While there’s nothing quite like visiting a watch boutique or a jeweller’s when you’re shopping for a new piece of wrist candy, shopping for a watch online has never been easier or more fun than it is in 2021.Not only do watch brands spend a huge amount of time, energy and coin making their ‘online boutique‘ experiences as lavish as their brick-and-mortar options, but you’re also spoiled for choice when it comes to third-party marketplaces, many of which offer truly luxurious customer service. But not all platforms are created equal.eBay, the big kahuna of online marketplaces, has recently embarked on a marketing blitz trying to push their new eBay Watches service. Just as Gumtree launched Gumtree Cars in order to compete with the big motoring classifieds and Facebook Marketplace has tried to steal some of eBay’s mass-market appeal, eBay clearly wants to narrow in on the luxury watch selling space.But don’t get suckered in – eBay remains one of the riskiest places to buy a luxury watch online and most watch fans would tell you to steer well clear of the site.

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A quick search on any watch enthusiast forum – or even eBay’s own community page – will quickly unearth hundreds of horror stories of people who’ve been scammed by unscrupulous sellers pushing fake luxury watches.

“If you would Google for stories of people who acquired a fake Rolex, Breitling, or any other luxury watch on eBay – I guarantee you that it will take you no longer than exactly 1 minute to find numerous stories,” Dutch watch authenticator Relleb relates.

“Undeniably, eBay is a truly fantastic platform to sell and buy many types of goods, but unfortunately is in our opinion less suited for selling expensive luxury watches.”

“Identifying fake watches from pictures alone is nearly impossible… Although the company initiated an authentication service in the US, ‘custom’ watches are not eligible, and these custom watches are almost always fake watches. For buyers outside the US, there is no possibility to use this service yet.”

RELATED: I Wore A Fake Richard Mille For A Week To See How The ‘Other Half’ Live

eBay authenticate any watch selling for over 2,000 USD on the platform, but as previously mentioned, only Americans can take advantage of that service – so a majority of customers are left out. Also, good luck if you’re looking for something from a cheaper brand… Fancy a fake G-SHOCK?On top of that, there are literally hundreds of watches supposedly from high-end brands like Audemars Piguet, OMEGA or Patek Philippe listed on the platform with an asking price under that figure.Of course, you need to have your bullshit detector on for something like that – what’s the chances of getting a genuine AP for less than 20,000 USD, let alone 2,000 – but the point still stands that there are cracks in the system. Maybe that Tudor’s competitively priced… Or maybe it’s fu-fu.

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“When purchasing a luxury timepiece, having a reputable company stand behind that product is paramount,” COO and Co-Owner of Bob’s Watches, Carol Altieri, shares with DMARGE.“When buying from a private party, what guarantees do you have as to the integrity of that watch? When we buy a watch from the public, we go through a 3-step process of ensuring that every watch we sell is factory – no matter the brand – inside and out. We ensure the watch is time tested and good to go for another five years before a regular service.”

“Is this same thorough inspection process done on eBay? Who do you call if you have a timing issue three months later?”

“You should never buy a watch on any site that does not offer a solid track record of selling genuine timepieces,” she continues.“All watches sold should be inspected inside and out to ensure the integrity of the watch. Would you buy a car without looking under the hood? Pre-owned watches come in varying degrees of condition, so any luxury item should have a return policy so that you can inspect the watch for yourself.”RELATED: Watches Are A Far Better Investment Than Designer Dogs Right Now“Spending a couple of thousand dollars for a luxury watch online needs a lot of trust: trust in the seller, trust in the marketplace and foremost, trust in the way your money will be returned if needed,” Chrono24 Co-CEO and Founder Tim Stracke tells DMARGE.

“[We] handpick our dealers on the marketplace, only trustworthy ones are granted access to our platform.”

“Whenever there is a minor issue with the shipping or the condition of the watch and you need to talk to someone Chrono24 is there for you in person – our customer service is happy to help in 15 different languages.”

