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I got my mini today as well, and whoever designed it to be horizontal should lose their design post. It's really hard to read an 8x22" spread compared to an 11x16.
I wish they would just stay consistent with the Sizes of their mini And SAB catalogs. That would be helpful.
You can take a cruise for a week for less than a thousand dollars per person in a double cabin depending on destination and time of year. If you are part of a group, you can get some amazing discounts from all of the cruise lines.........and, in most cases all you need are 10-15 guaranteed cabins to qualify as a group. Stampin' Up is getting some huge discounts by booking their groups........price discounts, incentives like cocktail parties, maybe tips included and FREE cabins for the number of rooms booked..........as in 20 rooms booked, one free. It varies by cruise line as to how many cabins you need to qualify (some are as low as 10) but you would get one free for every 20 booked.........even with all the discounts. I was in the travel industry for over 30 years..........cruises were one of the easiest and cheapest group trips to do.
Jumping back in to say one thing: the cost of Stampin'Up! stamps has been quite consistent through the years. A couple of examples would be the ever-favorite "Lovely as a Tree" stamp set - released at $24.95 around 2003 and offered in 2017 at $28.00 for wood mount and $20.00 for cling mount, and the regular-sized wheels - released at $5.95 and stayed at that price for years. When SU! decided to discontinue the wheels, they were selling for $6.50. Both of these examples illustrate very reasonable pricing increases, in my opinion. There are other "premium" brands out there, as noted above, that are in the same price range. We are totally at choice on where/how we choose to spend our stamping/crafting dollars.
While I agree that Stampin'Up! dies are pricey, and while I agree that the incentives seem to get less and less all the time, it isn't really fair to single them out. There are other companies that have crazy shipping prices and seldom - if ever - offer free shipping. There are plenty that offer no incentives at all beyond occasional discounts. Becoming educated as to who has what you like/want/need and how often and what type of sales they have (if any) is one way to maximize your dollars.
Having said all that, I will also say that I'm not sure how long any multi-level marketing company will be viable in today's internet-based economy. Any/all of them may have to overhaul their business model to stay afloat...
That's a good point Emily. They could offer them separately. I would be interested to see what the difference would be. Just because something is cheap to get does not mean a company sells it cheap, esp if it is part of their "look". I personally think the markup for the woods is excessive.
Probably not much. I can buy a four pack of cases for... I don't remember what it is right now. $6 or $8. So at most, I would imagine a two dollar discount.
But two bucks is two bucks. Especially if you don't need or want the box. Especially after you've bought a few sets. Especially if you don't have to waste your time figuring out what to do with the box they sent anyway that you don't need.
I got my mini today as well, and whoever designed it to be horizontal should lose their design post. It's really hard to read an 8x22" spread compared to an 11x16.
Have saved SU catalogs for 20 years, but this one I will probably let go since there is no way to add it to my binders...
When I began with SU (2005) the rewards were 10% starting at $150 (or $15 USD). I was happy when they improved the rewards. When they were lowered to the original level I was okay with that too since it was the same plan as when I’d signed up.
ETA: when I fully retired in 2018, I continued to shop all catalogs through a friend. My problem is that nothing in the 2020 SAB Catalog appeals to me.
Last edited by gaylestamps; 12-28-2019 at 07:45 PM..
IMO, I think many of the companies in the stamping industry has become too price restrictive. Don't get me wrong I don't mind paying for quality but I do mind paying for markups. I talk about being a frugal stamper all the time and I always will. Part of me being a frugal stamper is buying quality items that last a long time.
No, I don't mind paying $12.50 for an unmounted stamp from 100ProofPress (for example). I don't mind paying a fair amount for S&H, especially from a small company that S&H can be a killer for them also.
It does disturb me when a company like SU is giving away cruises for their million dollar plus demo's but they can't offer their customer base more reasonable shipping or comparable prices to other stamp companies. There would be no cruises if there were no customer base. If SU reps are reading this please make us feel valuable to.
