Merbellas Thread

[AniaR]

I'm not sure how accurate the FAQ is these days, since she's not taking orders and hasnt been for a year (except when someone cancels etc). I am not sure she's actually ever taken a payment plan though. She did offer it to me back when she wasn't as swamped but I decided to pay my tail in full. I thought I was likely a special case cuz I've always been timely with payments and offered up front to pay for extra things etc

I was talking to Tyler and I think it's Ok for me to say this here, they are moving so they have a bigger workshop space with better ventilation to help improve curing as well. She was so busy we didn't get to see each other when I visited last year which was a first for us, so I know it's not for lack of work. Tyler did mention to me too when I wished him luck on the back orders that they were almost caught up. So... hopefully!

[Ransom]

Someone with this much work should have the revenue to expand and recruit a team by now. No sense tying this much output to just one person's craftsmanship, however talented they might be.

Hopefully they can still turn things around. Tails wear out and lose their colours, but what customers remember is how we made them feel.

[AniaR]

They tried hiring people before, it greatly lowered the quality. It's just one of those things, can't outsource talent

[BlueCorvidae]

They tried hiring people before, it greatly lowered the quality. It's just one of those things, can't outsource talent

Okay, but Mertailor and Finfolk both have a warehouse and a full staff, and their quality hasn't been reduced by this. In fact Mertailor has been improving significantly.

[Theta]

Finfolk has been dialing back on silicone tails though (Did Mermaid Hunter ever get his???) and their wait times are right up there with Merbellas at this point, or close to it. They have also had some quality control and customer service issues.

Mertailor was lucky in that he had good exposure and was able to ride that wave and set up his facility while perfecting his craft. He's also much better at mass producing tails; I love his stuff lately but his silicones can't touch Raven's for creativity imo. They each have different strengths.

[KTMaggs]

Finfolk has been dialing back on silicone tails though (Did Mermaid Hunter ever get his???) and their wait times are right up there with Merbellas at this point, or close to it. They have also had some quality control and customer service issues.

Mertailor was lucky in that he had good exposure and was able to ride that wave and set up his facility while perfecting his craft. He's also much better at mass producing tails; I love his stuff lately but his silicones can't touch Raven's for creativity imo. They each have different strengths.

Mertailor only sells one type of silicone tail and it’s most likely easy to master. Mernation sells 3 different types of silicone tails, that are relatively inexpensive, they are very high quality and the tails are always done in less than a few months, sometimes it just takes 3 days to make! But you do have to send a duct tape dummy.



Sent from my iPhone using MerNetwork mobile app

[AniaR]

annnd Mertailor DID hire people to help make his silicone tails, but then let them go due to quality and wanting to have more artistic control, and now does them all himself again. His turn around times are faster yes, but he only has to focus on making the tails, but for a while there he was selling premade tails so they weren't customized in size or color unless you paid extra. Only recently did he switch everything back to mostly customization or fully customization.

having staff do your fabric lines/other things is one thing. But all the tail makers still do their own silicone tails. No one has had success outsourcing that.

It took mertailor a decade plus to get where he is now, and Finfolk are able to do their stuff BECAUSE of all their premade items. Merbellas is still just a two person operation with an occasional customer service helper working out of a home. You can't expect a leap to the same level as the others with a warehouse and huge staff overnight without any of the things that helped lead to those for others.

[Theta]

^ This.

This business model seems to be working for them, and has for a long time now. They don't bite off more than they can chew. Many tailmaking companies have come and gone, not knowing their own limitations, and when they tank they do it hard and fast and ugly. Everyone knows that the wait times are long and communication is sparse with Merbellas; you know that going in, after you've decided that they payoff is worth it.

