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Post by stinky on Dec 8, 2014 11:24:33 GMT -6
My loomstates arrived in the mail today! What do you guys think? I love the color and texture!  |
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Post by jjflash on Dec 8, 2014 15:27:37 GMT -6
Fabric does look great on that one ickes...I'm a little disappointed you went up to XL, because I won't be able to buy it in a couple weeks when you change your mind.  |
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Post by ickes on Dec 8, 2014 17:52:35 GMT -6
thanks @stevekas. I think I will drop GUSTIN (Cody) a note on this. let us know what they say about the alignment. those pockets and placket are really unfortunate. even more unfortunate that it's a repeated issue. that fabric however does look great. @david, will do man. |
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Post by exophobe on Dec 8, 2014 21:23:43 GMT -6
Getting frustrated as my November shipments push into the third week of December, putting my nov/dec shipments squarely in January, while Gustin continues to drop new products weekly and posts inaccurate updates. The commitment email for thanksgiving was nice, but only goes so far when deadlines are being missed. Am I just being impatient?
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Post by jockohomo on Dec 8, 2014 21:33:42 GMT -6
Getting frustrated as my November shipments push into the third week of December, putting my nov/dec shipments squarely in January, while Gustin continues to drop new products weekly and posts inaccurate updates. The commitment email for thanksgiving was nice, but only goes so far when deadlines are being missed. Am I just being impatient? Dare I say that seemingly teary eyed lament deserves a French lesson: C'est la vie! |
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Post by stinky on Dec 8, 2014 22:54:59 GMT -6
Getting frustrated as my November shipments push into the third week of December, putting my nov/dec shipments squarely in January, while Gustin continues to drop new products weekly and posts inaccurate updates. The commitment email for thanksgiving was nice, but only goes so far when deadlines are being missed. Am I just being impatient? I made a comment today on the G forum about this, and it was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but i'm kind of wondering if there isn't a bit of a cash crunch over there at G WHQ. Why the extra 1 month delay on many of the jeans (my Zimbs funded on 9/6)? Is it because the sew shop is overbooked? Was the fabric not available due to high demand? Or did they delay purchasing the fabric due to cash issues? There's a lot of stuff coming through the funnel that was funded several months ago which means lots of fabric to buy, lots of subcontractors to pay, etc. One would like to think that the funds committed to a batch of jeans actually goes to making those jeans, but the fact is, in business, cash flow does not work that way--especially at a relatively young company. |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 8, 2014 23:30:18 GMT -6
Getting frustrated as my November shipments push into the third week of December, putting my nov/dec shipments squarely in January, while Gustin continues to drop new products weekly and posts inaccurate updates. The commitment email for thanksgiving was nice, but only goes so far when deadlines are being missed. Am I just being impatient? I made a comment today on the G forum about this, and it was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but i'm kind of wondering if there isn't a bit of a cash crunch over there at G WHQ. Why the extra 1 month delay on many of the jeans (my Zimbs funded on 9/6)? Is it because the sew shop is overbooked? Was the fabric not available due to high demand? Or did they delay purchasing the fabric due to cash issues? There's a lot of stuff coming through the funnel that was funded several months ago which means lots of fabric to buy, lots of subcontractors to pay, etc. One would like to think that the funds committed to a batch of jeans actually goes to making those jeans, but the fact is, in business, cash flow does not work that way--especially at a relatively young company. Gustin has a supply chain model that rivals that of Dell's. Dell doesn't pay for any inventory on hand. It's all stored on consignment.. that's the leverage they have due to their volume. Zero cash outlay and they even have 60+ day payment terms to suppliers. Gustin gets funds to finance material and labor up front, as soon as a campaign funds, so unless they are making losses on each campaign, they should be cash flow positive. There was a theory many of us kicked around some time ago about product being helped along toward successful funding. If Gustin sets this threshold too close to a breakeven point, they can end up losing money due to overhead cost, returns/refunds, quality losses, etc. The symptom of this would be less flexibility to accommodate customers, reduction in non-essential services (customer service/marketing), and less budget to travel around to source sweet fabric. It gets worse.. if they have investors or covenants with lenders, these entities may decide to plant one of their cronies in to the organization to "improve efficiency." A symptom of this would be the company behaving less personally and more businesslike. |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 8, 2014 23:49:42 GMT -6
..just for the record. I don't think G is suffering to the point described above. I think their sew shops are overloaded during the holiday seasonvand are feeding G bad commitment dates, which they feed us. The sew shops revise delivery estimates and G updates us.
