PROGRESS REPORT ON

fruitcratelabels.com

It's November 2005 and I get lots of questions about the Sample Room and labels for sale. Many people wonder if the prices are still accurate on labels i listed several years ago. For the most part, yes. Some rarer labels have gone up in price but most common labels are still plentiful and readily available around the Net. There are two basic reasons i don't put much energy into the Sample Room right now: First, is the number of dealers and websites online who all sell the same basic 400 or 500 labels, the same stuff everyone has, because they are so plentiful. All thee dealers sell the same labels at roughly the same prices and they all have the same scans on their sites. Not much is new in that realm. Last time i repriced my labels in the Sample Room, another dealer marked all his down one-dollar below mine. I don't have time to chase other people's prices on common labels, so I leave mine where they are.

The second reason, is piracy. As a result of my scouring the Pacific Coast and other parts of the world for labels over the decades, AND by acquiring the basements of several of the largest printing companies who made labels, I have thousands of brands no one else has. But, if I scan them and put them online, other dealers steal the scans and put them on their sites, and even in their publications. Other people ask me about a certain rare label and say "can I see a scan of it?" Then they porint out the scan and end up not buying the label from me. This is piracy, and I don't appreciate it. So, as a result, I don't take the time to create scans for, and post, all these wonderful images.

I am in the process of selling off a large portion of my business and focusing on other artistic endeavours, such as stained glass and writing more books. In the future, i will post updates on the Sample Room area, but for now, I have other things to do. Thanks for understanding!! -- Pat