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I used to love monthly releases, because they are fun and provide the latest trends. And I still do, but I find myself wondering whether I'll like next month's releases better so I hold off and buy nothing. then a few months later i buy a bunch of stuff.
I think I like an annual release better. but I'm not sure. Aack! Maybe I just want it all!!
__________________ Dear Paperlicious is my blog...with a series on how I'm learning to improve my cardmaking by studying others.
I agree about wondering if what I bought last month will seem "old and out date"!! Unless I am completely blown away by a new release I will wait couple of months before deciding to buy. I wish releases were quarterly instead of monthly....i'm too impatient for an annual release!
A quarterly release sounds just about right. Annual releases might be too far in the future for the impatient people, and monthly releases are devastating to the wallet.
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I think I like annual. Although, it's nice to have quarterly like the SU mini catalog too. I like the annual thing because I feel like it gives me "more time to play". Like I have the whole year to get what I want. Make any sense? I don't feel as rushed to get it all right away. I still buy a ton either way though:-)
For SU I think a yearly release with the mini catalogs works.
For other companies I wish they would do a quarterly release. I feel like yearly is too long, but monthly is too short.
I buy a lot from PTI and I feel like by the time I get an order from a release I barely have time to play with everything I got before the next release comes out and I order new stuff from that. Sure I could just not order every month, but come on lets be realistic I also think with the monthly release I end up buying things without thinking about it. I know I could wait and think about it but I just don't.
I think quarterly is probably a nice, happy medium. Frequent enough to keep us stamp floozies happy, but not so often that it overwhelms the more casual stamper and retail outlets.
I understand that companies benefit from the Internet buzz surrounding monthly releases. And that for many new companies, it's the best option for raising capital and making inventory decisions. When the company is successful enough to offer six or more new sets each month, along with accessories, it starts to get out of hand. There may be dedicated fans that demand it, but it's downright overwhelming for those who follow multiple companies. Seriously, keeping up with all of these releases is exhausting for trend-hunters.
I've also heard that frequent releases make it difficult for brick and mortar stores to offer those brands. And while I love the Internet for project ideas and hard-to-find products, I'm a tactile person who prefers to shop for supplies at my local stores where I can see and touch them. So anything that makes it difficult for my LSS to stock the products is a big detractor for me.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kwelch10377
For SU I think a yearly release with the mini catalogs works.
For other companies I wish they would do a quarterly release. I feel like yearly is too long, but monthly is too short.
I buy a lot from PTI and I feel like by the time I get an order from a release I barely have time to play with everything I got before the next release comes out and I order new stuff from that. Sure I could just not order every month, but come on lets be realistic I also think with the monthly release I end up buying things without thinking about it. I know I could wait and think about it but I just don't.
That's a good point! While I may take some time to warm up to some sets I definitely decide I don't like/need others given some time to ponder!
I think I am leaning more towards annual releases, too. Or quarterly would be nice (does anyone do that?!?!). Monthly releases are nice to look forward to seeing the new goodies, but I do the same thing- wait and see if there's something I'll like better next month. And with the economy the way it is and with a limited stamp budget, I kind of like knowing all of my options in advance!
I used to love monthly releases, because they are fun and provide the latest trends. And I still do, but I find myself wondering whether I'll like next month's releases better so I hold off and buy nothing. then a few months later i buy a bunch of stuff.
I think I like an annual release better. but I'm not sure. Aack! Maybe I just want it all!!
I like Hero Arts and SU's big annual catalog and quarterly mini catalogs. It feels more "stable" to me. Like you, I find myself waiting with PTI. But then, I've tried really hard to stop impulse buying, too, and won't order from HA or SU until I've had a catalog in my hand for at least a month. The monthly hype gets exhausting for me, though.
It also occurs to me that newer companies must find it much easier to have smaller releases each month and gradually build a base of stamps. PTI's been around long enough now, but newer companies probably need more frequent releases to ease into the business. Perhaps that explains the monthly model? Anyone who knows more than I do care to comment on that?
I like annual catalog and then maybe a holiday special. Monthly release is toooooo overwhelming and I feel that the quality of designs gets affected. Like I remember when PTI did 1-2 stamp sets per month I was drooling over each and every stamp set of the year; but now with 5 or more, there're still only 0-2 that I like.
I always like to enjoy my new goodies before I order for more so monthly just doesn't work for me.
I buy nearly exclusively from Gina K. Designs and SU. Gina K. has nearly monthly releases, and I'm sure most of you know how SU operates. I enjoy the way both of these companies operate. With SU I can enjoy and look forward to a big catalog annually, along with the mini catalogs quarterly (or whenever they come out). But with Gina K. there's always something new to look at, which is also exciting.
