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Womyns'Ware Buying Policy: How We Choose the Toys

We've had many inquiries from customers asking how we choose our toys. People often wonder why we don't carry certain items that all the 'sex stores' seem to stock. So, here is our buying policy and quality standards for your enlightenment.

In no particular order, we consider the design - is the product design suitable for the purpose for which it is advertised. For example, the vaginal canal is about 7" deep at the most and the G-spot only about 2 1/2" within, so a 12" G-spot toy is not suitable for the purpose. Cockrings are worn around both the testicle and shaft of the penis so a 1" diameter cockring is not suitable for the purpose.

Next we consider whether the material that the product is made of is safe or whether there is a real possibility of a health risk. Toys that are designed to stimulate both the vagina and rectum at the same time might have a dual shaft system that is suitable for the purpose but if the material is a soft vinyl, latex or a rubber the material presents a health risk. This is because these material are highly absorbent. Bacteria absorbed through rectal contact will travel to the vaginal portion of the toy. This presents a real possibility of a health risk.

Third, we consider quality. We offer a company-sponsored two month warranty so the quality has got to be at least good enough to withstand two months of use! This is why we rarely consider electronics made outside of North America, Europe or Japan. The quality standards are just so poor that the electronics don't stand up to normal use.

The consumer protection program  MarketPlace recently published a helpful guide to selecting quality sexual products. With a thirty year history of protecting consumers in the market place, we feel a high degree of confidence in recommending their approach to personal consumption sex toy buying decisions.

Fourth, we look at other aspects of quality from the stand point of customer satisfaction. If a vibrator pouch is supposed to be snug on the hips and fit a full range of women then the pouch straps should be made of a comfortable, long lasting material with a sensible sizing. We'd like to avoid the customer experience so often equated with the low-end sex shops where they use the product once, find it wanting, and conclude all sex toys are shoddy.

Next, we look at who's making it. We have a local women first buying policy. Women and those who love 'em are buying our products so we'd like to see the consumer dollar go to supporting women who make the products. We'd also like to support the local economy if at all possible, since a healthy economic cycle enables us to stay in the community in which we're located and to build a strong, reliable workforce. We also have a policy against cannibalization of designs. This means that we will remain loyal to the original creator of a design and will not buy from a copy-cat maker at a lower price. People deserve our loyalty when they've undertaken the research and development costs to bring forward an innovative sexual product.

Also, we are uncomfortable with the idea of purchasing sexual products for women from countries that foster a political regime that violates basic women's rights. What comes around goes around.

Basically, our final question is does this product fit into our mission of celebration and empowerment of women's sexuality. If the product's message is to demoralize women (example, the packaging suggests you must be blond, big busted, and slim waisted to be sexual or the product itself suggests that something needs fixing - like douches that suggest the natural scent of women is offensive) we won't carry it. We also won't carry products that suggest sexual inadequacy such as penis enlargers or desensitizers or aphrodisiacs. We'd like to encourage people to deal with their intimate relationships through communication and shared exploration not attempt to mask what they think is wrong.

Well, we're in Cass King's (Organ Grinder) column on International Month of the Dildo where a brief history of the dildo follows along with a well researched "scary truth" warning about the "shit-ware" that is found in so many mainstream shops. As Cass King so kindly says "The good news is that the dildo is here to stay, and there are conscientious retailers out there who won't carry the shit-ware. This is a 100% unsolicited endorsement: You should reward quality (and honour yourself) by purchasing your toys only at reputable dealers like Womyns'Ware, who have an excellent staff and an amazingly informative website. Look at it this way: You wouldn't buy a toothbrush at a low-rent sex shop. Why would you buy a dildo there? Hey, you might be frugal, but you're not cheap."