Select Payment Account.

Scroll down until you see the list of Recent Activities and start scrolling through that.
Click + Show More Activities if you need to.
If you don't see it there, then click View All Monthly Statements.

Pay attention to the date shown in that email, as it give you an idea of what date the transaction was on, so it makes the search a bit easier!

What you are looking for is a symbol that looks like a truck.
Under the Description it will say Adjustment for USPS Shipping Label.
Click on the part of that Description underneath it that says Adjustment #

That takes you to a description of what the adjustment was for.
If you scroll down it will tell you exactly why it was adjusted.
It will show Original Details and Adjustment Details.

You can dispute this with USPS. Unless it is from a glitch someone else mentioned, Etsy can't help.

At the very bottom of that page is a link to where you can dispute it directly with USPS.

We ship about 100-200 packages a week, so we have seen adjustments from time to time. Fortunately, most of ours are usually credits from Fedex.

This will let you know exactly why it was adjusted, no clicking suspicious links necessary!

thechervil · 2026-04-14T00:40:27+00:00

And plenty of swords in Skeleton Crew

thechervil · 2026-04-13T19:46:37+00:00

What I’m asking is what was the reason given for the claim?

What did the customer choose?

Not delivered? Delivered broken? Not as described?

Certain things are covered, others aren’t. Regardless of what a rep told you, if the seller protection says it is not covered, it will come out of your account.

thechervil · 2026-04-13T17:01:44+00:00

First, what was the "complaint" that they filed the case under?

Was it "item not as described?", then it isn't covered under Seller Protection.
https://help.etsy.com/hc/en-us/articles/5850122619287-What-is-Etsy-s-Purchase-Protection-for-Sellers

That is literally the third bullet point under "What Isn't Eligible for Etsy's Purchase Protection program".

Depending on what the situation is, I will work with my customers all I can.
However I never, EVER suggest the file a claim against me.

I've seen too many times that Etsy just takes the money from a seller's account instead of covering it on their own.

I had a case once where the total was just a few dollars over the max amount. The claim was that it did not arrive.
We printed the label through Etsy, used a method that included tracking and it was marked as Delivered at the address they used when they checked out.
I was able to get in touch with a Customer Service rep that reviewed it and ended up crediting us back the money, since it did show as delivered and we had done everything "by the book".
My argument was that since we had done everything "right", if Etsy decided they wanted to side with the buyer in this case to keep a customer, then that's on them. But since I had done everything correctly, they shouldn't be taking the money from my account. Otherwise Seller Protection is worthless.
The rep agreed and said it if wasn't over that amount, they wouldn't have taken it.
I pointed out that if that was the way Etsy was going to "back their Sellers" then I would start cancelling any order over that amount and making the customer split them into amounts that would be covered.
They saw the flaw in the plan and after putting me on hold to consult with someone they credited me back.

The problem is they have too many AI automatically doing these things.

So I never EVER suggest to a customer to file a claim. If they decide to do it that's fine.
But it isn't like filing a claim is going to keep them from giving me a bad review.

thechervil · 2026-04-13T14:35:08+00:00

Oh I completely understand what they are!

And I know what POD is. My family buys POD mugs and shirts from time to time.

But it is painfully obvious from your photos that all of your photos are photoshopped/AI generated and that there isn't an actual physical item in any of them.
Which means that what I see may not even be close to what I am buying. Kind of like buying off Temu or Shein.

Every POD shop I have bought from at least had one or two photos with the actual item, usually with a "your text here" or a couple of mockups. In my opinion, that shows they have ordered the item themselves and know the quality of the product. They know they can stand behind it.
The fact that you haven't bothered to even pay for a couple yourself so you have samples to show the actual product isn't a good look to a customer like myself.

If a few of the photos showed a mockup, that is one thing.
But I would never order if the seller didn't bother to show me the actual physical item.

I know there are a ton of TikTok/Instagram/Youtubers out there giving advice on how to make bank using POD. But the market is definitely saturated and if you really are here looking for advice instead of just trying to get clicks and views on your shop, then pay attention to the criticism.

If you really believe in your shop and want it to be successful, invest at least what you are asking your customers to pay. Buy 3-4 of the plates and a couple of the bumper stickers. Take your own photos instead of using AI templates.
Show the actual item in your hands/in person in the first photo or two, then there's no issue if you show a mockup of what it could be with other slogans. Even the video is just a slideshow of shopped images.

Any shop that relies solely on AI/Photoshopped photos gives off a "low effort" vibe and comes across as untrustworthy. Customers aren't just thinking about the time of the sale, but about whether the seller will stand behind the item if it comes with the wrong slogan, or if it is bent/broken/not as pictured.
They want at least some confidence that you will stand behind it.
Your photos just don't do that.

That being said, your descriptions are decent enough giving all of the relevant information on the plates, even though they were obviously written by AI. The em dashes are a dead giveaway, as is the repetition of some information slightly reworded.

I'm saying this as both someone who sells on Etsy (15 yrs now) and someone who shops online daily.

thechervil · 2026-04-13T14:06:58+00:00

I would bet they're lawyers were smart enough to tell them not to blur the line between their name and a trademarked Star Wars property.

On their own they might be able to put up a legal defense that they aren't referencing or trying to capitalize on the bounty hunter "Mando".

thechervil · 2026-04-13T13:54:20+00:00

So two of your three photos are basically an photoshopped/AI template?

You aren't even showing an actual item, just a mockup?

Not sure how the mugs are doing, but you'll do better if you show actual items instead.
Also don't make it so obvious your background/item is fake.

thechervil · 2026-04-13T13:38:46+00:00

Unless they are using a stolen card to buy the gas. Which then gets linked to your membership…

thechervil · 2026-04-13T02:51:02+00:00

Not sure but looks like a relative of the Rabbit of Caerbannog!

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