Alternative supplier?

[MrsP]

Hi everyone. I am a huge fan of the wonderful Sweet Squared - however, I get charged £18 delivery every time I place an order and it is killing me (I live on an Island).
:cry:
I need Shellac top coat desparately, but don't want to use fleabay. I have found some on Tailor Made but they want £19.95 plus postage.
Do you know of any where else that will suplly this to me??

Anyone from Sweet reading please please please sort the postage using royal mail recorded and I (and many others!) will use you 100%!!!!!:hug:

 

[naturalnails]

I am sure it is to do with the chemicals being sent and that is why they cant use standard Royal Mail.

Maybe if you know of other technicians on the IOM, you could club together and do one order and share the delivery cost.

You could also contact S2 direct and speak to them rather than hoping someone may see this thread.

 

[JERSEY JOCK]

Fellow islander, I live in jersey and also have to pay the high postage. I am self employed and the postage also eats into my profits but sweet squared is such a fab company with fab products just have to grin and bear it. I have also looked for a another supplier with no success.

 

[MrsP]

Thanks - I did speak to them and apparantly in the future they may try and change the postage - like they have with MInx.

I know TailorMade send via royal mail - SS said it was because of postage probs that they use couriers.

 

[naturalnails]

If TMN are sending by normal Royal Mail and not Special Delivery then they may not be declaring what the contents are correctly.

When I bought chemicals from NSI, eons ago, they came by Royal Mail, but Special Delivery and not just standard Recorded.

 

[geeg]

It should also be pointed that tmn are distributing illegally and are probably sending illeaglly also. They have no continuity of supply, their prices are higher for almost everything because they are not buying from CND but from other sources. If you went the fleabay route you'd be paying even higher prices.

18.00 or not, it is not killing you, you may not like doing it but it is not killing you. Postage is a legitimate business expense and we all have to pay it. If 18.00 once a month is killing your business then something is not right.

Why not take the tip above and share an order with your fellow islander who also used S2?

 

[katiebbaby]

Or buy smart and buy in bulk your products you forecast to use for the quarter maybe or even per 6 months if possible.

xx

 

[MrsP]

'It should also be pointed that tmn are distributing illegally and are probably sending illeaglly also. They have no continuity of supply, their prices are higher for almost everything because they are not buying from CND but from other sources. If you went the fleabay route you'd be paying even higher prices.

18.00 or not, it is not killing you, you may not like doing it but it is not killing you. Postage is a legitimate business expense and we all have to pay it. If 18.00 once a month is killing your business then something is not right.

Why not take the tip above and share an order with your fellow islander who also used S2?'

Thank you Geeg for highlighting TMN issues - so far I haven't had to use them - or Fleabay for that matter! I place an order with SS when I need to and pay the £18 postage. I am well aware of the legitimate business expenses associated with running such distribution. (I already own a different organisation separately) .The problem arises for ONE OFF items when I have a flurry of sales in one area. Therefore I need top coat (I do not have funds to place massive orders currently as a start up business in nails) and would pay the price of top coat PLUS £18.

Hence my question - are there any other sub distributors/channels that more experienced tech's may know of??
Apparantly not and I will likely need to put up with the £18 several times before I can get to the vantage point of being able to stock up before demand... a very priveleged position!!:wink2:

 

[katiebbaby]

'It should also be pointed that tmn are distributing illegally and are probably sending illeaglly also. They have no continuity of supply, their prices are higher for almost everything because they are not buying from CND but from other sources. If you went the fleabay route you'd be paying even higher prices.

18.00 or not, it is not killing you, you may not like doing it but it is not killing you. Postage is a legitimate business expense and we all have to pay it. If 18.00 once a month is killing your business then something is not right.

Why not take the tip above and share an order with your fellow islander who also used S2?'

Thank you Geeg for highlighting TMN issues - so far I haven't had to use them - or Fleabay for that matter! I place an order with SS when I need to and pay the £18 postage. I am well aware of the legitimate business expenses associated with running such distribution. (I already own a different organisation separately) .The problem arises for ONE OFF items when I have a flurry of sales in one area. Therefore I need top coat (I do not have funds to place massive orders currently as a start up business in nails) and would pay the price of top coat PLUS £18.

Hence my question - are there any other sub distributors/channels that more experienced tech's may know of??
Apparantly not and I will likely need to put up with the £18 several times before I can get to the vantage point of being able to stock up before demand... a very priveleged position!!:wink2:

Chill hunnie, we are offering our advice and opinion with the greatest respect:hug:.

I for one have thought the same untill I sat down and with help of my partner whom is a charted accountant and financial advisor and owns his own practise with over 4 offices he sat with me (which is very hard as he very very busy and I am and we have 2 kids) and looked at cost per service included P&P vat etc and his advice in short was to buy in bulk,, yes CND may seem pricey but long term if you buy in bulk they are not ( he actuaally did a spreadsheet with figures lol) now he does not know cnd are a good company or prices in nail industry etc (only through me) his job is to just looks at the ££££ and he knows..believe me.