But neither of these ways has any impact on how I buy, I still buy what I want, when I want. When a new set is released through Gina K., I can still wait to buy it, because even when there's another release, the previous sets are still available. It may be harder to wait if I really like a set, but sometimes I just have to take that chance. I can always get it later.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, I like both ways. I'm going to suckered into buying things regardless of how often there's a release:rolleyes:
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I am REALLY trying to stop the impulse buying. Pleeeasseee. I have so many stamp sets that I have a) hardly used or b) never used (shhhhh) because the "newest" set is out. In reality, I probably have a set very similiar to the "newest" thing and could make use of it. So, I'm for quarterly. That would give me time to think about the sets and see if I really NEED it versus WANT it!!
Now.....don't ask me about the latest die, color wash, paper pack, TH alteration/bling. :rolleyes: (that would be why I need to utilize the stamp sets I already have!! OI!!)
My preference would be quarterly. Annual catalogs feel way too far apart (and they tend to lag behind the latest trends), but the monthly releases are getting to be a tad overwhelming. I don't have a huge craft budget, so I prefer to see all my options and take my time carefully choosing how to spend my precious dollars. If I spend a big chunk of my budget, only to find that something better comes out a few weeks later... Grr! So I end up holding out for several months at a time before making any large purchases.
I like annual in that I can plan out what I want. When the stuff first comes out and is new, I'm all excited about it and want it but as time goes by, I'm able to reduce that "gotta have now!" list way done to those items that fill gaps in my vast collection. I love seeing the monthly releases, but my schedule has gotten so hectic, that I barely have a chance to see what has come out before the next month's release is popping up. I like that monthly releases tend to keep up with trends (not that I'm a big trend follower) and yearly releases tend to seem old and dated faster. But that's not necessarily a bad thing - means I don't end up with a lot of dated stamps assuming I didn't impulse buy. Overall, I much prefer yearly releases or like it when a company doesn't retire stuff. That gives me more time to really get a feel for what fits my style and stamping needs and lets me purchase it when it fits better in my budget since months without car/house insurance and property tax payments or dance tuition are definitely my stamping purchase months.
A quarterly release sounds just about right. Annual releases might be too far in the future for the impatient people, and monthly releases are devastating to the wallet.
This was my idea. I won't order unless I can get free shipping, and with the free shipping amt. always getting higher at places, I wait 3-6 mo., anyway. By then, too, I feel like much more of a smart shopper because my impulse buying is gone and I end up getting things I really need... also "supplies" like card stock I think companies should go to at least a quarterly release. Seems like a lot of them get tripped up by the monthly deluge anyway.
I am REALLY trying to stop the impulse buying. Pleeeasseee. I have so many stamp sets that I have a) hardly used or b) never used (shhhhh) because the "newest" set is out. In reality, I probably have a set very similiar to the "newest" thing and could make use of it. So, I'm for quarterly. That would give me time to think about the sets and see if I really NEED it versus WANT it!!
Now.....don't ask me about the latest die, color wash, paper pack, TH alteration/bling. :rolleyes: (that would be why I need to utilize the stamp sets I already have!! OI!!)
LOL, really!! I want to kick myself every time I get the urge to buy a flower set!
Monthly is too much for me. I think either quarterly or one bigger annual one with seasonal supplements. It's been a while since I kept up with Penny Black catalogues, but that used to be how they did it.
I'm a planner, too. Monthly releases is too overwhelming for me and smacks of pushing the consumer into buy, buy, buy. I'm slow to warm up to a design and if it is not available in a year...when I'm ready to buy it...oh well....that company loses my business.
I'm a Penny Black fan and I want some of he stamps from years ago and I don't know if I can get them, now.
So, a yearly catalog with holiday supplements is the way to go for my buying pleasure. I liked TAC's way for presenting their designs.
I used to love monthly releases, because they are fun and provide the latest trends. And I still do, but I find myself wondering whether I'll like next month's releases better so I hold off and buy nothing. then a few months later i buy a bunch of stuff.
I think I like an annual release better. but I'm not sure. Aack! Maybe I just want it all!!
Joan, don't forget that you are on a spending freeze.
Hmmm, well, it's extremely rare that I impulse buy. I'm pretty much immune to monthly hype, because all my purchases are based on whether or not I truly love the stuff.
Heck, I fall in love with products/lines that were released 1-2 (sometimes even 3) years ago and it can be exceedingly disappointing to be unable to find them now. :(
I've seen too many awesome products go unnoticed, due to the constant rush rush rush to put out new new new.
