Articles about Wandering Star Astrology Jewelry

NewLife Magazine, Sept/Oct 2003 Product of the Month

Portland Astrologer Uses 9/11 Tragedy as Inspiration for World Peace Talisman Jewelry.

For centuries, people have used Astrology in many ways, from understanding our basic personalities to guiding the future.

Alicia Katz, of Portland OR, has discovered a new way to use astrology: she has developed several lines of astrologically-based jewelry, custom-designed to act as talismans for your life journey. Her company, Wandering Star, can be found in 20 stores around the country, and has made thousands of customized jewelry pieces for customers around the world.

These custom necklaces and bracelets are not just beautiful, but powerful tools as well. Her Destiny manifestation talismans have received kudos from both customers and the industry. Testimonials include this from Angela S: “Since wearing my Empowerment necklace daily, I am a new woman. That may sound quite drastic, but I feel it is the truth."

In late 2001, Alicia created a World Peace Jewelry design in reaction to New York’s 9/11 tragedy. Dismayed at how the government was reacting to the calamity, Alicia’s response was to create a future birth chart for the planet – one that balanced the needs of citizens, governments, and natural resources, for true lasting peace. She hopes to create a critical mass of people wearing World Peace bracelets, all consciously affirming what is possible for humanity.

Others are enthusiastic about her idea. World Peace Destiny Jewelry won 2nd Runner Up for Fine and Fashion Jewelry from the Coalition of Visionary Resources at the 2003 COVR awards, considered the Academy Awards of the New Age Retail Industry.

What is Astrology Jewelry? Alicia has found a way to represent all the facets of an astrology chart with beads. As an astronomer as well as an astrologer, it was important to her that the pieces be scientifically accurate. She found semi-precious gemstones that physically resembled the planets both in color and size. Other beads mark the positions of the houses and zodiac cusps – to the exact degree.

The jewelry comes in four distinct lines. The eight Destiny Talismans, including the Empowerment and World Peace designs, focus on specific goals in your life, and are designed to be used like a rosary or mala in mediation. The mathematically accurate custom Horoscope Jewelry is made from your date, time, and place of birth for grounding and centering. Twelve Zodiac and Sun Sign alignments are also available to harmonize your personality.

A point of pride is that Wandering Star is a true cottage industry, with all the pieces made to order in her Oregon community, directly supporting the local economy.

The Wandering Star website at http://www.wanderingstarjewelry.com is filled with horoscopes, astrology and astronomy learning tools, and a Zodiac marketplace, in addition to interactive explanations of all 21 of her jewelry designs.

Alicia Katz and Wandering Star will be coming to the East Coast for two appearances. From October 17-19, 2003, she will be exhibiting her work at the Mind Body Spirit Expo in Valley Forge PA, with a free workshop on Saturday.

And please join her for her first New York City appearance at the New Life Expo at the Hotel New Yorker from October 24-26, 2003.

Taxes the eBay way
No worries for most sellers, but some face consequences

By Eva Rosenberg, CBS.MarketWatch.com April 17, 2004

LOS ANGELES (CBS.MW) -- Open up the most current IBM annual report, and you'll find a full-page, glossy picture of Meg Whitman, CEO of eBay, saying "We have 89 million customers who expect us to be up 24 by 7 ..."

According to IBM's annual report, eBay had 971 million listings in 2003, reporting over $24 billion in gross merchandise sales. That's a little more than half the number of IRS's customer base of 171 million, and the IRS also maintains and active 24/7 Web operation -- but the IRS's gross revenues approach $2 trillion

Do you think all those 89 million people on eBay reported their transactions on their tax returns? People look at their activities on eBay much the same way as they look upon their own garage sales. It's just pocket money, so many don't bother reporting it.

Are they right? Yes. And no.

The truth is that even when you sell personal property, it is subject to tax at capital gains rates if you sell it at a profit. Most items sold at garage sales are sold at a loss, so there's no gain to report. While you must report profits, losses on personal items are not deductible. That's why most eBay members don't have to worry about not having reported their activities.

On the other hand, as Washington state certified public accountant Stewart Ridgeway points out, there are a lot of people conducting a true retail business on eBay. It is incumbent on them to get the appropriate business licenses and pay the appropriate taxes on the income they earn.

Well, eBay certainly doesn't make it easy for them. EBay users say eBay doesn't issue 1099s or annual summaries of their sales. Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesperson, confirmed that eBay does not keep track of transactions on a running a basis. EBay doesn't store more than 30 to 90 days worth of data in your "My eBay' account. Durzy says that eBay does offer tools to help members download and store the data. But it's up to members to do it on a regular schedule.

Durzy says that eBay does not give tax advice and, when asked, will encourage members to consult their own tax professionals. Being one of the biggest venues for sales activities online, just how is it that eBay can get away without issuing 1099s, or even providing annual summaries of sales? And why hasn't the IRS looked into this?

Durzy explains that e-Bay is just the marketplace. Merchants are in business for themselves. They are expected to do what they need to do to comply with their local and federal laws. All eBay does is provide the tools, essentially, the rented store space, from which the merchant sells. EBay doesn't collect money from buyers. The merchants do. EBay receives a fee or percentage of each sale, but doesn't maintain records for the members. And when you look at the volume of transactions, you can see why that might be a monumental task.

What should you do?

Even if you are doing nothing more than garage sales-type transactions, keep records of your sales. If you're ever audited you'll be able to prove that you had no income because you sold only your used personal items -- and always for less than your cost. But if you're selling for profit, even as a hobby, be sure to download all your transactions every month. Ridgeway recommends that you keep proper books and records. If you're doing any volume, it may be worth your while to engage the services of a good tax professional, who can help you structure your record-keeping to provide both tax information and information to help you see your most profitable lines and activities.

Ridgeway says people don't realize that proper accounting is for more than just tax information. For example, why waste your energies on a thousand transactions that bring you $1 profit each, but may each require some customer interaction, when you can sell 100 items that have $15.00 dollar profits, with fewer demands on your time?

The other big question -- what about sales taxes?

It's a concern for people like Alicia Katz in Oregon. Her Wandering Star astrological jewelry line is sold on her own site and on eBay . Living in Oregon, Katz has no sales taxes. But what about collecting taxes on her out of state sales?

Diana DiBello, director of tax for Vertex Inc., a top online tax resource, says that just because you ship a lot of merchandise into any state does not mean you have to collect sales tax. Under United States sales tax laws, to be required to collect sales tax, you must have "physical nexus," essentially a presence in that state. There also must be sufficient benefit to the merchant from the taxes and the taxes can't interfere with interstate commerce or give the merchant unfair advantage. That basically means that unless you have an office or store in a particular state, you don't need to worry about collecting sales taxes on your out-of-state sales. You do have to comply with your own state's rules, which may mean that you register with your sales tax department for in-state sales. And, if you're using an affiliate program or agents to sell your products on their own Web sites or locally, you might just have created an agency nexus in their state.

Bottom line

So, if you're selling on eBay, knowing that IRS won't get an inkling of your sales volume, should you report your sales and deal with the sales tax issues? Absolutely. Treat your eBay activities like a business, and you can only become prosperous.

"I am sure that not everyone does it," Ridgeway says. But he predicts the scofflaws will get caught in the long run."

Eva Rosenberg is the founder of TaxMama.com and an enrolled agent licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS. © 1997-2004 MarketWatch.com, Inc. All rights reserved. Disclaimer. See our Privacy Policy - updated 4/3/03.
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