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Cotes de paris sportifs
Les cotes de paris sportifs sont un élément essentiel dans le monde des jeux en ligne. Il s'agit d'un indicateur clé qui permet aux parieurs de comprendre les probabilités de succès d'un événement sportif et de calculer leurs gains potentiels. Les cotes sont présentées sous différentes formes, telles que décimales, fractionnaires ou américaines, selon les préférences des utilisateurs.
Les cotes décimales sont les plus couramment utilisées en Europe. Elles indiquent le montant total qui sera retourné pour chaque unité misée, y compris la mise initiale. Par exemple, une cote de 2,50 signifie que pour chaque euro misé, le parieur recevra 2,50 euros en cas de victoire.
Les cotes fractionnaires sont plus répandues au Royaume-Uni et sont présentées sous forme de fractions. Par exemple, une cote de 3/1 signifie que le parieur gagnera 3 euros pour chaque euro misé, plus sa mise initiale.
En ce qui concerne les cotes américaines, elles sont souvent utilisées aux États-Unis et indiquent combien un parieur doit miser pour remporter 100 dollars (cotes positives) ou le montant gagné pour une mise de 100 dollars (cotes négatives).
Il est important pour les parieurs de comprendre le fonctionnement des cotes de paris sportifs afin de prendre des décisions éclairées et de maximiser leurs gains potentiels. En analysant les cotes et en comparant les offres des différents bookmakers, les parieurs peuvent améliorer leurs chances de succès et profiter pleinement de l'excitation des paris sportifs.
Stratégies de pari en ligne
Les paris en ligne sont devenus une activité populaire pour de nombreux amateurs de jeux de hasard cherchant à ajouter de l'excitation et du suspense à leur expérience de divertissement. Cependant, il est essentiel d'adopter des stratégies de pari appropriées pour maximiser les chances de gains et minimiser les pertes.
Tout d'abord, il est important de fixer un budget strict et de s'y tenir. Il est facile de se laisser emporter par l'excitation du jeu et de dépenser plus que prévu. En établissant une limite financière et en respectant ce budget, les parieurs peuvent éviter les conséquences financières néfastes du jeu compulsif.
Ensuite, il est recommandé de diversifier ses paris. Placer tous ses fonds sur un seul événement sportif ou un seul type de jeu peut être risqué. En répartissant ses mises sur différents événements ou jeux, les parieurs augmentent leurs chances de réaliser des gains.
De plus, il est judicieux de faire des recherches approfondies avant de placer un pari. Analyser les statistiques passées, les performances des équipes ou des joueurs, ainsi que les tendances actuelles peut fournir des informations précieuses pour prendre des décisions éclairées.
Enfin, il est essentiel de garder à l'esprit que les paris en ligne doivent rester un moyen de divertissement et non pas un moyen de gagner de l'argent rapidement. Il est important de parier de manière responsable et de ne jamais risquer plus que ce que l'on peut se permettre de perdre.
En suivant ces stratégies de pari en ligne, les parieurs peuvent profiter pleinement de leur expérience de jeu tout en maximisant leurs chances de succès.
Pronostics sportifs
Les pronostics sportifs sont devenus de plus en plus populaires parmi les amateurs de sport à travers le monde. Que ce soit pour le football, le basketball, le tennis ou tout autre sport, les parieurs cherchent à prédire les résultats des matchs et à gagner de l'argent en fonction de leurs prévisions.
Il existe de nombreuses façons de faire des pronostics sportifs, que ce soit en se basant sur des statistiques, des analyses approfondies des équipes et des joueurs, ou simplement en suivant son intuition. Certains parieurs préfèrent utiliser des stratégies plus avancées, comme le suivi des cotes ou le hedging, pour maximiser leurs chances de succès.
Cependant, il est important de se rappeler que les pronostics sportifs comportent toujours un certain degré de risque. Même les parieurs les plus expérimentés peuvent se tromper de temps en temps. Il est donc essentiel de parier de manière responsable, en ne misant que ce que l'on peut se permettre de perdre.
De nos jours, de nombreux sites et applications proposent des pronostics sportifs et des conseils de paris en ligne. Il est important de choisir des plateformes fiables et réputées pour éviter les arnaques et les mauvaises surprises.
En conclusion, les pronostics sportifs peuvent être une activité amusante et lucrative pour les passionnés de sport, mais il est crucial de parier de manière responsable et de ne jamais risquer plus que ce que l'on peut se permettre de perdre.
Bookmakers en ligne
Les bookmakers en ligne sont devenus une option populaire pour les amateurs de paris sportifs à travers le monde. Que vous soyez un passionné de football, de tennis, de course de chevaux ou d'autres sports, les bookmakers en ligne offrent une plateforme pratique pour placer des paris et suivre vos résultats en temps réel.
L'un des principaux avantages des bookmakers en ligne est la possibilité de parier sur une grande variété d'événements sportifs, nationaux et internationaux. En quelques clics, les parieurs peuvent accéder à une multitude d'offres et de cotes attractives, ce qui permet de maximiser les chances de gains. De plus, les plateformes en ligne offrent souvent des bonus de bienvenue et des promotions régulières pour fidéliser leur clientèle.
Les bookmakers en ligne offrent également une expérience utilisateur agréable, avec des interfaces conviviales et intuitives permettant de naviguer facilement entre les différentes options de paris. De plus, la plupart des sites proposent des applications mobiles qui permettent de parier en déplacement, offrant ainsi une flexibilité totale aux parieurs.
Enfin, les bookmakers en ligne garantissent un niveau élevé de sécurité et de confidentialité des données des utilisateurs, grâce à des protocoles de chiffrement avancés et des mesures de protection des informations personnelles.
En résumé, les bookmakers en ligne offrent une manière pratique, sûre et amusante de parier sur vos sports favoris, et sont devenus un incontournable pour les amateurs de paris sportifs.
Gestion de bankroll
La gestion de bankroll est un aspect essentiel pour les joueurs de casino en ligne, les parieurs sportifs et les investisseurs en bourse. Il s'agit de la gestion responsable de votre budget de jeu ou d'investissement, afin de maximiser vos chances de gain tout en minimisant les risques de perte.
Pour bien gérer sa bankroll, il est recommandé de définir un budget global à ne pas dépasser, ainsi que des limites de mises à respecter. Il est également important de diversifier ses investissements ou ses types de jeux, pour éviter de mettre tous ses œufs dans le même panier.
Il est conseillé de ne pas parier plus que ce que l'on peut se permettre de perdre, et de ne pas chercher à récupérer ses pertes en misant de plus en plus. Il est préférable de garder la tête froide et de ne pas laisser ses émotions dicter ses décisions de jeu ou d'investissement.
La gestion de bankroll passe aussi par la maîtrise de soi et la discipline. Il est important de savoir s'arrêter lorsque l'on atteint ses limites, que ce soit en cas de série de pertes ou de gains. Savoir gérer ses émotions et rester rationnel sont des qualités clés pour un bon gestionnaire de bankroll.
En fin de compte, une bonne gestion de bankroll est la clé du succès pour tout joueur ou investisseur. En appliquant des principes de gestion responsables et en restant discipliné, il est possible d'optimiser ses gains et de limiter ses pertes de manière durable.

Here is a comparison of budget stats from Musharraf dictatorship's 2007-08 budget compared to proposed budget for upcoming year:

All numbers are in billion PKR	2007-08	2024-25 (proposed)
Domestic debt	2627	39700
Debt servicing	424	9700
Total expenditure	1874	18000
Federal PSDP	493	1000
Defence	275	2100

As you can see, elephant in the room is debt rather than defence that many believe (which might be cut but significant reduction is not possible in current situation)
Development expenditures have raised from just half a trillion to a trillion while the total budget overlay has increased by ten times. At end of year, even this development expenditure will se a cut. Debt servicing has increased almost twenty times.
Government needs to cut current expenditure of government, hold pay raises for a few years. For all new employees, make pension self-financed. Cut all subsidies in whatever form apart from those that are for production sector. Need to take back a few welfare schemes that are being run for political purposes. Sell all SOE's and park the money generated in a sovereign wealth fund.
Divert all the money saved to development. This would put economy back into motion.

Reposting here for posterity
Summary: Greens hits out at policies tailored for the wealthy, not the people; saying they are devoid of care and evidence. They said if they were delivering this year's budget, they would deliver the following by taxing wealth:

• An income guarantee for everyone
• Lift every family out of poverty
• More support for students or people out of work
• Extra help if you're sick or disabled
• Payments for families so kids can thrive
• More resourcing for the public service
• Free dental care
• Cheaper power bills
• Solar panels and batteries for homes
• Climate pollution reduction

