I have 2 answers for this.
As a Cutie :), I love giving my designs to this family. Makes me smile when I see my designs being used, making people happy.
As a digitizer, I stopped giving away on Designs by Cuties as I launched my own website, and this is my only way for living now, as I dont have ANY other income. (This also makes me wonder, in Japan, husbands give the wives some money montly for their personal expenses. How about in Australia? How about your country?)
Backing to the subject :)
The freebies to other than Cuties, is a way to advertise my new designs, get more exposure to the embroidery world, hoping I get some sales from them. The free designs have been downloaded about 500 times every day, and I still dont get 1% of sales from that, I hope I'll get there someday :).
So, I think that embroidery company is right not giving freebies, if they are a well known company.
For sure, the embroidery designs everywhere are so cheap, if you consider the time, material, artwork, software, internet, pc and website expenses, paypal fees, etc, to create a single design.
For me, I would love to make this as my profession, as I enjoy digitizing very much, but it seems there is long long way to walk to make it.
When I get a REAL job(dreaming again), I will digitize just for hobby.
Love and blessings,
Yoriko
I find some of the comments here are truly beyond reasoning.
Most of you say that you would not purchase a design from a well respected and/or well known digitiser, without first getting a free sample.
Yet you probably all chase up and seek out websites for freebies and happily stitch them out regardless of testing for quality first.
I would rather pay for 100 well digitised, foolproof, designs from a reputable digitiser, (even without a sample) than get 1,000 freebies that turn out to be garbage and not worth the space they take up on my hard drive.
It is my honest opinion that there are far too many freebies available and it is their very existence that has cheapened the worth of all embroidery designs.
I didn't see anything nasty in the reply Monica received, just plain old truthfullness and honesty from a hard working digitiser who is probably fed up with people expecting freebies without ever buying a design from them.
Good digitising takes many hours, sometimes days, and then there are always revisions after the 'Draft' design has been stitched out, some people just don't want to know about that, they just want everything for nothing.
You wouldn't believe some of the demanding emails I have received and even our beautiful sweet Yoriko has received such nasty, selfish emails too.
I don't sell my designs and even the ones people ask me to create for them, I ask for nothing, or just a token gift.
The reason I don't sell them is because I came to the conclusion months ago that, unless every embroiderer has had a go at digitising they just cannot appreciate the work involved and the extra love and care that goes into a "well digitised" design in comparison to most of the rubbish given away as freebies. So most people just don't want to pay for the digitiser's time, care and efforts.
So I'm better off giving my designs away, at least if people use them and enjoy them, I haven't put in all that effort for nothing. And i'm making people happy.
But not everyone can afford the luxury of just giving away the fruits of their labours, some people do this for a living, it may even be their only income. I'm retired so all I have is time and the pleasure of doing something I really enjoy doing. If I ever got desperate for money then you can bet I will stop 'gifting' my designs too.
OK, now you can all shoot the messenger but at least Monica knows I was making a valid point, as a mediator does when they have to see both sides.
This is all just my opinion and probably not worth much to anyone but me.
Hugs n roses, Meganne
I totally agree with you, Meg. When there are just a few sample designs, with which you can test the quality, people complain there aren't enough. Even here on Cute there's a comment at one of the pansies that read, quote: don't you think about time the pansy was changed its been on my computer for the month, unquote. We are so accustomed to getting freebies, but we wouldn't expect to be given a free steak at a new butcher's, even if that would be a nice way of advertising, would we.
Hi Monica,
As a digitiser I have to agree (in part) with their answer,,, for the reasons Marji so adequately explained.
But I also agree with Melo8's comments, which are truly valid.
Since you took the time to write to them and ask, they could have at least given consideration to your request, asked you which set you were interested in buying, and provided you with a sample from the set, even if it was the smallest design with the least amount of stitches and work involved in creating it.
Perhaps you could reply to them and state which set it was you were interested in purchasing and explain that, because money is so tight these days, you cannot possibly buy any design sets without first trying a sample on your own machine for suitability.
Make sure you apologise, and say that, for this reason you will not be able to purchase any of their sets. And That you are truly disappointed.
Hope this helps.
Hugs n roses, Meganne
you made me curious what site was it that treats you like this? *4u for posting!
