Category Archives: General Posts

General Posts

The Sourcer AI Tool for eBay Sellers

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Back in August of 2025, the Youtuber Justin Resells, who I subscribe to, released a video with instructions on how to use Chat-GPT to build an app to aid in deciding whether or not to buy an item to flip.

Using the instructions provided does create a great app, however, it does require a paid plan using that service ($20 per month).

As a smaller seller (fatwalletrefugee), I don’t have the budget to afford this additional cost of business. So, instead I have used Google Gemini to replicate the functions of Justin’s original app.

Here is a structured, reusable prompt based exactly on the workflow Justin built in the video.

Since you are using a standard chat window rather than building a standalone Custom GPT, this prompt is designed as a “System Persona” introduction. You only need to paste this at the very beginning of a new chat session to turn this assistant into your personal sourcing tool.

Copy & Paste this Prompt:

Plaintext

You are now "The Sourcer," a specialized AI assistant for eBay resellers. Whenever I upload an image of an item, your job is to identify it and provide a concise analysis with exactly four distinct sections. Do not show your mathematical work; provide only the direct answers.
Format your response exactly like this:
### 1. Optimized eBay Title
[Provide a search-engine-optimized, keyword-rich title under 80 characters, prioritizing brand, model, material, era, and key descriptive features.]
### 2. Estimated Value
* **New / New Old Stock (NOS):** $[Estimated active/sold open-web price]
* **Used / Pre-owned:** $[Estimated active/sold open-web price]
*(Note: I understand these are rough open-web estimates and not live eBay API data.)*
### 3. Max Purchase Price (Target 2x ROI)
* **If New:** Do not pay more than $[Calculate: (New Value * 0.85) / 2]
* **If Used:** Do not pay more than $[Calculate: (Used Value * 0.85) / 2]
*(This limits my buy cost to half of the expected payout after factoring in a 15% eBay fee. Ignore shipping costs for this estimate.)*
### 4. Market Research Keywords
* **Search Phrase:** [Provide one short, natural 3-5 word keyword phrase optimized for finding this exact item on eBay]
Please confirm you understand by replying with: "The Sourcer is active. Upload your first item photo when ready."

How to use it in the field:

  1. Open a fresh chat on your phone and paste the text above.
  2. Once the AI responds confirming it’s ready, simply use your phone’s camera to upload a photo of an item you find at a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market.
  3. To do the final step of Justin’s workflow (checking the live active and sold listings), just copy the phrase generated in Section 4 and paste it directly into your eBay mobile app search bar.
General Posts

Top 10 Best Games Completed

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I have been using Swagbucks since 2020 and FreeCash since 2022, and in that time I have played many games. Though never more than once (for an offer).

I like to check both sites before deciding which platform to use. I also check MyPoints and InboxDollars, although I mostly get referrals from those sites.

Challenges

I have revisited some titles to check if the offer terms have been changed or if the instruction and tips I have offered are still relevant. Sometimes it is necessary to re-install a game to simulate completing an offer, challenging myself to reach most of the goals listed.

Two titles in particular, Raid: Shadow Legends and The Grand Mafia. With these two, I challenged myself to a simulated playthrough several times as the offer terms continued to change.

I have my favorite titles that I have played, there are some that I continued to play well after completing the offer. Some games just had the right hook to keep me playing.

But the top 10 best games I have completed would have to be those that I had the easiest run through and earned me the greatest payouts.

Top 10 Best Games

10. Fable Town

Type: Merging

I made a really nice guide for this one, but I spent too much money on it. I only earned $13.19 after spending $38.90. In hindsight, I think it could be done with little to no spending.

an in game purchase that only requires stars
visual guide to playing the game
Swagbucks: Fable Town

9. Puzzles and Conquest

Type: 4X Game and Match3

I earned $14.48 after spending on this title. One of the early games I attempted, I enjoyed the Match3 mechanics.

list of character portraits
character profile screen for Yune
sales page for lucifer pack for $4.99
Game Guide: Puzzles and Conquest

8. RAID: Shadow Legends

Type: Grid Battle and MMORPG

I did this one a long time ago and earned $20 after clearing spending goals of $25 to buy Shards.

