Category: Clothing

Escrow Wolves in Sheeps Clothing

The word unscrupulous does not go far enough to describe those who seek to gain by others misfortune or bad luck; we have to add words like devious, deceitful, cunning, and not least of all merciless and cruel.

Predators

For this is the world of praying on the innocent and unsuspecting; and worse even, perpetrating fraud in the guise of help. What, indeed, could be more contemptible?

This is the world where the weary online buyerwell read by now about online auction frauds and false promisesto safeguard his money turns to an online escrow service to make sure that he receives and approves the merchandise before his funds are released to the seller.

He Googles “Online Escrow” and is met with a host of sites, one seeming more legitimate than the next. He reads the “about us” carefully, and as much of the fine print as he has time or mind to absorb. Finally settles on one: Integrity Escrow.

He establishes an account, and his email is verified by the site, over a secure https link. So far so good. Seeing the https and the little security symbol in his browser makes him feel warm and fuzzy.

He then provides the details of the transaction, and, as a final step, deposits the purchase amountin this case $3,500in his newly established escrow account.

And that, as the saying goes, was the last he saw of that money.

Impersonating the Solution

Turns out Integrity Escrow was nothing but a slick impersonation of a bona fide escrow company, establishednormally in China, Russia, or the former Eastern EUfor the sole purpose of stealing your money while pretending to do the exact opposite, i.e., preventing theft.

Did I say unscrupulous? Yes, it is a step down from out and out theft; it is stealing in the guise of helping.

Unfortunately, online escrow fraud is escalating, due to factors such as:

Online identity/credit-card theft
The Anonymity of the Internet
A lamentable lack of public awareness about fraudulent escrow sites
Web hosting companies that allow fraudulent escrow sites to be created with stolen credit cards, and then allow them to remain on their service even after they have been reported.

To this I would add an increasing number of tech savvy criminals with zero concern for their fellow man.

How Do They Do It?

Luckilyfor the Fake Escrow Detectivethose who set up fraudulent escrow sites are, as a rule, lazy people, who wouldnt (probably couldnt) create original copy if their lives depended on it. No, too much work.

Lazy people normally resort to templates, made to order scam sites (which abound as well) where they go to download a respectable site. As for trust-inducing copy, few sites are better than bona fide online escrows, such as Escrow.com, which is where they go for the words.

Voila: A new online escrow site.

The Detectives

The fraudulent online escrow detectives have seen this all before, and many, many times. They recognize the templates; they recognize the words.

And so they should, because those words are normally stolen from their own sitesthese private eyes are normally employed by the bona fide escrow companies to search out, track and close down as many fraudulent sites as possible.

The Hunt

I asked one of these detectives, Brandon Abbey of Escrow.com, how they find out about the fraudulent sites.

“There are a couple of ways we hunt down the fraud sites,” he said.

“Quite often someone calls our customer support department to inquire about a particular site. In this case, the site is reviewed and if fraudulent a notice is sent to the hosting company.

“The note to the hosting company is a request for them to review the site giving consideration to their Terms of Service (TOS) and Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), and it usually results in the takedown of the site.

“Some hosting companies, however, take the stance that they are not responsible for the content on their servers regardless of what it is. There are specific laws that address certain things like child pornography but nothing we can point to regarding the escrow fraud.”

What if nobody calls you? I wondered. How do you track them down?

“Often we Google a word-string (phrases) taken from our own site, and youd be surprised how often we get hits. This means weve found a fraudulent site which came to us for the copy.

“Now, when we find a fraudulent copy of our site we can send a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notification to the ISP and that usually works.

“The main problem is that the ISPs are afraid of someone suing them for shutting down a site. The reality is no one has ever been sued by a Romanian scammer.

“We have also built a library of templates, which we can track down; as well as a library of phrases that we Google.

“On a good day (or bad day, depending on viewpoint) some of these searches will come return over a hundred matches. We then inspect each site to see if it is legitimate. If suspicions we forward the notice to the hosting company asking for a TOS and AUP review.

“As you can imagine some hosting companies are better than others. Generally, hosting companies in the US are very responsive.

“Xinnet, on the other hand, a hosting company in China, has supported some of the scam sites for months at a time.”

