Hey, OK, so...
The times they are a-changin' over at Signature Plastics. You may have noticed that Melissa
announced a new web site and interest check format for PMK over the weekend. There are some pretty big changes ahead. It looks like the entire "group buy" format we've grown accustomed to (if not necessarily loved) will be going away in favor of a more customer-centric storefront. Here's the full quote for the motivationally challenged:
As most of you are aware, we have experienced many functional problems with the PMK website over the past year. This has not only been frustrating for you users but it has been equally frustrating for us as well. It’s time to make a change.
Over the next couple months we will be moving the site to a new platform. Hopefully this change will address the many frustrations you have experienced from lack of mobile access to simply checking out without any problems.
We also plan to make one major change to the site. The Interest Check and Group Buy format has been very successful, making some very creative designs available to a lot of people. Unfortunately we are seeing more and more of these great designs, many receiving hundreds of “like” votes, die during the 30-day Group Buy period. Under the new format we plan to still display designs in the Interest Check, but once they receive a certain number of “like” votes we will move the design into our production cue. Once produced, the sets will become available in our Key Shop where they can be purchased and shipped within days of ordering. This way you decide when to buy the keysets, minimizing the competition we are now seeing with so many new designs being launched at the same time. We would like to have at least 20 different custom designs available through our Key Shop.
And one more change. We plan to pay a 5% royalty on the net sales of each keyset design that is up for sale to the creator of the design. We feel the creative efforts that go into these keysets should be rewarded!
We thank you for your patience and support while we incorporate these changes. We also welcome any and all suggestions you may have on how to further improve the site.
Overall I think it sounds like an improvement. So what does this mean for Danger Zone?
Well the way I'm reading it, the formal Interest Check that we have up now is going away, probably within the next 24 hours, as is the entire IC system. They'll restructure it and put it back up in "the next month or two". And from the wording Melissa used in her email it sounds like we'll be asked to resubmit our designs at that time... and basically start over. From that point it gets easier, and presumably Danger Zone will be much easier to purchase once the new format is up and running. I don't know much more than that. I have a few questions of my own and I've already asked Melissa to clarify a few things for me. I'll update the thread when I know more.
So... YAY! New web site and format that hopefully doesn't suck, but also... BOO! Starting over sucks huge donkey balls.