question for you experienced stampers
 

Hi All,
I'm not very happy with SU! with all these retired sets. I'm new at this (less than a year) and I am curious as to how long some of these sets have been around. The two I am thinking of (which I want and am ordering) are Roses in Winter and Petal Prints. (Oh, and cheesecloth BG). So, how long have these been around? 2 years?

If they do a fast turnaround on their stamps, this is an excellent way for them to keep us buying frantically. You see a great set, but then wonder if it will make into next year's catty. Since you haven't a clue, you buy it. Great marketing on their part.

Hence, after seeing how long this list is, I'm not too pleased. Yeah, I know...probably great stuff in the new catty. But will they keep the new stuff around for a few years?

Roses in Winter was introduced in 2002 and Petal Prints was introduced in 2004. Cheesecloth, however, is only a couple years old. It just depends on the stamp set; some last only one year and some last what seems like for-e-ver! They've got to retire and rejuvenate their selections to keep people interested. I think the three sets you were questioning have had a good run and I'm glad to see them go. When I had my first retirement list a few years back I was also a little upset, but now that I've been in it for a few years and have a feel for the longevity of stamps I'm fine. There is only one set I need to get on the retired list and most of my stamp sets are not retiring. After you've been through another retirement or two you probably will have different feelings. HTH.

Roses in Winter has been around since 2000, Petal Prints 2004 and Cheesecloth 2005. I would guess that more than half are older than 3 years.

They said the list was extra long this time around because of them changing to 2 catalogs this year. After this it will be back to normal about 150 sets. Im not sure the average a set stays around. But that is the name of game if your a business demo, Im a hobby demo so it doesnt hurt to much. But also you can sell your retired sets and use that money towards new stuff.

Some of them have been around forever (or so it seems), others were introduced in this years catty and yet others have been around for a couple of years.

That depends on how well it sells. If a set doesn't sell there's no reason to keep it in the catty. If it's a set which sells well, it is usually kept around for a while.

This year is very different in regards to the retiring list though. SU is changing their whole catalog schedule around and my guess is, they had to retire sets to make room for new stuff under the new schedule.

If I love them, I don't care if they retire as I will still get good use out of them. I don't see how it hurts the customer--but the demos, I can see why they would be upset. I was just reading a blog where 80% of the stamps she has bought are retired and she has to keep buying more as they are not allowed to use the retired ones with their customers. That part does seem like a racket to me. But as a customer, I will use RIW for many years and then can probably sell them at a profit.

Sell your sets on e-bay, some of the retired sets bring a lot of money. I have purchased a few myself for over $30. There is one that always sells for well over $50. Just depends on if you have what other people want.... Good Luck

I thought the demo discount was supposed to help ease the pain wrt retiring stamp sets.

Thanks for answering my question. I think 2002 is a pretty good run for a set. I was just curious, as this is the first year I have been stamping. I'm not a demo, so it doesn't matter to me, from a business perspective.

The only part that was bothering me was how long the list was and if this was normal. I didn't want to be scurrying around buying tons of sets next year, thinking they would be gone in a year. And now I know this is not the case. Thanks for clearing this up for me. :)

The secret for buying is the same for demos and non-demos--buy what you love! If it sings to you, you will make beautiful projects with it. :D

I'm not a demo, but I heard that the discount is 20%, which really only "covers" tax & shipping & handling charges. So, if I were a demo, I'd still be feeling some pain if a good portion of my sets are retiring! Unless I was loaded & could buy whatever I wanted.....ha ha

i don't think there is a written rule... they can use what ever they want.
the draw back of using retired sets in a demo is that the customer couldn't purchase that set and it might tick them off a bit.

Actually, per the demo manual:

oops! I just realized I posted that you can't sell out of date stamps, and you were says we can't use them. I'm pretty sure somewhere it does say, but someone else will have to find it

Everyone is talking about the number of retired sets being so high... So, I was curious (and a bit of a nerd... you'll see).

While the current retired list is large, this past year had the highest number of stamp sets too. So, 58% of the current sets are retiring this year. Compare that to 45% last year, 47% in '05, 52% in '04, and only 38% in '03.

Of the 298 sets/wheels retiring this year, 18 of them are from 2000 or older. 81 of the sets were released during this catalog year.

I agree with Linda. A long retired list only means MORE NEW stamps, which means MORE future SALES - better for demos (they can make more $$). Let's face it, SU! won't make money if they don't release new products - which is true for all businesses.

For a hobby demo'r purchasing strictly for the discount, it probably has little or no relevance at all.

For those struggling to build a business at it (earn any kind of profit), however, it can be a devastating blow for some to have to reinvest, depending on how many they lose, how high up the SU! foodchain they are (size of downline); the demo'r discount is only 20%. For some, due to S & H and sales tax fees in their state, the discount is a wash.

It isn't just stamp sets that get retired; accessories are, too. Some years, they've released a list of that stuff, and some years not.

I remember the year they went to all exclusive punches; ouch!

Even if it was the case, I never sweat it because I was distracted from SU for about 8 years (by brick and mortar rubber stamp stores around town). I've been able to find every single retired stamp set that I wanted from Ebay. The highest price I've had to pay was $35. I did have to stalk ebay for a while though.

My thoughts exactly! :D

Ditto! ;)


That applies here. I've noticed that more states are slowy adopting this.