Valuable Advice

How can, I wondered, the average Internet user protect him- or herself against online escrow fraud?

“Of course,” said my detective, “it is important that people do research on these site before ever sending money or merchandise. In fact, I suggest doing a WHOIS search on the domain. This way you can discover how long the site has been up, where it is being hosted, how many times the site has been taken down. These are clues.

“If it smells fishy at all to you, go elsewhere.”

Safeguard Your Money

It is your money. Handing it over to a cyber criminal probably has not yet made it onto your top-ten list of what to do with it.

There are many great deals online. There are many great auction houses online. There are bona fide online escrow sites, but nowhere near as many as there are fraudulent ones.

Do all the online research you can. When you have found a site that seems legitimate, you can do one of several things:

Firstly, while fraudulent sites can buy the necessary certificate to make it a secure site, they seldom do;
Secondly, you can check at escrow-fraud.com to see if the site you have decided on is listed as a fraudulent site by them; they also maintain a list of bona fide sites;
Thirdly, you can call the sites customer service department to make sure they are based in the United States. If you have any doubts about that, ask them to call you back, and check the caller IDif its an international call, beware. Also, if the site does not have a customer service department, again, beware;
Once you know that youre talking to a U.S. based service department, ask any questions you can think of to ensure they are legitimate, such as which bank are they using for their escrow accounts, and who is their main contact at that bank (whom you can then call to verify that this online escrow company does in deed have an escrow account there);
If the answer is a well-known American bank, and if the customer service rep can supply contact information at the bank, you are 99% there. Then, if you want to reach 100%, make that final call to the bank to rule out any vestige of doubt.

Now you have found an online escrow company you can trust.

Enjoy your purchase.

P.S. Escrow.com is an online escrow company you can trust.

Fabrics
While there are hundreds of blends of fabrics that can go into clothing, you need to be aware which materials are more durable. The more durable the material, the longer it will last and keep its shape. Cotton is of course the most commonly used fabric in clothing, and is generally a high-quality product. However, cotton is not a very strong material, so it can stretch or shrink very easily. So for cotton clothing that will last longer, it’s best to find one with at least 10% of synthetic fiber blended in. Fibers such as nylon and rayon are known for their durability, and microfiber adds more softness to the cotton and holds the shape well. Another popular material in clothing is wool, especially for wear in colder climates. Poorly fabricated wool, however, can be extremely itchy and uncomfortable, so make sure to look for cashmere fabric, or even wool with a slight polyester or microfiber blend. This will keep you comfortable, and add to your clothing’s lifetime.
If you are more fashion-focused, and don’t consider high-quality to be long-lasting, but rather simply fashionable, you might want to stick with 100% natural fabrics, especially for going-out and fancier attire. For those you will want to stick with linen and silks, and even 100% cotton if you want something that is easier to clean.
Poorly Made Clothing
It’s pretty easy to spot poorly made clothing, even while just browsing in a department store. If you see any missing or just loose buttons or zippers, you know that item is not well-made. If it can’t last through people trying it on every once and while, how long will it last with you consistently washing and wearing it? Also, if you see hems that are curled up, you know that the quality of the fabric must not be goodthey haven’t even been washed yet! Also be on the lookout for frayed edges and any uneven seems or hems. This indicates carelessness on the end of the manufacturerthis is not a high-quality product.
Well Made Clothing
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone into a dressing room and have the zipper of the item I’m trying on get stuck in the fabric. If the clothing is high-quality, the zipper will be properly designed and won’t get stuck. If there’s a jacket or sweater with a lining that you’re trying on, the lining will fit well in the clothing, with no little bits sticking out or being uncomfortable. And of course, well-made clothing will probably be made out of the fabrics I discussed.
Buying High-Quality Clothing
Everyone thinks that high-quality clothing is too expensive. This is not always the case. There are many options to get cheaper high-quality clothing, from simply shopping the sales to going to second hand stores to shopping online. All these can save you money.
Another problem that people, particularly women, have, is finding clothes that fit well to their curves. It can be particularly hard to find high-quality and trendy plus size clothing. However, specialty stores such as Lane Bryant offer fashionable plus size denim jeans, skirts and tops. And they are even easier to find online! Finding an online store that offers plus size clothing from different companies will also get you a better deal and save you money!
No matter your size or budget, high-quality clothes are easy enough to findnow you know what to look for!
Another problem that people, particularly women, have, is finding clothes that fit well to their curves. It can be particularly hard to find high-quality and trendy plus size clothing. However, specialty stores such as Lane Bryant offer fashionable plus size denim jeans, skirts and tops. And they are even easier to find online! Finding an online store that offers plus size clothing from different companies will also get you a better deal and save you money! To see an example of such an online store, please visit http://www.curvyfashionclothing.com.

