Althouse: Hey, thanks to the person who bought the Shun Ken Onion Serrated 5-Inch Utility Knife and used my Amazon search box.

November 28, 2010

Hey, thanks to the person who bought the Shun Ken Onion Serrated 5-Inch Utility Knife and used my Amazon search box.

That knife costs $139.95. I don't have a knife like this myself, but I assume the reader knew what he or she wanted. And my point — my sharp point — is that the reader didn't pay anything extra for that knife he wanted, but I'm getting $9.80 of that. Think how cool it is that you can compensate me for my writing here if you just remember — when you're going to Amazon anyway, to buy something that you want to buy — to begin your search at my blog:

You don't have to come back to this post to find the box. There's also an Amazon search box in the sidebar. I don't want to be too annoying doing posts like this, but I would really appreciate it if regular readers who want to encourage me had it in their heads to go to Amazon through this blog. It really does encourage me!

55 comments:

Anonymous said...: My first inclination was to give you the Obama middle finger:

"You can make too much money."

After all, the taxpayers are already paying you plenty, and you obviously can barely figure out how to spend what you've already got.

Then I thought better of it.

You've earned it by providing this forum.; 11/28/10, 11:15 AM
AllenS said...: I need some help from female readers of this blog. I bought the truck gift that Meade had suggested. What should I buy for young girls? About in the price range of $10.00 to 15.00. What should I enter in the search box?; 11/28/10, 11:15 AM
Anonymous said...: It's nice that you got some money from Amazon and all that, but $139.95 for a knife is ridiculous.

Peter; 11/28/10, 11:15 AM
Anonymous said...: It's nice that you got some money from Amazon and all that, but $139.95 for a knife is ridiculous.

Peter; 11/28/10, 11:16 AM
ndspinelli said...: Basta w/ the Amazon. I already clicked and bought once, however when someone starts to push something down my throat I tend to gag. I never understood how Linda Lovelace did it.; 11/28/10, 11:19 AM
Anonymous said...: I never understood how Linda Lovelace did it.

Not to divert attention from the posting, but one down the throat, along with one on the other end produces a blistering orgasm in most women.

This is something most women don't want to know because, they want to figure out how to deprive their mate, even at the cost of depriving themselves.

My gay male friends yak endlessly about the hopeless inadequacy of the hetero female blow job.

And, now, back to our regularly scheduled programming, buying stuff at Amazon.; 11/28/10, 11:24 AM
Chip Ahoy said...: 7% is better is actually quite nice. I expected it to be much lower than that.; 11/28/10, 11:27 AM
Anonymous said...: The laborer is worthy of her hire. Henceforth I'll use the box.

But only if a minimum of 30% of your gross earnings goes to the Mead landscape fund.

You said Mead planted over 1000 bulbs. That's nothing! (I've been to Keukenhof.)

Spring of 2012 I'd like to see over 100,000 bulbs.; 11/28/10, 11:28 AM
Anonymous said...: My gay male friends yak endlessly about the hopeless inadequacy of the hetero female blow job.

Just as lesbians are certainly much better than straight men at chewing the carpet, and ... oh wait, that's a tragically obsolete expression :(

Peter; 11/28/10, 11:31 AM
Anonymous said...: " ... my point — my sharp point — is that the reader didn't pay anything extra for that knife he wanted, but I'm getting $9.80 of that."

Madam, you are a college educated person, and you have taken college-level courses in basic economics.

You cannot possibly believe that statement.

Amazon.com has incorporated the $9.80 they are paying you into the price of that knife.

And you very well know it.

But for the $9.80 commission you are receiving, that knife would be $9.80 cheaper.

To suggest otherwise and thus take advantage of your readership's lack of this knowledge is quite distasteful.; 11/28/10, 11:35 AM
Meade said...: "My gay male friends yak endlessly about the hopeless inadequacy of the hetero female blow job."

And who would know better than they, right? Now quit shouting, thom, pucker up, click through Amazon, and spend spend spend! Here's a search hint for you: 'The Gentlemen's Guide to the Golden Age of Blowjobs'

And that goes for you too, IronsPeter.; 11/28/10, 11:35 AM
Anonymous said...: Do they still make Ginsu knives?

Peter; 11/28/10, 11:40 AM
Anonymous said...: I immediately searched as indicated:

The Gentlemen's Guide to the Golden Age of Blowjobs.

Closest I came was:'

The Golden Age of Crap: 77 B-Moves from the Golden Days of VHS.

Available on Kindle for $2.99!; 11/28/10, 11:41 AM
Meade said...: Baby needs shoes!; 11/28/10, 11:42 AM
Anonymous said...: "... my sharp point — is that the reader didn't pay anything extra for that knife he wanted, but I'm getting $9.80 of that."

