New England Crafters, aka Magical Gift Company Feedback

I am trying to get approved on my first project with NEC. I have no crafting experience and had to practice a lot but think I will be approved. It is time consuming but well worth it to me. It all gets easier with time and practice. No you will not get rich. I wish people who say work at home jobs are slave labor and not enough money would show me just one work at home job where you can make a lot of money. And spend little time. It is not there. The work at home jobs I have checked out are time consuming and pay little. You can make four, five hundred a month with this company if you work at it. You are going to put in some hours. You need to enjoy crafting and be able to do repetitive work.
Yes a lot fail but a lot succeed and are happy with this company.

I would like to do work at home but was always told that companies that ask for money up front are usually a scam – do you have a business license #? and your full address and perhaps if you have a better business contract and their number – you must have an office from which items are shipped from and to and also for accounting purposes. In today's world one can never be too careful and the amount of outlay for a kit and then return postage is sounds like a lot to outlay especially if you take a long time to approve the merchandise assembled – money is short and the reason I want a work from home is that it would be the best way for me to go – please respond – thank you

I live in Goshen and the Magical Gify Co. is located one town away from me in Torrington, they are a legit business and the women that work there are very nice. They help you to pick out the project that would best suit what you want to do and are honest about what your going to make. They dont say your going to make $5000 a month but honestly with what legitamite work at home company can you do that? Most are scams but this one is definetly not. Just honest to god hard work.

This company is not a scam, yes the work is tedious but for some of us working at home is the only option. Realistically you wont get rich but you can def. make some extra money. They are located in Torrington CT next door to the Warner theater if you are familiar with the area I dont think they are actual members of the bbb but here is the address to the better business bureau page on the company.
http://ct.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=29&bbb=0111&firm=10001810

Joan Melluse

If your question was directed toward me I do not understand the questions. I do understand the question given about paying money up front to a company and it may be a scam. You have to do your research and even then it can be difficult to determine a good work at home company.

If you would like to visit a forum that has alot of info posted on different threads about various work at home companies it would be WAHM.com message board.

Hi, I'm new at this, but just received my packet from New England Crafters and have some concerns. I was asked to make a craft, sent one in and am now waiting for a reply to see if I have been approved to do this work. The cost is not bad if I can make 5 or 600.00 a month. The craft is so minor and not something I would ever buy and can't see anyone else buying either, so wonder if this is a scam. Of course I am new at this particular craft, but it still took me about 2 1/2 hours to make it. It was interesting to read the other comments and am glad to know they actually have a business.

I've been making the Kitty Magnet for a while now and I can do a full kit in about 30-35 hours so I wouldn't call it slave labor. I'm making more that I did at my last job. Maybe it depends on the project. It did, however, take five tries to get it right, but after that I only had one time where a few items were returned for repair.

I wanted to follow up on what happened with my sheep project for New England Crafters. It turned out really bad news. I am out around one hundred and fifty dollars and spent six months of mailing a sheep back and forth.
I found this company really running me around. Would never recommend it.
I also think the best you could hope for is maybe three hundred a month and that may be a stretch. You would start out making fifty dollars a month for one project and that could take months to even get approved. That also would be working several hours a day.
I think they are delivering quite the con on their website. I also think the women who do work for this comapny most probably would like to see lots of kits sold to keep the company going.
I give this company a big thumbs down.

i want to start working for them but is it legit or a scam.

Paul and readers,
I wanted to let you know New England Crafters has recently gotten a forum of their own up and running. The link is posted on their web site. You have to have purchased a kit to post on their forum. There is not as much activity on the WAHM.com message board as there was regarding New England Crafters. But their are still a few people posting about this particular company. They are not sharing tips on making the crafts anymore. But if you putchase a kit and use the Companies forum you will be talking with others who are doing their crafts and sharing tips. There is information posted on the WAHM.com website about the new forum for New England Crafters.
Also the WAHM.com thread for New England Crafters contains many pages from the past that readers can gain information from.
There are other threads for other work at home crafting companies active and people posting on the WAHM.com message board.

There are still posts that cold help someone if they would read back through all the pages of the threads for New England Crafters on the WAHM.com web site. But there are only a few ladies posting now and you can not share any tips on how to make the project. Alos has been discouraging you to say anyhing negative about the company.

I needed to clarify it is not WAHM.com discouraging tips on making the crafts for New England Crafters it is the Administrator of the new NEC forum asking that certain tips about making projects not be given out on message boards. And I do believe they encouraged the people posting on WAHM.com to post on their new forum and not a public message board. And as far as posting negative comments about the company on message boards that had us all really confused for a while and affraid to post. But then it seemed we really did not know what was up with that because they had a problem getting the forum up and running and posts were made and then disappeared. But that was our opinion for a while. Kind of confusing.

Sorry for the spelling erros in my previous posts. I seem to catch them after I post. I am spoiled by using spell check.

Patti

You ask is New England Crafters a scam or not?

My daughter and I had a long conversation last night about WAH Companies and the internet.

She has just recently graduated form college and is working for a year and than attending Law School. Very bright young
lady.

She said, Mom I do not understand why you have wasted money working for these WAH Companies on the internet. They are all scams. Even if you can make a little money look how much time you have put into the craft you tried. They will never pay you the amount they promised you could make. Look at the promises they made on their web site and did not deliver what they promised. They can not pay a large payroll. They sell their crafts for five dollars a piece. They are crafts that are not even in demand. They are charging almost fifty dollars for a kit. These kits contain cheap materials. They are making money off of selling kits.
Than I say well there are women on the message board saying they are getting paid. My daughter says you do not know who anyone really is posting on a message board. People can say anything. She states everyone justifys why and what they are doing. She says please do not be stupid. Please do not waste anymore of your time and money.

