Grab Bag question you asked on Facebook

[Melody]

The other thing we could do instead of grab bags is have a batch of things all painted differently, like the grab bags, but sold individually in the store, (or maybe etsy) like we do with the “Stray Cat edition” and the baby kirins.
Pam hates this idea because each piece would need to be photo’d individually and it would be a big pain , but that way people could pick and choose, and wouldn’t be getting a color they don’t like!

OR we could have a bunch of mini-batches of colors… a dozen or so of each grab-bag-like color so Pam would only need to photo one, or maybe the whole small group could be pictured.
Like, say I painted a dozen racoon-bat-eared foxes. They wouldn’t be ooaks like the true grabbags, but they would be plenty weird.
Takes away the suspense-thrill though. Not nearly as much fun.

[etruscan]

I’m pretty sure we are just seeing a lot of grab bags at the moment because a lot of new sculpts are being introduced. I know if I had a new sculpture I’d test paint a bunch of ideas before settling on a production color, so with all these new pebbles, colts, poads, etc. I have noticed, once the grab bags make their debut, production colors HAVE been following. Example with the Grab Bag Mini Keepers, Colts, and Tad Poads that have been coming out in production/limited production colors now that the introduction of the new sculpture has come and gone. I don’t think we should discourage Melody’s creativity if she wants to paint a few grab bag batches first to see how she wants to release the sculpt in the future. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, and though the holidays are coming up and we all have limited money, we can also request them as gifts as well. Just my 2 cents about it. I’m pretty tight on money myself right now, but I still look forward to grabs bags as much as ever. I’m pretty confident the seemingly LOADS of grab bags will die down and production colors will come out secondary to the sculpt initial introduction. ^_^

Interesting point. I thought Melody said that she is trying to have one Grab Bag a month, but maybe you’re right.

[etruscan]

The other thing we could do instead of grab bags is have a batch of things all painted differently, like the grab bags, but sold individually in the store, (or maybe etsy) like we do with the “Stray Cat edition” and the baby kirins.
Pam hates this idea because each piece would need to be photo’d individually and it would be a big pain , but that way people could pick and choose, and wouldn’t be getting a color they don’t like!

OR we could have a bunch of mini-batches of colors… a dozen or so of each grab-bag-like color so Pam would only need to photo one, or maybe the whole small group could be pictured.
Like, say I painted a dozen racoon-bat-eared foxes. They wouldn’t be ooaks like the true grabbags, but they would be plenty weird.
Takes away the suspense-thrill though. Not nearly as much fun.

You probably shouldn’t make any changes. Mini-batches might create unhappy people who didn’t get one of the most popular designs, and it seems to be very difficult to predict which design will catch people’s fancy. I think the OOAK aspect of Grab Bags is part of the appeal, at least for us gamblers.

My point of view seems to be a minority opinion, but one I thought needed to be expressed. You know what they say … “Fools rush in where winged meerkats fear to tread”. 😉

[Stormbreeze]

Hm… I don’t mind watching grab bags go by as I accumulate more into my Windstone Fund. Eventually, something will catch my fancy. However, I do agree that the sculpts should be varied between batches (as in, one month there could be poads, and the next dragons or ki rins.) Umm, totally didn’t suggest any grab bag ideas there. 🙂

[i]Keeping an eye out for fantasy gryphons and test paint dragons.[/i]

[KaytanaPhoenix]

I’m pretty sure we are just seeing a lot of grab bags at the moment because a lot of new sculpts are being introduced. I know if I had a new sculpture I’d test paint a bunch of ideas before settling on a production color, so with all these new pebbles, colts, poads, etc. I have noticed, once the grab bags make their debut, production colors HAVE been following. Example with the Grab Bag Mini Keepers, Colts, and Tad Poads that have been coming out in production/limited production colors now that the introduction of the new sculpture has come and gone. I don’t think we should discourage Melody’s creativity if she wants to paint a few grab bag batches first to see how she wants to release the sculpt in the future. It’s impossible to make everyone happy, and though the holidays are coming up and we all have limited money, we can also request them as gifts as well. Just my 2 cents about it. I’m pretty tight on money myself right now, but I still look forward to grabs bags as much as ever. I’m pretty confident the seemingly LOADS of grab bags will die down and production colors will come out secondary to the sculpt initial introduction. ^_^

Interesting point. I thought Melody said that she is trying to have one Grab Bag a month, but maybe you’re right.

