Par example...
You sell cheapo widget for $1 and get a complaint that the widget's chain is too cheap!! Well, why don't you go and buy your widget elsewhere with a sterling chain??
This is the kind of thing I go through w/my business 5 times a day. Yes, I refund, suck it up, grin and bear it. But lately it's just out of control. From the people who order something and don't even view the description or want to cancel an order because they don't have enough funds, or they don't pay for a week then they pay and want to cancel the order!
For christ's sake people it's a friggin' $2 order!! I'm not rich either but I do think before I buy.
Perils of biz I guess?
Yesterday I saw another example of this at a famous coffee chain. Guy ordered many coffees for work maybe?? Then the nice girl at the counter told him she didn't have change for $100 and she would go get some. All the drinks were made within 5 min. and she came back w/the change. He goes completely nuts and starts yelling at every Starbucks employee to make all the drinks again because they have sat too long. Screams obscenities in front of my kids and everyone else. Starbucks is forced to call in a nearby facility manager to calm him down. I won't go into the fact that he told her he had $600 in his wallet and if it had been someone else she would have had change.
Petty sh*t! Why freak out we've all had to wait for change.
So I'm at the P.O. today and it happens again! A man is second in line and starts screaming at the postal clerk and the elderly lady she is helping. Sidenote...anyone who has been to the Post Office knows that if you haven't filled out your documents or packaged your items, they assist you then tell you to do it on the side. Okay, so they let this lady finish and get in front again. She's already waited once, what's the big deal?? Well this guy ain't having it! He won't listen, even when the elderly lady volunteers to move to the side and let him go ahead. He tells everyone there to F Off and calls the elderly lady a G'Damn B*tch! The woman was so frazzled about this that she was shaking. I'm sure no one ever spoke to her like that in her life. It was like the Jerry Springer show before my own eyes!! We were all wondering if this would be a real incident of "Going Postal". FYI, I was so glad I left my kids in the car, (don't worry they are 10 and 13, in the shade, and the windows were down!!)
Petty sh*t again!!! You could have had your selfish way but you chose to have a temper tantrum:(
Who are these people? Can't we just be respectful, wait our turn, and act like grown ups??
I swear I am going to write a book and call it "Petty Sh*T". A guide for why you're overreacting and dying at 30 of a heart attack!!!
That's my rant for today. Going to try and move this blog over to blogger now....
T☺
Oh, and if I succeed in moving I'm taking y'all w/me and I hope you follow me on Google!
Showing posts with label Tara#039;s Deep Thoughts.... Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tara#039;s Deep Thoughts.... Show all posts
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
I really don't like this:(
Here we go with another rant by Tara!
I'm looking through a well known site, that shall remain nameless, and I come across something unpleasant. No, it's not the usual things that upset me like animal carcasses, fur, or hate images. It's the ongoing destruction of vintage/antique books and other cherished items. Why the heck would someone tear apart books then turn around and sell them for altered art? Or my real peeve, destroying old watches and clocks for steampunk projects. Something is going on with that and it's not an old factory gone out of business. Which FYI is the lamest/oldest BS from a lot of plastic and brass sellers. "I have x amount of these items because I got them from an old factory that went out of biz", or "I worked at said factory". Most of these components turn out to be not even 5 year old replicas! Beware, especially when dealing with someone on the internet. It's sometimes hard to tell the differences with plastics, but I can usually figure out if the brass is vintage.
Back to the books, I totally understand if these are already trashed, but they have entire books for sale:( And where does one find 100's of watch faces? And why, oh why o, do we have to smash those vintage plates for reassembly???
My solutions to this problem? Go to the library and borrow some old books for your photo taking needs. Use some clip art you buy online or for craps sake Google free clip art and start printing out images. Maybe actually be creative on your own and scan images for your altered art projects? The plate breaking could be managed by going to garage sales/thrift stores and looking for chipped or broken plates. Hopefully, this is what most artists are already doing. For your steampunk creations visit your local swap meet and dump. Heck, if you have to you can even go dumpster diving!
