Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
What I Want in an Online Craft Store
I live in an area where it is 100 miles round trip to the nearest craft stores, so I buy mostly online. Here is what I am looking for:
1-Sites that will ship within 2 business days and ship with a service that is not the slow boat to China. (Simon Says and Papertrey and Impress are horrible for this. Ellen Hutson is the very fastest place I have found).
2-Sites that have reasonable shipping for small orders.
3- Sites that do NOT tell you if things are backordered, rather than shipping an incomplete order, or even shipping and then refunding for an item you expected and thought had been shipped. This recently happened with Hallmark Scrapbooking and I was really frustrated as I purposely figured my order to have reasonable shipping.
I have had this happen before when they actually sent dies without the stamps and in one case the stamps retired and I ended up with dies and no stamps.
4-I like sites that have notifications so they tell you the instant something is back in stock.
5-Sites that have the occasional sale or the regular coupon for frequent shoppers. Another reason I love Ellen Hutson. Papertrey does not have sales. Simon Says sales are particularly frustrating because they are only announced on FB and AS you shop you can lose things from your cart as they sell out. You think you have what you need until you are ready to check out only to find out that half of what you just chose has been nabbed by someone else, even though the items were only put in your cart 2 minutes before.
6-Decent packaging, but not excessive packaging. I got a magazine last week, normal size magazine, in a box that would have held a king size blanket.
7-Sites that will take PayPal.
8-Good return policies.
9-Search engines that actually work. If I put in Polar Bear Stamps, I should still get Polar Beary Stamps and not nothing.
10-EVERY sale, promo code, etc. on the home page instead of it being a secret. A sale is going for 30% off and you don't know the code so they charge you full price anyway.
11-When you send a photo of a defective item they should honor a refund or resend. Papertrey is just horrible about this. You can actually send the item that is defective at your own cost to ship and they will ship it back to you and tell you to just use it that way anyway. I find that outrageous and this practice continues even though they have improved in other customer service areas.
12-Places that answer your emails in a timely fashion or give you a phone number where human beings are likely to answer the phone.
1-Sites that will ship within 2 business days and ship with a service that is not the slow boat to China. (Simon Says and Papertrey and Impress are horrible for this. Ellen Hutson is the very fastest place I have found).
2-Sites that have reasonable shipping for small orders.
3- Sites that do NOT tell you if things are backordered, rather than shipping an incomplete order, or even shipping and then refunding for an item you expected and thought had been shipped. This recently happened with Hallmark Scrapbooking and I was really frustrated as I purposely figured my order to have reasonable shipping.
I have had this happen before when they actually sent dies without the stamps and in one case the stamps retired and I ended up with dies and no stamps.
4-I like sites that have notifications so they tell you the instant something is back in stock.
5-Sites that have the occasional sale or the regular coupon for frequent shoppers. Another reason I love Ellen Hutson. Papertrey does not have sales. Simon Says sales are particularly frustrating because they are only announced on FB and AS you shop you can lose things from your cart as they sell out. You think you have what you need until you are ready to check out only to find out that half of what you just chose has been nabbed by someone else, even though the items were only put in your cart 2 minutes before.
6-Decent packaging, but not excessive packaging. I got a magazine last week, normal size magazine, in a box that would have held a king size blanket.
7-Sites that will take PayPal.
8-Good return policies.
9-Search engines that actually work. If I put in Polar Bear Stamps, I should still get Polar Beary Stamps and not nothing.
10-EVERY sale, promo code, etc. on the home page instead of it being a secret. A sale is going for 30% off and you don't know the code so they charge you full price anyway.
11-When you send a photo of a defective item they should honor a refund or resend. Papertrey is just horrible about this. You can actually send the item that is defective at your own cost to ship and they will ship it back to you and tell you to just use it that way anyway. I find that outrageous and this practice continues even though they have improved in other customer service areas.
12-Places that answer your emails in a timely fashion or give you a phone number where human beings are likely to answer the phone.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Friday, December 9, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Friday, December 2, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
My Annual Product/Vendor Review
So, due to being half retired, with half income, I have reduced my shopping to half. This is a good thing as I am now even more picky about what I buy and expect excellent product at good prices. I use coupon codes, wait for sales, or buy on FB or eBay as much as possible.
My favorite tool still has to be the MISTI. It changed the way I stamp. I have 2 of them because I got one of the defective ones when they first came out and was sent a second. The defective one still stamps well and it really comes in handy with multi-step stamping to have 2 set up.
I have switched over to Altenew inks. They are a bit pricey and they are lacking in the oranges and greens in my opinion, but they are a very good dye ink that dries fast and color stays true.
I am still using A Muse and Fresh Ink from Impress for my chalk and blending inks and still happy with those.