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The reality is this: compared to their competitors, eBay doesn’t do enough to reassure serious watch buyers that their products will be genuine and that they’ll receive quality customer service. The platform is less intuitive to use than its competitors and crucially, just doesn’t feel very premium – and that’s a rather important facet of the experience.When you’re spending thousands of dollars on a watch, you want the experience to feel as luxurious as the timepiece you’re hoping to pick up. A platform that has high-end watches appearing in the same searches as cheap Chinese electronics, trading cards and second-hand books doesn’t cut the mustard in that regard.It’s the curse of being a jack of all trades and a master of none.RELATED: ‘Ugliest Seiko Ever’: Australian Watch Retailer’s Brutally Honest Recommendation To CustomersTime will tell if the eBay Watches experience improves. One crucial advantage eBay has over its competitors is money and resources – if they throw enough money at the problem, they could become a genuine threat.Until then, we’re remaining healthily sceptical of buying and selling high-end watches on eBay.

Read Next

• Lavish Chinese Watch Show Has The World Seeing Red
• Luxury Fashion Brands’ Long-Term Watchmaking Investments Pay Off

The post The One Place You Should Never Buy A Luxury Watch appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

We’re as guilty as anyone at comparing Australia’s nooks and crannies to proselytised overseas equivalents.But as much as The Great Ocean Road does have some beaches that look like Polignano a Mare and as much as certain Port Stephens secrets look a bit like Crete, you have to draw the line somewhere.That line for us? Bendalong Point is not the Maldives.Despite the headlines popping off about it everywhere from TikTok to the tabloids (see: A taste of the Maldives in your own backyard: How you can swim with STINGRAYS in crystal clear water just three hours’ drive from an Aussie city) we’re here to say the Tasman is quite different from the Indian Ocean.

 

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To be fair to those talking Bendalong up, it is beautiful.Jerome Webzanet, whose photo can be seen below, visited Bendalong in February. Jerome told us Bendalong was “a little piece of heaven on earth” though he couldn’t compare it to the Maldives having never been.

 

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Also, to be fair to the travel bloggers, as far as we’ve seen, none say Bendalong is the Maldives. Some say it makes them feel like they are in the Maldives.

 

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As @lolahubner put it: “The South Coast has got me feeling like I’m in the Maldives.” A sentiment we are more than sympathetic to, having recently ourselves compared South Australia to, of all places, Iceland…Some just make the place look cool, without making any comparisons at all. Maybe, after our disastrous attempts to recreate ‘travel influencer’ waterfall photos earlier this year, we’re just jealous?Who knows? In any case, to assuage our guilty conscience (we too have even likened certain Australian locations to the Maldives this year), we’d like to clear a few things up.First: the Maldives has an average water temperature of 28°C to 30°C per year. In Bendalong, the water temperature is between 17°C and 25°C.Second: there are no caravan parks (as far as we can tell) in the Maldives. Or kangaroos.Third: last time we checked, there were no overwater villas on the NSW south coast.

 

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The only thing that is (vaguely) similar is that both regions have good waves.We’ll hang 10 to that.

Read Next

• ‘Most Byron Photo Ever’ Shows How Australia’s Coastal Culture Is Changing
• Photo ‘You Won’t Believe Is In Australia’ Blow Minds Down Under

The post Sorry, Australia; There's No Such Thing As The Maldives In Our Own Backyard appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As 38-year-old fund managers invest 500k in oil and lose everything and 19-year-olds living with their parents chuck their stimulus cheques in Dogecoin and become billionaires (so the memes claim), this Risky New World of ‘coin based’ finance can seem too good to be true.That’s probably because it is.A pertinent social media post from investment manager at VFS group James Whelan recently summed this up, in our eyes, beautifully.

 

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“Better than any alt-coin you can show me. Raise a flag and salute,” the Instagram post was captioned. Whelan told DMARGE he prefers the stock market, among other things, “because it’s tangible.”

Checkin’ out some new wheels now that my crypto assets are diversified pic.twitter.com/5GjRghotMY

— James Whelan (@jameswhelan42) April 21, 2021

In other news, speaking to Auzbiztv on the 19th of April, Whelan elaborated on the current financial situation, as he sees it.When asked by the host: “we’re stretched, can we keep stretching?” he replies:“Of course we can keep stretching.”“I come on here and I talk to you a few times a week and… it’s another per cent gets put on and another per cent gets put on; it’s wonderful.”“It’s not a selling time… but the bubble is getting bigger.”“At that all-time high 128.4 trillion dollars of all markets put together… that’s not necessarily super stretched but it just means things have to snap back a touch as we go.”

