For your chance to win; choose from one, two or three possibilities. Firstly, you may blog about this giveaway (and let me know). Secondly, become a follower and get another entry or tell me if you already are a follower.
Thirdly, leave a comment telling me if you enjoy shopping on-line and if there is a reason you wouldn't shop from a particular website. I truly value any feedback, in particular to the Thea & Sami on-line store. The blog giveaway is open to Australian and International friends. Please ensure there is a away of me contacting you if you don't have a blog link.
In addition to the table runner, I will still be sending out my regular monthly mystery gift to one of my regular followers to say thank you! I will be closing the giveaway on Wednesday, September 9th at 9.00 p.m. (Australian EST). Good luck!
Blog giveaway has now closed (9.9.09). I will draw and the winners in the morning. Thank you to all who commented, linked to this post and followed!
58 comments:
Hi Thea
Loving this table runner...How great.
I am an avid follower of yours and I love shopping online, however, I have such a great outlet with Handmade Heaven and The Handmade Expo that I don't do it as often anymore...
Have a super day and fingers crossed.
Liesa
I started following your blog yesterday and you are really talented.
I enjoy online shopping - I buy if the price and shipping are right. Plus the site needs to look professional and have easy payment options like paypal.
Hi Thea, I love your new table runner... I had to blog about your giveaway and also about your upcoming workshops. Cheers, Petra
Hi Thea, I am about to have a look through your blog but thought I would just pop in to tell you that I don't buy on line. I am too tactile and I guess paranoid about putting my details online. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Your table runner is stunning.
Thanks. I can appreciate that we are tactile. We do offer swatches for purchase to help customers decide before committing to bigger buys.
Ooh nice giveaway!!! The table runner is gorgeous (keeping in mind for quickly approaching Christmas).
The main things I don't like when I'm online shopping...
unclear scale / size (I think you could maybe have, for your fabrics, a 2nd pic with a tape measure/ruler).
I like to have EFT as a payment option.
Hope this helps!
x Penny
I was quite happy to shop for clothes about 6 months ago on-line - but after making several purchases, thr product arrived - looked great, exactly as described - BUT the 'material' was not the type of material that I would have bought, you know how some clothes just express an offputting odour, and also they make you sweat profusely.
I have an online store I buy all my cotton bonds good from, and in future when I procure clothing, I will check the material.
More than happy to save time buying on-line...just a small issue I have run into.
Hi Thea! Just added myself to your follower list!
Great blog and yes, i do buy online - especially if there's Paypal - and your online shopping was very easy to navigate! Table runner is lovely - the unbleached linen is gorgeous!!!
Hi Thea
I am a mad keen online shopper and have rarely been disappointed.
I find paypal the best way to pay and I like it when they include a preprinted returns label - especially for clothes. I also like a really good closeup when it comes to fabric.
I like quirky things and like to buy a few things in one transaction to save on postage (altho I end up spending more so who's the fool?) - recently I ordered boxes of nappies online and was actually disappointed that I couldn't buy anything else to help justify the postage.
Anyway, I love your tablerunner, and I'm still thinking re. collaboration opportunities.
Stay busy!
Anna
The feedback is really useful!! Keep it coming ladies.
Penny, it is a good idea to use a tape measure and I will do that for in future fabric photos. I'm not sure how to do the EFT option. It is outlined in the buyer instructions that you may email me if you prefer direct deposit as the shopping cart directly uses PayPal. However, I may have to mention it on each item page as not everybody reads those instructions.
Heather, natural fibres shouldn't be a problem. Usually, only synthetics (yuk) don't allow your skin to breathe and make you sweat unnaturally.
PS. We do have free shipping within Australia. For international buyers, it is only a little more as I subtract the goods and services tax (they don't need to pay it).
Hi Thea,
How gorgeous is that table runner? So beautiful.
I am already a follower of yours...I found you through Handmade Heaven's site.
I like shopping online, especially for hard to find things. I am less likely to buy from a site that doesn't seem very organised/established/professional. I am WAY more likely to buy from an online store I've heard good things about. This usually comes through other bloggers, who have mentioned online purchases they've made.
Thanks for such a wonderful giveaway!
I agree with Skebba. I end up buying from sites that have been recommended by other bloggers. I recently bought shoes online for the first time and didn't like the materials used. The item description and photos are so important I think.
I am an existing follower (sounds odd doesn't it!)
Jo
Existing followers are very important! In regards to Skebba and Jo's comments; I think I should start a testimonials page. I usually follow up with customers after they purchase on-line so could use their feedback for that.