My paper choices have not changed. I used Walmart Georgia Pacific for card backs much of the time. I use Papertrey for heavier cards and for embossing folders. Gina K Pure Luxury is my go to for Copics and sometimes for stamping. It can bleed a little more so very defined stamps do better on the Papertrey.
Lawn Fawn--I almost always buy these on Amazon. I love their stamps but their dies are getting more and more expensive, causing me to buy only the sets that I really, really want.
Avery Elle-I find a set now and then, but not as much as before. Again, I usually buy these on Amazon.
Papertrey-no customer service issues at all this year. Products are hit and miss. I often love Betsy's limited Make it Market Kits and usually buy one or 2 per year. This year I bought Don't Forget to Write and Garden Gate. Last year I got the Tinsel and Tags and still love it. I see it is now going for around $600 on eBay. I don't plan to sell mine at all at this point. Some releases there is absolutely nothing. They raised their free shipping point to $80 and it often takes me 6-9 months to have enough basics to get a set. I did get the Thermos and the Mouse sets for Christmas, as well as the Christmas Cookie set that I just love.
Ellen Hutson-Still remains the best customer service ever. Fastest shipping anywhere, great sales, and great regular coupon codes. Huge selection of brands.
Unity-Mostly not my style, but when I do order I have found that the shipping is painfully slow. I placed an order 13 days ago and still do not have a shipping notice. I mostly prefer clear stamps now so that is another issue.
Simon Says-Kind of high prices, but often they have free shipping. Shipping is usually at least a week if not 2-3 so I never use them unless I am willing to wait.
Hallmark Scrapbooking-good prices and moderate shipping speed. Good selection, but it seems they are always out of stock on something.
Frantic Stamper--fast shipping, good service, limited selection.
Elizabeth Craft-good sales, limited product, but some unique things. Shipping is sometimes slow.
1-2-3 Stitch- Fast shipping, good selection, and my go-to place for dies a lot of the time.
Poppystamps/Memory Box-good service, fast shipping, I mainly only buy dies.
All of these are pretty much second to Amazon because if the price is low and because I have Prime, it is often my first choice. I always check eBay too and have gotten some great deals this year.
All that being said, I have probably purchased 20-30% on FB craft sites when I don't care if the product is used.
My favorite tool still has to be the MISTI. It changed the way I stamp. I have 2 of them because I got one of the defective ones when they first came out and was sent a second. The defective one still stamps well and it really comes in handy with multi-step stamping to have 2 set up.
I have switched over to Altenew inks. They are a bit pricey and they are lacking in the oranges and greens in my opinion, but they are a very good dye ink that dries fast and color stays true.
I am still using A Muse and Fresh Ink from Impress for my chalk and blending inks and still happy with those.
My paper choices have not changed. I used Walmart Georgia Pacific for card backs much of the time. I use Papertrey for heavier cards and for embossing folders. Gina K Pure Luxury is my go to for Copics and sometimes for stamping. It can bleed a little more so very defined stamps do better on the Papertrey.
Lawn Fawn--I almost always buy these on Amazon. I love their stamps but their dies are getting more and more expensive, causing me to buy only the sets that I really, really want.
Avery Elle-I find a set now and then, but not as much as before. Again, I usually buy these on Amazon.
Papertrey-no customer service issues at all this year. Products are hit and miss. I often love Betsy's limited Make it Market Kits and usually buy one or 2 per year. This year I bought Don't Forget to Write and Garden Gate. Last year I got the Tinsel and Tags and still love it. I see it is now going for around $600 on eBay. I don't plan to sell mine at all at this point. Some releases there is absolutely nothing. They raised their free shipping point to $80 and it often takes me 6-9 months to have enough basics to get a set. I did get the Thermos and the Mouse sets for Christmas, as well as the Christmas Cookie set that I just love.
Ellen Hutson-Still remains the best customer service ever. Fastest shipping anywhere, great sales, and great regular coupon codes. Huge selection of brands.
Unity-Mostly not my style, but when I do order I have found that the shipping is painfully slow. I placed an order 13 days ago and still do not have a shipping notice. I mostly prefer clear stamps now so that is another issue.
Simon Says-Kind of high prices, but often they have free shipping. Shipping is usually at least a week if not 2-3 so I never use them unless I am willing to wait.
Hallmark Scrapbooking-good prices and moderate shipping speed. Good selection, but it seems they are always out of stock on something.
Frantic Stamper--fast shipping, good service, limited selection.
Elizabeth Craft-good sales, limited product, but some unique things. Shipping is sometimes slow.
1-2-3 Stitch- Fast shipping, good selection, and my go-to place for dies a lot of the time.
Poppystamps/Memory Box-good service, fast shipping, I mainly only buy dies.
All of these are pretty much second to Amazon because if the price is low and because I have Prime, it is often my first choice. I always check eBay too and have gotten some great deals this year.
All that being said, I have probably purchased 20-30% on FB craft sites when I don't care if the product is used.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Monday, November 21, 2016
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
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