Cheap Craft Supplies

By Candis Reade

Crafters and artisans all have something in common - finding the best supplies at the lowest cost to increase their profit margin. And divulging where they find those awesome bargains is like asking your great grandma to tell the world her secret recipe for pecan pie. Finding craft supplies at rock bottom prices is fairly simple if you know where and when to look.

The easiest place to start your hunt for cheap craft supplies is online. Head over to eBay (www.ebay.com) and do a search for, you guessed it, cheap craft supplies. The results may be hundreds of items up for auction or ready to purchase under a Buy It Now listing. Try looking for the specific craft item you need to get a narrowed down list of items. While a number of sellers on eBay are honest folks like you and me, some have less than desirable ratings leading some to steer clear of this venue.

So while you're still online, pop on over to Oriental Trading for a myriad of craft and craft items at very reasonable prices. Be amazed at the amount of kids' crafts that could make any child's next birthday party a smash hit. Need silk flowers for a wedding bouquet, or 3D embellishments for your scrap booking project? Oriental Trading has an abundance of items and is a hot spot for craft supply finds.

Another gold mine for cheap craft supplies is AllCraftSupplies.com, which has just about every craft item under the sun - even leathercraft and paper mache items that are not always easy to find in a brick and mortar store.

Then there are the local favorites: Michaels (michaels.com), A . C. Moore, Hobby Lobby, or Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts (joann.com) all waiting to dazzle visitors with in-store and online specials. Sign up with any of these businesses and receive email alerts inviting you to super secret online only sales events.

Before shopping online at any of your favorite craft stores, take a quick detour over to Ebates (ebates.com) and find out which stores it has partnered with that offers rebates on your purchases. While the rebate percentages are small - some only 2 or 3 percent, hey if you're going to shop at the particular store anyway, you might as well get the rebate.

There is also a funky place online called Etsy.com (pronounced like Betsy without the B), especially for crafters and artisans. It proclaims to be a showcase for everything homemade. Type in a search for "destash", which is crafter lingo for someone clearing out leftover supplies they no longer want and are selling cheap.

Now that you have a few examples of where to buy cheap craft supplies, the trick is also knowing when to buy. Weekly sales are, of course, the most popular time to buy those items that are...well, on sale. A number of sales circulars have coupons and some craft stores even accept competitors' coupons. End of season sales can mean up to 80% savings on some items.
Candis Reade is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

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