Acrylic pen stand Group Buy CLOSED, Shipped

[Daniel]

Yep, Mike was the lucky devil. the way I think he managed to place an order on a page that should no longer exist is that your computer has the ability to store the page. and that page will still work. I forgot to put the no cach command on the page. Haven't had anyone else place an order though so it think it will be O.K. just trying to let everyone else know that even if they can bring up that page, and even if it does take there order and all that. they will only get there money back.
On anouther note. I've been waiting all day for Niles to take your money. so far nothing. don't know how long it should take for them to process this order. I did get an e-mail saying they will contact me with the correct order total. so this could be a good thing or a bad thing at this point. I think there is a handeling charge in addition to the shipping charge. there is a chance that the shipping charge is not corret as well. I asked them to hold the order pending my approval of the real charges. I'll let you all know what is up when I know more.

 

[Darley]

Thanks you Daniel, I would like 25 of then for the next group purchase, I think they will fit in a box, Thanks again

Originally posted by Daniel
<br />Serge,
the stand in this group buy holds one pen.
This is the best I can do for a photo till I get some and take my own. the page won't let you copy the photo.

http://www.nilecorp.com/products.asp?sku=1731

 

[penhead]

Just poppin' this back to top...any update as of yet Daniel..?

Thanks..!.

 

[Daniel]

Hey everyone, Just got off the phone with niles. they only have 50 stands in stock so there will be 675 back ordered. I told them to just back order the whole thing so how long this will take is a big question. the order is still being processed though. slow in my thinking but other than that all is well. no suprises as far as price... yet. and looking like there won't be.
So basically lots of patience on this one and hope nobody was waiting for these for a craft show next week.

 

[penhead]

Sheesh, sounds like we may be lucky to get them for a craft show this time next year [:0]

 

[Woodlvr]

Daniel, if it is going to take that long then maybe I will have to buy something else. Is there anyway to get a refund or am I stuck with waiting until they come in?

 

[clewless]

I hope they're reputable enough not to have run the charge against your credit card till they ship...

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Oh well I've been waiting for Paul Huffman vise for I forgot how long I guess I can wait for inexpensive pen stands []

 

[penhead]

Daniel,
Did they give you any idea 'where' they would have to go to get these 675 more??
Did they give you any idea 'when' they would have these 675 more?

Granted I don't have all that much money tied up in what I purchased, but if its going to be 3 to 6 months for a boat to come in, welll....???

 

[rduncan]

Daniel,

I'll wait as long as it takes. I've never run any kind of group purchase but would like to extend my thanks for you running it. []

 

[NavyDiver]

JohnP,
If you want to bail, I will buy your stands.

 

[penhead]

Thanks for the offer, but I am not wanting to bail.

Just looking for some kind of time frame when to expect the orders to arrive.

I would think, and I could be wrong here, but I would think that an order that large might incur enough of a profit for the vendor to perhaps add a bit of expediency.

I do want to thank Daniel for taking on this large of a group purchase. There is a lot of time/effort that goes into making this happen.

Originally posted by NavyDiver
<br />JohnP,
If you want to bail, I will buy your stands.

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Mike if you can't wait I'll take your 20 stands and Daniel if Mike wants to op out I'll paypal either him or you just let me know

Originally posted by Woodlvr
<br />Daniel, if it is going to take that long then maybe I will have to buy something else. Is there anyway to get a refund or am I stuck with waiting until they come in?

 

[airrat]

Daniel hopefully they will give you a time frame. I am very forgetful but didnt you keep asking them about prices when so many were getting requested. They should have caught on at that point.

 

[Daniel]

John. as for most of your questions. no they did not. but then I didn't ask any of them either. This is the same company that the pen box group buyes are made from. I think. so the ethical question is not a huge one in my mind. I did mention in this thread that I was beginning to expect the size of the order to be a problem for them to fill, and it is. not a huge one but they don't have what they don't have. to assume they will or won't expidite an order this big is just that, an assumption. I had not heard anything from them since placing the order. so I called them the order is being processed. if they have to go to china to get the stands then expect a month or two. if it's oregon they could have them in a week. One hint about what size orders they think are big. there quantity discounts stop at 12 stands. we ordered 725. they are very happy to have that order. and sounded enthusiastic that there may be more in the future. but they can only do what they can do.
Tom I did not ask them for prices. it can be calculated from there web site. the first they new about this order was when I placed it.

 

[penhead]

Maybe its me, but you seem a bit miffed perhaps that I raise these questions. My sincere apologies Daniel, but I didn't think there was any harm in asking these questions of the vendor you ordered them from.

And its not necessarily from an ethical point, but more from a planning position. Will they be in for the show beginning Oct..?maybe Nov shows..?pretty much wraps up the season.

I also apologize because I thought that since the order was so large, that you had given the vendor a heads up so he could have been preparing for it.

I know its a lot of time keeping track of the orders, and I thank you again.