“The average return for the S&P 500 is 1.7% on average for the last 70 years.”

“When we spoke last week on Monday it was only a couple of per cent above that average and then we spoke on Friday and it was four per cent above that average and now it’s about 5%,” Whelan said on the show.That’s not to say you shouldn’t adjust your seat belt a little.

 

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Whelan added: “That’s a few too many percents above where it should be on average – needs to snap back and find its way to the mean.”“It’s only up around 59-58% of the time over the last 70 years. That’s basically a coin flip if you ask me… whether the market’s going to be up or down.”For more insights into the stock market, click here. For a breakdown on what’s going on with crypto, see below.

Read Next

• ‘Costly’ Tax Mistake Catching Australian Crypto Investors Unaware
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The post 'Better Than Any Alt Coin': Graph Shows Why Professional Investors Are Dodging Dogecoin appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Australians tend to be early adopters of emergent technologies. Polymer banknotes, e-Visas, contactless payments, carbon-fibre surfboards…But one tech revolution we’re sadly a bit behind the times on is electric vehicles. While some countries like Norway and China have embraced the so-called ‘EV revolution’, Australia remains somewhat behind the ball. Aussies just aren’t as interested in EVs yet – with recent data from the country’s leading online car classifieds reaffirming the motoring public’s priorities.Carsales recently shared their top 10 keyword searches on their platform for March 2021, and unsurprisingly, EVs don’t make the cut. Australians are looking in quite the opposite direction, actually: the top two search terms were ‘4×4’ and ‘SUV’, with almost 800,000 unique searches for those kinds of typically fossil fuel-thirsty cars.‘Hybrid’ does come in at #6, which is a good sign, but the absence of searches for purely electric cars on the platform suggests that EVs still have a long way to go with the motoring public Down Under.It’s also interesting that ‘wagon‘ cracks the top 10, too – maybe Australians are rediscovering an appetite for the currently neglected body type?RELATED: Coolest Station Wagons For Australians To Buy In 2021Perhaps it’s not surprising that there’s not much search volume for EVs on Carsales. Only a handful of electric car models have even made their way to Australian shores as of 2021, and most remain rather unaffordable for the average Aussie.Let’s break it down: the cheapest new electric car in the country is the Chinese-built MG ZS EV crossover, priced at $40,990 before on-road costs. The cheapest used EV on Carsales right now, for comparison, is a 2013 Nissan Leaf with an asking price of $15,777.For that amount of money, you could pick up a new Kia Picanto with a very decent fuel economy figure of 5L/100km, or get a near-new 2014 Fiat 500 convertible which sips a paltry 3.9L/100km. Go diesel, and you could get a 2015 Audi A3 that also does 3.9L/100km – a bit of German luxury! – or if you want a hybrid, there’s plenty of Prius Cs at that price point that’ll also do 3.9L/100km. Needless to say, $40,990 would open up far more options…Ironically, where many countries offer substantial incentives for consumers to purchase EVs, the federal government actually imposes a substantial financial disincentive, as most EVs on sale in Australia are affected by the much-reviled Luxury Car Tax. Some Australian states, such as Queensland, Victoria and the ACT offer some incentives to purchase EVs, but they pale in comparison to what other countries offer. No wonder EVs aren’t as popular here.

It’s also not a big surprise that Aussies are looking for SUVs and 4x4s right now: we’ve always had an appetite for rough-and-ready cars, and the SUV has long been the most popular body type in the country (RIP the humble sedan).Additionally, with international travel still off the cards thanks to The Spicy Cough, road trips have become the holiday du jour over the last twelve months – and getting a big, capable off-roader that can tow a caravan and conquer terrain is a no-brainer. Indeed, the demand for 4x4s has seen prices for vehicles like Land Rover Defenders, Suzuki Jimnys and Toyota Land Cruisers absolutely skyrocket.What we really need Down Under is some electric 4x4s, like the new GMC Hummer EV basketball star LeBron James has been tooling around in, or the much-hyped Tesla Cybertruck. Electric off-roading is a frontier that hasn’t really been explored yet, but momentum’s building: Jeep in the US has even set up solar charging stations at a number of trails (coinciding with the launch of a hybrid Wrangler).We reckon that’ll be the tipping point that will finally get all the electric skeptics over the line. Any car brand that can them an EV that’s as reliable and capable as a Land Cruiser – with a charging network to boot – will have a license to print money.Food for thought.