Mā te oranga o te taiao, ka ora ai te iwi. Mō te takitini, kāore mo te torutoru anake. Ki te mana whenua o tēnei rohe, tū mai rā Ngāti Whātua, tēnā koutou. Ki a tātou e huihui mai nei, ko ngā moemoeā o te Pāti Kākāriki te take, nau mai, haere mai, whakatau mai.
Tenā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā tātou katoa.
Sixteen million dollars.
That’s how much the coalition parties raised to win last year’s election.
Ten million for National.
Four million for Act.
Just under two million for New Zealand First.
Sixteen million dollars.
From property developers and business tycoons who have built their wealth by exploiting our natural environment.
To companies who profit from digging up our whenua and overfishing our oceans - activities that cause significant harm to our precious ecosystems.
Sixteen million dollars helped to put this government into power.
And in a little less than two weeks, the coalition government will unveil its first budget.
It has clearly been difficult for them to put it together.
To the right, Act is trying to fire all the people who make our public services work, while in their own cooker corner New Zealand First hoards 1.2 billion dollars for hand-chosen pet projects.
The Coalition has found half a billion dollars for new defence spending, but cancelled projects to improve buses and trains in Auckland and Wellington.
They’re borrowing billions to cover the cost of cutting taxes for wealthy property investors, because they’ve realised that the promises they made during the election campaign were slapdash and expensive.
Meanwhile, people with the least face ever higher costs.
Bus fares have already gone up.
Rents continue to rise, while the government is giving tax breaks to landlords instead of investing in more public housing.
So on Budget Day, when we see what the coalition has been able to cobble together, I want you to remember: sixteen million dollars.
What’s in the Budget for the people who paid for National’s election campaign?
And what could have been in the budget instead if Aotearoa had a Government that prioritised people and planet?
Because I am not here for the relative few who donated those sixteen million dollars.
I am here for the many, including the 330,000 people who trusted the Green Party with their votes last year.
And I want to thank you all once again.
Your voices will continue to be heard.
You told us you wanted us to fight for an Aotearoa where everyone can get by, where our native wildlife and oceans thrive, where we take bold climate action, and where we honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
That is what we are doing. And we will be loud. And we will be staunch as always.
I am here for those who cannot sit by while the government tries to take the country backwards on the issues that matter most.
While the goal of a smoke-free generation goes up in smoke.
While new coal mines are dug into our precious conservation land, even as the Prime Minister claims to want to achieve climate change targets.
While the few with extraordinary wealth get what they want, at the expense of everyone else.
The Greens have always been, and will always be, the voice for a different kind of politics.
A politics centred in justice through honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi, not using it to drive a wedge in our communities.
A politics that celebrates the potential our country could live up to if it was grounded in manaakitanga and equity.
That acknowledges the richness of generations of tangata whenua and tangata tiriti working together to care for our whenua and collectively enjoying the fruits of mahitahi.
Where we protect Papatūānuku out of aroha for her, and respect that her wellbeing is also what keeps us alive.
Where we share what we have so everyone in Aotearoa can live a good life.
Everything the Greens won over the last two terms in government with Labour was hard fought. Governments must make tradeoffs. But Governments are defined by their choices.
And right now, the coalition is making theirs clear.
If the Greens were delivering this year’s budget, I’ll tell you what would be in it.
An income guarantee, so no matter what, everyone has what they need to live a decent life.
We could lift every family in Aotearoa out of poverty, and give people the peace of mind that they’ll be supported if they fall on tough times.
More support for students and people out of work, extra help if you’re sick or disabled, and simple payments for families so all kids can thrive.
Free dental care.
Successive governments have let basic dental healthcare get so expensive, that forty percent - forty percent! - of people avoid going to the dentist.
It’s just too expensive.
In Aotearoa, we could choose to resource our public health services - funded by taxes on wealth, so that everyone can be looked after when they need it.
And if the Greens were putting together the Budget, it would fund our plan to make your homes warmer while cutting down your power bills AND climate pollution.
Solar panels and batteries for homes to store the sun’s free energy, taking pressure off the power grid.
But this year, with the help of sixteen million dollars from some of the wealthiest people in Aotearoa, National, Act, and New Zealand First have the privilege of making those decisions.
And I say to them, what are you going to do with it?
You have the choice to end poverty.
Or to give tax breaks to landlords.
To give back more to people who earn their living, instead of tax breaks for people who own more houses than they need, and who already get untaxed capital gains.
You have the choice to invest in solar power, or open up new coal mines.
The choices people make when they have power show us what they are motivated by. These choices define the world they want to create.
So today I want to talk with you about what motivates the Green Party.
Ko te mana o Te Tiriti.
Ko te oranga o te Taiao.
Ko ngā tūmanako mō ngā tamariki.
We are motivated by generations of movements and leaders who have pushed for the sovereignty of tangata whenua guaranteed by te Tiriti o Waitangi.
A partnership on which this country was built, despite the continuous breaches by the Crown partner.
The Green Party is a Tiriti party.
Our leadership is a partnership between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti.
Our work seeks to honour the commitments made generations ago, to prosper together.
Our commitment to Tiriti justice is absolutely integral to everything the Greens do - just as it is integral to the future of Aotearoa.
Tino rangatiratanga is at the heart of healing relationships across communities and reconnecting all of us with our seas, our rivers, our bush, our mountains, and our whenua.
And central to our vision for a Tiriti-based future, is our commitment to restoring and protecting nature.
Because nature is in crisis.
Just out these doors, and below our feet, in the Hauraki Gulf, the impacts of commercial overfishing and the pollution washing into the water from the land, has brought the ecosystem to the brink.
North and west of here, great kauri are critically threatened.
To the south, unique animals found in no other country, are at risk from the bulldozers of mining companies, unless we protect them.
Four thousand different native species are at risk of extinction in Aotearoa.
Four thousand.
We can turn that around, but it takes commitment. It takes effort. It takes mahitahi. And it takes choices. Choices that put people and planet first, instead of a cynical politics that serves the short-term interests of wealthy donors.
If the government chooses not to prioritise restoring the health of the natural world in its first budget, that shows what they are motivated by, and it shows what kind of world they are prepared to leave to our tamariki.
It is our tamariki and mokopuna that motivate the Greens.
Not just the ones born tomorrow, but those after that, for seven generations down the line.
Sustainability doesn’t just mean sustainability for nature, but for people too. This planet is our home. We need it to thrive.
The Greens have always been deeply motivated by care for other people, for communities, for those with us today and for those who will come after us.
We are motivated by every single child who goes to bed hungry tonight.
We are motivated by every single adult who isn’t sure how they’ll pay the rent or mortgage next week.
As winter hits, we are motivated by every person who sits in the cold, staring at the heater, knowing they can’t afford to turn it on.
Our challenge to the coalition government is to prove that you are motivated by this too.
Choose to do something about it.
The solutions to many of the problems we face in Aotearoa are clear. This week I had the privilege of meeting with rangatahi, and hearing about the solutions they want to see in their communities. They are THE experts in their own experience - and they know they need to be empowered and given better opportunities; not marginalised, patronised, ignored, and punished.
But the coalition government doesn’t like those solutions, because they don’t fit its agenda. They prefer catch phrases like “social investment”, to real data and lived experience.
A Government which says it is motivated by evidence-based solutions has cut funding to the world class Growing up in New Zealand study, and continues to ignore the evidence it provides. Like the evidence that 40% of children live in the most deprived areas.
If this government was truly invested in improving social outcomes, it would affirm and resource the experts who know best and have proven the most.
And that includes empowering the people with the lived experience of the systems failing them and their whānau. It requires removing all the barriers to wellbeing such as poverty and homelessness. We need to support whole whānau, instead of focusing on ‘fixing’ an individual after they’ve already been broken by poverty and neglect, and expecting them to rise above circumstances of deprivation that we should have all worked together to prevent in the first place. We need the solutions to be grounded in community knowledge and care. I hope this government is open to sitting with kai rangahau Māori and families to learn more about what really needs to change.
When the Crown has repeatedly failed to be accountable for the harm it has caused to whānau Māori, it is clear that we need an authentic transfer of power and resources - with a partnership of a strong public and social services sector working together, with communities, hapū and iwi, and whānau.
I have seen what works to support people off a destructive path in life. To instead become the best of themselves. There is a mountain of evidence about approaches that work where all other attempts have failed - particularly where there is deep trauma.
These approaches, like Kaupapa Māori interventions, build the strength of whānau and community.
Now for far too long, successive governments have been stuck on catch phrase politics, devoid of evidence or genuine care.
Policies like bootcamps for the young, benefit sanctions for the already struggling, higher criminal penalties - a punitive, petty politics that makes life harder for those already
excluded, and does nothing to keep communities safe and well. This is divisive, stale, cruel and ineffective.
When I have met and listened to the very people at the forefront of this cruelty, the impact has been clear.
Such punitive and dehumanising measures have instead caused even further disconnection and hopelessness. The Greens know that meeting trauma with punishment isn’t going to work. I want rangatahi to hear us loud and clear. You matter. Your whānau matters. You deserve dignity, a community and a country that sees your strength.
At a basic level, I think we all agree that identifying the causes of persistent hardship, and supporting people to get out of those situations, is a good idea.
And we all agree that the measure of a government’s success is whether it achieves outcomes, not how much money it spends on trying.
But the Government isn’t actually doing this.
Two weeks ago the Minister of Finance said her government will “use hard evidence to invest in what works.”
On that same day, the Minister of Social Development announced that people on a benefit will face financial sanctions if they don’t attend work seminars.
Let me be clear, work seminars don’t help people find jobs they’re suited for - let alone create meaningful work with decent pay and conditions. The Ministry of Social Development has told the Minister there is no evidence for the government’s cruel approach. Sanctions do not make a difference for the number of people moving into paid work.
And the evidence against sanctions is extremely clear.
Financial sanctions for beneficiaries, who already don’t have enough income to pay for life’s essentials, simply push people into further hardship.
That affects their children, their whānau, and their whole communities.
Instead, people need tailored support into work that matches their skills and interests, with a guaranteed income while retraining.
At the same time, the Government needs to invest in creating sustainable jobs that transition our economy away from fossil fuels.
Jobs with decent pay, secure hours and support for people to balance caregiving responsibilities. Jobs that support wellbeing for whānau, instead of seeing workers as just a cog in a labour machine.
When the Government rolls out policies like benefit sanctions, they are making a choice to ignore the evidence about the effect of their actions.
And it is our job to expose that.
I cannot say it enough: we have everything we need in Aotearoa for everyone to live a decent life.
We know what people need to rise up out of persistent hardship.
A warm, dry, affordable, and accessible home.
Healthy kai on the table.
The freedom to go to the doctor or the dentist when they need to, without having to worry about the cost.
And next week, the Government has a choice whether to put people at the heart of the budget - or not. If they don’t, they are holding back the potential of our people and our communities to thrive.
And we will ask, exactly who are they governing for?
The Greens are here for the many, not just the few.
We carry decades of political leadership with us, starting from the late Jeanette Fitzsimons and Rod Donald, through to our newest co-leader Chloe Swarbrick.
We are here thanks to the thousands upon thousands of volunteers over the last three decades.
The many grassroots-led movements who we are honoured to have worked with for the kaupapa.
We draw our strength from knowing we are powered by the many. This gives us the strength to oppose a government whose sixteen million dollars of political donations got them where they are today.
Thanks to our people-powered campaign, we have our largest Caucus ever.
And it represents Aotearoa more than it ever has before.
Green politics is the alternative to this cynical, cruel coalition government.
And we are only just getting started.

First class Oxbridge degree, could’ve continued at my uni or anywhere in the UK really. Problem was funding is little and spread out. The majority of people in my batch at uni who did go on to do further studies headed stateside. There really is no comparison in terms of resources: I make more as a PhD student here in stipends than lecturers do back home. The average mid ranked American uni has deeper pockets for research than even Oxbridge.
It is a marvel how UK unis still manage on comparatively shoestring budgets. The graduate visa is meant to give us a comparative advantage against America, but if Sunak abolishes it, I think we’ll see UK research further decline. I don’t think the layman appreciates how higher education is one of the industries we still have that can pack a punch on the global stage (and way above its weight)

The United Kingdom boasts the most lucrative ecommerce market in Europe, with the ecommerce industry reaching £103 billion in revenue in 2023. Over 27 million people made online clothing purchases last year, contributing significantly to this growth. ,
We explored the best online clothing stores in the UK, covering product ranges, best sellers, and prices in our article.
Here is a quick summary of the full post:

Gymshark

• Overview: Renowned as one of the best ecommerce companies in the UK, Gymshark stands out as a top online sportswear store built on Shopify. The Gymshark products are designed to help and encourage customers to perform at their best and achieve their fitness goals.
• Product Range: Fitness apparel for men and women, including t-shirts, leggings, shorts, hoodies, and sports bras.
• Best Sellers: Adapt Fleck Seamless Shorts, Crest Tank
• Price Range: £20 - £120

Oh Polly

• Overview: Oh Polly is a premium women’s fashion brand offering trendy and flattering clothing. It began by selling clothes on eBay and has grown into aone of the leading DTC brands, designing and producing its own garments.
• Product Range: Dresses, trousers, swimwear, beachwear, and accessories.
• Best Sellers: CALI, ELLI
• Price Range: £17 - £220

ASOS

• Overview: ASOS aims to provide young adults with a wide variety of high-quality clothing, accessories, and beauty products. The brand stands out for its vast product lineup, featuring premium brands alongside its own range of clothing and accessories.
• Product Range: Clothing, accessories, footwear, and beauty items.
• Best Sellers: ASOS DESIGN denim jacket, Levi’s t-shirt
• Price Range: Under £20 to over £200

Boohoo

• Overview: Boohoo is known for trendy, affordable fashion targeted at young adults. The brand leverages a strong social media presence to engage with its audience, particularly through platforms like Instagram.
• Product Range: Dresses, tops, shoes, and accessories.
• Best Sellers: LINEN PINSTRIPE PUFF SLEEVE CROP TOP, TONAL STRIPE LINEN LOOK SHORTS
• Price Range: £24 - £44

Club L London

• Overview: Club L London offers “accessible luxury” through its distinctive range of apparel aimed at forward-thinking women. The brand emphasizes quality and unique design, catering to sizes UK 4-24 and US 0-20.
• Product Range: Dresses, tailored suits, jumpsuits, accessories.
• Best Sellers: EVA, LAW OF ATTRACTION
• Price Range: £20 - £200

Represent

• Overview: Represent is a British luxury streetwear brand known for its distinctive approach to fashion that merges street style with high-end craftsmanship. The brand is acclaimed for its meticulous attention to detail and the use of premium materials.
• Product Range: T-shirts, hoodies, pants, outerwear, accessories.
• Best Sellers: REPRESENT OWNERS CLUB HOODIE, REPRESENT OWNERS CLUB T-SHIRT
• Price Range: £20 - £900

Motel

• Overview: Motel is a vibrant and trendy fashion brand known for its eclectic and vintage-inspired fashion that resonates with young, style-conscious individuals. The brand works with a global team to create trendy, expressive pieces for its core collections.
• Product Range: Dresses, trousers, skirts, swimwear, knitwear, accessories.
• Best Sellers: Pami Bikini Top, Jarli Hot Pants
• Price Range: £22 - £60

