Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required's topics - tribe.net

Favorite Etsy Sellers~

Angelia_R — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:30:58 GMT

In light of the recent postings on how People tend to only post about negitive aspects... I want to open this thread!

I have a few Etsy.com Sellers that I ADORE!!!

Who do you love? (please, leave it at who you have purchased from)

Amazing mineral makeups! www.itouchroses.etsy.com
STUNNING Jewlery! www.katzklawz.etsy.com
Fun gothy stuffs! www.agonysdecay.etsy.com

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 6 replies

The naughty ebay seller list

kahlea — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:40:18 GMT

List em here folks

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 14 replies

Why do we jump the gun?

Bellatrix — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:30:39 GMT

I've noticed a lot on here lately, as well as on other tribes, that people who are dissatisifed with a vendor will hop on Tribe and post about it before they have even contacted the vendor for a resolution. In my opinion, I think the vendor should at least be given a chance to correct whatever the error was before the error is made public. I feel that we're all human & we all make mistakes - even companies that have been doing this for years & seem to have their sh*t together. You never know what happened, and whether what happened is even within the vendor's control...from Post Office error to employee error to their brain just fried that day, every vendor has had to deal with an issue at some point. But if they are never even made aware of the issue, then how are they expected to correct it (& prevent it from happening in the future)?

Why is it the habit to ask others before speaking with the vendor? Are people afraid of possible conflict, so it's just easier to complain? Or do we expect that every transaction with every vendor should always be perfect? If so, is that a realistic standard to hold vendors to? Why do we only hold our online vendors to that standard (ie, how many people have returned something to The Gap or Walmart when it didn't turn out as expected)? Is there something else that I'm missing?

Don't get me wrong - I am all for this tribe & for posting warnings about shady vendors/dealings. But without even contacting the vendor first...? What are your thoughts on the subject?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 7 replies

Naughty Etsy Sellers

dancingnightshade — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:35:59 GMT

Okay, I have to post this because I am completely disgusted with how I was treated by this vendor: Solerawear. Back in June, I came across a really cool pair of sandals that resembled a snake wrapping around the ankle. I am usually weary about buying footwear online, but these were so cool and the $40 price made it seem like a good purchase. I asked questions about fit and store policy. She was very prompt with responses, and I was fine with the store credit only policy. The shoes arrive quickly, I try them on...they were too small and they weren't comfy at all. Fine, my bad, its almost impossible to buy shoes online. I let the vendor know that they weren't right and she said I could pick something out for the same price. Luckily I found this pretty purple skirt for the same price. I told her what I wanted and asked for her address so I could send them back.

I packaged them the same way she sent them along with all the information she needed for the exchange, in the same kind of Priority Mail box with lots of newspaper to cushion them. I got them insured for the $40 amount. I waited a week and a half or so...didn't hear anything from the vendor. I was waiting for an invoice for the extra shipping to send the skirt to me, but nothing yet. I sent her a message, again...prompt with response and I send her an instant payment. Sure enough, this afternoon I receive the skirt. Love it! The end right? WRONG. This is the message I got this evening from her:

"I was just packing the shoes you sent me to another customer and I realized you sent them broken. I never took them out of the plastic, and they looked ok when received. When I went to repack them I saw the damage you did. That is very uncalled for. To send damaged merchandise back. I learned from this experience to check my item better. I hope you enjoy the skirt you got for FREE."

Nice huh? I wrote back with this:

"I promise you that I sent them back in one piece. I tried them on once, repacked them, sent them and reported them as fragile to the post office. I even insured them. I am completely appalled that you accused me of dishonesty. If you want your skirt back, you can have it. Please respond."

She proceeds to send me pictures of the damage. Still accusing, never asking me. I did insure them, so I could have easily done something, right? So I respond again:

"What is it that you want me to do? That is not how they were when I packed them. You know what? I'm sending your skirt back. Keep your $40 for FREE."

Yeah, I know...its getting really ugly now. She responds:

"I took the shoes from box, they were in plastic bag, Now I just took them out and they look like this...no explanation that is how I got them."

Well, if she took it out of the box earlier, I would have fixed it. Duh. Here I said:

"No explanation? Thats not how I sent them. If you would have asked instead of accused I could have reported it to the Post Office since I insured the package. Its a very poor business person to assume the worst of a new customer instead of inquiring first."

Still, she accused me...again! Here: "Well, the box was in perfect shape. So: "Did you send them broken?"

Of course I respond again with a NO and I told her the skirt will be in the mail. I told her I will never do business with her again. And then she responds with a Thanks.

Advice to all buyers: Insure your packages when you send them out for exchanges. It didn't help me, but you just never know if something will get damaged. Also, even decent feedback doesn't always make a seller good.

Advice to all sellers: Please please please ask your customers first before accusing of dishonesty! You will get what you want if you approach with sincerity. Give them the benefit of the doubt. You will get more business if you treat your paying customers with respect.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 3 replies

AmiraMor Bellydance Mall??

Aaminah — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:51:24 GMT

I found this website: www.amiramor.com it links to a belly dance shopping mall. They have some really nice costumes and other dance related items but I couldnt find a size chart or even a size listing. It will let you add items to your cart but it doesnt let you select your size. I pretty much went through the entire checkout process for sh*ts and giggles to see if it would let me select a size for a costume I like and it never did. Has anyone ever ordered from this site before? if so how on earth do you know what size to get?!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 4 replies

Cheap-ish hip scarves?

GibsonPearl — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:05:58 GMT

I need to find some hip scarves for a student show coming up, and am wondering if anyone has any advice on where I might find some that I can buy in bulk (10 or less) or vendors to stay away from. I don't want the jangly coin ones but rather ones with fringe...and oh yeah I need them within the next two weeks. Hooray for procrastination!

Any advice/suggestions are much appreciated...I'm in San Francisco if that makes a difference :) Thanks!

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More on ebays new policies

kahlea — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:33:33 GMT

I know I hightailed it outta ebay once the new no feedback for sellers to leave non-paying buyers came into play (among other reasons). Here is an update on that whole thing in case you are interested.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/14/smallbusiness/ebay_feedback_changes.fsb/index.htm?postversion=2008071415

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 2 replies

ebay seller Indiantrend?

Celeste — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 06:28:15 GMT

Has anyone ordered from the ebay store called Indiantrend? Their prices look pretty good, but it's difficult to tell if the quality is any good from the pictures. While their prices are very cheap, I still don't want to give them my money until I have more info on them (I'm a poor college student).
Any advice would be great.

Thanks!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 2 replies

The good ebay seller list

kahlea — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:40:58 GMT

Who offers top notch service?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 35 replies

x-post Bad DVD experience on Ebay

Zafira — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:10:49 GMT

Been meaning to post this for sometime, I purchased Egyptian belly dance DVDs from "fakhfakhina" on Ebay and they did not work. They did not work on my old DVD player, my new DVD player or the computer.
Was told to return them and they would be replaced, sent the DVDs by postal confirmation and they were confirmed delivered 2 days after I sent them.

Never got replacements, never got a refund, couldn't post negative feedback for the seller because he deleted his store. He would not answer my emails. Neither ebay nor paypal would let me file a complaint, said my transaction didn't qualify.

His email was "tonybond13@yahoo.com" and ebayer id "fakhfakhiina". Also payment thru paypal was listed to "TONYBOND13" and also said payment to "Tony CheeseCake".

So beware of anyone using these ebay identities.
I will also post this on the yahoo video groups.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 1 reply

Buyer Bewarer We3 Bellydance

Nadeau — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:59:31 GMT

we3bellydance.com

I recent purchased a turkish vest from them via ebay. The item in the pictures looked beautiful, and I was exicted to have won the auction.

Less then a week later, I recieved an anvelope in the mail with the vest inside....I was expecting a box...but no. An envelope with the vest shoved inside, NO invoice letter with it.

I opened the envelope and to my anger, the vest looked much smaller then the described size, and in NO WAY could fit an underbust of 48 inches. It was nearly 4 inches too small.

The material used was also alot cheaper looking then the pictured materials, and the embroidery wasnt nearly as lovely.