Follow these recommendations while you craft the competitive analysis of the clothing store strategic business plan, a piece which lists direct rivals for your store and describes how to achieve a benefit them over.

How to pick Rivals

To begin with, rivals might be restricted to clothing stores inside your vicinity. Direct rivals, to become more exact, would be the other available choices your customer target audience has instead of buying out of your store. This might include buying from the website, ordering from the catalog, shops, mass merchants, the Salvation Military, in addition to specific clothing stores that sell competitive items

Next, there has to be rivals inside your plan (although very few – 3 or 4 ought to be enough). Even when your items is going to be so niche that the potential clients cannot purchase them presently (i.e. leather jackets for infants) they’re presently purchasing something to fill exactly the same general need and can have the selection between might your store once you open. Visitors of the strategic business plan need to see the author knows that there’s always a competitor or replacement for any service or product. They’ll either look for a author who thinks other product rivals to become naive or believe the marketplace to become they canrrrt serve viably.

How you can Research Rivals

Online investigation through reviews from the competitor’s store or service as well as their website itself really are a initial step. Go further to exhibit your importance by going to the competitor’s stores and buying yourself, there are already. Note the client experience in addition to the standard from the clothing they offer. Going for a step further to speak to their clients, formally or informally, regarding their preferences concerning the store can further strengthen your competitive analysis section.

Things to Talk About Rivals as well as your Own Store

Whenever you put pen to paper, begin with the fundamentals from the situation from the competitor (location, size, revenues knowing them or can estimate them, years functioning). Describe why their store is valued and also the key techniques they will use they are driving clients to go to and purchase, whether or not they are prices, promotion, service, or product quality. Then discuss the benefits over this competitor that you’ll seek, leading your customer target audience to progressively choose your store rather. Any advantages you mention here ought to be detailed elsewhere within the plan. If whatsoever possible, show the obstacles to imitation that have established yourself or that you could occur place. For instance, why will not the competitor simply have the ability to start to give the same variety, affordable prices, or add some products you’ll sell? Inside a couple of sentences you need to have the ability to create a concise situation for the knowledge of the opponent and just how your store will fight it.

If you’re into the hunting scene, you’re definitely aware that there are many camouflage clothing and accessories manufactures and brands on the market. Out of all the brands, there are a few notable camo brands that have become household names. These companies include ASAT Camo, Realtree Camouflage, Mossy Oak, and Predator Camo.

The most sought after hunting clothes is probably ASAT camo. Along with their line of effective camo clothing for hunting, they also make quickie blinds and time released granular scents for hunters. One interesting thing about ASAT is that their clothing comes with a money back guarantee. If you don’t see more game wearing their camo first lite wool or AG vaportech nano Silver camo hunting clothes, they’ll give you your money back! It doesn’t get better than that. Also, you can use their Lotus Nano spray to protect non-ASAT camo clothing from the elements and to conceal our scent. ASAT offers styles and selections for women (pink camo) and kid and youth sizes. If you’re on a budget, their online store has an ASAT Camo Clearance section!

Another great American Camo company is Realtree. They’ve grown from humble roots to now sponsoring huge outdoor events and television programs. Quite impressive. Realtree, like its competitors, focuses on hunting camo, but they also make highly popular items like camo seat covers, truck accessories, face paint, tape and more. One more impressive thing about Realtree Camo is the amount of camouflage patterns that they have developed over the years – Realtree Advantage like their AP and Max HD series; along with their Advantage Classic patterns like Hardwood snow and Wetlands. If you are a hunting enthusiast, Realtree is sure to have a camo pattern that will meet the needs of your particular area.

