Life always throws curve balls. Anymore studies you can participate in?
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Life always throws curve balls. Anymore studies you can participate in?
My husband would hate me being gone more...this one will require me to be off for 6 weeks.
....but the second that this company offers me another, best believe I'll be taking it.... >.>
<3 No problem. We should all have a chance at our fantasy in life. :3
Yeah.... Pretty much. Hahaha Oh yay! I have an extra $100!
Cats: HA NO! We all suddenly have tapeworm! So you have to buy pills AND new litter! MEOWAHAHAHA
Me: AURGHOIHTWOEIGHPIWENGOWEIHIOEHR WHY?! *headdesk*
Doesn't help that one of our cats is 12 friggin' pounds. So she requires 2 out of the 3 pills in the $25 bottle. So, I have to get 2 bottles and I only need 4 pills (Autumn gets 2, Yolei and Kefi only get 1)
Thanks guys... I love you too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kakarotte
I have asperger to, but still live at home.
Ariel - Is that picture in your signature your new tail?! It's so... so... I dunno! The colours just *BLEND* :D It's the exact blue that I'd like if I had a blue tail. :D You're going to look gorgeous!
Anyone have any new news on their tails? Updates on fundraising?
I know that my fluke sculpture is still in the works! It's quite a project, apparently. :-P I don't mind. I'm fairly certain she enjoys the challenge!
<3
Thank you! Yes it's a sneak peak of my tail <3 I love it how the blues blend in
I'd say Raven has earned her respect here for quality, don't discontinue the basic tails, just up the price to what Raven's time is worth. Sometimes a business model isn't about mass production but more about sustainability. Not everyone can afford a high-end product, but can you appropriately price a lower end product and deliver. My first business was about high end and profit, but I quickly learned that competitive low end made me 4x the money.
I think the thing people forget about Raven's tails too is that they are 100% custom, and a customized product takes a lot of time. They don't have scale sheets laying about to cut into whatever measurements, or pre made tails waiting around and ready to go. There's a huge amount of work that goes into making the tail and painting it, and even getting the customer photos for it!
Which is why I support her in whatever decision she makes. Neoprene is tough to work with, I know, and having to measure and cut each tail to fit each customer! Yikes! If she just had templates for small, medium, large, that would be one thing, but doing different measurements for each tail means no reusable pattern.
It would be like asking a fashion designer to put out tons of custom dresses made exactly to each customer's measurements and colour preferences. Ya, the "design" is the same, but the pieces change. It's just too much.
Unlike scarves or belts, I can pump out 25 scarves and make them the same length and width and they will "fit" most people. Tails aren't like that.
♥♥ The work and love Raven puts into her tails is amazing. Let her make the decision. :-D
Well said. I can only imagine the stress she goes through while cutting/sewing/glueing/etc with the basic tails. It's her business, whatever she decides, we should support her. If Basic tails are just too stressful or too much work for her... Honestly she should have the choice of discontinuing them! I haven't known Raven for a very long time, but ever since I've met her, I only see her working. Every. Single. Day.Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
That girl needs a break! <3
Mer Isabela: you met her?! :o And yeah, she def. needs a break! <3
Not in person. We talk online occasionally. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ariel Starfish
Oooh ok ;)
Well, now that I'm not mad, I've come to the conclusion that everyone is right. Plus, there are lots of things that people want but don't have the funds for. You don't get down on yourself about a Mercedes not being affordable. . So, if you make the logical conclusion that you can realistically gather the funds for a well-made neoprene tail in the near future, and that's your first tail, hey, that's how Mermaid Hannah spent most of her career! If you can realistically gather the funds for a silicone tail, you're the target for that market. As for fundraising here in the the Midwest, the US can be incredibly stingy with where its money goes when "the little guy" is concerned, and every artist network I've been involved with is struggling financially. A big artist community in Columbus has almost had to close its doors a couple times. We don't really do grants outside of education here, and banks will only give you a loan if you can provide pay stubs that prove that you make a certain amount of money. No credit union I've approached for anything considers freelance modeling a real business (many of the photographers in this area who work with models feel the same way!). That's just the way the Midwest and the Bible Belt are. So, it's scholarship hunting and being a human guinea pig for me :) Canada sounds awesome!
