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- Is the Sampler appropriate for children?
- How many items does each subscriber receive?
- How are the Samplers shipped?
- I'm currently a subscriber, but I'd like to contribute. What will happen to my subscription?
- I'm not crafty! Can I promote my indie business in the Sampler?
- Can I contribute just my business cards/stickers/postcards? What counts as a sample?
- What logos should I send in with my contribution?
- Are there some samples you won't accept?
- Are contributions the property of the Sampler?
- Can I buy just a sample from the Sampler?
- I love the idea of the Sampler! Can I create my own Sampler!?
- How many promos should I send?
- Do samples have to be postmarked or received by the 20th?
- Can I send in scented samples? Liquid samples?
- I bought something from a Sampler Contributor and experienced some problems! Can the Sampler help me?!
- Paper Goods!! Do note cards, postcards, single sheets of paper or individual cards count as samples?
- When will I receive my Sampler?
- What is the difference between a Sample and a Promo!?
- How do I change my mailing address?
- What is your contribution policy?
The Sampler does its best to keep highly offensive items out of each mailing and is primarily family friendly. However, there may be materials in your Sampler that may be inappropriate for minors or small children -- whether in terms of "mature" content or simply small items a child might swallow.
We implore the Sampler's recipients to supervise their children when opening and going through their Samplers, to prevent them from coming into contact with questionable material.
Each Sampler contains at least 17 samples!
Due to the limited number of contributed samples, you will not receive a sample from every single contributor. Please remember that the Sampler is meant as a service to promote our Contributors' shops to you! Each sample has been selected by the contributor to represent his or her work. If you don't receive a sample that you really had your heart set on, it's more than likely that the Contributor who made it will have some in his or her shop!
When you're looking at the sneak peeks, remember there's no guarantee of what you're going to get, but you're more likely to get items listed under the 75+ than the 25+!
Samplers going to people in the United States are shipped via Priority Mail in Flat-Rate Priority Mail envelopes. International Samplers are mailed in Flat-Rate Global Priority Mail envelopes.
If you want a subscription bumped due to a pending contribution, please email samplerstuff [@] homeofthesampler [dot] com with "BUMP SUBSCRIPTION" in the subject heading.
The Sampler actually wasn't created solely with crafty businesses in mind! Many contributors are zinesters, writers, musicians, record labels and fine artists! Basically, if you've got your own business, the Sampler is open to working with you!
Business cards, stickers bearing only your URL and postcards for your company or site are considered Promo Materials.. Most contributors to the Sampler include their promo materials along with their actual samples. Promos do not count as samples.
Any item that contains a logo, URL or business name as an integral design element will be considered a PROMO and not a SAMPLE. Logos, URLs, business names, on the backs of items, attached as tags or just generally used simply as identifying marks are fine. But, when in doubt, leave it out!
For more info on promos vs. samples, please see What is the difference between a Sample and a Promo!?Generally, samples should be something that represents the kind and quality of work you do; something that represents your style/outlook etc. The advantage to contributing samples as opposed to just promos is that the recipient immediately gets a sense of your work and has something that he or she can wear or display, thus promoting you to anyone who sees it. BUT, this doesn't mean you shouldn't include your promos, too. That way people can find your site and order more!
If you tend to make things that are rather too large or costly to make multiples of for the Sampler, feel free to contact me and maybe we could figure something out together.
Please send in a version of your logo that is optimized for viewing on the web. It is preferable that your web logo be no greater than 300 pixels in width and 250 pixels in height.
Email your logo and blurb (when applicable) to logosandblurbs@homeofthesampler.com
The same due date as samples applies to logos and blurbs: the 20th of the month, unless otherwise noted.
Actually, yes.
I reserve the right to refuse any contributions, especially those that might be offensive to my subscribers and contributors. Though I am not in the business of censorship (I'm pretty open to most contributions), I feel that materials promoting violence or with pornographic or racist content may be inappropriate to the spirit of the Sampler.
Please remember that the Sampler reaches people of varying backgrounds and age groups.
If you receive materials in your Sampler that you find questionable, please Email Me!
No edible items are allowed in the Sampler.
Also, though not everything contributed to the Sampler needs to be handmade, we do ask that the items you submit as your samples be representative of YOUR work and not the work of others. Please be sure that the items you submit are your own property -- physically and intellectually.
Nope.
Anything and everything contributed to the Sampler is solely the property of the person who made or designed it. The Sampler is simply a means of distributing and promoting contributions. Each contributor enters into an agreement allowing the Sampler to distribute their goods for the purposes of promotion through the sale of subscriptions and sample Samplers. The Sampler makes no further claims to the designs, copyrights, intellectual property, etc., associated with contributed items.
