Jewelry and charms, oh my!

Two new additions today, and several more in the works! Stay tuned :)

Here are the latest additions:

littlewhitechapel makes absolutely stunning bridal and everyday jewelry at reasonable prices.  As she says, every bride deserves to look her best on her wedding day, but shouldn't have to pay a fortune to do so.  When she offered some of her stunning pieces for the Boite, I was literally floored that she could even bear to part with them!  Good thing you don't need to be getting married to wear these gorgeous pieces ;)

charmedincolorado's name is very appropriate, since the shop specialty is wine charms - a terrific way to adorn your wine glass and to protect it from being poached by a fellow oenophile!  She completes a ton of special orders, and she's great at working with your ideas and vision to create something perfect.  Her charms and bookmarks also come packaged for gift-giving, so they would be perfect additions to gift baskets or tied onto a bottle of wine as a hostess gift.

...and I couldn't possibly let you forget about the other sellers that have already been mentioned:
Dodeline Design, thepixie, NassimNaturals, SilverFirsFarm, ScentedLuxuries, SinfullySoyCandles, and The Kupcake Shop

the sampler box continues to fill with amazing etsy products!

We couldn't have a sampler box with just bath and beauty products, could we?
Of course not!

Here are the latest sellers to join the AmuseBoite!

dodelinedesign's shop is full of really pretty paper creations. In addition to cards for every possible occasion, she also has some really cute calendar cards - great for save the date cards, or to leave all over the place (in your purse, by the phone, on the fridge, etc.), especially where regular-sized calendars may not be convenient. My personal favourite - and a great idea for Etsy sellers - are the little Thank You cards. These would be fabulous to include with outgoing orders. What a lovely way to show your customers that you appreciate their business!

thepixie - That's right, I'm going to include some of my own items! It wouldn't really reflect well on the box if I didn't believe in it enough to put my own stock forward, would it? (: My focus lately has been on custom and upcycled packaging as well as adorable miniature gift wrapping, so I plan on assembling a lovely little collection of items that I'm sure you'll be able to use and enjoy. You can check out my sales for some examples of things I've made in the past, and definitely get in touch with me if you are in need of custom packaging for your own Etsy store. In fact, I'll even give blog followers a special discount (:

There are still tons of other sellers involved in some way or another, so keep checking back for more updates as the box grows! I'm still in talks with a number of other fabulous sellers, and will add them to the list once everything has been confirmed (:

Oh, and don't forget about the sellers that are already on board:
NassimNaturals, SilverFirsFarm and ScentedLuxuries, SinfullySoyCandles, The Kupcake Shop

...more sellers have signed on!

I keep having to remind myself that I won't be keeping the contents of these packages, because everything so far is AMAZING!

Here are the latest additions to the Boite:

SinfullySoyCandles offers dye-free, eco-friendly soy candles and tarts, as well as bath & body products, like lotions, lip balms, sugar scrubs and body creams. She has an amazing assortment of fragrances and flavours, from Amaretto Nog and Antique Sandalwood to White Tea & Berries and Wildberry Mousse, as well as tart giftsets that would warm anybody's heart and home (:

...and last, but CERTAINLY not least...

The Kupcake Shop has offered up some signature lip balm sliders! I am especially excited about this feature, because of this shop's fabulous eco-friendly ethos; all of their products are free from parabens, propylene glycol, sls, formaldehyde, phthalates, dyes and synthetic fragrances. They use all-natural, organic ingredients in their products. On top of all that, they also have GORGEOUS packaging (I'm a sucker for a lovely label *wink*)!

Don't forget about our other sellers so far (NassimNaturals, SilverFirsFarm and ScentedLuxuries)!

It's shaping up to be a really fabulous box! I might just have to keep one for myself...

It's starting to come together!

The first AmuseBoite is slowly coming together!
So far I have 3 sellers sending me samples of their products to include.  Here's who's participating so far:

ScentedLuxuries (v) makes beautiful bath and body products, from lip balms to body butters, as well as candles and personal fragrances.  You may recognize her stuff from Etsy's front page, which she has graced several times.  Many of her products are vegan, too!