Over all I was very disappointed with my purchase. They appear to have very lovely garb, but the quality is pretty low.
I would have sent the item back, if I hadnt started on a pannel skirt to match it. I'm going to suck it up and extend the front to tie insted of velcro-ing shut. (I was also surprised to have found it it closed with velcro.) I just wanted to let others know about them, they seem to be all over ebay.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 24 replies

Image stealing

Yasemin — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:32:15 GMT

Someone tipped me off so I checked out 'Peacock Moon' http://www.peacockmoons.com/page/page/4507783.htm

Almost the entire page of images was taken from our website www.Tribalbazaar.com
also so have many of the Tribal pant pics. i haven't even gone thru the whole site yet.
There is no email contact only a Phone #.
If they mistakenly thought they were stock photos, I can understand, but IF they stole the images, i hope they would be ethical enough to remove them.

(yes, we are going to start watermarking or locking our images, but we have hundreds and it will take some time.)

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 12 replies

Revisit of Etsy.com "mass producers" thread...

Angelia_R — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:17:46 GMT

I deleted the last one, because, once I messaged her... it was all a big missunderstanding! she hadnt read the rules and regs, and was truely embarassed. She removed everything right away!
A very sweet lady!!!

NOW... for the one that pisses me off to no end.

I have reported and reported and reported this person. Etsy dosnt seem to get it.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5810683

I have even messaged them, and they send me nasty replies back.

So....

Go report people...

I hate feeling so catty... but COME ON?
Handcrafters find a place where they can sell items for what they are worth, and then people still come and try to under cut! ARGH!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 15 replies

Best place for short term cabaret costumes

Nooney — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:19:01 GMT

I'm looking into buying my first cabaret costume in the next couple of months. Thing is, I've been dieting. The weight hasn't been coming off too quickly, so whatever I buy should fit for a while (I hope). I just don't want to end up spending $300-$400 on a costume that I'll only get to wear a couple of times. I saw some reasonably priced (less than $200) with Egypt-Latin Bazaar on Ebay, but Ebay can be hit or miss. Does anyone have any experience with them or have any other suggestions for me?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 3 replies

Unicorn Belly Dance Supplies

Denise — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:39:06 GMT

Has anyone ordered anything from Unicorn Belly Dance Supplies? I want to buy some zills but have never heard anything about them before.
Thanks
Denise

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 14 replies

Bellydance costumes as lingerie???

Anyanka — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:32:53 GMT

http://plussize.lovetoknow.com/Plus_Size_Belly_Dance_Costumes

Saw this posted in the Everyday Bellydancer tribe. The bellydance community needs to sound out about this. So drop them a comment on their webpage.

Happy Blasting!!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 10 replies

Anyone ordered from altered_egos on ebay?

Liz — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:41:09 GMT

They've had some really neat stuff but I went to purchase something today and their store is almost cleaned out. Anyone know where they might have gone?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 21 replies

Buyers Guide to Ethnographica

palikaji — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:33:37 GMT

I thought I should offer this as its own thread with title so as many people as possible could read it. The popularity of Tribal Style and Tribal Fusion styles of Belly Dance has actually increased the risk of mass produced and costume grade ethnic jewelry being misrepresented as vintage, antique, rare, etc. This has happened with textiles as well, so now there are many embroidered and mirrored belts and cholis represented as antique, rare, vintage etc, when in fact they are being made as we speak.

Currently I see a huge trend in the reproduction of Central Asian tribal jewelry, so we see Ersari, Bukharan, Uzbek - under the broader Turkomen all being reproduced and passed off as old. Even a trained eye can be mislead with online photos. But once you know a seller deals in the low end stuff you can assume that everything is costume grade, new made to look old, or repros.

There are quality repros made of traditional styles and old pieces and good quality of these are desirable in my opinion, but again to become educated at discerning that takes time and investment in learning.

Most of the sellers so popular on Ebay with the Tribal Dance community sell mass produced stuff - kuchi, banjara, turkoman, are all hot flags. Some sellers sell at reasonable prices and still call them old and many buyers allow themselves to believe it, but there are also alot of these sellers that pass off mass produced and costume grade jewelry for prices way beyond their worth.

Its hard because many of us love the stylings of the ethnic look and few of us have the time to become experts in the field.

I hope the guide is a help. You may share as long as the link to my website stays intact and my authorship.
Buyers Guide to Ethnographica by Palika
http://www.tribalbellydancecostume.com - then click on the guide in the left hand column.

Many blessings,
Palika
Artistic Director Heavy Hips Tribal Belly Dance

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

Peacock Moon update

Yasemin — Fri, 23 May 2008 17:06:53 GMT

The owner finally contacted me.
She said she was unaware that they were my photos, and had thought they were stock pictures.
I have heard from another person that my personal Website pics were on a 'Share Site' but I'm not sure how they got there. I'd like to track them down and have them removed so this doesn't continue to happen.
Some pics *were* distributer catalog pics, but a couple entire pages were mine.

Anyway, PMoon ~did~ remove them promptly after being asked, tho it took some time to find all of them.
I think that at least says there is honesty and ethics there, so the issue seems to be resolved.
If it was an honset mistake I'd hate to see her business suffer because of it.
Thanks for everyones advice on locking and Watermarking. I think I need to work on that next ;-)

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 8 replies

is this credible..?

Zana — Thu, 22 May 2008 20:51:39 GMT

the "Terrier Playnet Shop" on ebay

The prof. belly dance costumes are pretty cheap, even when you add up those $40 s&h charges (ship from Hong Kong).

Is this too good to be true?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 6 replies

Necklemann's?

ZivaDiva — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:21:51 GMT

Does anyone have any input as to positive or negative dealings with Necklemann's?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 15 replies

Peacock Moons

Melissa — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 22:16:24 GMT

Hi all!
I'm new here and am wondering if anyone has bought from Peacock Moons and if it was good, bad, or indifferent? The student "troupe" I belong to may be ordering 25 yards skirts from them.

http://www.peacockmoons.com/page/page/4507541.htm

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 12 replies

Unreliable vendor - Aracenia Designs

Desdemona — Thu, 22 May 2008 15:52:59 GMT

Apologies for the long post to come, I have attempted to be thorough and provide details of both sides.

I had a very unfortunate experience with a vendor I had previously used, Aracenia Designs (http://tribes.tribe.net/araceniadesigns). She does make beautiful products but proved to be extremely frustrating in terms of communication and delivery of the final product. I spoke out about it publicly following her claims that a pair of pants I'm wearing here: http://tribes.tribe.net/ariellah-gothicgoddess/photos/bc75e162-841a-4071-8901-b973085b2bb6 were made by her in any way.

The argument has been removed from the post I just linked to at the request of another person on the tribe. I have since PM'd with the mod and her to apologize further for it going into the wrong place. I was at TF8 when most of this occurred and spoke with people who referred me to this tribe. I was advised to post the argument and also my follow-up. I unfortunately did not save my own comments, but I can paraphrase as best as I can (but, to be fair, I may not be as harsh in a re-write as I was initially)

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*****Posts made on the picture, following initial compliment on the pants still posted on the picture.
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Daniela/Aracenia Designs: "Glad you like those pants ;) Those are made by me @ Aracenia Designs. I've got a tribe, but it's not really active... I mostly just vend around the midwest and do a little bit of custom orders :). "

My response: "Actually, the pants were made by my boyfriend. I ordered a pair of pants from Aracenia Designs but she took too long to get them to me and was horrible with communication the entire time. So, I had him make a similar pair since I'd despaired of ever receiving my order. I'm not the only one who's had problems with this vendor either."

Daniela/Aracenia Designs: "I always responded to all your emails and text messages. Yes, they did take a very long time to make, and for that I have already apologized. It is nice to see that my pants, with the same back of leg corsetting (I'm asuming you are also using elastic to allow for the stretch of the leg, like I had already described to you) is being reproduced by someone else. I'll take that as a compliment. :)"

My response: "She is lying. It took several e-mails/text messages and a phone call to give her any sort of response. She'd promised they'd be in the mail a month before I got them and it took me threatening to cancel charges for her to actually get them in the mail to me. My boyfriend and I worked out how to make the pants on our own. We borrowed the idea but had no pants to work off of and determined it independently." At some point I must have mentioned either talking with her at Gothla or the fact that her husband is responsible for the videography of the event; for those not on the tribe, the entire problem is pretty well documented (basically, he didn't get them out to anyone, didn't return e-mails/calls/tribe messages, and when some of the people received them, the video/music weren't synched). I also stated that I was going to move the discussion to a more appropriate place.