No, in point of fact, a person purchasing that knife from Amazon would be paying $40.95 extra.

Because the exact same knife is available on e-Bay for only $99.00.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110551342713&hlp=false&rvr_id=175596540498&crlp=1_263602_304652&UA=WXF%3F&GUID=9390b4d612c0a0aa128490d4fdc0e429&itemid=110551342713&ff4=263602_304652

Look, Ann ... I hardly begrudge you your income, but let's at least be honest about it.

If you want to support Althouse, and you don't mind paying extra to do so, then by all means purchase overpriced objects at Amazon and Amazon will transfer to Ann some of your money.; 11/28/10, 11:42 AM
Meade said...: "Closest I came was:'

The Golden Age of Crap: 77 B-Moves from the Golden Days of VHS."

That'll do. Now, chop chop!; 11/28/10, 11:44 AM
AllenS said...: Ok, I'm done shopping. I ordered 2 "Small World Living Toys Young Chef Cookware Sets".; 11/28/10, 11:49 AM
Meade said...: Awesome! If anyone ever deserved a new truck, it'd be AllenS!; 11/28/10, 11:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Ok, I'm done shopping. I ordered 2 "Small World Living Toys Young Chef Cookware Sets".

Awesome!

The cookware sets even got plastic vegetables!; 11/28/10, 11:56 AM
AllenS said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/28/10, 11:56 AM
Hagar said...: Is that a Hattori Hatti blade?; 11/28/10, 11:57 AM
ndspinelli said...: ironrails,

I believe they still make Ginsu knives. You'll need to do some crystal meth and stay up all night channel surfing to get the 800#. Tony Soprano used a ginsu when carving his Thanksgiving bird, "Carmella, where's my Ginsu"??; 11/28/10, 12:00 PM
john said...: Through the years, discussing fund raising with my kids swim, soccer, softball, volleyball, cheer, marching band, and youth group leaders, few understood the economic concept behind just asking for a $20 donation each being far superior to parents spending 10 times that on cookie dough, christmas candles, coupon books, or other mail order crap so that the team could get their measly cut. Most thought there was some rule against begging.; 11/28/10, 12:03 PM
Marylou said...: How do we know if you got the credit?; 11/28/10, 12:04 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: If you want to support Althouse, and you don't mind paying extra to do so, then by all means purchase overpriced objects at Amazon and Amazon will transfer to Ann some of your money.

Now that's what I call negative advertising.

BTW - this week, someone sent me $100 (which is extra-great because I'm out of work, almost out of food, and trapped in a snow storm) TMR's got 2 new followers, and there's 1 new friend on Facebook.

I'd do the Amazon box thing if I wrote more about the books I've read, or all the movies I've seen, but that seems too calculated and at cross-purposes with what(ever) TMR is:

I prefer the rush of blood and then just posting on whatever comes up.

Good luck with it, Ann.; 11/28/10, 12:12 PM
TML said...: I've felt guilty in the past about not hitting this particular "tip jar" since Althouse is one of five "every single day" blogs I read (Kaus, Insty, Powerline, Althouse, Mark Steyn). So, since our Christmas shopping is done, and we use Amazon all the time, I have decided to donate $50 (already done, in the can, as they say. Cold, hard, digital cash). Ann can confirm if people think I'm fibbing to get credit. I enjoy reading this blog too much not to pay for it. And since I haven't before, I felt it better to make a pure payment and not mess it up in confusing motivations by doing it via buying something on Amazon and ruining the purity of my own little hair shirt moment. I encourage you all to pay up, Suckas.; 11/28/10, 12:36 PM
Ann Althouse said...: But for the $9.80 commission you are receiving, that knife would be $9.80 cheaper"

No. The price is the same for people who go to Amazon straight off and find the knife. Now, you might say Amazon compensates for what it must send to referrers by having higher prices on everything, so if you go straight to Amazon you may have some slight effect on causing Amazon to lower prices, but I don't think so. I think the referrals help Amazon and the cut it gives to us "associates" corresponds to the help we give them. There are so many factors involved in the long-run effect, but I think the volume increase is good for keeping prices low. In any event, you can't get a better price right now by not using the search box.; 11/28/10, 12:38 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "I've felt guilty in the past about not hitting this particular "tip jar" since Althouse is one of five "every single day" blogs I read (Kaus, Insty, Powerline, Althouse, Mark Steyn). So, since our Christmas shopping is done, and we use Amazon all the time, I have decided to donate $50 (already done, in the can, as they say. Cold, hard, digital cash). Ann can confirm if people think I'm fibbing to get credit. I enjoy reading this blog too much not to pay for it. And since I haven't before, I felt it better to make a pure payment and not mess it up in confusing motivations by doing it via buying something on Amazon and ruining the purity of my own little hair shirt moment. I encourage you all to pay up, Suckas."

