Ray's Kits Decals - Caution!

[gtx6970]

Im sorry for any ones loss . But I aint waiting 5 months with virtually zero response for anything I order 

 

I realize the modeling cottage industry isnt a huge money business. But as a seller communication is key

Im willing to wait a reasonable time to receive a custom order item. But 5 - 6 months isnt reasonable IMO 

[GMP440]

Quote

 

  I was reading Ray's response on the situation.  I understand for sure that decals isn't the sole thing in his life.  Just like everyone else;  we have family, work and other major life committments  that have to be attended to.  Pretty much like Modelhaus;  they were pretty much an institution in the resin casting business like Ray is to the decal business.  They too had family and other outside committments and had a long turnaround time.   Just throwing that out there that it's not nothing new.  However,  when you have a business and the demand for your product overwhelms you and your ability to deliver within a reasonable time period that does become a problem. There comes a point where you have to stand back and say to yourself I need ways to work faster and efficiently or I need to start hiring on people to take on the workload.  What do you do?

[iBorg]

50 minutes ago, GMP440 said:

  I was reading Ray's response on the situation.  I understand for sure that decals isn't the sole thing in his life.  Just like everyone else;  we have family, work and other major life committments  that have to be attended to.  Pretty much like Modelhaus;  they were pretty much an institution in the resin casting business like Ray is to the decal business.  They too had family and other outside committments and had a long turnaround time.   Just throwing that out there that it's not nothing new.  However,  when you have a business and the demand for your product overwhelms you and your ability to deliver within a reasonable time period that does become a problem. There comes a point where you have to stand back and say to yourself I need ways to work faster and efficiently or I need to start hiring on people to take on the workload.  What do you do?

Or you realize its not worth and a great product leaves the market.

[GMP440]

1 minute ago, iBorg said:

Or you realize its not worth and a great product leaves the market.

  Very true.

[echoxrayniner]

On 9/15/2024 at 4:29 AM, 1972coronet said:

I can empathise and sympathise with your personal turmoil , @echoxrayniner. Thank you for addressing concerns and for explaining - expounding upon - the "twigs and berries" of offering cottage industry business. 

When you get your affairs organised , I would love to purchase a set of the 1971 Demon 340 decals (please add the Sizzler hood decals, hein ? The MPC kit's decals leave a lot to be desired - including the lack of a template for the centre portion of the aforementioned Sizzler decals ( the 1:1 was a full decal, IIRC...) in addition to the full complement of decals fitting of the '71 Demon).

Thanks !

Oh worry not, I promised you the set even with the refund in mind and thats exactly whats headed your way ASAP, Sizzler hood stripe decal and all.

2 hours ago, GMP440 said:

  I was reading Ray's response on the situation.  I understand for sure that decals isn't the sole thing in his life.  Just like everyone else;  we have family, work and other major life committments  that have to be attended to.  Pretty much like Modelhaus;  they were pretty much an institution in the resin casting business like Ray is to the decal business.  They too had family and other outside committments and had a long turnaround time.   Just throwing that out there that it's not nothing new.  However,  when you have a business and the demand for your product overwhelms you and your ability to deliver within a reasonable time period that does become a problem. There comes a point where you have to stand back and say to yourself I need ways to work faster and efficiently or I need to start hiring on people to take on the workload.  What do you do?

You're hitting the nail on the head, or rather nailing it perfectly. I've committed to simply downscaling and downscaling hard, wrapping up my current affairs and catching up. I've basically ran into a wall and decided that I guess the wall might as well stay there, remain at a nice pretty distance. Instead focusing on keeping a steady supply headed to my American distributor, maintain the hard limit on orders(and its contents) that I can handle, and keep the previous 5-ish week average and somewhat steady print run dates like they used to be.

Essentially it was just a cascade of balls-ups, life taking any grip I had right out from my hands and getting a good hard reality check from customers and family alike. My old man dying from being a-okay added like two months to an already surreal amount of backed up work. Like trust me when I say, nowhere was my intention ever to let things slip past a five week turnaround, much the hell less a six month one. That's a pretty solid reason why a topic like this is so justified, I've reeeeaalllyyy let things run off course and then some and it certainly more than deserves a word of warning/caution to the masses.