Chi Chi London

• Overview: Chi Chi London is a vibrant and fashion-forward brand known for its unique, trend-setting designs. The brand prides itself on bringing catwalk-inspired fashion directly to the high street, offering exclusive styles that celebrate individuality.
• Product Range: Dresses for various occasions, tops, trousers, skirts, outerwear.
• Best Sellers: V Neck Floral Embroidered Lace Midi Dress, Knot Detail Maxi Dress in Champagne
• Price Range: Under £50 to around £200

Pretty Little Thing

• Overview: Part of the Boohoo Group, PrettyLittleThing is a UK-based fast-fashion brand targeting young women, emphasizing trend-driven styles. The brand operates internationally, focusing on affordable fashion to ensure style accessibility across budgets.
• Product Range: Dresses, tops, shoes, accessories, beauty products.
• Best Sellers: Petite Basic Grey Cotton Blend Cycle Shorts, Cream Contour Sculpt Short Sleeve T Shirt
• Price Range: Starting at £9

Glamorous

• Overview: Glamorous offers contemporary and affordable fashion, available in over 30 countries. Known for its contemporary and affordable fashion, the brand thrives on being at the forefront of fashion trends.
• Product Range: Dresses, jeans, coats, jackets, shoes, accessories.
• Best Sellers: Apple-Green Pink Lace Trim Mini-Dress, Fuchsia Ruffle Halterneck Mini-Dress
• Price Range: Tops for under £30 to mini dresses over £150

Statistics of Online Clothing Stores in the UK

• Current Buyers: Over 27 million UK residents purchased clothing online in 2023, expected to increase to over 32 million by 2028.
• Ecommerce Revenue from Fashion: In 2023, sales from apparel, shoes, handbags, and accessories contributed nearly one-third of the ecommerce revenue in the UK, surpassing £35 billion.
• Revenue Forecast: The fashion ecommerce market is projected to grow by £14.3 billion by 2029, reaching nearly £47 billion.
• Market Penetration: The penetration rate of apparel ecommerce stood at 15.2%.

Demographics & Shopping Trends

• Millennials (Ages 27-42): 70% reported primarily shopping online for clothing and footwear in Q2 2023.
  
• Generation Z: 50% preferred online shopping for apparel.
  
• Primary Age Groups & Gender Differences: The largest segment of mobile clothing shoppers was those aged 25-34, accounting for 52.3%. Men were 4% more likely than women to shop online for apparel.
  

Conclusion: Leading Online Stores in the UK

The UK’s top online clothing stores are reshaping how we think about fashion shopping. From impressive growth in the overall UK ecommerce sector to distinctive shopping preferences and options, online stores are meeting and often exceeding customer expectations. Whether seeking the latest trends, best deals, or most sustainable choices, online clothing shopping offers many options and benefits.
If you want to explore statistics or ecommerce-related content, you can browse the pieces we have crafted earlier:

• 80+ Key Ecommerce Statistics
• 10+ Top Ecommerce Podcasts to Explore (2024)
• Ecommerce Cart Abandonment Statistics
• Explore Top Temu Statistics (2024)

Headline from Sunday World article published yesterday.
Looks like the days following June 20th of this year might get very interesting…
Some quotes from the article:
“ “There is a guy very high up within the covert programme - he said we are going to do ‘catastrophic disclosure’. Huge and all at once that will catch the President and Congress flat foot,” Dr Greer stated this week.
The former emergency doctor has now rushed to make public all the information his group has in order to ‘prepare the public’ for what he says, is just around the corner.
"That is why I rushed to get the archive out - to prepare people for something much bigger which is coming.” …
The researcher describes the topic as being as ‘serious as a heart attack,’ and that there are many senior military sources waiting in the wings to come forward at the right time.
"The Senate Intelligence Committee had provided amnesty for high value whistle blowers to not be prosecuted for six months, but much of the teeth of the Disclosure Bill were taken out,” Dr Greer continued.
"I have people in these covert programmes who are furious. Two members of Congress killed the momentum. …
From June 20 onwards, apparently a three letter agency will be involved to provide protection for UFO whistle blowers.
"I’ve been working with the Goverment to put together a law enforcement effort.
"We need serious 24/7 protection for certain high value people who have worked in the Skunkworks (aerospace and technology facility), who have worked in the major corporations, people who managed illegal programmes for DOD (Department of Defence) off budget.”

In most cases when sales of a product have plateaued, market saturation is often used. That suggests there is more supply than demand for a given product. Western marketplaces are bursting with work options and ways to make money. Today’s young people must act smart and move quick to locate new employment opportunities.In most cases when sales of a product have plateaued, market saturation is often used. That suggests there is more supply than demand for a given product. Western marketplaces are bursting with work options and ways to make money. Today’s young people must act smart and move quick to locate new employment opportunities.

Suppose one wants to be successful in this field, they should focus on expanding markets, developing innovative technology, and uncovering undiscovered company prospects in highly profitable niche industries, among other things (Agarwal et al, 6). Businesses in crowded markets may cut the price of their products to gain a larger market share. As a result, businesses are always undercutting each other to attract new customers. Cost-cutting is a common strategy for firms when profits are stagnant (Simonazzi et al., 17). Unnecessary or avoidable cost savings are welcome, but they don’t address the underlying issue.

Where do I pay my taxes if I am a digital nomad?

According to the recent reports, westerners already pay too many taxes in a number of business entities. Due to the high cost of living in their new home nation, one out of every five American ex-pats is contemplating renunciation of their citizenship. Senators are concerned about how to pay for the deficit, and Senate rules prohibit raising long-term deficits through reconciliation bills. Consequently, more money will be available to Congress if the budget reconciliation plan generates more revenue. The United States will not make significant investments unless Congress makes significant adjustments to the tax structure (Michel et al., 89). Increased budget deficits could slow the long-term growth of the economy. In addition private investment or borrowing from other countries is used to pay for government borrowing when the economy is close to capacity (Chen et al.440). When a person is experiencing difficulties, it might harm their future well-being. To put it another way, the long-term impacts of tax policy are influenced by its incentives and its budgetary implications.
Digital nomads have historically been seen as a threat in some places, but several countries around the world are now actively seeking to attract this growing digital population through new remote work visas.
All this converges into a superstorm, and more and more people will opt for digital nomad opportunities. While tax regulations can vary significantly depending on where you are in the world, general guidelines may be helpful to for those seeking information on paying taxes as a digital nomad. Naturally, tax filing is done with the country of tax residence as determined by the place of a principal residence. Digital nomads, however, may encounter a variety of additional layers of tax residence due to their physical presence in other countries during a tax year. In addition, state/province/territory and local taxes may also apply.

Cancel culture and family safety issues

The cancellation culture has a lot to do with social media and if it hadn’t been for social media, pop culture would not have gotten the attention it has in the previous decade. In most case the cultures are frequently canceled by unfollowing, blocking, and publicly criticizing an organization or individual on social media. Due to their large social media followings, celebrity cancellations often garner much media attention. As a result of using social media to communicate with celebrities, many teenagers desire to emulate their peers. Most adolescent cancel culture is carried out online, primarily via comments and unfollows (Yar et al., 80). This can happen in the real world, such as at school or in extracurricular activities. They are often rejected, mocked, and disregarded by their peers, who have had their activities canceled. Most Western workers are experiencing job instability due to the growth of a “cancel culture” in the workplace (Dąbrowska-Kłosińska, 30). This can be a terrific method for teenagers to learn and grow, as their peers may call them out for using insulting words or acting inappropriately.

Investment analysis and forecasting as part of the individual development strategy

To produce an accurate financial projection, one must consider both general macroeconomic trends and your organization’s specific circumstances. Predicting how much money a company will generate and spend in the future is known as financial forecasting. A full estimate contains both short-term and long-term revenue estimates and costs that aren’t anticipated at the time of the estimate (Poorter et al.120). People who know how to create models are critical to financial forecasting firms that do a good job. Some people have extensive knowledge of the organization, its sectors, and the communities it serves to support them along the way. Similarly, data collection and analysis are critical to the financial forecasting process and the use of the software.

Scenario planning and personal life choices

Global events like COVID 19, inflation, or food crisis can impact our life choices a lot. To avoid reacting to events, we need to think about what might happen in the future. Scenario planning helps us do this. Scenario planning allows business leaders to consider what might happen, reflect on past actions, and devise strategies for positive and poor outcomes. Scenario planning is more than just a means to think about the future when it comes to financial planning. It can assist one in determining how much money you’ll make, how much money you’ll have, and how to manage hazards. Early warning indications of difficulties can be spotted by leaders who make their organizations aware of potential issues (MacKenzie et al.900). One can use scenario planning papers to quickly run through numerous scenarios and figure out the best course of action in the event of a crisis. Making a strategy in the event of an emergency is essential. Having a strategy in place is critical in the event of a product going viral and seeing a threefold increase in demand in a single day.

Building the right skills for the jobs of the future

To be eligible for future employment, one must possess the abilities that will be most in demand. Coding has taken off swiftly as one of the most sought-after skills. Almost any industry can benefit from the versatility and scalability of computer languages. People believe that coding is so prevalent in the workplace that it will soon become an essential skill for everyone. Learning to code is a difficult task. Learning how to code and the language you choose impacts how long it takes to do so (Moldoveanu et al.40). Before you begin learning how to code, look at several computer languages and determine which ones are relevant to your industry. Many people begin by studying HTML or JavaScript when learning a new language. After you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you can move to more popular and widely used languages like Python. It is possible to store and manage corporate data in the cloud while allowing employees to work from home.

Riding on global trends of tomorrow

By adopting an agile culture, knowing how to cope with ambiguity, pushing outside our comfort zones, and quickly adjusting to new trends, among other things, we achieve success. We all agree that the weather has gotten more erratic in the last few decades. Crop failure, sea-level rise, and water scarcity are exacerbated by global warming. Malaria and dengue fever epidemics are also on the rise due to the influx of people from developing countries. According to the Kyoto Protocol, 175 countries have agreed to begin the long process of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by signing it (Penalva et al., 340). According to business leaders worldwide, firms have a larger role in society and should do more than merely follow the law to reduce pollution. According to a McKinsey survey, this is the case. The “triple bottom line” refers to a company’s efforts to benefit its shareholders and its workers and the environment. Increasing numbers of businesses are waking up to the need to lower their carbon footprints, produce ecologically friendly products, and operate their operations for more than just quarterly profits.

References

Agarwal, Khushboo, and Veeraruna Kavitha. “Saturated total-population dependent branching process and viral markets.” arXiv preprint arXiv: 2203.16239 (2022).
Chen, Novia X., and Terry Shevlin. ““US worldwide taxation and domestic mergers and acquisitions” a discussion✰.” Journal of Accounting and Economics 66.2-3 (2018): 439-447.
Dąbrowska-Kłosińska, Patrycja. “The Protection of Human Rights in Pandemics—Reflections on the Past, Present, and Future.” German Law Journal 22.6 (2021): 28-38.
MacKenzie, Meredith A., et al. “Respecting choices and related models of advance care planning: a systematic review of published evidence.” American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine® 35.6 (2018): 897-907.
Michel, Adam N. “When It Comes to Taxation, Borders Matter—Europe and the US Should Act Accordingly.” Heritage Foundation Issue Brief 4855 (2018).
Moldoveanu, Mihnea, and Das Narayandas. “The future of leadership development.” Harvard business review 97.2 (2019): 40-48.
Penalva, Jose. “Innovation, personalised education and Little Red Riding Hood.” International Journal of Lifelong Education 39.4 (2020): 339-355.
Poorter, Lourens, et al. “Can traits predict individual growth performance? A test in a hyperdiverse tropical forest.” New Phytologist 219.1 (2018): 109-121.
Simonazzi, Annamaria, Jorge Carreto Sanginés, and Margherita Russo. “The Future of the Automotive Industry: Dangerous Challenges or New Life for a Saturated Market?” Institute for New Economic Thinking Working Paper Series 141 (2020).
Yar, Sanam, and Jonah Engel Bromwich. “Tales From the teenage cancel culture.” The New York Times (2019).
Authors

Paul Lalovich

Organizational Effectiveness and Strategy Execution Practice

Tesha Teshanovich

Organizational Effectiveness and Strategy Execution Practice

Hello,
I’m wondering if anyone here has any tips on storing dew for a long time while keeping maximal flavor and maintaining that it’s safe to drink. All these sodas have expiration dates like 2 years after production and I’m wondering if these dates mean anything. I just found an insanely good deal on bulk dew and I plan to buy as much as my budget can afford. I love dew so much and I want to have a stockpile just in case of global disaster but I won’t buy if it’s unhealthy to drink after the expiration date.