It also disturbs me that a million dollar demo's receive such high incentives. I am not saying she/he does not deserve it. I am not saying that at all. I am more likely to order from a demo that works from her kitchen table. I feel like they should be valued as much as the million dollar demo's. I have read on other sites that demo's are starting to feel a bit underappreciated.
Please do not think I believe that every demo should get a cruise. I know that is very unrealistic and unfair. A lot of workplaces value their employees and show all their employees they are valued. Yes, some will receive bigger perks or bonuses, etc.... Your business is only good if your employees feel valued, part of a family and that your customer's feel appreciated.
It does also bother me that this SAB is an extra stamp set that is being marketed as collectibles. We are stamper's, most of us don't what collectibles. We want things we will use in our creations.
I hope I didn't sound harsh. I haven't felt well all day and have a headache. I really want SU reps to understand that some of their business decison's of late are not the best decision in the long term. Like I said in my posts above. I love SU. I love their products. I don't want to see them go under. I do understand their company needs to change. A lot of us have seen favorite companies go under because of bad business decisions.
Stampin' Up! no longer has their dies made by Sizzix. I just ordered some and one of the ones I ordered had some of its silvery coating get stuck to the piece of double-stick tape to which it was adhered in the package.
Looks like their new die maker is cheap.
I know people got mad at Sizzix for enforcing their patent on thin dies (which they legally are required to do!), but oh my...their dies really are the best for quality. SU used to have the best quality products, but I think they are relying too much on Chinese manufacturing.
bUT IT really shows how cheap it is to manufacture, and SU sells their products at a huge inflated price. No wonder so many demos get to go on cruises!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjeans
Part of Alibaba, a Chinese online retail company. Many of their stamp and die designs are stolen, which is very rough on small stamp companies, artists and even local stamp shops that can’t compete with their prices. They hurt our industry and many others.
IMO, I think many of the companies in the stamping industry has become too price restrictive. Don't get me wrong I don't mind paying for quality but I do mind paying for markups. I talk about being a frugal stamper all the time and I always will. Part of me being a frugal stamper is buying quality items that last a long time.
No, I don't mind paying $12.50 for an unmounted stamp from 100ProofPress (for example). I don't mind paying a fair amount for S&H, especially from a small company that S&H can be a killer for them also.
It does disturb me when a company like SU is giving away cruises for their million dollar plus demo's but they can't offer their customer base more reasonable shipping or comparable prices to other stamp companies. There would be no cruises if there were no customer base. If SU reps are reading this please make us feel valuable to.
It also disturbs me that a million dollar demo's receive such high incentives. I am not saying she/he does not deserve it. I am not saying that at all. I am more likely to order from a demo that works from her kitchen table. I feel like they should be valued as much as the million dollar demo's. I have read on other sites that demo's are starting to feel a bit underappreciated.
Please do not think I believe that every demo should get a cruise. I know that is very unrealistic and unfair. A lot of workplaces value their employees and show all their employees they are valued. Yes, some will receive bigger perks or bonuses, etc.... Your business is only good if your employees feel valued, part of a family and that your customer's feel appreciated.
It does also bother me that this SAB is an extra stamp set that is being marketed as collectibles. We are stamper's, most of us don't what collectibles. We want things we will use in our creations.
I hope I didn't sound harsh. I haven't felt well all day and have a headache. I really want SU reps to understand that some of their business decison's of late are not the best decision in the long term. Like I said in my posts above. I love SU. I love their products. I don't want to see them go under. I do understand their company needs to change. A lot of us have seen favorite companies go under because of bad business decisions.
It is a very pricey hobby. I am fortunate in that I can afford it. I work a full time day job and a part time evening job, I can usually buy what I want. I mostly collect because I have almost no time to create. But SU puts me off with their shipping cost. So many companies offer flat rate or free shipping several times during the year.
All that being said they are how I got into stamping. I found a local rep who had monthly groups and I learned so much. And I have bought a product that was not top notch.
bUT IT really shows how cheap it is to manufacture, and SU sells their products at a huge inflated price. No wonder so many demos get to go on cruises!
