If I have any good business sense,
I got it from my grandmother who managed to run a small jewelry
store with military precision for over 50 years (and prosper)
in a mill town in Vermont, which saw all other businesses, large
and small, come and go with the various times. Her secret was
clubs. When I designed the Early American Doll Series (now long
discontinued), I had originally figured it as a complete set
of things including a doll and all her clothes, furniture and
accessories. Then I feared that people couldn't afford it, but
it came to me that one of my grandmother's clubs would work.
Clubs are presented in an affordable format and is a fun way
to collect with a surprise to look forward to each month and
in the end you will own a wonderful collection for yourself or
for the future. And so my clubs began - this was in 1986 - and
over the years I have had many clubs for different doll series
and also custom clubs for those who wish to pick and choose what
is in their clubs from all the items I design and sell.
Clubs represent a commitment. I
get to have your business for a designated number of months (12-16),
which I provide for you at at discount, and you commit to those
months of payments. It is an unspoken contract. All clubs begin
with the first payment being a deposit which is held in good
faith until the end when it becomes your last payment. Note that shipping is added to your initial deposit payment since it will become the payment for your last shipment. If you
should drop out of the club, you will lose this deposit. If you
are continuing on with more clubs, this deposit can move ahead
of you to the next club.
HOW IT WORKS ~ Clubs are based on
the total value of all the items less the club discount (about
15% for finished clubs and 25% for kit clubs) divided into equal
monthly payments. This means some
months the payment is worth more than what is received and some
months less, but in the end the club member comes out even with
a discount on all.
SHIPPING is added to
each club for each shipment, but it is kept low. Kit clubs currently
have a shipping rate of $9.95 per month except in occasional shipments
with say more than one kit being shipped or the package size affecting
shipping rates. Finished clubs will vary by item being sent but
will be as low as possible (average rate for US is $12.95). Foreign
shipping rates are variable depending on weight. but are also kept
as low as possible. Note: Due to the rapidly changing
world of shipping rates these may change according to increases
set by UPS and the USPS. Rates
above current effective Spring 2021.
PAYMENT OPTIONS: Credit card charges are best, but arrangements may also be made for paying by check or Paypal. Due to the intense administration time spent in doing clubs, and my limited staff for help, all club charges are processed on the 3rd Thursday of each month. If you wish to pay by check or Paypal, you will need to pay one month ahead, so that we do not spend extra time tracking you down (people often forget).
TIME TO JOIN - Any of
the clubs may be joined at any time. We process clubs usually
on the 3rd Thursday of each month. The exception is on the
newest club where each item is being developed just before sending
and due to the complexity of producing brand new ideas, time tables
are at best a wild guess.
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