Mossy Oak is another coveted camouflage clothing company that is obsessed with camo! They don’t have as many prints as Realtree, but the ones they do have have been proven to be highly effective in Whitetail, Waterfowl, Turkey, and Big Game. Their patterns include Break-up, Brush, Bottomland, Obsession, Duck Blind, and Tree Stand. Besides their wide selection of camo hunting clothing, Mossy Oak also makes state-of-the-art hunting accessories like Treestands / Blinds, Scent / Scent Elimination, Game Calls, Firearm Accessories, Knives / Cutlery, Hunting Lights, and more. Mossy Oak also extended their products brand to include ATV wraps and home furnishings like camo bedding. So, if ou’re looking for serious hunting gear, casual clothes, or for anything else camouflage, Mossy Oak is definitely a brand you can count on to provide you with anything camo!

Whichever company’s products you choose to purchase, just make sure you know your size in each brand and the most effective camouflage pattern that best fits your hunting foliage. Fit and effectiveness of camo clothing are important factors when considering hunting gear. But, as long as you stick with these four camouflage clothing companies – ASAT, Realtree, Mossy Oak, and Predator – you should be set to having a successful outing.

When choosing a product from any one of the camo clothing brands, make sure you choose the right size for each respective brand and that you have chosen the proper camo pattern that matches the terrain where the clothing and gear will be used. This may seem obvious, however, when a hunter has so many choices of camouflage hunting clothes and accessories to choose from, you can lose sight of the obvious. But, as long as you stay with ASAT camo, Realtree, Mossy Oak and Predator camo, you’ll be sure to find the best camo clothes you could possibly buy.

If you are looking for quality but affordable clothing on wholesale terms, then ChainStore Clothing is the place for you. It is a company specialising in chainstore clothing, with a brilliant track record in wholesale clothing for the past 20 years. Its specialisation is as exchainstore clothing wholesalers, with leading clothing manufacturers from all around the world as their suppliers. To maintain its status as one of the most prestigious exchainstore clothing wholesalers in the United Kingdom, ChainStore Clothing purchases only from clothing manufacturers whose cancelled orders, over makes and surplus stocks were originally intended for the UKs upscale establishments. These include clothing lines for ladies, men and children as well as a wide range of fashionably branded clothing, distinctive character clothing, and hip sportswear. Indeed, when you are dealing with ChainStore Clothing, you are assured of quality clothing at chainstore clothing prices.

When buying chainstore clothing at ChainStore Clothing, you have three options. These choices are meant to ensure that we can deliver effective and efficient service whatever your wholesale needs are, a one-of-a-kind service only UKs best exchainstore clothing wholesalers can offer. First, you can order through the on-line shop. Registration and log-in are easy to accomplish, with minimum information required of the potential member. Since the site is always updated with new lines and new products shopping online is easy and convenient, especially with the detailed catalogue feature describing the products and the prices. You do not have to walk up and down aisles and fall in line to pay for your purchases, yet you are still assured that the products are of high quality even without your personal inspection. It is for these reasons that the on-line shopping feature of ChainStore Clothing enjoys great popularity among customers. The details of payment that you provide are confidential and secure, with all major credit cards and PayPal accepted. The orders are shipped on the same day you ordered and paid for the items via the overnight carrier service. Second, you can order through the ChainStore Clothings warehouse in central Manchester. What you see on the website and in on-line shopping, you can also find it in the warehouse. You can collect your on-line orders personally or you can view the product samples. Call in advance since this privilege is by appointment only. ChainStore Clothing is a leading chainstore clothing establishment with a solid reputation for being the most established exchainstore clothing wholesalers in the UK. As such, the company staff is always busy attending to customers and business matters that setting an appointment would be a great favour for them, and which will also assure you that you will be provided preferential attention on your visit. Third, you can order through their sales representatives. They will be pleased to meet with you to discuss the extensive clothing range. However, minimum order amount is 750.00, which includes free delivery.

Since all the products are sold for a quarter (or less) of the prices at upscale clothing stores, you can achieve greater profits at half the original price. This is very good for your business since inventory turnover is faster and you can use the profits to increase your capital.