I did not feel Ariellah's tribe was an appropriate place to have this argument, so I made a post in the Gothla tribe (which I will put below) and in Aracenia's tribe. Daniela/Aracenia Designs did make a further reply on Ariellah's tribe.

Daniela/Aracenia Designs: "Stephanie, you don't want me to start on the problems with Gothla. There are specific reasons why things went like hell with the videos, and those started with your dear friend, you know who I am referring to. I don't know what she told you and you've grown to believe, but we got screwed so bad in that endeavor that we are still trying to recover from it (you don't want to know what happened to us because of it).
You like to talk about professionalism, so here's mine: I refuse to name names, call you out on every point, or lash out at everyone that wronged me/us in this fiasco in a public forum. If there is anything I hate its cattyness, backstabbing, and using people. I refuse to do it. People get hurt, and it's plain rude. This is the last I will say on this subject. If you or anyone else wants to discuss this calmly and point by point, please feel free to PM me.
Stephanie, I'm sorry things didn't work out the way any of us wanted them to, but you know what? I'm done with it. I've got better, more productive things to do with my life. Rancor gives ulcers.
Apologies to the public for the childish behavior." (I'm assuming Stephanie is referring to me)."

At this point, someone had stepped in to ask the argument to be moved permanently and the mod began deleting the comments.

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*****Post in Gothla (http://tribes.tribe.net/gothla/thread/08789723-271d-4e28-a681-6669a034f4e6) and Aracenia tribes.
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I know that this person was referenced earlier by someone else who'd ordered something and had problems. And I know there are other people who have had bad experiences. So, I'm making a post I'd really rather not make. I'm copying and pasting the below from a post I made on the vendor's tribe.

I was trying to just move on from the horrible experience I had with Aracenia Designs but, after she tried to take credit for someone else's work, and continued to lie about the situation, I feel the need to make a post. The whole conversation can be found here: tribes.tribe.net/ariellah-...73085b2bb6 where she replied to a picture that I'd posted on Ariellah's tribe.

I had ordered corseted pants from Aracenia for Gothla this past February. I also said I wanted a pair of sectioned pants. She took the order on corset pants but didn't get back to me on the sectioned ones, which was fine. When we got to Gothla, she'd cut fabric and that was pretty much it. She made the pants during that weekend and it showed (my grommets starting coming out of the fabric quickly - it's incredibly stretchy fabric but she should have figured out another way to do it so this wouldn't happen). But fine. I talked with her more about the sectioned pants.

I did get the money to her and thus began the problems. She got them most of the way done and even sent me pictures. She told me they'd be in the mail on Monday. A week later, I was asking where they were. I'd have to go through my e-mail/text logs but it usually took about three e-mails/texts to get an answer from her (and I don't mean that I sent an e-mail every hour, I'm talking about every day or two). She hadn't sent them, she was at a festival. Okay. She'd send them on Monday. By the end of that week, I went through the same multiple messages process to ask where they were. I think this time I actually had to call her. They weren't done. Her sewing machine had just broken and she would borrow a friends to finish them that day and get them in the mail on Monday.

Why were they so late? She'd had performances. Oddly enough, so had I. Performances where I wanted the pants I'd ordered and been promised a couple weeks ago.

The trend continued. The pants weren't in the mail Monday. She didn't reply. I'm getting aggravated. I finally sent her a series of text messages towards the end of the week telling her that she needed to get me a tracking number by Friday or I was canceling the charges.

I had a tracking number. The wrong tracking number. But, they were in the mail.

I finally got them the week of the third performance I'd planned to wear them. In the meantime, my boyfriend and I had planned out sectioned pants of our own to make (contrary to what she claims in the post I linked above, I did not know how she'd made her pants and we worked it out separately - we did take the idea). He finished those pants before hers got to me.

The ones in the picture I posted are similar to what Aracenia advertises. The ones she sent are not. I had to lace all the sections up flush, to the point of being uncomfortable on my legs, and the pant legs still dragged on the ground. They were completely unusable and the flared legs kept getting on the wrong side of my feet since the slit started at my thigh. Considering she made me pants before and had gone over my measurements, I have no idea why the pants were made for someone with legs six inches longer than mine. But they were.

So, I basically consider this to be a lesson in "cancel charges at the first sign of the vendor being unprofessional, unreliable, and uncommunicative" and to be a pricey fabric purchase.

I highly discourage anyone from trusting this vendor. Her products are nice but I would definitely suggest not paying the full amount upfront and making sure the charges can be quickly reversed. And definitely reverse them as soon as she fails to deliver. Don't even waste your time.

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****I added a comment to my post
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Oh yes. And you know the videographer for Gothla? The one that failed to deliver the promised products (i.e. a DVD for everyone that paid, which actually has the music synched to the video)?

This is his spouse. I highly discourage anyone from working with these people again.

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*****Aracenia wrote a response to this
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Lies? I hadn't had the chance to make any pants because for the month following Sashi's emergency workshop I kindly hosted so that she wouldn't have to pay for her own way to Dallas, we had been busy recuperating financially. On top of that, I was trying to build some semblance of inventory to have on me at Gothla. Despite of being thoroughly exhausted, I stayed up all night before I had to vend and perform finishing those pants so that you could have them that afternoon. I did that as a favor, I did not have to do that. If there was anything wrong with the pants, you should have told me before I left so that I could either fix them or remake them. If you don't tell me or give me a chance to make things right, then complaining later is a little bit of a WTF moment.
About my lack of communication, I even sent you photo text messages of the progress, and I responded every time, sometimes not immediately, I do have classes, papers to write, and whatever goes on with my life, but I always kept in touch.

The wrong tracking number? I purchased delivery confirmation. The receipt had two numbers, a transaction number, and another number. I sent you both, telling you I didn't know which one was the actual tracking number. You know this. I'm sorry you weren't able to use them.

I am not laying claim over any design, but the black the black stripey-texturey velvet fabric that he used is the same stuff I use for the pants I had made for her and was making. I'm not laying claim over the fabric either (or laying claim over anything), it was just a little jarring to see a pair of pants strikingly similar in style and in fabric than the ones I made. Sorry I made a mistake - as I said, jarring.

About the ones I made, I am sorry the flare was too long. In the future, if you have problems with a vendor, I recommend talking to them in private about it before making a ridiculously huge mess about it. Adjustments like that are incredibly easy to make. Since you obviously don't want to converse in any manner that is productive, here's how to fix them: mark the bottom flares of the pants with some chalk where you'd like them and either hem them or run them through a serger. It's a pretty simple fix, I do that with every pair of yoga pants I own, I'm short.

And assortative mating?
Maybe we got so screwed on this deal by one person in particular to the point of financial ruin that it affected our way to conduct our business for months. We're still trying to recover from that fiasco. I'm sorry that the DVDs took a lot longer than originally demanded, really I am, but it all goes back to the lack of onsite communication with a promoter, misunderstandings, change of plans, and general miscommunication that ended in this clusterfuck that affected everyone. Especially my family. And I am very sorry for that. Ryan lost his job when he went to film at Gothla. When we returned, our relationship was so fractured that we were separated for several weeks. This wrecked our lives, and that of our 2 yr old daughter to pieces. Then, since neither of us had money to keep the apartment or anything else, he took on several web design jobs that took up the rest of the time we were not arguing. He lost 30 lbs and tried to kill himself. Yeah, long time and lack of communication? That'd be it! Our car then died and had to replace it. We got evicted. I stopped eating. My sewing machine broke. One thing after another of absolute hell. It'd be funny if I didn't have the scars from it.
I am sorry it took me so long to mail your pants, really, I am, it truly is unacceptable. Forgive me for my quick assumption that those were my pants too (same style, same black fabric), but I wasn't expecting such a catty, rancorous and public response from you. I am used to talking to other buyers and sellers in a polite manner while respecting their privacy. I am sorry things worked out this way between us, and I am sorry to everyone this clustefuck of shit spraying had to go in public like this.
I've never conducted business like this, or have had to go on a public forum to defend myself. I think it is a pity that while we are all trying to do great things for this artwork we share, we are still behaving like children and treating each other like dogs. This goes for anything bellydance related, really. Think critically, and if you have frustrations to vent, my recommendation is that you do it in a productive manner that doesn't hurt someone else and is not merely spiteful.

