Unbranded Bamboo

10/14/2023

Our most recent shipment of bamboo came in and it's absolutely gorgeous but…the manufacturer forgot to print the size, fiber content, origin country and care instructions label on it which means it can’t be legally sold in the US.

I’m so heart broken over this. We’ve decided 2023 is just going down in the books as our beta testing year.

Over the last three weeks I’ve been in contact with CPSC, we’ve looked into paying someone to thermal print labels on them, we’ve looked into having tags made and sewn in, I’ve looked into buying a thermal printer and printing the labels myself but none of it is cost-feasible.

One week of that my manufacturers were on vacation. They’re a small start up as well and we’re working together to make things work because I DO LOVE their products and they’ve worked with me on smaller MOQs than most manufacturers allow.

At this point we’ve decided the only solution is them Re-making the order, correctly, which will take 10 days. Then shipping time to get here.

I wanted to update everyone. And share some pictures. Because the product is still 👌 even without the labels. So I had my photographer go ahead with pictures so we don't have to wait on them when the new items come in.

I apologize and am so thankful I chose not to do pre-orders. We’ll get there (not to pre-orders) but to a well-oiled machine that's providing affordable bamboo.

08/14/2023

Just a FYI post we will no longer be accepting PayPal for payments on the website. They have unfortunately initiated policies that make it hard for small businesses to operate on their platform. Despite trying to do everything correctly, opening a PayPal business account including providing every legal document they asked for from my federal EIN to our articles of incorporation, confirming our bank account. PayPal has placed an indeterminate hold on my account for suspicious activity because my newly made business account…started doing business I guess 😅🫠

As of right now all payments made through PayPal are inaccessible and there is a chance I won’t be able to access them if they consider my “additional” information uploaded to verify my business is insufficient. I’m really at a loss considering I don’t know how much more official it gets than a federal EIN, articles of incorporation, state registration, business banking confirmation…. They even have the tracking number on all orders placed through them and all orders have been confirmed as delivered 🤦🏻‍♀️

I sincerely hope this doesn’t inconvenience any of you. We will still be accepting ShopPay, AfterPay and all major credit and debit cards.

This isn’t an isolated issue but one that has been ongoing for years with small businesses in their platform.

I have deactivated it as an option already as I don’t want additional payments potentially being lost to their abyss.

For more than a decade, PayPal's been accused of withholding funds, frustrating struggling small businesses.

08/08/2023

We've got the brand group page up and running and I'm starting it off with a giveaway. To enter go join the page and comment under the bundle you're interested in then invite all your friends to join the page too! Join the Tribe! Unbranded Bamboo Tribe

***this giveaway closed on August 10th but stay tuned for more!***

08/04/2023

After a lot of thinking this week about the business model and how to make affordable bamboo work...and processing orders, I realized that until we have a much larger variety of items people can chose from having them cover actual shipping costs on a single item or even two items puts our Bamboo in the "Less Expensive" range instead of the "Affordable" range which is where our goal posts are.

So for the time being Unbranded Bamboo will be offering $4 flat rate shipping. Consider it an introductory thank you. Anyone who has ordered up to this point will be refunded the difference in the shipping they paid (unless you chose one of the express or priority shipping options)!

We're working towards a point where FREE shipping could work for us too but we're not quite there yet.

We really appreciate all the support and encouragement we've received on this journey!

08/04/2023

It’s been a very challenging and educational week. So getting a personal message from someone who purchased through the website today was exactly what I needed!

I didn’t set out to start a company. I just wanted to source good quality, affordable bamboo for myself and a small group of friends with kiddos that suffer from eczema.

It wasn’t until I saw a post from a mother in a buy sell trade group that was asking for ANY bamboo in ANY condition for reasonable prices because her child suffered from eczema so badly they could only wear bamboo and was showing my husband the comments, mystified at the amount of stained and torn play condition Bamboo being offered for $20 plus shipping and he said “you know, you could sell your bamboo to more people!”

The seed was planted 🌱

I’m not a salesman. It’s pretty clear from my brand’s social media presence that I am not a marketing guru. But I am, and I think most people who have crossed paths with me can attest to this, someone who has always strived to make the world a little better no matter what I am doing.

I truly believe our product and price is so good it will sell itself once people start getting their hands on it.

But as I said this week as been an education. The psychology of shopping is fascinating. Did you know that almost 70% of shoppers abandon carts because of added shipping prices? These larger companies don’t have products that are so much more expensive than mine because they’re that much better(they’re not). They’re at a premium because they knew the statistics I did not and they’ve priced their items to include the cost of shipping. But they don’t know if you’re going to buy just one product or 10, so every single item you put in your cart has the cost of shipping added to it. If you put three items in your cart you’re paying for shipping 3x. But the cost of shipping one bamboo romper is the exact same as shipping 5 bamboo rompers.

My dream of affordable bamboo hasn’t changed but I have realized that I need to change my approach. Offering one product at an affordable price and asking the customer to cover shipping only makes my products marginally less expensive. BUT having enough variety and stock that customers find 3-5-7 items they want…that allows my products to stay affordable even with a single shipping charge added.

So big changes are coming, I’m leaning into this and my customer feedback today was just what I needed to know I’m going in the right direction. We might need a bigger house by the end of the month but…expect to find significantly more options on our website, all ready to ship and affordably priced. More sizes, more styles, more prints and solids.

Who knows, maybe I’m crazy but I have a feeling the the customers we’re made for are out there looking for us as I type this and I need to get ready ❤️

08/02/2023

Hopefully this makes everyone laugh *in relatable* and not *in you’re an idiot.*

I showed up to my doctor’s appointment this morning at 8:45am. It’s been high on my priority list all week because it’s been rescheduled 3 times already (not by me) since March.