When contributing samples, please don't infringe upon other people's copyrights, and please respect the intellectual property of others! The Sampler is all about nice.
Individual items from each Sampler issue are not for sale thru the Sampler site. However, many of the contributed items are available for purchase through the sites of their contributors. Please feel free to contact contributors and visit their sites!
To view a list of contributors and their URLs, please visit the Contributors Page.
Also, occasionally Sampler Contributors will donate items to be sold as Sampler merchandise to raise funds for the Sampler! You can view Sampler Merchandise here.
The crafty community is full of all kinds of swap programs! Certainly you are welcome to create your own sort of swap, but please don't copy the Sampler outright! Using our concept and simply changing the name is still copying! Especially when you say things like "I'm starting my own Sampler" it's SORT OF A TIP-OFF.
The business model of the Sampler is something unique and something I've worked very hard to create, maintain and also very hard to defend! Though the Sampler is wicked fun and super friendly, please remember that it is still a business, and, as such, will be subject to and will appeal to all the laws that are applicable to defend it. The Sampler name, logo and the combination of the two are subject to US trademark laws.
As many as you like! We include every promo we receive in a "promo pack," so eventually all promos you send in will be used.
Received.
Scented samples are allowed, but unfortunately we can no longer accept liquid samples. Please be sure that all scented samples are securely sealed and double wrapped. People often have allergies or sensitivities to fragrances.
Unfortunately, no. Please remember that the Sampler is a promotional service provided to the businesses featured on this site. As such, the Sampler cannot accept any responsibility for transactions you engage in with the businesses featured. All activity conducted outside of this site is beyond the Sampler's wicked reign!
We ask that greeting cards include an envelope to be considered a sample. If you're sending in flat notecards or individual postcards, we ask that you package them in groups of at least 2 or 3 and count the group as a single sample. If you'd like to send in a single sheet of paper as a stationery sample, please include an envelope to complete the sample! If you're sending in a paper doll kit/set, please print your sample on card stock.
Subscriptions for the Sampler are usually sold in the month PRECEDING the month you'll receive. We do this to make it easier to figure out how much supply-type stuff we'll need. Example: If you purchase your Sampler in, say, April, you would be getting the NEXT available Sampler, which would be May. Make sense? If so, here's a general schedule of when things are due and will probably mail out. Please bear in mind that these dates are not set in stone and often life will i ntervene and make contributions late or delay the mail, etc.
probable ship date: the second week of August
probable ship date: the second week of September
probable ship date: the second week of October
probable ship date: the second week of November
probable ship date: the first week of December.
Any item that contains a logo, URL or business name as an integral feature of its design will be considered a PROMO and not a SAMPLE.
Identifying marks, such as URL's, logos and business names, are absolutely fine if they function solely as identifying marks on the samples. Packaging, for instance, is a perfectly fine place for such identifying marks -- the side of a button, the back of a piece of jewelry or the tag inside a bag, scarf or other item would work, too.
Examples of promos would be: buttons, stickers, cards with your business name on the front, or URL or logo as the main image. It is preferred that promos be around the size of a 4"x6" postcard or smaller, but if you have special needs, please contact us!
If the difference between a sample and a promo is still unclear to you, please send in either an image or detailed description of your item via email and we can give you our honest opinion!
Generally, samples should be something that represents the kind and quality of work you do; something that represents your style/outlook etc. The advantage to contributing samples as opposed to just promos is that the recipient immediately gets a sense of your work and has something that he or she can wear or display, thus promoting you to anyone who sees it. BUT, this doesn't mean you shouldn't include your promos, too. That way people can find your site and order more!
Please send a quick email, including your full name, previous mailing address and your new mailing address to: addresschange [@] homeofthesampler [dot] com
PLEASE NOTE: I reserve the right to reject any contributions to the Sampler, especially contributions with content that might be offensive to Sampler subscribers (i.e., items of racist or pornographic content, or items promoting violence). Please remember that the Sampler reaches a variety of people from different backgrounds, of different ages and in different countries. The Sampler will not be held accountable for any backlash your items may receive.
The Sampler often sends samples to members of the media for editorial consideration. If you do not wish your items to be included in media Samplers, please make a note of this when filling out your Contributor form.
Please be sure that all items you submit to the Sampler are your own (physical/intellectual) property! Stealing makes us sad! Items submitted to the Sampler do not HAVE to be handmade (for instance, CDs, Printed Matter, etc.), but we do ask that your submissions be your ORIGINAL work. Items like collage or featuring clip art are just fine, so long as the design of the item in which they are used is your own. Remember, your samples are meant to be representative of YOUR work.
