americangeiko's Shop Policies

Welcome

If you've got questions, need answers, etc. Then this is the place to be! If by some chance I haven't supplied an answer to your question here, PM Me! ^_^

~Cyn

Payment

You have 10 days from the date of purchase to submit payment. All sales are final. Should something happen, please message me for a payment extension, cancellation of order, etc. Failure to pay, or to notify me of inability to pay, will result in negative feedback!

Shipping

Shipping takes between 2 to 5 business days. When your item has shipped I will mark it in your "Purchases" section as having been mailed. Unless otherwise listed, all items are shipped USPS Priority (7-14 days). If you would like your item to be shipped in another manner, please contact me to recalculate postage. International buyers- will receive their items via USPS Global Priority (7-14 days).

Insurance is optional, but recommended. Gift wrapping is available upon request.

Refunds and Exchanges

All Sales are Final. And I ship all items priority so that if they're lost, the purchaser will receive a refund for the amount of the item + shipping.

<b>As far as "damaged" items, purchases OVER $40 will have an insurance charge tacked on to them to ensure that should any issues occur that the post office will refund the materials!</b>

Additional Policies and FAQs

Why did you name your shop after a gecko???

I didn't. Geiko (gay-co) is the Kyoto term for a Geisha. So my clothing line is 'American Geisha', not 'American Gecko'.

Do you take commissions or custom orders?

No. If you're looking for custom cosplay items, you can go to 'Cosplay.com's Marketplace' and probably find a commissioner. If you're looking for custom DIY clothing/original designs and/or hair accessories, you can try 'Alchemy'.

Are you willing to sell on consignment or wholesale?

I'm willing to offer items for wholesale to online & brick n' mortar businesses. Minimum order is 5 items! Residual wholesale buyers will have the option to purchase newly created items before they're available to the general public!

Consignment is on a case-by-case basis!

Where do you get all your items from?

All items are original designs created by me unless otherwise noted. Most DIY items are purchased at a thrift store and put together by me. All thrift store items are WASHED prior to being sewed. All items that require sergering have been sergered. Original Designs are either comprised of thrift store items or fabric attained from a fabric store or through trade with sources.

What type of environment are the items coming from?

A smoke-free, pet-free environment. I do however own a cat, but it is not allowed in my room. Because if it ate a button, it'd just kill my day. -_- I also sew all my garments in my room, so your item is not coming in contact with my cat. And I do suffer from pet dander allergies myself, so my room is equipt with a hepafilter. (So when I say there's no cat dander in my room, there's no cat dander in my room!)

Can I come pick the item up from you? Or, could we meet up so I could collect them item?

No. I don't give out my personal address for safety reasons and I run a rather odd schedule. I attend classes 2 days a week, my work schedule is sporadic & crazy, and I don't drive. So, basically you'd get your item sooner by me just mailing it as it'd take me *forever* to find a hole in my schedule to give it to you.

Where did you learn how to sew?

I took Home Ec. in high school to learn how to sew on a sewing machine, but I've been hand sewing since I was 12 yrs old.
I was also accepted to attend Parsons School of Design in NYC, but had to decline because of the cost of attendance. 2 yrs before that I was also accepted to attend FIDM, but I didn't want to go back to SoCal. =p

How do you define your style and where does it come from?

It's American McGee's Alice if she had a Disney fetish, joined her school's sci-fi book club, and was obsessed with 80's cartoons/kid's shows.

My mother made all my clothes when I was little, I hated it, so I came up with my own idea of what I wanted. The problem was that by the time I was old enough to go out and buy my own clothes, I couldn't find what I wanted in stores, so I ended up making them.

I've often had to draft my own patterns, or use different pattern pieces from different patterns together because what I wanted wasn't even available in pattern form.

Can I use your pictures & descriptions to resell the item I purchased from you?

You have my permission to re-use the pictures & descriptions SOLELY for the resale of the item. (Copyright retains to the photographer.) If you would like to use the photos for other reasons, please message me!

Delivery Confirmation says my item was received, but I haven't gotten it, and can't find it!!!

I suggest you look hard in your area (my postal worker likes to hide our stuff), and check with your neighbors. Priority does cover lost items, but I doubt I can get a refund if your item has been stolen after it's been confirmed as delivered.

Can I interview you for a magazine, website, etc?

Provided the article, etc in question is not defamatory in nature, feel free to message me with details and I'll get back to you.

Why didn't you respond to my message?

It's possible that I'm not available at the time because I'm working on my next sewing project. Or I'm currently in class. Sadly, I'm a one-woman show, so if I'm not responding, I'm not ignoring you, I'm just plain unavailable.

You might also want to check my calendar section on my website to make certain I'm not doing an event that day. As that would easily explain why I'm MIA.

How did you make "insertwhateveritemhere"?

For my DIY designs you can try crafster.org for patterns. For some of my original designs, you can check pattern sites like McCalls, Vogue, or Simplicity. I do however custom draft/drap a lot of my items, so there's no guarantee they're going to have what I've got listed. (Sorry)

Can you help me make my website/give me webdesign tips?

I <3 www.w3schools.com! They taught me EVERYTHING I KNOW! Use their site! They can help you a lot more than I ever could.

Can I get "insertwhateveritem" for less than listed? Can you sell to me outside of Etsy?

1) I have bills to pay just like you do. I'm not making a fortune here, the items are listed at an incredibly low asking price to begin with for what the items are worth.
2) I have no problems selling outside of Etsy. PM me, if you're interested. However, please remember that Etsy is a free site, unlike eBay.

Can I send you stupid, or threatening, emails/messages because I didn't pay like I said I would and now you've left me negative feedback?

If you don't have anything better to do with your time, then be my guest. That's why there's a "DELETE" button on every email/message system in existance.

"I'm a stylist/model/photographer and would like your items for a photoshoot."

There's a very short list of people I'll offer items to for loan, and an even shorter list of people I'll offer items to for free. So don't be surprised if I turn down your offer. Please message me, but keep in mind that any items up for auction/sale will not be available for use in a photoshoot.

Haven't I seen your stuff before in "insertwhatevermagazinefilmetc"?

My clothing/costumes have received a lot of press in the few years I've been modeling them. This has been the main reason why I've chosen to offer the items for sale as it's been brought to my attention on numerous occasions that I should "sell this stuff" or "sell that outfit".

What's with the "artisan in exile" & "a tradition that doesn't conform"?

American Geiko's tagline was originally "a tradition that doesn't conform". Geishas are a japanese tradition that hasn't changed since their inception despites Japan's booming technological industry.

'American' was added to beginning because much as things can go through 'Californication', they also go through 'Americanization' as well. In essence, 'american geiko' means 'americanized geisha', but it's ultimately about not losing your culture, and what makes you who you are, because of your surrounds.

'Artisan in Exile' was later adopted when I had to evacuate my hometown of New Orleans, due to Hurricane Katrina. 'Artisan' as the role/transulation of the word 'geisha', and 'in exile' because I was literally unable to go home for 2 wks. (For many others, it was a lot longer than that.)

Last Updated July 07, 2009

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