Hi Thea!
What a fabulous giveaway. I love that table runner, and I'd totally have to make matching placemats and coasters :-)
I love shopping online, particularly for handmade goods. Etsy is my main stomping ground, and I occasionally buy from eBay. The main things that convince me to make a purchase are:
- If I want the product. This is decided by all the other factors listed below, as well as a core want/need in the first place. For example, I might love a piece of jewelry I find, and the price might be great, the postage might be free, etc, but I don't wear jewelry so I wouldn't buy it.
- For me to be attracted to a product in the first place, it's all about the pictures. I like bright, well lit, happy pictures that really display the product at its best. I'm particularly inspired by pictures I see of products taken in the outdoors, or surrounded by other beautiful things (logs, grass, trees, flowers, notebooks, world maps, calligraphy pens). I find it evocative and persuasive. If a picture is dim, doesn't inspire me or if there's only one picture of a product and I can't get an idea of how it looks from different angles, then I tend not to buy.
- Price is a huge factor. Being a maker of handmade things, I can understand the value of items; however, I am much more likely to impulse buy if I see the price as being good value for money. I also tend to buy many smaller items instead of one big one; for example, with fabric, I'm more likely to buy a bundle of fat quarters in the designs I like than a metre in just the one. Even though it adds up to the same amount, I somehow feel like I'm getting better value.
- Payment options are important- there's no way I'd buy something if PayPal weren't offered, and I get irritated when I get to the end of checkout to find this out. I will occasionally pay by Credit Card but PayPal is by far the easiest.
- I like to support artists that I know in the virtual world, so I am more likely to get to a person's Etsy page in the first place if they have a blog/facebook/twitter, and more likely to buy if I've had personal interactions with them. I am far less likely to buy from an ad, although I will do random searches on Etsy and buy spontaneously there.
- Postage is important- I want it to be fair. I despise sellers who make a profit from postage- it's not what the handmade market is about. I know how much it should cost, and if it's too much more than that, it rings alarm bells!
Continued in the next comment...
I've had a peek at your site, and this s the feedback I have. Please know that it's my very humble opinion only!!
- Your photos are a bit dark. I've seen your products in real life and the pics just don't do them justice.
- I find your categories overwhelming. Perhaps they could be split into broader categories (fabric, clothing, homewares) and then the current list could be subcategories?
- I think your navigation bar is too small. I almost have to squint to read it, particularly because it uses a bright colour (pink) against a bright background (white)- and I have 20/20 vision!
- The design of the website (plain purple with plain text) isn't particularly inspiring, particularly considering that your fabric designs are so gorgeous. Perhaps you could get an Etsy seller (I used Exquisite Expressions) to incorporate one of your designs (ie. Marguerite) into the header, and the side column, or the background? It would be a great way to promote your designs while adding a bit of life to the store. Also, bright purple doesn't convey natural, eco fabrics to me.
- I think having a sub-heading under your name could be beneficial- perhaps something describing what you do? I find that I like to know what a store is selling as soon as I get there. Your subheading could also potentially explain why you're eco, because simply stating that you're eco only makes me question why you're eco, but I don't want to have to search for that information.
- If I didn't personally know you, and had not bought directly from your stall, I think my main barrier to buying from your online store would be that I just wouldn't find you. There are so many hand screenprinted fabric shops on Etsy that I would never think to google it and find another seller. Perhaps this is different for those not on Etsy, however!
Phew! I hope that loooooong ramble is at least somewhat useful. :-) xxxx Sandra
P.S. I'm a follower from way back! :-)
Wow! Thanks Sandra for taking the time to give me all that feedback. I will certainly take it into consideration. It will take time to update the website to make it more buyer friendly but that is the purpose of this exercise and I am finding it very useful.
Hi! I love your great eco conscious designs! I would be very happy to win!
I blogged about your giveaway and I'm a follower...
I love your worksand would be very happy if I win this table runner :)
I'm follow your blog now :)
I love this giveaway! I love the simple, yet beautiful design! I do enjoy shopping online, however, websites that do not provide enough information about their products, or do not provide enlarged images of the items are sites that I do not frequent. I want and need a good visual.
Have a great day!
Angela
What a lovely give away Thea. The table runner is beautiful.
I love shopping online. Free postage is a real bonus and I will always be a little swayed by that. You gave the most wonderful service the time I brought from you online and that is something that will always entice me back. You are so warm and friendly and that always helps me to feel "safe" as in I know I'm going to get what I paid for and it will be beautiful.