If this is the case, I certainly hope they're putting a boot up their subcontractor's asses. From where I sit, it doesn't seem like Gustin is too concerned about how customers feel about the delays. I've only seen a few update emails from G, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
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Post by marauder on Dec 9, 2014 0:04:56 GMT -6
What I find strange is the delay between the finished product and shipping. Japan Khaki WS were done by 4th and they are shipping end of December. I find it quite odd.
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Post by exophobe on Dec 9, 2014 0:06:43 GMT -6
..just for the record. I don't think G is suffering to the point described above. I think their sew shops are overloaded during the holiday seasonvand are feeding G bad commitment dates, which they feed us. The sew shops revise delivery estimates and G updates us. If this is the case, I certainly hope they're putting a boot up their subcontractor's asses. From where I sit, it doesn't seem like Gustin is too concerned about how customers feel about the delays. I've only seen a few update emails from G, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I think this sounds more likely, but think Gustin could be a little more open about it, since that's what leads to theories that they're not able to cover their expenses. I think I'll drop them a line tomorrow and ask about the delays, just to see if they can offer some piece of mind. It's not like I'm going to go through the winter without clothes if they're behind, but it definitely has bearing on my backing activity. |
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Post by bugula on Dec 9, 2014 6:56:54 GMT -6
not sure why it seems like it's a crash crunch issue.
if it were that, they're digging a hole that they'll never get out of.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 7:53:09 GMT -6
not sure why it seems like it's a crash crunch issue. if it were that, they're digging a hole that they'll never get out of. I'm assuming as with most things the simplest explanation is the most likely...that they're dealing with holiday season, back to back shortened production months, and gave the standard 2 month ship window instead of recalculating based on those issues. Perhaps they thought they'd get fewer initial backers if the product page shoed a 3 month ship date as opposed to a 2. With how inconsistent and stale their copy tends to be I wouldn't be surprised if that info is blindly entered with little thought of such things. |
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Post by DigDug on Dec 9, 2014 7:58:30 GMT -6
I'm thinking that the Loomies are holding them up (didn't they do a few offers of the Loomies). The last time they had a hard time sewing them.
But this doesn't explain the Wabisabi hold up.?..?.
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Post by stinky on Dec 9, 2014 10:20:17 GMT -6
..just for the record. I don't think G is suffering to the point described above. I think their sew shops are overloaded during the holiday seasonvand are feeding G bad commitment dates, which they feed us. The sew shops revise delivery estimates and G updates us. If this is the case, I certainly hope they're putting a boot up their subcontractor's asses. From where I sit, it doesn't seem like Gustin is too concerned about how customers feel about the delays. I've only seen a few update emails from G, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong. I think this sounds more likely, but think Gustin could be a little more open about it, since that's what leads to theories that they're not able to cover their expenses. I think I'll drop them a line tomorrow and ask about the delays, just to see if they can offer some piece of mind. It's not like I'm going to go through the winter without clothes if they're behind, but it definitely has bearing on my backing activity. I just want be clear that I'm not trying to pile on or anything, it just seems to me that the nature of the delays (and marauder addresses it above as well) is quite odd. From what I can tell, ALL of their back in Sept/deliver in November are behind, and those of us who backed those goods got notification that manufacturing was complete and those goods would be delivered to the fulfilment center by Wed last week to ship out, and nearly a week later, I can still change my shipping address. Having a background in finance/banking and as someone who's livelihood is directly linked to timely payment of A/R from small businesses, any time I see any sort of out of the ordinary or "exception turning into the rule" delays, those delays are typically as a result of cash flow. It's possible that the subcontractors are behind or not meeting their promises, or it's possible that the production is complete and the subcontractors are holding merchandise waiting on payment. At the end of the day, like rest of you, I just want my product. |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 9, 2014 10:31:15 GMT -6
