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FAQ FOR HANDMADE BUSINESSES INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING

·  HOW CAN I CONTRIBUTE TO TLBB?

Participating is easy! Just sign up on our sign up page letting us know when you'd like to send in samples, as well as what type and how many samples you'll be sending. You will also need to email us a banner ad that measures 125px by 125px (a perfect square) in .jpeg format - please, NO animated banner ads - along with a photo of your samples. The banner ad and photo should be emailed to us at milly@thelittleblackboxes.com before your samples arrive. The banner ad and photo are used on the Who's in the Box and Who's Been in the Box pages of this site, the photos are also posted on our Facebook page and used in videos that we create for our monthly Boxes and post to both our Facebook page and our YouTube channel. If you do not submit both items, then we will use gray blocks in place of the missing banner ad and/or photo on the pages on this website.

·  I DON'T HAVE A BANNER. DO YOU HAVE SOMEONE WHO CAN MAKE ONE FOR ME?

No, we do not have anyone associated with The Little Black Box to create your banners for you. If you would like information about creating your own banner, please check out the following resources:

How to Create 125 x 125 Ads

Free Web Banners: How to Create them from Scratch or by Using Free Web Banner Generators

Website Promotion Graphics

Don't feel like creating your own banner? There are lots of graphic designers on Etsy, Artfire, etc, who can create a banner ad for you -- prices generally start at $5 and go up. Search on "custom graphic website banner 125x125" for the most relevant matches.

NOTE: We, at The Little Black Boxes, are providing the above as information only and no preference or referral should be inferred. We have not worked with any of the companies referenced and suggest you do your research before paying someone to do this design work for you.

·  WHAT IF I SIGN UP AND CAN NO LONGER FULFILL MY OBLIGATION?

No worries! Things come up and life gets in the way at times. Just PLEASE email us and let us know as soon as possible. Be aware, though, if you make a habit of signing up and then cancelling, you may not be allowed to participate in future Boxes. Also, if you do not contact us to let us know you will not be able to participate, then you may not be allowed to participate in future Boxes.

·  DOES IT COST TO PARTICIPATE?

The only cost is the time and expense necessary to create, photograph, and ship your samples, as well as create your banner ad (or have one created for you). Think of these costs as the price you would pay for advertising. The items that you contribute will be sent to 100+ people each month, people who would have never heard of your company until you submitted the item for your advertising purposes.

We sell out every single month! The more contributers we have, the more items we can have in each Box and potentially the more Boxes we can put together! Our Box Buyers LOVE Handmade and want to be introduced to new Handmade businesses just like yours!

·  DO WE GET PAID TO PARTICIPATE?

No, we do not pay our contributors. However, your participation could benefit you by bringing you potential sales from customers who  received your sample. Remember, the more samples you are able to send in, the more customers receive your samples, and the more potential sales you can make!

The money made from the sale of the Boxes goes toward packaging supplies, shipping supplies (labels & ink, we use USPS Priority Mail boxes to ship), shipping costs, PayPal fees, website host costs, newsletter/mailing list costs, advertising costs, etc.

·  WHAT IF I CAN'T SEND YOU SAMPLES OF MY WORK?

For some businesses, it is simply not practical to create an of actual product to send in for our Boxes. Either your art is too expensive to mass create or the item is too large. We suggest these businesses send in postcards featuring photos of their work, flyers, or even gift certificates. Please note, though, that if businesses who send in strictly promotional items (no samples) will not be included on the Who's in the Box page, nor will these items be included in the count of items in that month's Boxes. While customers do not mind receiving a limited number of promotional items, they do NOT want these counted along with the samples in their box and would like them only used as extras.

·  WHERE DO I SEND MY SAMPLES?

Package your samples and promotional items all nice and neat, and then send them to:

Milly Roland -- TLBB
2523 Powell Dr.
Gatesville, Texas 76528

·  WHAT TYPES OF SAMPLES DO YOU INCLUDE IN YOUR BOXES?

We feature everything Handmade! Previous samples have included: votive and tealight candles, candle tarts/melts, soaps, body scrubs, bath bombs, bath melts, hair care, lotions, cosmetics, perfumes, earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets, food, teas, coffees, dog/cat treats, pet toys, stationery, magnets, pens, key chains, button pins, hair clips, photography, art prints, bookmarks, gift tags, paper crafts, gift certificates, and more.

All samples must be handmade and representative of YOUR work. Be sure that the items you submit are your own property (physically and intellectually) -- do not infringe upon others' designs or copyrights. Samples should not be "seconds" or "mistakes", but should accurately represent the quality of your work.

While you should send in whatever you think personally suits your business, it is most effective to submit samples of items you have available for sale. It is quite disappointing to customers to get a sample whatsit, fall in love with the whatsit and decide to purchase more, only to find the contributor doesn't actually sell whatsits.

NOTE: We reserve the right to refuse any contributions that we feel may be offensive to our customers, including but not limited to items promoting violence or with pornographic, racist, or vulgar content.

·  HOW SHOULD MY SAMPLES BE PACKAGED?

You should package your sample as if you were giving it to a customer or as a gift. Some people really like to go out of of their way to give their samples some extra flare! When the customers open their Box, you want them to go straight for your sample. And you want them to order your item in a full size because whatever it is that you did was amazing!

One issue for customers is receiving samples and promotional materials from a single business that are not connected in some way. PLEASE don't make them hunt through everything in the Box trying to find the business card that goes with your sample! If you are sending both samples and promotional materials, package them together, whether that means attaching the promos directly to the samples or putting them in a container of some sort (zip-top bag, envelope, box, gift bag, etc).

