Thanks for choosing to work with Tiny Details Handcrafted Dollhouse Miniatures. To help you get started here's some more information on how this works.
To ask questions about working at home, call toll-free 1 (877) 489-2900
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Work From Home!
Tiny Details buys the things you make. You can work at home at any time of the day or night. You are paid for what you produce.
Best of all, since there is no limit to the number of kits you can have, there is no limit to the amount you can make.
Here is a simple explanation of how home assembly for Tiny Details works:
You choose a product that fits you.
You send us a $55 deposit for the materials.
We send you a kit that contains everything you need to make a set of the product you picked.
You assemble a set of the product.
You send the completed set of the product to us.
We send you back your $55 deposit PLUS the product price ($50 to $200) PLUS your postage for sending the product to us.
Details
Choosing A Product To Fit You
The products we make vary in the amount of work it takes to make them. Many people ask for a simple product to start. People with some experience with miniatures or crafts often ask for more complicated products that we buy for more. People work from home at their own skill level. We have products that can be assembled by just about everyone.
"Working for Tiny Details allows me to pay for my family's medication." - Tracy C., Phoenix, AZ
In general, the more work required to make the product the more we will buy it for. To say it another way, the amount we buy a product for is an indicator of the amount of time it takes to make the product. For example, kits that we buy for $50 take about half the time of kits that we buy for $100. Each of our kits has a difficulty rating in stars (***). The more difficult a kit is, the more stars (****) is has. The easier the kit is, the less stars it has (*).
The Kit
Each of our work at home items comes as a kit. The kit contains everything needed to make the product including: assembly materials, detailed directions, any necessary tools, a payment request form (to get your money), an extra materials request form (to get free additional materials if you need them) and even a finished product sample (except for very new products). We do include extra materials beyond what you need to complete the kit, in case you make a few mistakes. You will need a stapler and staples to seal the bags that most of the miniatures come in. Kits like our silverware chests require a pair of wire cutters and our miniature bow kit requires a low temperature hot glue gun. Otherwise, all materials are supplied by Tiny Details.
"I like it that there's so many different things to make and I can switch to a different product any time so I won't get bored." - Henry G., Orchard Park, NY
There is a $55 fully refundable deposit for the kit. It takes us 2-3 business days to process kit orders and put them into the mail.
We normally send kits by First Class mail which takes from 1 to 9 days to get anywhere in the USA from the time it is shipped.
The box the kit comes in is about the size of a book, so it generally fits in most mail boxes and you won't have to make a trip to the post office to get it!
Why is There a Deposit?
Good question! We send you all of the materials that you will need. If you make a mistake, we will send you more so you can fix it. There is never a charge for materials. You do not ever have to go out and buy anyting. The deposit is the only way that we have to be sure that you will keep up your end and that you won't just stick the kit under the bed! You send that deposit one time and we keep sending you new materials over and over again until you quit. Then, you get your deposit back!
Assembly
The instructions explain, step by step, how to assemble the materials, using the tools, into the final product. Each kit is designed to make a setof the product. A set is a certain number of finished items that we buy. Our products are assembled in sets of 10, 20, 50, or 100 items, depending upon the product. Each item may have one or more pieces that are placed in the little plastic bags when the item is finished. For example, there are 4 pieces that go into each bag of the Chinese Take Out Set product. There is one piece that goes into each bag of most of the book products. The detailed descriptions of the products tell how many pieces go in the bag for each product.
"Your products are so much fun to make and so cute when they're done!" - Leslie C., Old Town, FL
Each kit has extra materials to allow you to learn to make the product and in case you make mistakes. If you run out of materials before completing a set, then you can send in the Extra Materials Request Form, which is included with every kit, and we will send you additional materials, free of charge, to use to complete the set.
To be sure you are making the product correctly, you will send us a sample of the product you are making. We will check your sample and tell you if there are any problems so that you won't be wasting your time making the whole set incorrectly. The samples are returned to you after they are checked. We include a letter that tells you that the sample was made correctly or that it needs changes to be made. You do not have to wait for Tiny Details to examine the sample to continue working but, if changes are called for, you may have to fix some of the items you already made.
Sending in the Set
You have 60 days from the postmark on the package we send to you to assemble a whole set of the product and send it in to Tiny Details for payment. You must assemble a complete set. We do not accept partial sets. You must provide the box. Any sturdy box will do. Many people use the one we shipped the kit to them in. Under certain circumstances, we will give you additional time to complete your work if you can't complete it in 60 days.
Payment
When your complete product set is accepted by Tiny Details, you receive a check for three things:
- The amount we agreed to buy the assembled product for,
- Your $55 deposit refund if you paid it by check or money order (it is refunded to your credit card if you paid by credit card), and
- Up to $5 to cover the postage to send the product in to Tiny Details. (We figure out how much it is by reading it off the package!) This amount more than covers shipping as the products are miniatures and quite light when finished.
"Even though I've only got a few hours to work while the baby is sleeping, I can do that with your products." - Robin B. - Kansas City, MO
We send you a check on the day your complete product set is accepted by Tiny Details. We write checks every day. We believe in prompt payment! If you decide you want to assemble another kit, you can "roll over" the $55 deposit to cover the new kit and will not have to send us an additional deposit. New kits are generally shipped one or two days after the check is sent.