Why the freakin' rant?? I love and admire everything vintage and antique. People should cherish and protect these rare reminders of the past.
Okay, gotta stop now time to eat a muffin and ponder why The Real Housewives of Atlanta is on T.V.
T♥
P.S. I absolutely love when people take vintage/antique cups and make them into candles. It's so darn cute and you can still appreciate the art.
I'm looking through a well known site, that shall remain nameless, and I come across something unpleasant. No, it's not the usual things that upset me like animal carcasses, fur, or hate images. It's the ongoing destruction of vintage/antique books and other cherished items. Why the heck would someone tear apart books then turn around and sell them for altered art? Or my real peeve, destroying old watches and clocks for steampunk projects. Something is going on with that and it's not an old factory gone out of business. Which FYI is the lamest/oldest BS from a lot of plastic and brass sellers. "I have x amount of these items because I got them from an old factory that went out of biz", or "I worked at said factory". Most of these components turn out to be not even 5 year old replicas! Beware, especially when dealing with someone on the internet. It's sometimes hard to tell the differences with plastics, but I can usually figure out if the brass is vintage.
Back to the books, I totally understand if these are already trashed, but they have entire books for sale:( And where does one find 100's of watch faces? And why, oh why o, do we have to smash those vintage plates for reassembly???
My solutions to this problem? Go to the library and borrow some old books for your photo taking needs. Use some clip art you buy online or for craps sake Google free clip art and start printing out images. Maybe actually be creative on your own and scan images for your altered art projects? The plate breaking could be managed by going to garage sales/thrift stores and looking for chipped or broken plates. Hopefully, this is what most artists are already doing. For your steampunk creations visit your local swap meet and dump. Heck, if you have to you can even go dumpster diving!
Why the freakin' rant?? I love and admire everything vintage and antique. People should cherish and protect these rare reminders of the past.
Okay, gotta stop now time to eat a muffin and ponder why The Real Housewives of Atlanta is on T.V.
T♥
P.S. I absolutely love when people take vintage/antique cups and make them into candles. It's so darn cute and you can still appreciate the art.
What is wrong with me????
If you've been reading this blog you already know I'm obsessed with Kawaii and Hello Kitty. But lately I have been noticing some unusual Kawaii graphics...
Yep, it's poop! Poop is a huge topic of funny in my house already, making these graphics of the utmost amusement for my boys. I have to admit I love the poopy Kawaii images. What next?? I can't wait to find out!
Seriously, I'm just twisted!
Lotsa lovin'
T♥
Yep, it's poop! Poop is a huge topic of funny in my house already, making these graphics of the utmost amusement for my boys. I have to admit I love the poopy Kawaii images. What next?? I can't wait to find out!
Seriously, I'm just twisted!
Lotsa lovin'
T♥
Friday, August 14, 2009
More Kawaii Than You Can Shake A Stick At!
I absolutely love Kawaii, Manga, and Anime images and my all time fav is Hello Kitty.
Here are some of my own graphic images I've made over the years, some of them are sized down so they might look a little faint/blurry.
I used to offer banners, avatars, and other website graphics for sale. But now I'm so overwhelmed with my jewelry and sites I just do it for fun. Recently I discovered a fab program called Animation Shop which is a million times easier to use than photoshop animation. I've managed to learn how to make blinkies and I'm moving on to animated graphics. Looking foward to adding some great Kawaii graphics to my repertoire of animation images.
T♥
Here are some of my own graphic images I've made over the years, some of them are sized down so they might look a little faint/blurry.
I used to offer banners, avatars, and other website graphics for sale. But now I'm so overwhelmed with my jewelry and sites I just do it for fun. Recently I discovered a fab program called Animation Shop which is a million times easier to use than photoshop animation. I've managed to learn how to make blinkies and I'm moving on to animated graphics. Looking foward to adding some great Kawaii graphics to my repertoire of animation images.
T♥
Saturday, August 8, 2009
An excerpt from my latest book, "Jewelry.Com"
Jewelry.Com
“How To Learn the Ins and Outs, and tricks of the trade, to selling your handmade jewelry online, or anything else you make!”
