FAQ

Thank you for your interest in The Poke A Dot Shop and for your interest in learning more about what we do! I am happy to answer your questions, I do operate a little different than other shops. If you still have questions please ask!

Who operates The Poke A Dot Shop?

A Full TIme mom and wife, that's me, I am the shop owner and operate the business mostly on my own with a little recent help from my husband since I am progressing through my third pregnancy, business gets hard on my own with an expanding belly ;).

What are your hours of operation?

Technically I operate during the hours of 8am and 5pm M-TH CST. More accurately, I operate business and answer emails after bedtime, during naps and during calm hours so my actual hours of operation are all over the place but you should always get a response within 24-48 business hours of my Monday through Thursday work week. Although I do work all throughout the week to keep up please respect my time away from the computer and stock room as I am raising two adorable toddlers and taking care of one busy house too.  Sometimes I will respond on the weekends but normally this is family time and you should not expect a response over the weekend. If it is urgent I will deal with it as soon as I can even on the weekend. Customer Service is imporatnat to me and as time goes on and I learn more about my business and what makes it tick better I hope I can continue to improve!

How Does The Poke A Dot Shop sell its products?

Currently I sell in one of two categories; Wholesale and Ready to Ship.

What is your Wholesale section and do I need to be a business to purchase there?

ANYONE can purchase from the Wholesale section with no codes, passwords or requirements, have at it! Wholesale is a great option for photographers and mothers, although, I set it up with a photographer in mind (my sister). Props can get expensive and opening a wholesale option has allowed my customers to pay a lot less for popular props. For the wholesale option anything is available at any time. You can order free of Minimum Order Requirements and in whatever quantities you desire. I do have a few other small businesses that also take advantage of the wholesale section and that is also completely fine with me. When you purchase in the wholesale section you are purchasing and making your choices before I order them for you making this a pre sale. My usual processing times for these orders are 3-4 weeks, over the holidays I experience some delays and in some rare circumstances it can take up to 7 weeks for the order to ship, allowing for hiccups in processing, for instance the main reason for a hiccup is when I don't receive items in my initial order and replacements need to be sent. This doesn't happen often, about 6-8% of the time currently and it is getting better.

Do you ever have sales or offer discounts?

My wholesale prices are at an absolute low. On occasion I will offer a discount code for short periods of time to celebrate something or promote another. Usually these will post on my Facebook Fan Page to alert Fans of a discount. For instance starting January 2nd until the 15th of January I am offering a 10% off code in honor of the New Year and to celebrate alongside my friend and college Keri Meyers as she celebrates 30,000 fans on her Facebook Photography page with a Giveaway, hosted on her blog. Her giveaway starts January 2nd and should last a week so go enter! We have an amazing prize contribution in her Grand Prize Basket. One NB-12m bloomer in ever color option currently available (24!) and one in our NEW Satin Ruffled Bloomer in Pink Valentine Heart print, totaling 25 bloomers! What an array for any photographer! And a $160 value ;) 

How much are your lace products?

I get asked this alot. Currently since I opffer my Wholesale section on a rolling basis the prices are always listed and the sizes with them within the desired listing. Lace Petti Rompers in our Wholesale section in NB-12m (small), 12m-24m(medium) and 24m-2/3T(large) all currently start at $9.95 each. Rompers come with straps and can be tucked if preferred strapless. Larger sizes are offered too and can be found with prices on the website in their listings. Prices are subject to change based on pricing at cost to The Poke A Dot Shop, however, it is our goal to offer these items at a bargain to both professional photographers and moms. 

Lace Bloomers are our most popular product and available all the time in our Wholesale section as well, available in NB-12m (small) and larger sizes (please see the listing), as shown in the newborn posed photos on the website currently start at $5.95 each. 

I have other Lace products available online and all of the available products are available in the Wholesale section and all have sizing and pricing within each listing.

What is The Ready to Ship section?

The Ready to Ship section is my random list of items sitting in inventory that are ready to hit the package and post office in a matter of days (specific processing times are listed within each listing and on the main page of the Ready to Ship section. My stock fluctuates but I try to keep it interesting. Every few weeks there will be more One of A Kind outfits made available in all three of the current options; bloomer sets (all NB-12m) with headband, petti skirt outfit section and tutu outfit section. Prices in these sections will vary some. Sizes and combination's will also vary, you should look at available listings and check to see if the sizes and combination's match your desired looks.

Do you accept Custom Orders or requests for something to be recreated?

On occasion I will accept custom orders or requests for an item to be recreated as long as I have the supplies available to me to recreate it! I have brought back some particular designs and offered them in the Wholesale section which you will see offered this season for Valentine's.I should be contacted via email to answer specific inquiries.

What is the difference between a the Wholesale section and a Wholesale Event?

The Wholesale section is available on a rolling basis, meaning the Lace items and some other products are available whenever and processing will take 3-7 weeks from the date of purchase. During a Wholesale Event special items will become available in the Wholesale section for the duration of the event only and processing starts at the completion of the Event you purchased in. My next actual Event starts on the 2nd of January and will go until the 8th of January featuring designs for Valentine's Day, alongside regular Wholesale products. 

Do you offer any special discounts for Photographers, Businesses or bulk orders?

Currently I don't offer any extra discounts because my wholesale prices are already very low.

It's been a few weeks since I ordered and I haven't heard anything, what should I do?

If you ordered in our Ready to Ship section and you have not received your order within 2 weeks of purchase, (5 business days in processing and another 2-5 days in the mail) PLEASE definitely contact us via the Contact link here on the website or sending an email to thepokeadotshop@yahoo.com. We will sort through the issue or check with the Post Office and do what we can in locating your order.

If you purchase in our Wholesale section please allow 3-7 weeks for processing. If you would like to see the status of your order you can check the status by clicking on the link at the bottom of the website "Order Tracking". If you require more details you may email us at thepokeadotshop@yahoo.com.When purchasing items from our Wholesale section please allot for the maximum amount of time in receiving your orders. Sometimes a rush may be placed on your order by contacting us first, and faster shipping options are always available like Priority and Overnight Shipping.  

*Please also note our Policies under the Information Tab, that if your order is in transit and is delayed or lost by the Post Office we cannot replace your order unless insurance was purchased for your order prior to mailing. Insurance can be purchased separately in the Ready to Ship and Wholesale sections or by contacting us.

How do I care for these items?

The lace products should be washed with like delicates on gentle or hand washed. Never dry in dryer and always lay flat to dry, hanging will stretch your straps over time. Harsh chemicals will also shorten the life of your garment. We have found Oxy Clean to be great for these garments as well as any hypoallergenic brands.

Headbands sold by The Poke A Dot Shop are meant for photographing purposes and many contain small parts. Please always supervise your children while wearing a headband and never leave a child alone in a car seat or covered stroller with a headband on. For their safety our headbands are meant as props not accessories. If your headband is damaged it may be repairable, please contact us for help, I am always happy to help!

Tips:

Do not pull garment tags, please remove them by cutting them away from garment being careful not to snip fabric.

Always try garments on before removing tags, we will not accept an exchange for items not in perfect conditions with tags on. We will only accept exchanges if the garment does not fit properly. We understand it can be hard to determine the proper size needed based on general size charts, every child is different!

Lace rompers come with straps by default, however, the straps can easily be tucked for that adorable strapless look, also, straps are a general length to accommodate a wider range of children, the size of the straps cannot be changed in processing however there are simple fixes you can do at home. Tucking the excess length in the back under the chest band is easiest. You can also grab some needle and thread and tack it into place tucked the same way for a temporary fix that can be let out when your child grows.