There is no limit to the number of kits you can have at one time. So, there is no limit to the amount of money you can make! There is a deposit required for each kit that you have out at the same time, however.
Many people choose to leave their deposit on file when they finish a kit and we can roll it over to a new kit. This saves sending the deposit back and forth for people who want to continue making miniatures--which is what most people choose to do.
How much can I make?
There is no limit on the amount of money you can make! We allow anyone to make as many kits as they would like. Our home assemblers are sometimes asked to make more than one type of item, but we always have things for home assembly.
We will buy from you as many correctly assembled product sets as you care to make from our kits!
Since some of our kits are more time consuming than others, they fetch a higher price. We currently have kits that we will buy for $50 to $200. So, the amount of money you make can be more if you make kits that take more time.
Remember that you can work on as many kits as you like at one time. You can be working on one, two or 10 kits at a time!
How long do I have to complete a set?
You have 60 days from the postmark date on the kit we send you. You must send your final completed set(s) postmarked no later than 60 days from our postmark. We have wholesale distributors and retailers that are depending on us to fill their orders in a timely manner. The 60-day limit allows us to plan on having stock when we say we will and to provide other assemblers with the opportunity to assemble products that others choose not to assemble. If you are going to have trouble meeting this deadline, for some reason, we ask that you contact us and ask for additional time so that we can plan our inventory accordingly. In most cases, we will be able to give you some additional assembly time.
What are the limits on how much money I can make?
There is no limit to the number of kits you can have at one time! We will buy one correctly assembled product set that you make from each kit!
How long does it take to make a kit?
It really depends upon the individual doing the work.
"I wouldn't assemble minatures for any one else!" - Peter T., Orlando, FL
Many people can complete a set in a few hours. That's a lot better than a minimum wage job, and you have the ease and flexibility of working any time of the day or night right at home.
Generally, we believe that any of our kits can be assembled in a day. But, some people do take more time. Remember that you do have 60 days to complete a kit, so it doesn't have to be done in one sitting.
What Happens If My Items are Not Accepted?
This rarely happens. However, if any of your items are returned to you we will send you an explanation of the corrections that need to be made. If you need extra supplies to make the corrections, you may order them at no charge. After you make the corrections, you may resubmit the items for payment.
How do the Deposits Work?
The $55 deposit is confusing to many people because we do things a little differently than most work-at-home companies.
The $55 is a deposit, meaning that it is returned to you when you complete the work correctly. It is NOT a FEE, which is what many other companies require. We don't sell you the materials to make our products. Rather, we charge a deposit which insures that we'll get them back.
To go a bit further, say that you want to assemble one of our books that we buy for $100 for a correctly completed set of 100 books. You send us $55. We send you the materials and anything else needed to complete the work. You send us back the beautifully made books. We send you back your $55 deposit, PLUS the $100 for the books, PLUS up to $5 for your postage.
If you wish to make more products, you can tell us to keep your deposit on file when you send in your completed set. Then, we send you a new kit of your choice to make.
Deposit Refunds
We are interested in finding people that are serious about creating miniature products for us. In order to offer this opportunity to everyone, we have to be sure that our costs will be covered if someone does not complete the product for us. You must complete a full set of satisfactory items in order to get a full deposit refund when you decide to stop. However, if you decide to quit without completing the kit, we will refund half of your deposit just for returning whatever materials you have left in the kit. The half refund is the same whether the kit is returned completely used up or completely untouched.
Sometimes people decide after looking at the kit that it is not for them. Go ahead and try it anyway. If you decide that you do not wish to make these products, you can still return what you have not used of the kit and you will receive 1/2 of your deposit back. We deduct 1/2 for restocking, packing, and clerical expenses. The refund is the same if you use all of the materials or if you return the kit in untouched condition. You may as well give it a try! If you wish to take advantage of the refund offer, there are instructions in each kit for returning it.
Exchanging For a Different Kit
We do not recommend switching to a different product without first finishing the kit you have. All of our items are miniature and all require patience and at least some crafting ability. However, if you wish to switch to a different product without completing the kit you have, you may apply your refund to the new item and add the difference between your 1/2 deposit and the deposit on the new kit. You do not need to return the first sample to us--that is yours to keep.
What About Taxes?
There are no taxes withheld by Tiny Details. Federal law requires us to obtain your Social Security Number before we can buy more than $600 from you in a single year. The law requires us to use that Social Security Number to report the total we bought from you for the year to the IRS at the end of the year.
Why Don't You Have This Work Done Overseas?
It would be cheaper, wouldn't it? We have attempted that in the past, however there are several factors that have made us choose to use only American workers:
- We like being able to say that our products are assembled in America by Americans.
- Getting work done off-shore (overseas) is less costly for the labor. But there a many other costs that go up: Shipping, communication, and duty for importation.
- Our experience is that the quality is not as good.
- It is difficult, if not impossible, to guarantee when products will arrive.
- The amount of any given item we make is probably too small to warrant doing it this way. If we were making millions of each product, the savings in labor cost might make sense, but we only make hundreds or thousands of each product.
- Working off-shore has language problems that we have found to be difficult. In fact, until September of 2003, we allowed Canadian workers, but even working with our neighbors to the north was more trouble than it was worth due to delays with customs.