I agree with what all the cuties have said about trying something before you buy and that is why I bought from yoriko because her free ones were so good.We who embroider put a lot of time and money into what we do and we like to know that when we put a design in our machine that it will come out something we can be proud of. If I can't test then I don't buy.
I am like other Cuties and buy AFTER trying out a freebie. It is their loss entirely
As a rule, I, too, will not buy from a site that does not give an occasional freebie.
Well I do hope they read this posting...they have already lost 14 potential customers by their statement!!(that's how many *'s have been posted) And they could have had at least 20 to 50 more....
That statement will come back to haunt them. They were not professional. I don't much about embroidery but I have learned here at "CUTE" that everyone is always eager to assist one another.
I would never buy designs from anyone who would not let me test their product first. I don't care how many emails they have, if they can not at least give you a simple design to test why would you pay money for something that would be a more involved design. in actuallity you were not asking for a freebie, you were asking for a sample of their work before purchasing. guess they lost a sale, I know they would with me.
??? ok, why not ??? but i think i will not buy at her site !!!
I have spent over 35 years bringing organizations and business back to profitability.
I have had the same response from some sites also. The one thing that these folks do not understand is that it takes ADVERTISING to make your name and quality known. If people really understood how MUCH it took money wise to make a "name" a household word and a product a primary pick over another, they would be giving away a design more readily.
I can understand some little person with a BIG website not understanding the whole deal, but if you are real serious about business and have budgeted moneys towards advertising, giving away a freebie now and then should not rock the boat or crash your "bank". If it does, then you might want to re-evaluate your position in the embroidery business world. If you are doing this as a way to bring in extra "cash" make sure you business plan allows for a free sample in your plan outline... and for heaven's sake, keep very, very good records!
Personally, if someone is NOT willing to show me their quality, then I will, in all likelihood, not deal with them. As a result, they have lost not only my sale but anyone else that I might have reason to share information about embroidery, should the situation arise.
I believe a site/digitizer should have samples of their work. In the advertising world it is called a "portfolio". This allows people to make appropriate choices...and pictures of the item do not count (even though they are nice to see what the person did on their machine...you do not know how many times the design was "tested" and you do not know which machines the design sews best with and which stabilizer combination works best...etc...etc....
Having "a folder of comments from satisfied customers" is good...but I want to BE one of the satisfied customers.
WOW! you said a mouth full. You took it to the business level which is so true. They are well advertised and I can't understand why there are no sample designs on there web page ;D *2U
No, Monica, I've never seen exactly that, but I do understand it. Usually a site will give at least a couple of free designs for you to try. Each digitized design is the result of hours and hours of work, planning and executing the design, testing it, purchasing the good artwork, etc. Perhaps these digitizers just got tired of putting up free designs for collectors to grab and run, without ever even looking at the rest of their site, with no intention to purchase anything, ever. Or putting one design in a set for a free trial, only to get a flood of e-mail from greedy people demanding that the whole set be free, and accusing them of putting up one in order to 'suck people in' to having to purchase the whole set if they wanted the rest. There are folks out there that don't seem to realise that the website owners are actually trying to make a living selling their designs.
Monica, I think your question was a valid one, and well stated in your e-mail. In your case, had I been the designer, I think I would have either sent you back a design, or asked which you'd like to try, because you were not just 'demanding' a freebie, you were asking with the intention of purchasing. I think although their answer was polite, perhaps they might have done well to answer differently. But that's their choice, I guess.
I'm glad you can "fiesta" anyhow. Hugs, Marji
Thanks Marji. Yes in life I realize that we have to respect other people's decision, rather we like it or not. I may not understand it but I am STILL FIESTING!!! When one door close MANY MORE OPENS!!! ;D *2U
Monica, I have never ordered, and will not spend my money at a site that is so tight or ashamed of their designs that they will not give a sample to try. They can boast there designs and keep them, as far as I am concerned. There are to many good digitizers and sites that will share a sample. "Action speaks louder then words". H&*.
I am GRATEFUL for the samples that Veronika offers, the other cuties share, and the sites that are posted. With that alone I can FIESTA!!! ;D *2U
She should have steered you to some sewn samples then, or her comments page.
I have never seen that either. Were they expensive designs?
Then I do not know how she can expect you to just buy them without a sample first. That is a lot of money.