Yes, in some ways, but to be fair, Ali Express/Alibaba uses what amounts to slave labor and sometimes low quality materials. They are massive, in so many areas aside from paper crafting, so also would get better pricing for materials used in manufacturing. And they don’t pay as much to designers/artists because many of their designs are stolen.
I like my SU items, though don’t have a lot, and love my demo. Their ongoing retiring of products, which forces demos to keep buying, plus a required amount each quarter, and not using other companies’ products makes me wonder about their future using the current MLM model. They may have to change.
It’s not like I’m on the SU bandwagon, but they cannot manufacture dies for the same price that Ali Express/Alibaba does.
And do many demos go on cruises without paying? I don’t know, just guessed not.
The cruises are earned. You cannot just pay your way on one. I don't know if the demos have to pay airfair or not for the cruises. I think most of the demos that earn the cruises are at Silver status or above.
OnStage is for any demo - if you don't have enough rewards points you can pay your way and you also have to pay for your travel and hotel.
I have recently been talking with a friend that is also a "hobby" demo with SU and we were talking about many of these same issues...i.e. new "mini" catalog with nothing interesting, shipping costs, etc... I seem to have accumulated many SU products that have hardly been used, that now need to be purged to make room for the continuous new catalogs. I found shipping costs from SU to be outrageously high and take 10-14 days to arrive.
I have recently found other stamping items online through non-SU sites that are decently priced, made in the US and offer great incentives to purchase the product with no requirement to buy in the future. There also doesn't seem to be continual changes in colors either.
I do agree that SU paper is among the best around. I just hate getting rid of it when they decide it's not one of their colors anymore.
Many people on this thread have spoken of "GinaK", so I will be looking at that site as well.
Thanks Splitcoast for having this forum.
I have recently been talking with a friend that is also a "hobby" demo with SU and we were talking about many of these same issues...i.e. new "mini" catalog with nothing interesting, shipping costs, etc... I seem to have accumulated many SU products that have hardly been used, that now need to be purged to make room for the continuous new catalogs. I found shipping costs from SU to be outrageously high and take 10-14 days to arrive.
I have recently found other stamping items online through non-SU sites that are decently priced, made in the US and offer great incentives to purchase the product with no requirement to buy in the future. There also doesn't seem to be continual changes in colors either.
I do agree that SU paper is among the best around. I just hate getting rid of it when they decide it's not one of their colors anymore.
Many people on this thread have spoken of "GinaK", so I will be looking at that site as well.
Thanks Splitcoast for having this forum.
I have been a "demo" for Stampin'Up! multiple times. Why did I put that in quotes? Because what it translates to is: SU! is having one of their fabulous "sign up" offers where you get a lot of product for not a lot of $$. I then get whatever I "need" until I fail to meet the minimums for a couple of quarters (because I am my only customer) and let them drop me as a demo. I've probably done this three or four times over the years. I knew (and the demo I was signing up under knew) that it was a short-term commitment, at best. I had ZERO illusions on my ability to build a customer base (ditto on the desire to do so), and there's only so much I'm willing to spend myself, so it was inevitable. I'm much happier having a demo that I throw an order at every rare once in a while because I "need" something. I try to make it worth the shipping, at least...
The one thing I saw in the SAB catalog (Hm, maybe catalog is an exaggeration?) that really attracted me was the stone embossing folder. Naturally, instead of offering THAT as a $50 reward item, they bundled it with a stamp set and you have to have $100 order to get it. Why the heck couldn't you have the choice of either the stamps OR the folder for $50- it's not like they really go together. Blah! I guess I'll wait until the March 3rd release of new SAB to see if they offer anything worth me placing an order.
The one thing I saw in the SAB catalog (Hm, maybe catalog is an exaggeration?) that really attracted me was the stone embossing folder. Naturally, instead of offering THAT as a $50 reward item, they bundled it with a stamp set and you have to have $100 order to get it. Why the heck couldn't you have the choice of either the stamps OR the folder for $50- it's not like they really go together. Blah! I guess I'll wait until the March 3rd release of new SAB to see if they offer anything worth me placing an order.