I thought all the WAH Craft Companies were scams. I was brand new to message boards and started posting on WAHM.com a year and a half ago. It was fun. I made friends. I think that is what influenced my paying out money and trying a WAH Craft Company.
You can make some money. But I am afraid it is not at all like what their web site or the women posting on a forum make it out to be. There are several factors involved that you would never think of before paying out that money.
If you should make crafts for New England Crafters the amount you are paid will be around a dollar an hour. And you are given a time limit to make them. Most take a while to make. So you will be spending hours a day making these crafts to earn a little bit of money. Most the gals doing the work for New England Crafters say they love crafting. So it is like being paid for doing a hobby. Just beware their web site information makes it seem much easier and better than it really is.
This of course is my opinion.

Paul.
I too understand why they would want their crafters to use their new forum.

I also understand why posting tips on making the crafts should be kept on their forum.

I have a very bad opinion of these WAH Crafting companies so I shared my opinions and experiences.

I know people will keep buying kits and these companies will stay in business. I doubt the internet will stop scams. I know law enforcement would have to say if these companies are illegal. But do they con and embellish what they promise. Yes they do.

Paul

Thank yuou very much for sharing this info on scams and the internet.

I tried to research. I talked with the FBI. They told me these WAH Craft Companies were small fish. They had big fish to go after. That there were so many scams they had to go after the ones taking people for the most money.
They did give me some info on how to file reports if I felt I had been scammed. I also know finding out whether something is illegal or legal would be left up to professionals. I could never figure that out. I have not attended Law School.

It is interesting only a few file claims. Also I found few post their true opinions on Message Boards.

I truly appreciate the information you gave in your recent post.

I am someone who will file a complaint. I will research and study the info given.
Again Thank you

A couple years ago I invested a lot of time and a little money trying to make a little extra money. I tried the CD kit because I was unable to do the tiny things because of arthuritis. I proceeded to make them, mail them back and then receive a rejection and I did see that some of the comments were correct. First of all I have been sewing for years doing doll clothes, quilts etc so I was not a newby. I corrected the fault, made another one and made sure I did not repeat the mistake. Sent in. Another rejection. Again made another one and they critized the glue saying that they could see it through the felt. I did not use glue I had used the iron on transfer paper. Now I was getting suspicious so I removed the little poodle on the sample CD case they sent me to copy and put on a Scottie Dog which I had made before and had passed. Again this was their own sample. Sent it in. Got rejected. They rejected their own sample. That did it……….I quit. Another scam. So be careful. Some people may make money from NEC but it is about 2 cents an hour. Good Luck.

I sent for a kit from the New England Craft Company. It was the "TuTu". I thought it was a little difficult, but they gave me enough supplies to make three. I did call twice with questions & they were very nice & answered the questions completely. I sent my sample in & was approved the first time. I have now sent in the first 10 and am waiting for a response. So not everyone gets their projects rejected. If you don't like to make crafts, don't try this. It may not be your cup of tea. At this point, I do not believe this is a scam, but of course, I haven't been paid yet. I feel confident that I will get paid.

Lee Ann congrats on approval for your Tutu

The company tells ALL you can keep sending in for approvals. They do not reject anyone. The problem is this is timely and costly.

I think all I read about scams and assembly Work from Home Jobs tells the story. But this company does pay some of it’s workers. But I think when selling kits a lot of people are taken advantage of.

My project was critiqued correct accept for a bow being placed one sixteenth of an inch to high. The critiques had stated it was correct on all previous critiques. So they were inconsistent along with a lot of other things that left me questioning their methods. I do realize some are happy and work for the company. I feel though it was at my expense. My kit money helped give them a job. And I feel I was cheated and ran around.

It left a lot of anger and questions. They would give no answers to my questions.
I think they are selective about what questions they answer.

Do hope you make the amount of money you would like to.

Please post how this job goes for you and the amount of time it takes you to get approved on more projects and get paid working for them.,

Look forward to reading your posts. And again am happy for you and do realize there are some happy workers that work for this Company.

Im still waiting for my package to arrive,,so now Iam here to read some of your opinions,,mostly negative respond,,so i just kind a doubt too..some say it need skill and experience to do the work. well might be true..? I'll go back here once to give a comment onec i recieve and try thier work at home business..this company need our money to run thier shit..

Vella

I was really ticked after my experience with New England Crafters. But it seems folks are treated differently. Some I have talked with have had a good experience with them and some have not.
Even if you have no crafting experience you still can make their crafts. You might just have to work harder than someone with a lot of experience.
I like this blog becausse people are being truthful. That was not the case on the forum I was posting on during my experience with NEC. If you tried to post anything negative about NEC you got jumped on the forum. Yikes.

Wanted to apologize for calling LouAnn LeeAnn.

LouAnn got approved on her first try Vella. I had never read or talked with anyone who had that happen. Some on their second try but most three, four, five and more. So you just will have to see what happens.

Look forward to hearing how it goes for you.
Good Luck cause I know it costs quite a bit for the kit and practice materials with this company.

