Pour one out for all the crafters, small businesses, and fursuit makers.
That’s a big blow to homemade goods for sale.
If you’re buying only from fairly established, large scale thread producers, then you actually can buy a thread sample book.
Key word there: buy. They’re like $30 if you get the kind with actual thread. Which is a lot of thread you could be buying instead. Not being able to see craft stuff in person sucks.
That doesn’t take into account different dye lots, different manufacturing processes, different suppliers. When that sample book is two years old, it’s possible that the item you order based on it isn’t quite like the one in the book. You’re also kind of bound to that one seller.
When there’s a bricks and mortar store, you can go in and find the item that matches what you want, and buy that item, regardless of who made it.
Dye lots and stuff like that can vary, but with the big brands like DMC and Anchor they’re usually better than looking at your screen to guesstimate the color. Still worse than seeing what you’re buying in front of you, though.