I'm thinking that the Loomies are holding them up (didn't they do a few offers of the Loomies). The last time they had a hard time sewing them. But this doesn't explain the Wabisabi hold up.?..?. I sure hope this isn't the case.. I have a pair on order by proxy through an individual who backed but ended up not wanting them. The complication with loomies, in my estimation, is in how they shrink and fit.. they should sew up just as easily as other similar weight materials. I don't think it's QC, either, unless the sew shop is taking extra special care to make sure they're manufactured to spec. If they're rejecting loads of product at QC inspection, they're already wasting labor, material, and time. If people start getting "sorry, your order didn't pass QC inspection" messages after such a long wait, Gustin will need to do more than just refund/replace at this point. I wonder how Gustin managed the switching of sew shops.. it's possible that the decision to switch was mutual, but in my experience with supply chain and operations, you usually want to keep at least two suppliers of a critical service. You need a backup, for one, and you also need to keep your preferred supplier honest. If Gustin burned bridges with their first sew shop the second sew shop would have more leverage now. If they don't perform, Gustin can't really go back to the first shop and expect favorable terms.. they would probably be hit with a price increase, if anything. The 2nd shop, knowing this, can jack around with Gustin's order priority with near impunity. Doubt it's arrogance, but that's not the only reason two companies choose to part ways. If I were G, I'd be looking for a secondary supplier.. sure, it'd cause slight variations in quality, but if they defined key "critical to quality" metrics (like dimensional specs, characteristics like straight yokes/etc.) their guys in charge of supplier quality would have more to do than ride one non-performing supplier. Hmm.. I remember someone talking about a pretty good tailor in Phoenix some time back  |
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Post by wisdom on Dec 9, 2014 10:33:58 GMT -6
I just want be clear that I'm not trying to pile on or anything, it just seems to me that the nature of the delays (and marauder addresses it above as well) is quite odd. From what I can tell, ALL of their back in Sept/deliver in November are behind, and those of us who backed those goods got notification that manufacturing was complete and those goods would be delivered to the fulfilment center by Wed last week to ship out, and nearly a week later, I can still change my shipping address. Having a background in finance/banking and as someone who's livelihood is directly linked to timely payment of A/R from small businesses, any time I see any sort of out of the ordinary or "exception turning into the rule" delays, those delays are typically as a result of cash flow. It's possible that the subcontractors are behind or not meeting their promises, or it's possible that the production is complete and the subcontractors are holding merchandise waiting on payment. At the end of the day, like rest of you, I just want my product. Interesting.. I don't have visibility in to this, as I am getting loomies by proxy, but if product is done and not being shipped, your theory becomes the more probable one. |
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Post by stinky on Dec 9, 2014 10:40:37 GMT -6
Interesting.. I don't have visibility in to this, as I am getting loomies by proxy, but if product is done and not being shipped, your theory becomes the more probable one. This is the update that most of us got (I'm in for standard Zimbs that funded on 9/4 and Loomies . . . i know that at least the Zimbs were "priority"): Production status: 12/03 Update: Completed orders arriving at fulfillment center on on [sic] Wednesday for an end of week shipping date. |
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Post by davelewis on Dec 9, 2014 10:54:19 GMT -6
Getting frustrated as my November shipments push into the third week of December, putting my nov/dec shipments squarely in January, while Gustin continues to drop new products weekly and posts inaccurate updates. The commitment email for thanksgiving was nice, but only goes so far when deadlines are being missed. Am I just being impatient? I made a comment today on the G forum about this, and it was kind of tongue-in-cheek, but i'm kind of wondering if there isn't a bit of a cash crunch over there at G WHQ. Why the extra 1 month delay on many of the jeans (my Zimbs funded on 9/6)? Is it because the sew shop is overbooked? Was the fabric not available due to high demand? Or did they delay purchasing the fabric due to cash issues? There's a lot of stuff coming through the funnel that was funded several months ago which means lots of fabric to buy, lots of subcontractors to pay, etc. One would like to think that the funds committed to a batch of jeans actually goes to making those jeans, but the fact is, in business, cash flow does not work that way--especially at a relatively young company. In actuality, I think you are starting to feel like a lot of others have, over the last 6 mos. or so, including myself. In my experience, most everything I have ordered just seemed to get delivered later than promised as time went on, not to mention QC issues. I look at Gustin now as an old girlfriend where you know you've had enought, but haven't ended it yet, hoping that she'll change, but you know how that goes. |
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Post by davelewis on Dec 9, 2014 10:56:10 GMT -6
My loomstates arrived in the mail today! What do you guys think? I love the color and texture! Do you think they make me look fat? |
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Post by DigDug on Dec 9, 2014 11:12:46 GMT -6
If I remember correctly the Gustins sew shop had a hard time sewing up the Loomies the first time. The denim not being treated (starched, singed, etc) makes it run through the sewing machines oddly.