Pretty much the entirety of what I was saying/agreeing to was in response to the comment Mel made about wanting to get a GB out a month, which leads me to think she will keep doing this beyond the release of new sculpts..
What DragOn has said makes perfect sense if Mel is enjoying what she is doing (I’m more worried about burn out) and also makes perfect sense that the volume of GB’s recently released are new sculpts…
I do find it very fun to get new sculpts in GB’s, and good for Mel because she can test paint ideas for production line and actually have a productive place to put those test paints… and have some fun filling in the rest of the volume for a GB batch…
Also makes me feel better knowing the leftover in the store are what Mel intentionally made in excess, not that the demand has gone down, just the numbers of how many being done have gone up..

I personally realize production line arctics, reds, wolves etc etc are probably not happening yet because production painters are working on snow white uni’s, jet black uni’s, MK’s, Blue Morphos etc.. I’m sure the pebbles in production colors are in the queue.. they’re just not at the front of the line yet.. because though many here want the pebbles, lots in other portions of the forum wanted unicorns, and morphos.. and I can only imagine how hard it is on Mel, and Windstone in general to try and keep up with the overall demand everyone has.. trying to keep them balanced.. This is in part where I worry about the monthly GB release, (I would think) Mel would get stressed with an absolute demand for a GB every single month.. on top of the demand to design a new uni color (or whichever sculpt it may be at the time).. on top of the demand for new sculpts… She is, after all, one person! (I’m beginning to think Superhero, maybe? lol)

So I dunno.. Personally, I’m good with spreading GB’s out more.. but the final decision is Mel’s, and so long as she is having fun.. then more power to her..

[drag0nfeathers]

Speaking directly to Melody

…and not trying to offend ANYONE by saying this at all, but… “Do whatever you want! You can’t please everyone and no matter what you do SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, will be unhappy. So don’t stress out and do whatever YOU feel will best work for YOU! I’m sure I speak for everyone when we want YOU to be happy more then anything so keep up the good work!” *hugs Melody*

Got a busted Windstone?
drag0nfeathersdesign@gmail.com
*OPEN for repairs*

*SEEKING GRAILS*
Arc-en-ciel Emperor
Siphlophis Male Dragon
Calypso Hatching Empress
Ivory Moss Sitting Baby Kirin
Tattoo Mother Kirin
Emerald Tabby Male Griffin
Tie Dye + Orion Hatching Royalty
Indigo Rockfish + Flame Tabby Little Rock Dragons
Dragon Quail + Obsidian Frost Old Warriors
Betta Sun Dragon + Male Dragon
Dreamscape, Orion, Poison Dart, Fireberry, Spangler + Tigerberry Dragons

[etruscan]

Speaking directly to Melody

…and not trying to offend ANYONE by saying this at all, but… “Do whatever you want! You can’t please everyone and no matter what you do SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, will be unhappy. So don’t stress out and do whatever YOU feel will best work for YOU! I’m sure I speak for everyone when we want YOU to be happy more then anything so keep up the good work!” *hugs Melody*

Of course Melody will and should do whatever she wants. She also makes a laudable effort to meet the desires of her customers, which is why I think feedback is important.

I actually was anticipating a much bigger response of “We love the frequent Grab Bags!” but maybe people don’t want to seem argumentative?

[Natasha]

FWIW, I love any and all grab bags (I’ve bought each one since I started with the colts). I think part of the fun is not knowing, and trading. I feel like at least that way you have a change of getting something you love. If you had to, say, scramble for ten racoon patterns, I think there would be a lot of time when they’d sell out instantly, and if you didn’t care for the other color options, you’d be less likely to buy at all.

I also like the extra grab bags hanging around in the store so they can be added to later orders if they’re still around. I traded away both my initial arctics, but bought one with my baby poads and will keep this little guy forever. Third time’s the charm!

