What’s happened to the shop?

For the foreseeable future, items will be sold on a push basis. That is, rather than made to order, they will be posted on this site for purchase as they are made. Some of these will be as single items, some as batches and some as auctions.

Why the change?

For the past year or more, simply meeting orders has taken all my time, leaving no time to improve techniques or train up another artist. Attempts to outsource brought lackluster results. In short, moving to a push model is the only way I can make Rubberpaws better.

What will be better?

For starters, there are new designs waiting in the wings that I simply haven’t had time to roll out.

I plan to experiment with synthetic rubbers. This wouldn’t only be good news for people with latex allergies. It allows for deeper, permanent colors. Different textures and softness. And, whilst the material costs more than latex, it has the potential to make items much faster, which would allow me to re-introduce the order system and maybe even lower prices.

I also have plans for inflatable designs, implementing a roadmap to start with simple inflatable products and move on to more complicated items in time.

Do you do custom work?
I try hard not to. Ideally, Id like the site to offer people a wide range of gear that they mix and match to build their own outfit. This is not to say I wouldn’t like to offer customization options in future, when I have developed techniques to make it less time consuming.

Does your gear come in different sizes?

As yet, no. If I were to offer just two sizes on everything I stock, that would be twice as many moulds, and I simply don’t have the storage yet.

Why not (INSERT GREAT IDEA HERE)? You’d sell so much more stuff!

Im just one guy making gear, and for a couple years demand has outstripped my production capacity. The fact is I don’t WANT to sell MORE. All I want is to make a living making cool stuff.

Can I have a mask with no breathing holes?

Sorry, but no. Let’s call it liability issues – I don’t want to be responsible for selling anything that restricts peoples breathing.

Strange Questions People Have Asked. Frequently.

“May I pay later / in instalments?”

What you are in fact looking for there is a line of credit. I am in no way financially secure enough to go into the loan business.

“May I send you a picture of my genitals?”

Well, thanks for asking permission, but oh lordy, no. I appreciate that many people out there are proud of their genitalia, but please appreciate my utter indifference as a small businessman.