paperflowers
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About Me
Next circle: Halloween 2024 (or sooner, maybe)
7 year decanter. BPAL lover since 2007.
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Decant Circle Questions & Answers by, Alexis Trout/paperflowers, 10/28/2023 *This info is relevant to my circles only.* |
| How do you place an order in the decant circle? |
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✤ Look over the circle scent options on the spreadsheet and decide which items you’d like. ✤ Order before the date the Lab order is made (noted on the circle post) and get your choice of decants. ✤ Order after the Lab order is made and get your choice of available decants. ✤ Post a comment in the circle with your decant selection order. ✤ Note if your shipping address is in the USA, Canada or somewhere else. ✤ I will send you a message with a paypal invoice link. ✤ Pay the invoice before the due date. (noted on the circle post) ✤ It will take approx. 2-6 weeks before the order is shipped to me from the Lab. ✤ You can check the spreadsheet and add-on to your order with any decants that are available. ✤ New participants can join the circle even after the Lab order is made, but can only select from the remaining decants available. ✤ Sales will be closed when I start printing the labels. This is usually the day that I get the shipping notice from the Lab. I'll post in the circle when this happens. ✤ When the order arrives to me from the Lab, I decant everything, package each individual circle participant’s order, and send them to the addresses provided to me on your paid invoice in paypal. My TAT is 4-7 days. ✤ Once you receive your package, you have 5 calender days to open and examine it. If you're missing something, reach out to me. I photograph every order right when it's packed. If your decant is pictured with your invoice, I will not replace it. |
| When is the payment due for your invoice? |
| Payment is due by day before I place the Lab order. Check the circle post for that date. Participants who join after that date are responsible to pay their invoice within 48hrs. after the invoice is received. Please only join if you can commit to pay for your invoice when it is due. |
| Can you add a bottle to your decant order of anything that is in stock at the Lab? |
| Yes, you can! When I make the order from the Lab I have to pay 0.6% Pennsylvania state sales tax on everything. This sales tax fee will be passed on to you and you will see it noted on your invoice. |
| What is not included in the price of decants and shipping? |
| Things I don't charge for: my time, my work, frimps, extra goodies. Anything extra that I include in your box beyond the decants you ordered are my gift to you. I don't charge the difference on what you pay in shipping vs. what shipping actually costs after I pack your order. Sometimes I throw in extra stuff and the shipping is higher than what you paid. I don't charge you for the difference since I decided to add more to your package. There is also an additional PayPal fee of $0.49/per invoice that I pay for out of my own pocket. |
| Did you get a weird email from paypal after you paid for your order? |
| Occasionally, just to be sure I'm legit a human being, Paypal holds the circle money for 21 days. And that simply won't do. But sometimes.... it doesn't hold the money! It depends on several factors, the main one being how often I use the account. It's an algorithm for faud protection. If Paypal doesn't hold the money, I don't mark the orders as processed, because it's an extra step for each individual invoice. If Paypal does hold the circle money, I mark every invoice as "order processed". If I have to mark them as processed, you'll get an email from PP after you pay your invoice, and a second one when I mark your order as "processed". You'll get a third email with the tracking number when I ship your order. |
| Why no half-bottles for sale? |
| Half-bottle sales cause me more work in decanting time and supplies, and if the remaining decants don't sell, then I'm stuck with them in vials. If you've just gotta have that hb, then a workable solution is to purchase the amount of single decants from the circle that equals a half-bottle, and decant them into your own bottle. You can request the original empty bottle from the circle and if it's available, I'll give it to you. You could also purchase your half-bottles elsewhere. |
| Is there a minimum amount of decants that a person has to buy to be able to participate? |
| Nope! You can order as many as you like. |
| What is included in your decant package? |
| You'll receive a box with the decants you selected. I also include "frimps" (perfume oil, hair gloss and/or atmo spray decants from my personal stash), and things lie: self-care items, cool paper goods like postcards, tarot cards and/or stickers, pen, tea, etc. I never place decants loose in the shipping package, they are always in a bag, box or some kind of containing item (like a bag, box, plastic pumpkin, etc). |
| Am I employed by BPAL to host decant circles? |
| Nope, I am not a BPAL employee. I am merely a volunteer and a long-time collector and enthusiast. I've been hosting circles since 2017 and have been a BPAL devotee since 2007. |
| Do I make any money from decant circles? |