You have gotten some really constructive feedback from some of the other posts. It is amazing the wealth of knowledge that is out there.
What a lovely comment Little Mary Moo. It's always a thrill for designers to see beautiful creations such as yours being made from our fabrics.
Good luck to all of you!
Hi Thea,
I'm a newbie to your blog and only after you left a comment on mine. I always wonder how bloggers find me. Anyway I haven't bought much online but I do appreciate greast cutomer service. Communication is very important and the simple personal touches add more to the shopping experience. An example is a few sweets thrown in the package, little handmade card, perhaps a wee sample of something else to entice you back. I've used both direct deposit and paypal for payments but I prefer direct deposits.
I'm off to explore your sites somemore as I'm loving the print in the table runner and I'll add you to the blogs I follow and post about your giveaway too!
Good Luck with your research!
Hi!
This is a beautiful table runner and would look great on my table!
I am a new follower.
I like to buy on-line but haven't since last christmas. It depends on shipping and handling ,too. In the past I have bought lots of books. thanks! jacquecurl1@gmail.com
I've just become a follower and am looking forward to getting a moment to read some of your older posts - I love that table runner (navy blue is my favourite colour).
I really enjoy shopping on-line but tend to buy things that I have seen in real life. I tend to buy books, or CD's and have done some fabric shopping on-line but only when I know exactly what I want and that I can't find it locally (in store).
Why wouldn't I buy from a particular site? I wouldn't buy from a dodgy looking site (needs to look professional) and would prefer to use paypal (where you have some buyer protection).
Hi Thea, I am a fellow follower of you, as you are to me! I have only just started buying online and love it. There is nothing better than a big cup of tea and sitting in your pj's to go shopping. The design for your table runner is beautiful, I hope I do win! Sure to be buying off you soon, love your earth-loving-ness.
Hi Thea,
wonderful blog! and what a really lovely table runner, just joined as a follower so will be lurking frequently. Yep, I buy online, nice easy convenient, but I do like the site to look professional and have lots of GREAT pikkies of the goodies! Price and shipping costs balanced by how much I decide I really need (???) the goodies...
HI, Thanks for the giveaway. Now, online shopping- I agree with what some of the others have said, shipping costs have to be reasonable, and I am also swayed by free postage!
I agree with Sandra about your font in the side bar being hard to read, and abit overwhelming- fewer catagories with sub categories may be easier (?) I am happy paying with paypay. You could have you bank details on your website for people who want to do direct deposit (I assume this is EFT??). Photos are important and so is the actual product- I have been a repeat customer for people who a) will sent a swatch, b) package things nicely, and I have had someone ring to clarify my order once which was also good.
Hope you aren't getting too overwhelmed by all the feedback!
Thanks for the giveaway!
I am a follower - I adore shopping online - it beats having to spend time in shopping centres. I am more tempted to buy online when the shipping is free or durig sales! Will go & blog about your giveaway now :) Sarah
I will be updating the website based on all your great feedback ladies. Yes Tanya,EFT (electronic funds transfer) is just bank speak for direct deposit.
I do shop online and enjoy it; I prefer in-person because I'm very tactile, but when it doesn't matter as much (or I know *exactly* what is being offered) then I'll go with online. I'll do my best to seek another option (sometimes I can't find one...) if the site makes it difficult -- if you have to print out an online order form and mail it to them, or you have to calculate sales tax yourself based on an unclear description of what state (US) they're in, etc. There's one site I won't order from online again because their "by the yard" pricings were very unclearly described and the "final price" in the checkout screen and the price I was actually charged were very different (not illegally or anything, and if I'd read more carefully I'd have understood, but it was still not cool). They're great over the phone, though, and it's a good supplier, so I won't name them here.
But my name's Marguerite and I love the runner :)
I am now a follower :)
Online shopping - I am recently getting back into it (No Credit Card for a while....) I think great photos are certainly important! I am buying a lot of clothes/decorations at the moment and I probably wouldn't buy either if I couldn't see them on different angles.
Delivery price/time is also a big deal for me. There is no way I will pay $20 delivery for a $5 item!
Nicky
(www.alittlebitprecious.blogspot.com_
I'm a follower.
I both buy and sell online, through my website, www.feltfoodcreations.com and through Etsy.
I live in a very remote part of Australia, where shopping is non-existent, so online shopping is a must.
I look for websites that accept PayPal, are easy to navigate, and that have a range of options, like colours/sizes etc.
