Notes
"You take way too long to ship"
"You're prices are too high"
"You're papers aren't perfect"
"You're not clear in your post" or "you're confusing" .."open, closed, open?! Which is it??! "
Yes! I am confusing. I understand your frustration with my back and forth and I truly am working on keeping my mouth shut ;)
Shipping times can be longer than normal and that is because I am one person - I also have kids that I homeschool and a house to keep in order. I will usually try to estimate how long it will take to ship, but unfortunately my estimates are sometimes off due to one reason or another. Please be patient with me in regards to this - you will receive your order!
As you all may (or may not ) know, most of my items are almost always made to order (almost! Occasionally I will have a few already prepared). I choose to offer things this way because it is what makes the most sense for me. The items I sell in my shop require a lot of time and physical work. And because the papers I tend to work with need to be shipped to me, it is more economical to know ahead of time how many items I need to make and how much paper I need to purchase. It simply would not make sense for me to purchase specific papers, spend hours and hours making 100 of an item only to have them not sell well - or at all - leaving me with a product that cannot be turned into something else or sold.
Therefore, once orders are placed, the money from those sales goes right back into my shop - used for purchasing paper and supplies (or more of them) or for other supplies needed to make the items, and stuff needed for wrapping and packing those items (always).
Often I will keep a listing open (or reopen/extend it) after it has closed and this is due to either a custom order that came through or the paper type that will be used to make that particular item. I have some big rolls of certain papers I typically use and cutting from these rolls can be a tedious task (the papers crease or wrinkle easily) It is much easier for me to cut bigger sections from those rolls than to try and navigate my way around the roll for just a small piece - which can leave sections that cannot be used for anything else.
While I have gotten a few negative comments on my prices, most of you are understanding of the amount of time and effort I put into making my products - and for that, I am truly grateful for your understanding and support. I always try my best to make sure I deliver to you quality hand made items for the cost, but I do understand that the cost may still be out of reach for some. I wish I could just give things away all the time, but my husband keeps reminding me he is not a charity or NGO - so I can't :(
My products are pretty much all hand made -- hand stamped and hand trimmed -- by me (so they are not perfect machine cut and printed materials). While I try my very best to offer you a quality product for your hard earned money, there may be imperfections that are part of the hand made process and the materials used. I know not everyone can appreciate the perfect imperfection of a hand made product, so please be sure you know and understand this prior to purchasing my products. Thank you :)
I really enjoy coming up with new creations (or resurrecting old ones) and offering them to you all. I enjoy the time I take in wrapping and packing each one and thinking (hoping) that it brings you joy when receiving it. That has been my intentions from the beginning and always will be.
Thank you all for coming along with me. For supporting me...for understanding...and most importantly, for being such a positive light for me.