Welcome to the Order! We are so excited to bring you two new members to the Order: Michelle from Waxing About and Liz from Furianne! These ladies write awesome blog posts about smelly stuff and we are honored to have them join us. Please chime in on our question this month:
Have you had any wax ordering frustrations?
Several, unfortunately. I joined the wax world right before the big boom that caused a lot of vendors' TAT to increase drastically. So I remember buying Rosegirls before it would take almost a year to get their products, CFTKR when I could buy from them whenever I fancied, and SMT had been the only vendor that had projected a very long TAT after that fateful December sale that brought them an unprecedented number of orders.
On one hand, I'm all for waiting a little longer for good quality wax. I understand that a lot of these companies are just someone's hobby and is by no means their full time job. On the other hand, I feel like it has encouraged more and more vendors to let their TAT slip. It's horrible that we as customers have made it okay for companies to pull this stuff on us. It's not okay to wait that long for scented wax. If you have to take that long to make it, maybe you should rethink your business model. I've seen lots of companies go under because their open once or twice a year method did not work. I personally can't justify ordering from somewhere when I don't know whether the scents I'm ordering now will be in by the time I get them. I quite like how Glitterati is doing their stuff - if you get on the list, you don't have to pay up or decide what you want until it is your turn to put in your order. In my head that process completely offsets almost all of the downsides to other companies with obnoxiously long TATs.
Certain vendors have an almost cult following now, and it feels like if you say anything bad about x or y vendor you will get flamed. I decided never to order from a vendor that the other ladies here know and love because I saw the owner publicly call out someone who had a legitimate concern about her order. The customer was concerned about packaging, as every single one of her tart bags had arrived ripped. It wasn't the first time packaging had been an issue with this vendor, but the owner felt the need to call out this customer who had been nice enough to bring the issue to her in private. The pure unprofessional attitude I saw from the owner and how she fed off of her cult followers jumping onto the 'talk shit' train really discouraged me from buying. This was two years ago and I haven't looked back.
I guess this is the downside to people selling wax as a side job. You get a more personal feel to buying from and interacting with the vendor, but you lose a lot of that professionalism in doing so. The people running the business are human, but it behooves them not to act like complete asses in a public place when acting as their business.
'Wax frustrations' encompasses a lot of things. I think I covered some of the most frustrating things for me here without completely dropping all social decorum.
On one hand, I'm all for waiting a little longer for good quality wax. I understand that a lot of these companies are just someone's hobby and is by no means their full time job. On the other hand, I feel like it has encouraged more and more vendors to let their TAT slip. It's horrible that we as customers have made it okay for companies to pull this stuff on us. It's not okay to wait that long for scented wax. If you have to take that long to make it, maybe you should rethink your business model. I've seen lots of companies go under because their open once or twice a year method did not work. I personally can't justify ordering from somewhere when I don't know whether the scents I'm ordering now will be in by the time I get them. I quite like how Glitterati is doing their stuff - if you get on the list, you don't have to pay up or decide what you want until it is your turn to put in your order. In my head that process completely offsets almost all of the downsides to other companies with obnoxiously long TATs.
Certain vendors have an almost cult following now, and it feels like if you say anything bad about x or y vendor you will get flamed. I decided never to order from a vendor that the other ladies here know and love because I saw the owner publicly call out someone who had a legitimate concern about her order. The customer was concerned about packaging, as every single one of her tart bags had arrived ripped. It wasn't the first time packaging had been an issue with this vendor, but the owner felt the need to call out this customer who had been nice enough to bring the issue to her in private. The pure unprofessional attitude I saw from the owner and how she fed off of her cult followers jumping onto the 'talk shit' train really discouraged me from buying. This was two years ago and I haven't looked back.
I guess this is the downside to people selling wax as a side job. You get a more personal feel to buying from and interacting with the vendor, but you lose a lot of that professionalism in doing so. The people running the business are human, but it behooves them not to act like complete asses in a public place when acting as their business.