[KatieScottArt]

I was fortunate enough to order a pre-designed tail back in 2016 after she stopped taking orders from the public. I had asked if I could have a rush order fee IF it were doable and they agreed with a “completed by” month. This would have made it an 8 month working time which was pretty unheard of but they said they could do it so I trusted that. The tail had to go through a redesign because the fluke on her original drawing wasn’t available to the public. I was told this pretty late in the game but no problem, I was able to send over a redesign within three days of finding out the other fluke wasn’t available. After 10 months I realized that my 8 month rush order wasn’t going to happen as promised, which is understandable because she’s a busy gal and the original order had changed. I decided to cancel my order altogether because I didn't want to play the waiting game and I shouldn’t have ordered if I was going to be an impatient person, plus I needed the money. I hadn't gotten any word of them starting on it and I made sure to ask if it was too late to cancel. I guess they hadn't started? I had gotten my hopes up with the rush fee and promised date, that’s totally MY bad and I understand that. I should have known better but also if it can't be done, a rush order shouldn't be an option and they never communicated about potentially not meeting this deadline. Communication really would have been nice, even to be like “hey, looks like we won’t make it, something came up” but I got nothing. 7/26/16 was the initial date I ordered. 5/26/17 was the date I asked for the refund. It took 10 months to get my tail refund back to me and I still haven’t received the 400.00 rush fee refund to this day (almost 15 months as of now). Not really stoked about that part. I know my experience is so "whatever" but it still sucked to go through. I know we all know the wait times are long and communication is bad but when you're told that something is doable, doesn't a part of you want to believe that?

The first time I ordered through her was in 2012. It was a GREAT experience with good communication and an 8-9 month wait. It was awesome!!
Her artwork is hands down some of the best out there (my personal favorite) but the business and communication side could use improvement. Accepting full payment for orders over two years out just seems like it could lead to a financial disaster if people started backing out (like me). I have no business suggesting how other people should run their companies but I'm still waiting on my complete refund and it’s been over a year. :/

[AniaR]

Yeah last I heard they stopped allowing rush fees all together. Sorry you went through that. It seems to be how things are all around right now. If you haven't emailed them about your refund in a while I'd totally do that

[Ransom]

True, but no one successfully making high-end silicone tails does it as their sole source of income. Rather, they have lines of fabric and other products to sell regularly as their bread and butter. That's what frees them from taking up more than they can handle -- as long as their relatively easily-made products are selling, they can ramp up or scale back as needed without cutting into their living income.

Mertailor realised this early on, Finfolk much later.

Agree with Katie, Merbella's is amazing but scoring one is like winning the lottery -- only you have a high chance of not being able to collect at all. Companies may tank hard and fast, but the writing would have been on the wall a long time in advance.

[Mermaid Momo]

I do wonder, how many tails does merbellas take on at a time so that the wait time for an in progress tail is 3+ years? I was under the impression they closed orders from the public to cut down on how many orders they took in at a time. In the case of Finfolk they take in new orders every day so i can understand their wait time being 3+ years as tails are bumped through the queue but i thought merbellas cut their queue down to only a few customers and wouldn't take more orders until tails in the queue were completed, thus keeping the queue at a stable number.

Sent from my [device_name] using MerNetwork mobile app

[Theta]

I'm not sure, honestly. Not that many I don't think. I know that compared to Finfolk and Mertailor they are extremely limited in actual working time due to humidity issues where they live. I remember someone talking about how they basically can't make silicone tails during the rainy season since the humidity is too high for the silicone to cure.

Iirc, I don't think they closed down public orders just to reduce the order load, although that probably factored in. Raven had a couple of bad experiences with people and almost threw in the towel altogether, so they decided to just keep repeat customers that they were comfortable working with. I think she's relaxed on that a little bit now, though, since I've seen a slot or two open up over the past year or whatever (note that these are the ones which grant her full creative license.)

Also Ransom, they've got leggings and shirts and stuff for sale on their site, just like all the other companies. Raven also does clearouts of headdresses and accessories fairly frequently, and that stuff goes like hotcakes.

[AniaR]

True, but no one successfully making high-end silicone tails does it as their sole source of income. Rather, they have lines of fabric and other products to sell regularly as their bread and butter. That's what frees them from taking up more than they can handle -- as long as their relatively easily-made products are selling, they can ramp up or scale back as needed without cutting into their living income.

Mertailor realised this early on, Finfolk much later.

Actually, industry history speaking, this is all VERY new. For the longest time they DID all only do silicone tails as their sole income. This has only been a past 2 years sort of thing actually. I think the issue is we're trying to hold them all to the same standard but they are ALL only just getting to this point. What seems like it should be standard is actually still brand new.

