Massive Shipping Charges

Jerry’s Artarama

When I fall into a new hobby, I tend to fall hard. It doesn’t take long before I have tons and tons of supplies bursting out of boxes and bags and screaming for a proper organized home. Ceramics is my most recent obsession. In less than a year I’ve filled a large tackle box with underglaze and glazes and a Quaker Oatmeal canister with a few dozen brushes. I needed a brush holder (or two — or maybe three) to organize and protect my brushes. I had seen rolled style brush case at a local craft store, but they closed and none of the other craft stores near me had any. I found many box brush holders, but they are bulky and I wanted something compact.

As despair began to set in, I did what any 21st century modern woman would do; I turned to Ebay, and there I found a rolled bamboo brush holder that was perfect! I liked that it was made of bamboo because air could circulate and allow the brushes to dry properly. The price was reasonable, but when I added in the shipping charges, well — it just made no sense. Being the crafty sort of woman that I am, I decided that I could probably buy discounted bamboo place mats and some cheap fabric, and make brush holders myself. Then I started to search the web for deals on bamboo place mats, and in my wild froogling, I stumbled across Jerry’s Artarama.

As a serious Arts and Crafts type, I scoffed at the name "Jerry’s Artarama". (Don’t ask how a serious arts and crafts type carried her brushes in an oatmeal canister for a year.) Dorky name aside, when I did my product search I found the bamboo brush holders that I wanted on sale at "Artarama" for just $3.99 each! I couldn’t possibly make them myself for that price, so I decided to give them a try.

Ordering at Jerry’s was easy. Products are nicely arranged by broad categories. You can also browse by brand names within categories. I found it very easy to navigate the site. The assortment is fairly extensive and pricing is attractive. My only complaint with the site is the shipping charges. My two brush holders cost me only $7.98, weighed less than half a pound, and were as big as a rolled-up place mat. The least-expensive shipping option for this small, very light package was a whopping $8.95. I almost did not place the order. However, I could not have made the brush holders myself for less than $20.00, so I grit my teeth and hit the order button.

I’m glad I did. The brush holders are well made and are exactly what I wanted. The customer service that I received on-line was very good. I received an e-mail confirmation when I placed my order, another e-mail two days later when my order was released for shipment, and a final e-mail with the tracking number when my order was actually shipped. My brush holders arrived well packed within a week, even though I placed my order just before Christmas.

I would consider using Jerry’s Artarama again; however, I would limit my orders to more expensive items to keep the shipping charges in line. If they lowered their shipping charges (and changed their name to something more dignified) I’d give them four stars, but because of the high shipping charges, I rate Jerry’s a solid 3 stars, and I would recommend them for art supplies.

–D. Igo