I have been buying more and more online and less and less from stores. One reason is that we really don't have a stamping store in the area anymore. We do have a nice scrapbook store not far from work and I drop in there now and then. But the truth is, that no store is going to carry the variety I am after these days. Blog reading gives me very specific things that I want to use in my stamping and even going to Seattle is going to leave me with a shopping list that cannot be completely fulfilled.
I have purchased from about 15 online sources this last year and the best ones are linked at the left when you scroll down. No online store has everything that I am about to list in detail in one source or they probably could not make a profit, but some have quite a few of these features and they have me coming back over and over.
The following are little perks that have been offered at some of the online places I frequent. Some do one of these things and some do several. These are things that bring me back:
1-I love places that show how many of an item they have left. It helps me make a timely decision. If it is something I am quite sure I want and they only have 1 or 2 left, I will make up my mind quickly. If they have 50 of something, I can mull it over without pressure. Just knowing helps a lot.
2-I love places that tell you right up front that they don't have what you want and for how long it is backordered. Nothing irks me more than to pay and complete the order and then 3 or 4 days later I get an email telling me that they won't be shipping it for 8 weeks! Arghh! It is so much trouble to undo it, get a refund, make sure the refund really got refunded, etc. I would much rather know exactly what they have and that I will be getting my complete order within a few days rather than have to wait on it or get a partial order. Honestly, unless it is coming to them within a week I would just rather they don't even list it! The exception to that are hard to get items that you expect to waitlist on like Nestabilities or other things that are totally outselling expectations. I understand about "getting in line" or never getting the things.
3-I love those places that give you free shipping on light orders. I recently ordered a 6x6 pad of Figgy Pudding paper and the seller charged me NO shipping. It was not advertised, but when I asked she said that she did not charge shipping on orders that weighed less than 6 ounces. I was delighted.
4-Free shipping on orders over $10 keeps me coming back over and over to All That Scraps. If I want a bit of paper or a small clear set of stamps, I don't have to wait until I get an order of $30-40 or more before I get the free shipping. I order there frequently. It also allows me to try small amounts of things and if I like them I can place another order in a few days.
5-No sales tax is wonderful. I understand the companies have no control over that, but I sure do count it as a savings when I don't have to pay sales tax because of their location.
6-I am a totally impatient person and want it yesterday. I love companies that ship within one business day. Often that is worth paying more in my opinion.
7-Regular coupons are a hit with me. When I found out that I get a monthly 40% off coupon on one item from Cut@Home, you can bet that is the place where I will be building my Nestabilities collection from. Add to the fact that she was willing to combine shipping on two orders--one placed at the end of the month and the other 2 days later at the beginning of another month--and I was one happy camper.
8-Fast shipping. I don't mind paying priority on a larger order so I can get it quickly IF they are going to ship out of their warehouse fast. I HATE paying for priority when it takes them 10 days to even get it packaged to ship.
9-I am a sucker for the little goodies they add to packages. smARTworks threw in several extra stamps with my last order and a couple of them went really well with the images I purchased. Other places have given ribbon, glitter pens, or even products that they simply wanted me to try hoping that I would order more.
10-I have been the benficiary of appreciative companies. In 3 cases in the last 2 months, manufacturers saw me using their products on my blog and sent me gifts of more product as a thank you! Talk about hooking me for sure and I am delighted to use their products over and over and show those products on my blog. I try to make sure it pays off for them. It is a great way to thank a customer!
11-I expect reasonably fast response to emails. The companies I do repeated business with will answer my questions in a timely manner. All That Scraps, Marcie at Cut@Home, Green Grass Stamps, Verve Visual, Ellen Hutson, Cornish Heritage, and smARTworks are all outstanding in this area.
12-Other nice extras are companies that package things well. Addicted to Rubber Stamps does this. Paper Trey Inks has the classiest packaging I have seen and I reuse every bit of her tissue paper, plastic boxes, and even the paper on the bands. I love the companies that include the labels for the CD spine and the stickers that go with the sets that you can attach to the CD case. I also like the companies that have unmounted rubber and put the cling right on it for you as Cornish Heritage does.
13-I GREATLY appreciate companies who email me the day my order ships and if they add a tracking number, all the better. But just knowing to expect it soon and that it has actually shipped, goes a long way toward helping me be patient and happy.
14-I am not actually all that hard to please,and I am really very EASY to delight. Some of these companies do it and do it well.
Quality of product is a given that I totally expect, but these little extras help me remember to come back and remember to encourage others to use their products.