Thank you, TML. People do give through the tip jar, and if all the regular readers did, even just $10 a year, I would be nicely paid for my work here. But the truth is only a few give donations, and I don't like to ask for donations, because everyone knows I have a good job, and I am well paid for it.

(I know some people think I'm paid by tax money, but consider what law school tuition is and the number of credit hours of teaching I produce each year. Do the math.)

In any case, I don't complain about my salary. But I do like to be compensated for writing the blog, and I think the Amazon thing, especially the search box, is a really good way for readers who want to show appreciation but can't stomach giving money directly to a law professor can do so.; 11/28/10, 12:46 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Because the exact same knife is available on e-Bay for only $99.00."

But what if I want Lafont eyeglasses? Who on the internet will sell them?; 11/28/10, 12:49 PM
Anonymous said...: "... you might say Amazon compensates for what it must send to referrers by having higher prices on everything ..."

Exactly. As I've demonstrated, you can easily find this exact same product elsewhere for much less money. It's more expensive at Amazon precisely because Amazon is sending you a referral fee.

$139.95 for this knife is exorbitantly expensive. To suggest to your readers that the referral commission you receive from Amazon comes at no cost to them is knowingly inaccurate and misleading and is one of the reasons why the FCC is contemplating the regulation of blogs on the internet.

Some of your readers with no background in basic economics might actually believe you are being honest with them.

Again, I'm not begrudging you your income. Free enterprise! I just think you could do it in a way that is not misleading and dishonest and probably get the same results.; 11/28/10, 12:49 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "How do we know if you got the credit?"

I can see a page that shows everything that was bought. (Not who bought them.) I think Amazon is being scrupulous about this, but I realize that no one is monitoring them. They'd be subject to a big class action lawsuit if they weren't doing these credits right.; 11/28/10, 12:51 PM
Anonymous said...: Ann, I want to thank you for your hard work in providing this forum.

I'll leave a little tip.

How you make your money, and who pays your bills... well, that's nobody's business but your own, is it?; 11/28/10, 12:53 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @Ham There are many ways to bargain hunt, such as fiddling with eBay. I've never bought anything on eBay, but I've spent thousands of dollars over the years on Amazon, which has excellent prices, service, and reliability. This post speaks to people who are going to use Amazon. It's a way of sending some of that money to me without paying more for that transaction, which they want to do.; 11/28/10, 12:55 PM
Anonymous said...: "Because the exact same knife is available on e-Bay for only $99.00."

If your reader had purchased the knife on e-Bay he'd have $40.95 extra with which to compensate you.

He could split that with you by hitting your tip-jar instead and you'd be getting double the commission and he'd be getting a far better price.

The internet's dirty little secret isn't porn ... it's that Amazon is usually not the best deal.; 11/28/10, 12:59 PM
TML said...: Ann said:

"But the truth is only a few give donations, and I don't like to ask for donations, because everyone knows I have a good job, and I am well paid for it."

NOT a donation. Less than fair recompense for quality content. I pay the WSJ $249 a year. So, to repeat myself, not a donation.

Furthermore, the Tall, Formidable Redhead wife has agreed to make future Amazon purchases via Althouse's link. So there.; 11/28/10, 12:59 PM
Deb said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11/28/10, 12:59 PM
Deb said...: I don't celebrate Christmas, nor do I buy a lot of Hanukkah gifts. However, I will probably buy the knife Meade used to plant the blubs and there are a couple of books I want so I will buy through your link to Amazon. I appreciate this blog and the Althouse community. Posting so many thoughtful entries here and on such a regular basis is not easy. Besides, I like Meadhouse.

wv: prommas. Yes, I prommas.; 11/28/10, 1:02 PM
bagoh20 said...: "BTW - this week, someone sent me $100"

That is one cool S.O.B.; 11/28/10, 1:16 PM
Trooper York said...: Getting paid for blogging would be a great thing. And routing your Amazon purchases through this account is also a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I plan to route my amazon stuff throught the blogger lady's link.

I would love to get paid for blogging but I don't think it is in the cards.

But if you do enjoy any of my malarky (which I realize a lot of people don't which is fine) then you can help me out by getting something at Lee Lee's Valise website.

We are having a cyber Monday sale with 20% off of all on-line purchases. Just use the promotion code Cyber when checking out and you will get 20% off.

I would really appreciate it.

