FAQs about Memory Den
Hi, everyone! Thanks for visiting Memory Den (formerly Ozarks Bazaar). Here are some answers to common questions I've received about my store and items in my store:
Where do you get your items? What can you tell me about the history of Item X?
I get my pennants, patches, and beyond from a variety of sources, namely estate sales, auctions, flea markets, and I've done my fair share of garage sale-ing. Since I started focusing primarily on pennants and patches in late 2016, I've developed a few business relationships that allow me to score some fairly rare, fairly unique items. Unfortunately, I know nothing about the history of the items, but, like you, I bet I could imagine something pretty fun for each one!
How do you know how old Item X is?
Well, I don't. All of the dates given are guesses. They are *educated* guesses, and I'm getting more educated every day, but they are still guesses. Particularly with pennants, each era/decade of pennant evolution had a certain style or fabric associated with it, so I can basically narrow it down to a range of years that way. Also, I research each pennant's location for keywords (so that you can find it in search), and there are oftentimes clues to be found there - if I have a pennant from Cartmanland, and I find out that Cartmanland closed in the early 90s, well, I'm gonna guess the pennant is from the late 80s. Logical, right? Sometimes the original owner wrote the date on the pennant, which is helpful, but not ideal. Anyway, I would never try to deceive anyone with my guesstimates, but I'm probably not batting 1.000 with my guesses. Maybe one day I can get a carbon dating machine.
Are your pennants really vintage or are they retro/reproductions? Do you make the pennants yourself?
It's very simple: I won't sell any pennant I don't think is vintage. I'm not interested in selling a pennant that *looks* like it's from the 50s; I want to sell a pennant that *is* from the 50s. And I can't even make my bed, let alone a pennant.
How big is this pennant? What are the dimensions of that patch?
All pennants and patches *should* have a pic on a measuring mat showing their size in inches; it's nearly always the last pic of an item, no matter how many I've posted. If the pic is not there, this is an error on my or Etsy's part. Let me know and I'll get that pic up pronto! But please, look at the photos - for several reasons, but also because the sizes are there.
How do you ship your items?
By mail, Einstein! Seriously though, patches come in a little white bubble mailer; I think they're 8x6 inches and not even a half inch thick. Small pennants usually ship in a bubble mailer too, except its bigger, about the size of notebook paper. All other pennants ship in a cardboard box. I wrap the pennants in bubble wrap, and then roll them around an air pillow to keep them from folding. The pennant may have a bit of a curl when you get it, but just lay it flat upside down for a bit and it *should* flatten out. Rolling the pennants is the most efficient, cost-effective method for shipping. Also, I don't make any money on shipping; anything you're charged for shipping is from the post office. If you are charged more than what the postage actually costs (this is usually because you've purchased multiple items and Etsy can't figure out that five pennants weigh about the same amount as one), I refund you the difference. I know some sellers have low item prices and then have suspiciously high shipping prices, which I think is total clown shoes.
How long do items take to ship?
I'm not the post office (but you know that), so I cannot guarantee you a shipping time. But I can tell you from gathering over a year's worth of data that most things ship within the US in 2-4 days (international orders I've seen take anywhere from 7 days to 4 months - no joke). While I cannot control that, here is the part I can control: when you buy from me, your item will go out that day, or the next day (unless the next day is a Sunday or holiday). I ship packages out twice a day, and if you order too late for the second shipment, your order goes out the first shipment on the following day. If you hit my schedule just right, there's a decent chance you will get your item in two days - just like Amazon Prime. And even if you don't hit it just right, your item is going out soon. So please, please, please make certain your address is correct when you order, or message me immediately if you realize you've given me an outdated address - there's at least some kind of chance that I'm already boxing up your pennant/patch and getting ready to head to the post office.
I want 15 pennants for $5! Deal???
Eh, no. I work pretty hard at sourcing these things (and this isn't even my real job!), and prices reflect what I think items are worth - there is no guidebook for me to follow; I just have to use my judgement and business sense. I think my prices are fair; you are allowed to disagree. :) That said, I'm easy to work with and I like for people to be happy.
I have a question about Item X. How soon can I expect a response from you?
No guarantees, but usually almost immediately. Unless I'm asleep or in handcuffs, my hands are usually on/near a keyboard, laptop, tablet, or phone, and I get *real* fidgety if I have a message waiting for a response, so I scratch that itch about as fast as I can.
For whatever reason, I'm not totally in love with my order. What should I do?
Well, firstly - I am sorry. Even if it has nothing to do with my store, my service, or the item itself. I buy stuff online nearly every day, and I know the expectations and possible frustrations of buying something from some unknown bald guy on the internet (not me, Jeff Bezos). Secondly, *please* don't leave me a less-than-ideal review before you've contacted me directly. If you give me the opportunity to fix it, I will. If you don't, how can I? Half the reason I have this store is because it's fun (can you guess the other half?), and I'm not having fun if you're not happy with your order. So message me first and give me an opportunity to make you happy and bring my fun back.
