The holiday season will soon be upon us, and that means that people will be buying lots of LED Christmas lights over the next several months. Not surprisingly, we think that’s a good thing; after all, we’re in the business of selling LED Christmas lights. So it’s obviously a good thing for us, but it’s also a good thing for the people buying all of those lights.
Why the qualification?
It’s because people make some common mistakes when shopping for LED Christmas lights and as a result, they sometimes end up with a bit of buyer’s remorse. Especially due to the fact that pre-lit artificial Christmas trees are so popular, further reducing the needs to buy additional LED lights.
1. Buying From Big-Box Retailers: The big-box retailers – we won’t name names, but you know who they are – might be great places for doing all the rest of your Christmas shopping. But if you don’t stay away from them when you’re doing your shopping for LED Christmas lights, you’ll be making the biggest, most common mistake made by people buying LED lights. That’s because of the “buy cheap – sell cheap” philosophy of the mega-retailers. They buy the LED Christmas lights they sell you on the cheap. That’s why they can sell them for so little. But, do you know why the manufacturers that sell to the big-box stores can sell those lights so inexpensively? It’s because they’re made cheap. It all comes down to a very simple, age-old truth: If you buy cheap, you get cheap.
2. Avoiding Pure White: There’s a rumor that’s been circulating about LED Christmas lights for many years: If you buy pure white lights, you’ll actually end up with something that’s more of a sickly bluish-white. You know what? There’s a lot of truth to that rumor. In the early days, white LEDs did tend to have a bit of a bluish tinge. But the technology has improved, and today, “pure white” means “pure white” – with some exceptions. Those big-box stores we talked about above! The cheap manufacturers that they buy from haven’t all caught up with the cutting-edge of LED technology. After all, that costs money. So if you buy from mega-retailers, pay attention to that rumor about bluish-white lights. You might very well end up with some of those ghastly lights on your Christmas display. But if you buy from us? Fuggedaboutit! If you buy “pure white” from us, you’ll get ‘pure white.” Brilliant pure white!
3. Buying Stringer C9 Sets: C9 bulbs have been among the most popular of Christmas light bulbs for generations. So lots of C9’s are sold every year. When you buy C9’s, you have a choice. You can either:
- • Buy stringer sets of fixed lengths
- • Or buy cord and bulbs separately, and build your own custom light lines
Many people buy the ready-to-use stringer sets, attracted to the perceived greater convenience that they offer. But in truth, that’s really not the best option for most people. For most, buying the cord and the bulbs (called ‘retrofit’ bulbs) separately is the smartest move. That’s because you’ll end up with light lines that are perfectly suited for your needs. And the bulbs will glow with greater brilliance in the lines you build yourself.
You won’t find pro Christmas light installers using stringer sets. They all use retrofit C9 bulbs and cord to build their own empty socket light line. It’s really the best way to go.
4. Underestimating Needs: We see this happen all the time: a customer frantically phones us very late in the season, needing an order shipped to them quickly so they can complete their display. Their initial estimate of what they would need for their display fell short and left them in the awkward position of having a display in a place that wasn’t quite finished. It can be a little bit embarrassing – not to mention inconvenient! That’s why we recommend that you add a small percentage extra to whatever you’ve estimated you’ll need when placing your order. It’s a good way to avoid the panicky feeling that results from discovering that you’re not quite going to be able to finish your display. Better to have a bit extra than to fall short. You’ll always be able to use the extra for spares or for future display expansions.
5. Busting Budgets: It’s so easy to do. And so tempting. You know what you planned to spend, and what you can afford to spend. But you spend just a little more here, and a little more there. And before you know it you’ve got a busted budget on your hand, and all that comes with it – interest charges, post-Christmas payments, and so on. The better approach – especially if you’re starting from scratch – is to plan your ultimate Christmas display, and then implement it in chunks, adding to it each year. That approach works well for avoiding busted budgets and the headaches that come with them. And it’s kind of fun, too – progressively expanding your display every season instead of enduring the status quo year after year.
6. Buying Cheap: For years we attempted to sell both retail grade and professional grade Christmas lights. Our reasoning was that we wanted something for everyone. Our goal was to be a one-stop-shop, whether someone wanted a cheap light set or a true professional quality light set. However, within a few years of offering both, we realized trying to be everything to everyone was not working. The percentage of complaints we received for the retail grade light sets was more than 20 times higher than what we received on pro-grade lights. Our reputation was suffering and we knew the only acceptable course of action was to discontinue offering anything other than top quality, professional Christmas lights.