Read Next

• Audi Slams The Door On Electric Vehicle Haters With ‘Continent-Spanning’ Experiment

The post 'Shocking' Car Data Suggests Australians Not Ready To Save The World appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s famous for being a staple of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre and Ernest Hemingway, but Les Deux Magots has a lesson for us today that any Parisian in 1982 could probably have taught you.One of Paris’ most iconic cafes, Les Deux Magots has survived wars, plagues and now The Spicy Cough.Located in the Saint Germain area in the Left Bank of Paris, its historical reputation is derived from the patronage of Surrealist artists and intellectuals. If you need more names than already mentioned, try: Albert Camus, Pablo Picasso and James Joyce.According to A French Collection: “Les Deux Magots appears in The Chariot Makers (by Steve Matchett), in which the author describes Les Deux Magots as “the first cafe in the quarter to be blessed by the morning sun.”

“Its clientele pay a healthy premium for drinking there, so maybe it’s only fitting they should be the first to catch the warmth of the new day.”

Speaking of which… a photo DMARGE recently came across on Getty Images, created in 1982, located in the Corbis Historical collection, shows a lost art of coffee drinking we could all do well to remember.

No: we’re not talking about smoking… We’re talking about being ‘in the moment.’ In this era where we are always plugged in, killing our inner monologue with either exercise, work, podcasts, music or Netflix (before wondering why it comes back with a vengeance when we put our headphones down and try to go to sleep), taking some time to talk to yourself, and just ‘be’ in your own head during moments throughout the day is a great way to decompress in small intervals (rather than one big insomnia-inducing burst at night).As we discussed last week, pulling back to push forward can increase your productivity – giving you more energy and helping you make better decisions.RELATED: ‘More Energy & Better Decisions’: Awesome Mind Hack You Need To KnowOne way of doing this? Taking the time to have a coffee at a table, even when a busy day is making it tempting to opt for takeaway.As Paris-based photographer Patrick Colpron once wrote out on social media: “Café life is when you just take the time to love a little instead of rushing from place to place.”So: even though Australians like to think they are the best coffee drinkers in the world, perhaps the French are?Gary Prebble, the owner of Sydney French restaurant Bistro St Jacques, told DMARGE this “passion for food and going out to eat and drink” is part of what makes Paris such a special place.“It’s not just the hospitality providers… It’s the customers’ attitudes that makes it a party and something special.”

“I am 50 years old, so I grew up without social media and phones etc, and I am quite shocked at how much people rely on the use of these devices to legitimise their experience today.”

“I think this can contribute to significantly increased neuroses. I always have the feeling it takes people out of the experience of being there, and that is probably antithetical to a great hospitality experience of immersion.”

RELATED: Defiant Photo Suggests France’s ‘Flirty’ Culture Hasn’t Changed Since LockdownBefore we get too ‘doom and gloom,’ it’s worth pointing out that in both Paris and Sydney, to name just two places, ‘mindful’ cafe culture still appears to be going strong (even if that does sometimes involve Bondi yogis doing headstands in the middle of the service area).

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Put that in your baguette and eat it.

Read Next

• The Coffee Skill Australians Think They Know But Really Don’t
• I Tried Sydney’s Most Expensive Coffee & It Ruined Me For Life

The post 1982 Paris Photo Reveals 'Lost Art' Of Coffee Drinking appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

American motivational speaker Les Brown once said, “the biggest obstacle you will ever have to overcome is your mind. If you can overcome that, you can overcome anything.” Even Bart Simpson once quoted his father as saying he could do anything if he just put his mind to it. Sneer at the messengers if you will, but they’re powerful messages that can be applied to many areas of life.

