chrisasst Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Anyone ever do this with these people..http://www.outoftheboxsampler.com/store/Default.aspeasier to look at the website instead of me explaining it..I signed up for the august drop. Just want to make sure I am not getting taken... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella1952 Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 What are you looking for from these folks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisasst Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 marketing I guess,.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennyjo Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 looks cool. I'm interested too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OverSoyed Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I haven't heard of that company, but thelittleblackboxes.com seems to get good response. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtybirdsoaps Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I get contacted by them every few months to see if I would like to join, but never really looked into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanncat18 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I have heard of the little black box one... I am sure there are many. Maybe asking for a reference from these companies? See if you could get in contact with someone who used them before you get too invested. I hear that the little black box sells out each month and I know others have tried it. You could search for little black box and find some info about it. She's also on etsy.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernstargirl Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I am in the July box. I have already sent in my samples. If you look on there site, there is a spot for the forum. And on there you will find out of the box reviews from the people who bought the box.I put a coupon in my samples with a code that way I would know it was coming from this sample box. I know for the July box she has around 50 business' participating, and they seem to be pretty popular. She is on twitter too and seems to get alot of response on there for the boxes. I hope they work for me. But you never know unless you try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaroth6868 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I did Out of the box, Little black box, and Lemming central boxes. I put coupons in all of my samples and I think out of all three boxes (I sent in 40 samples to each) only 1 coupon ever came back BUT......The big BUT was that a few of the people who received samples from Out of the box blogged about me. 1 blog led to a few customers. Another person who received my samples from them put me on their website as the "business of the month" which led to a few customers. AND someone mentioned my name on the Lush forum and THAT was WAY cool, lots of girls from there!!! So if I ever do sample boxes again I would do Out of the box. Really good way to get your name out there for "free" and they were also the only one of the box companies that kept me in the loop. They notified me when my samples arrived etc. With the other ones I was just left wondering; wondering if they received my samples, wondering if they liked my samples, wondering if the samples actually got in the box etc. Out of the box was very, very professional about it. They just made me feel special.Edited to add: don't expect too much feedback from the forums. I didn't get much feedback on any of the forums from the customers. But as long as I was getting SOMETHING from the boxes, I was happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy123 Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I was asked to join a few times but I never did becasue I happen to know that the woman who ows Out of the box is a candlemaker and also owns http://www.theuglyducklingdesigns.com/home1.htmlI think that it is just a way to promote her own candles and get others to pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharonA Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 well, littleblackboxes also has whiff n sniff candles. If I were to advertise in one or the other, I would like to see more of a variety. From what I can tell with out of the box, it's mostly candle/tart items. A broader selection of handmade items would better. Cards, notepads, beaded earrings, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernstargirl Posted July 2, 2009 Share Posted July 2, 2009 I have looked at both and I decided to go with OOTB because,yes, Michelle is a candle maker. But if you look at all the info there on the site about the boxes and what all comes in it. She is not at the top of the list with her banner or talking about being in each and every box..blah blah.But on Little Black Box and on Whiff and Sniff, he is at the top of the list for being in there and it is not hidden about him being her hubby and also he states on his etsy that he is in the boxes every month. I prefer the subtle way that Michelle handles her business and does not promote herself at the top above everyone else. IMO she promotes others above herself from what I have seen. And I am not in anyway friends or anything with her. Just have dealt with her from being in the box and she has kept me in the loop on when samples arrived and when boxes are going out etc...This is all just my opinion... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglyduckling Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 I was asked to join a few times but I never did becasue I happen to know that the woman who ows Out of the box is a candlemaker and also owns http://www.theuglyducklingdesigns.com/home1.htmlI think that it is just a way to promote her own candles and get others to pay for it.I just wanted to set the record straight about myself and my businesses. I find it hard to believe that people can say these types of things when they don't even know me.I purchased the Out Of The Box Sampler just this past August from a friend of mine who had purchased it from the original owner a year before that. It has been in business since 2006. I have really worked hard to promote it and the businesses that contribute to it. I purchased the site to have a second business in a field that I love and really wanted to do all I could to promote other's who work hard in the small business field. I did not do it to promote my own candle business and as a matter of fact, was hoping that it would be so successful that I could cut back on my candle business. And I have been able to do just that. I do put my own samples in every month's boxes, but I never, ever promote my business above anyone else's on the box site. My link is always at the bottom of the page! I even started two other promotional type businesses just to help those that contribute to have another venue to advertise at. I have an etsy team to further promote those that send in samples and have etsy shoppes, I blog about the businesses in our boxes too. We do sell out of our boxes within hours because we have the best box out there and I work 5-6 hours a day to make it that way. I go above and beyond to promote my contributors and hate to think that people feel I have an ulterior motive to having a sampler box business. As a matter of fact, I had a business that couldn't afford to ship her samples to me because she's a single mom of 3 kids and did not have the money. I paid her shipping costs this month. Also, There are many people that have more then one business online. As a matter of fact Lemming Central boxes also owns Things that make Scents (candle business), Little Black Box owns Whiff n Sniff, Snowberry Creek has their own business too. And to address one other issue that was mentioned, we have changed our format to include many other businesses besides candles. We also have bath n body, gourmet foods, scrapbook companies, handmade cards and much more.I really hope that you will see that I'm in this for the contributors because without them, I wouldn't be able to do this at allThanks also, for the people who left wonderful comments about me and the Out Of The Box Sampler, I truly appreciate it!blessings,michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deb426 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 Michelle,Thank you for your input. I will certainly give some thought to contributing :smiley2: . Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaroth6868 Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 See, she's just a class act. I also know that there is more and more B&B in the boxes too. Read my above post for my experience. I'll only do Out of the Box samplers in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglyduckling Posted July 3, 2009 Share Posted July 3, 2009 See, she's just a class act. I also know that there is more and more B&B in the boxes too. Read my above post for my experience. I'll only do Out of the Box samplers in the future.Thanks Melissa, your such a sweetheart! I appreciate the kinds words. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernstargirl Posted July 4, 2009 Share Posted July 4, 2009 I agree Melissa...I have had nothing but total professionalism from OOTBS and Michelle. And if I thought for one skinny minute that she was all about self promotion for herself, I would not have wasted my time or my products. I understand why anyone would be leary of a candlemaker, or any crafter being the owner of one of these sampler boxes. But if you really look at the site and at the forum, you can clearly see that it is so not about self promotion. And even on the other sites that Michelle owns, she is not at the top of the list either. She makes sure that the business' that use her services are on the top. I know this becuase I am considering using her directory and ad service. I like what she has to say on there and how she does it.I do hope that some of you will give this a try...you never know how it will help you unless you do. And they way I look at it, someone has to own this sampler box business, and candlemaker or not, Michelle is a great marketer and working hard to make sure that as many people as possible get these boxes. Besides, if you look at the list of the people who are in the boxes each month, several are repeats, so something is being done right and they are seeing a return on, or else it would just be a waste to keep doing it. JMO~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy123 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Michelle,If you want people to know you better then I think that you should be up front with them when you invite them to join Out of the Box. I really do not understand why you never mention to me that you are also a candlemaker...and that you are using this program to promote your own candle business...I think it is only fair that people who are going to participate in your program have all the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Michelle,If you want people to know you better then I think that you should be up front with them when you invite them to join Out of the Box. I really do not understand why you never mention to me that you are also a candlemaker...and that you are using this program to promote your own candle business...I think it is only fair that people who are going to participate in your program have all the info.I don't understand why it should matter to you even if she were using it to promote her own business? Why in the world should she need to share that she also owns a candle business? Does it effect you in any way? This service is an advertising tool, and the whole point of contributing is to get your stuff out there to as many people as possible. This is what is being done, and she is taking the time to blog about and promote YOUR items as well. Unless you are threatened that her products may be better than yours, I fail to see what her motivation for running the company has to do with anything. Who doesn't want to promote their company? The way I see it, she gets to do this along with promoting others- more power to her! The fact that she is in every box doesn't hurt your business in any way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy123 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I don't know about you but before I PAY for a service I think that it is only FAIR that the person who will be pocketing my money disclose all the pertinent info.In this case this person is marketing the same products I am therefor to me it is a conflict of interest...And if it is not that big of a deal then why not be up front and tell people when you ask them to join? Are you afraid it will influnce their desicions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtybirdsoaps Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 Hmmmm....... I just really don't think it matters. It would be different if she ONLY put her candles in there but she doesn't she puts a variety of items in there. Not just 1 candle (hers) there could be 5 different candles in there. How would anyone even know which was hers unless she put a sign in there saying "HEY BUY MINE" but if that was the case no one would participate to begin with. I think any advertisement is good, and its not like she just stops at putting your items in the box, she puts info on her website. She promotes YOU. It's just like most production companies, they start it to help others while promoting them selves at the same time, whats wrong with that? JMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccajo99 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I wasn't going to chime in, but I decided to. She does not need to disclose that she also does a candle business in addition to this business. So what if she happens to put her products in the box as well, she already said that she is changing the way that the company works and also including bath & body, scrap booking, card making and other items. Just spending time on the website I would see that other candles (the product that I make) could possibly be in there as well. The only way that this would be a "conflict of interest" is if she does not pay any associated fees with it. Sorry, not seeing what the big deal is... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I don't know about you but before I PAY for a service I think that it is only FAIR that the person who will be pocketing my money disclose all the pertinent info.I have never used anything like this, but I guess I missed the part where you PAY for this service. I was under the impression that you just sent in samples of your product. I give away NUMEROUS samples for promotion, which is exactly what this is. Regardless, are you aware that most candle/soap suppliers also run candle/soap businesses? Is this a conflict of interest? I suppose I look at it the same as if someone who were hosting and promoting a vending event where you pay fees for a space and they were also selling at this event themselves. They are promoting themselves along with everyone else in attendance no? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissaroth6868 Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I'm thinking that Andy is confused. There is no fee to be in the box, just whatever it costs to make the samples. I also don't think that she needs to disclose that she owns a business and contributes to the box. Why would it??? I mean, there are LOTS of different companies in the box, as well as hers, and as long as yours is going in there to, to be sampled by others..why would it matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglyduckling Posted July 9, 2009 Share Posted July 9, 2009 Michelle,If you want people to know you better then I think that you should be up front with them when you invite them to join Out of the Box. I really do not understand why you never mention to me that you are also a candlemaker...and that you are using this program to promote your own candle business...I think it is only fair that people who are going to participate in your program have all the info.Are you really serious? I put all my websites url's at the bottom of every single letter that goes out to the businesses I invite to participate in the sampler boxes. What is the difference if I put my candles in the boxes also. I'm entitled to be able to do so, because I own the business, just like all the other sample boxes do it. I still send my samples to other boxes too. You would have found me in the Feb and April Lemming Central boxes and Janine( owner of lemming central) sent her candles into my box 2 or 3 times last year. I think your being extremely petty and for some reason, and feel I have wronged you in some way. If you visit our website, theirs a sister site button and well as a partner button, which lists all my websites too and the links to them, so I'm not hiding anything from anyone. And as far as wanting to let people know me more, just join my forum, there's all kinds of personal information about me and who I am. You just have an opinion of me, without knowing me and I don't think that what I say would change that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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