If you wait long enough, that embossing folder will end up on the clearance rack in a year or two. Seriously. Or you buy it on a used forum in a few months. I like SU products, not all, but some. And in recent years, I have learned to be patient and buy things on my wish list from thebuy/sell forums for a fraction of the original price.
I, too, was a demo years ago. I can add this...those top level cruise earners have worked their tail feathers off, and have probably gone into debt to make it happen. It was so hard to juggle the down line demos, the new releases, the retiring product, the supply chain, the shows, the prep for make and takes, the meetings, the catalogs, all while trying to make sure you were still at a certain percentage where there might be a paycheck involved...and that never ever happened. In the end, I realized that if I’d been a barista by day and a crafter by night, I would have had some money leftover at the end of the week to show for it. Not true for demos.
There are a lot of companies out there now, and SU is no longer the go to source like it once was. I prefer to purchase from non-DSA based, MLM businesses that offer sales and free shipping incentives, with innovative designs and products.
Originally I was mad about the poppy suite, but after thinking about it, I can live without it. There are 3 other sets in the mini that I will order, but nothing really grabs in Sale A Bration.....
I LOVE the fresh new design and layout! I think it is time to change it up a bit!!! I really want all the new masculine stamps sets in the mini. Guy cards are always the hardest cards to create. I think it would make it much easier with these new fresh sets!
I LOVE the fresh new design and layout! I think it is time to change it up a bit!!! I really want all the new masculine stamps sets in the mini. Guy cards are always the hardest cards to create. I think it would make it much easier with these new fresh sets!
I love it, too! This is my favorite mini in the 20 years I've used Stampin' Up! I'm crazy about all the color, the Parisian Blossoms stuff, and the Tropical Oasis suite. I don't have anything like that.
I love it, too! This is my favorite mini in the 20 years I've used Stampin' Up! I'm crazy about all the color, the Parisian Blossoms stuff, and the Tropical Oasis suite. I don't have anything like that.
I got my copies this weekend, and I agree. I think the mini has some really lovely products! I told my hubby that I was picking out my birthday presents for February! 😊 Must have that bee set! I think the SAB is a little light, but if last year is any indication, they may add to it later.
I got my copies this weekend, and I agree. I think the mini has some really lovely products! I told my hubby that I was picking out my birthday presents for February! 😊 Must have that bee set! I think the SAB is a little light, but if last year is any indication, they may add to it later.
They are adding to it March 3 I think. They are also adding coordinating stuff in February! That SAB cake stamp set will have dies we can buy then! Which makes it more appealing to me.
bUT IT really shows how cheap it is to manufacture, and SU sells their products at a huge inflated price. No wonder so many demos get to go on cruises!
As I posted to your statement in the Tim Holtz thread
The Stampin Up demos work their butts off to be able to qualify for the cruise.
Have you ever been to one of these top demos open houses or card club class. I have. It is beyond amazing what they do for their customers.
I will agree that the prices are getting out of hand on SU products but please don't bash the demos that get these cruises. This is a business to them.They put everything They have into their business. This is their job. They are not hobby demos.
If you want to buy from China companies that steal artwork from American artist. That is your personal choice. I prefer to support American artists for this crafting industry.
__________________ Leslie
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I agree with you on all the stuff demos with big sales get as incentives. Tired of paying SU BIG prices.Give business to a demo that is small business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynkim
I know the top demos work hard to build their teams and their business, but I truly wonder if I am paying higher prices for their rewards of cruises and freebies at the conventions. I do know you have to be at a certain level to qualify to attend the convention, and huge sales to win the cruise. I like the quality of paper, and will continue to purchase some things, but I have shopped more from SSS than SU lately! I will not support the pirates at **********, they rip off artists, designers and companies.
Demos are not a small business ever.. they are buying to stay in a company that really only pays attention to the ones that make them the most money. ********** is selling the seconds and thirds that these companies don't want. You really think they are stealing the designs when the stamps and dies are made in China...if you do sorry but they are made in the same factories where the workers make very little money.
Demos are not a small business ever.. they are buying to stay in a company that really only pays attention to the ones that make them the most money. ********** is selling the seconds and thirds that these companies don't want. You really think they are stealing the designs when the stamps and dies are made in China...if you do sorry but they are made in the same factories where the workers make very little money.