'Wax frustrations' encompasses a lot of things. I think I covered some of the most frustrating things for me here without completely dropping all social decorum.
Deb hauled from a newer wax vendor and is quite impressed with their TAT, scents, throw and pricing. What new vendor has snared Deb's hard to capture attention? Come and find out, you will want to order too!
There is a vendor that Sunnee tries to never miss a sale from. Check out her most recent post showcasing just such a sale haul. Her gorgeous photos and blend picks are sure to create a lemming.
There is a vendor that Sunnee tries to never miss a sale from. Check out her most recent post showcasing just such a sale haul. Her gorgeous photos and blend picks are sure to create a lemming.
Jamie Lauren Cupcakery and Confection in Wax (JLCCW), a old popular vendor who closed and is now slated to re-open (for the second time- fingers crossed!) has a reputation for cute and strong throwing wax creations. Liz was one of the lucky old crew that hauled a nice order before JLCCW closed and is reviewing some. Check out how JLCCW wax is faring years later.
Mystery tarts, custom brittle and scent shots that have lightening fast TAT are all great things but when the brittle is Pink Peppermint you KNOW that is the cherry on top. And you probably know who hauled it.... Lauren! Haul posts are rare gems from her, so make sure not to miss this one!
Lasting Scent Candles announced they are closing, but will still be selling off their stock on their website with announcements on Facebook, until they run out. Julie shares her recent LSC haul with wishes we can all grab some last stragglers before they are gone forever.
Plum Wine Sandalwood, Jasmine Vanilla Green Tea Peach, and M'Lady's Boudoir fragrances... can you guess what vendor these unusual and innovative blends hails from? Michelle shares her recent haul that includes these cool scents, great photos and ordering information.
Lasting Scent Candles announced they are closing, but will still be selling off their stock on their website with announcements on Facebook, until they run out. Julie shares her recent LSC haul with wishes we can all grab some last stragglers before they are gone forever.
Plum Wine Sandalwood, Jasmine Vanilla Green Tea Peach, and M'Lady's Boudoir fragrances... can you guess what vendor these unusual and innovative blends hails from? Michelle shares her recent haul that includes these cool scents, great photos and ordering information.
I agree with you about how a vendor's conduct can really affect their business, I recently made the decision to stop purchasing from a vendor because it was made to seem that if you weren't of the same belief system as the owner, you weren't welcome to buy her products. Maybe it's owner's prerogative but it's also discrimination.
ReplyDeleteOoh man, I'm pretty sure I know who you're talking about. I saw that status in the group from the owner's hubby and... well, stopped paying attention to anything and everything they had to say, as well as their products. I've always respected a company's desire to work through their religion and use that as inspiration, but they took it to an extreme I didn't wish to be a part of.
DeleteI absolutely agree about conduct too. I cannot buy from vendors who discriminate. It's disgusting and inexcusable. I love reading old blogging posts from former wax bloggers who talk about RG being open every other month or CFTKR open all the time. It sounds like a whole 'nother time period ago. I wish their was a way to reconcile their new growth with being open more. I am glad RG is for MM now. That is a positive step.
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff Liz. I could not agree with you more about the cult following jumping on customers when they bring up legitimate concerns or questions. That's what admins are for, they are specifically picked by the vendor to represent them professionally and respectfully. All the other "fans" that go on and on and on defending difficult ordering days or shipping problems etc. just make the vendor's group hostile. I've been surprised at the amount of times vendors allow this to happen.
ReplyDeleteI was so glad to see in your post that we share some strong opinions on the same things. I mean, I'm not glad these problems exist but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one feeling the way I do.
ReplyDeleteYour comments, and other readers' comments, about the cult following and wax groups mean people....well once again Facebook is a big culprit in this declining indie vendor wax world. YouTube used to be where all the mean kids hung out, pushing their arrogance and sense of entitlement on everyone. Now it's Facebook. It's so easy to hide behind the quick words on a Facebook wall. And vendors who allow their admins to be bullies and let bullying happen should be ashamed of themselves.
~Deb