By Tara Van Stelle
Jewelry by Tara
This Book Includes;
Tips on internet selling,
Setting up your own site,
Answers to most asked questions,
Where and what to buy,
Find It Free,
Top 10 Mistakes,
And much, much, more!!
Chapter 10
Common Mistakes We Can Easily Avoid
At one time or another, we will all make a mistake with our business. Whether it’s a mailing issue, broken item, or misrepresentation, we’ve all done it.
Here is my list of the top 10 mistakes that we can hopefully avoid.
1. Getting Angry With a Customer
This happens in my head a million times a month. But in reality, it is a definite no no. No matter what and I mean what, you will answer all emails, questions, and problems, with an immediate resolution, apology, and extreme politeness. You can be entirely in the right, it doesn’t matter. Every customer has the potential to leave negative feedback, and/or ruin your reputation. Plus, it is very hard to understand the tone of someone’s email. So please take the time to respond with kindness, before flying off the handle.
The exception to this would be customers who threaten you with bad feedback, or just want to yell. These offenses are not justifiable, and should be handed off to someone else, if you are on a large sit. If it’s your own site, and you’ve already shipped to the customer, it may benefit you to give them a partial or full refund. If you haven’t shipped yet, tell them politely that you don’t feel they will be happy with their purchase, and you’re issuing them an immediate refund. After that, no more emails, cut them off with kindness, and send them on their way.
2. Stuck In a Rut
Just because you like it, doesn’t mean it will sell online. Let’s try and understand that everyone’s got their own taste. Like it or love it, sometimes you may not be a good match for the jewelry market. There’s only one way out of this. Either you revamp your own jewelry style, or play to the marketplace and their whims. You may have to come to terms with the fact that your jewelry isn’t only a representation of you, if you want to make money.
3. Being a Stickler for the Rules
Have you ever heard the saying, “Rules Are Meant to Be Broken?” Even the best laid out store policies may need to be changed on a case by case basis. For example, do you really need a ship back on a $1 pair of earrings? Take the loss, and please a customer. The over referencing of policies to customers on your site, can also lead to profit loss. Some people are almost afraid to buy from merchants with a homepage full of rules. So don’t scare them off, be flexible! You are still in charge of your site, just easier to work with.
4. Drama and Gossip
Just because you meet a lot of other sellers on the internet, doesn’t mean you have to make friends there. Sometimes these can be wonderful experiences, but beware… Forums and chat rooms can turn into a battleground. The last thing you want your customer to see is your personal information, attached to some negative words. This also goes for posting our beliefs, politics, etc. You may win over some new friends and customers, but you will risk alienating a lot more. Always remember, everything you say and do on the internet is there forever. Another thing that can cause a huge problem, is talking about your customers. So many times I see people bad mouthing sales. Even if we don’t know who you’re talking about, your negativity is reflecting on potential customers.
5. Selling supplies that you use for your best sellers.
I am so guilty of this! When I get a great wholesale deal I want to share it, and profit of course. It took me some time to figure out that one, if a customer wants to make it, they won’t buy yours. And two, if a designer buys it they will copy your design, and possibly undersell you. Ouch!
6. My work isn’t great…
Yes it is! Never say this, or downgrade yourself. Even if you get a bad case of the self doubts, there is no reason to project anything but confidence. Please don’t list something as not that good, damaged, etc. Just redo it, or reuse it in another way. You want all of your work to be up to a standard that your customers can appreciate.
7. Let Your Business Consume Your Life
Working diligently is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. But when it’s 2:00 A.M., and you’re still taking pictures, it’s time to stop. Burning yourself out can be discouraging to a new business. Set a schedule for yourself, and stick to it. This is something I still haven’t learned! Just like anything else in your life, don’t overdo, or take on too much at once.
8. Spending Too Much Money
Assess, assess, and then reassess. Keep track of what you spend on supplies, advertising, etc. Remember, your time is money too. Don’t just buy on a whim, comparison shop. And don’t buy in bulk if you don’t need to. Just because it’s a great deal, doesn’t mean you will be able to turn it over into profit. Spend slowly, and shop around.
