I would be very interested in the sales correlation between the tester toys put up and there sales over the weeks to follow. I know I have ended up purchasing items that I didn’t get as a tester as I had already thought about it too much lol
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@steve19 , the rules have changed repeatedly over the years to restrict more and more interaction.
I think originally LH were the only online seller of sex toys that had forums and obviously it was very successful.
I agree with @Calie that as a business, LH needs to strike a balance between retaining existing - and enticing new customers - with offers, which in my opinion, it does. As a business it also needs to make a profit to survive. If it didn’t, then it would rank and we also wouldn’t have this community, which for me would be the biggest disappointment as everybody is so friendly and open and nobody is judgemental.
Which brings me on to the restrictions. I thinks it’s great that this area is restricted as the stuff people reveal is very personal and whilst there are lots of like minded, open minded people on here, that’s not necessarily the case in the ‘wider world’. It would be sad if people who were less open minded/supportive could read/reply to comments in a negative way as it would no longer feel like a ‘safe place’ to share.
The problems with the website continue to be a pain but I think it’s fair to say that technology often has a mind of its own and these teething problems probably happen to a lot of new sites. It will all be fixed eventually! 
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Are there others? (obviously best if you don’t name them, but if you can give me a clue… 
)
You only need to google sex toys to see the modern competition. Certainly one has been around nearly as long as LH (in the UK) but doesn’t have the forum or the tester tries to generate reviews (think along with LH in the early days you would get surprise gifts if you spent over a certain amount) but seems to be doing okay.
When LH started there were lots of discussions about the differences between toys and products supplied by a UK high street supplier (back then you could use their name) and things available on LH and it could be open and frank. Of course there were issues with people trying to post links to sell toys from other sites but it all seemed to be dealt with quickly. I assume LH just decided it wasn’t worth the aggro and their business was at a stage where they could scale back the openness of the forums.
Perhaps also when they expanded to other countries with different age restrictions they introduced stricter rules.
I haven’t seen any. I think most companies now use general social media like Twitter or people will just discuss things on Reddit.
One brand posts pictures of custom colours (either by itself or from customers), upcoming designs and stuff on Twitter. Very interesting and it gets me excited to buy more. They actually featured my dildo on there recently as a “look at this fab one we made for a customer”. Woo, internet famous. Haha 
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I was interested in ones with a forum (to crib from, or maybe even to jump ship to 
).
I look every now and again to see, but I’ve not come across one yet. I didn’t know if my search was off, or if it just wasn’t something other companies saw the benefit of.
Kudos on your dildo design skills. 
My earlier post
And you were the one who posted here the link to UKSF2 as somewhere with less restrictive rules and no hidden (or unhidden) agenda.
That read to me like ‘originally they were the only one, but now there are others’. I was just curious to know if there were any others.
I did a while back (I was actually just about to type it out again ). I don’t know a huge amount about them, so can’t properly endorse them, but on first glance they seemed quite friendly (and you can share pictures of your willy if you want to ). It’s more ‘sex’ than ‘sex toys’ though, but they have a section for toys - it just wasn’t that busy.
Ah, no. It was actually their design skills. I ordered a “surprise me” colour scheme and that’s what they came up with. Luckily, they put it on Twitter some time after I got it to not spoil the surprise for me 
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By ‘originally’ I assume that was how they decided to differentiate themselves from others. I guess the other early online suppliers never felt the need for the overhead of managing a forum.
I will bow to @Mint-Monster for social media promotion and forums but there are numerous specialist companies that host forums for people who enjoy their type of products via websites.
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Instead of simply getting free 48 hour delivery, when you look at your order summary you’ll be charged for delivery and then there will be a £3.99 delivery discount. Think there are some screen shots in the new website thread
Edit: Here if that does work it’s the 47th post
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I don’t think it’s unreasonable for a business to not want discussions going on about other businesses products. They have no control over what other retailers do, the prices they charge or the benefits they offer. And it wouldn’t be gteat business practice to have people promoting and recommending other companies. So any ‘restrictions’ on that kind of chat is understandable.
Likewise the change from the old days when you could ‘make freinds’, send messages and even gifts. At the end of the day this is a retail business - not a contact site. There are plenty of those about for those looking for them. The forums. Gives people the chance to ask questions, get advice, seek opinions and get recommendations of products. All of which doesn’t involve the need to share personal info.
All businesses evolve their benefits and discount schemes over time. Yes - some of the advertised benefits are a little ‘glitchy’ right now (birthday/anniversary offers for example) but a quick email to customer care sorts that out in no time at all. Without knowing the margins on products (which will vary from supplier to supplier) you can’t argue the site should pop a one size fits all discount on everything. The offers and deals change frequently, the sales crop up regularly and the DOTD changes…well…daily of course.
I don’t think anyone can complain about how the site is treating them. Nobody is forced to shop on the site. No-one is made to use the forums. Both are there to be used if people wish. As often or as little as anyone likes.
Change is uncomfortable sometimes. But change is also inevitable.
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Interesting post, lots of replies, and to be fair I have only scanned them so apols for duplications.
Obv the ‘shop’ site has had a dramatic overhaul, and with any tech changes of that size comes teething issues. Been using LH for good few years and agree the discounts are not quite what they were, but do I still find I get value for money? Yes I do. And maybe they will come back with a little time as things settle. Of course we are in difficult times also where the pandemic has hit lots of people and companies very hard, and it is not always easy to see the bigger picture with that. And of course country politics. Charges for imports have increased for example, which may impact LH directly or indirectly. Either way, LH remains very competitive price wise for me.
I then consider the level of Customer Services - and this is really second to none IMO! I can always buy with absolute confidence that any issues I may have can be resolved, and I can speak with a person on chat.
In terms of the forum, as others mentioned, it is there to support the shop and LH business, so understandable other sites/non LH products are not allowed.
I also like that the ‘friends’, ‘gifts’ etc., are not available, and images are restricted. It means I can come on here and be involved and be comfortable and safe - and more to the point my better half knows it is safe. She knows I am here commenting on threads or asking questions to either help others or satisfy curiosity around something. Being disabled it is great reaching out to people in similar circumstances and sharing thoughts - without the risk of someone sending me a private message and it causing problems in my relationship.
Self-regulation in forums of a sexual basis doesn’t really work IMO, too much risk of offence and people trying to use it as a contacts site, it’s just human nature with sex being the focal point.
Have a great weekend everyone
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I love Lovehoney! Being introduced to LH at the age of 18, 8 years ago, it’s been my safe place to explore sexually and I’ve learned a lot about myself! LH and the community gave me the confidence to be comfortable with my own body and how I treat myself, the forums are great, everyone can have their say, everyone is welcome, no one is judged, something I think we need more of in the ‘outside world’, I like how the LH staff interact with the community, gives it a more welcoming feel, not that you’re just another number on the customer order list!
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