January 2022 Update

January 2022 Update

Hello everyone, thanks for another great year. We had steady growth and got to try lots of new things! We introduced about two dozen unique products, added tons of features to our website, and started showing our products at a local farmers market!

The year went by quite quickly, and most issues that came up were dealt with just as fast. The improvements we have been working on have enabled customers to receive orders faster than ever! Despite unexplained material availability issues, we were able to make popular products available for purchase as much as possible. While some products sold out very quickly once we restocked, we have collected information to ensure everyone gets a chance to buy what they want in the future.

We implemented a restock request feature on our website and on Etsy which has been used to great success. Customers have been using this tool for a great number of items, and it has been a priority for us to meet this demand.

Building on this, we kindly ask that you do not message us to ask when something will be back in stock. There are restock request fields on both Etsy and our website. These requests are indeed seen and acted on by us. When you use these channels, you will be notified by SMS or email when an item is back in stock. Since our items are made in small batches, there will be plenty to go around once we have made more.

Lead times for outgoing shipments have improved tremendously from last year. Our stated lead time for most of the year was 2 weeks compared to 6 weeks in 2020. Most orders shipped out far quicker, and we intend to whittle down the max lead time to 5-7 days in 2022. (Excluding custom items.) While we are shipping out orders faster, please keep in mind that carrier losses seem to have become the norm, and delays vary wildly. Unfortunately this is happening with all major carriers and there isn’t any immediate plan we can implement. That being said, there are some things we can do to make things simpler.

We currently sell on Etsy, our own website, and a few other marketplaces. Going forward, all orders shipping to the same address placed at the same time will need to be placed all on one order, on one site. We strongly encourage you to order from thesawmillshop.com as you will find the lowest prices there, however our stock levels are also consistent on all platforms. This means that instead of placing a separate order for three items, you will need to place one order for all three items. This also applies to orders on different platforms. Instead of ordering one item on Etsy and one item on Ebay, the order will need to be placed entirely on one platform or another. This can help to alleviate confusion if a package is lost, and lets us provide free shipping on all orders.

In the February 2021 update, I mentioned we lost access to our Facebook page. I’ve had no luck in getting it back so it’s likely a lost cause. The very best way to keep up with us is through our website, and through our email list. And now, you can be rewarded for referring your friends to our site! Go to our homepage and click the ‘Refer a Friend’ button in the bottom right hand corner. You and your friend will get a $5 gift card when they make their first purchase!

We have also started a loyalty rewards program which unlocks all sorts of goodies when you create an account, leave reviews, and make purchases. Click the button on the bottom right of our homepage to sign up. And good news, all previous purchases from our site will count!

Lastly, we greatly appreciate the kind reviews everyone leaves on our sites. We wanted to ask one more favor, to find us on Google and leave us a review there. As we are looking to solidify our presence locally, Google reviews will become vastly more important and we appreciate all the help we can get.

Thanks again everyone, stick around throughout the year, I’ve got a lot of great things planned!

 

Erik McCartney

Owner

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