And don't worry. We both learned our lessons and will not be participating in any events like this again. His cameras have been sold, Arsdigitas is dead, BinaryGrey is dead (and so's his email within it, which really sucks), and Desdemona's pants were the last custom order outside of Springfield I'll ever make. I'll still sell my costume pieces to my friends in the midwest area, but really, I don't have costuming aspirations of GM or BLC proportions. I just want to dance. If anyone wants pants, bras, etc, you can go to any of the other wonderful vendors on tribe and at events, that's what they do. If you're a friend that is willing to wait for a piece that is entirely your own, then you know where to find me. As far as any other future bellydance events? I'm just in it to dance, take the workshops and have fun, nothing else. For a while there I lost sight of why I was doing all of this and that is a very valuable lesson I had to relearn. Next time, I'll just spend my money having fun, which is what I hope everyone did.

Here's to a better next year!

;)

Peace. Out.

~Aracenia

p.s. if anyone has been trying to reach us, our cellphones got disconnected back in April. It's driving me crazy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I opted against saying anything further to her after this and have not replied to her message.

There was further discussion in her tribe as someone else talked about a similar experience that ended better where Aracenia was late in delivery but still good at communication and had thrown something extra in the box. I replied that it was the communication that ultimately resulted in me never wanting to use this vendor again and that it might have helped if something else had been thrown in to acknowledge the wait. Aracenia threw an additional note at the end of her reposted reply stating something to the effect that I was rude and therefore she did not wish to share anything additional in the box. She also stated that my corseted pants were finished last minute at Gothla because I was not rude and she wanted to work with me on it.

She has since deleted the thread completely from her tribe. As a note, when I ordered the corseted pants, I asked if they'd be ready for Gothla and she said it would be no problem. So, there was an agreed end time and she had to stay up all night to meet it. I also did discuss with her the problem with the grommets coming out and she told me it was simply because of the stretchy fabric and that I could send them to her for repairs. I state that simply to give some back story.

I do stand by what I said. She did not communicate as she claimed, with several messages being required to get any sort of response. I would have been considerably less frustrated had she not promised the pants to be in the mail and then not actually send them for several weeks. When she did send them, she messed up sending the tracking number and sent me one for a package bound for Long Beach, CA. I considered getting it corrected but was so tired of her ignoring me that I decided to just wait and see if the package actually got to me.

I am sorry that things are so bad in her life right now; I obviously had no idea. We all have things go disastrously wrong in our lives and it happens. It would have been much better for me had she simply explained that things were really tough and it would be a longer time than expected rather than promising that they'd be in the mail the next day. But the pictures she sent at the first promise of shipment (and there was only one picture that I received) showed the pants almost completely finished (she had a row of grommet tape left to sew on, as she told me when I called her almost two weeks later). I would probably have requested she mail the pants to me and had my boyfriend finish them but I would have understood. And as far as sending them back to her to get them adjusted to my actual height, which is most likely impossible since the bands around the thighs are far too wide in addition to too long of flares, it had taken so much work to get the pants from her in the first place that I was not sending them back.

As a last back-story, the pants that my boyfriend made and that I wore at Tribal Caravan were finished before Daniela's pants were sent to me. Therefore, I am not using any component of the pants she made for me, despite her claims.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

Good job-informative, direct, to the point, factual

kahlea — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:18:27 GMT

Happy to see that despite my being away for 2 weeks and despite seeing 32 new posts, all's well in here and you are all sticking to facts and figures. LOVE this tribe! SO informative!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

Sharifwear

dancingnightshade — Mon, 12 May 2008 23:23:10 GMT

Oh...how frustrating this experience has been. After carefully reading shipping turnout, etc...I had placed an order on April 3rd for a Tribal Dancer tank top, and a mesh black tank top on clearance. I received my confirmation email, but never a shipping confirmation (as they posted that they would send an email once its shipped). I waited a week...still nothing. So I went back to the website to re-read about their shipping:

"Orders will be shipped within 7 to 10 business days, following credit card authorization.
All standard deliveries are handled by United States Postal Service Priority Mail and/or United Parcel Service (UPS).
United States Postal Service offers standard delivery Monday through Saturday. If we have a question about your order, we will contact you by phone or email. Likewise, if you have any questions or changes to your order, please call us at (___leaving number out of this posting___) any time or click here to email us . "

Okay, seven to ten business days...I waited another week. Still no email. I decided to check my credit card activity online and yes, the payment already went through. I placed the order on April 3rd and the payment went through two days later. I sent an email and got an email back very quickly:

"We hope this finds you well. We received your order; thanks! We have a delay in production for tank tops... The net tank tops will be arriving by the end of the week so we will be able to ship by the beg. of next week; the tribal tank top arrived but in cotton ribbed; I don't know if you would like that one instead... I received the bellydancer ones in spaghetti straps... Please advise how you would like to proceed...
I am sorry for the delay and inconvenience..."

I happily wrote back and told them to wait for the spaghetti straps, I really wanted that style of top & I wasn't in a big hurry for it. All I really wanted was an update on what was going on. So...I waited another week. More time went by then it was May already. So I sent another email last week..no response. Today a package arrived. I was so happy to finally get my order...and relieved! Let me note that its May 12th! I ordered April 3rd!!!

When I opened it I found a refund check and a CD for the Tribal top and a note saying that they didn't want to delay the order anymore since the tops still haven't arrived. They also sent me a CD as an apology for the delay. Okay...at least I got a refund and something free. I look in the box to find my black mesh tank top only to find a red, gawdy glittery wrap top with sleeves!!!!! No where on my order was anything red! And I only got the refund for the one shirt.

Now I know all of you would say...RETURN IT! But seriously...would you really want to deal with all that all over again? The painfully slow process? I'm so aggravated that I don't want to deal with it. Maybe I should just sell the top on tribe to a Cabaret dancer? What would you ladies do in this situation?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 7 replies

Dancing Rahana

Zana — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:40:30 GMT

anyone ordered from them before?

dancingrahana.com

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 3 replies

Buyer Beware: ISIS EXCHANGE

Dawn — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:12:31 GMT

Hello tribe members this is a tale from one of my dance sisters. She has not been part of the tribe family long enough to post or be welcome by all tribes.....so I felt her story was important to share so her it is..........

“How to make Egyptian dressmakers starve by ordering & returning a belly dance costume”

Great place to order from, if you don’t inquire as to when your costume will be delivered, or need to make an exchange. Or expect them to do much to follow through... Yup.. that’s “good customer service”

www.isisexchange.com/

Isis Exchange’s BBB Report: www.bbbsoutheastflorida.org/BBBW....aspx

----------Back Story------------------------------------------------

My troupe pitched in to buy me a nice, professional styled costume as a way to thank me for all of the work I put into getting our troupe up and running.

Being a non-standard portioned person (minimal chest, broad hips, plus a jiggly mid section), I knew that I would need to order a custom costume to have a matching bra & belt. I found a beautiful and unique costume at Isis Exchange and I was sooo happy to have discovered a company that not only offered a unique custom made costume, but a reasonable price. Without much hesitation, I ordered from them in early December ‘07.

In Jan ‘08, I received my costume- only to discover, that indeed the costume was beautiful, but by no means made to my exact measurements (as promised by Isis Exchange). The single piece gown’s torso was incredibly long– if the thigh slit sat where it was supposed to, then the hard cupped breast forms came to just under my chin! If I put the boobs where they are meant to go, the thigh slit was just above my knee. This was not a costume I could dance in! Not to mention that the zipper popped, and there were several highly visible white tailor paint markings across the bodice (that I could not easily remove). Sadly, I had to return this gown and exchange it for something more safe (ie not incur the length problem) and that could be produced in a shorter time frame for my March show. Because all exchanges are not offered a refund, but a 75% credit to be used at the store, I was stuck re-ordering another costume.

