We may already be a few weeks into 2012 but it’s not too late to pick up a calendar for the year. But before you revert to the standard paper calendar why don’t you take a look at these five fun alternatives to keep track of your days in 2012.

Totoro Fishing Calendar

Hanging from Totoro’s fish hook are the days for each month. A cute option for referencing the date.

Spirited Away Date Display

Not a calendar but rather a neat way to show off the date with this memorable Spirited Away character.

Gachapin x Mukku Block Calendar

Gachapin and Mukku display the dates of the month in this fun block calendar you build yourself.

Hello Kitty Diary

Fans of Hello Kitty can live each day in Kitty’s world with this polka dotted diary.

Manga Diary

This 2012 diary is a new way to record your days. Rather than keeping notes in little white boxes this dairy allows for notes in the speech bubbles and white spaces of the comic!

Head over to FlutterScape to discover all the calendars for 2012.

Last week we explained how breaking expectations with quick deliveries can make customers extremely happy. This week we bring you another tip for breaking expectations and increasing customer satisfaction.

Give a little extra.

Surprise your customers by adding an extra something special to their package. It doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive. Even the simplest surprises can elate customers.

A few easy ideas:

• A hand written note. (This goes a long way to show thought and consideration.)
• A few Japanese candies
• A picture. A photo or hand drawn. Both are great.

Here is one example of an awesome FlutterScape user and how he goes above and beyond for his customers. Not only is he a FlutterScape superstar in our eyes but he is building quite a reputation in the FlutterScape community.

A little extra effort can go a long way. So try adding a little extra love to your next shipment.

A key factor to customer satisfaction is timely order delivery. Nobody likes to wait for their order to arrive. This is why FlutterScape maintains a one week order-to-ship policy for sellers.

Customers understand that international shipping takes time. Many customers have misconceptions about delivery processes and expect to wait several weeks. Because of this, one way sellers can deliver stellar service is to ship orders quickly.

It is not uncommon for EMS deliveries to be shipped from Japan and arrive at destination countries in just three days. If sellers dispatch orders to FlutterScape quickly the total time from order to delivery can be as little as just four days!

This shatters expectations and makes customers extremely happy! We know because we collect feedback from happy customers all the time and they love being surprised by quick shipping.

So make your customers happy and ship quick!

[Image via Japan Post]

Did the holidays come and go without you getting that one special gift? 

If you yearned for the new PS Vita then the chances are you still are waiting to get your hands on the latest gaming gadget from Sony. For gamers in America and Europe the Vita won’t hit store shelves until late February!

But you don’t have to wait any longer! Thanks to several awesome FlutterScape sellers you can order the PS Vita and all its accessories right now. Here are five official PS Vita goods to make up for any holiday disappointments.

1. The PS Vita

You can’t game without the Vita itself!

2. PS Vita Memory Cards

Come in three sizes, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB to hold all your media.

3. Carrying Case

A slick case to keep your Vita protected on the go.

4. PS Vita Rubber Shell

Available in multiple colors these cases protect the Vita from unwanted dings and scratches.

5. Cradle

Angled just so and with speaker jacks in the back this sleek design is fitting for the Vita.

And what about the games? Yeah you’ll need those. Check them out with all the other accessories on FlutterScape.

When we at FlutterScape think of power users one person immediately comes to mind…

Please meet Chuwa.

Chuwa has been posting awesome items on FlutterScape longer than almost anyone else. In fact, Chuwa has posted more products than any other user (925 at the time of writing this). If you spend even a little bit of time browsing FlutterScape you will quickly become familiar with his profile picture. It’s everywhere!

But Chuwa isn’t just amazing because he posts frequently. Chuwa posts great products.

Take his iPhone 4 Cleave Aluminum Bumper Case for example. Chuwa discovered this iPhone case and shared it with the FlutterScape community. iPhone fans quickly took notice and spread news of the case around. The case can now be found on many influential Apple and iPhone blogger’s top cases lists.