Seeking Test Paints & GBs ! Please get in touch if you'd trade/sell. I'll remove pieces from list by owner request
ANY Red Eyed Unis
ANY Test Paint Bat
UNIS:
The Purple/Yellow Baby Uni of Awesome
Male- Snow Leopard TP
White Lighting Male, Pony, Colt and Grand - I have Mom, Baby, & Young
Ponycorns: Golden Zebra and/or Spotted Skunk
Mother: Okapi
Gothic - Mahogany
PEGS: Male Midnight Calico, Male Bloodstone, Mother Starlight Rain
DRAGONS: Male Coyote

[Melody]

Speaking directly to Melody

…and not trying to offend ANYONE by saying this at all, but… “Do whatever you want! You can’t please everyone and no matter what you do SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, will be unhappy. So don’t stress out and do whatever YOU feel will best work for YOU! I’m sure I speak for everyone when we want YOU to be happy more then anything so keep up the good work!” *hugs Melody*

Excellent idea! So I sculpted today instead of painting. Ha.

[Kim]

I actually really like the idea of small batches of different production colours for pieces. If there were a few styles and about a dozen of each I think that would make it easier for collectors to pick which pieces they want without having to trade grab bags. I just got a couple more arctic foxes in as I traded one and sold the other and was trying to get one with red on it but the two I just got are both grey so now I will have to try and trade them again. If there was say small batches of red or white or grey foxes, I could have just bought the colours I wanted.

Looking for rainbow or pink & teal grab bags!

[Falcolf]

Mmm I like grab bags better! And personally I’m fine with monthly grab bags – I think monthly or bimonthly is way better than quarterly and I’ve gotta say, I’ve loved seeing so many GBs that I can actually potentially afford like these pebbles. Even if I can’t afford them I love seeing the photos and I really do adore the fun surprise involved with receiving grab bags. I don’t personally trade them though, since I have a habit of falling in love instantly with objects placed in my possession! I’m pretty much a black hole for Windstones haha. I’m really excited about bat-eared foxes and heck, even the wolves again, though I’m going to try to resist those when they eventually do come about because I already have two. (Although wolves REALLY like having buddies…) It’s also just awesome knowing every grab bag is OOAK. That’s a really cool feeling, that you’re holding an OOAK piece in your hand painted by your favourite artist. 🙂

Glad to hear grab bags are doing just fine! 😀

Check out my finished artwork at http://falcolf.deviantart.com/ and my sketch/studio blog at http://rosannapbrost.tumblr.com/

Excellent!

[jmoore]

I do prefer the surprise factor of the grab bags as opposed to doing small groups of certain, known colors. I thought that having two separate groups of baby poads worked well (the hoppies and the hippies). I had thought that that might have worked well for the mini keepers also – to have one batch of more “earthy” colors and one batch of more “bright” colors (and maybe even a third of pastels) – so you would still get a surprise/ OOAK piece but more likely to get one in colors you like.

But, yeah, we love you Melody! And everyone at Windstone! And we hope you continue to do what makes you happy. 🙂

[Lauren]

Since we’re all putting in our two cents~

I will never be able to participate in every GB that comes around, even if I want to, because of real life limitations. Shipping costs, statue costs, etc. But I would still rather they happen than not. I get to interact with people and participate in their joy at receiving something beautiful in a second-hand way, and there’s just something very exciting about it. Maybe it’s not as “special” but because each grab bag is a different statue or theme I feel like it’s always something fresh and interesting. As long as Melody is not tiring of painting them and is happy to continue doing so, then I say keep on keeping on. A surplus of gbs means that if someone new comes to the group later and they really, really want to buy a gb piece from a collection they missed, chances are there will be someone to sell second hand (or if they’re really lucky maybe it will still be in-stock in-store).

It’s interesting to me that some people see things not selling out instantaneously as them not being “successful.” I know it’s never good for extra product to be sitting on a shelf longer than necessary, because that means something else can’t be produced, but I just tend to have a more naive perception that as long as the majority sells quickly and the remainder trickles out, that’s probably fine. I know there were several people who were lamenting that they couldn’t jump on the hoppy poad train as soon as it came out; perhaps by producing extra that are sitting around, these people will be lucky enough to have a chance at them too.