I think it's unfair to compare them all they're apples and oranges when you look at how they all got started. Finfolk are hard working ladies, but I remember reading that they were lucky enough their grandmother invested in their company with an early inheritance so they could actually AFFORD to take that leap of faith. Then they were smart enough to have that genius idea to sell bricks for their factory and their podsquad etc.

Other companies "look" successful on the surface, but are actually DESPERATE for clients. They have fast turnaround, and great customer service, because they have no customers. And I know of 1 company that directly got their company by very brutally taking advantage of Raven. I've always wanted her to tell the story publicly because I think it would floor people, but she had decided to let that go. (but it burns me up a lot) Finfolk had a similar experience.

Mertailor is doing amazing now, but he had some hiccups along the way and things got tight like many others have experienced. With big innovation comes big risk with potential for big fallout. And while he's enjoying success now and found his balance, he def had the same issues Raven is.

Merbella's launched clothing last year too. And also, her husband is a full time performer. Raven used to perform as well but had to stop in order to finish tails. and as Theta mentioned she sells off premade stuff.

I do wonder, how many tails does merbellas take on at a time so that the wait time for an in progress tail is 3+ years? I was under the impression they closed orders from the public to cut down on how many orders they took in at a time. In the case of Finfolk they take in new orders every day so i can understand their wait time being 3+ years as tails are bumped through the queue but i thought merbellas cut their queue down to only a few customers and wouldn't take more orders until tails in the queue were completed, thus keeping the queue at a stable number.

Both merbellas and finfolk closed silicone tail order. Merbellas have been closed for a year, I think Finfolk for 6 months +?

I can't make excuses for Raven, I have had to wait like everyone else and had some things fall out too. But here's why I think her wait times are longer:

When she first got really started there were two things that put her behind and to an extent they happened to other tail makers as well.

1) there was a great monofin shortage from finis where things got back ordered. All tail makers experienced this, and it actually put some of them under. It set everyone else back 6months-9months on their wait times.

2) Raven was the first to offer an affordable hybrid tail and it nearly bankrupt her and set the whole company back. It was a risk she took before anyone else took it. The tails sold for 1k or less, and ended up taking more work than her full silicone tails. She had a bunch of those orders she had to get through and people had really high expectations (too high for something budget friendly IMO) Similar companies like Fishbutts and Mermaid creations went under for this exact thing. Raven was able to recover but it set her back.

A few other factors:

I have personally seen some awful clients who have ruined it for everyone else. People who would get their entire tail finished, look at it and say "oh I've decided I don't want yellow, please make it pink or I'll threaten you with bad reviews everywhere". I used to help Raven with emails and I can't tell you how much people tried to blackmail her, threaten her etc. These crazy clients made it take extra long for everyone else.

Raven has standing contracts with weeki which can throw a wrench into things each year as she makes all the tails they use for their calendar, and then sells them off as premade when they're done.

And as Theta mentioned after dealing with clients who would outright lie about their experience she decided to stop working with the general public.

Like everyone else, Raven had people in her inner circle that betrayed her and it always takes a little time to bounce back from that.

People come to Raven for extremely custom work, custom molds, custom everything. The more customized you get, the longer it's going to take. Some people have decided to buy out customization too so it's not available to the public and that's something she's had to work around.

As people have noted, you can't just live off silicone tails so they obviously supplement other ways. As mentioned, Tyler is a full time performer with Universal I believe, and his own company. And when he's on tour Raven is back to working on her own. Raven took on that little mermaid movie that is coming out to help make ends meet too and that took time. making the costumes, renting the tank, and training their actress and stunt actress.

So these aren't meant to be excuses just CONTEXT. because I think we can ALL agree there are ways to make their business better. but it's ALWAYS easier to point that stuff out. It's a whole other ballgame to actually LIVE it.

I'll share something personal because I don't want you to think I am just biased because I care for Raven. Last year as many of you know my life was pretty awful. My mom and friend died on the same day - both young and unexpected and there was a lot of fallout after a con I ran. In November I went to Florida. Raven and I usually see each other, because our birthdays are days apart. Even if we can't mermaid, we are friends and have dinner etc. But she was so swamped with trying to get tails out, she didn't feel she could take off any time to see me. Even though I only get to Florida once every few years.