They’re especially relatable to health and fitness. Anyone looking to better themselves, whether it be losing weight or achieving a new personal best, the main ingredient we need is motivation. Without it, we’re pretty much doomed to fail. We could read all the motivational quotes and inspirational posters in the world, but unless you take the messages on board, they’re worthless. Which is why reading the stories of others in similar situations to yourself can be a greater source of inspiration.

Case in point: this 35-year-old father from Bundaberg, Queensland, who shed an astonishing 35kg in six months, resulting in a body transformation the likes of which should be all the proof you need that your mind is your greatest enemy.

Ben’s story reads like that of many others: junk food diet consisting of fatty foods, alcohol (half a carton every day) and a litre of ice cream every day too. He claims his childhood was relatively rough, and so was never taught the importance of sticking to a healthy, balanced diet. His lightbulb moment that made him realise he needed to do something about his ballooning belly was the fact he “couldn’t keep up with his two year old son”, The Daily Mail reports.

Realising that his excessive eating coupled with practically no exercise could mean his time on this planet could come to an end sooner than planned, he ditched the booze and takeaways, swapped them for healthier alternatives and began hitting the gym.

However, Ben adds that he didn’t need – or want – to stick to a strict diet. Instead, he simply researched various foods and each of their health benefits, and introduced them to his diet. He didn’t completely cut out junk food, for example, as he still had meals such as French toast, along with the occasional beer and his favourite ice cream.

“I began researching food and how certain foods benefit the body, particularly when you eat healthy,”

“I started walking every day, cut out the beer, ice cream and reduced the amount of takeaway I was getting. I learnt how to monitor my calorie intake.”

As we’ve seen before, cutting out “junk foods” entirely from your diet doesn’t necessarily equal a drop in weight. In fact, as long as you put yourself in a moderate calorie surplus (a little over your maintenance level which would sustain your current weight) and then cut out high-calorie foods for just 2-3 months to shed body fat, you will notice far greater results. Dieting this way, in combination with hitting the gym, will allow you to gain muscle – which has been said to be crucial for losing body fat – will allow you improve your overall body composition.

This was something Ben noticed himself, “I did struggle a bit at first – definitely coming to the realisation that I had to have balance, rather than a crash diet,”

“Once I realised that I gained some traction. I thought bread was evil; turns out no food group is off limits.”

“I don’t follow the fad diets out there, I believe it’s all about balance,”

DMARGE reached out to former NRL player and founder of Flow Athletic, Ben Lucas, to ask if Ben’s story really is one that can inspire others, or if he’s just one of the fortunate ones.

Ben Lucas tells us “it is possible to lose that much weight in 6 months, but it does also come down to genetics if you are going to do it in a healthy, sustainable way. The fact he even saw bread as the enemy suggests to me that he took it very seriously in terms of cutting things out of his diet.”

“Unless you are gluten intolerant, a little bread is fine and you want to be mindful of crash dieting, as if your diet is not sustainable, you are likely to put the weight back on.”

“The factors that may have made it quicker for Ben to lose those kilos is that he was eating a significant amount of bad food and cut all that out. He also had a good amount of weight to lose. Generally, when you have less weight to lose it can seem like it is taking a while to achieve.”

In Ben’s case, even though he said he cut out a lot of bad foods, he still treated himself occasionally – something The Rock, for example, proves can be useful with the use of cheat days – but for the average Joe, we wanted to know if still treating yourself occasionally should be encouraged.

Ben Lucas told us, “it is, but when you are starting out you need to build your healthy habits to ensure you eat your favourites only in moderation. Especially if you eat a high sugar diet, it can take 3-4 weeks to reduce those cravings, so I would suggest cutting that out all together until you get the cravings under control, and maybe find a healthier alternative to sustain you in the meantime.”

There’s no denying Ben’s new shredded figure is something to be admired, however The Daily Mail article only touches on what else he did in tandem with dieting to achieve it. We asked Ben Lucas what sort of exercise one would need to undertake to achieve similar results.

“It really depends on your body type, but your diet is most of the battle, followed by exercise and sleep. To lose weight, generally you would do a mix of cardio and weights, as weight training can burn fat for up to 38 hours post workout.”

