Stuff from Atlanta .............

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Framerguy

Framerguy

PFG, Picture Framing God
Joined
Apr 12, 2001
Posts
7,261
Loc
Destin, Florida
It's coming up a month since the Decor Expo in Atlanta and I was wondering if anyone has gotten any of the stuff they ordered from the show? I had ordered moulding samples from a number of new suppliers and some mat racks and made arrangements for followups on a few connections from suppliers.

To date I have received 4 new moulding samples from a small company that I contacted and 3 plastic mat racks from Crescent. I probably signed up with 8 new moulding suppliers and ordered probably 350 new moulding samples in odd shapes and large sizes mostly. Are they so inundated with new orders that they are having a hard time filling orders?? Or do they shove the free sample orders to the bottom of the stack and work on them as they have time?

I hardly ever order things at these shows unless it is a piece of equipment or box moulding that is on sale for the show only. Most times I make the initial contacts at the show and then follow up on the phone or when the rep stops by to see the shop. So I don't know how they handle these orders and how much time it takes to get new items ordered from a trade show.

Is everyone else getting all that they ordered??

Framerguy
 
Me Too!!!

All that I ordered is yet to show up as far as corner samples go.

My United order was about 70% back ordered so I've not seen much of that either. One of the things I ordered was the base extension for my 2200 Fletcher and there is a rebate involved. I hope it shows up before the rebate offer expires!!

I was thrilled to get my mat sample dividers from Bainbridge!!!

Joel
 
Been lucky

I have gotten pretty much everything I ordered at the show and
I am now waiting on my CMC from Wizard and it is shipping a whole week early! I'm so excited.

Most placed told me they were covered up with orders.
I ordered a mat rack from Cuddy and he is rushing it out for me. He had to make it new because he said he sold out of them at the show.

It sounds to me like the show was a big success even if it seemed slower!
 
Tom,

I don't know about other suppliers, but as far as I am concerned frame orders come first and samples second and I spell it out to my new costumers up front. The period between August-November is my busiest time of the year, and producing samples would be actually irresponsable of me because that activity would impede with regular business and endanger dead lines that my costumers count on me to meet. Beside, samples sell for only 70% o their price list ;) Those who "sell them for free" may be even less enclined to consider making when very busy.
 
If a company takes a few weeks to do samples around a show time I could understand. I would give them a month, I can be that nice-once. Anything besides that no. It shows me that a company is not prepared or doing business in a proper manner if they can not get their product to me. If these are run of the mill prefinished stuff, you should be 2-3 weeks-my guess. If they dont have people full time doing samples, how long will it take to get your orders?

For finished corner frames the wait time for a reg order is 4-8 weeks. So if they took 6 weeks to do samples I would be understanding. One time I ordered samples of this caliber from a vendor and one by one over the next six months they arrived-paid samples. This is not good practice. So they had my money for six months before they stopped sending samples. At that time I do not recall if I did receive the full list of samples.

PL
 
Patrick,

I am not going to speak for other manufacturers but for me.
It takes literally 4-5 years to bring to sped newly hired people that know nothing about frame making when hired (which is the right way of doing it when you need to teach them your way and your standards, not the other way around). It takes twice that long to turn a very good frame maker.
Unlike framers that can hire a couple of kids or relatives to help them when in need, a MANUfacturer can't enjoy that luxury. Nor can he send home his highly skilled people when slow, and risk lose them to other jobs. So the balance does it that I keep and pay for more than sufficient workers in not very busy times, yet that number is not merely enough to easily face up those long, exhausting,very busy 2-3 months of the year.
I am referring to closed corner frame samples which are different animals all together, despite being frequently taken for much less than what they really are and expected to be machined and UPSed for free in no time.
Who can't understand or accept this reality, is not really in high end framing but in fast (food) framing, which is another decent way of making a living.
 
We've received all our AMCI corners as well as the sample frame we ordered. Just about everything else was C&C and we took it all home with us. Couple box orders outstanding but otherwise we're good.

Tony
 
Good thing this post is still here cause I just now got my corner samples from cutting corners.I almost forgot all about them.
 
I received a length order form the show that I had forgotten about. They had forgotten about the show special discount...we'll work it out.
That triggered my thinking about other things I had ordered but not received. I called up one company and actually talked to the person who wrote my order (Sunday around noon...the place was a ghost town). Good thing I did. They had put the orders from that day in a seperate shipping box to return home, and none of those orders had been processed...OOPS.
Then there was the case of the missing length order that is still under investigation. It was for a fairly goodly amount of discontinued watergilded product. The person with the answer is not available...

Oh, the corner samples I ordered at the show haven't shown up, and the frame I bought from the display came in damaged.

I did get some corner samples that I really didn't want in a timely manner.

It's a good thing that none of this really matters or this business would drive me bonkers.
 
kevaura said:
Good thing this post is still here cause I just now got my corner samples from cutting corners.I almost forgot all about them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got the 8 samples that I ordered from Kutting Korners on Wednesday. None of the other stuff has come in yet. I got a call from Neilson Bainbridge wanting to know if I needed anything???

Well, yeah, how about the stuff I ordered from Atlanta??

He said that he would check into it and get back to me. .................. Uh huh.

Wally, you sound like you are having as much luck with your orders as the rest of us. I don't expect next day delivery from orders at a trade show but, c'mon, it's Oct. 13th, a month since the show and to date I have received about 12 frame samples and 3 plastic mat racks from Crescent.

I sure am glad I didn't order anything really important like 50 of Cornel's frame samples and a half dozen of his frames for display in the gallery!! :eek: ;)

FGII
 
I got all my corner samples from Studio Moulding, Design Guild. Just waiting on Arquati. Ironically, the one thing I paid money for (mat dividers) from Crescent, I never received. I guess I will give them a little bit longer....

dave.
 
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