I've known Raven to get hospitalized from exhaustion. So I don't want people to theorize that she's wasting time etc.

I think what I am trying to get at is all great tail makers get to this make or break point where your stuff is in such high demand that you sink or swim. And she's having that moment right now where she is carefully balancing that ball trying not to drop it. And yes, other tail makers got past that- but only recently, and Raven paved the way for most of them honestly.

I have no excuses for the people here who have posted complaints. I hear you. My heart hurts for you. I am disappointed for you. I don't agree with choices made and I am not defending them either. I reached out to Tyler after reading some of these posts and we had a good discussion and I even said, that's not how I would of handled this maybe would of done ___ instead.

I just wanted to give a little context and remind people who maybe haven't been around the community as long, that everything you're seeing in the industry is quite new. And it wasn't that long ago that they were all in raven's shoes.

I personally hope for the best, I want to see Raven do well, I want to see people get their tails and be happy. I hope everything works out and they're bale to grow in the way they need to. Or maybe scale back if that's what needed. I just hope people get their tails.

[Ransom]

Thanks for the info, Theta! I really hope they're able to restore good communications and timely delivery though, and pick up again.

[AniaR]

and as a sidebar since I also sell clothing lemme tell you, you do NOT make much on it unless you're able to make it in house which Mertailor only recently was able to do with a huge investment in actual machines for fabric printing and a team of seamstresses. I make so little on my clothing and I looked into the factories that all the others use and it's the same amount. It's like a cool side thing, but nothing you could live off of at all

[Mermaid Ankhali]

I really hope they don’t go under and eventually start accepting orders from the public again. Raven’s aesthetic matches mine so perfectly and my goal for years has been to save up for one of her tails because I know nobody could bring my dream tail to life like she could.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mermaid Ankhali]

I’m not a (commercial) tailmaker, but as an artist, I’ve noticed this trend recently where a lot of the most talented people are having the hardest time supporting themselves via art. It’s sad. Although, I am only 19, so maybe I don’t know what I am talking about.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KatieScottArt]

I just have to say that I would have probably given up and gone under if I had to go through what she’s gone through. That magnitude of work is overwhelming to even think about, including dealing with that many people on a regular basis. Clients wanting custom orders scare the crap out of me just because of the situations like the ones she’s had to deal with. I absolutely would have given up.

I agree that she’s helped pave the way and let me tell you, I’ve also seen SO many “Inspirations” of her work, it’s pretty crazy (I’ve called out more than one person for literal replicas of her flukes). It’s like she comes up with a good idea and then it’s a fad. For instance Raven was the first mermaid to make those filigree shapes on bras and now that style has been replicated many times. Obviously everyone has their own take on things and they’re all a bit different because art.. But if I were her, I’d secretly be like “Umm.. excuse me??”.

I love her work so much. She swims like an actual fish and it makes me want to cry. Her new and innovative designs are so incredible and unique. I don’t think I will ever order from her again (I mean, AS IF they would even want me to at this point, honestly. I’d blacklist me lol.) But it’s not because of the lack of incredible work. It’s because of the awkward positions I feel put in, the lack of communication and the “carrot on the stick” waiting times. It’s just a bit depressing (maybe for both parties). I hope she is able to find a way to flourish because gahd dang, she is so full of talent.

[AniaR]

Things Raven did before anyone else:

-headdresses with the shells on each side
-the tops as Katie mentioned
-extra fins on tops and bracers
-bracers
-genuine blended waists (not just painted on)
-hidden seams
-unique flukes that as we've seen have been copied to death
-sculpted seaweed and sculpted octopus bra
-individual silicone scales you could glue on your skin

^like all these things just didn't exist until she started them but people don't KNOW that or realize it because they just haven't been around long enough, or because others try to take the credit. I remember about 5 or 6 years ago we literally had a post with proof of dates etc. You can probably still find them all listed in this thread.

All these things people take for granted no one realizes Raven invented.