Italy Collection: PREORDER UPDATE!
On Tuesday, June 23rd, I opened up a huge preorder for the Italy Collection and was completely astonished with the number of people that really showed up for this collection. So many of you fell in love with the colorways as much as I did, and for that I am forever grateful. However, a few things happened very quickly that has led to me having to make some adjustments for the preorder turnaround time.
Let me break it down a bit:
I open up preorder listings with very high quantities so everyone has a chance to get the bases/quantities they want and then I close all of the listings once I feel I have reached the max capacity of orders that will still allow me to meet the original 6-8 week turnaround time. For my last huge Harry Potter preorder, that was 3 hours in. This time, I met my 'max' 5 minutes into the preorder opening. Yes, I was as shocked as you are about this!!
So, in that moment, I had to decide whether I wanted to close all of the listings 5 minutes after opening the preorder and disappoint a lot of people, OR, keep it open for 45 minutes, and have to extend the turnaround time. I went with the latter.
As Explorer Knits and Fibers continues to grow, more people are trying to purchase my yarn, which is wonderful, but which also leads to more people being disappointed that they missed out. I didn't want that to happen for the Italy Collection! So, since I kept the preorder open for 45 minutes, I now have double the amount of skeins to dye compared to what I originally anticipated. As you may imagine, that means increasing the turnaround time by a decent amount. That being said, the new turnaround time for the Italy Collection preorder is 12 weeks (shipping my mid-September).
If any of you know me personally, you know that it kills me to do this to you. But I had to face the realization that there is no way that it is physically possible for me to dye all of this yarn in the original turnaround time and to keep my sanity (which is important)!!
To help me fill orders faster and not wait until mid-September to start shipping, a few wonderful changes have occurred! I am delighted to officially let all of you know that I have added two new members to the EKF team. Both talented women started this week and have already blown me away with their productivity and ability to help me get multiple things done every day. Because of your support during the Italy Preorder, I was able to get the help I need to get through the next 12 weeks as smoothly as possible.
Again, please know that I extend the preorder time with a heavy heart, but know that it is the best I can do based on the current demand EKF is experiencing. Your constant love and support of my small business has continued to blow me away and I am truly forever grateful for your kindness and understanding as I continue to grow.
If you have any questions or concerns about these changes, please reach out to me via the contact form on my website. Thank you so much!
With love,
Ali