9. Signing Up For Everything
Can you really manage 10 jewelry groups, 5 indie boards, 3 social sites, 2 blogs, and 4 websites? Probably not well, but I’ve done it. Better to just focus in on your main selling site, and a couple of your favorite ones. I do think you should have a site on a larger site, as well as your own. But when you start having 10 sub sites with selling capabilities, you can easily lose track of inventory. If you’re just signing up for marketing, and other advertising, more is always better.
10. Scatterbrained Site Management
This includes a lot of things; constantly changing themes, websites, domain names, and jewelry types. Your customer expects some consistency in your brand. So if you need to spruce things up a bit or add some new ideas, go ahead. But don’t change your site from purple skulls to blue shabby chic in one day.
Post your own ideas to comments of "Not To Do's".
Want to purchase this book?
Jewelry by Tara
Jewelry by Tara eBay
Only $10 get's you my vast wealth of knowledge, which was learned from screwing it all up! LOL
T♥
“How To Learn the Ins and Outs, and tricks of the trade, to selling your handmade jewelry online, or anything else you make!”
By Tara Van Stelle
Jewelry by Tara
This Book Includes;
Tips on internet selling,
Setting up your own site,
Answers to most asked questions,
Where and what to buy,
Find It Free,
Top 10 Mistakes,
And much, much, more!!
Chapter 10
Common Mistakes We Can Easily Avoid
At one time or another, we will all make a mistake with our business. Whether it’s a mailing issue, broken item, or misrepresentation, we’ve all done it.
Here is my list of the top 10 mistakes that we can hopefully avoid.
1. Getting Angry With a Customer
This happens in my head a million times a month. But in reality, it is a definite no no. No matter what and I mean what, you will answer all emails, questions, and problems, with an immediate resolution, apology, and extreme politeness. You can be entirely in the right, it doesn’t matter. Every customer has the potential to leave negative feedback, and/or ruin your reputation. Plus, it is very hard to understand the tone of someone’s email. So please take the time to respond with kindness, before flying off the handle.
The exception to this would be customers who threaten you with bad feedback, or just want to yell. These offenses are not justifiable, and should be handed off to someone else, if you are on a large sit. If it’s your own site, and you’ve already shipped to the customer, it may benefit you to give them a partial or full refund. If you haven’t shipped yet, tell them politely that you don’t feel they will be happy with their purchase, and you’re issuing them an immediate refund. After that, no more emails, cut them off with kindness, and send them on their way.
2. Stuck In a Rut
Just because you like it, doesn’t mean it will sell online. Let’s try and understand that everyone’s got their own taste. Like it or love it, sometimes you may not be a good match for the jewelry market. There’s only one way out of this. Either you revamp your own jewelry style, or play to the marketplace and their whims. You may have to come to terms with the fact that your jewelry isn’t only a representation of you, if you want to make money.
3. Being a Stickler for the Rules
Have you ever heard the saying, “Rules Are Meant to Be Broken?” Even the best laid out store policies may need to be changed on a case by case basis. For example, do you really need a ship back on a $1 pair of earrings? Take the loss, and please a customer. The over referencing of policies to customers on your site, can also lead to profit loss. Some people are almost afraid to buy from merchants with a homepage full of rules. So don’t scare them off, be flexible! You are still in charge of your site, just easier to work with.
4. Drama and Gossip
Just because you meet a lot of other sellers on the internet, doesn’t mean you have to make friends there. Sometimes these can be wonderful experiences, but beware… Forums and chat rooms can turn into a battleground. The last thing you want your customer to see is your personal information, attached to some negative words. This also goes for posting our beliefs, politics, etc. You may win over some new friends and customers, but you will risk alienating a lot more. Always remember, everything you say and do on the internet is there forever. Another thing that can cause a huge problem, is talking about your customers. So many times I see people bad mouthing sales. Even if we don’t know who you’re talking about, your negativity is reflecting on potential customers.
