A site worth checking out...

Have you ever heard of the site called Tophatter? I hadn't until recently, but I've really grown to like it & would love to share it with you! 

What is it?

Tophatter is almost like an online garage sale. People from all over can buy and sell items, using an auction style platform. Don't worry if you're not into the whole "bidding wars" scenario. Offering both, bidding and buy now options, you get to decide to take a chance or play it safe! There's even a reminder option (to track your favorites)! Think, Ebay. Only more compact, and much easier.

The items for sale range from brand new to gently used. All listing have photos, and detailed descriptions of the item for sale. There's even a list of similar items for sale at the bottom of the item details page. This makes it so much easier to browse products, and find exactly what you're looking for!

How's it work?

Head over to Tophatter.com, and create an account--- It's free! 

Find an item you love. Bid on it, or buy it. Its super simple, and bidding is free! If you win an item, thats when payment is expected. Each bid extends the auction time by 10 seconds, so there's plenty of time to get your bid in!
Payments accepted are: Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover, Android Pay, Apple Pay, and Paypal.

With Tophatter, you will never pay more than the cost of the item (or bid amount) + any applicable shipping. If you find more than one item you love, click the heart icon. This will allow you to follow the items via reminders, and let you update your bids to win! There are no additional or hidden fees to bid or buy. It's so easy, and with so many deals--- It can be a bit addicting!

This site is user friendly, and offers a great options menu. Once you click the options menu, you see: sell, home, reminders, turorial, account, and search.

What do these buttons do?

Sell
Set up a seller's account, and make money on Tophatter! Post an online auction. Include a starting bid amount, buy now price, shipping amount, and product details & photos. Once your item is sold & delivered, funds will be securely deposited in your account!

Home
This button takes you back to the main page. It's the starting page, that lists current auctions & deals.

Reminders

This button allows you to view and manage all of your favorite items. You can place bids on open auctions, or remove past ones. This button make it easy to track the auctions you're most interested in!

Tutorial
The tutorial button takes you to a one page run down of the site. It also houses a customer service quick link, as well as a FAQ link.

Account
If you're looking for your account information, or purchase history, this is the button for you! It also features help & support links. *** Tophatter offers a share & earn program. Share your link, or friend code, and earn a $10 credit after each friend's first purchase!

Search
This is self explanatory. Click the search button, to search for items by name, genre, or even shipping!

Tophatter is pretty freaking awesome.

I've had tons of fun browsing all of the items available for purchase. In fact, I even bought a few things! The process was ridiculously easy, and rather enjoyable. Where else can you bid in live online auctions, get up to 80% off retail prices, all in 90 seconds?! I'm just saying--- Tophatter.com is definitely a site worth checking out.

This post is sponsored by Tophatter.com

No additional compensation was received beyond samples, to help facilitate this review. All thoughts, & opinions expressed in this post are are honest, and unbiased. 
This post contains affiliate links. 

Casting out new lines...

I've traded in a life of craziness, and mundane office work, for a simple life. A fun life... A happy life. To me, there's nothing more relaxing than being out on the pier. A cold beer, and a lot of bait... Fishing is relaxing, and exciting. Its also a great escape from your everyday worries. You can breathe the salty air, and enjoy the sunshine... and not worry about the rest of the world.

Living in SW FL, I have ample opportunity to take advantage of this magnificent past time. So, I decided to get back into the habit, and reenter my secret place of zen. Unfortunately, my rods and reels came up missing a while back, so I was in need of something new.

I'm mostly interested in salt water fishing. Bait casting reels, and surf poles. However, given opportunity, I could possibly get into fly fishing... For now, I'll stick with the mysteries of the depths...

I've always been a fan of Shakespeare rods. To be more specific, Ugly Stiks. I picked out an amazing rod, and was psyched to get back on the water, and relaxing in the briny atmosphere that puts me at ease.

My rod:
Shakespeare: Ugly Stik, Big water Spinning Rod

• Two-piece 9'0" rod
• Durable EVA grips
• Graphite Fuji reel seats with corrosion resistant stainless steel hoods
• Top quality Fuji guides with stainless steel frames and aluminum oxide inserts
• Ugly Stik Clear Tip design for strength and sensitivy

With my rod ordered, I took on the daunting task of picking the perfect reel for my return to the salt life...

I looked over quite a few reels, and found more then a handful that I would LOVE to use, but I eventually settled on a practical model. One that met my needs to a T.

My Reel:

Ecooda: Maelstrom 5000, Baitrunner w/ Spare Spool (Spinning Fishing Reel)

• Classic front and rear drag function
• Carbon fiber drags
• Shielded stainless steel bearings
• Stainless steel main shaft 
• Precision cut gears; 5.1:1 gear ratio
• Forged aluminum spool
• Corrosion free graphite body
• Interchangeable right or left hand thread-on handle
• Oversized non-slip EVA handles 
• Includes a spare graphite spool

All of this, with my amazing rod, makes for a seriously awesome saltwater fishing rod and reel combo!

I took my new setup out to the Venice Fishing Pier, and spent 6 hours testing it out. I must say that I am thoroughly impresses. The rod goes without saying.... but the reel... Its fantastic!!! I love the variable drag, and it spools like butter. Smooth, and flawless. Plus, the matte finish is perfect in the Florida sunshine--- it prevents the reflection of the sun, and saves your eyes. This is definitely a diamond in the rough, and the price is perfect!

Based on ease of use, and overall performance, I highly recommend this reel. If other Ecooda products are of similar quality, I can see this brand becoming a fast favorite with me!

Check out my gear:

Ecooda; Maelstrom 5000

Ugly Stik; Big Water Spinning Rod

Ecooda --- Sample provided for review.