Just Washed Up

I don’t post a lot, but when I do, you can believe is has some meaning. Recently I checked some so called "Top Ten Rated Sites” links. I wanted to see how my product, with over 99% five star rankings, compared with other similar backscratching products. HAHA. In their phony top ten ranking dreams. All they turned out to be were Amazon sponsored links to sell products from paid Amazon sites for peddling Amazon sold products. I don’t care if Amazon sells product, or if others sell on Amazon, but artificial hyped rankings that are not representative of ALL sellers is deceptive and cheap. An example;  

 “ABOUT USSavantmag.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.” Yup. That’s a direct quote from the about us section of the above website. Just not true, or at best, half truth. It is classic click bait that can be easy to believe at first, but on close examination is just misleading and really false advertising.

The best rankings are from bona fide customers that actually buy the product and then leave a review. Believe then, not a hyped headline.

Consumer, beware.

Even a well-conceived, uniquely designed product with universal appeal can still benefit from improvement. This is especially true with artisanal handmade products, like a backscratcher, that require skill and workmanship to produce.

A prototype is rarely a masterpiece - it's a conceptual design that improves as the maker creates successive copies. An actual example, from concept through production, is my ItchThatBitch back scratchers. The original idea came from the design of the old-fashioned fly swatter - a twisted wire with a piece of screen or later, plastic mesh on the fly-smacking end. The thought was that several wires twisted together would make a decent back scratcher. The idea was not to make the best back scratcher in the world (though it now is), but to make a funny and useful Christmas stocking stuffer for my three grown children.

As an avid do-it-yourselfer, I am proficient at many handy man household tasks. I learned these skills on my own, before the era of YouTube and with only a few “how to” books to guide me. But when I started making backscratchers, I quickly realized that proficiency does not always equate to mastery, and it doesn't guarantee truly professional results.

I bought a roll of galvanized steel wire at the hardware store, and using a common shop vice and vice grip pliers, twisted the wires to form the original ItchThatBitch backscratchers. They were kind of rustic, but also kind of cute - and most importantly they really, really worked. The family encouraged me to make more and try to sell them online or at craft shows, but I was pessimistic. I really felt the design needed more - something to set it apart from cheap disposable imports.

A year later, while still procrastinating and not much further along, I considered making a backscratcher out of long-lasting stainless steel, so it would be unbreakable. I made up a prototype, added the numbered ID tag and wrote up a lifetime warranty, and decided on a name I thought would be memorable: ItchThatBitch.

It took another five months to get a web site built, write product descriptions, take photos, and go live. In retrospect, I wasn't really ready, but if you wait till you are, you'll probably never start. I was soon breaking even and happy about that, but our review services were sending some negative feedback about the backscratchers being too bendy and even too scratchy.

It's a real wake up to get a product complaint, especially since I'd received good reviews so far. But I was listening. I started using a heavier stainless steel wire with a polished finish. I also switched to jewelry-grade brass and copper wire trim. In addition, I made small but important changes to the manufacturing process and began including a small piece of wire file with each purchase. All this resulted in a sturdier, easier-to-use backscratcher, and a way for customers to adjust “scratchiness.”

The favorable reviews went up, and something else happened, too. After making close to 100 ItchThatBitch backscratchers, the handle and fingers were more uniform and the models with wire wrapping had neater, tighter coils. Now I regularly get feedback from customers that appreciate my product for being “well made” and “professional.” My now multi-year process of creating, making and continually refining and improving ItchThatBitch backscratchers has made me especially appreciative of professional artisans, craftspeople and jewelers.

I’ve learned that even though the original design needed improvement and the original fabrication was less than perfect, something now exists that otherwise would not. Along the way I went from apprentice to master of a narrow niche: the best back scratchers in the world!

Five Tips to Make Your Next Gift a Success

For major gifts like graduations, anniversaries, weddings and retirements, most people fall back on the standard gift cards, or something from a registry, or even a charitable donation. But it's always better to take some extra time to learn about what the recipient wants and needs. In other words, the gift is not about you, it’s all about the recipient.

Here are five tips to make your gift-giving a success, and your loved one very happy! Your gift should be:

Thoughtful – So the recipient will know that you really care.

Useful – Don’t just give something that will be re-gifted. Your gift should be of actual use to your loved one.

Memorable – Pick something original, cool, and neat and not something everyone else has. It should show original thought or knowledge about the recipient's tastes.

Needed – The last thing you want your special friend to think is, “What am I going to do with this?” For a lot of us, what can be more needed than a good back scratch from a friend, or – a back scratcher that really works?!

Personalized – It's rare to receive a one-of-a-kind gift that fits all of the above requirements. It is even more rare and special to receive something personalized and unique.

I personally know of one product that fills all of the above five requirements, because I make it!  

It's the ItchThatBitch Backscratcher. Reasonably priced in the $20 range, my backscratchers are hand made in the USA out of stainless steel with copper, brass or silver solder trim, and each one comes with a unique stamped serial number and lifetime warranty. On request, I can personalize the serial number tag with a short engraved note to your giftee.

This is a new and truly unique product that only a few people have. It's only been available since June 2015, but our rave reviews show that people really love our backscratchers!

Actually, the back scratcher has not died, but my innovation in back scratcher design has rendered obsolete all of the cheap and short-lived, easily breakable junk import back scratchers. It’s about time. My backscratcher is virtually indestructible, and lasts for a lifetime (with a corresponding guarantee).

The decline of a product that is inferior, shoddily made, and requires continual replacement should not be mourned, but celebrated. Unbendable and breakable telescoping cheap imported back scratchers should be – and deserve to be – relegated to the “FAIL, don’t buy” list of junk products.

The ItchThatBitch backscratcher is a throwback to the times when products were made in the USA to last forever, not just until the next model year. Not only does my backscratcher last, it does an unparalleled job of scratching your back. Your bitch of an itch is no more with my custom-made, unique, one-of-a-kind backscratcher. Plus, it's dishwasher safe!

Even though each ItchThatBitch back scratcher is different and has its own serial number, the scratching fingers are functionally the same. On top of that, these scratchers don’t ever break or fall apart. This does present some long-term problems. A back scratcher that really works, doesn’t break and lasts forever could reduce future sales. Well, that’s the price you pay for perfection.

Some people might say that we're just making claims and falsely bragging about being the best back scratcher. But our customers have consistently given us five-star ratings after purchasing our backscratchers – using an independent, third-party review system.

To be fair, we weren’t always five star. We had some early creations that were not the best, but we listened to customers and modified accordingly, and now sell a product that is as close to perfection as it gets.

If you help us get even closer to perfection with a suggestion on how we can improve, and we're able to incorporate your suggestion into our designs, we'll send you a free back scratcher!

So, even though most back scratchers have died (or will shortly) we can celebrate the near-eternal life of the ItchThatBitch backscratcher, with you and for you when you need it.

Buy yours at ItchThatBitch.com, and watch how it's made on YouTube.