I've got an update on the first 10 tutus I sent into NEC. I got paid for 5 & 5 rejected. They sent the 5 back & asked my to correct them & return them. They did send me a check for the 5 they kept. I certainly could see the problems when they pointed them out. I also remember getting tired & thinking just send the 10 in & I'll be able to find out how fussy they'll be. So now I know. However, there really wasn't any way to correct some of them without additional supplies, which I had to call for. So it is a little time consuming. I completely realize I will not get rich doing this. The one thing I have figured out is to do one step at a time. So I'll make all the straps at one time, then all the skirts at one time. Ultimately, I'll make all the segments of the unit, then put them all together at one time. To me, it doesn't seem like it takes as long, because you get faster & faster at each little step as you go. What I do like, is that they pay you right away for the ones they accept and then return the others for changes. So at least you can keep a small flow of money. This isn't for everyone, that's for sure. But at least for now, it helps me. Good luck.

LouAnn
I receive an email everytime someone posts on this blog regarding New England Crafters. I am enjoying the honesty.

I think your being able to see the things they want changed on your tutu's is a good thing. Also you getting approved so quickly. So far you are one of the lucky ones. Because these companies employ only a few people they can be very slow in doing approvals, getting your materials to you and also your check's. Many posts about this over the past year and a half on the WAHM.com forum.

Congrats on getting paid for five and getting your check quick. Is that a dollar a piece? I could go to their web site and look that up. But I think five dollars. Just so readers can see this company even when it works out can take a bit of time to get to making even fifty dollars a month.

Am mentioning this because I felt their info on their web site was very misleading.

Good Luck hope to hear back from you.

LouAnn
I posted a reply but it has not shown up on the blog. Wanted to post again but do not want two of the same post. So will see if this posts shows up.

LouAnn

Thanks for letting us know how the first ten tutu's turned out. I think it is good you can see the things they want you to fix.
Good Luck on your next try.

I posted two other posts that did not show on the blog. If all of a sudden I have three posts in a row this is why.

LouAnn

Congrats on getting paid for your five tutu's.
Good Luck on your next ten.

Hey LouAnn

Congrats on the five. Is a good thing you can see what they did not like and want you to fix.
Good Luck on your next ten.
One thing about this company is it does take a while to make money.
You are having a much better experience than I did.
Good Luck

Paul

After thinking about and researching I think companies can really exaggerate the truth when advertising what they sell. All I would have had to do is think about diet products and wrinkle creams to figure that one out.
I am sure NEC has covered all their bases. I just did not care for the results of my experience with them. Or the things exaggerated and left out in their info. on their web site.
I guess a lot of these work at home jobs are just a gamble and you have to try them to see how they will work for you.
And then their are people like my daughter who feel the WAH companies who require no experience are just a scam because they do not deliver what they offer.

Also Firefox is the way to blog on this site. It even has spell check.
Yes

Well, Im still waiting for my package I hope this week will arrive to try it and see if it is the right choice to make..But its for sure that this is one of the time consuming project. Im trying to work this things out to make money. I will give a comment next time once i try it out,,!!! Im still wondering!!!

Vella

Working with New England Crafters can take a lot of time and patience. I don't know if you have read any of the posts on the WAHM.com crafting forum. If you have time and have not read the thread for New England Crafters you should read it. You will get an idea of what your adventure will be like working with New England Crafters.

Paul
I enjoyed reading your article
Home Based Business Opportunities Online

I plan to read all the information on this site.
One thing I know for sure is I could use a lot of education in marketing. I understand now that being a success in starting your own business takes skill. Just like being a success at anything and making a good living you have to work at it and education is probably the key.

I think I read to many articles promising you could start making money the same day if you purchased info from these people promising you business success and saying it would be easy.

I know better but some of them do a pretty good job of convincing you it could be possible.LOL

Just like a lot of these crafting work at home jobs have people thinking you can make a living with working for them. Not the honest truth but a lot of people buy it.

I am interested in starting the work at home porjects through magical gift. 5 to 6 hundred dollars a month is perfect for me. I was just wanting to get an update from you as to whether or not you were still doing well…before I get started and send my very much needed money into the company. Anything you could tell me would be appreciated. Thanx!

Lisa Gale

I do not work for the company New England Crafters. But I did buy a kit and went through the approval process. Spent six months of mailing my project back and forth and only had to move the placement of the bow on the sheep project one sixteenth of an inch lower and I guess would have been approved. I posted earlier about the approval process I experienced and why I chose not to work for NEC.
I do not believe you would ever make five or six hundred dollars a month. Even though if you read the information on their site you may think you could make that amount.
Go to WAHM.COM and read the New England Crafters thread.
The most one woman who was doing extremly well with Nec said she made was three hundred a month. She was an exception.
It can take you a year to earn fifty dollars with this company.
Do your home work and read the information on the WAHM web site.

I got my package few days ago and,, it was surprising that the project really need some experience. why this people are posting with no experience necessary..its time consuming too. Im making a tropical birdhouse it took me 3 hours to assembling it.dont order this project its hard to make it,,

Here's my 2 cents. I believe you need to be a little crafty. BECAUSE… it is easy to get frustrated if you are not crafty. I'm working on the "tutu." I was approved the first time. I sent in my first 10, 5 were approved & I was paid for them. The other 5 were returned. I had to call to get extra supplies to fix my problems, which I agreed with their assessment. I redid what I could & mailed them back. In the meantime, I recieved supplies to make 5 from scratch. I also done that & mailed them back. The more I tutus I make, the faster I am getting at making them. Also, one tip I got when I called originally, was they need to look like the sample. You may find an easier way to make them than what the supplied instructions say. Which is what I have done. So I still need to find out what happens to the last 5 I sent in. I think I have mastered the gluing, but I'm not using the glue gun, it dispenses too much glue & I don't have enough control. If you can get the end result by doing things in a different order, they really can't tell that. They judge the end result. I believe it may not be quite as easy to get large quantities approved but…they will pay you for all they approved & give you free supplies to fix or redo the ones that do not get approved. The other thing I've been reading and going to do is work on more than one of the NEC projects. Just so I have something to work on all the time, rather than so much down time while waiting for approvals & supplies. I'll keep everyone posted as to what happens.

