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since my great local store is closing, I am going to have to learn the ins and outs of online shopping. What stores do you recommend and which do you NOT recommend? I already know about avoiding PTI and SimonSaysStamp (?)
but which are good?
I actually haven't had any problems with PTI or SimonSaysStamp and still purchase from both. My addiction is the deal of the day sites like Molly's Square, Flowers To Flourishes, Scrappin Deals n Steals, ScrapAce and weekly deals at StampinScrappin. CropStop, Cut@Home, Amazon, ConsumerCrafts, Scrappy Land all have excellent deals. Even Joanns and Hobby Lobby have shipping specials quite often. KitchenSinkStamps you won't find any place but on their site. Gina K has some Fabulous stamps as do the the SCS sponsors. Have fun shopping! I's half the fun of nailing your fabulous find!
I have never had any problems with Simon Says Stamp and I have shopped with them for years. Another great place is Creative Play Stamps... they have awesome service too.
GinaK is another great place to shop. I have only placed a couple of orders from her, but the customer service is outstanding. I do mostly Joann's or Michael's, but I have done Simon Says thru their Ebay site. I only ordered once from PTI, and my order was fine, but it was before all the problems began. Now,...I won't take that chance. I'd stay away from that one.
I've had great orders from Unity Stamps, The Greeting Farm, and Scor-Pal, and Clear Bags for envelopes. Not to mention ordering online all the time from my Stampin Up! Demo and Joann's from time to time.
I have had good experiences with Verve, Wplus9, MFT and There She Goes... oh and Oozak is awesome. If you dont have a local SU consultant, you could always find one online. I have stamping friends that love Lil'Inkers, Lawn Fawn, Market Street and Clear and Simple stamps. I have not ordered from them but I have only heard good things.
PTI...you roll the dice when you get involved with that company. I have exeprienced the good and the ugly with them. I am going to leave it at that.
About 90% of my craft purchases are PTI and I have never had any problems, get my orders within 4-7 days depending on if I order around release time. I have also ordered from MFT, Simon Says Stamp, 7 Kids College Fund and Ellen Huston and have been happy with the service and shipping times. I have also ordered from Gina K a few times, but each time I have ordered they take about 7-10 days to get to me.
since my great local store is closing, I am going to have to learn the ins and outs of online shopping. What stores do you recommend and which do you NOT recommend? I already know about avoiding PTI and SimonSaysStamp (?)
but which are good?
If you don't already have a PayPal account, I highly recommend you get one. It makes online shopping much easier. I have my bank account linked there, and also a credit card if I want to use it instead.
I would much rather deal with PayPal than have my credit card numbers around the internet on so many different stamping sites. I only use my credit card if they don't accept PayPal.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
For ATG tape refills (I buy in bulk): 3MATGTape
If this is all you're buying, you might try asking them to put it in a USPS flat-rate box so shipping would only be $5 or $6 instead of $8 (for UPS).
Edited to add:
If you want to avoid tax, you might want to avoid online shops that are located in your state. If you have no problem with paying a little additional bit and support local businesses, then it wouldn't be an issue.
Last edited by SophieLaFontaine; 08-13-2012 at 12:30 PM..
Oooh!! I forgot! Don't forget about Amazon and Overstock!! I regularly check there for stamps in general as well!! On Amazon, some things qualify for free shipping. And if you are patient, sometimes Overstock advertises free shipping too, or shipping for $1 or $2. Sometimes if there's something I want from Overstock, I put myself on their email list so I don't have to keep checking back for free shipping.
Oooh!! I forgot! Don't forget about Amazon and Overstock!! I regularly check there for stamps in general as well!! On Amazon, some things qualify for free shipping. And if you are patient, sometimes Overstock advertises free shipping too, or shipping for $1 or $2. Sometimes if there's something I want from Overstock, I put myself on their email list so I don't have to keep checking back for free shipping.
I agree about those two. Especially Overstock - I've picked up some great stamp sets, Penny Black, etc. there for a very reasonable sale price + got them on a free shipping weekend.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Can I put a shout-out for all the great stampers here who sell their used stamps in the buy/sell/trade forum? I have been the happy customer of many of them and have never been disappointed.
Most of my online stamp shopping happens through SU!, but being omnivorous I have also ordered from MFT, Stampington (LOVE their stuff!), Lost Coast, 1-2-3- Stitch, Impression Obsession, PTI (one order, luckily no issues), and Nature's Blessings. Sooooo many great places to order from out there; every time I go looking for stamps online I get in trouble and find more 'must-haves'....
I have actually had excellent luck shopping online direct from stamp mfg companies (every one of them I have tried)...
both in the US and outside of it. ( which is sometimes scary ) but, I think if you come across some store and your are not sure or have not heard a recommendation for them ask... chances are very high some of us have spent money with them already.
<---- says she who orders a lot online because of lack of physical stores nearby.
(and I do the same thing bugga does with pay-pal. if you don't want it connected to your main checkbook you can always open an shopping online savings or something at your real life bank and just hook that to the pay-pal and transfer your spending money to it)
I think its a good idea to know what something is worth to you ahead of time also. because, sooner or later someone will point you towards ebay and the second hand market and you read about people getting all caught up in the moment of "winning" some auction and paying too much for something. (or not noticing the crazy shipping costs some sellers will ask)
but, I think for brand new things you just may want to get on the email list of your favorite places ( they will send you coupons or tell you when there is a special sale)
I would second the poster who says to get a Paypal account- you are much better protected re the purchases, and you don't have to give your card info to anyone. I also have never had a problem with Simon says Stamp, and I am in the UK. Also,I am going to say E-bay- millions of bargains to be had there, and it also uses Paypal, so you are double protected. JBGreendawn made a great point here, ALWAYS look at the shipping costs, some things are sold for peanuts, but the price made up with shipping. Not always, but sometimes. I actually work with someone who bought some designer dresses for a fraction of their retail value. She didn't look at the shipping(!) and paid �85 EACH to have them shipped, and she bought 4 dresses!!! I do almost all my craft shopping online, as there is not a good craft store near to me, I don't drive, and it would be a couple of hours drive to a large store for my Beloved Husband. I like the ability to find exactly what I want anytime of the day or night. I can sit and shop in comfort with a cup of coffee, and most people I find ship really quickly, even from overseas. If you haven't heard of some store, or can't get any feedback from on here about them, I'd say try one small purchase- if they ship fast then you know they are ok for a bigger purchase.
Another thing is always check out returns policy BEFORE you buy- the only issue with online shopping is you haven't got the product to see/touch etc before you purchase. What you see on the screen doesn't always match up with what you thought it would be like.This can be especially true with colours, all monitor resolutions are different, so if you are ordering say coloured card, just order one sheet to be sure first( some companies quite willingly recognise this and will send you a sample piece just for the postage, or even free of charge).
I have ordered from Lili of the Valley Stamps, Whippersnapper Designs, Market Street Stamps, love all of their stamps and the stamps are always sent quickly.
Dianne..thanks for mentioning my site. I sincerely appreciate it!
blessings.
I have bought from both of these sites. Crafty Secrets is one of my favourite stamp companies. And recently I have bought clear envelopes from Amber Shaw. Great shopping experiences!!
Frantic Stamper has so many papers, stamps, buttons, etc - you name it! It is my go- to online store. It's already so busy I'm reluctant to share the name! Fabulous service and variety of goodies!
online shopping