I spoke with Mou, the production manager, and he was very friendly and seemed to understand my dilemma. He helped me select another costume, and I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing, tho’ more than a little nervous about the time frame. He told me that my order would be submitted right away.

Through out the rest of Jan, I had not received a invoice or purchase order, so I emailed the company, and I received an invoice on Feb 12, 2008. I have honestly come to believe that my order was not even submitted until I contacted the company!!! Anyway this invoice had an expected date of March 5. Sweet! 10 days before my performance! I was very excited.

----------Here’s where it gets more dramatic-------------

March 10— No costume. I called the company, and managed to speak with Billy. I explained my concerns to him. I was informed that my costume would arrive early next week (two days too late for my performance), I asked if was joking, and said that this is unacceptable. He told me he would look into and call me back by the end of the day.

March 11- Getting more worried, I called Isis Exchange. No answer. I left a message. I called back an hour later, this I time I spoke with a woman who assured me that she would look into the matter.

No response 2 hours later, I called again, and spoke with Billy yet again. He wanted to know what was wrong with the original costume. I explained the fit problem, and I was informed that Isis Exchange employs a dressmaker who is 55 years old, near retirement, and that at least 8-10 costumes recently have been returned to fit problems!! I was shocked! Wow! 8-10 people have been through what I am going through? Have they gotten an apology, unlike myself? Billy again assured me that he would call me back, after he spoke with his production manager. I asked when I could expect to hear back from him, he did not provide an answer, so I informed him that I wanted to hear back from him within 15-30 minutes.

The afternoon passed, and I had no contact from them. So I called again (If you ever need to call Isis Exchange, expect to not have the phone answered at any time in your ordering experience until you call them at least 10 times– seriously). During this time, I left two messages- one apologizing for my earlier shortness and I provided two solutions for Isis Exchange... the first being that my costume is overnighted from Egypt to me, at no additional shipping charge, the second the costume arrives late with a refund. My second message was a request to get the promised call back.

Finally my phone rings, and it’s Billy– he begins by saying “you called me 20 times- I had to step out of the office. Our internet is down. I’m working off a laptop, I have to go outside to find a wireless internet connection.” I offered to forward all of the emails I had from Isis Exchage so he could access my records. I was now informed that my costume was still in production, that there was no way I could have in time for my show. I was also told that my costume should have fit, as the hips stretch to 54" (and that folks is why the zipper popped!). I am embarrassed to say, but I not so kindly expressed my disappointment. Our phone conversation ends with him saying that he will contact his production manager (Mou) and that only Mou has the authority to issue refunds.

Three hours later- I hear from Mou. Mou wanted to know what was wrong my original costume. I explained to him the details. He then asked what I wanted from them. I repeated my two options for them. I was told, and I had to repeat this back to him twice out of disbelief- he offered to send me my original ill-fitting costume, or to send my the second costume as soon as it came (early next week). There was no way my costume would be shipped any sooner. Again, I explained my disappointment to him. I was then asked again what I wanted, “I said an apology would go along way right now.” He then shouted at me, and said that I was being a very difficult customer– “that there was no way of pleasing me, that he had already lost a significant amount of money a costume that was perfectly fine and fit me, that he had no desire to do business with me, and that people in Egypt were starving” (no I am not kidding here) because of my returning a costume. I was informed by Mou that “handmade items are not perfect, and that there are always errors....that an exact fit is not possible” Well, of course, I became the difficult customer he made me to be. Unfortunately, we shouted back and forth at each other. Finally, he offered to cancel my order and give me 75% refund less his shipping expenses (of what I am not exactly sure...the costume? A check in the mail?). I was pushing for a full refund and an apology– which wasn’t happening. I finally kowtowed, and had to shout this over his continuing litany of “difficult customer, starving Egyptians, I don’t want to do business with you” to be heard. I agreed to accept the second costume late, but as long as he understood how disappointed I am with Isis Exchange and that I would try to warn as many dancers as possible from using his company.

So– yes I must admit at times in dealing with Isis Exchange over the past two days I have acted like a tantrum two year old. I am not proud of my behavior, but sadly it took so much action on my behalf to find out the status of my order, and to come with up solutions to this debacle. I did not want to rip off Isis Exchange, but I did want what was promised to me when it was promised to me. The costume is due to arrive a few days post performance :-( I am hoping that will be a good fit, or at least can be altered on my end to achieve that sought after fit.

I realize not everyone has had a bad experience with this company. I read in an earlier posting, that someone had a friend who had a terrible experience with Isis Exchange, but with no explanation why. I decided to share my dealings with them to help provide better information, and to prevent someone living through this same ordeal. Hopefully this costume will provide me with enough dancing bliss to be able to overcome this crudy experience.

If you choose to order through Isis Exchange, may you have a wonderful experience and be treated well.

Please contact me if you have any questions-
Halimah bint Isadore

-----Isis Exchange’s Verbage-----------------------------

According to their website:

Off the listing of the Original Costume I ordered: (CST005)
“If you are not in rush, you can order this costume at your exact measurements.”

Return Policy:

“If you received your package in a bad condition or simply you do not like the item within 3 days of receiving it, you can ship it back for a full refund or an immediate exchange for no additional S&H costs. No questions asked!

Any special orders can not be returned for a full refund. However, they can be returned for 75% of the purchase price as a Store Credit only and it must be returned within 3 days of receipt.”

As for the starving Egyptians:
(again from their website, under “about us”)

“We are firm advocate against child labor & "Sweat Shops". We personally see to it that our employees are fairly compensated for their hard work, have good working conditions and fair pay.”

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

TopSight Dance

zombiefied — Mon, 05 May 2008 06:59:38 GMT

Has anyone ever dealt with, or know of anyone who has dealt with top sight dance?
If so, what was your experience/products like
Thanks!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 1 reply

If you sell, what are your weblinks?

kahlea — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:22:36 GMT

A member requested a list of links to our websites and stores for those of us who sell bellydance items and items of interest to bellydancer, online.
Post away m'friends!

www.thegoddessgarden.net
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5644056
http://www.freewebs.com/thegoddessgarden/

Mostly tribal and fusion items but lots of DIY bits for those who like to make their own.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 39 replies

Etsy- good sellers not your faves

kahlea — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:51:32 GMT

Who offers top service? Good quality? Affordability?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 8 replies

indiaBazaar.net or mariajju.com...good seller?

Perizadah — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:10:04 GMT

Hi, I googled 25 yard gypsy skirts and this vendor came up. Are their things a good to high quality? Does anyone know? Thank you!

Perizadah

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 11 replies

Ro and Rea's Bargain Belly Dance Boutique

his_zina — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:05:00 GMT

Here's another one with prices too good to be true. Has anyone bought from Ro and Rea's Bargain Belly Dance Boutique?

http://www.bargains4bellydance.com/index.html

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 21 replies

Silvex down?

celeste_isabelle — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:47:11 GMT

Today, I tried to access the silvex web site and it was down. Per the cache thing, it seems to have been down since like April 15. Does anyone know anything about this?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 1 reply

fireflymissions?

dancingnightshade — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:36:30 GMT

Anyone purchase pants from them on ebay or through their website? They look really cool, but the rating is kind of eh.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 18 replies

What would or has made you boycott an instructor?

kahlea — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:11:30 GMT

Unless you're gonna name names, stick to the topic at hand please. Spanks a lot.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 48 replies

Prices too good to be true?

Dina — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 23:11:30 GMT

http://www.bellydance-shop.com/index.php

I stumbled on this page and I was wondering if anyone has bought from these guys. The prices are kind of cheap which makes me wonder if it's a rip off or if the items are just cheaply made. Thanks for your time!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 9 replies

Another dubious site?