“You also want to get your cortisol under control, as high cortisol (produced when you are excessively stressed) can hold onto weight. So make sure you are sleeping, if you have a stressful job consider meditating too and get that rest and recovery in.”

If you feel you’re in a similar position to Ben’s starting point, i.e. overweight and not sure how to cut out foods or begin exercising, Ben Lucas provided some tips for beginners to get their journey started.

• Give yourself a date to work towards, i.e. 3 weeks off normal chocolate, so you have a goal in mind.
• Make sure 50% of your plate is green, as the antioxidants in green veggies will help your body recover and fuel which can help cravings.
• Drink lots of water to flush out all the toxins you have been consuming.
• Consider a multi-vitamin or greens powder to balance your body again.
• Find a healthy alternative to the food you are craving.
• Every time you think of junk food, do 20 push-ups.

A transformed body awaits.

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• American Couple’s Incredible Fitness Transformation Proves The Power Of Simple Changes

The post Australian Dad's Incredible Transformation Proves It's Never Too Late To Get Ripped appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If Australia were a drum circle, Sydney would be the uptight British backpacker, Melbourne would be the try-hard American, and Byron Bay would be the recently divorced hippie.

Or so the trope used to go.

Unfortunately, 1980 has come and gone; Byron is no longer known for 40-year-old incense wavers. It’s now a hotbed of influencers, stylists, celebrities, post-modern knowledge workers and Netflix reality shows.

In other words: half of Sydney has moved there, bringing their “the LA of Australia” title with them.

A weird mix of La-La Land and Silicon Valley.

Many Byron Bay locals are furious – something they have been mocked for.

 

 

 

 

 

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As one news.com.au journalist put it: “It always stings when someone with no perspective offers perspective.”

Though this tale of culture eating culture is just one of many in a long historic cycle (and so some of the protests against it reek of hypocrisy), two wrongs still don’t make a right.

Though the Byron Bay ‘hippie’ community (and the rest of non-indigenous Australia) is living on, in a sense, stolen land, that’s no reason not to push back against the ‘Hollywoodisation’ of the Hinterland (also, as Guardian Australia reports, some traditional owners have spoken out against the show too).

 

 

 

 

 

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Byron Bay is right to protest against the upcoming ‘Byron Baes’ reality show, then, right?

Not necessarily.

We reckon ‘Byron Baes’ may be the best thing that could have happened to Byron.

 

 

 

 

 

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Not only could it unite the town against an exterior force (and broaden a long-overdue conversation), but it could also make Byron Bay a less popular place to visit.

Think about it: a huge component of the town’s allure is in its authentic ~chilled~ vibe. So anything that shatters public perception of that is a gold mine. It’s not like Byron Bay was a secret tourists didn’t know about. The problem was that it was too cool. Byron Baes, if it really is the cringe ‘Geordie Shore / Jersey Shore baby’ many people are expecting, could fix that.

The only risk we can see is that it attracts more influencers and investment (which, we suppose, would be what the local community is protesting against). It’s also fair enough, to a degree, they are worried the town will be inaccurately portrayed (it’s like Kendall Jenner’s tequila all over again…) and that big wig executives and micro-influencers will profit from a soul they didn’t create.

All the while, many of the tortured souls that gave the town its character are reportedly living in cars, being forced out of the area, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

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As Guardian Australia recently reported, “Residents and business owners in the #NSW beachside town of #ByronBay have held an emergency meeting over the proposed @netflix original series, #ByronBaes, and called on the streaming platform to cancel the show.”

“Netflix Australia has described the show, to be made by Eureka Productions, as ‘a docu-soap series following a ‘feed’ of hot Instagrammers living their best lives, being their best selves, creating the best drama content. #nofilter guaranteed.'”

“An Arakwal Bumberin Bundjalung traditional owner, Delta Kay, said Byron Baes would ‘make a fantasy world about our little home town.'”

“’We have huge environmental issues, huge social issues here,’ Kay said. ‘I don’t want these influencers coming here and painting this fantasy picture that all is well in Byron Bay. It isn’t.'”

