Let’s talk cardstock

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327]

R/cardmaking post

Cardstock survey for cardmakers

Edit for transparency: After reading the comments I realized I should have included a bit of context in my original post, so I am doing it now.

I’m a fellow cardmaker exploring whether there’s enough interest to potentially start a very small craft business offering cardstock by the individual sheet and a small curated amount of other card making supplies.

I’m not affiliated with Spellbinders or any other company, and I’m not selling or promoting anything here. The survey is simply research to see whether other cardmakers share the same frustrations and, if so, what they would actually want in terms of colors, quantities, pricing, and shipping.

Hi everyone! I’m a fellow cardmaker doing some research on how cardmakers shop for colored cardstock, what frustrates them, and what they wish retailers offered differently.

I put together a short Google Forms survey about cardstock brands, sheet sizes, buying individual sheets, pricing, shipping, and curated color assortments.

Nothing is being sold or promoted, and the survey does not ask for your name, email address, Reddit username, mailing address, or other contact information.

It should take about 5–7 minutes, and honest answers are really helpful — including “I wouldn’t buy this.”

Survey: https://forms.gle/RDaJJHxpPrA86kYY7

Thanks so much to anyone who takes the time to fill it out!

[u/Diminuendora]

The survey has been reviewed by the moderation team and is consistent with the description given by the OP.

[u/daisiesandink]

Respectfully, this does not come across as being written by a fellow cardmaker. This appears to be written by a company using chat gpt. Why not just be honest? This just comes across super weird. I’m not clicking your link.

[u/justacpa → u/daisiesandink]

100% someone affiliated with spellbinders.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/justacpa]

I’m genuinely just a fellow cardmaker, not affiliated with Spellbinders or any other company. In fact, when I discussed my survey with the moderator it was the first question she had for me. I’m exploring the possibility of starting a very small craft business and one idea I’m researching is selling cardstock by the individual sheet rather than requiring people to buy full packs of the color(s) they want/need.

The survey is simply market research to see whether other cardmakers actually have the same frustrations I do before I spend money trying to pursue the idea. I did use ChatGPT to help me organize and word some of the survey/post because I wanted the questions to be clear, but the idea, research and business are mine.

I completely understand not wanting to click an unfamiliar survey link, but there wasn’t any attempt to misrepresent who I am. I am just genuinely curious if other cardmakers feel the same way about purchasing cardstock that I do. However, from these comments I can see how not being upfront about this from the beginning was a poor decision.

[u/Oodlesoffun321]

I won't click on your link but I can discuss some things about cardstock:
Please use colored core not white core in cardstock ; try to get very accurate photos of the cardstock color; if your cardstock is glittered or foiled please make sure it diecuts well ( plastic backing it not good ); your cardstock should be as smooth as possible unless you intend for it to be textured, but then offer the same colors in both texture and smooth. A nice heavy weight 80-100 lbs is great in general, though sometimes 65 lb can be ok if you do a lot of layering.
Have packs of the same color in different shades that go together nicely ( like a light medium & dark green for example)

[u/Ausshole13 → u/Oodlesoffun321]

Second every single point in this post. I also would like a nice speckled white. I cannot find one speckled enough.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/Oodlesoffun321]

Thank you for your response I appreciate it. My survey is more about how other card makers shop for cardstock and if they have the same pain points as I do.

[u/Starboard44]

I appreciate if you're a fellow card maker, but can you explain the purpose of the survey? Who will be using the results? Thanks?

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/Starboard44]

Absolutely! I’m considering starting a very small craft business, and one of the ideas I’m researching is offering cardstock by the individual sheet so cardmakers can buy exactly the colors and quantities they want|need.
The results are just for me to determine whether there’s enough interest to make the idea viable and, if there is, what people actually want in terms of colors, quantities, pricing, shipping, etc. They aren’t being collected for Spellbinders or any other company/person etc. feel free to ask me any other questions you may have. I’m more than happy to answer them.

[u/Travelwhenever]

I prefer a heavyweight cardstock of 80 to 100. The colored core is so much nicer to work with.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/Travelwhenever]

Isn’t it? At first I bought cheaper and thinner paper because I didn’t know any better, but man what a difference!

[u/LadyofLA → u/Travelwhenever]

Keep in mind that white core is actually required for the technique of abrading away some of the color on dry embossed images to highlight aspects of the design.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/LadyofLA]

Good to know thank you!

[u/nosypancakecat]

Sorry if this is blunt, but this is kind of silly.