Donna — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 08:59:59 GMT

I was contacted over the weekend by this seller, calling himself Muhammad Tanvir of Tanvir High Scope Enterprises Sialkot-Pakistan. He offered silk veils etc. The site has photos from the old Tribal to The Max site, also The Indigo and I think it's Turkish Emporium. www.shopforbellydance.com

I challanged him about these........"Dear Sir, I would consider your proposal and products more favourably and respectfully if you would show respect for the dance community by not using their images without their permission. I'm seeing photos on your site from Tribal To The Max and the Indigo, amongst others. We are a small worldwide community and many dancers know each other personally......."

His response was to offer to send some samples. no mention of the images............Zils at dawn!!! Grrr!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 10 replies

Swords banned in the UK... Please Read

Denise — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 12:54:11 GMT

Hello all.

Sad news I'm afraid. I have just spoken to Jonathan Batt, at the home office who has confirmed that we (belly and tribal dancers in the UK) are covered in the VCR (Violent Crimes Reduction Bill).
As Belly dancers, we are not covered in the exemptions of being classed as a 'sporting activity' or a Historical reenactment. While we can perform with our existing swords, if you have public liability insurance. You can no longer purchase a new blade.

This is scary thought, as if we are not included in the exclusions to the ban, the art form of sword dancing will ultimately die out in the UK! my sword was broken recently In a workshop when it was dropped. I now can't get a new one....

The only way we can get this changed for all belly dancers is to contact the home office and request that as a dance form that we are allowed to continue to be allowed to purchase swords, so that we can continue with a beautiful art form.

Please, Please take the time to contact Jonathan and request that he put forward to the Home Office that bellydancers and tribal dancers are made exempt from the VCR Bill. He is a nice guy and has agreed to be the contact point for this query. It will take a huge volume of dancers contacting him to make a difference, so please take the time to write to him.

His contact details are Jonathan.Batt@Homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Also if you are a member of a tribe, where this is not mentioned, can you please post information there.

Ta
Denise

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

Shopping for Beldah Online

Lisha_aka_Nasreen — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:53:31 GMT

I'm getting ready to buy my first bedlah set. my measurements don't make it possible to buy off the rack, and so I am planning to order off the internet. I was wondering who you ladies thought was the best, or fastest, or nicest.... and who to avoid like the plague.
Thanks for the help!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 4 replies

What's up with eBay user IDs?

meliflora — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 19:57:21 GMT

I've been noticing lately that there are a lot of eBay user IDs that look similar to this: a***z.

You can click on their ID, but you only get a list of the categories that the item they're bidding on is listed in, the number of bids on that item, and seller1, seller2, etc. You can't even check out their feedback.

What's up with this? Is this something new? Is it a new way of making your feedback and ID private?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 8 replies

Bad product/merchandise?

kahlea — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:17:03 GMT

any products out there you refuse to use (related to bellydance or make up of course) that the rest of us should know about?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 40 replies

Boycotted products? Lifestyle question

kahlea — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 16:42:20 GMT

ok, ok, for the lurkers too esceered to post on the other topics...
how about this:
what items, products, goods do you boycott as a matter of your lifestyle choices. for EG meat due to being vegetraian. products tested on animals. a product made in sweatshops where children work. etc...
tell us the product or item, why you made that choice and help educate us all.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 70 replies

Bellydanceprops.com

Zehara — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:14:42 GMT

Has anyone ever ordered from them before? I have been trying to contact them to see if they have an item in stock and they havent answered my phone calls or emails.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

What makes a GOOD instructor?...

Katrina — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:07:21 GMT

I realize on the surface, it's everything in oppostion to this thread.
http://tribes.tribe.net/bellydancerboycotts/thread/e8f6db23-d382-4b4a-842a-8cc3ab19a4ee

But I'm sure there are other things that equal an outstanding teacher. So what would those qualities be?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 11 replies

HELP!

Marta — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 18:45:49 GMT

You have to love my dance teacher-troupe leader. We are dancing on May 3rd. I just convinced her to buy matching Geisha's....now whe wants us all to wear coin bras. 3 or us are rather large..boobage for days. So we really need a good DD sized coin bras and fast! Any suggestions?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 4 replies

Anyone ever bought anything from Maqam.com?

Amy — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 15:24:10 GMT

http://www.maqam.com/

They seem to have some good specials and well priced dvds. Has anyone bought anything from them before? They seem like a middle eastern Amazon.com, but I'm always wary of buying from companies I'm not familiar with.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 14 replies

Just got this email. Anyone know these guys?

angeldmort — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:22:47 GMT

Respected sir/mam,
Wishing you a VERY HAPPY AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2008. We are manufacturers and supplier of all kinds of Indian Banjara bellydance jewellerys , apparels and accessories.
India had always been a hub of Banjara(GYPSY) groups and all the groups had some or the other distinctive specialitys of there own. Some groups made a very unique variety of jewellery and some maid very traditional and ethnic clothes line. And we have found all those arts from different groups after a long time of search and gatherings. And now with those valueable artifacts , jewellerys and clothes line we have manufactured them the our way. And we proudly present them to you.
So if you are interested in them:
• BANJARA JEWELLERYS
• APPERALS: NEW AND OLD, BEADED AND COINS (INDIAN , TURKISH , AFGHANISTANI, EGYPTIAN)
• BELTS AND ACCESSORIES (WITH MIRROR WORKS , COINS AND ALL HAND EMBROIDERY)
• BEADED JEWELLERYS
• INDIAN BEDINGS AND FURNISHINGS.
Then please write back , and if you have any querrys then please feel free to ask them I would be very pleased to answer you.
Looking forward to know about your intrest
Yours truly
Arun parmar

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 13 replies

Opinions on Silvex

Zubaydah — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 01:02:18 GMT

I am new to this tribe and someone recommended checking out what people had to say about this company. I thought I would order some cheap stuff from them and wondered if it is worth the time, effort and money (tarif) or what ever!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 8 replies

I will never order from Joann.com again.

Angelia_R — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 07:29:26 GMT

Partialy my own fault. I didnt write down my order # when they gave it to me on the screen. why? because usualy I get an email right away with that info. I never got the info. I got the charge on my debit card. Then it was put on hold, then cancled. Today I went to my paypal, and there is a completed charge on my debit card for a completely different ammt from them. I have emailed three times, called twice and no one can tell me anything.

Now on, I will order from the store if I need something.

*sigh*

I'll give more feedback once I recieve whatever it is they are shipping me.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 18 replies

EBAY- Naughty or Nice?

kahlea — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 05:28:02 GMT

thoughts on the new policies?

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 12 replies

Bad online merchants/vendors?

kahlea — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:08:22 GMT

had any experiences where you were unsatisfied by the service or product you got and the issue was never resolved?
give em up so none of us suffer the same plight.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 12 replies

The naughty ebay buyer list

kahlea — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:39:05 GMT

My facts:
Got a request about an item I had for sale in a smaller size. I sent an item number of a smaller size and said yes, here it is. Also she asked if I could send it for her to wear by a certain date. I said well we dont ever do rush orders but if you pay right away I will mail it out tomorrow even though our shipping for this week is done already.
She then bought the item but I didnt pay attention to which buyer she was (as in the same one who asked me the question. I get questions on items daily. Cant keep track of all of them!) nor what size this person bought.
I sent the item, left good feedback.

She emails me saying I sent the wrong size. I go dbl chk and she bought the size I in fact shipped. She BOUGHT the wrong size, not the one I told her to buy nor any of the other ones we offered in our store in the size she needed.

She said but I asked you to send me a smaller size. I said yes but I also told you to buy the item you specifically wanted.

She is getting a bit huffy with me now so I say, fine, even though my payment details very specifically say, and I quote,
1St in the item description: "Read shipping/payment instructions carefully, PLEASE!"

then in the payment details,
"No returns,refunds,exchanges,sold as is.Buyer pays shipping & tracking.Int'l orders take 1-4 weeks from time of pay.Checks and M.O. (USA Only) expect 3-6 weeks delivery, after pay.Paypal gets fastest shipping & accepts e-checks.Pay w/in 1 week of auction close.Multiple purchases get shipping discount if you pay after last auction so that I can invoice you a discount.Check vacation settings.I travel often so read my profile for more ship info!I ship 1x p/wk IF I am in-studio. "

so i tell her ok send the wrong ones back and if you pay for shipping back to me AS WELL AS shipping a new set back to you, I will (It should also be noted that I will eat the listing fees for the ones I relisted that she does want, as well as relisting the ones she sends back).
In any event-I just want to fix it and be done with her.

