Craft Shops
Sep. 13th, 2012 05:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kerravonsenI'm not sure how interested folks will be, but I thought I'd give a bit of an overview of some of my favourite online craft shops. Maybe only vilakins will be interested, because she likes craft and at least lives near Australia, unlike other folks on my flist who like craft and live in the USA or UK.
There's no one perfect shop; they all have their pros and cons, things that they have or do that others don't, or at better prices, or with quicker turnaround, and so on.
Empire Beads Australia
http://www.empirebeads.com.au/
Cheap beads, in bulk. No point in buying from them unless one is serious about beading, because they don't sell in small lots. But they do have very good prices, and unbelievably good prices when they have a sale on. They have a good range of Czech beads and Indian beads, as well as an okay selection of semi-precious beads, and the usual array of stringing supplies and findings and charms.
They're based in Hong Kong, so one has to pay higher postage and it does take longer to arrive. Sometimes the parcel can be held up in customs, but that's only happened to me once.
Australian Craft Supplies
http://craft.ontheinternet.com.au/
Don't have a particularly large range of beads, but they do have reasonably good prices (again, they don't have small lots, but they don't require one to buy as much as Empire Beads does).
What they do have is a great array of tools. More kinds of jewellery pliers and cutters than you can shake a stick at, plus other interesting things like coiling gizmos and anvils etc.
Also a good place to get jump-rings and similar findings, and charms.
Based in NSW, so the stuff does arrive in Victoria reasonably fast.
Eureka! Beads Australia
http://www.eurekabeads.com.au/
Good range of beads, sold by the strand. Reasonably good prices, and they do offer discounts for getting large lots (e.g. ten strands of one particular bead would be half price). Good to go to when they have a sale, since sales usually give you the "bulk" price for less than bulk quantities. They have a good range of findings and clasps. Their range of semi-precious beads is good too.
Based in Victoria, so these folk get their stuff to me quickest.
Selonj Beads
http://www.selonjbeads.com.au/
These folk sell by the bead rather than by the strand; their prices are into the "boutique" bead range. But they're good to go to when they have a sale on. They have a reasonable range of beads, findings etc.
Where these guys stand out is in their service. Rather than just not sending you stuff if they're out of stock (which is more likely to happen with sales, too) they ring you up and ask you what you'd like instead of the out-of-stock item(s). That impresses me.
Based in South Australia, and they usually send express, so they are also quick to arrive.
Crochet Australia
http://www.crochetaustralia.com.au/
Crochet tends to be a poor sister to knitting, so it's nice to find a place that's focused on crochet. They have a lovely large range of crochet hooks and crochet cotton. They aren't cheaper than elsewhere, but it's nice to find this stuff in one spot.
Ecoyarns
http://ecoyarns.com.au/
This isn't really somewhere to buy yarn from, because it's really expensive, but the stuff they have is so beautiful and exotic. I don't just mean the organic wool, hand-dyed silk and the Peruvian handspun naturally-green cotton, and the less-usual bamboo and alpaca, but really exotic things like llama, camel, bison... not to mention their fibres (roving) which are made of really amazing things like soy and corn and chitin and carbon as well as the usual wool and cotton (and alpaca, bamboo and silk).
I just think the place is cool. And sometimes I indulge and buy stuff when they have a sale.
vilakins will be interested, because she likes craft and at least lives near Australia, unlike other folks on my flist who like craft and live in the USA or UK.There's no one perfect shop; they all have their pros and cons, things that they have or do that others don't, or at better prices, or with quicker turnaround, and so on.
Empire Beads Australia
http://www.empirebeads.com.au/
Cheap beads, in bulk. No point in buying from them unless one is serious about beading, because they don't sell in small lots. But they do have very good prices, and unbelievably good prices when they have a sale on. They have a good range of Czech beads and Indian beads, as well as an okay selection of semi-precious beads, and the usual array of stringing supplies and findings and charms.
They're based in Hong Kong, so one has to pay higher postage and it does take longer to arrive. Sometimes the parcel can be held up in customs, but that's only happened to me once.
Australian Craft Supplies
http://craft.ontheinternet.com.au/
Don't have a particularly large range of beads, but they do have reasonably good prices (again, they don't have small lots, but they don't require one to buy as much as Empire Beads does).
What they do have is a great array of tools. More kinds of jewellery pliers and cutters than you can shake a stick at, plus other interesting things like coiling gizmos and anvils etc.
Also a good place to get jump-rings and similar findings, and charms.
Based in NSW, so the stuff does arrive in Victoria reasonably fast.
Eureka! Beads Australia
http://www.eurekabeads.com.au/
Good range of beads, sold by the strand. Reasonably good prices, and they do offer discounts for getting large lots (e.g. ten strands of one particular bead would be half price). Good to go to when they have a sale, since sales usually give you the "bulk" price for less than bulk quantities. They have a good range of findings and clasps. Their range of semi-precious beads is good too.
Based in Victoria, so these folk get their stuff to me quickest.
Selonj Beads
http://www.selonjbeads.com.au/
These folk sell by the bead rather than by the strand; their prices are into the "boutique" bead range. But they're good to go to when they have a sale on. They have a reasonable range of beads, findings etc.
Where these guys stand out is in their service. Rather than just not sending you stuff if they're out of stock (which is more likely to happen with sales, too) they ring you up and ask you what you'd like instead of the out-of-stock item(s). That impresses me.
Based in South Australia, and they usually send express, so they are also quick to arrive.
Crochet Australia
http://www.crochetaustralia.com.au/
Crochet tends to be a poor sister to knitting, so it's nice to find a place that's focused on crochet. They have a lovely large range of crochet hooks and crochet cotton. They aren't cheaper than elsewhere, but it's nice to find this stuff in one spot.
Ecoyarns
http://ecoyarns.com.au/
This isn't really somewhere to buy yarn from, because it's really expensive, but the stuff they have is so beautiful and exotic. I don't just mean the organic wool, hand-dyed silk and the Peruvian handspun naturally-green cotton, and the less-usual bamboo and alpaca, but really exotic things like llama, camel, bison... not to mention their fibres (roving) which are made of really amazing things like soy and corn and chitin and carbon as well as the usual wool and cotton (and alpaca, bamboo and silk).
I just think the place is cool. And sometimes I indulge and buy stuff when they have a sale.
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no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 08:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 08:50 am (UTC)I don't like paying the "boutique" bead prices that most bead/craft places have for beads, not when I can get them cheaper.
There was a great good-priced place for beads in the city, Maria George, but it moved, and I haven't been able to find where it moved to.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 10:24 am (UTC)Evil.
tempting.
Wicked... ohhh shiny. Shiny things. Shiny, shiny things and nice yards and ...
*disappears and isn't seen again for quite some time*
no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 10:31 am (UTC)Very very shiny things.
But I thought you weren't interested in beads? Or is it the yarn at Ecoyarns that has sucked you in to its orbit?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 11:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-13 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-14 03:48 am (UTC)