Later the terms changed to reaching levels without spending being necessary.

a barbarian woman holding swords in either hand
a woman knight with short cropped hair wielding a lance and carrying a tower shield
RAID Shadow Legends: 2 Void Shards

7. Battle Night

Type: Grid Battle and Idle RPG

I did this one when it was first released for $20 with no spending needed.

Years later, I did a playtest and found that $100 was likely achievable.

image features Karena, a character with rainbow colored hair holding a hand gun, from the mobile game Battle Night: Cyberpunk RPG.
a player made chart of different characters from the mobile game battle night
Battle Night

6. Idle Bank Tycoon

Type: Tycoon

This was a challenge. Tycoon games are all about micromanagement.

There was a 10 day time limit and I finished on day 7 to earn $36.83. I only spent $1 on this game.

a cartoon character dives into a vault filled with money
a character profile page showing a an elderly African man wearing an orange suit and top hat, he supports himself with a cane
Game Guide: Idle Bank Tycoon

5. Panthia

Type: Merge

I spent $14.91 on this game and earned $39.86. It was an easy game to play.

prizes received for winning first place in a game event called "the bunny race"
a congratulatory message received after completing the tutorial in the "merge gardens" mobile game
Game Guide: Panthia

4. Sea of Conquest

Type: 4X Game and Naval.

I did a really robust guide on this game when I was playing it.

I earned $54 from the offer, sadly, I missed the final objectives before time ran out.

I continued playing a few weeks after finishing the offer because I liked it so much.

a tall ship taking fire in naval battle, an explosion is seen on the fore deck
a siren woman holding a harp made of seashells
Game Guide: Sea of Conquest

3. State of Survival

Type: 4X Game and Apocalypse

I earned $56 playing this Zombie Apocalypse game through Adgem.

The publisher frequently runs cross-over events with other franchises in the genre.

I only spent $5.33 on the starter pack with Lucky.

in an apocalyptic setting a man is seen holding a machine gun, he looks over his shoulder at something in the distance, next to him is a woman with a gun strapped over her shoulder.
Kang Eunjoo, a Korean woman wearing a white blouse, body straps, and a combat skirt. She holds a Kumdo wooden training sword in her hand.
State of Survival

2. West Game

Type: 4X Game

This county western game was one of the early big wins I had.

I played it on FreeCash about 4 years ago and earned $62.64 after reaching the final goal.

I only spent $1 on a beginner pack.

a cowgirl holds you by the hand and pulls you towards a festival seen in the distance ahead, the setting is a western frontier town in the 1860s
FreeCash: West Game

1. Call of Dragons

Type: 4X Game and Historical

My best game completion yet. I managed to earn $142 after spending $54.36 on packs.

Tier 4 Troops takes some time but is worth attempting.

Swagbucks: Call of Dragons
General Posts

Slimming down the beast

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Last Updated Feb 28th, 2026

The export and import of site pages and posts was a disaster. None of the links were updated to the new site and the new site ran out of storage from the images.

For some reason all the reduced file size webp files were copied as jpg files instead, and they clogged everything up. So now half of the pictures are linked to fatwalletrefugee while the others are on kasanje travels. I am scrapping the entire plan.

I have more broadly decided to restructure this site around gaming alone. Kasanje Travels will become the new home of my travelog and food/cooking posts.

I have decided to archive my personal posts from Errant Literary as well as the Daily Prompt response posts. I am also throwing in the towel on the revival of the FatWallet Forums. The archive can still be downloaded from Payhip if you want it (https://payhip.com/b/Q7aAv).

I am also archiving and removing content in the following Categories: Investing, Sidehustles, Deals, News, Shopping, General, and Gold + Silver.

General posts directly related to gaming or site updates will remain in place.

A couple nights ago, I paid for a year of hosting through Host Koala for $24. I used a spare domain for the new site Kasanje Travel’s. 

HostKoala Web hosting

The service is inexpensive compared to my WordPress.com hosted site which I paid around $70 per year for 3 years on a sale.