I think personally I wouldn’t like to see the GB pieces priced individually and sold on the store or Etsy or ebay. I guess on the one hand it would net Windstone more money, so if they decide that’s what’s financially prudent for them, well, then so mote it be. But doing so will make them much pricier, which means they will probably be out of my price range (and some other’s too I would think) not to mention that… usually, in GBs, there are a couple pieces that are MOST heavily coveted by several people. If a person gets it randomly, well, that’s the luck of the draw and I find it easier to not feel regret over. But as someone whose time zone rarely coincides with release times, I’d be kind of upset to have missed out on something I really, really wanted just because I couldn’t be around to try to pounce on it when it released into the store. I know, I know, life is not fair and part of being an adult is coming to terms with that… but I just like the more-or-less equal-odds of the grab bag.

EDIT: Just to echo some above sentiment though. Whatever you guys choose to do that best supports your business model and makes for happier artists, please do that. You guys do such amazing work, it’s definitely possible to appreciate pretty things from afar without having to own them personally. Thank you all for always thinking about our wants and needs too 🙂 Best customer service ever, as far as I’m concerned.

[Bullsquid]

My only concern with having very small batches of similar/identical pieces instead of grab bags is that some opportunistic people who are able to stalk the store all the time might snatch them up with the sole intention of selling them at a higher price on the secondary market. Of course, such people could theoretically do this with any release, but I think it’s more likely to happen with small batches, since a batch of a dozen will sell out far more quickly than a grab bag of 160.

I would rather take my chances with large grab bag batches and trade with other forum members than get constantly shutout trying to buy from many very small batches. I think that everyone gets a better chance of getting what they want with the large batch grab bags that Melody has been making lately.

[PrairieVixen]

I know I’m fairly new to the forums but I figured I might chime in also as I truly love it here and enjoy being a collector and part of the community. 🙂 Personally I absolutely LOVE all the grab bags and the more that become available, the happier I am! lol I enjoy the grab bags so much because honestly, I’d prefer to collect unique, one-of-a-kind pieces and I’d much rather spend a little more, and have a few less pieces if it means they are truly unique. I also love the thrill of not knowing exactly what piece I will get and the anticipation of waiting while it’s being shipped and finally, opening the box to see which lovely critter found its way to me is exciting and addicting. Additionally, the community here is so friendly that trading is also an enjoyable and exciting endeavor!

I am also truly thankful that Melody and the Windstone Folks have made several extra pieces in the recent grab bags because it gives all of us the chance to add just a few more unique OOAK critters to our collection. In fact, after I’m done writing this I’m headed over to the store to pick up another pair of hoppy poads because I am just smitten with them. 🙂

Having them sold individually is a nice idea but in practice, it’d be terribly time consuming to photograph and list up each one. Additionally, I think this would discourage community interaction by putting a damper on trading.

A bunch of mini-batch options may be an interesting idea as long as there were a limit on the purchase of those as well; As Bullsquid mentioned above, to discourage those who’d like to purchase up an entire color batch for the sole purpose of profiting off of it on the secondary market. I also like that with large batches, everyone does get an equal opportunity to potentially get that one (or a couple of ones) they truly have their hearts set on.

Personally I enjoy the large grab bag batches as they are currently and am excited with each new release.

I also think that the grab bags give Melody a chance to allow her full artistic ability to grow and flourish since she is not stuck painting multiple production items over and over again which very quickly leads to burn-out. It still amazes me how many different and unique colors and patterns she comes up with to paint on the same sculpt. It blows the mind, lol. That being said, Melody and the folks at Windstone, do what makes you happy, what inspires you artistically, and what is best for you personally and for your business. I know we’ll all continue to eagerly wait with anticipation for what lovely creatures you offer to us next! 🙂

.*ºSearching for Spectrals and Rising Spectrals in all patterns and colors!º*.

[Author]

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