Ali Express/Alibaba and other Chinese companies copy/steal designs from artists and designers and companies in the U.S. They steal designs from a huge range, not just crafting. One of the artists here has had her work stolen and copied.
If you want to dig deeper, there are many articles about the problem, and many U.S. artists and designers who have reported their designs being stolen. I'm repeating myself, but a friend of mine had her jewelry designs stolen. They weren't seconds; her work is made in the U.S.
The same thing has happened, for example, with a line of high-end, artistic lighting fixtures, with copies made in China and Mexico. A client (lighting showroom) had to stop carrying the line that they had sold for years, because the knock-offs were so cheap and not enough people would pay for the real ones.
Demos are not a small business ever.. they are buying to stay in a company that really only pays attention to the ones that make them the most money. ********** is selling the seconds and thirds that these companies don't want. You really think they are stealing the designs when the stamps and dies are made in China...if you do sorry but they are made in the same factories where the workers make very little money.
YES. They ARE stealing the designs. Most often the dies and/or copycat stamps are smaller than the originals and almost always are of inferior quality. And it doesn't happen to just SU images.
BTW, while a lot of SU's products come from China, SU stamps are 100% made in the USA. In Utah. At SU's own manufacturing facility.
Demos are not a small business ever.. they are buying to stay in a company that really only pays attention to the ones that make them the most money. ********** is selling the seconds and thirds that these companies don't want. You really think they are stealing the designs when the stamps and dies are made in China...if you do sorry but they are made in the same factories where the workers make very little money.
So you are saying that ********** is selling "defects" of stamps from US companies? That these companies including SU just give ********** theses "defected stamps" free to sell?
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I find the SU prices are really over priced and continually going up. I'm sorry to say that I'm buying on Ebay or **********! Yes, I'm sending dollars overseas but they are pricing themselves out of business and making it tough on those who don't have unlimited income...
Betty
I find the SU prices are really over priced and continually going up. I'm sorry to say that I'm buying on Ebay or **********! Yes, I'm sending dollars overseas but they are pricing themselves out of business and making it tough on those who don't have unlimited income...
Betty
It’s not about sending $$ overseas. You can read other posts here or articles about **********/Alibaba if interested, but the bottom line is they steal the art and designs from artists, designers and companies that own it. When we buy from them we buy stolen goods, intentionally or not. The end result is that small business owners and artists suffer. Some go out of business or have to stop producing a line. BTW, it’s not just happening in the paper craft industry. Ali has their claws in many fields.
There are some companies that sell great stamps and dies in expensively, too, if SU designs aren’t the only ones that interest you.
So you are saying that ********** is selling "defects" of stamps from US companies? That these companies including SU just give ********** theses "defected stamps" free to sell?
I wanted to address this question specifically--Stampin' Up! does not give defective stamps to anyone to sell, and most certainly not to companies like Alliexpress. Stampin' Up! manufactures all of their stamps in Utah, USA.
I also know that smaller companies such as My Favorite Things manufacture their stamps and dies in the US and have a page on their website specifically for reporting suspected counterfeits.
I wanted to address this question specifically--Stampin' Up! does not give defective stamps to anyone to sell, and most certainly not to companies like Alliexpress. Stampin' Up! manufactures all of their stamps in Utah, USA.
I also know that smaller companies such as My Favorite Things manufacture their stamps and dies in the US and have a page on their website specifically for reporting suspected counterfeits.
My comment was directed to Tazmom who thinks that this happens. Who has not been on SCS since she made this comment.
I am smart enough to know the difference when an stamp is stolen, especially when SU releases stamps in rubber only and never release them in photopolymer. When seeing an SU stamp set sold in photopolymer I know it is stolen.
I just wish people would pick another stamp company to give their money to instead of supporting Alliexpress and other china companies.
I do agree SU has really been over pricing stamp sets or now they are bundling stamps with dies, these prices are way to high especially when people have to meet a stamp club quota for a monthly purchase. I can't save $60 plus for an order for one month. This I would have to save for, but still have to make a monthly purchase. So my orders have been smaller.
