Tailor Archive

Thread: How will you do custom orders after next publish?

Iwra
Sat Mar 06, 2004 5:41 am
#1

I think i stop making custom orders when im not able to sell non-empty bags. How on earth should i deliver 10 bags of clothes? I live on custom orders, i have a special vendor for that purpose. Never had a problem, never had a complaint. Perfect solution.


I can't store the orders 'temporary' untill they come and get it. I have already three houses, and two banks full of my things. Besides that i can't stay all day online and around my shop to wait for customers to pick uptheir stuff.


I can't put it just in the vendor all in the open. People will mix up items, people like the same things a lot (decorative vests, sunguards, etcetc)


Does anyone of you already thought of a solutionforthis **edit**up? Because they will not listen to petitions on Tempest.
Sriva
Sat Mar 06, 2004 6:01 am
#2

My business has fallen way off in recent months, so I'm not doing a huge volume of custom business anymore. But how I handle it now with NO vendor of my own (a merchant friend handles my retail) is to have one of those little one lot Naboo houses named Special Orders Pickup Kiosk. It's pretty much empty inside. When I finish an order, I go drop it in a labeled bag with the customer's name and the price on, then put it in the house and make the customer a temporary admin. Then, the customer can come pick it up at their convenience and banktip me when they do (this works whether I'm online or off). It's a system that runs on trust, so I wouldn't do a huge BE order for a complete stranger and leave it this way, but it does work with regular customers.



Chastity Nightdancer
Arch Fashionista and General All Purpose Tart
One Proud Founding Member of BABE
Master Tailor, Master Dancer and Booty Shaker
Owner of Chastity's Boutique (324,459)
Babelon (S. of Keren), Naboo, Lowca
NJ62
Sat Mar 06, 2004 6:06 am
#3

Honestly, I had just started doing the pack thing, so customers didn't really expect it. With 1100 items on the vendors, I just made them shop "off the rack". How mean.


It will be interesting to see what my business model will be on TC, where the economy and populations are different than live servers. I don't know if the 1100-item model will necessarily be the best... and I've got enough points after BE to go for 3, maybe 4 boxes in management, or whatever line will be most beneficial after the nerf. Yes, BE is a point suck - it makes so much sense, yet so little sense, with tailor.





n'Jessi
former correspondent, former player

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Wire3k
Sat Mar 06, 2004 8:46 am
#4

Well, I stopped by the thread and left my .02. This will hugely impact my business model - not just for custom orders - but also for component sales. I often bag full run lots of components so the customer knows they are all matching for factory runs as well as ease of just nipping it off the vendor in one click.


I can appreciate there might be some problems with using bags - but from the player's perspective - the good FAR outweighs the bad.






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Kwee
Sat Mar 06, 2004 4:09 pm
#5

It just went to test center, it's just a brief note saying it will no longer be able to putnon emptypacks on vendors.


I really hope they can implement some kind of bundled custom order perk to make up for the loss. Theproblem is that a lot of people are using packs on merchants for storage which is causing database issues What I do which is kind of clunky but works, is call different outfits by a number. So the pants, shirt, and jacket of outfit 3 would all have [3] typed in the name. That also means I only have one color of each outfit available at a time. Custom orders I've never put in packs, so the issue won't impact me personally, but I know it will hurt a lot of crafters.






Kwee Glitterwing of Starsider
Ex Image Designer Correspondent ~ Elder Tailor
& Kwee-kwee ~ Master Image Designer
Gamer Girl Columnist ~ swg.warcry.com
Ivory & Topaz of TC ~ Elder Dancers, IDs, Musicians

SueDenim
Sat Mar 06, 2004 4:38 pm
#6

I'm like n'jessi, I only used packs on the odd circumstances where I got a really big order (like 30-50 items), which didn't happen that often....



Bindi Kicklighter
Kicky Fashions of Kor Vella (-3403, 1395)
Visit our "Hall of Justice" display!
Kor Vella, Corellia, Lowca
Mystyrys
Sat Mar 06, 2004 7:17 pm
#7

I rarely get enough custom orders to justify a custom order vendor or to use bags for them till recently. Once the chef revamp went in and I was getting orders for crates of trim from 50-500 at a time, I was glad I had the spare vendor just for that. Since then I'vepicked up a lot morecomponents business from a few other chefs, and armorsmiths. The bulk orders in a bag option was a HUGE time saver for everyone concerned.


I'm scrambling now for other options to be up and running before this nerf hits. I do not have the time nor willingness to sit online or to make appointments to meet up with people who don't play when I normally do or are too busy to come and fetch it as soon as it's ready. I am also not going to give temp admin to a pickup house because so many of my custom orders ARE from brand new customers. Trust issues are just too much hassle. What? Set a house and have it unlocked for only one person at a time? Oh yeah, that's fun. Running back and forth 20 times a day to reset and reload for the next one. I think not.


Looks like I will be putting UPS on retainer.Hmm. I'm going to ask our Mayor to put them on city retainer. I'm not the only crafter/merchant in town that will be hit hard by this.





