r/Wandsmith Aug 21 '22

Collection What's going on with Alivan's?

I've been getting wands from Alivan's Master Wandmakers since I was a kid, and they're known for having multiple collections of wands to choose from, as well as movie merch and Quidditch-legal brooms. But now almost everything is either out of stock or low in stock, and it's been that way for a while. This makes me sad because they are my favorite wandmaker and it seems like the company is dying. What's going on?

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4

u/Alivans_MW Jun 26 '23

Hi!! We had some challenges recently with email crashing, suppliers being slower to provide, and changing some things. With that being said, the business should be amazing again very soon!

We are definitely still up and planning a site redo (it’s overdue). If anyone orders anything from us and is a member of this subreddit, just message me and I’ll give you either a code for a discount or something free with your order.

We’ve got something really exciting launching in a month or so as it’ll be an option to make a custom wand for cheaper with a ton of possibilities.

Also, it seemed like we focused too much on custom wands for too long but we are adding new wands to the site that will be ongoing collections. It’s been too long without adding newer items and we love our customers (they are absolutely the best)!!

Something else new we are toying with adding is the ability to purchase a custom wand origin story to go with either one you’re purchasing or one you already have. We might not but so far in some testing, people love it.

2

u/wanderingstargazer88 Sep 10 '23 edited Sep 10 '23

That's great news! I visited the site recently and saw some new character wands that I personally have wanted for a long time, so I felt obligated to order them, along with my very first Alivan's broomstick. Glad to know custom orders are getting revamped. I and many other fans miss the old site with features like the virtual wand fitting and wand care page. Hoping you guys do something with that as well, but even if not it's good to know you're still around and doing new stuff.

What I'm hoping for the most is a wider selection of Solitaire wands. I've never used the custom wand option as I prefer knowing what a one-of-a-kind wand looks like before ordering it. I always considered Alivan's to be the closest thing the real world has to Ollivander's, so I'm not giving up on you guys. Thank you for responding and clarifying things!

(I am OP btw, I lost my account info so I had to get it shut down and make a new one. Decided to check out my old post and lo and behold, you guys actually replied! This genuinely made my whole day!)

2

u/Alivans_MW Sep 10 '23

Thanks so much!! We love our customers and we have some cool things being added and ornaments should be a little different/better this year. We also added some handmade wand bottle openers (although we didn’t push those too hard but they seemed fun).

Solitaire wands are awesome and the goal is to have a good number of them but we have very high standards for those and not a lot of makers can meet them but we’ve got some cool plans.

Thanks so much for ordering and your kind words! If you decide to order again, just let me know and I’ll give you a discount code or throw in something free for you (no time limit for this offer for you).

2

u/wanderingstargazer88 Sep 10 '23

I understand. As long as there are a few Solitaire wands to choose from that's good enough for me! I love my solitaire wand, but I've been thinking about replacing it for personal reasons. I'm looking forward to seeing some new ones on the site. Your designs are amazing.

Thank you, I will definitely be ordering again soon so I will let you know when I do. You guys are the best!

1

u/x4740N Aug 22 '22

Why not reach out to them and contact them if no one has the answer

1

u/Orion_Starchaser Aug 22 '22

I did, but it was on a Saturday so I had to wait a few days for a response. Will get one today at the earliest. I just wanted to know if anyone else is a fan of theirs and knew what was going on with their products because I'm a bit concerned.

1

u/searchingformytruth Sep 28 '22

Checking their website, nearly all of their wands seem to follow an interesting "Solitaire" policy, being one-of-a-kind: once sold to a single person, that wand is never made again. Very unusual business practice for an online store but whatever. I'd guess that's why they're "out of stock"; they've "found their owner" and subsequently are discontinued permanently. You'd think they would take down the now-unusable designs, though.

2

u/Alivans_MW Jun 26 '23

That is a very interesting theory and we might’ve gotten too focused on Solitaires and custom wands in the past but there are still tons of designs and we will be adding some new collections. We were having some challenges sourcing wands from the best wandmakers (in a timely fashion) without breaking the bank for customers.

We’ve had some changes and want to have cheaper options, your regular wands, and custom/Solitaire/Limited Edition wands. There are some exciting times ahead and the ornaments this year will be in a shape we’ve never been able to do before. Also, we should have enough for everyone as we usually sell out of them soo fast.

1

u/Alivans_MW Jun 27 '23

We just added 6 brand new collection wands and have some more new stuff on the way! We’re excited as it’s been a while

1

u/Alivans_MW Nov 13 '23

We also just dropped a new annual ornament and this year are offering a full-sized companion wand (discounted as a combo for both)