I am not here to bash the New England Crafts company but I would like to post my thoughts.

I am always trying to find new ways to make money. Any time I am sitting still with nothing to do I feel like I need to find something that will help fill the piggy bank. My fiance and I have been looking at purchasing a kit for a couple weeks but I always do plenty of research before calling and giving someone money up front to "possibly" make money in the future. After reading several forums it seems like the company is legit and they do pay for the work that you do as long as you are approved. I am happy that some people are able to make money with this company but it seems as tho it is a waste to me. It sounds like you have to be a perfectionist or be ocd about your work to create the perfect craft to be approved and if you aren't then it will take a lot of time just to break even on your investment.

My conclusion: Sounds like a legit company but not really worth investing in, especially for people that can't afford losing money right now.

Has anyone tried any other similar business that has worked?

Good luck to all in the game we call life

Corey

My experience with the work at home craft companies is it would be much easier to make money with them if you have some crafting experience and know you can do repetitive crafting work. You have to be able to do the craft very well over and over day after day. Also the pay is very low for the time it takes to make all of the crafts needed to get pay.

When you are crafty and want to make some money, selling your crafts yourself is a way to make money. But it seems most say they are not able to sell their work or sell it for the amount it would need to sell for to make enough money to invest in selling their own crafts.

So some settle for working for a company like New England Crafters and are satified with the income.

I make the EZmark bookmark. I also tried New England Crafters and did not like the company.

The bookmark is very difficult to learn to make in order to get paid. It is also time consuming and you do not get paid much for the time it takes. The kit and supplies are less expensive than some of the other WAH Crafting Companies. For me it is like a hobby and I make one hundred and thirty two dollars doing the bookmark every month. It is easy to ship back to them and you buy your own supplies. Buying your own supplies is nice because waiting for these companies to send your supplies to you can sometimes take a while.

The bookmark is difficult and does take a lot of practice.
Most quit before they ever get it made to get paid. Can be very frustrating but thought I should share since I do make it and enjoy it.
But in the beginning of learning to make it it was very difficult and really thought I was crazy for even taking the time.
These companies work for some and some just do not like them at all. Very individual.
But I feel like you the time it takes to make any money and the time involved leaves a lot of questions.
Just really is a big gamble.

Paul,

Thanks for the response. I will definitely take a look at it as you can only find opportunities by looking for/at them!

Everyone keep working hard and remember this quote.

"Don't tell me the sky is the limit when people have walked on the moon!"
-Dwayne Carter

I also wanted to share I found a friendly forum with good tips for working from home jobs. Lots of good info on this site.

Katieshugs.com

Check this one out. This is a legit company.

Check this one out. This is a legit company

I thought I'd give you an update on NEC & the kit I ordered. If you read a few comments back, you'll see I was working on my first 10 "tiny tutu's". I was paid for 5 & the other 5 were returned to be redone. Ultimately, I requested additional supplies & they were sent. Prior to receiving the extra supplies, I was able to redo the returned 5, 2 days later I received supplies for another 5. I quickly did those as well & returned those 5 as well. I have been paid for both the sets I sent in, but have not received any additional supplies yet. I did get a letter that said they were accepting me as a crafter. But it is a very slow process & right now I'm just waiting for supplies so I can earn some money.

Lastly, I can say the more I make these little items, the easier & faster they are to make. I don't really think these little tutu's would be that easy for someone who doesn't have at least some sewing experience. I've had extensive experience sewing many types of items & I think that is what helped me.

I am still looking for another work at home opportunity. If anyone has any suggestions, please add it to the blog.
Thanks,
Lou Ann

Hi I wanted to know when you turned in your kit for approval how long after were you approved and after you sent in your first craft how long did it take to receive your first check?

Hello, I wrote to you yesterday. I wanted to know more about the co and are you still crafting for them? I am wanting to get started. I am aware this is extra income, not my dependable income.. SO please let me know how long it took you to get your 1st check after you were excepted?
thanks
Nance

I am still waiting for supplies. I called last week & they said they didn't have the most recent list of people who have been approved. But I have been paid for everything I sent in. The routine is they send you enough supplies to do 3; but only want 1 sent in for approval. I did get approved the first time I sent the 1 items in. Then they send you supplies to make 10, you have to get all 10 approved before they will send you enough supplied for one unit. I sent the 10 in & 5 were approved & I was paid for 5. I had to get the next 5 approved, but I didn't have enough supplies…somewhere along the line I was sent enough supplies to complet those five and then several days later I received enough supplies to do 5 more. I had already sent in the first 5 before the supplies came for the second 5. So I completed the second 5 & sent them in. To date I have been paid for 15. When payment came for the last 5, a letter was included that said they were going to accept me. When I called last week, I was told the new list of approved people had not come through & to be patient. As of this week, I have still not received any supplies. I haven't had time to call yet, but I will. I'll add an update at that time.

