I'm new here!

I’m new too! I figure I’d just add to this thread like the other newbies. =)

Thank you all for such a warm welcome! I’m so glad to meet you! I’m also glad to know there are so many fellow newbies. We will all be learning the ways of the tea together!

This is a great site, but there a few downsides:

1.) You’ll see a fair amount of announcements of teas sales & discounts from various companies. (Not altogether a bad thing, but it depends on your budget.)
2.) Most of us,(I’m just as guilty as anyone of this.) are terrible enablers! Though in the Tea buying hiatus group, not quite so much.

However, there are ways that you can experience new tea either for free or for a small amount of Money. Here are a few ways:

1.) Some companies offer some free samples in return for reviews such as on this site or a tea blog. Though some sites do have a requirement that you have been a member for a while and/or have some reviews up. Teavivre and Fusion Teas are 2 I can think of off the top of my head.
2.) A fair amount of companies sell samples for just a few dollars, I’ve seen as low as 1.00 and as high as 6.00 (For high quality.) A lot of companies also have free or discounted shipping and handling if you spend over a certain amount.
3.) Giveaways, swaps, traveling boxes and personal sales
a.) Giveaways are just that. There is a thread called ‘Take it away!’ that 1 can post to of a tea they didn’t like, usually someone will come along and offer to take it off their hands. Sometimes someone who has been here a long time and has a lot of tea will offer to quite a few people to send a box/envelope chock full of teas.
b.) Swaps are when 2 people will swap teas.
c.) Traveling Boxes are a box full of tea that will travel (With help of UPS or some kind of postal service.) look up the traveling box threads for more info.
d.) Personal Sales are when an individual (Not a business.) will sell some of their teas cheaply.

Also offline possibilities of free tea, sales or discounts: Look around to see if there are any stores you can buy tea at nearby. in the ‘Places’ section on top of the page, click on that, enter your zip code/city/state/region, and hopefully it will yield some good results. If not, it’s possible that no one has entered information about your area, though of course it could be because there isn’t any. Once you’ve found some local spots, many places have a mailing list and will post ads for sales and discounts. Many sites have websites, with their teas listed and prices.

Have fun!

Hi there. I’m new too. Was lurking for awhile and then placed an order at Tealux so thought I would join. So many teas! Not enough money!

Welcome to all the newbies! Here’s a few more tips:
A) the dashboard freezes up sometimes, especially on the weekends. If that happens, hit Explore (top right), then scroll down to the bottom of the page & select tasting notes…something like that), & you’ll still be able to read what people are drinking.
B) if you enjoy someone’s reviews, click on their name to visit their profile to get to know them a little, & click the plus sign in the upper right hand corner to follow them.
C) add some info to your profile so that we can get to know & love you too! Where are you, what kinds of teas do you love?
D) don’t be shy! We’re a fun & varied group & there are some lively discussion groups to join in!
E) have fun & don’t take things too seriously! If you absolutely love a tea & someone else hates it, you can still be friends! Taste is a very unique sense. :D “welcome”

Hello, and welcome :) Just thought I would chime in since I’m fairly new here myself. Here is a link to a thread that I found to be very useful. Want to know how to make your text bold? The secret is below :)

How to Use Text Formatting Symbols
http://steepster.com/discuss/1894-how-to-use-text-formatting-symbols-formatting-can-be-fun

Also, don’t be afraid to message someone and initiate a swap. We’re all a friendly bunch here and many of us love to share/trade. Just keep in mind that you need to follow the person you want to message first and they need to be following you. You can also visit the Tea swaps for US to US only thread.
http://steepster.com/discuss/5155-us-tea-swaps-for-us-to-us-only

The wonderful thing about Steepster is that I hear about all the good sales, which in turn helps me save money on my tea habit (obsession??) You’ll find many of them mentioned in one place.

Miscellaneous Sales
http://steepster.com/discuss/365-miscellaneous-sales

Stick around long enough and you will need this next link, Lynxiebrat mentioned this group earlier.
Tea Buying Hiatus Support Group
http://steepster.com/discuss/5244-tea-buying-hiatus-support-group