Thanks.; 11/28/10, 1:17 PM
Marylou said...: Thank you. I bought a couple of gift cards to give to my childen as Xmas gifts, and the coffee press, but the receipt did not mention Althouse at all so I was afraid it didn't work. I think it is a wonderful thing! So many of us shop via Amazon anyway. I am quite happy to support this blog in this way!; 11/28/10, 1:21 PM
bagoh20 said...: The only knife I'd ever spend that much money on would be the one I used to commit Hari Kari, which I would do out of regret for spending that much on the knife.; 11/28/10, 1:27 PM
Irene said...: I hadn't realized until this weekend that buying items through the link here contributes to this blog.

Thank you! This was a good opportunity to clear many books off of our "wish list."; 11/28/10, 1:31 PM
Big Mike said...: Your colleague Glenn Reynolds is a bit more subtle, but the effect is the same.; 11/28/10, 1:32 PM
Big Mike said...: @Quayle, unfair comparing anyone's garden to Keukenhof. For those of you who haven't been to Holland in the springtime, Keukenhof is where Holland's tulip growers show off to each other. And it covers acres.

(Meade, if you haven't been there, be sure to put it on your bucket list! Providing you don't mind being groped when you board your flight.); 11/28/10, 1:39 PM
Robert said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 11/28/10, 2:16 PM
Ricardo said...: Deb said ...

"However, I will probably buy the knife Meade used ...."

I've gotten one of those soil knives since that original post, and it is wonderful. A million uses in the garden, including planting the bluebonnets that I'm working on now. Unfortunately, I ordered it before Althouse explained the Amazon thing, or I would have certainly gotten it through the link.; 11/28/10, 2:34 PM
Ann Althouse said...: @Robert Find a text and quote it. You don't make accusations and demand that somebody step up and refute them.; 11/28/10, 3:00 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Your colleague Glenn Reynolds is a bit more subtle, but the effect is the same."

I'm not trying to be subtle. I'm trying to be clear. I think there are readers who would like to contribute to this blog and will take the opportunity where it costs them absolutely nothing.; 11/28/10, 3:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Did you have any links to those B. Bryson books...?; 11/28/10, 4:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Ummm, Professor - Did you run the whole "making and keeping money from your own blog" thingy by Jack Craver. I suspect he may not approve. Perhaps you can cut UW in on a piece of the action.; 11/28/10, 8:21 PM
al said...: Ken Onion is a custom knife maker from Hawaii. Makes some beautiful knives - the handmade ones cost a lot more than the 139.95 item being discussed here. The Shun line gets the price down where more people can afford them. I've spent a lot more than the price of this item on a knife and have never been disappointed in my purchase. Cooking with sharp balanced knives is fun. I just keep my knives away from my wife as she has a habit of removing the tips of her fingers...; 11/28/10, 8:31 PM
al said...: Ann - do you know if Amazon keeps the referral to you after the first search from here or do I have to come back if I want to purchase several items and have the commission go to you?; 11/28/10, 8:33 PM
DaveW said...: It always surprises me that people get huffy over the idea of a blogger getting a few measly percent on a purchase like this.

McArdle does a series of product reviews and gift recommendations every year and she gets the same blow-back from a few of her readers. I'm not sure why people get upset by the idea. She writes good product reviews and I've bought quite a few kitchen items she has recommended and I've been very pleased.

I usually shop at EBay for routine items, most of what I buy at Amazon is books. I'm wanting to get a copy of the New Jerusalem Bible (a very well written, poetic translation, or so I've read) and I just checked. If I go straight to Amazon it costs $16.47. If I go to Amazon to buy it through Althouse it costs $16.47. Either way, same price. The only difference is if I go through Althouse' link she gets a few cents on the purchase.

Althouse is a prolific writer, there are almost always a half dozen new posts up over here. The blog is easy to read and the comment threads are often really fun. Althouse is paying for the bandwidth and she's been allowing us to comment and debate here for years. I see no reason why I shouldn't buy the books I would be buying through Amazon anyway through Althouse' link and let her get a few percent.

Since I rarely make direct PayPal contributions to bloggers at least this way I'm not a complete freeloader.; 11/29/10, 5:32 AM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: Mom wants A-Team videos. She likes the older TV shows.

I knew I would buy her the complete set from Amazon. Could I find it cheaper elsewhere? Possibly. But one-stop shopping with a store I know and trust and have an ongoing relationship (and free shipping!) is more important to me than the lowest possible price. My time is more valuable to me than that. And once I'm there, I'm sure to find other things I want. This is the same appeal as the big box stores: it's not the lowest possible prices, it's low enough prices on a very wide selection in one convenient location.

So if I'm going to spend that money anyway, I'm happy to send a little of it your way.; 11/29/10, 12:21 PM
Triangle Man said...: Since you asked so nicely...; 11/29/10, 4:51 PM