In the mean time…has anyone heard of Gone Fish'N Tackle Co? I haven't been able to call them yet to check anything out further. They have a web site: http://www.gonefishn.org But I can't tell if they provide the supplies after you've been approved. I really need to find at least one more company that is reliable.

I'm glad that I found this blog. After sitting on the information for NEC for about a month, I decided that I was going to do it, as an extra income while attending Nursing school. After all, I have years of experience as production manager at a high end wood shop. I figured this would be a breeze. I expected to be able to earn $300-600 per month.

After reading the experiences of people who have applied good manufacturing strategies, (notably repeating the same process over and over on each item-see Lou Ann's post, and also working on several kits at the same time to prevent down time), I have decided that most SUCCESSFUL people are going to max out at $1-2 per hour. Very disappointing.

No thank you. I will pick up an extra shift washing dishes at the hospital.

But thank you to you all for your honest posts of your experiences. I'll keep my 49.95!! Good luck to you all.

Trinity

I was so happy to read your post. You are so correct about the money to be earned with New England Crafters. And not only is it low pay but it can take years to earn one or two hundred a month. Maybe not even that much.

I after trying New England Crafters and sharing on a message board for one and half years realized most do not understand how New England Crafters really works. Also it seemed it did not matter if you posted the truth. People were going to think what they wanted. They wanted to think you could earn an income with New England Crafters so that is what they stuck with thinking. You can earn some pocket change and spend hours a day doing it.

To me it is a scam of sorts. Very misleading. And most quit and just loose their kit money and money they spent on materials and tools.

Good Luck on your indeavours. Good decision.

Oh Cindy I see you are still smearing NEC's name. I am so sorry this is still affecting you. You were so close, I bet you had it on your next one.
Heres a change of pace. Ive been with NEC for almost 5 years now and have always been paid. I stay at home anyway so why not make some money in my spare time. This is a perfect take your own time work at home legit job. I'm at home anyway why not make an xtra 100.00 a week, no commute, no spending gas money, no daycare to pay. Yes it is tedious at first but once you get going it all gets easier. I work 2 projects for NEC and LOVE it and I just recently been approved on my second try for another.
Those of you just starting with NEC, dont give up. This is a legit company with honest friendly employees. I know ya'll can do it.

Just wanted to put in my 2 cents. I have decided to start with NEC, to make extra money when I have "down time" in my current profession. They seem very legit to me. Just because you have to put in time and money first, and then find out it is not for you, does not mean its a scam.

I am a Realtor, and have been for 4 years. I spent over $2,000 to take the courses needed to take the test to get a license. I took a test, and passed it the first time. However, many people don't. Once I got my license, I've had to pay out hundreds of dollars in fees every year, and take classes to keep my license current. Many people quit because it isn't for them, others make good money, others do it part time and make a little bit of money. I've never figured out what I actually make for one hour of work, because it just doesn't work that way.

This is the way it is for any business or independent contractor arrangement that is not an hourly or salary job. If it isn't for you, then fine, but that does not make it a "scam".

Well said Laura.

Ladies.

I feel message boards and blogs are a wonderful place to share experiences. With work at home companies many come to message boards and blogs to read and gather information.
You get to read good and bad experiences people have had with different companies. I feel this is a good thing.

I hope all do their research before paying out money to a work at home company.

I have gotten a wealth of information reading message boards and blogs.

Here's to all being able to share their experiences and opinions freely.

Yes I could have gotten approved on the craft I was making for New England Crafters.
I chose not to work for New England Crafters. Many Many reasons for my decision.
My main reason for posting my opinion about New England Crafters is because of my own experience but also the experience of so many others. Over the past year and a half I have shared with so many that lost their money trying to work for this company. Yes there are happy workers working for New England Crafters. But there are also many who did not like their experience with New England Crafters.
I feel message boards can be very misleading. If people posting feel they can not share their experience good or bad you are getting a one sided few of a company.
Now we have some good and bad experiences on this blog.
That is a good thing. I hope this can happen on all message boards and blogs with crafting forums.

I just kind of feel there are more bad experiences then good with New England Crafters.

My over all feeling about all work at home craft companies is you probably will not succeed and you will probably lose your money. This can happen for many different reasons. But the end result is you will be wasting money and time.
I really think paying the money up front for a crafting kit makes them a scam. Misleading. I think if the company was really legit they would handle the way they get people to craft in a totally different way. I think they are making much of their money from selling kits and people failing. So my feeling is they are taking advantage of people. Just my opinion.

Cindy,
But you paid for a kit yourself and are making a small amount of money with your bookmark craft company. You called your bookmarks scam for a lengthy period of time but after awhile with much practice and dertermination you acomplished them and were paid. You too are working hours with sore hands for very little money. So why does NEC have to be such a bad guy for you. There are tons of people being appproved every month and anyone can see that on their approved list on the site.
I have been burned my many companies outright, they took my money and disconnected phones or websites. Then there are companies like the minitures I tried that were like you said to many hours for very little money. So I stopped the miniture craft but I will not call them scam, its just not something I want to do with my time.
NEC I love. I dont sit in one spot doing the same technique for hours. I mold clay for awhile, then bake, then might paint or cut ribbon ect.
Your right everyone has their own opinion and should share but I will not sit back and watch NEC's name be ruined. I do like how you congradulate NEC newbies when they get approved or finish a unit.