Originally posted by Daniel
<br />John. as for most of your questions. no they did not. but then I didn't ask any of them either. This is the same company that the pen box group buyes are made from. I think. so the ethical question is not a huge one in my mind. I did mention in this thread that I was beginning to expect the size of the order to be a problem for them to fill, and it is. not a huge one but they don't have what they don't have. to assume they will or won't expidite an order this big is just that, an assumption. I had not heard anything from them since placing the order. so I called them the order is being processed. if they have to go to china to get the stands then expect a month or two. if it's oregon they could have them in a week. One hint about what size orders they think are big. there quantity discounts stop at 12 stands. we ordered 725. they are very happy to have that order. and sounded enthusiastic that there may be more in the future. but they can only do what they can do.
Tom I did not ask them for prices. it can be calculated from there web site. the first they new about this order was when I placed it.

 

[LanceD]

quote
This is the same company that the pen box group buyes are made from. I think.

The group buys for the pen boxes are made from Novel Box Co.

 

[Daniel]

Niles called me today. they expect the stands in the next week to week and a half. and they will be shipped on to me. I'm thinking I'll have them in two weeks at most. I have a couple of offers to buy out those that do not want to wait. So here is the deal. If this hass not worked well enough for you. find a buyer for your stands, have then e-mail me who they want to buy out. and I will arrange payment with them. everybodys money is still in my pay pal account so I can refund your payment. sorry writing me that so and so payed you so I can now send your stands to them will not work. anyone can and do read these threads so it all has to go through me. just a security measure. keep in mind prices for other stands I know of start at around $3.00 each.
I have been real busy this last week and it is not letting up. I am getting to my computer about every three days. I have nearly 20 hours of overtime to work this weekend and a side job to take care of any spare time. so I'm not ignoring anyone, just not here much.
JOhn, I'm not miffed at all and there is no harm in any of them. I simply didn't ask any of them. My questions where more along the line of did they even get the order and was it being processed. at first they had trouble finding it on there computer to check on it. once they did they told me it was being processed but they only had 50 in stock. I should have gotten an e-mail telling me that the 50 would be shipped but the others would be back ordered. I told them to just back order the whole 725. 50 didn't do me much good and explained to them what I was doing and what the bulk buy is how it works etc. there was a question concerning the final shipping charge so I gave them a top dollar amount they where still O.K. to ship the order for. and that was that.

I have a local place to check out and see if they would not work for future bulk buys on stands. it would cut out he shipping charges, but might add tot eh wait time as they are a manufacturer of plastic things of all types. Might possibly get larger stands that way to. I'll have to see.

 

[NavyDiver]

If anyone has a large order and wants to part with a few (3 to 5), please let me know. I am interested.

 

[penhead]

Eric,

I am in the Tidewater area also.

I should be getting twenty of them, can probably part with a few.
Send me a private email and we can arrange to meet somewhere....save you some postage.

Do you come to the Tidewater Turners meetings?

Originally posted by NavyDiver
<br />If anyone has a large order and wants to part with a few (3 to 5), please let me know. I am interested.

 

[Daniel]

I also ordered about 20 extra. they need to cover any pieces that are cracked or otherwise defective so I do not know how many I will have available when it is all said and done but will let you all know. I also hope to turn right around and do anouther one of these with better info like just how many stands will mail for the flat rate etc.

 

[Darley]

Originally posted by Daniel
<br />I also ordered about 20 extra. they need to cover any pieces that are cracked or otherwise defective so I do not know how many I will have available when it is all said and done but will let you all know. I also hope to turn right around and do anouther one of these with better info like just how many stands will mail for the flat rate etc.

Very nice Daniel, count me in for the next group buy, or if you have some left over let me know and I will buy then if some other people can't wait, just let me know of the situation, thanks

 

[Daniel]

Anouther update,
Niles called again today. they have received over 600 of the stands and are still waiting to get the rest. they expect them within the week.

 

[penhead]

By any chance, an update yet..??

Originally posted by Daniel
<br />Anouther update,
Niles called again today. they have received over 600 of the stands and are still waiting to get the rest. they expect them within the week.

 

[LanceD]

I placed an order from them for 35 stands and a locking display case after the group buy ended ( I also ordered 40 through the group buy ) and my completed order showed up last week.

 

[Daniel]

good news and bad news.
keep in mind that the numbers are not adding up for me according to what my pay pal was charged the numbers below are not correct. in short they did not charge me enough for the stands they say they shipped much less shipping.
Niles shipped approx 650 stands today. they are in california and I am in Nevada so I don't expet them to be a long time in reaching me but won't know until they actually get here.
the bad news is that they are still 71 stands short of filling the entire order. 40 of those would be mine. leaving me 31 stands short of filling all the orders in the bulk buy.
There supply comes from overseas and they expect it to take two months to get more. anyone willing to volunteer to wait?
I will have to actually verify how many stands I am getting with this shipment once they arrive and then figure out how many orders can actually be filled. I will most likely start with the first order according to this thread and fill as many as I can. I will add an option or two later but they will be a bit complicated.
Lance, You would have to read back through the posts to see how that happened. they did have 50 in stock when I placed the order I told them to not bother shipping just 50 stands but to wait till they can get the entire order together. sort of sucks that they let any of there stock go though considering that extra 35 stands would have filled enough of my order to cover everyone else in the group buy.