Chuwa also goes above and beyond by syndicating his FlutterScape product discoveries via Twitter and his Tumblr page. He makes it even easier to find out about his great discoveries.

Chuwa is also the epitome of a great FlutterScape seller. He often fulfills other user’s requests for hard to find items. Check out this review from one user that purchased from Chuwa:

All thanks to Chuwa, he managed to get for me this hard-to-find brand new limited edition watch! First ever G-shock. First time in Flutterscape. Chuwa provided the assurance for international customers! His service is impeccable! You tell him what you want. He searches high and low for it. Makes sure the item is of perfect condition. Sends it to Flutterscape and mostly importantly, checks with you if you have received it and if you like the item. Love the after sales service. Ever since then, I’ve bought another limited edition Ultraman G-shock from him. Thanks Chuwa! :)

We are happy to have Chuwa as part of the FlutterScape community. He does a fantastic job introducing great Japanese products to the world and is an excellent role model for other FlutterScape users!

With billions of people in this world there is a good chance someone, somewhere wants the product you’re selling. Unfortunately, potential customers may not know you are selling what they are looking for. The good news is you are often able to help them out by pointing them to your product page. (How nice of you!)

It is not uncommon for Internet users to post online asking where they can buy a desired product. Good FlutterScape sellers are already finding these inquiries scattered across the Internet and are directing their future customers to their FlutterScape product page.

Here are three great places to find potential customers just waiting for your product:

• Product news sites: These sites break news about the latest gadgets, fashion, figures, etc. Often readers of these sites ask in the comments about where they can buy a certain product.
• Forums: Many brands and product genres have entire message boards and communities dedicated to discussing products. It is common place for these members to ask about where they can buy the latest goods.
• Q&A sites: Sites like Yahoo! Answers are littered with users asking about where to buy specific items.

So you’ve done a search for the product you’re selling and found some people asking about where to purchase it. Now what?

Help them out! Just leave a response with a link pointing to your product page.

Usually, leaving a response will notify the original poster. This poster will read your comment and immediately visit your product page. Better yet, your comment will act as a guide for others looking for the same thing. This one good deed may help countless others in the future.

In the final days of our “All I Want for Christmas” contest the FlutterScape team has witnessed enthusiasm that both excites and concerns us.

Over the last few weeks thousands have voted for their favorite products on FlutterScape. We love to see the passionate FlutterScape users sharing the stuff they love. Many have recruited their friends to vote for their products through social media channels. This is a wonderful way to get friends involved and increase the popularity of your products.

Unfortunately, some have taken other steps to artificially increase their products’ popularity by registering multiple accounts and voting for themselves. We do not condone this behavior. It hurts the community and we hope users can find a better outlet to demonstrate their enthusiasm.

In response to this recent abuse we have deleted the fake accounts and the Wants associated with these accounts. We continuously monitor for unusual activity and abuse as part of our commitment to improving the FlutterScape experience. We strive to maintain a fun environment for discovering and sharing cool things from Japan, and we hope these recent events haven’t put a damper on your holidays.

One very simple yet powerful action FlutterScape sellers can perform to improve their presence on FlutterScape is to upload a profile picture.

You might be thinking, “seriously, what difference does it make?” Actually, quite a large difference. Here are several powerful implications using a profile picture can have.

• A profile picture can imply professionalism. For FluterScape sellers this is key. Without a profile picture the default profile image can demonstrate to potential customers a lack of commitment and sincerity.
• A profile picture is personable. It puts a face to the seller which inherently establishes trust.
• A unique profile picture sets one user apart from another. It can also be a good step to branding a FlutterScape account. This helps all FlutterScape users better associate discoveries and comments with the user that made them. In other words, having a profile picture makes a user more memorable.

Lastly, uploading a profile picture just looks better! You have an awesome personality so show it off! Take just a minute and upload your profile picture now.

Some great FlutterScape profile pictures:

• Chuwa
• Samurai7
• haisaiozisan