Here's another update. I received supplies to make another 5. I have been paid for all the tutu's I've sent in. But so far they have not approved me to make more than 5 at a time. I was under the impression if they paid me, I was approved to make a full unit; but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm still OK with the process and do agree it seems a bit slow. I would rather get supplies to make a full unit & let them pay me for the good ones I send & return the bad ones (if that be the case). However, I am still going to continue, because I think it may still work out in the long run. One other opinion I would like to express…I think you may find that people who are all approved and earning money are probably not looking for a blog. They are happy with things the way they are. People who are just starting out are the ones looking for more information.

Reply to post about bookmarks and New England Crafters approval list.

Yes I make the EZmark bookmarks and tried New England Crafters during the same year. Yes I stayed with the bookmark company and did not choose to work for New England Crafters. I have stated why this is in previous posts on this blog.
Yes we all who posted on WAHM.com on the bookmark thread thought the bookmark company could be a scam that did not pay any workers. There was only one other woman who had posted during a five year period and said she had gotten paid. Myself and one other gal got a unit sent back to us without pay. We had no previous information to read about this happening. So yes I assumed the bookmark company could be scamming me. In fact they told me to send the unit back to them. I changed a few of the bookamrks but the majority were sent back to them without any changes. They then paid me for the bookmark unit. All of the women who have tried to make the bookmark and posted on WAHM.com have not succeeded in getting paid. I have felt very very bad about this and really felt I should not keep posting anything about the bookmark company because of so many loosing their time and money. So with all of this information I feel EZmark is scamming folks.

The same with New England Crafters. I talked with so many women who bought a kit and also many kits who could not get approved. Also many who got approved and did not stay with the company because of the time it was taking them to make the craft. They could not speed up.

New England Crafters and their approval list. This approval list seems misleading. All that get approved do not stay with the company. So the approval list telling me how many people work for the company and get paid is misleading in my opinion.

I look at these craft companies as giving all of these folks who buy kits a chance to make money. These companies have got to have a way to keep their workers at the right number to meet their payroll. EZmark and New England Crafters pay with hand written checks so I doubt their payroll is that large.

Their testimonials are also misleading. I am sure since they give two free kits to people who give a testimonial this too can cause people to make a testimonial who would not if not paid. Not all who give testimonials stay with the company. So I do not think you can make an accurate decision on how many people work for New England Crafters by looking at their approval list. Or their testimonial list. This is of course my opinion.

I will post again. New England Crafters sent me a faulty dvd and would not replace it. The instructions they sent for making the craft were not accurate and a sample that was sent was not made correctly. They made inconsistent statements on their critiques. I was left to guess how to make the craft. This guessing caused me to have to send in more critiques which cost me more time and money. When looking at all that happened during the approval process and how many I talked with over a year and a half that did not get approved, and or quit after getting approved I feel the company is to much of a gamble. Also considering the time it may take to make the craft and the money you would make. I feel I was ran around during the approval process and I feel this causes people to quit. Which may very well be how they keep their workers at the correct number. I asked them questions about my concerns and was not given answers. So I am left with drawing an opinion based on this experience.

When I look at everything involved with these work at home craft companies I personally feel they are scamming people who buy their kits. I realize some stay with the company and get paid. My opinion after talking with many who buy craft kits is more quit or do not get approved then work for the company. With new England Crafters the amount you pay for a kit, dvd, practice materials and crafting tools can be quite costly.

All should read the BBB reports, talk with the Chamber of Commerce in the companies community, read many message boards and talk with people who succeed but also with people who fail. Gather all information.

I think in the end it is hard to know the absolute truth about these work at home craft companies. They are not putting out any financial statements. We are left to just make the best decision we can on what we can research and find out. I have shared my experience and opinion. In order for me to change my opinion there would have to be many changes in the way these work at home companies operate.

And I know from reading on the internet everyone looks at the word scam and calling a company a scam differently. I use the word cheating or conning as being scammed. Whether the scamming is illegal or not would be left up to a court of law to decide. When I see to many misleading things being said on a companies web site and I feel cheated when going through their approval process then I feel scammed. When I have lost a significant amount of money by being cheated than I feel scammed. When I see many many others having the same things happen to them I feel they are also being scammed. This is the opinion I have about Work at Home Crafting Companies. I feel they are very misleading with the information they give on their web sites and all the rest of the information I have posted left me with the opinion they cheat people. How many are cheated and how many are not I have no way of knowing. I just have done much research and have my own experience to form my opinion.

I have done my best and shared my opinion. Everyone can do their own research, even buy a kit and try one of these companies. That for sure is the best way to know what will happen. I only wish all would post their experience and opinion after doing this. Share because it helps all who come to message boards and blogs make a decision. Take but give back by sharing.

I hope all realize there is good and bad opinions about these work at home craft companies. Read the first post on this blog. That post is what drew me to this blog. The truth was spoken and it was not in favor of New England Crafters. I shared some of the same opinions about what that poster posted. So I decided to share my experience and my opinion.

I feel bad for the people who lose money with these companies. There are not enough who make money compared to all who loose money for me to take the side of the worker and the company and feel it is a good thing.

I have tried to post three times in twenty four hours and can not post. Do hope all my posts do not appear in a row. It will be the same repetitive posts.

This will be my last post on this blog.

I wanted to say I think the word scheme would be a better way to describe my opinion of work at home crafting company's
They are scheming instead of scamming. This use of the word scheme instead of scam keeps the thoughts of the company being illegal out of my opinion. Scheming is using trickery and I think that describes my opinion of the work at home crafting companies.

