4,905 Sales

Good Morning All,

It finally dawned on me last night that we have a pretty big number approaching, at least in our world.  I can assure you that the actual number of sticks that I've made is far greater than what's represented in the total number of sales.  I'd venture to guess that the number is likely closer to 7,000 actual sticks that I've made between those that have sold, been given away or simply didn't make the cut and ended up in the trash can. 

So we're approaching 5,000 actual ETSY sales, and we're kind of proud of that number.  Each even thousand that we've hit along the way, we've celebrated in some fashion or another, but 5,000 is a milestone for us, and we're going to do it up right.

At our current rate of sales, I'd guess that we'll hit 5,000 sometime toward the end of February 2016, so I've got some lead time.  I'm tentatively planning (remember it just occurred to me last night so it's a fluid plan at best right now) to put together a "5,000 Sales Commemorative Collection".  There will only be one collection made, and it's going to be a variety of the best that TT has had to offer over the years.  While that actual 5,000th sale will register on ETSY, that sale will technically be number 5,001 from our perspective.  When we hit number 4,999 on ETSY, the Commemorative Collection will be posted here, on Facebook and on EBAY.  Each item in the collection will have "5,000" subtly incorporated into the design in some fashion, so there is no confusion whether the item was included in the collection or not. 

Why EBAY you ask?  While I suspect the reason is self evident, it's because for this one time out of 5,000, we're going to allow the market to set the price as opposed to us setting the price.  With little or no reserve, this might be a huge loss on our part, and I'm OK with that because but it's part of  the TT story and history.  Alternatively, if it exceeds expectations (which are pretty low), then that would be a good thing for us. 

I'll be providing updates along the way, with maybe a sneak peek or two of items in the collection.  The challenge for me is guessing the length of sticks to make, as we've taken orders from 4.75" to 10" in length over the years.  I'm guessing I'll be making them in the 6.25" - 6.75" neighborhood, which is actually the most popular lengths requested.  At the end of the day however, the length's may be a moot point, as this is going to be a Commemorative Collection that might actually be worth something someday when we're no longer around, or simply a dust collector, who knows.

Have a great week!

Doug