Greetings!
OK, Mr. Nebula... your post raises important questions, all of which deserve answers.
First off, regarding the order-priority and shipping scheduling, I need to be VERY clear about how this is done. I receive several orders per day from Paypal. The time-order in which the PAYPAL orders come in is the order of priority, and are assigned a 4-digit order number. The orders are printed, assigning the sequential order number, and are filed by order number and cross referenced by Paypal username for later reference. Production is done in batches. Up to this point, if a customer has ordered an Aviatrix mod and a GlowFob, I try to the best of my ability to ship both in the same package, in order to save on shipments and shipping fees - just as any other business would strive to do. I will do (let's say for instance) a batch of 10 Green and 5 Blue GlowFobs. After combining whatever dual-order customers, I take the rest and see how I can serve as many customers (ship as many orders) as possible given the GlowFobs left over from the batch. This means that if Cust. A has ordered 5 Glowfobs and customers B, C, and D have ordered one each, I will ship B,C, and D in order to satisfy the most customers possible from that batch quantity, then reserve the remaining two GlowFobs for the next batch with a "Priority" notation being put on Customer A so that he won't have to wait any longer than 1 extra cycle. I know that this will somewhat penalize customers who place larger orders, but it seems like the fairest way to me - without making a whole bunch of people wait while I devote most of a batch to one guy who just happened to send the "I'll Take 5" message first. This is why it can appear slightly skewed where guy #7 in line can wait an extra week or two while guy #5 already has his at his door... and guy #12 received his 3 weeks ago when his Aviatrix was shipped because of the random event where he just happened to order a GlowFob after having already waited 5 weeks to get his Aviatrix mod. If you have a better way to do it that better serves a diverse customer base and tries to attain the highest level of satisfaction for everyone involved, I'd love to hear your input.
OK... on to your next question.
I am unwilling (NOT unable!) to post the CPF ID's of everyone who has had their Aviatrix and GlowFob orders shipped. Here is the problem:
I have 4 fairly good sized folders full of Aviatrix and GlowFob order printouts, most of which I receive through Paypal payments. Two of the folders are "orders received" and two of the folders are "orders shipped". Quite often, the person who has placed the order has NOT included his CPF ID, and in other cases I've received orders from people who "lurk" CPF and haven't signed up - they see the product and place a Paypal order and they don't even HAVE a CPF ID to begin with! In order to list everyone who has had their order shipped, I would have to do extensive cross-indexing of email address vs. CPF ID, or post private email addresses, or try and track down the CPF ID based on email information from emails I've received (if they bothered to send one...) or some combination of the three... and I'm SERIOUSLY lacking in time to even do basic lookups for people inquiring as to the current status of their orders (although I do this anyway, as a heartfelt courtesy to my customers!). The logistics of what you are asking for are not impossible, just VERY hard and time consuming.
What I absolutely CAN say at this point (it being almost a week since the last packages shipped out) is this: If you have not already received your GlowFob or Aviatrix order by now, it WILL be included in the "after-the-shop-move" orders. Makes it very clear and simple to determine - without requiring long lists of CPF member IDs to be compiled.
Third question. Regarding my "getting production done sooner" and not having this problem if I'd just kept up with incoming orders. This is the hardest question for me to answer, and the most complex to try and convey reasonable thoughts about. Basically, it boils down to the issues raised when I replied to Peter's messages earlier in this thread, starting on 2007-06-21. I am doing all of this essentially as a "very little profit" hobby in service of Flashaholics from a fellow Flashaholic - I wanted to be able to offer these products (Aviatrix, GlowFobs) to other people because I designed them for ME to use... and had the impulse to share the good results of my creations. If I were to do this as a "for profit" business, I would rapidly go broke - at least with the prices I'm currently charging. My main business is electronic/mechanical design and consulting - and my mainstream clients (most of whom pay $75+ per hour) will always get priority over my CPF business. Unfair, greedy, elitist, whatever... call it what you want, it's simply the FACT of the matter and the nature of the CPF custom/modified beast (and why I'm NOT listed in the "dealers" section of the marketplace). If you want a refund, I'll HAPPILY give you a refund - but the thing that I will NOT do is to derail my business for something that is (for all practical purposes) a custom product that is priced VERY low (considering what you get!) and has somewhat (though not unreasonable) long lead-times combined with custom interaction (read: VERY good communication and attention to personal details like emitter colors, code variations, "For Tritium" options, etc.). These are things that a retail webfront or storefront would be hard-pressed to offer. So... why didn't I just "get on it" sooner and avoid this whole fiasco by shipping everything the day after I received an order? Short answer: because I need to make a living TOO... it's what makes all of this CPF stuff possible! Long answer: There are MANY conflicting interests that are consuming my time and attention every day, and I juggle them in the best way that I'm capable in order to satisfy as many people as possible... but I'm only human (with feathers) and can only do so much. I get about 3-5 hours of sleep every night due to a problem with insomnia, but even with this worktime advantage I often find myself overwhelmed with the demands placed on my by clients and home life (yes... I have a homelife, including girlfriend, yard, neighbors, and all the associated demands!).
Thank you for your kind comment thanking me for making these unique items available - I always appreciate it when someone comments positively on the designs I'm offering.
I'm hoping this answers your questions to your satisfaction... if you are angry with me or feel that any/all of this is some kind of cop-out, please feel free to request a refund - I'm more than happy to provide it. If, on the otherhand, you're willing to continue the wait until the package arrives, I'm here to assure you that you WON'T be disappointed... I wouldn't sell (and use!) these products if they weren't the BEST thing that I could make!
Best wishes,
Bawko
Whoa now! Geeez, some folks are really impatient -
.
it's me! I was number 5 to order (post #9) and I have seen nothing in my mailbox.
AC, how about posting the shipping information for the items shipped to date? It might help those of us waiting (almost 60 days) for our key fobs. Oh, and why not ship in the order that the customer ordered and paid for the item? I would hate to think that only the squeaky wheel gets your attention - and shipment.
Before I go let me say "thank you" for making these very unique items available. From the photos, they look to be very well made. I wish you the best, and I sincerely hope that you sell every key fob that you make. That being said, I cannot help but wonder whether your turn-around-time has had a negative affect on your future sales.
Best regards,
KK
Edit: AC posted before I finished typing my note.
AC, my post is still relevant. Can you post the CPF handle for the "one-half" of the key fob orders that you have shipped. That way I, and others, can make a decision as to what course to take. I really just want the key fobs and am hopeful (selfishly) that l am in the 1/2 shipped.
On another front - why not buy the building? Perhaps you can find an investor that would be willing to buy the property if you cannot make the stetch.
Still another front. Believe me, I do not want to kick a man when he is down, but most of the folks that ordered from you did so long before your stated time-frame pertaining to negotiations with your landlord. I have to believe that had you started earlier you could have filled most, if not all orders. Something to think about the next time you offer another project to the marketplace.