“The Byron shire mayor, Simon Richardson, is also asking the council to oppose the production. But Richardson recognised that NSW filming protocols meant the council wouldn’t be able to shut down filming except in exceptional circumstances,” (Guardian Australia).

Netflix ANZ’s director of content for Australia and New Zealand, Que Minh Luu, told Guardian Australia, Byron Bay was chosen as a location because of “the area’s unique attributes as a melting pot of entrepreneurialism, lifestyle and health practices, and the sometimes uneasy coming together of the traditional ‘old Byron’ and the alternative ‘new’, all of which we’ll address in the series.”

Though it’s not quite the same thing, residents of Byron can perhaps look to Lennox Head, which successfully rejected proposals of an international surf comp (not caring too much about being called NIMBYS in the process) earlier this year.

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The post Byron Bay Steals Sydney's 'Los Angeles Of Australia' Mantle With Controversial Netflix Series appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

With demand for cars at an all-time high Down Under, there’s never been a better time to consider letting go of one of your four-wheeled friends.But selling a car privately can be a real hassle. Not only do you need to be across all the different platforms – online marketplaces, classifieds, even the old sticker in the window – but you also have to contend with what sometimes feels like an endless cavalcade of tyre-kickers, lowballers and mouthbreathers ready to take advantage of you.The alternative is to work with a dealer – but that too comes with its own concerns. According to Roy Morgan’s most recent Image of Professions Survey, car salesmen rank as Australia’s least regarded profession. Indeed, car salesmen have ranked as the least regarded profession in every year the survey has been conducted since 1976… Clearly, the stereotype of the shonky used car dealer still looms large in most Aussies’ minds.But does that stereotype hold water in 2021? That’s the question we put to Richard Dicello, Dealer Sales Director at Autotrader and Gumtree Cars, who recognises that this trust deficit is still a hurdle car salesman need to contend with – but also suggests that the stereotype no longer rings true.“We know that trust between buyer and seller can be crucial to building confidence and driving sales, especially as COVID-19 has accelerated the need for this relationship… The introduction of dealership standards and greater global visibility on behalf of automotive manufacturers have introduced a higher number of checks and regulations that all dealers need to abide by.”

“This means transparency is the new trust driver. Review platforms like Google or Yelp mean that customer feedback is visible, highlighting reputation and conduct. It has created a greater level of accountability across the board with businesses keen to ensure that they are a trusted retailer.”

“This is especially important as purchasing an automotive product is considered to be a daunting, safety-critical purchase making the reputation of the dealership vitally important to the consumer.”

Essentially, it’s harder for dodgy dealers to get away with their previous bad behaviour, and the intense competition engendered by the rise of online classifieds means that dealers need to work hard to offer a decent value proposition – when it comes to both helping you sell your vehicle, or selling a vehicle to you.“I think the level of communication has greatly improved over the past 10 years,” DMARGE founder and publisher Luc Wiesman relates, having recently successfully sold his rare BMW 335i Touring with the help of a dealer.

“I was surprised about much care was given not only to the sales process but ensuring I was kept in the loop every step of the way. Service, type fitting, detailing, I knew exactly when the dealer was at every point.”

“There is also a piece of mind that comes from buying used from the dealer. Sure you pay an extra 5%, but it’s in the dealer’s best interest not to buy and sell shitheaps.”RELATED: Australia’s ‘Bogan Car Bubble’ Won’t Last Forever, Expert WarnsIndeed, in 2021’s super-hot and super-competitive car market, taking advantage of a dealer’s services might just be what you need to get the maximum sales price for your car. On the other side of the equation, buying a car from a dealer can give you peace of mind that you’re unlikely to find from a private sale – again, an important factor, especially right now when every man and his dog is trying to flip their motor.