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Post by jockohomo on Dec 9, 2014 11:38:38 GMT -6
I think this sounds more likely, but think Gustin could be a little more open about it, since that's what leads to theories that they're not able to cover their expenses. I think I'll drop them a line tomorrow and ask about the delays, just to see if they can offer some piece of mind. It's not like I'm going to go through the winter without clothes if they're behind, but it definitely has bearing on my backing activity. I just want be clear that I'm not trying to pile on or anything, it just seems to me that the nature of the delays (and marauder addresses it above as well) is quite odd. From what I can tell, ALL of their back in Sept/deliver in November are behind, and those of us who backed those goods got notification that manufacturing was complete and those goods would be delivered to the fulfilment center by Wed last week to ship out, and nearly a week later, I can still change my shipping address. Having a background in finance/banking and as someone who's livelihood is directly linked to timely payment of A/R from small businesses, any time I see any sort of out of the ordinary or "exception turning into the rule" delays, those delays are typically as a result of cash flow. It's possible that the subcontractors are behind or not meeting their promises, or it's possible that the production is complete and the subcontractors are holding merchandise waiting on payment. At the end of the day, like rest of you, I just want my product. I received the same message on Wednesday of last week (12/3) and assumed they meant this Wednesday (12/10) since it they meant last Wednesday they would have referred to it as "today."
Since Gustin receives all of their cash up front it would be difficult for them to have a cash flow problem unless they had significant fixed costs not apparent in their business model or were taking cash distributions in excess of their cash after tax income. I would also find it hard to believe that they would disclose that a product is ready for shipping when they know they would be unable to do so since they don't have the cash to pay for it. Of course, I never say never and anything is possible.
From my perspective I think we have another case study awaiting us concerning another vendor on this forum. For example, can anyone explain to me why a business that appears to be missing promised delivery dates (explained as due to huge backlog) would at the same time offer 50% discounts? It is difficult for me to believe that you could meet your variable costs let alone fixed costs as a result of such deep discounting. Now THAT is a sign of a cash flow issue in my opinion.
Finally, have you guys noticed the "radio silence" out of Arizona? ?
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2014 11:55:57 GMT -6
My loomstates arrived in the mail today! What do you guys think? I love the color and texture! Do you think they make me look fat? No, your calves also look perfect. |
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Post by Old26 on Dec 9, 2014 12:24:46 GMT -6
I just want be clear that I'm not trying to pile on or anything, it just seems to me that the nature of the delays (and marauder addresses it above as well) is quite odd. From what I can tell, ALL of their back in Sept/deliver in November are behind, and those of us who backed those goods got notification that manufacturing was complete and those goods would be delivered to the fulfilment center by Wed last week to ship out, and nearly a week later, I can still change my shipping address. Having a background in finance/banking and as someone who's livelihood is directly linked to timely payment of A/R from small businesses, any time I see any sort of out of the ordinary or "exception turning into the rule" delays, those delays are typically as a result of cash flow. It's possible that the subcontractors are behind or not meeting their promises, or it's possible that the production is complete and the subcontractors are holding merchandise waiting on payment. At the end of the day, like rest of you, I just want my product. I received the same message on Wednesday of last week (12/3) and assumed they meant this Wednesday (12/10) since it they meant last Wednesday they would have referred to it as "today."
Since Gustin receives all of their cash up front it would be difficult for them to have a cash flow problem unless they had significant fixed costs not apparent in their business model or were taking cash distributions in excess of their cash taxable income. I would also find it hard to believe that they would disclose that a product is ready for shipping when they know they would be unable to do so since they don't have the cash to pay for it. Of course, I never say never and anything is possible.
From my perspective I think we have another case study awaiting us concerning another vendor on this forum. For example, can anyone explain to me why a business that appears to be missing promised delivery dates (explained as due to huge backlog) would at the same time offer 50% discounts? It is difficult for me to believe that you could meet your variable costs let alone fixed costs as a result of such deep discounting. Now THAT is a sign of a cash flow issue in my opinion.
Finally, have you guys noticed the "radio silence" out of Arizona??
Dude - enough. Deal with facts or don't post it - that goes for people and vendors alike. Have an issue or question for a vendor? Contact them directly. Do not poison the forum with hearsay and speculation. It's not going to happen here. That is more than fair warning. |
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Post by brentkuz on Dec 9, 2014 12:43:28 GMT -6
Can we stop quoting the half naked guy!
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Post by stinky on Dec 9, 2014 13:13:56 GMT -6
Can we stop quoting the half naked guy! wait . . what? you can't see the jeans? “Just hear what that innocent says!” |
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