PRODUCT GRADING SCALE

Please read over the product grading guide before purchasing any items!

ENAMEL PINS (REGULAR)

Pin grading is subjective and varies from maker to maker. Since enamel pins are handmade items, they rarely, if ever, will appear 'perfect'. I will always do my best to send out the highest quality pins available from each batch!

 GRADE DESCRIPTION
Standard ("A")

The highest quality of pin that I offer. Free of major imperfections, but may exhibit the following *minor* imperfections:

  • Superficial surface speck or mark on metal or enamel surface, usually only visible from one angle
  • Slight low enamel fill in minor area of pin, only visible from one angle
  • Imperfections on the back or side of pin - only the front is considered while grading.
  • Slight darker flecks of glitter and/or small specks of stray glitter (on glitter pins) in non-central areas of the design such as the face.
  • Slightly misaligned screenprinting (only applies to pins with screenprint)
  • Other superficial imperfections that are only visible upon very close-up inspection and/or from looking at the pin under certain lighting or from a specific angle.
Seconds ("B")
Seconds pins have one or multiple imperfections listed below, and therefore slightly discounted. This grade is perfect for collectors who enjoy wearing their pins around (and who love a good discount). One of the most common pieces of feedback I receive is that my Seconds grading is "indistinguishable from most Standard-grade pins" - but regardless, Seconds pins will have some sort of guaranteed imperfection.
  • More noticeable smudges and/or staining on the metal or enamel surface
  • Mild-to-moderate metal oxidization
  • Noticeable and/or deeper surface scratches that span across the metal and/or enamel
  • Moderately loose backing posts
  • Lower fills in larger or visually important areas (low enough to be visible when the pin is viewed from nearly any angle).
  • Missing screenprint (minor details only)
  • Missing area of enamel (very small, minor areas only)
Convention Seconds ("C") [Not available for purchase online] C-grade pins may exhibit the same flaws as B-grades, except more severely. For this reason, these pins are very heavily discounted and only available for purchase at conventions in my "Discount Bin".
C-grades may have larger areas of unfilled enamel, very deep scratches, distracting dots/marks across the enamel, etc. 

ITA BAGS

Due to the handmade nature of our bags, there exist a range of cosmetic imperfections. Grading is based only on cosmetic appearance.
All bags, regardless of grade, should be fully functional.

 GRADE DESCRIPTION
A Close-to-perfect. Due to the handmade nature of these bags, A-grades may still exhibit miniscule imperfections that are only visible upon close inspection - such as tiny threads that may easily be snipped off, or an inconspicuous speck/dot somewhere on the PU leather surface other than the face area.
B Exhibits a single mild flaw or multiple minor imperfections somewhere on the bag. These flaws would likely not bother a majority of customers. Some examples are, but not limited to, slight misaligning of screenprint on the zipper lilypads, a tiny speck near the face area, a small wrinkle texture visible from a certain angle, minor mark on the clear front area, an interior Blushsprout logo tag sewed on upside-down, etc.
C Exhibits a single moderate flaw or multiple mild imperfections somewhere on the bag. Most of these flaws would be visible from 1-2ft away. Some examples are, but not limited to, more notable misaligning of or errored screenprint, moderate cosmetic dents or wrinkling on the front area due to the bag being squished during its ocean freight. A savvy craftsperson may be able to fix or hide some of these issues via DIY-fix methods, but there is no guarantee.
D Exhibits a very noticeable cosmetic flaw(s) somewhere on the bag. Most of these flaws would be visible from 2-4ft away. Some examples are, but not limited to, a streak of screenprint ink across the bag, very deep dents/wrinkles in the PU leather, noticeably flawed printed areas, big scratches in the clear front panel visible from any angle, etc. These bags are heavily discounted just to break even on their production & storage cost, and may be fun test bags for those interested in modding/customizing. A savvy craftsperson may be able to fix or hide some of these issues via DIY-fix methods, but there is no guarantee.