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“Automotive dealers help bridge the gap between the online classifieds space and buyer-to-buyer selling. By forming a relationship with your dealer and being clear on your needs, they can and often do the heavy lifting for you by liaising with their networks to provide you with the best stock available, contacting and delivering the vehicle that you’re looking for,” Dicello points out.“Dealers are subject to operating standards that hold them accountable for the vehicles they sell…, are obliged to give you an honest assessment of the mechanical health of a vehicle and must provide accurate pricing for both sale and aftercare… Buying from a dealership provides protection to customers by extending the support of things like extended warranty or even in some instances fixed price servicing – which helps give customers peace of mind when it comes to purchasing the vehicle you’ve been dreaming about.”Dicello’s biggest piece of advice?“Be honest about your budget. A dealer’s primary objective is to sell cars and having a conversation with them about what you’re looking to spend [or make] will enable them to work with you…

“Rest assured they will find a way to make the price work for you if it means a sale for the dealership. So put your trust in the process and work with the business to negotiate the right sale price.”

Food for thought indeed.

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The post Why Australia’s Least Regarded Profession Deserves A Second Chance In 2021 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Barely a month passes without some heinous crime being committed in business class. From dumb deplaning scenes invoking calls for pointy end passengers to be “re-educated on how to travel” in December to a Singapore Airlines passenger singing a soap opera about the lack of champagne during the height of COVID in June (much as he sparked an important debate, the optics were not good), in the last 12 months we’ve seen it all.Bad behaviour (especially when it came to mask-wearing) even saw US airline authorities introduce more wallet slapping fines at the start of 2021, with flight attendants being reportedly sick of “playing babysitter for adults.”Enter: the following video. Refreshing in a sense, due to it being completely unrelated from the pandemic, but also tired, due to it raising a question exit row passengers have asked since time immemorial, the video shows a man putting his feet up on the bulkhead.

 “Acceptable in business class with Qantas, entitled American wanker,” the user who posted the video to Reddit’s r/qantas community captioned the clip.The Reddit thread only received one comment.

“This is acceptable. I actively avoid the bulkhead now (when on a plane with old seats), there is less leg room than in regular economy. Qantas stuffed up with their old bulkhead seats. I’m 6′ and have a dodgy back and being able to stretch out prevents me from stabbing the people next to me in the ear.”

The other side of this argument is that rather than showing off the entitlement of the so-called American who has his feet up, the clip shows off the entitlement of the outraged (we presume) Aussie, who feels The Pointy End is so special its walls must remain unbesmirched by plimsolls at all times, life’s little pleasures be damned.It also sheds light on the different expectations Australians have of business class, as our ‘competition lite’ aviation market has led us to be spoiled for quality in recent years when compared to our friends across the pond (even if COVID-cutbacks are now seeing this trend somewhat peter off).RELATED: Virgin Australia ‘Noodlegate’ Incident Sparks Concerns Over ‘Americanisation Of Business Class’As DMARGE discovered in an Instagram poll last year, putting your feet up on the bulkhead is a polarising issue. 45% of our respondents said it was fine; 55% said “yeah nah.”Frequent flyer expert and founder of Flight Hacks Immanuel Debeer told DMARGE: “I think it’s ok to have your feet on the lower part (usually pained black).”“The rule is that you should always have a point of contact with the floor (your heel can be on the floor and your toes rested on the bulkhead).”

“Anything higher is a big no no.”

“The bulkhead is a structural component of the aircraft and not designed for your feet. I think it’s a sign of disrespect to have your feet planted up there. The higher your feet, the more disrespectful.”

“If my seat mate did that I would educate them on etiquette (unless said seat mate looked like he/she could break my neck just by looking at it).”

“In any case the bulkhead is not yours and is not included with the price of your ticket so just leave it alone.”Lizzie Post, etiquette expert and co-president of The Emily Post Institute told DMARGE putting your feet up on the bulk head is a “big no no,” but that “if you do it, make sure to do it in the least invasive way possible.”RELATED: The Gentleman’s Guide To Airplane Conversation EtiquetteZarife Hardy, director of the Australian School of Etiquette, speaking to 9Honey Travel said good etiquette is about making people feel comfortable in your presence.In delicate situations, Hardy said there a few different paths you can go down, with communication key for all of them.

“Talking to your cabin crew privately is a great place to start – do so in the galley, not in front of others.”

“Politely ask them if they know of any other available seats that you may be able to move to.”She did not say anything about sneakily filming them on your smartphone.Phones at ease, people, phones at ease.

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The post 'Babysitting Adults': American Business Class Passenger Etiquette Put On Trial appeared first on DMARGE Australia.