But at least I'm not going anywhere, just gotta make sure stuff remains in a nice little island of stability again where I can effectively solo it better. Communication and perhaps allowing AI here and there to pre-chew or educate me in writing more efficient and less time consuming emails/comments, ideas and such like that

I do appreciate all the nice things that are said though, gotta throw that out there too!

Edited September 18, 2024 by echoxrayniner

[GMP440]

1 hour ago, echoxrayniner said:

Oh worry not, I promised you the set even with the refund in mind and thats exactly whats headed your way ASAP, Sizzler hood stripe decal and all.

You're hitting the nail on the head, or rather nailing it perfectly. I've committed to simply downscaling and downscaling hard, wrapping up my current affairs and catching up. I've basically ran into a wall and decided that I guess the wall might as well stay there, remain at a nice pretty distance. Instead focusing on keeping a steady supply headed to my American distributor, maintain the hard limit on orders(and its contents) that I can handle, and keep the previous 5-ish week average and somewhat steady print run dates like they used to be.

Essentially it was just a cascade of balls-ups, life taking any grip I had right out from my hands and getting a good hard reality check from customers and family alike. My old man dying from being a-okay added like two months to an already surreal amount of backed up work. Like trust me when I say, nowhere was my intention ever to let things slip past a five week turnaround, much the hell less a six month one. That's a pretty solid reason why a topic like this is so justified, I've reeeeaalllyyy let things run off course and then some and it certainly more than deserves a word of warning/caution to the masses.

But at least I'm not going anywhere, just gotta make sure stuff remains in a nice little island of stability again where I can effectively solo it better. Communication and perhaps allowing AI here and there to pre-chew or educate me in writing more efficient and less time consuming emails/comments, ideas and such like that

I do appreciate all the nice things that are said though, gotta throw that out there too!

  The demand is huge for the services and products you put out.  It's the journey that it takes to service the demand.  Maybe looking into hiring out additional people to take on the work could get you back on track in a timely fashion and decrease the turnaround times it takes to get finished product to your customers.  It takes money to do this, but your business grows and becomes stronger.   Business has to adjust to the demands of the marketplace.    I imagine you've considered this.  This could be a major turning point for your company.

[gtx6970]

I should clarify a bit.

 

Im not knocking anyone trying to run a self employed business, Hell I had my own for about 7 years . Never got busy enough to hire help. But stayed busy enough to keep me going until bldg rent just got out of hand and I walked away. Moved across country less than a year later.

 

 

I had a decal custom made that no one else makes ,  Time from my initial inquiry to finished product was about 2 - 1/2 maybe 3 months. And I was ok with that.

As I didn't pay for anything until I approved the copy. From that point to delivery was about 2 or 3 weeks 

[1972coronet]

UPDATE , 22-9-2024

I received an email from PostNL (ostensibly a shipping organisation centred in the Netherlands) stating that my decal sheet is on its way !

I will keep all posted on further updates, @echoxrayniner et alia.

[Joe Lange]

2 hours ago, 1972coronet said:

UPDATE , 22-9-2024

I received an email from PostNL (ostensibly a shipping organisation centred in the Netherlands) stating that my decal sheet is on its way !

I will keep all posted on further updates, @echoxrayniner et alia.

John, don't hold your breath.  My package of decals finally made it to PostNL on 9/16.  Since then, it has fallen into a 'black hole' and the last date it shows is 9/17.  Today is 9/23 and I just checked again and ..................nothing.  Still showing "9/17 - Delivery Time Is Being Calculated."

[Can-Con]

24 minutes ago, Joe Lange said:

John, don't hold your breath.  My package of decals finally made it to PostNL on 9/16.  Since then, it has fallen into a 'black hole' and the last date it shows is 9/17.  Today is 9/23 and I just checked again and ..................nothing.  Still showing "9/17 - Delivery Time Is Being Calculated."