Was going to point this out.Quote:
Originally Posted by AniaR
Tails can only get cheaper if the industry will get behind it and machine-make them.
To stay with Kakarotte's wedding dress example;
this is a short exerpt on wedding gowns, explaining what you can expect for what amount of money.
This easily applies as well for clothes, shoes, or tails, respectively:
For around $500, you can purchase a wedding dress at a larger retailer that is machine made. Generally, these are made largely of synthetic fabrics, and have minimal amounts of hand-detailing. You may be able to purchase a lovely bridesmaid's gown in white from a more well-known designer. Make sure to get the wedding dress altered to help it fit you properly.
Brides who are looking for a designer wedding dress in silk or other natural fabric should expect to pay between $2000 and $4000. For this amount of money, the gown should be very well made, and include some hand detailing. You'll go to a salon where they'll measure you, help you pick your wedding dress, and order it directly from the designer in your size. Once it arrives, you'll pay a little extra to have it altered to fit you.
For brides who have an extravagant budget, expect to pay $6000 and up for a designer wedding dress custom made just for you. A seamstress will work with you to precisely fit and design the gown around your body. Most of the work will be done by hand.
Considering this, I won't complain about current prices.
Okay, I do complain, but only to myself while counting my savings :D
Like I said when I stopped raging. You don't complain when a Mercedes is out of your price range and won't be for awhile. You just get a Corvette and sell it to help get a Mercedes if your finances improve. To be honest, you may find that you like corvettes, do just fine with them, and never get a Mercedes.
That's actually a really good analogy, Kakarotte. :-D
Yep, totally agree with kakarotte ;)
So, did any of the latest bunch who ordered get their tails/had first pictures/unpacked their tails/ etc etc? :)
My order is going pretty fast ectually; I asked pictures on the day my 120 days where over, I got them asap, she asked if I wanted some adjustments and I said what and how. Now I rencently asked how much my shipping would be (to Belguim) and I think it won't last long until I hear some news.:yay:
So heads up people, Merbellas wont be working on orders until they're finished their lineup of gigs right now (I think about a week). It's unlikely they'll have time to respond to most emails or messages.
As Ive said previously, I've been helping Raven get a handle on her overwhelming messages in her inbox. I have to tell you, it's 99% worse than I thought in terms of how much junk mail they have to get through. On FB alone for the month of May, there was 100s and 100s of messages, and maybe like 3 or 4 were actually relevant in terms of people ready to pay or current clients discussing with them. More than half were people asking questions already answered on their FAQ, about 1/4 were just "do u make tails?". And then there were a bunch of things just not relevant. I guarantee this is like a million times worse than what I get in my email inbox, and this is just their FACEBOOK message centre. Some people just spam all their accounts like crazy. So, when people get all huffy about messages being returned, please remember that 1) The priority for them is getting their product out to clients who have paid and 2) 4 people are now working on addressing the messages, Raven and her Husband, and Me and Sean,..... and it's STILL not enough. I spent about 3 hours Friday night just going through FB messages archiving some things and responding to the ones I could respond to (which are basically just the emails telling people where to find the info for the tails etc.) I spent a few hours yesterday too. And they were going through it too. Just FB. So yeah, it's nuts.
Sean and I are hoping to implement a system for them with an auto-reply that answers FAQ, and gives important info. And then a system to organize their incoming mail automatically directly to folders like I have set up. Raven has helped me so much with my own mermaid career it's great to be able to help pay her back. But seriously. I have serious doubts that even hiring a secretary would help if 4 people can't get through all the messages in a day :p she is HIGH in demand!