Considerations

I was considering the new plug-in supported “.com” sites that went on sale last Christmas, but after looking at the monetization policies, I decided to go with an independent service.

If I want to use a 3rd party advertising service, I would need to upgrade to the Creator plan, which is much more expensive.

There are no such limitations on a “.org” installation of WordPress.

I will be copying and pasting the older posts over and then eventually posting new content to the other site.

Hopefully, with a focused niche, the travel site will get traffic and the slimmer main site will rank better in Google’s eyes.

Site History

Over the years I have continued to add new stuff to the site, often far afield of my primary niche.

This site originally was a travel blog. After my travels ended, I struggled to find something new to write about. I eventually settled on game guides.

That was a hard pivot, though at the time I didn’t have any understanding of SEO or how the search engines worked.

I later moved to game galleries which ate up all my storage space. I made a new site, then lost interest. It was fine, the galleries were perennial and drove high traffic with little input on my part.

But all that traffic was no longer going to my main site and I returned to the struggle.

My next decision was to monetize this site and then merge the galleries back into FatwalletRefugee.

That worked, until I encountered a crisis of conscience and purged the site, bringing it back to a family friendly place.

Now, I am once again struggling to drive traffic to the site, and while I have added several new wiki’s, it’s not yet made up for prior losses.

The main problem is that my content is too spread out. The site’s niche remains gaming related, but all the other content is mucking up my page rankings.

I get little to no traffic to the Travel and Food pages or to the FatWallet Forums Archive project. Google won’t organically index those pages because they fall outside of my niche.

So, my new strategy will be to slim down this beastly site and make new home for the food and travel aspects.

General Posts

Hard Choices: Removing Site Content

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What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?

A couple weeks ago I made the difficult decision to cease providing wiki pages and game art galleries for several mobile titles.

I was under a certain amount of duress after receiving multiple complaints and strong suggestions to make a change.

You may know, earlier this year my YouTube channel GameGirlsGallery was shutdown, most unfortunately. Complaints about the amount of sexually suggestive content present in mobile games, ranging from game art to dialog and plot lines, had built up over the years and ultimately killed the channel.

The reasons for the recent site content removal are the same as those that caused GameGirlsGallery to be removed.

former banner image for the game girls gallery you tube channel and website.

The Top Girl / Apex Girl wiki hosted on fatwalletrefugee accounted for nearly 84% of all site traffic. The remainder of site traffic went to the mobile game art and character galleries.

Top Girl had been initially rated mature, but after being removed from the Apple Store and worries over possible removal from the Google Play Store they released several updates that brought the rating down to Teen.

Despite the artistic changes there was still a good amount of sexual suggestion and lewd imagery present. In fact, I think most regular people, if looking at most titles in the Google Play Store rated Teen, might think the games were for Mature audiences, and not be suitable for the age ranges the ratings board has decided on.

Even playing merge and puzzle games rated E for everyone, I still see ads for games rated Mature, AI dating chat bots, hookup apps, romantic story apps, and Harem anime games.

All this plus the mounting complaints and suggestions of actions taken led me to the hard decision to purge the site of all offending content. I deleted all of the posts, pages, wikis, and site media including images and videos that were likely to receive further complaint.

I was contacted by multiple subscribers afterwards asking where everything went and had to explain the difficulties I went through deciding to stop providing that type of content.

I had in fact been expecting to hit the 1 million page views mark by December this year, a new milestone stone for this site. Prior to the content removal, my average daily site traffic in early November was around 6k views. Sadly, now my average is closer to 450 views per day.

A bar graph displaying total weekly site traffic for my website.
Total Weekly Site Traffic

As you might imagine, my ad revenue has fallen off a cliff. While I had recently received my first payout from WordAds since signing up in March of 2024, I am likely not going to receive another payment for some considerable amount of time hereafter.

a bar chart indicating the ad revenues for the month of November. A steep decline in daily revenues is notable on the day after the site was purged of content.

The question as to how to recover from this loss also comes up. I still provide guides for family-friendly mobile games. I am in the process of detailing a guide for Fable Town at the moment. I am also expanding the written content for buildings and units in the Puzzles and Chaos wiki.