Most contributers include coupons, and this can be a percent-off purchase, specific $ amount off purchase, a Buy One, Get One type offer, free or reduced shipping, or even a free gift with purchase. I strongly suggest you use a coupon code so that you can tell these customers are coming to you because of your TLBB participation, and if you offer a percent off purchase, that you consider giving 15% or higher! People LOVE discounts! 

Our Boxes will actually be packaged in 6"x6"x4" black boxes, so please keep this in mind when preparing your samples -- you want to make sure your samples will fit inside these boxes!

·  WHAT ARE THERE RULES FOR MY PACKAGING?

1. All samples MUST include a business card or something similar that identifies your business, your website, and how to contact you.

2. Samples of Bath & Body items and Food (whether for humans or animals) items MUST have their ingredients labeled properly.

3. Bath & Body samples should be at least 1oz in size, except for liquid Perfume and Oil samples, which should be at least 1ml in size.

4. All liquid samples MUST be less than 4oz and have a screw cap with a minimum of one and one-half turns, per USPS restrictions. Also, items packaged in glass containers, such as oil or perfume samples, must be placed in zip-top bags in case of leakage.

5. Items that arrive dirty, broken, leaking, etc will NOT be included in the Boxes. We will contact you and let you know of the issues and discuss options for you.

Keep in mind that we are not only advertising your business, but also all the other businesses in the Box. Therefore, all samples must be top-quality, as well as properly identified, labeled, and sealed!

Again, all samples must be handmade and representative of YOUR work. Be sure that the items you submit are your own property (physically and intellectually) -- do not infringe upon others' designs or copyrights. Samples should not be "seconds" or "mistakes", but should accurately represent the quality of your work.

·  WHEN IS MY BOX OF SAMPLES DUE TO YOU?

All Boxes will go on sale on the 1st of the month, unless otherwise posted, and all samples will need to be RECEIVED no later than the 25th of the prior month in order to insure they are included, including samples from International Contributors. Samples received after the 25th may be included in the next month's Boxes or may be held until the following month, depending on when they actually arrive.

 

Edible samples should be shipped so that they will arrive no later than 3 days prior to the sale date for the Boxes in which they are to be included. Any questions about these dates, please contact us.

 

2012 Sponsors

February (3Bs: Bath, Body, & Beauty) = Walking Leaf Co.
March = Breath of the Dragon
April = Nicole's Visions
May = Brieabella's Penguin Love
June = Creations by Cynthia
July (Keeping America Beautiful) = The Water Bottle Soap Co.
   *** This Box will feature, but not be restricted to, Handmade
   Businesses who recycle, upcycle, and/or repurpose items in their
   crafting
August = Candle Confectionery 
September = Mistress Rae's Decadent Designs
October (Halloween/Autumn) = Jodi's Craft Emporium
November (Holiday Shopping Ideas & Incentives) = Walking Leaf Co.
December (Holiday Gifts) = Ugly Duckling Designs

 

If you sign up and do not feel that you can follow through with your commitment, please let us know as soon as possible. Businesses that sign up and have no contact with us and their samples do not show up may not be allowed to participate in future Boxes.

·  HOW MANY SAMPLES SHOULD I SEND?

Send in as many or as few samples as you can afford. We are currently selling 50 - 100 boxes a month. The more samples you send, the more boxes they will go into, and the more potential customers you will reach. We ask that you submit at least 25 samples, but certainly won't turn away anyone who cannot submit this many.

Businesses who send at least 50 quality samples for a single month will receive a free Gift Bag for that month, and those who send at least 100 quality samples for a single month will receive a free Box for that month! See our Incentive Programs page for more information.

·  DO I HAVE TO PARTICIPATE EVERY MONTH?

No. You can sign up for just one month or for several months. And if you sign up for only one and want to participate again later, just submit another Sign Up form.

·  WHO PURCHASES YOUR BOXES?

The Little Black Box's audience is mostly women ages 25-60 from a middle income background. We are often asked whether the people buying the Boxes are just other businesses or actually people who are wanting to shop with Handmade businesses. We can assure you that at least 90% of our Boxes are purchased by actual people who want to buy Handmade and want to "meet" new Handmade business!

·  HOW CAN I BE A SPONSOR?

Sponsors will continue to have the 468px by 60px banner ad on our Home page, as well as have an interview and up to 5 product photos featured on our new Meet Our Sponsor page and top-billing on our Who's in the Box page. The cost of Sponsorship is $20, and Sponsors must send at least 50 samples for the month they are sponsoring (free Gift Bags will be given to those who send 50-99 samples, and free Boxes will be given to those who send at least 100 samples as per our Top Contributors program). Sponsorship spots will not be held/reserved and must be paid for when they are requested. Interview questions will be sent when payment has cleared. Completed interviews, product photos, and banner ad must be received no later than the 25th of the month prior to the month being sponsored. All Sponsor info (banner ad, interview, etc) will go "live" on the 1st of the month, and will remain through the end of that month.

 

·  DO YOU HAVE ANY BANNER ADS THAT WE CAN ADD TO OUR BLOGS, WEBSITES, ETC?

Yes! Below are 125px by 125px banner ads for Contributors and Sponsors and a 250px by 250px banner ad that anyone can use. If you need a different size, or need help adding it to your blog or website, let me know and I will do what I can to help.