AFK is not OK
Clicky - AFKers are disruptive to my Gameplay - Clicky
**************************************************
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T
ailor &Entertainer
**************************************************
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PerilousWish
Sun Mar 07, 2004 1:24 am
#8

Wow.


This will totally hurt my business.


I do 'complete outfit' kits, which fly off the vendor like nobody's business.Most people don't want the hassel of having to send a /tell or email saying 'hey, I want this outfit you have on display called Stalker'. And then have to wait till I'm able to make it for them. They want to grab and go. Besides, it's pretty well an impulse item. Who will want to fish through the vendor to find individual pieces of the outfit?


Can someone link the info about no items in backpacks, please?











Lamia La'RueProprietor of Corellia Outfitters
Master Tailor Shop & Costume Emporium
Corellia: 1150 -4630
"Never tempt a woman with that which you wish to keep"
FloridianJen
Sun Mar 07, 2004 10:50 am
#9

This will affect me as well. It was something that reallly made life easier as a crafter...just another little extra that will all enjoyed and utilized that gets taken away



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It's an energy field created by all living things.
It surrounds us and penetrates us.
It binds the galaxy together.

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Shyloche
Sun Mar 07, 2004 11:37 am
#10

I rarely deal with the "custom order" phenomenon due to my curt, cynical, and lazy personality. Only if someone is absolutely local and there to receive an order of perhaps 2-5 items will I make it for them. Friends who are aware of my personality I will make custom order for, but they well know that they get it when they see me. My prices being normally lower than most (but still tasteful styles and opinions) affords them the willingness to wait for what they want. (I wholeheartedly believe and agree with crafters who actually offer a customer service and pleasent experience to charge higher prices. I consider my lower prices not only a necessity for business, but incentive for customers to appreciate the quality and care of cost of customer service ). I definitely prefer only vendor sales. The upcoming vendor limit also will not affect me. I run six vendors across the galaxy and rarely have more than 100 items at any given time on them, but I travel extensively around the galaxy, cater to local guilds, and am not pressed to get to a planet to restock. I'll be there soon enough when I feel like it hehe. But they are never emtpy. Though my selling clothes will not be affected by the emtpy bag nerf, it will definitely affect my BE purchases. I get those custom....so I will definitely be inconvenienced there.



Gorath, Chilastra, Wanderhome.

Elder SL, Rifleman, Pistoleer, Scout, Marksman, Tailor, WS, Merchant, Entertainer, Dancer, Musician, Pikeman, TK, Smuggler, Commando, Combat Medic.
Currently Officer, Medic, Entertainer, Jedi, Smuggler, Domestic Trader

ImpSlave
Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:31 am
#11

This is going to hurt me big time. While I keep a vendor in my friend's spice shop (mainly for impulse purchases - PvPers seem to always pick up a BE'd shirt to go with their crate of spice), my primary business is in bagged custom orders. I've started to give some thought to a custom order vendor, but I've heard about the nightmares other crafters have had with that. Either I'm going to have to start charging extra for delivery or restructure my business model.




___________________________

Ae'linor - Master Entertainer
(Master Dancer, Master Image Designer, Novice Musician)

Viviane Risant - Master Tailor
(Master Artisan, Master Merchant, Interior Designer)
SueDenim
Mon Mar 08, 2004 10:58 am
#12

I always find it interesting how varied the successful business models for tailors are. For me, the restriction on bags is utterly trivial, but the upcoming vendor limits are potentially catastrophic.

Just wishful thinking, I'm sure, but I wonder if there's any chance the bag thing might eliminate the need for draconian vendor limits? Since the limits aren't going into the next patch, it seems like that nerf either isn't as high a priority for the devs as we thought, or is really hard to implement technically, or both?



Bindi Kicklighter
Kicky Fashions of Kor Vella (-3403, 1395)
Visit our "Hall of Justice" display!
Kor Vella, Corellia, Lowca
ArthurDentOnBria
Mon Mar 08, 2004 11:23 am
#13

I was thinking about doing the "building admin for pickups" thingy, but my problem is that there's no way I can spare 1-2 lots just for that purpose. So I'd have to do that in one of my "main" buildings, and then there would be the opportunity to lose hundres of k worth or stuff to a dishonest customer, and although I'm generally real trusting about such thing (my admin lists are already real long, lol) I just can't bring myself to do that.


I think what we're all going to have to do is just put those custom order in the vendor the "normal" way. At least the items will be listed consecutively and buried several pages deep. But I agree that the vendor limits are going to hurt me way way way more then the bag nerf thingy.





ArthurDent - former Bio Engineer, Tailor, and Droid Engineer
Account cancelled 7/8/05 due to game breaking bugs in these professions that have been neglected for FAR too long. Last day July 27 2005
custom tailoring and droid orders welcome. "making Evil products since July 2003"
Achiever: 80%, Explorer: 60%, Socializer: 46%, Killa 13%


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