Then she rattles on how it isnt her fault, why should she pay shipping, I sent the wrong item, blah blah. I keep trying to explain how it was HER mistake, not ours and yet I am willing to try and help her out but in no way should I pay shipping AND relisting for her mistake.
This back and forth goes on a bit and then I hear nothing from her.

Fearing she will leave me adverse feedback on my nearly spotless feedback forum, I emailed her to ask if she got my last email.
She now claims she has a death in her family and wont get to the post office till next week. OK fine. I understand. I just had one too and I can relate.

But I go in to peek at HER feedback to see what kind of buyer she is and AHHHHHHHHHHHHH what have I gotten myself into?
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&ftab=AllFeedback&userid=blessed2dress&iid=-1&de=off&items=25&page=1

She is clearly high maintenance, demanding, and retaliatory. Joy.

Buyer blessed2dress
beware!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 10 replies

The mod requests of her posters...

kahlea — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:28:52 GMT

While I am a proponent of venting, by all means, I really only prefer posts in this tribe to be of complete honesty, truth, and with names and facts posted, as per my Moderator rules post found here (chock full o typos...I musta been multi-tasking!)
tribes.tribe.net/bellydanc...e76cf96b62

And I will repost the more legible version here:
Ok chicklets and dudes-time to post some rules in here. I know, I know, some of these may be ones I too have broken. Lets learn from it...
Try to state only facts and keep emotion (so hard to do, I know!) out of your factual postings

Dont "Bash", simply inform using factual statements and naming those who you choose to boycott. No eluding to or passive remarks. If you post it is either to recommend a service, product or company or to boycott and advise other dancers.
If you simply post using for instances and so and sos, none of us benefit.

Try not to post "my side of the story" rather, facts that you, yourself have experienced with companies or businesses or events or dancers or what have you, you choose to boycott.
I dont want this to be an ugly or foul and hostile place. I'd prefer it to be a place of fact and lessons learned and shared.
I'd rather it be an informative space to help one another out. Please try not to hang up your dirty laundry. There are other places appropriate for that, say your shrinks office, a friends shoulder, into a beer or in other tribes that welcome that.
I know, like I said, I too have been guilty and have posted the vague "you figure out what I am eluding to" posts. But lets move this back to a more educational and informational direction.
If you are foul, drunk or hostile, there is a tribe just for you. And it is funny. But keep it straight up in here. K?

Also, I will try not to :::BUMP::: this up all of the time b/c I dont know that offenders would know I was referring it to them, nor even what "bump" means. So if I see you might be straying from my requests I will either post this directly below your post or msg it to you privately.
I just want to try and avoid wars in here and keep it to facts.

SPANKS a lot.
Moderator

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

Important - massive Ebay changes that affect sellers

Bellatrix — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:25:57 GMT

This thread was up on another tribe & I thought I should pass it along here: http://bellydanceswap.tribe.net/thread/988abccd-c198-4a8b-beb7-0e6a6b42481d

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 2 replies

Body Art Forms FTW!

Amber — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 04:32:28 GMT

Body Art Forms is a piercing jewelry vendor, which I know is kind of going out on a limb, but I also know that many, MANY bellydancers are modded and are always looking for great places to buy quality jewelry! Especially those of the fusion persuasions.

Well, I can't recommend Body Art Forms (www.bodyartforms.com) more! I ordered a bunch of twisted barbells, curved barbells and labret studs from them. They were all very reasonably priced (I LOVE their sale and clearance sections) and the shipping time was excellent. I stupidly ordered on a Friday evening, which made my shipping time a bit longer what with Sunday being thrown in there, but they were very prompt nonetheless. Their item descriptions were very accurate and honest - if there was a flaw that they knew about, it said so in the description. There are also customer reviews on almost every product. I felt like I was making a very educated purchase.

Their selection also impressed me. Not only did they have a good selection of "normal" sized jewelry, but their selection and variety of large gauge jewelry was very impressive. A stretch-enthusiast's wildest dream.

So if you're looking for piercing jewelry to go with your costume, go to Body Art Forms! You won't be disappointed.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 0 replies

BellyDanceShoppe.com ++++

his_zina — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 23:12:18 GMT

On 1/17/2008 I phoned Naj with questions about 1/2 circle veils on sale. She helped me find colors which I'd like and would look nice together. They were mailed that same day and the credit card was charged the exact correct amount. The veils arrived in today's (1/22/08) mail. What a nice surprise to be able to take them to class tonight. I highly recommend this vendor.

Zina

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 8 replies

Not a rip-off but still annoying

his_zina — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:32:15 GMT

When people are wanting to sell something and in the post they don't describe the product -- especially size or color. Then, they'll write: "see picture in my profile" and when you go to their pictures, they've got like 500 pictures. I'd like to know where they got the product, whether it was handmade, etc.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 4 replies

Double Bird

zarasbazaar — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 22:23:01 GMT

Okay, every time I check out the discussions on this tribe I crack up when I see the guy with the ciggie dangling from his lip and flipping the double bird. Who the heck is that? I work at a boarding and grooming kennel. If you think people are neurotic about their children, imagine what they're like with their little fur children-substitutes. On a daily basis I feel like being the guy in the photo. Thanks for the laugh!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 26 replies

Istanbul Dreams Experiences??

Patsi — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 18:20:30 GMT

I am looking for quality Turkish style/made bellydance costumes. And since Topkapi isn't responding to email or phone, I went looking. www.istanbuldreams.com came up. They have some nice pieces I would love to have but I'm skeered! Any info would be helpful. Tesekkur!!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 4 replies

Best sellers for tribal bras?

dancingnightshade — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:18:46 GMT

I see a plethora of them out there! I also notice that there are a lot of vendors with pre-made bras that leave small chested dancers out...hmph. I'm not looking to break the bank and I don't want something thats going to look like its eating my already small chest alive in gaudiness. I want a coin bra with some decoration...I don't need a ton of stuff hanging off of it. Anyone know of vendors that make smaller, somewhat simpler coin/tribal bras that won't cost me over $200....or even over $170 (I know that might be pushing it for good quality...but I really don't have the cash to buy one that expensive or the time to make my own!)

Thanks in advance!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

Dancewear Solutions - Mixed Review

Inara — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 03:56:51 GMT

Hi everyone,

I've never posted on this tribe before, so I hope my post is applicable and I apologize if it's not or if I break some sort of posting rules. Moderator, please feel free to delete this if I've done anything wrong.

The following describes my interaction with Dancewearsolutions.com.

Way back in October I placed an order through Dancewearsolutions.com for some boyshorts to go under my chiffon circle skirts. Of the three shorts I ordered, two were on backorder and were expected to be shipped about a month later. I am anal retentive about double checking my orders before I hit submit, but somehow my order still managed to get screwed up between me reviewing my order and me hitting submit. However, this error didn't show up on the confirmation page... it showed up in the confirmation email. I called their customer service two days later (I ordered on a weekend) and spoke to a very nice lady who helped straighten out my order.

I received the non-backordered item within two weeks, although I suspect they tried to jack up the cost of shipping by including one of their catalogues in the package with the dinky pair of boyshorts.

Two months after my original order (as opposed to the one month originally estimated), I received *one* of the two shorts they still owed me. The email they sent me shortly before I received the shorts was an even more screwed up version of my order (incorrect quantities and sizes); however the invoice on the package I received contained the correct information.

Also, between this company's distributer (Weissman) and the company itself, I was charged twice for the one pair of shorts (they don't charge you for backorders until they ship them). The distributor said the charge would be removed in a few days, but 12 days after the initial charge, the duplication was *still* not removed.

