First today's horoscope, because it's funny:

Daily Overview for January 12, 2008
Provided by Astrology.com Daily Extended Forecast

Quickie:
The projection of power is often much more important than the actual power itself.

Overview:
Does it feel as if you've got too many balls in the air today? Things just seem more complicated than usual, but you ought to be able to adapt to the changing circumstances without too much trouble.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!

Keep that up and I'm gonna start believing in this!

Okay, now to today's rant.

Why have my wholesalers gone patently insane?

Okay, not all of them. Just two of them. Let me 'splain...

As many of you know, I've been producing new patterns and spending all my waking hours drafting and grading and writing and folding and packing patterns. In the middle of all this my check card was hijacked, which made it necessary to overnight a check to my paper supplier so I could get a delivery. It's not been the smoothest weak, but when is it ever when it's busy? It never goes smooth! Why does it never go smooth! ;)

But I'm not complaining, really. I'm exhausted, yes. But really things could be so much worse. The new printer hasn't shut down once since I got it in July. And I'm topped off with ink and toner. Things are going more smoothly than normal and I should be able to make all my deadlines.

So on Thursday morning, I had a bunch of international orders ready to go to the Post Office, and I sent them off with Bob. No problem, right?

Shortly after he leaves in the morning, I get an email from one of my European wholesalers: "When did our order ship?"

"The first part shipped this morning. Why?"

"Well, we need pattern X and pattern Y by Saturday."

"Um... Well, pattern X is in the box that shipped this morning. You'll have it in 6-10 days. Pattern Y is not yet in print."

"Well, how much to have these by Saturday?"

"Okay... Pattern Y is not in print. I cannot make it be in print before Satuday. Sorry. I've checked FedEx, UPS, and USPS. None will give me rates to guarantee Saturday delivery. It will cost $58 to send it the fastest way, but it's arrival is not guaranteed."

A few hours later I get an email that this customer decided to buy other patterns. So *I* lost the sale. :/

Did I mention that these patterns were not an order at all but single copy samples of the new patterns that this wholesaler requested as reference copies?

Yeah, they put the new patterns on their website back in December, knowing not to expect them until January, and didn't mention this teensy detail to their customers. And when they got an order, they tried to make it my problem.

I, of course, read them the riot act.

So then they whine that it always takes 2-3 weeks for them to get patterns from me. Um... Hello. You complain about the cost if I send them Fedex (that gets there in six days). Our post office says 6-10 business days to your country, not including time in customs. Ten business days is two weeks. When I get your order, I fill it as fast as I can, but I print on demand. So as soon as I get your order, I start printing. This takes 2-3 days if I drop everything else I'm doing. Should I really be dropping everything else because you don't have the ability to plan ahead? But I do... So that's two and a half weeks not including customs delays. Is this unreasonable?

Then they start complaining to me about my prices and the cost of shipping from the US! What?!?!?!!? You are in Europe! Your currency is kicking the dollar's ass! My patterns are the cheapest they have been in the two years since we've been doing business! I have not raised my prices in four years even though the cost of everything has risen. Postage has gone up, it's true, but since your currency is kickin' ass and taking names lately, you shouldn't even notice. My patterns should seem cheap to you right now! What the hell are you on about?!?!

Have you ever ordered anything from the US before? I wonder... *sigh*

(I'd like to state for the record that ALL my other European wholesalers have begun to order more and more from me since the dollar started its record-breaking plunge. They're ordering twice as many patterns twice as often. So what is up with this one?)

Then this morning I get a PayPal payment from a different wholesaler for one pattern that she wants me to ship to a customer in her country.

Um... What about our wholesale minimums?

I don't mind drop-shipping one item to a wholesaler in a bind. But this particular wholesaler has not placed a real order in over a year. How long do I keep hoping things will change? How long to I allow her to buy one pattern at wholesale prices? How loyal am I supposed to be?

Buying one item at a time is not the way to run a business. And I'm just not going to distract myself from the work I should be doing to put out your fires. If you don't have a pattern in stock, email the customer and ask them if they can wait. If you're too shy to do that, take the out-of-stock items off your websites!!!

*sigh*

See why I'm exhausted?