5. Selling supplies that you use for your best sellers.
I am so guilty of this! When I get a great wholesale deal I want to share it, and profit of course. It took me some time to figure out that one, if a customer wants to make it, they won’t buy yours. And two, if a designer buys it they will copy your design, and possibly undersell you. Ouch!
6. My work isn’t great…
Yes it is! Never say this, or downgrade yourself. Even if you get a bad case of the self doubts, there is no reason to project anything but confidence. Please don’t list something as not that good, damaged, etc. Just redo it, or reuse it in another way. You want all of your work to be up to a standard that your customers can appreciate.
7. Let Your Business Consume Your Life
Working diligently is fantastic, and I highly recommend it. But when it’s 2:00 A.M., and you’re still taking pictures, it’s time to stop. Burning yourself out can be discouraging to a new business. Set a schedule for yourself, and stick to it. This is something I still haven’t learned! Just like anything else in your life, don’t overdo, or take on too much at once.
8. Spending Too Much Money
Assess, assess, and then reassess. Keep track of what you spend on supplies, advertising, etc. Remember, your time is money too. Don’t just buy on a whim, comparison shop. And don’t buy in bulk if you don’t need to. Just because it’s a great deal, doesn’t mean you will be able to turn it over into profit. Spend slowly, and shop around.
9. Signing Up For Everything
Can you really manage 10 jewelry groups, 5 indie boards, 3 social sites, 2 blogs, and 4 websites? Probably not well, but I’ve done it. Better to just focus in on your main selling site, and a couple of your favorite ones. I do think you should have a site on a larger site, as well as your own. But when you start having 10 sub sites with selling capabilities, you can easily lose track of inventory. If you’re just signing up for marketing, and other advertising, more is always better.
10. Scatterbrained Site Management
This includes a lot of things; constantly changing themes, websites, domain names, and jewelry types. Your customer expects some consistency in your brand. So if you need to spruce things up a bit or add some new ideas, go ahead. But don’t change your site from purple skulls to blue shabby chic in one day.
Post your own ideas to comments of "Not To Do's".
Want to purchase this book?
Jewelry by Tara
Jewelry by Tara eBay
Only $10 get's you my vast wealth of knowledge, which was learned from screwing it all up! LOL
T♥
Thursday, August 6, 2009
What do I like today... (and most days)
I feel like making a positive list. So here's some things I'm lovin' today....
This is my oldest son's most favorite childhood friend:)
I really want to eat a tub of frosting, so yummy!
My MoMo, he's named after the flying Lemur on Avatar. And if you had kids you would know what I'm talking about!!
I'm also really, really, loving Frosted Flakes! I'm actually on a diet of Frosted Flakes, and I've lost 10 pounds unintentionally!!! LOL
Keep the coffee coming too it's gonna be a looooong day!!
Laters!
T
This is my oldest son's most favorite childhood friend:)
I really want to eat a tub of frosting, so yummy!
My MoMo, he's named after the flying Lemur on Avatar. And if you had kids you would know what I'm talking about!!
I'm also really, really, loving Frosted Flakes! I'm actually on a diet of Frosted Flakes, and I've lost 10 pounds unintentionally!!! LOL
Keep the coffee coming too it's gonna be a looooong day!!
Laters!
T
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Welcome to my world!
And what a crazy world it is!!! I'm an artist raising 2 boys 10 and 13, 1 husband, and 4 chihuahuas. I live in Southern California, but I am a New York City native. I have been selling online/offline for 10 years. I enjoy all projects that are DIY and I am constantly striving to learn something new.
You may also know me from...
JBT Etsy
Sewn by Tara Etsy
Supplies by Tara Etsy
Loved the Etsy but it was time to strike out on my own. You can now find me on my official site...
Jewelry by Tara
And eBay...
JBT eBay
So welcome to my world and stick around because you never know, it could get personal!!!
You may also know me from...
JBT Etsy
Sewn by Tara Etsy
Supplies by Tara Etsy
Loved the Etsy but it was time to strike out on my own. You can now find me on my official site...
Jewelry by Tara
And eBay...
JBT eBay
So welcome to my world and stick around because you never know, it could get personal!!!
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