I personally like quarterly. Or annually with a select few smaller releases or minis (i.e. SU!) is about my speed. I like to "savor" things, I guess. LOL!
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
I find monthly releases way too overwhelming and I don't tend to really buy stamps each and every month (like others I typically will wait a month or two and then buy a few releases at once.
Quite frankly I do find that some of the companies that are putting out stamps month after month don't really wow me anymore as I find a lot of repetitiveness in the designs/releases and would even go as far as to say that some of them lack originality.
I think the perfect timing for me would be quarterly (or every other month).
Hmmm, well, it's extremely rare that I impulse buy. I'm pretty much immune to monthly hype, because all my purchases are based on whether or not I truly love the stuff.
Heck, I fall in love with products/lines that were released 1-2 (sometimes even 3) years ago and it can be exceedingly disappointing to be unable to find them now. :(
I've seen too many awesome products go unnoticed, due to the constant rush rush rush to put out new new new.
.... I like to "savor" things, I guess. LOL!
I could not have expressed it better. I have to "savor" them. My impulse buys are sitting in my studio....wasting away. I'm thinking of boxing them up and giving them to a couple of friends.
I love the idea of monthly releases but I will not ever purchase monthly ... can't afford that! Plus, while monthly releases help spur creativity (thinking of the fabulously talented PTI girls), I always wonder what's next on the horizon? What will I see next month that I'd order? Being Canadian, shipping can be a little on the expensive side so I generally wait until I have a large order.
So, for me, a large annual release with quarterly smaller releases works really well
I LOVE monthly! I am definitely a bit more particular about what I buy each month, but I love looking at all of the releases from my favorite companies and then choosing where my dollars will go! LOVE it!
I think the monthly thing is great for new companies to build their stamp inventory base. Much better than trying to create a huge inventory all at one time. It is also good for them when it comes to catering to those who have to have "the latest and greatest".
But I find that with monthly releases, everything out there is based on the newest stamps. The older ones are nearly forgotten. There seems to be no staying power. That's the one thing that frustrates me with PTI and Waltzingmouse and Flourishes and Our Daily Bread and...so on and so forth. I have a limited budget that I try to use wisely. I want to buy something that I see examples for, that is timeless, that is adaptable to new trends, whatever. I hate that everything being made is tied to only the new stuff.
So, I guess I would go for a base catalog that is updated as needed...annually if you like. Then new sets on a schedule that fits the seasons, holidays, whatever. Maybe that's why SU! appeals to me, and why most of my sets are from them. I usually check out a set in the gallery to see what is being done with it before I jump in and buy it.
I think the monthly thing is great for new companies to build their stamp inventory base. Much better than trying to create a huge inventory all at one time. It is also good for them when it comes to catering to those who have to have "the latest and greatest".
But I find that with monthly releases, everything out there is based on the newest stamps. The older ones are nearly forgotten. There seems to be no staying power. That's the one thing that frustrates me with PTI and Waltzingmouse and Flourishes and Our Daily Bread and...so on and so forth. I have a limited budget that I try to use wisely. I want to buy something that I see examples for, that is timeless, that is adaptable to new trends, whatever. I hate that everything being made is tied to only the new stuff.
So, I guess I would go for a base catalog that is updated as needed...annually if you like. Then new sets on a schedule that fits the seasons, holidays, whatever. Maybe that's why SU! appeals to me, and why most of my sets are from them. I usually check out a set in the gallery to see what is being done with it before I jump in and buy it.
Oh, I couldn't agree more! It's like once we get the new stuff in...they're outdated. And we don't see anything on their blogs until it's time for the next release.
This is an interesting conversation as I wonder the same thing myself!
For Stampin' Up, I definitely like the annual major catalog and the minis. It's just right.
I don't purchase from as many companies as I used to, partly since having my own business, but also because I had to break the habit of wanting it "now" even if I didn't have time to use it.
But I think what a few of you have touched on is absolutely true ~ smaller companies, just starting out, really do need that frequent "oomph" . . . presenting the public with new inventory on a regular basis and giving customers a chance to get to learn what they're all about.
I am a huge fan of Waltzingmouse Stamps and I think Claire is consistently offering something very unique every month so I eagerly await her releases.
Papertrey is my source for cardstock and ribbon these days but I'm finding myself not so much a "project" stamper or a fan of the "building images" sets, so I've managed to resist their stamps more easily ~ but there was a time I was hopelessly locked into the midnight releases (why midnight?!). I don't do that anymore.
Verve Stamps has a totally different release pattern which I think is very attractive ~ driven by the owner's creativity vs. a set schedule (I believe I read that on SCS somewhere).