In the fast-paced world of decentralized finance (DeFi), there's one player that's making a significant impact - the Omnia Protocol. As we see rapid innovation and growing demands for security, Omnia Protocol steps up to the plate by offering traders, developers, and apps a reliable toolkit with seamless connectivity and 24/7 support.
At its heart, Omnia is revolutionizing the DeFi space with its unique ability to securely connect a diverse range of blockchains. In a time when interoperability is vital, Omnia stands out by providing access to a network of over 40 blockchains. This means wallets and apps can easily interact, collaborate, and carry out transactions with confidence while users stay in control of their connections.
But there's more to Omnia than just bridging blockchains. It's tackling head-on the issue of sandwich bots in the public mempool, a major concern for traders wanting to safeguard their strategies and assets. Through advanced safeguards, Omnia ensures that decentralized exchange (DEX) transactions are safe from harmful actors, maintaining the integrity of the trading process and boosting user trust.
The benefits of Omnia extend beyond individual transactions - it's strengthening the entire DeFi landscape. By offering a dependable toolkit, Omnia is reinforcing DeFi's foundations and facilitating an environment ripe for innovation and opportunity. With its unwavering commitment to availability and support, it provides a solid defence against volatility, ensuring the DeFi ecosystem is strong and flexible to meet evolving challenges.
In summary, Omnia Protocol is a game-changer in the DeFi world, offering unmatched security and connectivity to a global user base. Its robust framework not only showcases the transformative power of blockchain technology, but it also marks a shift in how financial transactions are carried out. For traders valuing security and efficiency, Omnia is an essential ally. With Omnia, the future of DeFi is not just bright—it's secure, interconnected, and full of potential.
Visit:

At work and was reading through the change log of 1.11.... went back and saw the 1.12 change log... then noticed the Data Bank (RAG) section...and cheered! I have read the link mentioned in the change log and still have a couple of questions, hope thats ok.
1) We have a massive 14mb journal that is the text from 4gb of word documents, this is our gaming sessions in D&D for over 30 years. I once tried to load that into the Rag option in silly tavern and it rejected it based on file size... has that limit now been removed?
2) I have 3 or 4 characters that are created to assist in all things D&D or do fun things based on D&D currently they share a lorebook but it would be great to have them all have access to a databank based on our D&D, the journal, the rules encyclopedia, etc... but I notice in the link it says the data bank is all characters / single character / single chat. Can we specify the data bank is for multiple characters? (not global as I will be using the other data banks a lot for other characters too, but more like you can with lore books? activate and deactivate set databanks as needed?)
3) you mention in the link, under vector providers that the local implementation is mediocre, and that extras functionality is tolerable... these terms are a little subjective... so not sure if you mean the local implementation is better than extra's or the otherway around (no budget for api's for a while, but i have a 3090 so a good amount of local power)... not used the extras repo so would prefer not to unless its better.
4) how much Vram doe this all use...on average?
Thanks in advance, to anyone able to answer. Also, huge thank you for supporting RAG, lorebooks are good, but RAG is going to add so much more capabilitiy to my utility characters that I wish I was not at work and could start messing with it now lol

Adel

• City Council meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. with agendas available by EOD Friday before the meeting. Agendas can be found here.
• Adel Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 14, 2024

Alleman

• City Council meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m. AND every 3rd Monday of the month at 7:30 p.m., which appears to be their Work Session meetings. Agendas can be found here.
• Alleman Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 13, 2024

Altoona

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 6:30 p.m. Agendas can be found here.
• Altoona Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Public Hearing for Development Plan for Blue Ridge Plat 3

Ankeny

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 5:30 p.m. with agendas available by EOD Friday before the meeting. Agendas can be found here
• Ankeny Mayor and City Council
• You need to select Novus agenda and it takes you to a 3rd party website where you can then select the latest meeting type such as City Council, Action Planning, etc.
  • City Council meetings can be viewed via Zoom, but only during the meeting. The City does not post the video of the Council meetings on either their website or YouTube.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Local Option Sales and Services Tax
    • Amending provisions pertaining to stormwater management fees.

Bondurant

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here
• Bondurant Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Approval of site plan for 2416 Robinson Avenue (LCI Distributing, LTD)
    • Approving the site plan extension request for 2465 Robinson Avenue, NE (Skol Trucking)

Carlisle

• City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of every month at 6:30 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here on the right side of the website.
• Carlisle Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 13, 2024

Clive

• City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of every month at 6 p.m. with the goal of having agendas posted no later than two business days prior to a meeting. Agenda Packets for 2024 can be found here and a collection of prior year agenda packets (2005+) and large construction set documents can be located here.
• Clive Mayor and City Council
• Latest City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 2, 2024

Cumming

• City Council meets on the 2nd Mondays of every month and sometimes on the 4th Monday if needed at 7 p.m. They updated their website so in the new way to find their current agenda/packets is either on the front page of the website either under latest news in the center or to the right under upcoming events.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 13, 2024

Dallas Center

• City Council meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 7 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here
• Dallas Center Mayor and City
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Discussion to evaluate potential city administrator candidates

Dallas County

• Dallas County Board of Supervisors meet every Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Upcoming Supervisor Agenda Packets can be found here and Supervisor meetings prior to upcoming meetings can be located here.
• They do not post contact information for their three board of supervisors - Someone who lives in Dallas County please contact the County to post this information because it’s antithetical to an “open” government.
• Regular Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda – May 21, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • CAPITAL PROJECTS BUDGETING
• If you work for Dallas County or know someone who works there, please tell the administration to include Supervisor agenda packets on the website.

De Soto

• City Council meets on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. with agendas posted to the City website by the EOD Friday before the meeting. Agendas can be found here.
• De Soto Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 21, 2024
• Items of interest:
  • Public Hearing for the sale of city lots; 324 & 326 Walnut Street
  • Water and sewer rate amendments
  • Adopt a resolution placing a proposal before the voters to increase the membership of the Board of Supervisors in Dallas County from three to five
  • Set the date and time for a Public Hearing for the sale of city lot north of city hall; June 18, 2024 at 6:00pm.

Des Moines

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 5 p.m. with agendas being available by 4:00 p.m. on the Thursday before the meeting. Agendas can be found here. I will only do my top 5 as the media generally covers DSM Council meetings and the big topics.
• Des Moines Mayor and City Council
  • City Council does usually have Work Sessions on the morning of regular City Council meetings (Mondays) at 7:30 a.m.
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Conversion of an existing office building at 601 Locust Street to a 221-unit multi-family residential building
    • Urbandale Avenue Resurfacing from 34th Street to Beaver Avenue
    • Euclid Avenue 3-Lane Conversion (2nd Avenue to Des Moines River Bridge)
    • Workforce Housing Tax Credit (WHTC) benefit applications
    • Memorandum of Understanding and Business Associate Agreement with United Way of the Midlands for non-emergency transportation services.
    • WORK SESSION IN MORNING at 7:30 a.m. - IMPACT Community Action Partnership Update, and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)

Elkhart

• City Council meets on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6 p.m. Agendas can be found here and Agenda Packets can located here (it seems like agendas are posted at a separate time compared to the full agenda packet.
• Elkhart does not provide contact information for their Mayor or City Council. If you live in Elkhart, please contact the City to ask that they put this information up on their website.
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • ADDING CHAPTER 47 TO PROVIDE PARK REGULATIONS

Granger

• City Council meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. Agendas can be found here.
• Granger Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 23, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • No agenda has been posted as of the time of this post.
• If you work for the City of Granger or know someone who works there, please tell the administration to include Council agenda packets on the website.

Grimes

• City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month at 5:30 p.m. and they try to have agendas available to view for the public published 24 hours in advance of the meeting. They have dates listed on their website when they will not meet during the year listed here.
• Grimes Mayor and City Council
• agenda & meetings page/calendar this does include their upcoming and previous meetings with agendas/packets if you scroll up or down.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 14, 2024

Indianola

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 7 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here.
• Indianola Mayor and City Council
  • City Council does have study sessions on topics that are before the regular City Council meeting at 6 p.m. and are open to the public.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Approving the fee schedule
    • Hearing in accordance with Chapter 56, Section 56.05 of the City Code concerning seizure, impoundment and disposition of vicious animals.
• Joint City Council and Warren County Supervisors Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
• Items of interest:
  • Resolution authorizing the execution of a contract by and between the City of Indianola and Warren County
• City Council Study Session Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
• Items of interest:
  • Risk insurance renewals

Johnston

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 7 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here This takes you to a 3rd party website where there appears to be no separate web pages for each Council meeting.
• Johnston Mayor and City Council
  • City Council does have Work Sessions that are open to the public that occur before regular City Council meetings at 6 p.m.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024 (On the desktop version, it is not a separate page from where the agendas are located so you have to click on meetings in the top right, find the Council meeting on the left, click view agenda, and then you can click on separate agenda items on the left to get more info)
  • Items of interest:
    • Council Work Session before City Council meeting - Discus Senate File 455 and the Applicable Text Amendments to the Johnston Code of Ordinances Which Originate From This Legislation
    • Updating the City of Johnston Policy on Special Events
    • Set a public hearing for June 3rd, 2024 at 7:00 P.M. to consider a text amendment to Section 176.13, Dwelling, Attached Two Unit (Twinhome), Section 177.03, Accessory Structure, Section 182.07, Screening, and Section 185.03, Building Materials, of the Johnston Zoning Code.
    • Resolution No. 24-115 - Approving a Moratorium on Enforcement of the Amended Fire Sprinkler Threshold Requirements of Section 159.10.7 and 155.04.2.N of the City of Johnston Code of Ordinances

Norwalk

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of every month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here
• Norwalk Mayor and City Council
• Tentative City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 16, 2024

Pleasant Hill

• City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets for previous meetings can be found here but you have to select the particular meeting from a list under City Council Agendas (Their archive is not updated properly so you may need to contact staff at the city to fix this or request different agenda documents). Agendas for the upcoming City Council meeting can be located here on the left hand side of the web page.
• Pleasant Hill Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 14, 2024

Polk City

• City Council meets on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of every month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here
• Polk City Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 13, 2024

Polk County

• Polk County Board of Supervisors meet every other Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. The schedule for the rest of the year as well as agenda packets for upcoming and previous meetings can be found here They also typically have work sessions on Wednesday or Thursday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
• Polk County Board of Supervisors (You have to click on each Supervisors “Bio” to get their contact information)
• Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda Packet – May 21, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Resolution approving agreement with Des Moines University for provision of learning experiences.