With Brad out of town for work and no babysitter I had to take Reese with me, as a first time mom I never know how long it’s going to take me to get out the door. Woke up super early to pack yesterday’s orders too, just to save me from having to drive to town twice, get a shower in and make sure everything is smooth with our son.

Anyway I show up at 8:45am for my Doctor’s appointment scheduled at 9am. Go to check in and the receptionist says “your appointment is August 3rd.”

“Right!” I say, “9am August 3rd!”

She looks at me, I smile back thinking about how I am killing it this morning. I even managed to get Reese out of the car and into the stroller while he was asleep and he’s still laying there sleeping like an Angel.

She looks at me harder… “It’s August 2nd…”

”No, today is Wednesday August 3rd! I know that because I launched my business on Sunday July 31st. Monday the 1st, Tuesday the 2nd, Wednesday the 3rd!”

She turns her computer around and points at the calendar…it’s the 2nd. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Then I think…wait! I made so many comments the last few days about launching the store on Sunday, July 31st! 🫠🫣

Thankfully, my primary care doctor is amazing and has 4 kids of her own so she squeezed me in! ❤️

Then Reese had a blow out while I was in the appointment, like up to his armpits. I smelled it and thought I’ll just change him really quick before the Doctor comes in… *it was not quick* 😅

…and I was so discombobulated by the time I left I forgot to run by the post office. So I’m headed back into town right now to do that.

Really batting 100 today!

Also Reese’s OOTD was supposed to be a surfboards zippie but after the blow out we’re in Flamingos.

Reese is 7 months 27.5” and weighs 20lbs for reference. He’s wearing our size 6-12m

07/31/2023

ALL ORDERS from yesterday, last night, and this morning are fulfilled and shipped!

Thank you so much, everyone!

07/30/2023

Whew! When my husband told me on Friday he was going to be gone all weekend for work I got a little nervous about launching on Sunday but I figured I would call the ONE babysitter I knew and we'd be great! We're blessed with a really easy baby...

Then our son decided this weekend that only contact naps were going to be acceptable and things got a little tougher. I'm not joking when I say I haven't slept in 3 days! The nerves got to me and I was checking, re-checking, and triple-checking inventory numbers, website functionality, pictures...everything. I have no idea how I am still cognitive, who knows maybe I listed everything for free on the website. 😅

Then this morning at 8am my babysitter called and told me she was ill and not going to make it and I immediately heard Ralph Wiggum's voice in my head saying "I'm in DANGER!"

Cue having a really easy and pleasant morning, feeling confident about everything until 11:55 and our EASY baby has a melt-down he decided he was hungry RIGHT now AND needed a nap AND had an up-to-his-neck blowout all within a 15-minute period. The EXACT moment I was supposed to launch. Love you Babooski!

Needless to say, I did not get a chance to do the blitz promotions I wanted to in the three days leading up to opening, and well I didn't open the store on time but it IS open now. I'm so confident our customers will be thrilled with how high QUALITY our bamboo clothes are and how low our prices are while being ready-to-ship that the customers will come. Like they say "If you build it, they will come!"

That being said the goal is to be able to lower our prices even more as we grow and I can purchase in larger quantities. Our goal is to be down to $20 by the end of this year and to expand sizes and styles including matching mom jams that look like I will be able to price them for less than $30! So please do share and invite friends to try us!

I love Bamboo and if you're here you probably LOVE bamboo too but if you're like me the average market prices don't love me back.

The additional promos I had planned on running before we opened will happen this week and before our next drop.

Officially, in my mind, I'm calling this our soft open now. The next drop will be our GRAND OPENING! So look out for some great discounts on some already fantastically priced Bamboo! (And some freebies too!

This week has been a learning experience and I truly believe everything happens for a reason. A slow trickle start to this venture must have been what I needed even if it's not what I thought I had so thoroughly planned.

07/30/2023

We're OFFICIALLY OPEN! 😅

-Skupinska and Katrina Baxley It won't let me message either of you! Message me for your Discount Codes!

I'm standing by in case there are any issues with anything on the site. Please be patient with me as we navigate through this!

07/30/2023

Everyone, please bear with me for 10-15 minutes! My husband is working out of town and my babysitter called in sick this morning. My son is currently having a melt down 😅

We're about to test The Happy Song by Imogen Heap 🥲

07/27/2023

And now the fun begins! I’m going to start posting about our website opening and our first drop in a few groups but our next promotion is bringing your friends along for the ride!

For every 3 friends you invite to follow our page comment DONE on this post and you’ll get an entry into our next raffles. Every 50 new followers we get I’ll give away a 10% discount code off your entire order, every 100 new follower will be a 25% discount code off one item and every 200 new followers I’ll give away another 50% off code off one item. I will also be doing a randomly generated cart refund for the first three days our store is open. One every 24 hour period! Like this post for an extra entry and share it for two extra entries! ❤️ (please comment if you share the post some people have their shares set to private which means I can’t see your name and want to make sure you get credit!)

Welcome to Unbranded Bamboo where you don’t have to PAY to PLAY! Help me get the word out!

Website will be going live at noon EST Sunday, July 31st! www.unbrandedbamboo.com. Until then it will be password protected but after we go live no password is needed. We will be accepting all major credit cards, PayPal, Shop Pay and After Pay!

$22, Ready to Ship, 220 GSM bamboo shorties and 2 piece sets will be available in this first drop.