Best way to check for current product

In the store, in the upper right, there is a search. Just type in the name of your kit and see if it pops up.

 

@suetr Welcome to The Pad, Sue! Like Barbara said, there really isn't a fast way. You just have to search.

For me, since I link up my credits when I post my layout, I search for each item before I start and then leave the browser tabs open to copy the links when I'm ready to upload my layout into the gallery.

Hope that helps. So glad you're jumping in and playing along!

 

I've been here for years so my PC is full of TLP goodies. I made a little start today with checking items in the store. I did the collabs and four designers and got bored already! Sorry, wish there was a quicker way!

 

Am I correct that if a product is retired, it won't show in the visual history?

I was trying to check that, but everything in there is showing in the store. I know I have bought things that are retired, so that is the conclusion I'm hoping is true!

 

Good question, Courtney. Using the Visual History isn't efficient for me because I've got 95 pages, even at max results per page, so traditional searching is faster. I'd like to know the answer though.

 

Cheryl, that's a really good tip and one I wasn't aware of. I'm going to give it a try now. In the meantime, I've determined to use the stuff I've bought this December (a ton of things with all the December deals) for as many of challenges as possible. This year (my first for MOC), I had to redo several pages because I had used kits by existing designers which were not for sale anymore or at TLP. Even got caught with a designer who retired Dec 31, 2016 -- ouch, just a bit too early! I persevered and did finish and qualify for the coupon but it was harder than it needed to be if I had checked everything first or known exactly how to do that.

 

I would suggest you do a high level check now for retired designers and mark their folders so you won't use them. Then wait to check individual products of current designers when you are going to use them. Once you decide which product you would like to use for the day's challenge, you could quickly check the store to see if it's available and if not, use a different product. That way you don't have to check thousands of kits, just the ones that you are most likely to use. HTH

 

^^^This is what I do and for that same reason. I don't keep my kits organized by store or designer: I just have a KITS folder, so it'd be a lot of work to check everything. A LOT of work.

Good news is, once you check a kit for this MOC, then you won't have to check it again during MOC6. (The upcoming MOC.) You could even make a Notepad file in the kit's folder and copy/paste the kit's link into it. That way you'll know you checked it for this MOC, and next year you can copy/paste the link into your browser to easily check if it's still available for 2019's MOC7.

 

Now it hit me: you can create an internet shortcut with the kit's url. Just drag & drop the url from the address bar of your browser into the kit's folder.

 

@cinderella an even easier way to keep it for later reference!

 

Sorry this confused me... you said "this MOC" and then "MOC6" and at the end of your post you even mention "MOC7"... I thought next month's (January 2018) MOC was MOC6? Am I missing something? Or did I just misunderstand what you were trying to say?

 

I'm gonna guess Sara is just really excited for MOC!
January 2018 is MOC6. I think what she's saying is: if you check a kit on January 4 for a challenge, you know it'll be good for the whole MOC since no one retires kits in January.
And, if you make a note, then in 2019, you could copy and paste the link to see if the kit is still in store rather than searching by name.

 

Thanks Courtney! That totally makes sense now!

 

That is a really good idea. The credit tracker I use lets you put links into the credits, but of course that doesn't mean that 2 years down the road, the kit is still in the shop. I'll definitely give this one a try.

 

can I say how much I LOVE that feature! <3

 

Whoa! Thanks for this!

 

And ... But ... since I don't actually "scrap" with kits, but collage with elements, I'm sure to hit a bump along the way here. Way too many kits per page to keep track of, though I'll give it a try.

EDITED: Except ... EXCEPT... [she bangs her head against the wall] I don't file by kit! I file by element. Of course.

But, since I am now on two CT's, I could at least do this there. It would simplify that tremendously. All I have to do is ... um ...