How do we do business?
First and foremost: We ARE A FAMILY business! We work hard to EARN your business and your trust. Our daughter is disabled, but she works hard to create and advise our family team. We work directly with factories and their staff to be sure we can offer the very best products in design and quality as possible. We also are strong supporters of small business and we support several ANIMAL RESCUES, sanctuaries and adoption services.
Our business ... Remember ... Price ISN’T everything! Pricing for products is a challenge for every seller. Obviously, we want and need be competitive and still make a profit while paying our bills.
There are several fees involved with listing items on the Internet. The service used, whether Etsy, Amazon, eBay, Shopify or other ISP, all charge fees to post items for sale. Those fees can be as much as 35% of the selling price which really can cut into a seller’s profit and selling ability. I’m sure all sellers work toward the best costs possible while searching for the most cost effective ways to entice shoppers to their page or site.
For us, we do a lot of work finding what we feel are good quality products at a fair price. We also are looking at the sources and what the workers are all about within that source. Workers need to be treated fairly and we hope that our business will further their growth and make their lives better. Of course, we have to depend on the honesty of these sources and their work ethics which can be hard. We have owned international companies and have traveled extensively into many regions where products are manufactured. Some are good and others need a few courses in better production and manufacturing techniques. Most are fair with their staffs, providing a culturally adequate work environment. We are all too familiar with how a lot of overseas markets are viewed in the west so we particularly concerned with the workers’ welfare while being respectful of their employment traditions. It is not always our way of conducting a work space that we evaluate; but, because have seen a multitude of work places, we are educated in how some areas of the world maintain their businesses. Those who don’t practice appropriate work environments simply do not get our business. We are keen on the success of our factory partners and they in turn need to be looking out for our best interest.
Of additional value to us is our community, local and national. Long ago, we started giving back campaigns, helping local philanthropies, schools, churches, animal rescues, civic groups and others. This can be in the form of monetary help, supplies or by utilizing our physical time and talents. This is very important to us as we believe in the value of lifting each other up in all ways possible.
So back to pricing ... here is a breakdown of our pricing before we ever have a selling price on anything. The cost to mail a First Class small parcel with tracking on USPS starts at $6.89 (Without tracking, it's less but I believe in tracking. It’s not a guarantee of delivery, but it is far better and far less chance of any delivery confusion. USPS seems to take the parcel more seriously, too.) Orders over $35 are shipped FREE.
In additional to the mailing charge, the listing or posting fees we feel average for us at about 30%. So if we have an order for $10, we pay roughly $3.00 in fees. So add that to the mailing fee and we are at $5.00 already without any labor or supplies. There are also costs associated with google searches and other marketing such as email blasts, street fairs and direct sales. We average that to be at least $2.05.
You can see that it adds up quickly!
For us, prompt shipping and answering questions fast are valuable assets that we offer. We are customers too and we know that when something is ordered that it is wanted and expected to be shipped quickly. The sooner it is in your hands, the sooner you can enjoy, tell friends and hopefully reorder! We do enjoy a long list of very happy customers with very positive reviews.
We hope this helps for you to see our side of the selling process and our company’s views and policies. As always, we are open to all ideas and suggestions. We are also happy to supply you with a list of groups we help support with finances, time and efforts.
Thank you for reading and we look forward to doing business with you soon!
TheGiftShopOutlet
& FauxFancies
Email: admin [!at] FauxFancies.com
