You see all of these wonderful beading patterns on the internet. You’re all excited and can’t wait to make the project yourself! Then, you realize that you don’t have the supplies to complete the project. So, what now?
Of course, your next step is to buy the beads. There are plenty of places to go bead shopping. You can try your local bead or craft store but what if the store doesn’t have what you want? Do you just give up on your beading dreams?
No! You shop online.
Okay, okay. Steady those shaky hands. The drama is over. You do get my point though. Sometimes, it’s difficult to find all the supplies you want or need locally especially if you live on a small island like I do. Shopping online can be a great option. I’m going to share a few places where you can find great quality beading supplies online and satisfy your bead cravings.
Shop At These Online Bead Stores
Potomac Bead Company
Not only can you visit one of the Potomac Bead Company’s (PBC) physical bead stores, you can also check out their online shop. They have a wonderful array of supplies and usually have the latest bead shapes in stock so you can keep up with the newest beading trends.
What attracted me to them in particular is their reasonably priced flat rate shipping. This is very important to me as someone who is shipping internationally. (Sometimes international shipping costs more than the item(s) I want to purchase and then I have to pay duties and taxes on top of shipping!) PBC offers free shipping for orders $75+ being shipped within the U.S. and Canada and for orders $150+ going worldwide. Shipping—within the U.S. and Canada—for all other orders, costs $2.99 and $9.99 for international shipping.
If you need inspiration for new beading projects, you can certainly check out PBCs YouTube channel. They frequently add beading tutorials and product spotlight videos that keep you informed of new supplies on the market.
I wrote a blog post about my 5 Favourite Beading Tutorial Sources and PBC was on that list along with another post about beading patterns that use Arcos Par Puca beads.
Red Panda Beads
I initially learned about Red Panda Beads through Deborah Roberti’s website. They ship to many countries worldwide and offer free shipping within the U.S. for orders $30+.
This business offers some great rewards for shopping with them. First, you can receive two free Starman beading patterns of your choice with each order. Simply select the patterns you would like during the checkout process.
You can also select free patterns from their website without purchasing other supplies. Companies such as All Beads CZ, BeadMaster and Beadsmith provide bead shops with free patterns to encourage customers to buy their products. You can take advantage of this deal.
Secondly, you accumulate rewards points every time you shop. After you have accumulated 200 points, you can redeem them. As I understand it, 200 points is equivalent to $10.
Beadaholique
I know of Beadaholique through their YouTube channel. When I first started making jewelry, I constantly watched their tutorials to improve my skills. Over the years, I haven’t followed their channel as closely, only because they provide tutorials in a wide variety of techniques including working with leather and wire. I’m a bead-weaving girl at heart so I usually just check every once in a while and binge watch their bead-weaving tutorials. If you enjoy experimenting with various jewelry-making techniques, then their channel may be for you.
Their online shop is quite nice and they offer shipping to a number of countries worldwide. In addition to jewelry-making supplies, they sell beading kits. The colour combinations are usually quite nice and they come complete with all the instructions and materials you need.
Beadaholique also has a customer loyalty program on their website. It’s called Beader’s Rewards. When you spend $1, you receive 2 points and for every $50 order, you collect a bonus 250 points. One hundred points earns you $1 to spend.
There are tons more online stores where you can get your bead fix. The shops that I mentioned are in no particular order and I have not been sponsored by the companies in any way.
Have you ever shopped with any of these three stores? Tell me in the comments below.
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