Made to order items taken out of the shop for now - testing something out

Hey guys! I wanted to let everyone know I'm taking made to order items out of my shops for the time being. Whiskers, mesh, clearance items, and already made products are staying. Cat bases are not effected at all and I will still continue to print and sell those. :)

I've talked about this for years, but it's become increasingly difficult to focus on fursuits while juggling part orders from the store. Covid made things worse because orders slowed down juuuust enough to make the process even more inefficient. Rather than being able to glue ten pairs of eyes and cast five paw pads on a Friday it's now a couple of pairs of eyes, one set of paw pads, and hinging a base. A lot of things I make involve pouring or casting and coming back to it later to finish up. This means my tables are covered in half finished products that make me feel scattered and cluttered. Despite having less orders and commissions 2021 was my busiest year yet!

I've known for a while that I need to handle the store differently but I was always scared to make any changes because it is a good source of income (hiring someone and expanding is not something I'm interested in either). However, taking this time off between commissions has made me realize the reason I keep getting slower and having issues with burnout is my web store. I've only worked seven hours total on the three kitsune premades I want to make so far this month and that's kind of depressing. XD Eliminating made to order items will free up a ton of time and mental energy I'll put towards Patreon, commissions, and premades. I can't do everything and I'd really like to get back to making more than one fursuit a year.

The bases will not be gone forever either so don't fret! I'm toying with the idea of taking a chunk of time on Fridays to cast bases/kits and list them as ready to ship items, or possibly opening near holidays. If anyone here on Patreon wants a certain product just let me know and I'm sure I can work it in, I'm just trying to avoid the influx of orders with random due dates I have now. I will also continue to sell at conventions. If this turns out to be a terrible idea I can always reactivate my shop, haha!

I took down the items today and it'll probably take the rest of the week to catch up on existing orders. Then it will be back to the kitsune premades - I should still be on track with March completion. Expect fun WIPs and videos the last half of this month! :D

If anyone is super interested in a kitsune feel free to reach out. The lychee/raspberry one has been claimed, but I still have an earthy green/brown one and yellow/mango lightning one in the works. Email is stuffedpandaquotes@gmail.com

~Panda