I called Dancewear Solutions tonight to cancel the remainder of my order (the remaining boyshorts). I spent 13 minutes on hold for customer service before getting disconnected. Called back and left a message. Sent them an email. And then decided to give their phone line one last try. (Yes, a bit much, but I was just tired of dealing with them.) I managed to get an agent on the phone quickly this time, and she cancelled my order. She also fixed the duplication in the charge. Thank goodness! But when I asked that she send me some sort of confirmation email that my order had been cancelled and I wouldn't be charged anymore, she said she didn't have the ability to do that. Huh? I thought that was odd, because other online stores send you all sorts of emails when you contact them.

Overall, their customer service reps are very nice when you actually get them on the phone. Unfortunately, due to the great delay and the technical difficulties I don't think I'll be ordering from them again.

Hope I save you guys some trouble.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

events you wont support again

FuzzyEarthDancer — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 22:32:32 GMT

Ok so this past August The International Belly Dance Convention took place in Las Vegas. The event was supossed to be of epic proportions*lots of Mid Eastern stars from lebanon,egypt,turkey, and a host of other american stars* There were things for everyone. from tribal to cabaret. the competitions were feirce and the purse prizes were the largest I had heard of from ANY competition* naturally to draw more entrants* so after hearing the tribal troupe competition was going to close my close friends and i decided to enter!! we wanted tribal to be represented in las vegas. so we entered and started gearing up for the competition. we also volunteered our time by stage managing and doing things to help the event run smoothly. *didnt help the disorganization was beyond belife* in the paper work the IBDC and gold star entertainment state that the winners will be part of a cerimony to present trophy and winnings. my troupe Tabu tribes.tribe.net/tabulv won the tribal troupe 1st place prize which was 3,000 dollars!!!WOOHOO!!! right? WRONG! after 4 months we still have not received any money. We have had to call him every week only have empty promises thrown at us.this has been going on for FOUR MONTHS! now we come to find out. he's paid some of the winners and not others. not only that but he also said he wouldnt be doing the IBDC again in 08 till he was squared away with 2007 and the people he owed for that. so now the website is up and operational and asking what month everyone would like to see IBDC in 08!!!!! EXCUSE ME?!!!! No way will you have my support you are in LEGAL BREACH OF CONTRACT! legally he had 90 days to pay everyone the money that was promised. so ladies if you are thinking of coming to vegas for this event do yourselves a favor and use discretion. I wouldnt reccomend anything GOLD STAR ENTERTAINMENT puts together. instead we have another event in september thats much more fun and better organized! :) pm for details on the other event if you are thinking of coming to las vegas

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 25 replies

anyone ordered costumes from legend?

Lara — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 02:05:59 GMT

I am looking at ordering a costume from legend costumes (aka shimi textile)
does anyone know anything about them, good or bad?
Thanks!

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

beadsandcharms.com follow up

Friga — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 18:40:31 GMT

Here's my original post about my problems dealing with them:

http://tribes.tribe.net/bellydancerboycotts/thread/751ec672-f23c-4649-8734-1909d2336a57

So - what's been going on since...
About a week later (early Nov) I received yet another newsletter ad from them encouraging customers to beat the Christmas rush. So I fired off another letter saying that I was a customer they ripped off and every time they send me an ad it just encourages me to tell more people about how bad a company they are to deal with.

Well, I finally got a response. The woman apologized and said that the situation was handled very poorly, she was sorry that she didn't follow up on it herself (she was who I'd been in communication with months earlier) and they were sending out an "apology package". It actually did arrive about a week and a half later. It contained most of what I ordered, less two items, but also two doubles - so it basically netted to my original order.

So a bunch of headaches, but in the end things were resolved in a mostly positive manner. I don't know if I'd reccomend them to anybody, but they did at least eventually try to make things right.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 2 replies

Not really BD, but sort of...

Inara — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 04:09:59 GMT

Hi again everyone,

So I meant to post this a long time ago, but I never did. I did have it up on my blog though. I was hesitant to post it, because it's specific to the DC/Virginia area, and also is only sort of related to belly dance. Since I went ahead and posted about Dancewear Solutions, I figured I'd post this too. Better late than never. :-) It's copied straight from my blog. I was a little upset when I wrote it, but I feel like I stuck to the facts, for the most part.

"Hi ladies [and gents]... my civic duty for the day is to inform you to avoid the Lady of America gym (Hunter Woods franchise) in Reston, VA.

Here's what happened. I had two negative instances with them:

1. I emailed them for rates. I asked very specific questions. They wrote back with a vague response and told me to call and make an appointment or stop by. [They replied with something like, "Yes, we have many different programs. Please make an appointment or stop by."] I emailed them again and "called them out" on the fact that they didn't answer any of my questions, didn't even acknowledge that I asked specific questions which they basically refused to answer, and overall came across as unhelpful and shady. They replied with a "we don't give out rate info over email and most gyms won't". This is half true. Other gyms (Curves, for example) will give out rate info over the phone. Phone... email... what's the difference?

2. Several weeks (months?) after the email incident, I received a flyer in the mail *with rate info* that seemed reasonable, so I called today to find out more info (there are usually other fees and such).
- A man answered and I explained about the flyer and that I wanted more info.
- He asked me to hold, so I did.
- The same man picked up again. I explained myself again.
- He asked me to hold (2nd time), so I did.
- The same man picked up the phone (3rd time), and as I tried to explain myself, he acted like he couldn't hear me. So I told him never mind, I'd call back later, and I hung up.

- He called me back on my number which I had not given him, so he probably got it off caller ID. He said "you called?" Not "Hi, this is LoA gym. Sorry we got disconnected..." or whatever.

- I explained that I called for info but had been put on hold twice and every time he spoke to me he acted like he hadn't heard what I just said, so I told him I'd call back later. I also told him that I had not given him my number and he did not have permission to call me on it.

- He asked me if I was "in the habit of calling businesses and hanging up on them" and claimed that I was being rude. When I explained that I had previously, *politely* told him I'd call back later, he hung up on me.

- I called - again - to speak to the manager... and it turns out HE WAS the manager! When I tried to defend myself (about not being rude), his attitude was "it's not going to work out" and hung up.

I've called corporate to complain and posted reviews. Corporate probably won't do anything about it, because what do they care about customer service and rudeness?... I can't sue them over it.

But anyways... now you know... avoid them at all costs. If this is how they treat "future" customers, how do they treat you once they already have you bound in a contract?

Since they also have belly dancing lessons at this gym, I am going to post on the Belly Dance Boycott tribe later."

Note: I have absolutely no interaction with the belly dance instructor who worked at the Lady of America gym in question. But the fact that they had belly dance classes sort of ties this whole fiasco to belly dance in a way that I thought I could post it.

Thanks for listening. Hope I save some of you Northern Virginian's some trouble.

PS - Corporate never contacted me about the complaint I registered. Big surprise.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 5 replies

Beware MAC cosmetic Lovers / X-Post

Raven's Fire — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:46:50 GMT

If you bid or buy MAC cosmetics on eBay, please watch out for the seller of the name sjukes67.

On Christmas Eve I won the plum metal-x for the amount of $12.50. I have documentation showing payment via PayPal. The payment was not claimed, an e-mail was sent asking why payment was showing as unclaimed. The response, I didn't pay and she was sending out an invoice; after a week, I cancelled my Paypal payment and viewed the new invoice. The invoice is now $3.00 more than the original amount and she has reported me to e-Bay as non-payment. This is a scam, she wanted the higher price for the eyeshadow and played this silly game with me.

Just beware, in all the years buying off ebay, this is my worst experience ever.

Just thought I would provide a heads up.

Happy 2008 to all =D

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 3 replies

Thumbs up: L Rose

Kahaz — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:20:29 GMT

As per moderator request: a review!

I just placed an order with L. Rose. Whom I've dealt with before. I wanted a set to match: pants and top. I had a vague idea of what I wanted and had taken my measurements. I spoke to a seamstress there, and in a few minutes had all the details put together. And, it's all promised in 3 weeks.

I find them so valuable because they take all the different ways that your own body can be put together into account and an expert seamstress figures out where to add and where to subtract to get what you need.

posted in Bellydancer Boycotts-No mugs required - 12 replies