Clever people, think ahead :!::!:

 

[katiebbaby]

For instance look at the price for a 4floz retention,,,,right look at the price for a 133floz nearly a gallon now I do not want to put prices but a 4fl oz does approx 20 sets of nails, and 4 goes approx 33 times into 133 (a gallon) so thats????? savings

yes that to me is a saving of over £500,,,, wow now thats buting clever and you would only pay P&P once as opposed to over 33 times:lol:

Think about it:idea::idea: I too never had money at time but got a credit card for business use only and its served me well in the long term. xxx

 

[The Geek]

FWIW, it actually costs more than £18, but we think it's extortionate so we subsidize the cost.

If it was legal to send via Royal Mail we would, but sadly flammables (in any quantity) cannot. I really wish there was another solution, but right now I don't know what else to suggest other than buy in bulk and/or order from the fab peeps in Dublin.

Stay away from diverters, they are a cancer in that do not invest in people, education or the industry. They just try to cash in on it.

 

[samjackjord]

Gosh I thought I had it bad when I had to pay an extra £5 postage because of ss card terminals going down! Does not seem too bad now though!
Bulk buying is hard especially when starting out, I spent ages hoarding every penny until I could buy bulk. It's hard work and you will be skint for a while, but in the long run will gain more financially
:hug:

 

[MrsP]

Thanks for your advice everyone :green:
My hubby also owns several accountacy practices on the Island and also told me to buy in bulk:irked: - but I said with what darling? fresh air! It certainly is a handy thing to have isn't it Katiebaby.

However... I have applied for a credit card and hopefully I can buy in bulk from my fave people at Sweet.
Defo do not want to give my money to fleabay and the like!

I am proud to be the only CND professional on the Island and after having a meeting this am with someone who wants to do a joint venture with me she said the others on island who tried shellac have gone to essie or jessica because of problems apparantly. People are asking me for Shellac, DD and Minx now - so that is brill!

I would love to get into training for CND here and spreading the word..:lol:.

 

[katiebbaby]

Im sorry HVP73 is that being sarcastic?? as I am trying to help. Yes my partner may have money but I certainly would not allow him to fund MY business yes HELP with advise etc so please dont think I have a money tree in my back garden as this certainly is not the case.

 

[silverbird9t9]

I think HVP73 was saying that the financial advice from your respective partners was handy. It didn't come across as sarcastic to me.

 

[katiebbaby]

I think HVP73 was saying that the financial advice from your respective partners was handy. It didn't come across as sarcastic to me.

Please re read mypost and her reply it may not of been sarcastic but I read her reply as being that by qouting me word for word,,DARLING

I offered my help and advise and was only trying to point out from a business point of view from his advise.

xx

 

[skymark]

Please re read mypost and her reply it may not of been sarcastic but I read her reply as being that by qouting me word for word,,DARLING

I offered my help and advise and was only trying to point out from a business point of view from his advise.

xx

The darling part was what she had said to her husband if you read it without looking for menace.

I have no doubt that you were trying to be very helpful in giving her the info, unfortunately when the problem is very low funds like she had stated, bulk buying and its benefits are just a dream. When funds are there it is nice to be able to take advantage of the savings available.

To the original poster, as much as a credit card may help you place bulk orders for savings, make sure that you don't end up paying in interest what you would have spent on your 18.00 postages so your savings are limited. Maybe a card that has 0% on purchases for a few months would be suitable so that you can clear the balance as you use the products in your service.

 

[MrsP]

Goodness me! Absolutely not - I think you have taken that totally the wrong way KatieBaby.

My husband and I do genuinely own accountancy practices!! I am not an accountant but a qualified marketer - he is the accountant and the one with the maths head - so yes very helpful!! That is what I meant - it is very helpful having a husband who knows!!! We also have 2 kids - so we make sure Friday nights are our wine and planning/meeting nights. That's when we make time to make sure we are doing the right things..

Oh and BTW - My husband was who I was referring to 'with what darling':!:

With regards money in the back garden and so on - I don't think that was at all what was stated in my msg. I don't take money form our existing business and I never implied you take money from your husband's business either.

Thanks for the advice re credit card sky...:hug:
It's advice I'm here for and hope I can help others when I build up some confidence as like I say - I'm into marketing and accountancy - nails are fairly new to me!!

 

[samjackjord]

Hi,
Not defending katiebaby (don't need to) but I think that of late a lot of people have been giving advise and it has resulted in impolite responses!
Sometimes we all read things and can take it the wrong way, we all do it.
:hug:

 

[geeg]

Hi,
Not defending katiebaby (don't need to) but I think that of late a lot of people have been giving advise and it has resulted in impolite responses!
Sometimes we all read things and can take it the wrong way, we all do it.
:hug:

This site is FOR advice ... That is why it exists. I have seen no impolite response in this thread. Simply a misunderstanding by Katie as to whom the poster was speaking. To me it was quite clear she was relating a reply she made to her husband and it was not directed at Katie herself. I'm also sure when Katie reads it again she see will see that. In any case it has been cleared up now and the poster does not seem to have been offended, which at least shows a mature adult response ( for a nice change lol).