Urbandale

• City Council meets every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here on the right side of the website.
• Urbandale Mayor and City Council (On the left hand side of the webpage you have to select each person for their contact information)
  • City Council does have Work Sessions that are open to the public that occur before City Council Meetings at 5:30 p.m. City Council also has Lunch and Learn meetings that are open to the public electronically on select Tuesdays at 11:45 a.m. (The public may access the conversation in person at Urbandale City Council Chambers the day of the meeting).
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 21, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Public Hearing and Consideration of Bids - Lions Park Improvements Phase 2

Van Meter

• City Council meets on the 2nd Monday of every month at 7 p.m. Agendas can be found here
• Van Meter Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda – May 13, 2024

Warren County

• Warren County Board of Supervisors meet every 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of every month at 9:30 a.m. Agendas can be found here
• Warren County Board of Supervisors
• Board of Supervisors Meeting Agenda – May 7, 2024 They require you to download the agendas via PDF’s so there is no direct web link to the agendas

Waukee

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 5:30 p.m. Agendas can be found here AND the agenda packets can be located here
• Waukee Mayor and City Council
  • City Council will have Work Sessions and Special Meetings that usually occur on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month.
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Water, Irrigation, stormwater, solid waste, and natural gas rates
    • approval of a resolution approving revised site plan for Central Plaza II [1165 SE University Avenue]

West Des Moines

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 5:30 p.m. Upcoming Council Agenda Packets can be found here (to see the packet for a meeting, click on the meeting under “Events” and then select one of the packet choices) and Council meetings prior to upcoming meetings can be located here
• West Des Moines Mayor and City Council
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Establish Public Hearings - Revenue Purpose Statements Regarding Use of Revenues Derived from Proposed Electric and Natural Gas Franchise Fees
    • Modify Regulations Pertaining to the Sales and Storage of Fireworks

Windsor Heights

• City Council meets on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of every month at 6 p.m. Agenda Packets can be found here
• Windsor Heights Mayor and City Council (You have to click on each person to get their contact information but you can fill out this form to send a message to the Mayor, the five city councilors, and the city administrator at once.
  • They do have recaps of their City Council meetings which are located here
• City Council Meeting Agenda Packet – May 20, 2024
  • Items of interest:
    • Amending Chapter 136, Governing Sidewalk Regulations
    • Amending Chapter 185, Governing Floodplain Management
    • Approve Resolution 2024-38 A Resolution Setting a Public Hearing on the Plans, Specifications, Form of Contract and Estimate of Costs for the Windsor Heights CEC Solar Project

I have been fortunate enough to bring global fun/exciting restaurant brand to Canada as a franchisee. Got my bank loan in place ..but the project is running over budget as I was cornered into spending more. After being misguided but the bank and my financial broker, I'm stuck last minute needed to raise capital ASAP before the project collapses. I'm in construction currently and idk what to do or who to turn to... They say listen to the professionals but those are the same people that have let me down. I need to raise $3M in less than 3 weeks or my employees, my family, friends, workers everyone around this project is screwed and there will be lots of lawsuits going around.
Anyone have any advice how I can raise $3M quickly?
Everything about this project is great and people are so hyper for this brand to come to the city and we would do revenues of at least $10M a year.
Thanks

I have been fortunate enough to bring global fun/exciting restaurant brand to Canada as a franchisee. Got my bank loan in place ..but the project is running over budget as I was cornered into spending more. After being misguided but the bank and my financial broker, I'm stuck last minute needed to raise capital ASAP before the project collapses. I'm in construction currently and idk what to do or who to turn to... They say listen to the professionals but those are the same people that have let me down. I need to raise $3M in less than 3 weeks or my employees, my family, friends, workers everyone around this project is screwed and there will be lots of lawsuits going around.
Anyone have any advice how I can raise $3M quickly?
Everything about this project is great and people are so hyper for this brand to come to the city and we would do revenues of at least $10M a year.
Thanks

I have been fortunate enough to bring global fun/exciting restaurant brand to Canada as a franchisee. Got my bank loan in place ..but the project is running over budget as I was cornered into spending more. After being misguided but the bank and my financial broker, I'm stuck last minute needed to raise capital ASAP before the project collapses. I'm in construction currently and idk what to do or who to turn to... They say listen to the professionals but those are the same people that have let me down. I need to raise $3M in less than 3 weeks or my employees, my family, friends, workers everyone around this project is screwed and there will be lots of lawsuits going around.
Anyone have any advice how I can raise $3M quickly?
Everything about this project is great and people are so hyper for this brand to come to the city and we would do revenues of at least $10M a year.
Thanks

I have been fortunate enough to bring global fun/exciting restaurant brand to Canada as a franchisee. Got my bank loan in place ..but the project is running over budget as I was cornered into spending more. After being misguided but the bank and my financial broker, I'm stuck last minute needed to raise capital ASAP before the project collapses. I'm in construction currently and idk what to do or who to turn to... They say listen to the professionals but those are the same people that have let me down. I need to raise $3M in less than 3 weeks or my employees, my family, friends, workers everyone around this project is screwed and there will be lots of lawsuits going around.
Anyone have any advice how I can raise $3M quickly?
Everything about this project is great and people are so hyper for this brand to come to the city and we would do revenues of at least $10M a year.
Thanks

Hi All,
I will be starting the role of Investment Analyst at an Asset Management company in the Caribbean very soon. I'm quite anxious to start. The job overview is as follows: the investment analyst is expected to review, evaluate, and recommend investment opportunities for investment by the various portfolios under management.
I'll be joining a team of 10 other analysts as it's a smaller firm at it'll be very competitive for upward mobility. Everyone will be younger than me, faster at providing outputs and have a masters from what I've been told.
My questions on preparation are as follows:
1) What's your go to daily market news source for high-level news? I use Bloomberg front page free, Yahoo finance, Investopedia and the daily upside news letter, for energy I use oilprice.com
2) What self-training materials do you all use?
I'm planning to use youtube to learn things like building the yield curve etc.. and when i get home in the evenings I'll use ChatGPT where possible for additional assistance.
3) I'm looking to make myself stand out but the responsibilities look like it'll take me a lot of time to understand and prepare for. The probation period is 6 months. Do you all have any suggestions to really get noticed besides being vocal throughout meetings, making myself known, letting people know when i have extra capacity and partaking in group events?
4) Any other guidance/tips for this role?
The Job Responsibilities are as follows:
Investment Analysis
• Conduct due diligence on potential investments, third party managers and make investment recommendations.
• Research financial markets and asset classes, providing market updates and reports on new topics and market developments.
• Draft articles, research papers, newsletters and commentary on the global and domestic economy, investments, trends and outlook for client circulation and publication.
• Review and approve daily NAV calculations.
Portfolio Review and Reporting
• Monitor the performance of various portfolios, document, and report for investment updates.
• Assist with the Budgeting and Forecasting exercise for the Group.
• Assist with the preparation of all regulatory and management reports.
• Participate in the preparation of yield curves and valuations.
Investment Relationship Management
• Participate in conference calls/analyst meeting for current or prospective holdings.
• Participate as a membeinvitee of the Executive Investment Committees governing the respective portfolios
Perform any other job-related duties as assigned by the Senior Manager Trading and Treasury.

1. Amazon Store Rent
First, let's talk about the monthly rent for an Amazon store. Registering an Amazon store is free, but using a company registration instead of a personal one is recommended. This approach is safer and has a higher approval rate. After registering, you can choose between an Individual account and a Professional account.
Individual Account: This account has no monthly fee, but you'll pay Amazon $0.99 for each item you sell. It’s suitable for sellers who are just starting out and have lower sales volumes.
Professional Account: This account costs $39.99 per month, but you won’t pay a fee per sale. This option is more cost-effective if you sell more than 40 items per month.
Recommendation: If you’re just starting and your sales are low, opt for the Individual account. As your sales increase and you consistently sell more than 40 items per month, switch to the Professional account to save on per-item fees.