OK, so that was 6 days ago. How long do you think realistically it should take a package to arrive from Europe to North America by mail?

[W-409]

That's typical, living in Europe, I have to order a lot of kits, supplies, aftermarket stuff etc from USA. You always have to be prepared for delivery times somewhere between one week and one month, depending on the shipping method. Also, the tracking often "gets lost" like that, but despite that I've always received my orders no problem.

[Joe Lange]

3 hours ago, Can-Con said:

OK, so that was 6 days ago. How long do you think realistically it should take a package to arrive from Europe to North America by mail?

I have good friends in Sweden, England, and Germany.  When they send me a small package or shipping envelope, it gets to me between 1.5 to 2 weeks tops.  They email me as soon as it's in the Post.  The biggest 'hangup' isn't the Post Office, ours or theirs, it's U.S. Customs.  Sometimes they can be very fast, (especially around the holidays), and then as slow as........at other times

My issue is vendors who can make their own shipping labels from home.  They create a label with a tracking number on it but then it sits for several days before the vendor actually takes it to the Post Office.  When you check the Tracking Number, on line, it states;  'Label created, waiting for package'.    The label for mine was 'created' on 9/12 and it arrive at the P.O. on 9/17.

There you go.   

[Hondamatic]

2 hours ago, Joe Lange said:

I have good friends in Sweden, England, and Germany.  When they send me a small package or shipping envelope, it gets to me between 1.5 to 2 weeks tops.  They email me as soon as it's in the Post.  The biggest 'hangup' isn't the Post Office, ours or theirs, it's U.S. Customs.  Sometimes they can be very fast, (especially around the holidays), and then as slow as........at other times

My issue is vendors who can make their own shipping labels from home.  They create a label with a tracking number on it but then it sits for several days before the vendor actually takes it to the Post Office.  When you check the Tracking Number, on line, it states;  'Label created, waiting for package'.    The label for mine was 'created' on 9/12 and it arrive at the P.O. on 9/17.

There you go.   

I knew of a guy that would make the mailing labels as a work order, so they'd be printed and literally wait a year til they actually got mailed out

[echoxrayniner]

Alright now I'm willing to take the beatings I deserve but what the hell am I supposed to do with being beaten for the service my country's postal service provides?

PostNL's tracking system is limited information wise, they do essentially three scans and thats all that is visible. Entry scan, distribution center exit for international shipping(which is often skipped when busy) and when they depart the physical country. They are mailbox packages and get treated differently in the sorting process until they leave the country, once stateside they get treated as parcels. Also let me be very honest here, you were refunded fully. I'm going out of my way to do everything right at my own expense, and still its not enough.

That said, its not until they reach the USA when they get accurate scans with every stop mapped out. For goodness sake at least, at the very least give me a break for that particular part because holy hell that's just incredibly and ruthlessly unfair.

Also shipping labels automatically expire after six days without an entry scan in most European post systems, so lets leave that notion be.

Edited September 24, 2024 by echoxrayniner

[Joe Lange]

7 hours ago, echoxrayniner said:

Alright now I'm willing to take the beatings I deserve but what the hell am I supposed to do with being beaten for the service my country's postal service provides?

PostNL's tracking system is limited information wise, they do essentially three scans and thats all that is visible. Entry scan, distribution center exit for international shipping(which is often skipped when busy) and when they depart the physical country. They are mailbox packages and get treated differently in the sorting process until they leave the country, once stateside they get treated as parcels. Also let me be very honest here, you were refunded fully. I'm going out of my way to do everything right at my own expense, and still its not enough.

That said, its not until they reach the USA when they get accurate scans with every stop mapped out. For goodness sake at least, at the very least give me a break for that particular part because holy hell that's just incredibly and ruthlessly unfair.

Also shipping labels automatically expire after six days without an entry scan in most European post systems, so lets leave that notion be.

No Ray,  you can't be responsible for a package once you hand it off to the Post.  No one can dispute that.  I'm just letting John know that watching the 'travel time' in the post could be a frustrating experience. 