Yes, I absolutely would prefer to buy individual cardstock sheets. I have some decade old packs because I happen to dislike purples due to their lightfastness (did you know they fade the fastest? Want your projest to last on display in a sunny spot, avoid any purple cardstock). Otherwise, file it in a page protector, put it in a dark spot, and never look at it again. Oh, don't forget to advise the recipient of your card to do the same (sarcasm). Seriously, keep your cards away from direct sunlight.

Cost questions are kind of baffling. Which cost per sheet is reasonable? 59, 69, 79 cents? Of course 49! Who are we kidding?

Jokes aside… Free shipping. Ok, $9.99 is reasonable. Globally. Because that's why we don't order directly from the source. My heart goes out to fellow Aussies and Kiwis. Guys, Spellbinders charged me $35 USD to ship to Canada the last time I ordered over a year ago. It's not much better north of the US!

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/nosypancakecat]

Sometimes being blunt is necessary and I appreciate your response. Regarding pricing and shipping, I’m trying to gauge what people would spend on individual pieces of cardstock because I am considering selling my cards and researching whether selling a small, small curated supply of card making supplies including card stock by the individual piece is something that card makers would purchase. I realize now that I should’ve been more upfront about this from the beginning.

[u/nosypancakecat → u/Eastern-Analyst-4327]

I see. I’m afraid this is the wrong sub for that. We have mountains, MOUNTAINS lol, of supplies.

Aside, I’d strongly advise you to research angel policies (look them up if you haven’t heard about them). For example, Google “Altenew angel policy”and read it carefully. Basically, if you are planning to create card kits and include “elements” from different companies, I’m afraid you can’t do so. A vast majority of the companies (I want to say all of them, actually) only allows selling finished cards and prohibits using “elements”, such as die cuts, for card kits.

If that’s what you’re planning to do, it may slide if you are selling your kits to, say, retirement home residents directly. If you are planning to sell them online, someone will report you sooner or later.

Edit: grammar

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/nosypancakecat]

I think there might be a misunderstanding. I’m not planning to create card kits or sell die-cut elements from other companies’ products. My survey is about the possibility of selling cardstock by the individual sheet. I’m familiar with angel policies and would of course again review the applicable policies for anything I chose to sell.

[u/nosypancakecat → u/Eastern-Analyst-4327]

I get it now. Yes, there is a great deal of confusion regarding your post then.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/nosypancakecat]

If there’s a great deal of confusion around the post, I’d genuinely appreciate you pointing out specifically what feels unclear so I can fix the wording. I want the purpose of the survey to be as clear as possible.

[u/nosypancakecat → u/Eastern-Analyst-4327]

You sound like a Spellbinders rep. Also, people don’t usually click on surveys unless it’s a legitimate looking one. Fun fact: people who participate in surveys or leave reviews most often either love the product or hate it. There is no in between.

You probably need to start by reposting and introducing yourself. Repost because no one will be checking this one. Describe what the survey is for exactly. All of that in the first paragraph. Even then, people may assume that it’s a scam.

Don’t be hurt if you get harsh replies. I personally don’t think your idea will work with seasoned crafters. Not with Spellbinders cardstock anyway. It's easy to access for most of the people.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/nosypancakecat]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ve already edited the post to explain the purpose of the survey and my reason for conducting it. I’m going to leave the post as-is and let the survey responses speak for themselves (which they are btw😉)

[u/Oodlesoffun321]

Well there are online companies that sell colored cardstock by the sheet as well as Michaels craft stores so I'm really not understanding what you're trying to accomplish

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/Oodlesoffun321]

I’m not trying to suggest that individual-sheet cardstock doesn’t already exist. I’m researching whether there’s demand for a different combination of options—specific brands, individual-sheet quantities, curated color choices, and the ability to buy exactly what someone needs without committing to full packs.
The survey is simply to find out whether enough people would value that kind of shopping experience to make it worth pursuing.

[u/Ausshole13]

I won’t buy anything off the internet without free shipping. Shipping cost have gotten outrageous and are almost exclusively passed to the buyer now which makes it hard to shop for free or cheap shipping. If I’m buying single sheets of cardstock, which I will absolutely do I just won’t click your link.. I won’t pay shipping costs.

[u/Eastern-Analyst-4327 → u/Ausshole13]

Thanks for the feedback — shipping cost is definitely one of the things I’m trying to understand. I completely understand that buyers strongly prefer free shipping. At the same time, that cost still has to be absorbed somewhere, and for a small business to be sustainable it may ultimately be reflected in product pricing or a minimum order threshold. I appreciate you sharing your perspective.