SilverFirsFarm (v) has a FABULOUS selection of handmade soaps.  When I was looking over her offerings for the packages, I was impressed by each and every scent of soap that she offers - from grapefruit (my favorite!) to coffee, and from castille clay to caramel vanilla, you won't have a hard time finding your next favorite soap.  She also offers candles, scrubs, lotions and butters, bath bombs, and perfume and all of her products are vegan (:

...and finally, we also have some gorgeous beauty products coming from:
NassimNaturals!  Nassim's products are all 100% handmade natural mineral products, and she focuses on simplicity and high quality in selecting her ingredients.  She currently offers a wide range of foundation, blush, bronzer, lipstick, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and more.  Be sure to check out her shop next time you're looking for new colours to add to your collection (:

Welcome to AmuseBoite!

What is an AmuseBoite, you ask?  Good question (:

AmuseBoite is a play on the french term amuse bouche (amuse mouth).  An amuse bouche is usually an appetizer given to prime the palate by teasing and tantalizing your taste buds in anticipation of the meal.  An AmuseBoite operates similarly - as a box of trial-sized items that allows you to take products for a test drive.  An AmuseBoite helps you find the ones that really get your heart pumping without having to spend a small fortune on full-sized products to find them.

As a lover of Etsy and of trying new things, I have always been intrigued by Sampler Boxes.  The concept is relatively simple: sellers contribute samples of their items along with business cards, post cards, etc. and a third party packages up parcels of 10-20 different samples to send out to paying customers.  Customers benefit because they get to try a wide variety of different products for one low price (including shipping), and sellers benefit because they get trial-sized versions of their products out to a wide audience, thereby increasing their customer base when buyers return to purchase full-sized versions.  What has always confused me, however, is the pricing.  These Sampler companies charge a set price for their boxes, and earn themselves a nice profit, but sellers don't see a return unless they gain new customers from the exposure.  In effect, sellers are doing all of the work (producing the actual samples, at their own cost), and have to cross their fingers in the hopes of gaining it back down the road.

Doesn't that seem strange?

I thought so, so I came up with a way of doing the same thing, but with a slight modification: profit-sharing.

Essentially, AmuseBoite works the same way as the other Sampler companies: sellers send me samples of their products that they would like to promote, I make packages of 20 samples per box and ship them out to paying customers.  The difference is that for each box purchased, a percentage is returned to the contributors.  As a result, even if your items don't translate directly into sales, you've managed to recuperate some of your expenses.  It's advertising that profits in more ways than one - truly win-win (:

What does this mean for me, as a buyer?
As a buyer it means that you know you're getting the best of the best.  I am very selective about the items I include, and would never include a sample of something that I wouldn't use myself.  Furthermore, since sellers have a vested interest in making sure these boxes sell, they tend to include their best examples of what they do - not just odds and ends leftover from the last sale.

Unlike with other Sampler boxes, you also have a degree of control over what products you receive or don't receive.  If you don't like a particular kind of item, or are allergic to a certain ingredient, let me know in the "Notes to Seller" section and I will do my best to ensure that you only get the kinds of items that you want.  No other Sampler gives you the same kind of flexibility to make sure that the package you get features the items you want to try. 

What does this mean for me, as a seller?
As a seller it means that you get credit and recognition for your hard work.  As with other Sampler boxes, you get the opportunity to spread the word about your products and to get your items in the hands of the people that want to buy from you.  Unlike with other Sampler boxes, however, you also get a direct return on your investment, and a form of insurance for those samples that don't turn into sales.

It also means that your products are going to your targeted audience.  Unlike with other Samplers, I allow AmuseBoite customers to include special requests with their purchase.  If a buyer specifically requests your product, I want to make sure that they get a chance to try it.  Likewise, if a customer has no interest in a particular kind of item, I will do my best to reserve your product for someone who does.  I also keep track of packages' contents, and can provide detailed information of how many of your samples have gone out at any time to give you a better sense of the demand for your products.

Since AmuseBoite operates on a smaller-scale, and is very customer-oriented, I ultimately hope to have the flexibility to provide customers and sellers with an experience they couldn't get elsewhere.  With over 5 years of customer service experience, I am confident that you'll be proud of your relationship with AmuseBoite (:

What else could you ask for from a promotional company?
(If you can think of anything, please let me know!  I'm always looking for ways to improve)