When running a business, things don’t always go as planned. And when they don’t, it’s an opportunity to learn something important that can help you grow. In fact, we recently encountered a major hiccup with our sticker supplier, and we want to share that experience with you—and offer you a special gift! We’re giving away some stickers for free! Just cover the cost of shipping (one stamp) and we’ll send you a dozen stickers. But first, let’s get into what happened and what we learned.
Product Journey: A Learning Experience
Recently, we hired a new manufacturer overseas to produce our custom stickers. We did our research and chose a supplier through a third-party platform that seemed reliable. This platform even had a system for vetting companies, providing mediation if things went wrong, and guaranteeing the quality of the products. Everything appeared perfect during the initial stages. We negotiated prices, outlined our sticker design, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But things took a turn during production.
Without us being able to foresee it, the factory ran into several problems. First, they used non-waterproof paper instead of the material we specified. Then, the stickers were poorly cut, leaving rough edges. To make matters worse, some stickers had dirt and oil transferred onto them. The result? Over 50% of the 5,000 stickers were visibly defective, and none were printed on the correct paper. This caused major delays in delivering our products to our customers.
What went wrong? Despite the company seeming reliable with over 6 years in business and great customer reviews, they faced challenges in their production process with new machinery and inexperienced employees. They also didn’t have the right quality control checks in place. Most factories will have a dedicated quality checking team. I'm sure you've seen stickers on things that you buy or use at home that give a quality control number showing the item was approved. With the right quality team in place, these bad prints would have never left the factory. These things can happen when a business is growing and trying out new partnerships. It’s important to remember that finding the right partner takes time and testing.
In the end, the company admitted to their mistakes and refunded the entire order. It was a frustrating experience, but we also learned a valuable lesson: Always do your homework when finding new partners and be prepared for surprises. Business isn’t always smooth sailing, but it’s all part of the learning process.
Claim Your Free Stickers!
Now that we’ve shared the story, we know that some of these stickers are still fun designs and we don't want them to go to waste. While they might not be the waterproof stickers and some are cut unevenly, there are some that will still work for paper crafting, scrapbooking, or sticking to dry surfaces. And here’s the fun part—you can get a dozen of these stickers for free!
All you need to do is cover the cost of the postage (under $1) and provide your address. No other charges. Click the button below, and we’ll send you a dozen of these unique stickers. Consider it a fun addition to your craft projects or a reminder that even mistakes can have value!
We hope our story encourages you to take your time when researching new partners and always stay open to learning from mistakes. And don’t forget to grab your free stickers!
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