 

[LanceD]

Actually Daniel, when I called to place my order they had already sold those 50 and said they were expecting more in later that week. A few days later I received an email saying that my order had shipped. I expect that they may have received a small shipment and they filled their smaller orders first.

 

[Daniel]

I received the e-mail Invoice today. it shows 654 stands have been shipped. Tracking shows the package is in Sacramento as of 11:26 a.m. my time. it is now 3:02 P.M. and the package could very well be in Reno as I write this. I expect to have it tomorrow or friday at the latest.
I have a couple of e-mails from people offering to drop there orders so that problem is solved one way or anouther for now.
thanks everyone for hanging in there. and it looks like there won't be anouther one of these for a couple of months at least.
I'll post a message once i have them all packaged up and going in the mail. that should be monday at the latest, assuming there are no more delays.

 

[Daniel]

The stands just arrived. I have a bit of figuring out just how many will fit in the various boxes I have gathered up and then I will get them packed up and addressed. Don't know if I will get it all done tonight but the packages will be mailed no later than monday.

 

[airrat]

Daniel
I guess I can be your volunteer. My order was for 20 stands. I will find something else to take their place if anything comes up. Please dont let them forget us.

 

[Daniel]

Tom, The shortfall has been covered so you will still be getting your stands. I will also be looking for how much interest there will be in anouther one but this time I want to give Niles more advanced notice of the potential size of the order. lots of kinks get worked out the first time through a group buy. I now know just how many stands I can mail for $4.05
how to beter estimate the postage for small orders like 10 to 20 stands. a little bit about how well Niles is prepaired for big orders and much more.
I will start anouther thread soon to try and gauge just how much interest there still is in these stands. it would help if after all of you receive yours you post a comment on what you think of them, good or bad.
three packages mailed today the others will be out monday. ran out of time last night but have most of the stands sorted out I just have to box them up (ran out of boxes) and print the labels and postage.

 

[Daniel]

O.K. boys and Girls, Girls, Girls.
you would be amazed at how many women there is in this group.

anyway. All packages are ready for the post office. If I can get the mail man to take this big old box today they will go out then. if not I will drop it at the post office monday. every package but one is going priority. sorry to that one but funds ran out. no big deal and that is the lessons learned the first time around.
Now I am going to ask for some help from all of you. i am draafting a post for the next group buy for these stands. what i need from all of you is to know just what questions you would like to have had answers to. I have included more concrete price info. and made it clear that this is not a fast process. the post will be very clear that a long wait is to be expected. I will take some better pictures of the stand with a better idea of how our pens fit into them. I want to take some (creative) pictures as well. like just how you can use them to make custom multi pen stands etc. I only have 9 myself so any help once you have your stands would be appreciated. I was thinking of ways to mount them to pieces of wood, logs, antlers or whatever. drill the base for a tiny screw and you can make them solid and sturdy and mount them to a lot of things. be carful drilling though plastic likes to crack as the bit exits. using a backing block of wood goes a long way.
anyway I am just fishing around for what needs to be mentioned in the next purchase.
I also want to thank everyone for stepping forward on this one. I know it is not easy to place an order when you are not even sure what it is going to cost you. when you will get it. and to be honest are we all going to get flat out shafted on this. lots of reasons to be nervouse and I do appreciate that so many of you have come to trust the group buy process. we had over 30 members participate in this one. the very first group purchase i did was for CA glue. it had 5 people in it. and it took me two weeks to get those together that shows me that a lot of trust has developed in these buys. I am sure you will all be happy with the quality of these stands. I was worried that they would be thin and flimsy or something but I am real happy with them.
thanks to everyone.

 

[Daniel]

All orders except one mailed yesterday. Priority mail takes two to three days according to the post office. I still have one overseas order that will be mailed tomorrow, I have to get some instruction from the post office so it doesn't get returned to me.
thanks everyone..........

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Daniel, Recived today, thanks for all your effort. BTW they are better than I thought they would be so when you have the next buy on these count me in.

 

[eastern47]

Daniel, Received the stands today in good order. Thanks for all the work that you put into this. John

 

[Ron Mc]

I received my stands today! Perfect![] It's amazing how stable these are with a pen it them for their size. Thank-You for handling this buy.

 

[Daniel]

Thanks for the notice that they arrived. I really do have these on my mind until I know they are safe in your hands so I appreciate it.
I don't know If I can match up the names here with the names on my list. So if you do not get your package by the end of the week let me know.

 

[mrcook4570]

Daniel

Mine arrived today. Thank you for organizing this buy.

 

[lwalden]

Daniel, got mine today as well. Very happy with the quality. Thanks for doing this.

 

[Woodlvr]

Daniel,
I received my stands today and they are better than expected. Thanks for all of your time organizing this buy. Mike