General
Questions
How long have you been painting Jeannie bottles?
Do you paint all of the bottles yourself?
Do you use decals or paint pens for the designs?
Why use automotive paint?
Where do you get your bottles from?
Does your 2nd season bottle have exactly the same designs as Jeannie's bottle?
Does the 1st season bottle come with the clear
stopper?
Are the arches on the 2nd season bottle white or blue?
Ordering
How long does it take you to paint a bottle?
Can I have my bottle sent to another address after
I've already ordered?
Do you still offer discounts for multiple bottle
orders, bottle trade-ins, or supplying my own bottle?
Payment
Are all of your painted bottles the same price?
Do you accept other forms of payment besides PayPal?
Why are you now requiring a $100.00 security deposit
and what is it for?
How will I pay the remaining balance when my bottle
is ready to ship?
Damage & Returns
What if my bottle arrives damaged?
If I don't like my bottle can I get a full refund?
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If I don't like my bottle can I get a full refund?
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Yes.
All of my bottles come with a 100%
satisfaction guarantee. If you don't like the bottle you
receive, you can return it for a full refund.
I do not refund for your shipping
expenses to return the bottle, only what you were charged for
shipping at the time of your order.
Conditions do apply.
The bottle
must be
returned undamaged within 7 days for domestic shipping and 14 days for
international shipping from the date it was received.
The bottle must be
returned shipped with insurance for the full replacement value or
purchase price, whichever is greater.
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What if my bottle arrives damaged? |
If you receive a bottle that was damaged during transit ...
You must notify me within 24 hours of
receiving your bottle. (This will be verified with delivery
confirmation data) If you fail to do so, I will assume your bottle arrived in excellent
condition and any damage it may have will be considered caused by the
buyer. The original packaging should be left intact and packaged in another
box to preserve the condition of the original shipment. If you have a digital camera, take pictures of the damage and the
condition of the box and email them to me. A refund will be issued once the package has been received and
verified. I will file the claim with the post office.
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Do you accept other forms of payment
besides PayPal? |
Yes, I do accept money orders and
personal checks.
If you wish to pay by these methods,
you will need to contact me directly. I don't have an option set
up on this website for ordering via alternative methods than PayPal.
PayPal does accept e-checks and
credit cards, so that may be a better option than
risking payment through the mail and it getting lost. (which has
happened). Keep in mind that e-checks can take up to 10 days to
clear.
Cancellation of an order will result
in your security deposit not being refunded.
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Can I have my
bottle sent to another address after I've already ordered? |
If you pay with PayPal, credit card,
or e-check, your package will be sent to the address you provided at
the time you pay for your purchase and ONLY that address.
Due to PayPal's seller protections, I
am required to send it to the confirmed address provided when payment
was made. Because of that, I cannot and will not ship to an
alternate address. If you pay by cashier's check, money order,
or personal check, you can specify any address you wish for it to be
sent to at the time you place your order.
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How long have you been painting Jeannie bottles? |
I sold my first bottle in October of 2003. I have spent hundreds of dollars on research
and testing to perfect my craft, not to mention hundreds of hours of
painting and refinement of my techniques. Granted, there are
some artists out there who have been painting for much longer, but the
real proof of experience comes in the finished product and the
testimonials of those who have received
my work. Of that,
I have complete confidence
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How long does it take you to paint a
bottle? |
I can usually complete a bottle from
start to finish in about a week, once I've gotten started on it. It varies depending on the
number of bottles I'm working on and how much time I put in each day.
I'm an artist, not an assembly line.
Every bottle I paint gets my full attention and hand painting each
one does take time. The wait for a bottle is very difficult to
estimate as there are any number of factors that can derail the best
laid plans. The majority
of my customers
would rather I take the time to do it right, than just get it done and
in the mail.
The average
amount of time to receive your bottle from the time it was ordered
(not purchased from inventory) is 3 - 4 weeks,
this may vary and you are free to contact me for updates.
If you're not someone who has much patience
or someone who expects immediate shipping, ordering a hand painted
bottle is not for you. I suggest buying one that is already
painted and ready to ship from my pre-painted inventory (if
available) or eBay.
(revised April 1, 2010)
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Do you paint all of the bottles yourself?
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Yes. I could never allow a
bottle to be shipped to someone if I didn't paint it. It's a
matter of pride and honor in what I do.
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Where do you get your bottles from?
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The 1964 Jim Beam decanters pop up
all over the place; garage sales; flee markets; estate auctions; etc.
Although I acquire most of mine from eBay.
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Do you use decals or paint pens for the design?
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No. I could not call myself an
"artist" if I used decals. That is the lazy way to produce a
Jeannie bottle.
