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GroundStrike Collectibles Newsletter
Vol. 3 No. 2
September
2002
Hi
Limoges Collectors!
This is our first newsletter since April,
and as usual, I apologize for not getting this written sooner. We went
to France in May to see Limoges boxes, and we've been intending to write
about our experiences since then... but simply haven't had the
opportunity. This summer has been a busy one at GroundStrike, and we've
got a lot of new features in the works that we'll be rolling out over
the next several months, so stay tuned.
The Big SALE!
My regular subscribers
know that I always save the best for last. We've got a 10% Off
Sale going on at GroundStrike Collectibles
right now, but for our newsletter subscribers, it's an even bigger
sale... so be sure to read the end of this note for details!
The Entire CATALOG!
We are always working to increase
the variety of Limoges boxes we offer to our customers. We stock many
boxes from all of the major importers... but we haven't had a way to
offer all of the boxes from any given importer. That's all in the
past with the introduction of our new Catalogs section of our web store.
We've arranged with Rochard to make available every item in their
Limoges box catalog!
Click here to see their entire catalog, or visit:
http://www.groundstrike.com/limoges/catalogs/rochard/1cat_index.htm
We offer 2-3 week delivery for the items
in the Rochard catalog that we don't have in stock. In the first few
days that we've had the Rochard catalog online, it quickly has become
the most popular section of our web store! Do take a look to see the
almost-infinite variety of exquisite boxes they have to offer.
Limoges Box Prices In France
One of the experiences we had in France was comparing retail prices of
Limoges boxes in Paris with those on our web store. If you want to buy
inexpensive pecans, you come to Texas, right? So, does the same
rationale hold true for Limoges boxes in Paris?
If the shops where we priced Limoges
boxes are any indication, the answer is "NO!" From the low priced boxes
to the most expensive, the average prices in the Paris shops were
consistently higher than our web store prices... some by a huge margin!
Here's some representative prices I noted:
Note that the Paris prices are an average
of the prices we saw on boxes similar to those we offer, and that they
were priced in Euros. At the time, one dollar was equal to approx. 1.10
Euros. Currently a dollar is equal to approx. 1.03 Euros, so the Paris
prices are even higher now relative to US currency. It's no
surprise then that we have a number of Limoges box customers in France!
Limoges Box Prices on the Rise
(and Fall!)
With the valuation of the Euro rising compared to the dollar, the great
deals Americans were getting in Europe are quickly fading away.
Unfortunately, this applies to Limoges box importers, too, and we're
seeing the prices on many boxes go up. We're trying to hold the line on
our prices, however, and will resist as long as we can, but eventually
we're bound to see price increases on our boxes. If you're thinking of
Limoges boxes as gifts for the holidays, you may save some money by
buying them as early as you can.
But here's a pleasant surprise: the
prices on a number of our Chamart and Rochard boxes just went DOWN!
We can't explain it, but we're happy to pass along the savings. Here's a
sample of the recently-reduced boxes:
-
Chamart Magpie on Cherries
- new price $148, down from $210
-
Chamart Eagle Head -
new price $114, down from $160
-
Chamart Sitting Fox - new
price $132, down from $185
-
Chamart Lobster on Plate
- new price $105, down from $150
-
Chamart Parrot Head -
new price $114, down from $160
-
Rochard Alice In Wonderland
Book - new price $170, down from $180
-
Rochard Sitting Buddha
- new price $160, down from $180
-
Rochard Pink Roses
& Heart - new price $120, down from $130
-
Rochard Piano with Roses
- new price $220, down from $240
-
Rochard Studio Collection
Brown Breasted Birds - new price $300, down from $350
There are many more reduced prices in our
web store; too numerous to list here. Be sure to check the
Chamart,
Rochard, and
Rochard Studio Collection
areas to see if a box you're interested in has a new lower price.
Personalization - Faster!
We have worked with our personalization printer to improve the
turnaround time to have our Limoges boxes
personalized with text and/or
photographs. He now can do most personalizations in one day, and can
even provide same-day service on many Express orders. We've had a number
of requests for personalization this summer. One that we particularly
enjoyed doing was a photograph of a couple coming out of their wedding
chapel - 60 years ago - applied to a "Will you marry me?" Limoges box!
This was to be a 60th anniversary present and it came out looking
beautiful. What a wonderful way to celebrate such a special
occasion! We're going to add some pictures of our favorite
personalizations to our web store in the next few weeks, so keep
watching.
New Newsletter Feature
Our next newsletter will
feature some of the great email we get from our customers! We have some
serious collectors who have shared their Limoges box experiences with
us, and we want to pass them along. If you have anything you'd like to
say to our newsletter subscribers (now over 3000 strong!) please
email us with your
thoughts. Pssst: we'll make it worth your while!
To Our AOL Customers
AOL recently changed
something with their service that has been causing problems with our web
shopping cart. If a "shopping cart empty" message appears (instead of a
page with your order summary) after you've submitted an order, you're
experiencing the problem. Rest assured that your order did get
through to us, so there's no need to resubmit your order. Our tech guys
are working to fix the problem but it only occurs sometimes to
some AOL customers - and we don't know why yet!
The "You've Made It to Here"
Reward!
For those of you that made
it to here, here’s the “You Made It to Here” reward! Starting now,
we have a 10% sale going on at GroundStrike,
but you will get a FIFTEEN percent (15%) discount on all purchases if
you use the code sept (in all lower case) in our shopping cart
where it asks “Enter gift certificate number, then click Apply”. No
other discounts apply, and it is not valid on items that are already on
sale, but the code IS transferable, reusable until expiration, and
does apply to all special orders. This sale will run (at
least) through Sunday, Sept. 22, so click over
to our web store and get started now!
Thank you for being our loyal customer!
Take care.
Sam and Susan Juliano
GroundStrike Collectibles
http://www.groundstrike.com
PS. We don't want to offend you with our
email... so if you'd like to be removed from our email list, simply
click here to unsubscribe. |
