Testing the Waters

For several years, I have been promising myself that I would open an online store. Originally I thought it would be an Etsy shop, and that may still happen. At Christmas time I showed my Facebook friends a cushion I had created using my own art. I planned to order one but it was through Fine Art America and between the exchange rates and shipping it added up to more than I was willing to pay...and that would have been at my wholesale price. Apparently, nobody else wanted one either, not that I did any actual marketing. 

I have since located two Canadian companies that also print items on demand. I sent one of them a photo of a piece of art I created to see how it would look on their products. I am quite pleased but, as there are what some of you might consider flaws in my artwork, I wanted to see if they spoiled the effect once printed bigger than the actual art. I have ordered two products in vastly different materials so that I can see how these things look in person. That will also give me a clear idea if I should change the routine thread colour, and whether I want more than just my name on the labels. 

The company I'm testing first is highly attentive.  I have had an email each day explaining various aspects of their website, how things work, and how to get my patterns adjusted on the products more in line with what I had in mind. They also tell me what steps to take to create my shop online or in person.  I even got a quick reply when I sent an email asking a question.  So far,  I am quite impressed. 

 

As everything is printed, cut, and sewn only after either you or I order it, it will take a couple of weeks to arrive.  If all goes well, I will add designs and open the shop.  The other company I found prints completely different things in a more simplified way. I might test a few of their products out too.  And Etsy? Well, if I get perfectly good test products I decide I don't want to keep, maybe I will try selling them there.  At least I have finally started to test the waters on this long-awaited project.

A Useful Site

 I once told you about the difficulty I find when face to face with all the product choices available these days. In recent years I have been testing a multitude of samples through such programs as BzzAgent, Influenster, Shopper Army, Chick Advisor and Sample Source.  Even Proctor & Gamble sends out a box of their products from time to time.

I've tried new products in categories from dried pasta to electric toothbrushes. There were many shampoos, face creams and even makeup items like lipstick and mascara. I've been introduced to so many products I might never have discovered otherwise and some of them have become family favourites.

I've discovered that in some cases you really do get what you pay for. John Frieda and Vichy are two companies that I likely never would have gambled my money on. Their products are quiet pricey, but now that I've had samples to try first, I know they are well worth the money. I now have favorite products amoung these brands.

Still, there are new products introduced everyday and the choices are still hard to make in many cases.

In another blog I mentioned the Oral B toothbrush I received from BzzAgent. That post was spotted by a member of the staff at Reviews.com and she reached out to me to see if I would include a mention of their site in that post or some future one. Well, that's an old post and I doubted many people would find it (or would have if I had not mentioned it here) so I didn't really see the point of adding anything there until now.

The thing is, I have now explored their site and decided it might be helpful to some of you in sorting though products to find one that's right for you. It may even help you with your upcoming Christmas purchases. They do extensive research on a wide range of products and name what they feel are the best. They tell you how they reached those conclusions and realize everyone likes different things for their own reasons. They even welcome your input.

The first review I found, of course, was about the electric toothbrushes. The amount of research and effort put into this one review is so extensive it boggled my mind. But it proved to me that this is not just some lone person, like me, with an opinion. Looking further I discovered there is a team of at least 50 people in this company and they really do look into not only products but services as well, before giving an unbiased review.

It is an American company so some of the things just don't apply up here. On the other hand, a great deal of it does and is very helpful. The only thing I can compare this site to is Consumer Reports but the lists of things they review don't often overlap. I suggest you go to https://www.reviews.com/ and check it out for yourself. Decide what type of product you would like to see their top choice for and put it in the search box. Play with it a bit. Decide for yourself if this site will be useful to you in helping you make difficult product choices in the future. I think it is at least a site worth knowing about.



Note: July 17, 2020   Apparently the link about the toothbrushes doesn't exist anymore but I have now been provided with a new one for you to check out, if you care to.   https://www.consumersadvocate.org/electric-toothbrushes

Too Many Choices

Once upon a time you could go shopping for what you wanted without having to make a lot of decisions. If you wanted clean hair, you bought shampoo. If you wanted a skin cream you bought a moisturizer. If you wanted an appliance, you just asked for one that did what you wanted it to do, and the salesman showed you the right model. Things have changed.  Now we are faced with entire walls of shampoos and skin creams and when it comes to appliances, well, it's too confusing for words.

There are not only a multitude of shampoo brands to pick from, you have to narrow it down to whether you want to build body, control frizz, repair damage, protect colour or even enhance grey. There are shampoos that are organic, sulphate free, offer thermal protection, are fortifying, nourishing, hydrating or clarifying.  There are shampoos for children, oily hair, thin hair and some that prevents hair fall. There are dandruff shampoos, dry shampoos, pet shampoos, and 2 in 1 shampoos that combine the conditioning with the cleaning power.

I'm thrilled when I get samples and find something I like without having to face that wall of decisions and take a chance on spending money on something not right for me.  I just have to locate the one I want next time I go to the store, though even that isn't always easy.

For face care there are cleansers, exfoliators, toners, serums, gels and  moisturizers.  There are day creams, night creams, eye creams, and throat creams. There are things called BB creams and CC creams. There are products that protect, nourish, clarify, lift, rejuvenate, brighten, illuminate, and erase blemishes and dark spots. Oh and let's not forget the ones that promise to prevent or diminish wrinkles.

A friend called recently to ask what I use on my face. She admitted that she was never one to use moisturizers and such, and had come to the conclusion that it was time to try to do something about what nature does to us all over time. I've been using moisturizers of one sort or another since way back when I even washed my face with Noxzema in my early teens. She said when she looked at the wall of products available, she had no idea of where to start.  I'm not sure any of us do. 

Really, I believe that more is not necessarily better, and that comes to choices too.  I can't tell you how many times I have considered trying a new brand of makeup and found that I couldn't decide on what to pick because there were too many brands, with too many different lines, and too many shades in each. I found this site where you could match the shade you currently use with others available on the market. It didn't work for me though as I've been using Yves Rocher products for years and that brand is not listed.

I'm not sure why any one brand would make so many different lines of things that do so many different things. Sure that would create something for everyone, but  I would think that would also cost them more in development, production, packaging and advertising than if they just created a few good products and put them where we all could find them. I'm sure that added cost gets passed on to us, the consumer.

Once again, I'm glad that so many samples are offered online these days. I've discovered some marvelous products over the past few years that I likely never would have purchased, or even known about otherwise.  Facing that wall of decisions every time I need to make a purchase has, on occasion caused me to walk away with nothing. I know I'm not the only one that has reacted that way. The companies can't make any money that way.

Keep it simple, I say. The population is aging, and there are days when we don't want to have to read a million labels just to buy some every day product.