Estherly, handmade jewelry, sophistication displayed

Wow, I have been really busy and tired for the past few days!

As you all know, my hubby went through a knee surgery in Houston, Texas; and now we are grounded in the hotel room for the next 2 weeks, except visits to physical treatment sessions. For the first day,  he stayed overnight in the hospital and after that he has been resting in the room, on the bed, with his laptops, coffees, food, mobile, plus the CPA machine that helps him to exercise his muscles.

I guess this is the time that I see his soft side, and I have to be tough to help him through this period of time. I wonder how he made it for his first surgery in April 07 when I wasn’t with him at that time. The doctor said he is doing well. So, don’t worry, he is in good hands.

Texas Medical Center is one of the top medical centers in the world, or the top (according to what the cab driver said…). It’s like a medical city in a city itself! This place is huge! and it houses so many buildings with world-class doctors and physicians of various domains. I am really amazed with how top class this place is. People are caring and friendly, explanation is clear and they tell you what to expect and what to do, plus this place is clean and modern.

The doctor that did my husband’s surgery was referred by his colleague. According to a nurse that I spoke to, he is THE expert with knee problems. I’m glad that we make a right choice to continue his second surgery in US and thank God that his company insurance is paying for all this!

He will be off crutches in 8 weeks time.

We will be in Houston for 1 month because my hubby needs to go do a surgery there.

Basically we are grounded. I guess the only entertainment that we have then, is the huge shopping malls, internet and WoW.

I can’t do anything with my shops, but I can definitely restock my inventory since I can save a lot on the delivery cost! Shipping products from US to the Netherlands is not cheap!

This is the first time I’m visiting US. It will be interesting :)

One of the popular items that people buy online is jewelry. You might be thinking, are you serious?? Well, it was one of the first questions that I asked myself when I wanted to start my online handmade jewelry shop. But guess what, now I have customers from overseas whom I have not met before!

So, if you are an online shopper, and you are considering buying some beautiful jewelry, what are the things that you need to check before you made a purchase? Let me share with you from a seller and a buyer point of view, since I’m both, because I buy my supplies online frequently and I sell my handmade jewelry online.

1. Make sure the photos are clear and are taken from different angles.
   As a buyer, I dislike photos that are not clear, blur and dark. If I can’t tell what it is or I can’t see the colours I won’t buy.
2. The product description include the colours, measurements and materials.
   I have a measuring tape beside me when I buy. It helps me to estimate the size of the items that I plan to buy.
3. There is a refund and return policy stated clearly in the shop.
   I will trust a shop more if they are confident enough to put out a refund and return policy, especially when I cannot visit their physical shop or touch the item that I want to buy.
4. A good rating.
   A good rating does not necessary guarantees that I don’t have problems with my transaction, but at least it will make me feel better and more confident with the shop and the owner.

I think it’s important for all Estherly shoppers, existing or new, to know what comes together when they shop with Estherly. I understand that sometimes we (including myself) tend to skip important but boring stuffs like shop policies, delivery rules etc.. and only go panic when something happen to our items. I would like to re-emphasize that these policies are important to protect you as a consumer, and you can finish reading them in less than 8 minutes!

Delivery - The default delivery option that Estherly provides does not come with insurance nor tracking option. However, if you prefer adding this 2 choices, please let me know before you make your purchase. I personally do not take responsibility with undelivered or missing packages. However, I will try my best to help you by checking with the local post office. Sometimes I do make special arrangement with my customers to compensate for their purchase. At the end of the day, I just want you to be happy with your shopping experience with Estherly. I value these much more than the profit that I can make out of a transaction.

Payment - I only accept payment through Paypal, cash, or bank deposit (for Msia and the Netherland ppl only).

Packaging - My usual packaging is a suitable size black velvet bag to match your purchase, a blank With Compliments card, all bubble wrapped together and then I will insert them into a padded envelop.

Return and Warranty - All Estherly’s items come with a 7 days return policy and 3 years warranty.

Upon receiving the items, if you are not satisfied with your purchase, feel free to return them to me. The condition is simple: The return items must be in its original condition, packaging and unused. I will refund you the purchase price (exclude shipping). You are responsible for the charges of delivering the items back to me. In cases like this, I highly recommend you to use delivery option that comes with delivery confirmation because I couldn’t refund you the money if I didn’t receive the items.

On top of that, I undertake repairs for all Estherly purchases at no extra cost. If the piece is broken due to normal wear after purchase, I am more than happy to fix it or replace it for you. You only need to pay for the delivery charges from your side to me while I handle the return part. If after examination, it can’t be replaced or fixed, I will make a full refund of your purchase price to you (exclude shipping).

Normal wear: meaning, you are not wearing it while you are swimming, diving, rock climbing, mountain hiking, or you hit it with a hammer or bang it onto a wall etc… Jewelry are fragile and they need constant care and love to beautify you for years to come. I trust that my customers will not abuse this warranty and I will definitely honor your honesty with my warranty service.

I provide warranty because I understand that handmade items are fragile and human are sometimes, clumsy in handling delicate stuffs, including myself.

My Festive Sale had such good response that my store is literally emptied during the last few days. I’m so overwhelmed with the excitement of people wearing my jewelry from so many corners of the world, and… I need to work hard these few days to fill up the store :)

Thank you all shoppers and I hope you enjoy your conquered items!

I’m currently working on some Holiday Grab Bags to help some last minute shoppers to Pay Less, “Gift” More and Shop Smart!

Please take note that the last day for any Christmas delivery is 11 Dec (Tues).