I don't use paint pens either, but
paint pens do not devalue a Jeannie bottle if used correctly. If
you look on page 53 of the Dreaming of Jeannie book by Steve Cox, you
will see renowned artist Oscar Aviles painting a bottle stopper and
what would that be in his hand? A paint pen! If used
correctly, paint pens are just another tool of an artist.
Because so many serious collectors
frown on paint pens, I have chosen not to use them.
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Why use automotive paint? |
Automotive paint is the most durable,
long lasting, and vibrant paint there is.
The automotive industry and
especially the paint industry have some of the most brilliant and
vibrant colors available. Not to mention that customized mixing
and blending of paints and colors allows for completely unique and one
of kind colors. The possibilities are endless. The designs
are a mix of acrylic and enamel based paints.
I only use the premium automotive
paints.
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Are the arches on the 2nd season bottle white or
blue? |
Both actually. In some
photographs taken of the bottle on the set, the arches appear to be a
light blue. However, in other photographs they appear white.
Examination of photos of Barbara
Eden's prop bottle shows white arches, however she told another artist
(Daryl James) that the arches were light blue. So the debate
rages on.
To satisfy my customers, I offer both
light blue and white arches. I offer white arches on the
mulberry bottle, and blue arches on the purple bottle. If you
want them differently, it will cost extra because it is considered a
"custom" requested design. Contact me for more information.
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Does your 2nd season bottle have exactly the same
designs as Jeannie's bottle? |
Yes and no.
I have information regarding the
original designs of the bottle, my bottle has the 9 upper aches, 14
lower arches, 8 open ended circles at the top, and 7 cobras around the
base of the lower arches. Where my bottles differ is in regards
to the "windows" around the base of the bottle. According to
design sketches of the original prop, there should be a total of 6
panes in each set of windows.
In December 2006, a good friend of
mine had the opportunity to go to Barbara's home and photograph her
bottle. Upon examination of his photographs, it has been
revealed that her bottle has both 6 and 7 filigree in the windows.
Some panes were 6, some were 7. In the interest of keeping
things from getting too confusing, I'm painting just the 6 windows,
but will paint 7 if the customer wants 7.
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Does the 1st season bottle come with the clear
stopper? |
No. The 1st season clear
stopper is actually from a 1956 Old Grand Dad bottle and they are very
hard to find and very expensive to buy. They've been known to
sell for as much as $450.00 on eBay. They are very sought after
and very expensive to acquire. My stoppers are very inexpensive
compared to the original glass and more readily available.
I have invested many months of
research and development in creating my own 1956 Old Grand Dad stopper
replicas out of a composite resin. I used an original glass
stopper and created a mold from it. My replicas are an exact
duplicate of the original.
However, I am no longer offering the
stoppers to be sold individually. You can acquire one by
purchasing a first season bottle that comes with the replica stopper.
This doesn't mean that I won't ever offer them individually again, it
just means that as of now, they are only sold with my first season
bottles. Occasionally you may find me selling them individually
on eBay.
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Are all of your painted bottles the same price?
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No. Some of my bottles have a
more complicated design or use paints that require more time and
attention when painting. Some of these paints are very expensive
and naturally cause the price to increase. Because of this, I charge a little bit
more. Custom designs are also more expensive.
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Why are now requiring a $100.00 security deposit
and what is it for? |
In the past, I required payment in
full for the bottle at the time the order was placed. This caused a
myriad of different problems for a list of different reasons, not
just for myself, but for the customer as well.
By switching to a deposit system,
it lessens the financial impact of paying for the entire bottle at
one time and ensures that your bottle will be completed in a timely
manner.
The deposit allows me to purchase
the bottle, paint, and other supplies needed for your request. It
also ensures that I am not wasting my time working on bottles for
those who are not able to pay for their bottles.
It is a non-refundable deposit, so
should you decide to cancel your order before the bottle is
completed (for whatever reason) you will not receive a refund of
your deposit.
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Do you still
offer discounts for multiple bottle orders, bottle trade-ins, or
supplying my own bottle? |
No, I am no longer accepting
multple bottle orders or offering multiple bottle discounts.
My pricing is comparable to other artists of equal caliber and see
no need to discount them further.
I am also not taking on multple bottle orders as they tend to impead
my ability to get them and other orders done in a timely fashion.
If you wish to supply your own bottle to be painted, you will
receive a $50 credit when you are invoiced for your final payment.
This discount cannot be applied to your deposit.
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How will I pay
the remaining balance when my bottle is ready to ship? |
I will notify you by email that
your bottle is completed and ready to ship. I will also include a
photograph of the bottle you will be receiving. That email will be
followed by an invoice from Paypal requesting payment for the
remaining balance. Once the balance is paid, your bottle will ship
within 1 business day via Priority Mail and should arrive within 7
days of final payment. All bottles are shipped with tracking and
fully insured for the replacement value.
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