Good luck to all of you

Thanks to all for your posts. It's very informative and helpful to read both sides of the issue (thanks to Dawn.) Unfortunately it seems that there are not many positives in the case of NEC. I decided to try them out. I'm a lifetime crafter and figured I could handle any of the projects so I chose the first one involving sewing (my favorite passtime.) Boy are they tiny!
The critique on the Santa suit came back with everything fine except for the shape of the coat hanger. Frustrating because they didn't show the shape in the instructions…. but now gave me a diagram. So I made a new hanger and sent it back in. Still waiting for that result.
I also got a kit (1/2 price) for the gingerbread house. OK – that was a nightmare! Definitely not my cup of tea but I decided to send it in as a test. The critique matched my own assessment exactly. And, no, I won't be doing those.
Realizing that there would be large time lags I decided to order some more kits. Two kits with 1 free. They came on Friday and I have 2 samples ready to send in tomorrow. Not sure if I'll do the 3rd one at all.
I think the key to success is to truly use an assemby line to make the products. Second, pick and choose the crafts that you like and are good at doing. And third, in my case I need to do several that I can be working on different time tables. That should eliminate long idle periods waiting for supplies. And, since they are very picky about everything I will also examine with my trusty magnifying glass before sending! Not looking for big bucks – just a nice add on income.
NEC obviously makes money from kits that never turn into producers, from selling how to videos, and from the mark up on the items. That's OK. Doesn't make it a scam if they indeed do pay their workers.
I'll keep you all posted on my success.

Thank you, everyone, for posting your comments on experiences with NEC. I researched this awhile back and was considering whether to recommend it to a family member and/or do it myself. But – my answer to myself is now "NO." The reasons are it sounds like it takes a very long time and a lot of energy to be approved, to keep receiving the necessary supplies, and for those reasons to be paid in a timely manner.
I'd rather refine my crafting skills on my own, try to sell my own items, and even teach the skills at an Adult Ed. Center or craft store rather than go through all of this red tape for someone else's company. But I wish those well who find it fits their interests and needs for more income.

I know times are tough right now for everyone and I hope this information will possibly help you out with your financial situation.

I feel like l am obligated in trying to help people who are currently down on their luck or are just in need of extra income to overcome these financial obstacles.

At the very least do yourself a favor and take 5 minutes of your time to look into this opportunity. It may be something to help your situation or it may not. It’s truly up to you! I can almost guarantee you will not find a more lucrative opportunity than this one on the Internet. This opportunity can provide you with a steady paycheck of at least $350 a Week or more Assembling Refrigerator Magnets and other fun simple items & crafts from the comfort of your own Home.

By all means – if you have information on a better proven legitimate company – where you can be guaranteed a weekly paycheck of $350.00 a Week or more for doing simple work at home – please send me an Email with your companies information. I will be happy to research your company and seriously consider possibly doing work for them as well. Although – I can assure you that there are very few out there without having a pipe dream in hopes of making a truly honest & lucrative income. An income to live a normal life without having to worry about where the next check is coming from to pay our bills or enjoy the things we have always dreamed of doing.

It’s very difficult to find legitimate companies to work for at home and there are obviously many scams all over the Internet advertising work at home opportunities. Although – I have worked for & promoted this company for 3 years since I lost my job over 3 years ago. Amazingly enough I have made more money working at home for this company than I ever made working a regular 8 to 5 job – not to mention the commuting time and the money I save everyday on gas.

There is no experience necessary … this company is a – AAA Certified Distributor who represents several Fortune 500 Companies. There are no special tools or skills required and everything is provided for you to get started right away.

Pat,
No i wouldn't imagine you would find positive stories on these kind of forums. Since you are in the approval process you would benefit better if you joined the offical forum for NEC. There you will be inspired by all the helpful and great information from all the approved assemblers plus beginners such as yourself. Since you have ordered just go to the website and join the live forum, it is much helpful and you will find plenty of positive people there.

Hello Everyone,
Glad I came across your blog. I am currently working for NEC. I've been with them since Jan 09. I have been approved on 4 kits so far. 1 kit was discontinued so it was replaced with another kit for free. It does take time to get approved. I'm not a natural crafter so it takes me a while longer than most. 1 kit took 8 tries but I was glad I didn't give up on #7.

What's great with NEC is that after 5 tries if you still don't pass inspection you can trade your kit in for another one free. I had to do that on 1 kit. I just couldn't get the hang of that one. The other kits took me 4 or 5 tries to get right.

It does take time to get your supplies. I think I average about two and a half weeks from the time I get paid til I get another shipment. That's ok with me since I have other kits to work on.

The kits have been fun to learn. 1 drove me absolutely bonkers. It took me a while to get the hang of working with a glue gun. Boy you gotta be quick or the glue dries.

Would I recommend this to someone? Yes. But know going in, this is not a quick process. The average seems to be at least 3 tries. Will you get rich? Not likely. But you can make some extra money from home. Yes they are time consuming. They do require that you be able to read and follow instructions. NEC has customer service if you need help. Most important…Yes they do pay. Yes they supply the materials. After you are approved, any supplies needed that they don't send, your costs will be reimbursed when you send in the receipt with your finished unit.

Good luck to anyone wanting to try these. After you buy a kit be sure to join their forum where other assemblers can help you out.

@Debbie:
Thanks for the encouragement! One big question for you or Dawn…..how do I find this official forum? I see no links on the web site and haven't received an answer from them either.
Really struggling with gluing a bead. Sounds silly but I can't seem to get it!