Super Raina comes in to save the day!
I can only imagine the horrors of e-mails they must get. I'm sure most of them are just kids wanting a tail without really knowing how much they cost. If there's anything I can do to help you guys just let me know. :)
Same here, let me know if you need help. I have a lot of free time. :-D
I am going to be verrrryyyy verrrrryyyyy bored until the morning of the 6th. I am confined to what looks like a waiting room with 20 other people until then. If you guys need help, I will basically be having to sit on my ass until then
My tail was shipped and should arrive on Thursday!!!
http://i51.tinypic.com/2dv4c34.gif
(Shipping is going to be $120 though O_O)
Woohoo! I'm excited for you Iona!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yay!!!! So exciting!
Yay Iona!! <3
As said here erlier; i'll have to sit on my butt for a week and wait :sad eyes:
And that Gif made me pee my tail from laughing xD
Ok I thought waiting for the tail to be made was rough...nope waiting for it to come in the mail is a killer also for the fact that its been stuck in florida for two days now O.o I stalk my tracking number like its my job and it hasnt moved. Like Iona my tail is due on Thursday which is only three days away but it feels like a life time..
Hahaha the minutes become hours? The hours feel like days? That kind of thing? :-P
Completely! I kmow Fedex doesnt ship Sunday but it hasnt left florida at all today :( I really hope it comes by friday. My friend mermaid alexis who had the photoshoot with Raven recently is going to do a swim with me at my bridal shower to show off our tails and I guess kind of launch our shop that we have together call Salty Siren Sisters
Little note from Raven about shipping...
Attachment 11661
I saw ravens note and now I feel really bad. I didn't know I was supposed to pay for shipping. She never brought it up and I thought I was getting free shipping as a thanks for being so patient and waiting for my tail while she moved, went through the silicone shortage, etc. I'd be happy to send her a check for shipping, the only problem is my parents will be PISSED about it. They're extremely stingy.
I'd ask her specifically. If she didn't tell you what the shipping was, she may not expect you to pay. I think this is more directed at people she's asked for money from and they never gave. I actually still owe her 150$ because shipping my tail was 350$ and we thought at most it would be 200$ (It's expensive to ship TO Canada)
Yeah, my shipping to Australia express was $400. Shipping is so horrible at the moment! Some people suggested putting the cost of shipping into the whole tail price before the client orders, but that is tough. Here, for instance, the price of shipping has changed dramatically over the last 12 months- its really hard to keep up with postage costs!
I hear you Hyli. I'm looking at the tracking all like... MOOOOOVE! Looks like it finally left the facility an hour ago! I got my shipping payment sent in- woo woo! She originally told me she shipped COD, which is you pay fedex when you pick up the tail. But apparently you have to have a FedEx account to do that. But I'm all paid up so yay :) Gonna work on some new accessories to wear with my tail when it arrives!
http://media.tumblr.com/22027a174b6a...9gn1qz4rgp.gif
(You guys know the gifs aren't stopping right? Cause they're not. I WILL MAKE YOU FEEL HOW I FEEEEEL! XD)
I guess we're tail shipping buddies cuz thats when mine was shipped out too..man I gotta find some awesome gifs! I really want to work on the stingray top but I need fiberglass abd thats a wedding present from a friend so I have to wait..he just sits there staring wanting.to be cast..gah gotta find some other things to make!!
Shipping is always the tough one. Which reminds me that I need to save up for that. (Losing my job ate what I had.) I will prevail!
Shipping costs can be tough. hope she works something else, and not eat the cost.
I've asked how much my shipping costs would be and Raven asked where the tail must be shipped to. I respond asap but afther 4 days, i still heard nothing. I'm re-sending my email now .
Remember that she is travelling right now to perform and won't be able to respond to e-mails very quickly. Also, remember that Raina and mertender Sean are helping filter through e-mails. Be patient, she will get back. :-)