| Absolutely not. I lose money during every single decant circle in the cost of frimps and the shipping difference in what you paid me vs. the actual shipping cost of your package after I fill it with goodies. I pay for those things and additionally, I absorb the money I front for bottles that have only minimal decants sold. Finally, I pay for the additional Paypal fee for each participant invoice. I like to look at it as an investment in our BPAL community! |
| Can you join the circle and snag some decants after the Lab order is made? |
| You can, and I'd love for you to! Please check the spreadsheet and select only decants that are available. Invoice payments for these types of orders are due within 48 hrs. after the participant receives the invoice. |
| How will you know what the status is of your decant order while you're waiting for it to ship? |
| I post weekly updates to the circle regarding the Lab shipping portion of our order. I always post when I make the order, when I get the order, when I'm done decanting the order, and when I ship all of the orders. I keep you updated on every part of the circle so you know where your 'fumes are and when they'll arrive to you. |
| Will I cut bottles from the circle for lack of interest? |
| Sometimes only minimal decants are sold from a bottle (or bottles) during the circle. When that happens it's up to my discretion if I want to personally buy the remaining unsold decants or if I decide to remove the bottle from the circle. Historically, I have not been cutting bottles, but there may come a time when I need to. If it happens then I will contact you if your order is affected. If you don’t hear from me by the ordering day of the circle, then your order is good to go. |
| Two circles at the same time? |
| I sometimes run concurrent decant circles on both the FB BPAL Madness group and on BPAL.org. This allows more decants to be sold and there is less of a chance that bottles would need to be cut due to lack of interest. It is also less of a financial burden on my end, meaning hopefully, I won't be stuck with too many leftover decants. Double circles also allow people from both BPAL communities to join in the circle fun! I've done double decant circles for the last few years, and they are a win-win-win for all of us! *Please don’t order from both circles, that’s confusing on my end when I’m packing orders. |
| Why does shipping take so long? |
| Because I’ll be ordering 100+ bottles, it takes time for the Labbies to create, pull and pack our order. Sometimes the order ships lightening quick! Sometimes - especially over the holiday seasons - shipping can take up to 6 weeks. Occasionally on larger orders, the Lab will split the order into multiple shipments. If that happens, I will notify the circle and hold shipping until I have all of the circle items in-hand and decanted. My TAT (turnaround time) is 4-7 days, depending upon how large the circle is. I post updates on shipping and circle progress to keep everyone in the loop. |
| What if you want to add decants to your order after the big Lab order has been placed? |
| You can add anything as long as it is still available, and I’d love for you to! Check the spreadsheet for availability. |
| What if someone doesn’t pay for their decant order? |
| When someone joins the circle their timely payment is necessary for the success of the circle. I order everything on day 8 of the circle and I need everyone's paid invoice money to make that happen. I give payment reminders, like posting a second payment request in the circle and messaging anyone who runs close to day 7 and has not yet paid. Once day 8 comes, if an invoice still isn’t paid, I cancel that persons order. |
| Can I ship your order to another address other than what is in Paypal? |
| No. I only ship to the address provided to me by Paypal, which is the address you provide Paypal. Shipping to your Paypal approved address offers both of us ironclad shipping protection. You're protected in case I don't send you your items (which I would never do!) and I'm protected in case you say you never received your items, you file a claim against me, but USPS shows your package delivered to the address on your invoice. If I were to ship to a different address that you provide me with (but you didn't change it in Paypal and that address isn't on your invoice), then I would be financially responsible if you didn't receive your package. This is why I require participants to receive their items at the address they provide me with. If you're international, and you want to ship to Ajevie, please change your paypal address for this transaction. |
| Why is international shipping so expensive? |
| I charge international participants whatever USPS charges me. That fee is only for the weight of the decants and the cost of the shipping box, packing material and decant supplies, and not for the other goodies I include. I pay the shipping difference on the weight of my gifts to you when I pack the order, weigh the box and print the shipping label. Insurance is unavailable for international orders. Tracking is not available for USPS international packages once they leave the USA. I do not tolerate arguing or haggling on international shipping rates. |