I love your tablerunner-would look beautiful on my diningroom table! I do shop online but I tend to rely on shopping experience of my friends and family.
Elaine R
emrosser@shaw.ca
Hi Thea,
What a good idea to ask for feedback regarding on-line shopping. I've loved reading everyone's thoughts and opinions -it will really help me with my on-line stores too.
For me, I just impulse buy if something looks interesting, and I definately check out all the shops and sites that other bloggers and friends recommend (when i have time)!
Cheers, Karen
I love the table runner , i like buy on line, when the shipping no more expansive. i follow your blog,
greetings from Uruguay.
javasa4@hotmail.com
sorry for my english
I'd love to go in the draw for that lovely runner and am posting about it on my blog! Thanks for the chance to enter.
Your table runner is beautiful.
I am a follower.
paweis@yahoo.com
I so shop on line, but usually the same shops. I'll also follow them for a couple weeks to see if they keep adding new things and seem to be doing business with others. paweis@yahoo.com
Gorgeous table runner Thea. I'm already a follower. See you at the markets soon. Christine xo
i am now following your blog
deefna at gmail dot com
What a great Giveaway! I have blogged it at http://beckyetal.blogspot.com/2009/09/giveaways.html
I follow you through my blog list on my sidebar.
I do shop online as I am regional and find this is the only way to ensure I have access to a good variety of products. I prefer sites which are easy to navigate, and have Paypal so I don't have to keep looking for my wallet and credit card numbers each time.
Hi Thea,
I often shop online, I find it really convenient. The biggest drawback for me is a site that's hard to navigate, if it is I usually find myself giving up and looking elsewhere!
Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
janelockrey(at)gmail(dot)com
The color combination is very nice in this table runner. Though I do not use online shopping because its not practical for me, it sounds such a convenient and practical way to get stuff one needs. On the various blogs, particularly the sewing ones, I have not read of any adverse comments so far. I am sure people would have mentioned difficulties if there were any.
Please keep up your wonderful work.
Mystica
I also liked the Magritte Natural Linen Tablecloth that goes with this table runner. The navy design is beautiful. I also liked the white on linen too..a clean look :)
I've become a new follower! CAn't wait to see what is in store for me in the near future!
That is a gorgeous table runner! Simple and elegant. I shop on line all the time and can't recall any bad shop experiences....
What a lovely table runner. I don't do very much shopping online. Only if I am not able to locate a certain fabric or book, or whatever locally. This is my first visit to your blog. Very lovely. Thanks for a great giveaway.
ooh count me in please! I've joined your followers and posted here: http://bellgirl.com.au/2009/09/one-of-my-aims-for-future-is-to-buy.html
well I've just started following your blog and I have to say that the table runner is lovely and it drew me in! I do lots of online shopping because I don't live near shops that inspire me and free postage is definitely a plus. An obvious comparison with your site would be either Ink & Spindle or Bird Textiles - both are lovely web sites to visit and I follow the I&S blogs, not to mention their gorgeous fabrics. I really liked the wrap dress but I couldn't pay $300 for it, even with such a lovely print (being brutally honest here). I agree that somewhere like Etsy would be a good place to find you - I got here via other comments and was curious because I love hand printed fabric and hadn't heard of you in the usual places so maybe that's something to think about. And with Etsy you don't have to be that into the design of the site - they are all similar, you just need a killer header image and great products (and reasonable prices for your Australian buyers). Good luck!
The feedback has been invaluable!
Some of the hand-printed organic fashion does get expensive to make locally and is difficult to price when we have retailers selling the same items and have to wholesale to them. We have moved towards the more affordable organic jersey fashions as that fabric is made in Australia. We do sell the organic linen that the wrap dress is made from for people to make their own, more affordable clothes.
Jacqui, you win a bonus mystery prize for being my 200th follower! Please contact me.
The fabric is stunning, love it.
I do a lot of fabric shopping on line and prefer professional looking sites with a secure paying option. Shipping prices are important too - a bargain isn't a bargain if the shipping is expensive.
Abbe
This is beautiful! I am a new follower.
oheeyore at hotmail dot com
I love shopping online--I prefer it to shopping at a physical store. It's so convenient and easy. I will not shop at particular websites if they don't look professional or have bad reviews.
oheeyore at hotmail dot com
I enjoy buying handmade things online, and certain craft supplies too. There's not a whole lot available where I live.
The only bad experiences I've had have been with t-shirts not fitting correctly and things like prints arriving a little damaged through the post. These are rare occurences, thankfully, and on the whole I love being able to browse leisurely...!
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