Lots of other companies I love either don't have set release periods or I'm just out of the loop! Crafty Secrets, Artistic Outpost, Eat Cake Graphics, and Anna Wight's sets at Whipper Snapper are a few that come to mind.
Thanks for posing the question, Joan ~ the responses are all interesting and I especially appreciate Fionna's comments about continuing to show samples beyond the release! Now and then PTI does revisit an older set and I like that, too.
I personally would prefer the quarterly released. As a consumer, I would never have enough time to use the stamp sets I buy if I bought every month. I buy a set, use it once or twice and then it's off to the next thing.
Looking at it from a manufacturer's viewpoint, I can see why they like monthly releases as it feeds into our "got to have it now" mentality. After all, they are in business to make $$...losing out on our disposable income really isn't something they want to do.
We are a society of instant gratification and we many of us have lost the ability to wait - save - really evaluate what we want and more importantly to enjoy what we have. (you can replace all the "we"s I used with "I" or "me".)
Yearly releases is just too long, in my opinion, because of the same reason someone else stated...trends come and go quickly inside of a year and with only yearly releases, a company may miss the proverbial boat if they are 6 months (or more) behind of the curve.
Truthfully it seems like most of us "Like" the monthly release - its just a choice of how we react to them. Some like to buy immediately and others like to ponder but we like our options to come out in a timely fashion and then we like to use as much time as it comfortable to us individually to make our personal decisions.
So that said - I enjoy monthly releases but I don't purchase in monthly cycles. I look and think of more than a few ways to use it (then forget all those ways once I do purchase it but thats another story!)
What a fabulous thread!! This is something that has been in the back of my head since I started WMS. I love getting new stamps, and from a business point of view, I think it has been important that there has been a buzz around the company on a monthly basis. Building a brand and getting 'known' is a tough nut to crack, but it is a double edged sword. New stuff is fab, BUT so is the 'old' stuff, a lot of time and energy is invested in drawing up a stamp set. I try very hard to design stamps that will have lasting appeal and so I certainly don't want folks to think of the older WMS sets as 'outdated', but when you are turning over new stuff every month, that can and does happen. Our little company has only been around for a very short while but all the time I am learning. Recently I have been taking a little time to consider what to do about this issue. Sometimes I issue a set of stamps, get to make 3-4 samples with it and then have to put it away as the new stuff is demanding attention, I'm not thrilled with this situation and I am currently considering other ways of handling new releases. I think the happy medium would be a monthly event of some sort, perhaps tutorials, extra samples for older sets, etc, something for us all to look at, but not necessarily new stamps every month. Perhaps new stamps every other month. For me it is as much about inspiration, and seeing what folks get up to, as it is about having new stuff.
I am as guilty as the next person (company) of promoting Christmas even before Halloween has even gotten off the ground and, although I think it has been necessary up until now, I am wondering if the time is not right to change tack slightly and organise things so that we have time to enjoy our existing stamps fully before rolling out half a dozen new sets that I fear I won't have time to play with. I will be watching this thread with interest!!
Wow, Claire, it was really nice to see you pop in and give a manufacturer's/designer's perspective.
I used to be hooked on the monthly release thing and also wound up buying sets that later I scratched my head over and thought, 'why did I buy this?'
Having just moved and packing up alllllll my crafting stuff and now unpacking it helped put a hold on my buying for over two months. That combined with DH losing his job helped me evaluate my stamps and I think I'm going to be content using what I already own for quite a while. I bet if we all had to pack it up and move it we'd discover we own so much more than we know! I would have to live to be a very old woman to use every stamp in every set I own.
I really like the idea of revisiting sets that have been out for a while, I was thinking of doing that with some of the MFP sets that I've received . . . the new stuff is exciting and fun, but it helps to revisit old favorites too.
Oh I also wanted to say sometimes I like having a catalogue in my hands, sort of like having a magazine, you can stare at the pictures, put it down, pick it up again later without having to power up your computer or try to remember which web site had that cute project you wanted to try.
I'm a planner, too. Monthly releases is too overwhelming for me and smacks of pushing the consumer into buy, buy, buy. I'm slow to warm up to a design and if it is not available in a year...when I'm ready to buy it...oh well....that company loses my business.
I'm a Penny Black fan and I want some of he stamps from years ago and I don't know if I can get them, now.
So, a yearly catalog with holiday supplements is the way to go for my buying pleasure. I liked TAC's way for presenting their designs.
Dick Robinson carries Penny Black stamps exclusively and he has over 3,000 stamps in stock. Here�s his web site if you would like to check it out.
God demonstrated His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ... being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8 & 9
monthly releases or an annual catalog?
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