I used to get good traffic from Google and Reddit for my game guides, but once I began focusing on Apex Girl and Road to Rich, that traffic dropped and the algorithm sent those folks to other resources.

A splash page screen from the mobile game "Fable Town." Pictured are a pair of capybara sitting down in a hot spring while pink butterflies flit about them. The title of the game hangs just above their heads.
Fable Town: Merge

There is also the Travel and Food section of the site which hasn’t seen much writings since my last trip in 2019. That was originally what started my blog. A trip to New York City to see family prompted me to make kasanje.home.blog and years later I bought the fatwalletrefugee.com domain.

There are also side projects I started but never finished like the FatWallet Forums archives and the Lost Media directory.

Recently, I began redesigning the Travel page and restructuring the page hierarchy for that section. This also involves adding pagess for each US state I have visited and a separate section for my international trips.

My vacation to Washington last month inspired me to travel more locally here in North Carolina. I also was gifted a new camera. It’s an Olympus E-M10 II. There are two swappable lenses, one telephoto and a precision close up, and three batteries.

In the past month I have visited and photographed 6 towns and a state park. I am planning a trip to visit the Outer Banks next year.

Hopefully this move back to this site’s roots will boost site traffic and begin to shift the algorithm back home.

WordAds Experience

WordAds Third Quarter (2025) Results

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Things have suddenly improved since my last report in July.

This morning, I received an email saying that my PayPal account had received a payment from Automattic for $106.31. I checked my Ads panel and found that it is the exact amount in my balance.

I had assumed the payouts were manual and needed to be requested. But this assumption was based on posts I have seen in the WordPress Forums. It seems the payments are automatic after reaching the necessary threshold of $100.

My previous post would have covered the periods of April, May, and June. In those months, I received, $10.88, $11.01, and $6.07, respectively. My ads served in April and May averaged 150k, but in June, the numbers dropped, and I only had 70k ads served.

At the time of the drop, my site traffic had not decreased, which left me confused. What noticeably changed was that the CPM had dropped 75%. This may have resulted from increased site traffic from non-US sources, which don’t accrue the same degree of ad revenues.

In July and August, ads served dropped to 23k and 38k. However, my CPM increased from $0.09 in June to $0.27 in July and $0.36 in August.

This increase resulted in revenue of $6.54 in July and an improved $14.18 in August. This last amount was what pushed me over the $100 mark and triggered the payout I received.

My annual goal for the site is $74, which would cover the cost of the upgraded plan and custom domain name for 3 years. The domain was free for the first year.

That’s it for the third quarter report. I wrote more below, but I started reminiscing about sort of unrelated stuff.

In the past, when I would try to research hosting with other providers, I would ask for advice from people who had experience with other services.

I recall previously trying out Hostinger for a different website. I was on the free trial and had selected a basic plan.

Despite all the ads saying how low hosting was, they tried to pre-charge me $660 for a year of hosting before the trial had ended. I had to fight them on the charge before finally getting it removed and closing my account.

I tried a couple of others that were spoken highly of on Reddit, but I had similar experiences. All of this led me to decide that self-hosted sites with .org WordPress are actually more expensive than what WordPress.com offers.

I think the main difference between the platforms is the availability of Plugins on self-hosted sites. With a .com-hosted site, we don’t get plugin access without an upgraded plan, but .org sites get plugin access right out of the gate.

This revelation probably has soured some folks on the platform. I wonder, though, if self-hosted sites are too dependent on plugins? Would they be able to succeed without a crutch?

I see a similar trend with the introduction of AI to web design and other facets of online life.

People may start using it as a helpful aid, but soon enough, they become dependent on it for all of their activities. If the AI is offline or there is a bug, it cripples their ability to function.

It’s the same with plugins; when a bug appears or an exploit, the entire ecosystem is affected because everyone is dependent on these plugins.

Q1 Report for 2026

The information in this post is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. While I have tried to ensure that the content is accurate and current, I make no guarantees. You should seek legal or other professional advice before acting or relying on any of the information.