Pat,
Go to http://magicalgiftdollhouses.com/ and click on the link about half way down the page that says "Visit our live forum". You have to join the forum, wait a day or two to get approved and then you can post on the forum.

Those glue guns can be a real challenge if you haven't used them before.

Good luck

Cindy get a life

@Stan Juracka:

Can you tell us the name of this company you boast about? i'm curious.

Again I have been paid for 5 more tiny tutus. This time they did give me a couple more comments on the direction of the hangers. This information should have been in the original written directions, but was not. So I guess I'm still at the stage of working on 5 or 10 at a time & waiting for more supplies. The distribution of supplies is so slow & it does no good to call. So if you work with them, you must be patient.

Hi Louann,
I am also working on the tiny tutu for New England Crafters, as well as the poodle skirt, and magic lovebirds. I just started with the tutu and it seems
difficult trying to cut this piece of tulle, any suggestions? Also I share your opinion on working with the glue gun, no control of glue, any suggestions?

This message is for Michelle…Cutting the tulle: I fold it down as small as possible & pin it in place. Glue gun doesn't work for me, not enough control. I use a clear glue. Also, I don't necessarily put it together in the same order that the written instructions say. I would like to know if you have been approved for any of the projects you are working for.
Thanks.

There's been alot of help on the glue guns as well as how to cut the tulle at wahm.com. The forum thread is really long, but has alot of useful information.
http://www.wahm.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=346454
(I hope it's ok to post their link here)

Sure wish I could get on that forum! Been trying since Halloween. Now I'm 'waiting for approval' and calling doesn't seem to help at all. One thing I did find out is that I was working on a different web site. The home page looks identical and has the same URL but some of the links – like the forum – are missing. That remains a mystery.
As for the glue guns… JoAnn's has one that has a really fine tip that is working for me. I do use another clear glue on some things. Granted, I'm still not approved on anything but I'm trying.
I have sent in my 3rd try for the Santa costume, 2nd for the reindeer and carousel horse, and the 1st try for the tropical birdhouse. I like that I can send them all in together and save postage. Might take a little longer for the results as I have to wait for all of them to be inspected……. but it takes so long anyway who could tell?!
As for cutting the tule – could you use a rotary cutter and big ruler to hold it down? Just a thought.

Thanks. I did register but at first it wouldn't take the code they sent to validate and now it just tells me I need to be approved. I'm going to call again a little bit.

Posted at the top of this blog

Note from WorkAtHomeTruth:

If you still have interest in New England Crafters/Magical Gift Co you might want to read the Official NEC-magical gift post at WAHM.com

magicalgiftdollhouses.com ON THEIR WEBSITE

In the middle of the page it says VISIT OUR LIVE FORUM

You have to get in touch with Chers to join the forum for NEC.
Only people who have purchased a kit can post on their forum.

I believe Stan Juracka is part of this

http://www.ezcashconcepts.com

There are two different message boards being talked about for New England Crafters.

WAHM.COM has a thread in the crafting forum for New England Crafters.

New England Crafters Magical gift's web site has a gal named Chers who started a forum with pro boards. If you have purchased a kit from New England Crafters you can join this forum and post about your craft.

On the NEC website there is a link in the middle of the page for the Proboard messageboard forum.

Several times there has been reference to the WAHM site for more info on making items. But I can never find anything that is current & I have spent so much time trying to find specific information that I find this site better. The one bit of information I have regarding New England Crafters is: I used the written instructions (not the video) and the sample they provided to make the tiny tutu. I called them a few times as well. The important thing to them is that the finished item looks like the sample. For me, I changed the process a little to make it easier for me & I was approved the first time. Also, only send in 1 sample. The biggest problem I have is how long it takes to get the supplies. So you people who selected more than 1 item are probably smart & I may have to go back & do that.

@Lou Ann: Here's the link to the wahm forum. It has several pages to it.
http://www.wahm.com/forum/craft-companies-140/139861-official-nec-magical-gift-post.html

Finally! Got on the wahm forum. I agree with LuAnn – can't easily get to any good info. I am only able to view the last few pages and the first few before it all goes bad and I get 'page not found' so it's disappointing but I'll keep trying. Also got on the NEC forum but there's no really good tips there that I can see. Thanks for all your help.
However – in the process of getting on the NEC forum I found out that I am approved on the reindeer. Don't have the info in the mail yet but I'm looking forward to getting busy. Not sure about the other things I turned in but suspect that they were not approved.

@Lou Ann:
Hi Lou Ann,
I have been approved on the poodleskirt, and magiclovebirds.

@Julie</ julie i started making the scottie magnet am having trouble with the polka dots any suggestions i need help the co. told me to use a cd circle but that just is not good let me know thanks valerie v.dunning@yahoo.com

@Michele: how many tries did it take you befor you were approved? i am still trying to get the polka dots on the scottie magnet right,any helpful ideas would be great.

@valerie: Read the post on wahm.com for help on the dots. They say it helps a lot.
http://www.wahm.com/forum/craft-companies-140/139861-official-nec-magical-gift-post-497.html

Hope you pass on them soon.

@valerie:
Hi Valerie It's Michele,
Poodle skirt took me 2 times and the Magic Love Birds took me 3 times.
I am working on tiny tutu.
I have the reindeer and Scottie project which I find them both hard to do.These were not beginner projects.

@valerie:
Valerie,
I just read on the forum ,someone suggested using Loew Cornell style stix it is a set of 4 sizes and she uses second from the largest ,I hope this helps.