Terms of use

Using this site

StitchStarter is published by The First Buyer. By using the site you accept these terms. If you do not, please do not use it - there is nothing here that requires an account, so leaving is simple.

What the content is

Everything here is editorial opinion and general information for people buying a first sewing machine. It is not professional advice, and it is not a guarantee that a particular machine will suit you.

We do not run a test lab, and we say so on every relevant page. Our scores are our own judgment on the six axes described on the methodology page - they are not measurements and should not be read as such.

Accuracy

Specifications come from manufacturer listings and are correct to the best of our knowledge when published. Manufacturers revise, rename and discontinue models without notice, and retailers make mistakes in listings. Always check the current listing before buying.

We deliberately do not publish prices, for exactly this reason. If you find something on this site that is wrong, please tell us - corrections are answered first, at contact@stitchstarter.com.

Affiliate links

This site earns commission on qualifying purchases made through its Amazon links, at no extra cost to you. Full details on the affiliate disclosure page.

We are not the seller. Your purchase is a contract between you and Amazon or the relevant retailer, and orders, payment, delivery, returns and warranty claims are entirely between you and them.

Sewing machines are machines

Our troubleshooting and maintenance guides describe routine user tasks such as rethreading, changing a needle and brushing out lint. Always switch off and unplug a machine before working on it, follow your own machine's manual where it differs from anything here, and supervise children at all times.

Anything beyond routine user maintenance - timing, motor work, electrical faults - belongs with a qualified repairer. We say so on the pages where it comes up.

Liability

To the extent permitted by law, The First Buyer is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of this site or from a purchase you make after reading it. You are responsible for your own buying decisions, and for using any machine safely and in line with its manual.

Content and copyright

The text on this site is ours, and you may not republish it wholesale. Quoting a paragraph with a link back is welcome and always has been. Product names and trademarks belong to their owners, and we use them for identification only - no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Photography on this site is licensed stock imagery used illustratively. Where a photograph appears near a named machine it is a contextual image, not a photograph of that specific model, and it is never captioned as one.

External links

We link to manufacturer sites and retailers. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, their terms or their privacy practices.

Changes

We may update these terms. The date at the top changes when we do. Continued use of the site means you accept the current version.

Contact

Questions about these terms: contact@stitchstarter.com or the contact page.