| What if someone lives internationally, doesn't tell me, places a circle order and pays for USA shipping to avoid paying for international shipping? |
| Obviously I will find the discrepancy when I am printing the shipping label. It is your responsibility to tell me if you require international shipping when you place your decant order. The difference between USA shipping and another country could be quite an unpleasant amount of money. If someone can go through all the steps to place an order, then they can remember what country they live in. Just in case, there are reminders in the circle post(s) and at the top of this sheet. There's no getting around the international shipping rates. |
| What happens if you want a refund after the Lab order is placed? |
| No. Everyone’s money is included in the Lab order for the decants they selected and if I gave refunds, I’d be refunding out of my own pocket, which is something I am not willing to do. Prior to placing your order with me please be sure you want the decants you select and that you're ok with the long shipping wait. |
| Please check your package within 5 days of receiving it. |
| Decants are tricksy! They slide in between seats, hide under furniture and are especially fun to toddlers and cats. I never send decants loose in the package. They are always in a container of some kind, such as a bag, a box, a tin, a plastic pumpkin, etc. My goal is to make sure you have what you ordered, so I need you to check your packages within 5 days of receipt of them. I photograph every order as I pack it, your decants on top of your unique invoice. |
| What happens if one of your decants leaks during shipping? |
| I’ve been using the same decant supplies for years, and I feel confident in their quality. However, leaking could happen, and for various reasons. Please reach out to me if you have a leaker and I'll make it right for you. Take a photo of the problem and include it in your message to me, so that I can see what is going on. |
| What do you do if you feel you're missing a decant? |
| Reach out to me! I photograph every order as I pack it, your decants on top of your unique invoice. Once you receive your decant package, as previously noted above, please open and look over your package within 5 calendar days of receiving it. Reach out to me if you feel you're missing something. I will message you the photo of your invoice and decants. If your decants are pictured with your invoice, indicating I included it in your package, I will not resend the elusive imp(s). Top places to check when looking for a lost imp: under tables, sofa, chairs, other furniture; between seat cushions; in the trash can where you disposed of the packing materials; your known stash spots for cats (this is a thing, I've had it happen). |
| What happens if your decant package gets yeeted into the void during shipping? |
| Shipping snafus can happen for a variety of reasons: the recipient moved and the address wasn't updated in paypal, or the recipient isn't available to accept mail at the address provided by paypal, or the package was stolen, or the package just simply never showed up. You can track your package from me using the tracking info provided to you by email from paypal, or in your paypal account, or on your decant invoice through paypal. If you don't receive your package please reach out to me and we'll figure it out together. |
| What happens if an elephant tap dances on your decant package and squishes everything? |
| Contact me and I'll help you get a refund from USPS. The postal services includes USA shipping insurance (plus the tracking service) for free, up to a $100 package value with their Ground/First Class and Priority shipping services, which is what I use to ship. Take multiple photos of the package and contents, and then put it in a bag and stuff it in your closet. You must keep the package until the claim is settled, per USPS rules. |
| What about shipping insurance? |
| If you'd like to purchase insurance for a value over $100, please let me know and I will get you the price and include it on your invoice. No one has purchased additional insurance in the past, but I don't mind researching and adding it to your USA order if you request it. |
| What kind of behavior will get someone banned from future circle participation? |
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In all the time I've been doing circles, I've only ever had to ban 2 people. Behavior that I take serious umbrage to: * Not paying the decant order invoice on-time and/or not communicating with me regarding payment, even after reminders. * Not disclosing an international shipping address when placing an order, and paying for USA shipping instead. * Doing a paypal chargeback to refund your order after you've placed it with me. * Dishonesty, bullying, or any other unsavory behavior in the circle. I ask that people pay for what they order, that they pay on-time, and that they're honest. In turn, I'll provide what you ordered, package it properly and turn around the decants in a reasonable timeframe once I receive the package from the Lab. I'll be honest with you and post updates on the circle progress along the way. If I make a mistake, I'll fix it in a timely manner. I understand that sometimes real life interrupts our perfume world... please reach out to me if you have an issue. Thank you!💜 |