As far as my package.  I hope PostNL shipping labels don't expire after six days, because the last scan(?) was 9/17 "Shipment is ready for transport to the country of destination".    

[Bob Ellis]

I bought 1974 GTO decals from him with success. I know they originate from Europe. Not sure what that make as a difference.  Might have taken a little while to get them but I did and was happy.

Bob

[1972coronet]

On 9/18/2024 at 10:58 AM, echoxrayniner said:

I promised you the set even with the refund in mind and thats exactly whats headed your way ASAP, Sizzler hood stripe decal and all.

Only 12 days later (30-9-2024) , they're here ! Thanks much , @echoxrayniner ! These decals are incredible ! 

Thanks again for not only fulfilling my original order, but for the included - and as promised - largesse ( Sizzler hood decals (not just the stripes as in the kit's decals), extra underhood decals, and the correct-for-1972 decals ) !

Thanks again !

[Mattilacken]

@echoxrayninerYou are doing a great job with the decal business, and i cant even start to imagine the sorrow and changes that you have gone through latley! 

A thought, have you talked to ScaleProduction on where he does his prints if the down time some times are a problem as well?

 

Keep up your great work and I hope you can make a living on only this in the future if thats what you want.  Have wanted to but several decals from you but managed with wat i have. And with my ADD side the wait would be hard.. i would like to have them yesterday  

[BobbyG]

I have dealt with Ray from the very beginning and have never been disappointed with his decals or his service. He has always responded to my emails promptly and courtiously. His decals fill an important void that are missed by most kit manufacturers which is why his business has grown so it's no doubt he's going through growing pains. I am certain runnning Rays Kits is not his only source of income and like most suppliers, it is the love of the hobby that he shares his talents. He's a gentleman and my experience has always been positive. Keep on rocking Ray.

[Mr mopar]

I just put an order into day !

[BIRDMAN]

On 9/23/2024 at 5:30 PM, Can-Con said:

OK, so that was 6 days ago. How long do you think realistically it should take a package to arrive from Europe to North America by mail?

For my company,I get my product from China. 

I order on a Sunday, by Friday I have it..

It leaves  China customs.. goes through  the US customs. And I still get it in that time frame. 

I've been waiting months for my decals that were ordered at a swap meet from his North American rep..

I contacted him numerous times, seen him at swaps since ordered was taken and PAID for.

All I get is bla bla bla..

I don't want to hear excuses, I want the product I paid for!!!

Now, his rep won't  even reply to my emails..

 

[BIRDMAN]

Still waiting.. no response from US rep

[BIRDMAN1]

wait  wait  wait  for an order... customer service ?????????  I had a decal sheet that was bad. contacted  the rep here in the US, said I would  get a new sheet... waited waited.. nothing, ended up using an old Fred Cady sheet from the 90s. cars was being built for an NNL..  finally recived sheet after I had contacted him...he didnt contact me..sad customer servive..  I thought ok ill give him another shot.. was building 2 cars for NNL west. ordered them at a swap meet he was at,asked how long to wait{you will have them in time} 4 months later,..still don't have them. again I reached out to him. all i got was bla bla bla.. said they only will only make Ray so many decals{oh heaven's to Betsy! is that} what do you mean will only make so many???? he then added more excuses.. since I was told they were coming, no updates, no decals., but 90.00 collecting interest in some ones account. told him no refund, want my decals.....  rays offers a product, we give his his money, we wait weeks and week ,some months. not right, have stock on hand.  i do work for DUCKS UNLIMITED, if i took this long, they would end my contract.  Ray needs better customer service on his end and his US rep!!!!!!!!!!

[Can-Con]

On 1/11/2025 at 7:48 PM, BIRDMAN said:

Still waiting.. no response from US rep

Not my fault, not my problem.

If Ray was out of the decals you wanted you have to wait until he has more printed, simple as that. 

Why not try getting in touch with Ray directly instead of going through a middle-man? 

Don't bother responding to my message, not my circus, not my monkeys.🤡🐒

[BIRDMAN1]

Ok