First Hero Arts Background Cling Stamps!

It was my lucky day on 21 January 2012 as I accidentally visited Simon Says Stamp eBay store and discovered that they are having some auction! 

Stacked Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink

They are having auction for Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink which comes in three (3) ink pads. The auction start at USD$8 which is very, very cheap for three (3) limited edition ink pads. Normal retail price is at USD$17.99 but they having sale in their store which offered at USD$9.49, a 47% discount! I been weighting whether to buy at Simon Says Stamp eBay store or their own store since I plan to buy other stuffs as well. In the end, I decided to shop at Simon Says Stamp eBay store as there are other auction items I want to bid as well. Furthermore, saving of USD$1.49 means a lot to me after currency conversion!

From left :Hero Arts CG139 Cling Dots
Hero Arts CG119 Flourish Background

Other than the Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink that I have my eyes on, the auction also features some Hero Arts background cling stamps that starts at USD$5! How could I resist the offer which usually sell at USD$12? There are a number of designs offered which I want them all if can but my budget is limited. Thus, I carefully choose the designs I want which most of them have a bidder already. I tried to choose few other designs that do not have any bidder but after a careful consideration, I decided to compete with other bidders for Hero Arts CG119 Flourish Background and Hero Arts CG139 Cling Dots.

Hero Arts CG139 Cling Dots

I been monitoring these three (3) items for the past few days and on 23 January 2012, Simon Says Stamp eBay store put out some Hero Arts 4x6 clear stamps that start at USD$5! One of them is Hero Arts CL372 Oceans of Joy which has been on my wishlist for a while! After been monitoring for few days, there is no bidder to this stamp set yet. I did not place my bid for these four (4) items yet as their auction is going to end on 27 January 2012 and 30 January 2012 respectively. I like to bid at least few minutes before the auction end to ensure I win the item and watching the auction ending live. However, for Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink, I place the bid earlier on 27 January 2012 just after 12AM as the auction end on in the morning at 7+AM. I am not worrying not winning this item as I notice Simon Says Stamp eBay store did put out at least three (3) sets per day for auction and most of them ending without bidder.

Close-up : Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink
From left : Evergreen Bough, Festive Berries and Iced Spruce

When I woke up, I receive e-mail that inform me that I won Tim Holtz Winter 2011 Season Distress Ink at USD$8! What a huge saving for me! At night, I bid for the Hero Arts cling stamps about four (4) minutes before its ends. I lost few bids on Hero Arts CG139 Cling Dots but in the end I placed my bid, USD$8.50 which ended me as the winner. The Hero Arts CG119 Flourish Background I won at USD$9. It is a huge saving for me as normally, I would need to pay USD$24 for two (2) cling stamps but now I got them for USD$17.50, a USD$6.50 saving!

Hero Arts CG119 Flourish Background

Since these three (3) items ended first, I e-mailed Simon Says Stamp eBay store the next day to inform that I will wait for the Hero Arts CL372 Oceans of Joy to end on 30 January 2012 before making payment for the items I won. But there is no feedback from them as during that time, it is a period for Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) Winter 2012 at Anaheim Convention Centre. I guess all the staffs has gone to CHA.

I bid Hero Arts CL372 Oceans of Joy on 30 January 2012 few hours before its end as I need to go out and do not know if I can make it back on time when it ends on 11PM. Although I installed eBay mobile on my smartphone, I still not confidence I would win this item which I really put a very high hope. At the time of the bidding, there is no other bidder yet. Well, it was disappointing as I lost the bid without monitoring it! I totally forget about! When I got to know, I am really upset and keeps scolding myself for forgetting as it was ended at USD$6.49!

Since I did not win Hero Arts CL372 Oceans of Joy, I requested Simon Says Stamp eBay store to send me an invoice for the combine shipping the next day. However, there is no reply from them as I believe they are still busy at CHA. Finally, on 04 February 2012, eBay sent me two (2) e-mails stating that they have opened a case for unpaid item for the cling stamps and requested me to pay for it by 08 February 2012. Immediately, I messaged Simon Says Stamp eBay store again informing the condition but no reply as it is weekend. On 07 February 2012, Simon Says Stamp eBay store finally e-mail me to inform that they sent me the invoice. I made the payment on the same day and revert to them. The next day, I was acknowledged that my items has been shipped.

This time shipment is fast as I received the parcel about seven (7) days! Now, I have some new stamps and inks to play with!