1. Product Selection Tools

Choosing the right products to sell is crucial for the success of your e-commerce business. Fortunately, there are several tools available to assist with this process, each offering unique features to help you make informed decisions.
Popular Paid Tools: JungleScout and Helium10
JungleScout: Priced at $49/month, JungleScout is widely recognized for its comprehensive suite of tools designed to help sellers identify profitable products, estimate sales, and analyze competition. Its features include:
Product Database: Allows you to filter products based on various criteria like price, sales, and competition.
Product Tracker: Helps track the performance of potential products over time.
Keyword Scout: Provides keyword research and optimization suggestions to enhance product listings.
Sales Analytics: Offers insights into sales trends and revenue estimates.
Helium10: At $79/month, Helium10 is another powerful tool that provides a wide range of functionalities for Amazon sellers. Key features include:
Black Box: A product research tool that allows you to find profitable niches.
Xray: A Chrome extension that gives you a quick overview of product performance metrics directly on Amazon.
Keyword Research: Tools like Cerebro and Magnet help you discover and optimize for high-ranking keywords.
Listing Optimization: Features like Scribbles and Index Checker ensure your product listings are optimized for maximum visibility.
Free Tool: 4SELLER
4SELLER: For those who are looking for a budget-friendly option, 4SELLER is a free tool that offers a robust set of features to aid in product selection and management. It includes:
Product Selection: Assists in identifying profitable products by analyzing market trends and competition.
Inventory Management: Helps track inventory levels, forecast demand, and manage stock efficiently to prevent overstocking or stockouts.
Supplier Finder: Aids in locating reliable suppliers, which is essential for maintaining product quality and consistency.
Why Product Selection Tools are Essential
Using product selection tools is vital because they provide data-driven insights that help you make informed decisions. These tools can save you time and reduce the risk of choosing products that may not sell well. They offer features that allow you to:
Identify Trends: By analyzing market data, these tools help you stay ahead of trends and capitalize on emerging opportunities.
Evaluate Competition: Understanding your competition is crucial. These tools provide detailed analysis of competitors' products, pricing strategies, and sales performance.
Optimize Listings: Well-optimized product listings are more likely to attract buyers. These tools offer keyword research and listing optimization features that improve your product's visibility on e-commerce platforms.
Manage Inventory: Efficient inventory management ensures you have the right products available at the right time, which is crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction and maximizing sales.
Whether you opt for a paid tool like JungleScout or Helium10, or a free option like 4SELLER, leveraging these tools can significantly enhance your ability to select profitable products, manage inventory effectively, and optimize your listings for better performance.
3. Initial Stock Costs
Purchasing your first batch of products involves a significant initial investment, and the amount required can vary widely depending on the type of products you choose to sell. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to consider when estimating your initial stock costs:
Factors Influencing Initial Stock Costs
Product Type and Price: The nature of the products you choose to sell will greatly influence your initial costs. Higher-priced items tend to have less competition but require a larger upfront investment. Conversely, cheaper products are more budget-friendly but often come with higher competition.
Quantity: The number of units you decide to purchase initially is another major factor. A common recommendation for new sellers is to start with 200-500 units. This range allows you to test the market demand without overcommitting financially.
Calculating Initial Costs
To estimate your initial stock costs, you need to multiply the quantity of units by the purchase price per unit. Here’s a simplified formula:
Initial Stock Cost=Quantity×Purchase Price per UnitInitial Stock Cost=Quantity×Purchase Price per Unit
For instance, if you decide to buy 300 units of a product that costs $5 per unit, your initial stock cost would be:
300 units×$5/unit=$1,500300 units×$5/unit=$1,500
Typical Budget Ranges for New Sellers
Low Budget: If you’re starting with a tighter budget, you might opt for products with a lower purchase price. For example, if you choose items costing around $2 per unit and purchase 200 units, your initial cost would be $400.
Moderate Budget: A more common range for new sellers is between $1,000 and $3,000. This allows for a balance between purchasing a reasonable quantity of units and managing the risk of unsold inventory. For example, buying 400 units at $5 per unit would total $2,000.
Higher Budget: With a larger budget, you can consider higher-priced items that might have less competition. For instance, purchasing 300 units at $10 per unit would result in an initial cost of $3,000.
Why Initial Stock Costs are Important
Understanding and planning for initial stock costs is critical because it ensures you are adequately prepared for the financial outlay required to launch your business. Here are a few reasons why this is essential:
Market Testing: Buying an appropriate number of units allows you to test market demand without over-investing. This way, you can gauge the product's popularity and adjust future orders accordingly.
Cash Flow Management: Proper planning helps manage your cash flow effectively. Ensuring you have enough funds to cover initial stock costs, along with other expenses like marketing and shipping, is crucial for maintaining business operations.
Risk Mitigation: Starting with a moderate quantity of units helps minimize the risk of unsold inventory, which can tie up capital and lead to losses. It’s better to start small, analyze performance, and scale up gradually.
Carefully estimating and planning for your initial stock costs is a vital step in setting up your e-commerce business. By understanding the factors that influence these costs and budgeting accordingly, you can make informed decisions that set the foundation for a successful venture. Whether you have a limited budget or can invest more significantly, strategic planning will help you manage risks and maximize your chances of success.
4. UPC Codes
UPC stands for Universal Product Code, a standardized barcode used by retailers, including Amazon, to track products. Obtaining UPC codes is a critical step in setting up your products for sale. Here’s a detailed explanation of why you need them, where to get them, and the associated costs.
What are UPC Codes?
Definition: UPC codes are unique identifiers assigned to products. Each code consists of a series of black bars and a corresponding 12-digit number that can be scanned by barcode readers.
Purpose: These codes help retailers manage inventory, streamline the checkout process, and track sales. For e-commerce platforms like Amazon, UPC codes ensure each product is uniquely identifiable, reducing errors and simplifying logistics.
Where to Buy UPC Codes
Official Source: GS1: The Global Standards 1 (GS1) organization is the official provider of UPC codes. Purchasing from GS1 ensures the authenticity and uniqueness of your codes, which is crucial for compliance with Amazon’s policies.
Why GS1?: While there are third-party sellers offering UPC codes at lower prices, these codes might not always be unique or compliant with GS1 standards. Using GS1 guarantees that your UPCs are globally recognized and legitimate, preventing potential issues with listing products on Amazon.
Cost of UPC Codes
Initial Purchase: GS1 sells UPC codes in packs. A pack of 10 UPCs costs $250 initially. This upfront cost covers the registration and issuance of the codes.
Annual Renewal Fee: In addition to the initial purchase cost, there is a $50 annual renewal fee. This fee ensures your codes remain active and your registration with GS1 stays current.
Breakdown of Costs
Initial Cost: For a pack of 10 UPC codes, the initial cost is $250.
Annual Renewal: The $50 annual renewal fee applies every year to maintain your codes.
Example Calculation:
If you purchase a pack of 10 UPCs, your total cost for the first year would be:
$250 (initial cost)+$50 (annual renewal fee)=$300$250 (initial cost)+$50 (annual renewal fee)=$300
In subsequent years, you will only pay the $50 renewal fee to keep your UPCs active.
Why UPC Codes are Important
Inventory Management: UPC codes play a crucial role in inventory management, allowing you to track stock levels accurately. This helps prevent stockouts and overstock situations.
Product Identification: Each UPC code is unique to a specific product, ensuring that Amazon and other retailers can correctly identify and catalog your items. This reduces the risk of listing errors and mix-ups.
Compliance and Credibility: Using GS1-issued UPC codes ensures compliance with Amazon’s listing requirements. This adds credibility to your listings and prevents potential issues that might arise from using unauthorized codes.
Efficiency and Automation: UPC codes facilitate the automation of various processes, including checkout, shipping, and inventory updates. This enhances operational efficiency and reduces manual workload.
Investing in UPC codes from GS1 is an essential step for any e-commerce business aiming to sell on platforms like Amazon. The initial cost of $250 for a pack of 10 UPCs, along with the $50 annual renewal fee, ensures that your products are uniquely identifiable and compliant with global standards. This investment not only helps in effective inventory management but also enhances the credibility and efficiency of your business operations.
5. Shipping and Distribution Costs
Shipping and distribution costs are critical components of your overall budget when selling on Amazon. These costs encompass various fees and charges that ensure your products reach Amazon’s warehouses and, ultimately, your customers. Here’s a detailed breakdown of what to consider and how these costs can impact your business.
Components of Shipping and Distribution Costs
Shipping to Amazon’s Warehouse: This involves the costs of transporting your products from your supplier to Amazon’s fulfillment centers. Factors influencing these costs include the size and weight of your products, the shipping method, and the distance between the supplier and the warehouse.
Packaging: Proper packaging is essential to protect your products during transit. This includes boxes, cushioning materials, and labeling.
Inspection Fees: To ensure quality and compliance with Amazon’s standards, you might need to pay for product inspections before they are shipped.
Import Duties and Taxes: If you are importing products from another country, customs duties and taxes will apply. These costs vary based on the product category and the country of origin.
Estimated Shipping Costs by Product Size
Small Items: For smaller products, shipping costs are generally lower. On average, you can expect to pay around $4 per unit for shipping.
Mid-sized Products: For larger or heavier items, shipping costs increase. These costs can range from $8 to $12 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight of the products.
Amazon FBA Fees
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Fees: Once your products are in Amazon’s warehouse, the company handles storage, packaging, and shipping to customers. Amazon charges FBA fees for these services, which are based on the size and weight of the product.
Small and Light Items: FBA fees for smaller items typically range from $2.92 to $6.13 per unit.
Larger Items: For bigger or heavier products, FBA fees can be higher, reflecting the additional handling and shipping costs.
Breakdown of Costs
Shipping Costs to Amazon’s Warehouse:
Small items: $4 per unit
Mid-sized items: $8-$12 per unit
Amazon FBA Fees:
Small items: $2.92-$6.13 per unit
Larger items: Higher fees depending on size and weight
Example Calculation
If you are shipping 300 small items to Amazon’s warehouse, with each unit costing $4 to ship and an average FBA fee of $4.50, your total costs would be:
Shipping to Warehouse: 300 units×$4/unit=$1,200300 units×$4/unit=$1,200
FBA Fees: 300 units×$4.50/unit=$1,350300 units×$4.50/unit=$1,350
Total Shipping and Distribution Costs:
$1,200 (shipping)+$1,350 (FBA fees)=$2,550$1,200 (shipping)+$1,350 (FBA fees)=$2,550
Why Shipping and Distribution Costs are Important
Budget Planning: Understanding and accurately estimating these costs is crucial for budgeting and financial planning. Unexpected expenses can significantly impact your profitability.
Pricing Strategy: These costs need to be factored into your pricing strategy to ensure you maintain healthy profit margins. Underestimating shipping and distribution costs can erode your margins and affect your competitiveness.
Customer Satisfaction: Efficient shipping and distribution are key to timely delivery and customer satisfaction. Using Amazon FBA ensures reliable and fast shipping, which can enhance your seller ratings and lead to repeat business.
Operational Efficiency: Managing these costs effectively can streamline your operations and improve cash flow. By optimizing packaging, negotiating better shipping rates, and accurately forecasting demand, you can reduce expenses and improve efficiency.
Shipping and distribution costs are a significant part of your overall expenses when selling on Amazon. By carefully estimating these costs, including packaging, inspection fees, import duties, and Amazon FBA fees, you can better manage your budget and pricing strategy. Understanding these costs helps ensure smooth operations, enhances customer satisfaction, and supports your business's profitability and growth.
6. Inventory Storage Costs
Inventory storage costs are a critical consideration when using Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service. These fees are based on the size and quantity of your inventory stored in Amazon’s warehouses and vary throughout the year. Here’s a detailed breakdown of these costs and their implications for your business.
Amazon’s Storage Fees
Amazon charges monthly storage fees that depend on the size category of your products (standard-size or oversized) and the time of year. The fees are higher during the holiday season (October to December) due to increased demand for warehouse space.
Standard-Size Storage Fees
January to September: $0.83 per cubic foot
October to December: $2.40 per cubic foot
Oversized Storage Fees
January to September: $0.53 per cubic foot
October to December: $1.20 per cubic foot
Calculating Storage Costs
To estimate your storage costs, you need to know the cubic footage of your inventory. Here’s how you can calculate it:
Cubic Footage=Length×Width×HeightCubic Footage=Length×Width×Height
Once you have the cubic footage, multiply it by the applicable storage fee rate.
Example Calculation for Standard-Size Products
Let’s say you have 500 units of a product, each measuring 1 cubic foot. Your storage costs would be:
January to September: 500 cubic feet×$0.83/cubic foot=$415500 cubic feet×$0.83/cubic foot=$415
October to December: 500 cubic feet×$2.40/cubic foot=$1,200500 cubic feet×$2.40/cubic foot=$1,200
Example Calculation for Oversized Products
If you have 200 units of an oversized product, each measuring 3 cubic feet, your storage costs would be:
January to September: 600 cubic feet×$0.53/cubic foot=$318600 cubic feet×$0.53/cubic foot=$318
October to December: 600 cubic feet×$1.20/cubic foot=$720600 cubic feet×$1.20/cubic foot=$720
Why Inventory Storage Costs Matter
Budget Management: Accurately estimating storage costs is crucial for budgeting and financial planning. These costs can add up, especially during peak seasons, impacting your overall profitability.
Inventory Turnover: High storage costs can incentivize better inventory management practices, such as maintaining optimal stock levels and ensuring a higher inventory turnover rate. This helps in reducing long-term storage fees and minimizing the risk of overstocking.
Seasonal Planning: Knowing that storage fees increase during the holiday season can help you plan your inventory levels more effectively. You might choose to stock up on faster-moving items or reduce slower-moving inventory before the fees increase.
Cost Control: By understanding these fees, you can implement strategies to minimize them, such as reducing the size of your packaging, negotiating better storage terms, or using other fulfillment centers if necessary.
Strategies to Manage Storage Costs
Optimize Inventory Levels: Maintain a balance between having enough stock to meet demand and avoiding excess inventory that incurs high storage costs.
Seasonal Adjustments: Plan your inventory levels based on seasonal fluctuations in storage fees, ensuring you minimize costs during peak periods.
Efficient Packaging: Use packaging that minimizes space without compromising product safety. Smaller packaging reduces the cubic footage and, consequently, storage fees.
FBA Inventory Management: Use Amazon’s inventory management tools to monitor and adjust your stock levels based on sales data and forecasts.
Inventory storage costs are an important aspect of selling on Amazon using FBA. These costs, varying by product size and season, can significantly impact your business’s profitability. By accurately estimating these fees and implementing strategies to manage and reduce them, you can optimize your inventory management and control expenses effectively. Understanding and planning for these costs will help ensure a smoother and more profitable operation.

