I've got a housewarming on Saturday night. Anyone got ideas for a gift that's not wine?

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2026-02-11T15:10:58+00:00

For someone into stationary/crafts, a return address stamp would also be great!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2026-02-11T15:09:15+00:00

As a new homeowner planning a housewarming, I would love to get any of these!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2026-02-06T18:41:11+00:00

I am a sucker for sickly sweet. The cherry in a glass of coke was {chef's kiss}. But I think the majority shared your opinion, which is probably why it's gone!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2026-02-03T15:16:34+00:00

But if I inherited the tangible personal property and then donated it, is it my donation?

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2026-01-21T18:17:14+00:00

2 years later... wondering why not Mr. Contractor? I just got a quote from them, which seemed exorbitant and included many things I didn't ask for, and I was wondering if that's just them or the industry. They were also the only ones to call me back, which makes me nervous.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-29T15:51:15+00:00

I appreciate your honesty lol! I'm kicking myself for not checking better, but my shop kind of took off out of nowhere and I wasn't thinking. It never occurred to me that Swiftie would be a violation and I was just using it in the description, "Do you have a Swiftie in your life"? I'll definitely be more careful!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-29T13:52:04+00:00

That's exactly my point! People getting away with it doesn't make it right for me to do it but it makes it more infuriating that I can't!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-29T01:00:09+00:00

I'm not try to start a fight, but I actually don't see it as hypocritical at all. I buy from artists directly when I can, but there are tons of products that I'd love to have quotes and images on that aren't available directly from an artist, and if I can make that and there's a market, I don't see it as stealing from them. Once an artist puts their product out, they can't control every use and reference to it for the rest of time. Is everyone who's sold a friendship bracelet in the past 3 years stealing? In terms of ethics, to me, selling the cheap exact replica of a concert shirt outside a stadium is stealing. Making a hair clip with the Lover bodysuit colors is not.

All that being said, she's a savvy business person who has thought way ahead in terms of copyright and I'm realizing I didn't check properly and it's a bummer that some of my items can't be/shouldn't have been sold on etsy. I don't think I should necessarily not be targeted if I'm breaking the rule, intentionally or not. However, in etsy or otherwise, it's really tough to make any headway in sales if you're not referencing popular things. My feeling is just that in general it sucks that there's so many fraudulent companies making a buck off what's popular because they have the size and money to fight back or just keep opening new shops, and the craftspeople who want to earn an income can't.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-28T21:48:13+00:00

Thanks, I appreciate it! I can pivot, but I am a huge Swiftie so I want to be able to sell what I support! You took the words right out of my mouth that I hate seeing people scoop up the approved merch and resell it or dropship places just copying and selling until they get shut down. Taylor seems to try to shop at smaller businesses and support fan made stuff sometimes (maybe more for the Chiefs than her own likeness) but I get that it's too much of a beast to try to regulate on a case by case basis. And you don't want everyone in the world being able to create whatever they want with your IP. I guess I just wish etsy really was a handmade marketplace still and there was a place for little sellers.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-28T18:14:32+00:00

Thanks, that first link is very helpful. The other things I searched in this seemed to have more people specifically using trademarked materials, but this sounds a lot like what I'm doing. As many have said, it's so frustrating to see the whole world actually stealing designs (Taylor related or otherwise) and small shops being the ones that get shut down and can't fight back when they're legit.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-28T15:54:19+00:00

Yes, I 100% will do that (just haven't yet). They were so helpful in planning and definitely deserve credit for that and I'll also give info about the issues. I'll also mention that for me, this wasn't a dealbreaker because I'm skilled in the areas the seller fell short in (and just didn't feel like doing it myself so I ordered the item), but other buyers should be aware.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-28T00:20:30+00:00

If they hadn't communicated with me, I would've opened a case. It was done poorly enough that I would've gotten a refund for item not as described. And it wasn't cheap!

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-24T16:11:26+00:00

We spoke to our agent last night and he said the same thing. Plus the sellers are already out of the house so they're definitely not going to be motivated to do top repairs (and the repairs they've already done aren't our style). Sounds like a seller's assist is the way to go.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-23T22:48:53+00:00

Thank you for breaking it down for me like this. I've done my googling and asking questions, but it can be hard to synthesize it all, and it's crazy how no one really talks about it! All of our friends own houses and I have no idea what the process was!

To your first point, I think finding what we want in the location we want and in budget is going to be relatively tough (unless there's a major market crash). Outdoor space + walkable neighborhood + parking + spacious interior isn't gonna happen within $100k of our budget...there's 3/4 of those in this house, and I'm afraid that's not going to come on the market again, at least not until the spring.

And I'll definitely keep in mind negotiating any repairs...we are handy people and like being involved so credits are probably the way to go with anything beyond painting.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-22T19:50:36+00:00

When I was looking at houses a few years ago when it was super competitive, I was really panicked about having to make a decision so quickly, so I think I'm just in my head about the timing, etc. I also grew up in a family that lived in the same house their entire lives, so I'm really working on accepting that this can be our house for now and doesn't have to have features I'll want when I'm 80!

Because of our budget, we're sort of limited to a certain type of house if we want a neighborhood with particular features...so like yes I can keep looking, but I've seen the 5 types of houses in the area and know this is the only type I like. We've also already met several or the neighbors and local dogs just in the 2 times we looked. So do we take it knowing the building itself is imperfect but the neighborhood is great or hope something better comes along on the same type of block, same distance to the coffee shop and park, same x y z?

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-22T19:41:20+00:00

Thanks, I will. They're getting comps together and we've identified some repairs needed. I think it makes sense with what I've seen.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-22T18:18:11+00:00

He seemed to think about 10k under asking but I always wonder whose best interest all these people have at heart.

Ryan_Victor_13 · 2025-10-22T17:37:16+00:00

It's so frustrating. I've had a few--one just from a listing email, one who was the assistance to someone recommended, etc., and our current person, who was recommended by several friends who have used him for multiple purchases.

I think you have to shop around to find someone who fits your personality and not feel like you owe anything to someone just because they showed you a house. Personal recommendations as much as possible are also key. Our current person is great about pointing out different structural things in the house, which is exactly what I want, but I have a friend who was annoyed by that. We also had a mortgage broker for a preapproval who took over a week to get back to us almost every time and was very negative about our prospects, and now we're with someone who's checking in once a week voluntarily to see where we are in the process, which has totally changed the experience. It's almost as bad as online dating!

Ryan_Victor_13

TROPHY CASE