Opinions on shipping, please.

[Crystala25]

Need opinions, please?

I live in a small apartment and don't have much extra room to keep stock in,

I am thinking of ordering supplies as needed. I have a website and am making a catalog, but my question is, if I order my supplies according to what people order would that be too long of a wait?

Say for example: it takes me 7- 10 days to order supplies. I get an order and order supplies according to what they purchase, then I tell the customer that it will be 10-14 days (almost 2 weeks) before there order would arrive to them.

[KristinesShower]

You are going to have to find room if you want to be serious about selling. You already have a website and you are making a catalog - people aren't going to take you as a serious business if they have to wait for things.

What happens if you get an overnight delivery?

[Crystala25]

Yeah, I thought the same thing. I guess I will have to clean out a closet somewhere and make room.

[Michi]

Come on, don't you want all your supplies to take over your kitchen like mine have???? LOL

[debscent]

When I lived in my apartment it took over the entire dining room, I didn't eat at the table for 9 months. And, you really don't want to have to risk waiting on supplies, especially if the FO is out of stock or during rush season suppliers are so busy they can take 2, 3 or 5 days to get their orders out.

The bedroom closet & underneath the bed are options for space too!

[Crystala25]

Come on, don't you want all your supplies to take over your kitchen like mine have???? LOL

The problem is, is that they already have. First I was selling the Body Shop, so I have one side of the closet full of that. Now I do Avon on the side just for fun and the other side of the closet is full of that. Just recently I got into the mineral cosmetics, so another closet is stuffed with that. Now that I am trying to make my own bath and body products, (and I'm certianly out of closets, especially with two kids in this little apartment) my kitchen is going to be a mess.. I guess I was just looking for the easy way out. I'm going to have to move soon, just to have space for my hobbies and business.

Okay this smiley has nothing to do with this post, I just thought it was cute.

*getdown*

[Accents]

Wow! Can you pick one of those companies to stick with and get rid of everything else? Just sell or give away all that stuff and don't order more of it so you can store your supplies.

Waiting for an order to buy supplies would not only put you in a time crunch but also be expensive when buying just a little at a time. Get rid of some old clothes and use a dresser drawer?

(I like the smileys too)

[sudsnwicks]

I understand your space situation. What you could do is keep a small amount of supplies on hand. You could at least fill the smaller orders with those supplies. Then if you get a large order, you could order more ingredients. Usually if someone wants to order a large amount, they would contact you first anyway to try and get some sort of discount, and during the negotiation, you could also let them know approximately when you can have everything ready. I live in a small space too, and this is how I do it.

[Michi]

When I lived in my apartment it took over the entire dining room, I didn't eat at the table for 9 months. And, you really don't want to have to risk waiting on supplies, especially if the FO is out of stock or during rush season suppliers are so busy they can take 2, 3 or 5 days to get their orders out.

The bedroom closet & underneath the bed are options for space too!

Yah, I haven't used my kitchen table (we don't have a dining room) in 3 years!! EEK Well, except if I KNOW I'm gonna have company and then I do the mad dash and start stuffing supplies here there and EVERYWHERE!!

I have a beautiful hutch in my livingroom, totally crammed with finished candles, and supplies!! LOL

I have all my packing supplies etc. taking up one whole side of my hallway/linen closet, so that all my towels and linens are shoved/smooshed together and liable to topple over if I open that side too quickly!! LOL

I also have a craft desk out in my garage (cuz I paint and do woodcrafts also) that is soooooooo overflowing with supplies that I have no room to paint!! LOL

I've definitely run out of room, and would LOVE to hire an organizer to come in and help me get this place in order-since I never know where anything is, and if I do, it is inevitably buried under a ton of other stuff!! EEK

So, in other words, don't feel like you're the only one who has no room for all your hobbies/jobs etc.

[LisaMD]

whew - I'm glad I fall within the realm of "normal" around here!

I haven't seen my "real" house in 3 years - we're working on it tho! I've got a workshop thats packed full, a storage building thats packed full, my beautiful cherry dining room covered with candles, boxes, labels - you name it. My kitchen is soap/bath bomb central (just because I like being upstairs mind you - my husband built a full kitchen into the "other" workshop). My second floor is my office and packaging central (with some more "stuff" there too mind you)

I also have a retail store, with its own storage that is rapidly filling up.

I've come to the conclusion that it really doesn't matter how much room I get, I'll just fill it up with "stuff".

I say keep a small amount of supplies on hand to fill orders. I wouldn't wait to order supplies as you get orders, I don't think people are that patient, and waiting 2-3 weeks to receive an ordered item would prob turn alot of customers off.

[sudsnwicks]

I haven't seen my "real" house in 3 years - we're working on it tho!

Ha ha, my house looks more like a warehouse than a proper home. I have stacks and stacks of boxes everywhere.