1. Platform Commission

When selling on Amazon, it’s essential to account for the platform commission, known as the referral fee. This fee is a percentage of each sale and varies by product category. Understanding these fees is crucial for pricing your products and calculating your profit margins.
Amazon’s Referral Fees
Amazon charges a referral fee on each sale made through its platform. The percentage varies depending on the product category. Here are some common examples:
Electronics: 8%
Beauty Products: 15%
Books: 15%
Clothing and Accessories: 17%
Home and Kitchen: 15%
How Referral Fees Are Calculated
The referral fee is calculated as a percentage of the total sales price, which includes the item price and any shipping or gift wrap charges.
Referral Fee=Sales Price×Referral Fee PercentageReferral Fee=Sales Price×Referral Fee Percentage
Example Calculations
Electronics: If you sell a gadget for $100, the referral fee would be: $100×8%=$8$100×8%=$8
Beauty Products: If you sell a skincare product for $50, the referral fee would be: $50×15%=$7.50$50×15%=$7.50
Why Platform Commission is Important
Pricing Strategy: Knowing the referral fee helps you set your product prices appropriately to ensure you cover costs and achieve desired profit margins.
Profit Margin Calculation: Understanding the commission allows you to accurately calculate your net profit after deducting all fees.
Category Selection: The commission rate can influence your decision on which product categories to focus on. Lower commission rates in certain categories might lead to higher profitability.
Competitive Pricing: Factoring in the referral fee ensures your prices remain competitive while still being profitable.
Impact on Different Product Categories
High-Commission Categories: Categories like beauty products and clothing with higher referral fees require careful pricing to maintain profitability. High fees can significantly impact margins, especially for low-cost items.
Low-Commission Categories: Categories like electronics with lower referral fees can offer better profit margins, but these categories might also have higher competition.
Strategies to Manage Referral Fees
Optimize Pricing: Adjust your pricing to ensure it covers all costs, including the referral fee, while remaining attractive to customers.
Product Selection: Consider the referral fee when selecting products to sell. Products in categories with lower fees might be more profitable.
Bundle Products: Creating product bundles can help increase the average sales price, potentially offsetting the impact of the referral fee.
Platform commission is a significant cost factor when selling on Amazon. By understanding the referral fee structure and calculating these fees accurately, you can make informed decisions about pricing, product selection, and profitability. Properly managing and accounting for these fees ensures your business remains competitive and financially sustainable on the Amazon platform.
8. Advertising Costs
Advertising is a crucial component of your e-commerce strategy, driving visibility and sales for your products on Amazon. Effective advertising can help you reach potential customers quickly, but it requires a financial investment. Here’s a detailed breakdown of advertising costs, strategies, and their impact on your business.
Types of Advertising
Amazon Advertising: The primary form of advertising on Amazon is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ads. These ads appear in search results and on product detail pages, allowing you to target specific keywords and audiences.
Sponsored Products: These ads promote individual product listings and appear in search results and product pages.
Sponsored Brands: These ads feature your brand logo, a custom headline, and multiple products.
Sponsored Display: These ads target audiences both on and off Amazon, helping to re-engage shoppers who have viewed your products.
Off-Amazon Advertising: To broaden your reach, you can also advertise on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. These platforms allow for targeted advertising based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Budgeting for Advertising
A typical budget for new sellers on Amazon ranges from $700 to $1,000. This budget should cover various advertising strategies, including PPC campaigns and social media ads.
Cost Breakdown
Amazon PPC Ads:
Sponsored Products: These are the most common and can cost anywhere from $0.10 to $2.00 per click, depending on the competitiveness of your keywords.
Sponsored Brands: These ads generally cost more per click due to their higher visibility and brand promotion capabilities.
Sponsored Display: Costs vary but can be effective for retargeting potential customers.
Social Media Advertising:
Facebook Ads: Costs typically range from $0.50 to $2.00 per click, depending on targeting options and competition.
Instagram Ads: Similar to Facebook, Instagram ad costs range from $0.50 to $2.00 per click, with the advantage of visual storytelling through images and videos.
Example Budget Allocation
Let’s allocate a $1,000 advertising budget across different platforms:
Amazon PPC Ads: $600
Sponsored Products: $400
Sponsored Brands: $150
Sponsored Display: $50
Social Media Ads: $400
Facebook Ads: $200
Instagram Ads: $200
Why Advertising is Important
Increased Visibility: Advertising ensures your products appear in front of potential buyers, increasing the likelihood of sales.
Competitive Edge: With many sellers on Amazon, advertising helps you stand out and reach customers who might otherwise not find your products.
Sales Velocity: Effective advertising can boost your sales velocity, improving your product rankings and increasing organic visibility over time.
Strategies for Effective Advertising
Keyword Research: Use tools like Amazon’s Keyword Planner or third-party tools to identify high-performing keywords for your PPC campaigns.
A/B Testing: Continuously test different ad creatives, headlines, and targeting options to find the most effective combinations.
Monitor and Optimize: Regularly review your ad performance data to optimize your campaigns. Adjust bids, pause underperforming keywords, and allocate more budget to high-performing ads.
Leverage Social Media: Use Facebook and Instagram to build brand awareness and drive traffic to your Amazon listings. Engaging content, such as videos and customer testimonials, can enhance ad performance.
Advertising is a vital part of your e-commerce strategy on Amazon and beyond. Allocating a budget of $700 to $1,000 for advertising can significantly enhance your product visibility and drive sales. By utilizing Amazon PPC ads and leveraging social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, you can reach a broader audience and increase your chances of success. Effective advertising requires continuous monitoring and optimization, but the investment can lead to substantial returns in terms of sales growth and brand recognition.
9. Returns and Refunds
Managing returns and refunds is an inevitable part of selling on Amazon. While they can impact your profitability, understanding the associated costs and implementing effective management strategies can help mitigate their effects. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the costs and considerations involved in handling returns and refunds.
Amazon Return Processing Fees
Amazon charges a return processing fee that varies depending on the product’s size and weight. This fee is applied when a customer returns a product, and it covers the cost of handling and processing the return.
Standard-Size Products: Fees for standard-size products are typically lower due to their smaller dimensions and weight.
Oversized Products: Fees for oversized products are higher because of the additional handling and storage space required.
Example Fee Structure
Standard-Size Product Return Fee: Approximately $2 to $5 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight.
Oversized Product Return Fee: Approximately $5 to $20 per unit, depending on the specific dimensions and weight.
Additional Costs of Returns and Refunds
Restocking Fees: Amazon may charge a restocking fee for certain returned items. This fee is deducted from the refund amount and can range from 10% to 20% of the item’s price.
Return Shipping Costs: In some cases, you may be responsible for covering the cost of return shipping, especially if the return is due to a defect or error on your part.
Product Condition: Returned items that are not in resellable condition may need to be disposed of or liquidated, leading to additional losses.
Why Returns and Refunds Matter
Customer Satisfaction: Efficient handling of returns and refunds is crucial for maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction and positive reviews. Poor management can lead to negative feedback and damage your seller reputation.
Cost Management: Understanding and anticipating the costs associated with returns can help you better manage your budget and pricing strategy, ensuring you account for these potential expenses.
Inventory Control: Effective return management helps maintain accurate inventory levels and reduces the risk of overstocking or stockouts.
Strategies to Manage Returns and Refunds
Clear Product Descriptions: Provide detailed and accurate product descriptions to reduce the likelihood of returns due to customer dissatisfaction or misunderstandings.
Quality Control: Implement rigorous quality control measures to minimize defects and errors that could lead to returns.
Customer Service: Offer excellent customer service to address issues promptly and potentially resolve problems without necessitating a return.
Return Policies: Establish clear and fair return policies that balance customer satisfaction with protecting your business from excessive costs.
Example Calculation
Let’s consider you sell 100 units of a product, with an average return rate of 5%. Here’s how you can calculate the potential costs:
Product Price: $50 per unit
Return Rate: 5% (5 units)
Return Processing Fee: $3 per unit
Restocking Fee: 15% of the product price ($7.50 per unit)
Return Shipping Cost: $5 per unit
Total Return and Refund Costs:
Return Processing Fee=5 units×$3=$15Return Processing Fee=5 units×$3=$15 Restocking Fee=5 units×$7.50=$37.50Restocking Fee=5 units×$7.50=$37.50 Return Shipping Cost=5 units×$5=$25Return Shipping Cost=5 units×$5=$25
Total Costs:
$15+$37.50+$25=$77.50$15+$37.50+$25=$77.50
Handling returns and refunds is a necessary aspect of selling on Amazon, and the associated costs can add up quickly. By understanding the fees and implementing strategies to manage returns effectively, you can minimize their impact on your profitability. Clear product descriptions, stringent quality control, excellent customer service, and well-defined return policies can all contribute to reducing return rates and associated costs. Efficient return management not only helps maintain customer satisfaction but also supports better cost control and inventory management.

1. Miscellaneous Expenses

In addition to the primary costs associated with setting up and running your Amazon business, there are several miscellaneous expenses that can significantly impact your budget. These costs, while often overlooked, are crucial for creating a professional and efficient operation. Here’s a detailed breakdown of these potential expenses and their importance.
Graphic Design for Product Listings
Importance: High-quality graphics and well-designed product listings are essential for attracting customers and conveying professionalism. Poorly designed listings can deter potential buyers.
Costs: Hiring a freelance graphic designer can cost between $50 and $200 per listing, depending on the complexity and the designer's experience.
Services: Graphic design services might include creating product images, infographics, and enhanced brand content (EBC) that highlights your product's features and benefits.
Professional Photography
Importance: Professional photos can make a significant difference in how your product is perceived. High-quality images help build trust with customers and increase conversion rates.
Costs: Professional product photography can range from $100 to $500 per product, depending on the number of images and the photographer’s expertise.
Services: This may include standard product shots, lifestyle images showing the product in use, and detailed close-ups of key features.
Virtual Assistant (VA) Services
Importance: Hiring a virtual assistant can help manage various tasks, such as customer service, inventory management, and order processing. This can free up your time to focus on strategic growth.
Costs: VAs typically charge between $10 and $30 per hour, depending on their skill level and the tasks they perform.
Services: Tasks handled by VAs can include responding to customer inquiries, updating product listings, managing social media accounts, and handling administrative duties.
Other Potential Miscellaneous Expenses
Subscription Services: Tools and software subscriptions for keyword research, inventory management, and sales analytics can cost anywhere from $20 to $200 per month.
Legal and Accounting Services: Professional advice for legal and tax matters is crucial. This can include incorporating your business, trademark registration, and tax preparation, costing several hundred dollars annually.
Packaging Design: Custom packaging design can enhance your brand image and customer experience. Costs can range from $100 to $500, depending on the complexity of the design.
Marketing and Promotional Materials: Additional marketing efforts, such as email campaigns, social media ads, and promotional giveaways, can also add to your expenses.
Example Budget Allocation
Let’s break down a potential budget for these miscellaneous expenses:
Graphic Design: $150 per listing for 5 listings = $750
Professional Photography: $300 per product for 3 products = $900
Virtual Assistant: $20 per hour for 10 hours per month = $200 per month
Subscription Services: $100 per month
Legal and Accounting Services: $500 annually
Packaging Design: $300
Marketing and Promotional Materials: $200 per month
Annual Costs:
Graphic Design=$750Graphic Design=$750 Professional Photography=$900Professional Photography=$900 Virtual Assistant=$200×12=$2,400Virtual Assistant=$200×12=$2,400 Subscription Services=$100×12=$1,200Subscription Services=$100×12=$1,200 Legal and Accounting Services=$500Legal and Accounting Services=$500 Packaging Design=$300Packaging Design=$300 Marketing and Promotional Materials=$200×12=$2,400Marketing and Promotional Materials=$200×12=$2,400
Total Annual Miscellaneous Expenses:
$750+$900+$2,400+$1,200+$500+$300+$2,400=$8,450$750+$900+$2,400+$1,200+$500+$300+$2,400=$8,450
Why Miscellaneous Expenses Matter
Professionalism and Trust: Investing in professional services like graphic design and photography enhances your product listings and builds trust with potential customers.
Efficiency and Focus: Hiring a virtual assistant allows you to delegate time-consuming tasks, enabling you to focus on growing your business.
Operational Smoothness: Subscriptions to essential tools and professional legal and accounting services ensure your business operates smoothly and compliantly.
Brand Building: Custom packaging and marketing materials contribute to a strong brand identity, which can lead to increased customer loyalty and repeat business.
Miscellaneous expenses, while sometimes overlooked, play a vital role in the success of your Amazon business. By budgeting for high-quality graphic design, professional photography, virtual assistant services, and other essential tools and services, you can create a professional and efficient operation. These investments not only enhance your product listings and customer experience but also free up your time to focus on strategic growth, ultimately contributing to your business's long-term success.
Summary
Setting up and running an Amazon business involves various costs that need careful consideration to ensure profitability and efficiency. Here’s a summary of the key cost components:
Product Selection Tools: Essential for choosing profitable products, with popular tools like JungleScout ($49/month) and Helium10 ($79/month). Free alternatives like 4SELLER also provide valuable features for product selection and inventory management.
Initial Stock Costs: Depending on the product type and quantity, initial stock costs can range from $1,000 to $3,000. Starting with 200-500 units is recommended to test the market without overcommitting financially.
UPC Codes: Necessary for product tracking, these should be purchased from GS1. A pack of 10 UPC codes costs $250 initially, plus a $50 annual renewal fee.
Shipping and Distribution Costs: Includes fees for shipping products to Amazon’s warehouse and Amazon’s Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fees, which range from $2.92 to $6.13 per unit. Shipping small items might cost around $4 per unit, while mid-sized products could cost $8-$12 per unit.
Inventory Storage Costs: Monthly fees for storing products in Amazon’s warehouse vary by size and season. Standard-size storage costs $0.83 per cubic foot from January to September and $2.40 per cubic foot from October to December. Oversized storage costs $0.53 per cubic foot and $1.20 per cubic foot during these periods, respectively.
Platform Commission: Amazon takes a commission on each sale, typically between 8% and 15%, depending on the product category. For instance, electronics have a referral fee of 8%, while beauty products have a fee of 15%.
Advertising Costs: To drive visibility and sales, set aside $700-$1,000 for advertising. This includes Amazon PPC ads and potentially social media ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Returns and Refunds: Handling returns incurs costs, including Amazon’s return processing fee, restocking fees, and return shipping costs. These fees vary based on product size and weight.
Miscellaneous Expenses: Other costs include graphic design for product listings ($50-$200 per listing), professional photography ($100-$500 per product), and virtual assistant services ($10-$30 per hour). Additional expenses may include subscription services, legal and accounting services, packaging design, and marketing materials.
In total, you'll need at least $5,000 to start an Amazon FBA business today. Plus, you'll need to spend a lot of time managing your store and optimizing your product listings. This includes continuously monitoring your sales performance, tweaking your advertising strategies, and keeping an eye on competitors to stay ahead in the market.
By understanding and planning for these costs, you can effectively manage your Amazon business, ensuring it remains profitable and efficient while maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction.

