Yes, we have a Magic Shop now! ...well, no actually, we
don't. We closed it when we finished the season. So sorry, no
shop....here's the FAQs for fun and safety for those of you who did buy
something before.
The Basic FAQ's...
1. "Why do I not see the faces of my beloved VLC-VS8 characters on your merchandise?"
Because they bear an uncanny resemblance to actual actors and other real people who have not given us permission to use their faces for our own evil ends. A crying shame, isn't it?
2. "Are you guys making a bundle off this?"
No, not at all! This is being done because we had a lot of enthusiastic demands for souvenirs for the season--we're not doing VLC for great financial gains! We're offering the items to you at close to cost. If there is any excess, after we pay for CafePress' services, we intend to apply it to the costs the Lunatics have already incurred in maintaining the VLC website. And if, magically, there is so much stuff sold that there are a few dollars left over, well, maybe the Lunatics will go ahead and get themselves each a coffee mug or another souvenir. But really, bottom line: no personal profit for any Lunatics here!
(Just to make sure, let's repeat that for the benefit of Mr. Whedon, ME, Fox, the WB, UPN, and whoever else might care: We've only used images and phrases that we created ourselves so that no one else's intellectual property would be messed with and we aren't making any money from it anyway, so don't be mad at us. Okay?)
3. "Do you warrant the quality of the items for sale in your shop?"
No, we don't. We really, really don't! However, we have looked into this pretty closely and are confident that Cafe Press, who actually stocks the stuff for us, is a reputable and responsible outfit. If you receive something that is of poor quality or otherwise isn't right, contact CafePress by going to http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/contact.aspx and following their customer service procedures.
Also, please send an e-mail to tara @ virtualunatics.com to let her know what happened and how well the problem was resolved. If you had a bad experience, we really need to know, because we surely don't want our name connected with anything like that. We will sympathize and maybe raise a fuss on your behalf, but CafePress is your only recourse for a refund or replacement.
4. "I just love your site. Can I use VLC art and graphics and material to make my own stuff?"
We would rather you didn't—at least not without our permission. As we try hard not to use other people's ideas and creations, we ask you not to use ours. (Except obviously, where we've already given permission for use like LJ icons and desktop wallpaper on your own computers.) Contact gilesfan @ virtualunatics.com with the details of what you want to do to find out if such permission will be available.
5. "Can I submit material for use by the shop or on the site or anywhere else?"
We would really enjoy seeing any original work you come up with. Please send an e-mail to gilesfan @ virtualunatics.com. We don't promise to post it on the VLC site or use it at the Magic Shop, but we'll be very happy to see it. If you want to create something VLC related and put it on your own website, send us a link so we can go admire it. Please also link to VLC if you do that and stick in a nice disclaimer....
6. "Can I request other items? Or one of our standard items but with a different message/design? I REALLY want a ______ showing ______. Pretty please?"
You can ask, but we don't promise to supply. E-mail tara @ virtualunatics.com with your requested item. We might do it immediately! We might post a survey and see if others want it as well. Or we may just say "sorry, not now." But didn't your mother always say, "It never hurts to ask?"
And just so you know, we may be adding to the selection at the end of the season—there are a few additional designs we plan to offer, but if we did it now, they'd be spoilers!
7. "I just love you guys and think it's great you're doing all this. Can I contribute a little extra to help you out?"
Did someone really just ask that? WOW. Anyway, thanks, but no, we're not doing
VLC for profit and if we start asking for donations or something, well, it would just make us really, really uncomfortable.
Buy more stuff—get yourself a treat and we'll use the pennies to pay for bandwidth!
Thanks for coming by!
Store Manager: Tara
Assistant Manager: Heide