If anyone is interested in looking at a new companies that has sales all the time check out Unity Stamps. There is something for everyone there.
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I wish I can see the catalog to see if I want anything. Being on a limited income it's getting the point where I am highly thinking of buying from **********. It's cheaper and pretty much the same products.
No, they are not the same products! Made in China with images stolen from our designers. I'd think twice if I were you. I've read that the quality sucks with these copies. Just saying.....
I am smart enough to know the difference when an stamp is stolen, especially when SU releases stamps in rubber only and never release them in photopolymer. When seeing an SU stamp set sold in photopolymer I know it is stolen.
I don't buy from Ali(whatever) and never will, but SU has raised prices above my spending ability. Just FYI SU does use photopolymer now. Has been for a couple of years.
__________________ Keep what is worth keeping
and with the breath of kindness
blow the rest away.
I am smart enough to know the difference when an stamp is stolen, especially when SU releases stamps in rubber only and never release them in photopolymer. When seeing an SU stamp set sold in photopolymer I know it is stolen.
I don't buy from Ali(whatever) and never will, but SU has raised prices above my spending ability. Just FYI SU does use photopolymer now. Has been for a couple of years.
I know SU sells photopolymer stamps. What I am saying is if a stamp set was only released by SU in Rubber and SU never sold that stamp set in photopolymer, then when you see said stamp set on ********** in photopolymer or any other site made by china you know it's stolen.
__________________ The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. Practice safe eating always use condiments
I've been buying SU for maybe 15 yrs. I appreciate having a demo available any time for questions and being able to go to Card Cafes/Stamp Camp. I'm not buying too much because so much is just a reworking of stamp sets I already have. I think I will be buying ink pads from other companies because their pads are too big for using a stamp positioner. I dislike the mini pads.
It seems to me that SU made a mistake in changing their policy about demos being able to use non-competing products from other companies. They lost a lot of demos. Then they waited so long before bringing out the foam mounted stamps and called them "clear' stamps instead of the "cling" mount name the rest of the industry used. Then they finally brought out photopolymer stamps and decided to call them photopolymer instead of clear stamps like the rest of the industry. I get that this was marketing strategy and making SU unique, but that was just stupid. They waited forever to bring out alcohol markers to compete with copics and the first roll out was a disaster.
I have no doubt that curtailing incentives and other things is to keep the company in business. I will still buy from SU because they were my first love lol. and because there are sooo many companies now that I am overwhelmed and prefer to stick mostly with a several stamp companies that I know and love. End of sermon Lol.
Nothing in the SAL or Spring catalog appeal to me at all. Never been a demo but have had 3 of them since I started using SU products in early 2009. I'm now at the point where I rarely order anything new and make do with what I have. I do not need rehashes of stamp designs and at least half my perfectly good ink pads and reinkers are retired. Same for punches and dies. Last year I decided not to get the InColor cardstock pack or markers anymore. I have plenty of other colors of those items that will work just fine.
I sometimes wonder who they are really selling to these days.
This thread came up in a search for me this morning. It is less than three years old and even then people were unhappy with the price increases and shipping at SU. This next catalog will really be a shock. Nearly EVERYTHING is going up, some as much as 20% (linen thread from $4 to $5) and shipping is going up as well.
I agree that it is more and more difficult to keep a MLM format going. Covid certainly did not help that. But these prices are getting out of hand. My sister and I "share" a demonstrator-ship for the paltry 25% discount and we also share that discount with a handful of friends. Even with 25% off, the product is pricey.
SU does make their stamps in Utah. But their dies are 100% made in China. In December, I ordered two sets of dies from ********** because they were 16% of the SU price! I had purchased the stamp sets from SU previously. They took almost four weeks to come but that was ok. Guess what? They fit my SU stamps perfectly.
I would prefer to buy American but every well has it's bottom. I can afford to pay the SU prices but why would I? At this point, my purchasing will be limited to paper and ink. And even those are going up a lot.
Last edited by VeronaSue; 04-18-2022 at 08:34 AM..
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