Inspired by a post recently, I decided to write my own feedback on the game. Please note that these are my opinions, so you may or may not disagree with some of it and that's fine, I respect that.
Mission effects:

• 50% call-in time should NOT affect extract countdown (1 extra minute is a lot, either in a dog fight, or sitting around doing nothing)
• Bug spore map is fine, until there's a mountain that cut across in the middle of the map with no gap to cross in the middle until you run to the end (which end? u have to find out by walking around it, have fun wasting 5 minutes)
• Fire Tornado is NOT fun and doesn't add anything to the game other than wasting your time when they choose to go on objective or just kill your civilians doing almost nothing to enemies that walks in it.

Mission Type: Evacuate trapped civilians(40 minute and 15 minute variant):

• Civilians can get stuck on nothing occasionally, if both (or 3) paths are bugged, it's game over, there has to be a fallback for this

Evacuate trapped civilians(15 minute variant):

• Bugs are fine, but the bot version on this mission is near impossible to clear (without using certain tactics blablabla), more so after factory strider have been added to the spawn pool

Evacuate high value assets (20 minute 8 rocket mission):

• It can get bugged and missile refuse to continue launching, killing the entire mission (suspect it has to do with network instability, especially from network host)
• Bot (when called by smaller bots instead of mission spawn?) can spawn on the helipad or in the compound, this should not happen

Enemies:

General:

• Dead bodies should despawn sooner (or based on amount on the screen because defence mission on bots can have enemies piled so high that you can't see or shoot past it, god forbid u get stuck under one)

Bug front:

General (almost every unit):

• Should not be able to dig their way up through solid rocks (just remove the dig mechanic, I don't know why it should exist other than bugs digging through solid rock when players stand on top of it by jetpack)

Spewers:

• Nursing Spewer's dead body hitbox does not fit model (after butt have been popped, the hitbox remains, cant walk past)
• Bile Spewer's animation between them raised their butt in the air to suddenly spewing when you are close is non-existent (it's even faster than they running and raising their head to spew, they skip the head raising animation and go straight to spewing)
• Should not one shot players for something that spawns in such numbers
• (still) running too fast
• Too quiet for something that can one shot you out of nowhere (should not one shot)
• Their attack should apply DOT status similar to bleeding (either stim or dive in water to clear), remove the direct damage

Shriekers:

• Dead body deals more dmg than being alive

Stalkers:

• Does not unstealth after taking damage from Incendiary Shotgun from a distance (they should remain unstealth while taking damage, either from bullets or DoT like fire)
• Their knockback sometimes cause your character to have a long [explicit] roll animation if the ground is not even, which is basically a death sentence when fighting them

Brood commander:

• Can call breach without head
• Can track you without their head

Charger:

• Non-intuitive design where the butt is NOT a weakspot to everything (it's ok if I need 1.5 mag of my shotgun to kill it, but at least give us more option to kill that thing than just AT to the face or explosive dmg to the butt)
• Too quiet for something that can one shot you out of nowhere

Bile Titan:

• Non-intuitive design where the SHINING OPEN MOUTH during spit animation is NOT a weakspot, but the forehead is (without any indication)

Spore Spewer:

• Bouncing stratagem at the base of most layout
• Requiring certain weapons/stratagems to destroy after buffed (lowering weapon choice is not a good decision) Possible solution: allow hellbomb, or revert the changes. It's really frustrating and NOT FUN to deal with after the changes. Their main role is to obscure the map until players find it, it shouldn't be hard to remove as well (perhaps removing the red marking on the radar to make it harder to locate, instead of making it tougher)

Shrieker nest:

• Stratagem bounce on certain terrain/layout (particularly the two nest on a mountain layout), making placing hellbomb difficult

Bot front:

General (almost every unit):

• Should not be able to re-engage infinite distance away after been previously engaged before (should lose aggro ~1 minute without line of sight and revert to their regular scan distance)
• Why isn't Arc weapons doing more damage to bots? It should bypass their METAL armor and deal good damage to them

Dropship:

• Killing the dropship should have more significant impact to the enemies they are carrying/carried

Scout Strider:

• Revert whatever changes was made last buff

Rocket Devastators:

• Limit their rocket firing to x amount of salvos (to reflect their model), can add in (infinite) reload downtime to replenish their rocket (so players have opportunity to fire back)

Heavy Devastators:

• Gun firing angle does not fit model sometimes
• Can shoot through wall if they hug the wall (placing the scan further back from their body's hitbox might solve this as it wont be able to phase into the wall and see past it)
• Needs to add more inaccuracy, especially long distance away

Hulk:

• Face hitbox is weird (might be my potato aim but I can miss my shot when I shoot it near point blank)
• Flamethrower variant should not one tap (remove direct damage and just make it deal burning status, burning is already deadly enough)

Gunships:

• Having a VERY small pool of support weapons that can effectively deal with this enemy. One of the worst thing in the game because it's very limiting on what weapon you get to pick IN CASE you see one.

Tanks:

• Too quiet
• Shredder variant turns too fast to be able to reliable target the vents at the back
• Can climb things unreasonably well for something that runs on tracks

(Stationary) Cannon Turrets:

• Should not snipe you from 200m away without any warning or prior aggro, limit their scan distance}
• If they do want to snipe, make their dmg fall off with distance as to not get one shot out of nowhere from something you barely see

Factory Striders:

• Can shoot through wall if their face hugs the wall
• Their cannon turret is a bit too tanky for my liking, for something that already have two deadly MG on the chin
• Limit their spawn per dropship wave to 1 or 2 (especially in defence mission)

Detector Tower:

• Stratagem bounce issues

SAM Site:

• Very hard to locate
• Does the job that it's supposed to do very poorly

Stratagem Jammer:

• Should have limited enemies on them because you can't use stratagems, sometimes it's easy, but sometimes there's so many devastators on there plus dropship it becomes hell
• Can be deadly when spawned close to Gunship fab, perhaps limit the distance between these 2 sub-objectives

Command Bunkers:

• One taps you out of nowhere sometimes (no one likes getting one tapped from full health)

Extract:

• It's not red on the map in mission briefing, but you can drop into an extract with Factory Striders etc

Stratagems:

SOS Beacon:

• What does this do, exactly? Other than being a free one-time use hellpod dmg for host if they manage to attach it onto enemy

Airburst Rocket Launcher:

• Sometimes just fly past enemy's head, what's the proxy radius exactly? Should increase radius but only detonate after x amount of clearance from user (can be time or distance based)

Autocannon:

• GOATed (esp against bots), nothing wrong with it but it's so fun to use against bots that I just want to put it here.

Spear:

• Lock-on issues (it's like wanting to sneeze but you can't)
• For something that require lock on and only have 4 shots, it better one shot regardless of hitzone (or make it lock-on to weakspots instead)
• Useless in snowstorm even though I can see the enemy clearly
• Why would it lock on but miss if the target is too close, what's the point of lock-on if the projectile isn't actually locking onto the target

Orbital Railcannon Strike:

• Needs to lower the CD for something that only targets a single entity
• OR make it one shot every unit in the game (factory strider can be one shot by 380mm, so I don't see why railcannon can't)

"Guard Dog" Rover:

• Sometimes does not target enemies in-front of you, attacking you, or the enemies you're shooting, not sure why

"Guard Dog":

• The constant downtime is so bad compared to its counterpart, PLUS it runs out of ammo

Sentries:

• Non-existent health, too soft for something the developer wont let players place at hard to reach places

Mines:

• Doesn't feel as impactful as other stratagems, other than teamkilling

Shield Generator Relay:

• Should prevent enemy unit from entering
• Should have infinite health until time is up
• Should just be DRG's gunner shield
• Have problems with plasma punisher (the projectile cannot pass through the shield)

Smokes of all kind:

• Needs to work better, enemies should stop firing into/across the smoke or something. I brought smoke to survey mission and smoked the objective, between me and enemies (before the bots drop), I was the one who got smoked instead

Booster:

• Needs to give precise numbers on what EXACTLY each one does (maybe on wiki or something, to prevent people from coming up with nonsense like localisation confusion will create more patrols etc)
• UAV Recon Booster should do something to bug spore map (either reveal the map but not enemies on the map, or enemies nearby but not the map)
• Flexible Reinforcement Budget needs to have more impact to the cooldown time, as it stands it's the worst booster
• Expert Extraction Pilot needs to have more impact to the countdown time, 18s/27s is not good enough for something that does nothing throughout the entire game until the end
• Only a couple booster tends to be taken to missions because the power level of boosters is very different

Misc:

Gameplay:

• Stratagem should NOT bounce, let players decide where we wanna call our stuff, make it stick to walls, top of rocks (if players manage to land the stratagem there, why not), and enemies (sometimes you can stick stuff to chargers, sometimes you can't, I never understood why)
• Equipment/Stratagem loadout would be great to have
• Allow players to finish the mission in solo mode if kicked or lost connection, this would greatly reduce the impact of griefing and/or steam's weekly maintainance. You can prevent abuse by giving each mission an ID that can't duplicate reward if same player complete it twice. (just like Super credits that wont be given twice if you pick up the same one from the same mission)
• Enemies should have more ways to be killed and objectives should have more ways to be solved, so people actually can try out more loadouts than feel pressured to play the "meta".
• Patrol spawn rate should increase when we call extraction, not right after we finish main obj. Finishing sub obj is way harder if we finish main obj first (in blitz especially, where you can't choose when the main objective ends if you want to clear everything)
• Supply packs should have an icon on the map
• Icon for dropped items should appear in a larger radius
• Samples, Requisition Slips, and Medals should have uses other than being allowed to be capped (one interesting idea is the ability to purchase extra stratagem slot for operations/missions)
• Tier 4 Ship upgrade felt underwhelming, like it's AH trying to give players something to do while not wanting to reward the players. (the cost-to-impact is horrible to say the least)
• Armors should have more passives and stat variety, instead of the exact same stats and passive but different color
• Armor passive could be swappable (for fashion divers).
• Allow Stimming at any time (for stamina boost even if health is full to run for longer)
• The animation of rolling slowly after falling/diving/knocked back onto un-even ground is long, unnecessary, and annoying
• Allow viewing of Support weapon's stats like primary and secondary
• Allow players to customise weapons (especially the scope)

Lobby:

• Nickname given to Steam friends should not appear in-game, this can cause confusion between players as I see different name and player tag (ie: H2 vs D2) in mission from other players. But indication of the steam nickname should still be given, maybe upon entry. (ie: "dremskiy (HD2 dreamskiy) has joined the lobby")
• Allow sending friend request from party list (I don't know why this isn't a thing)
• Allow viewing of Steam player's Steam profile (and playstation profile for PSN players? I have no idea of the PSN ecosystem)
• Allow host to disband and create a new lobby (to mitigate the current multiplayer bug that might happens if someone leaves, or just so you can change party members without kicking)
• Allow host to set minimal join level for their lobbies (I know, this is controversial, but I'm tired of Lv20s joining Helldive missions. A good portion of them don't know what to do and run around like headless chicken and using up reinforcements. I'm here to enjoy the game, not carry and get frustrated when I get teamkilled or have them bring a big group of enemies into objectives. Everyone has their preference and "standards" when playing. I also know level isn't an indication of actual skill, but the proportion of frustration I've had with low levels vs higher level players is very different. I once had a lv10 matchmake into Helldive difficulty. How is that even possible? Don't they need to clear lower difficulties first? Yeah, they did nothing but die the entire mission)