Tigertail? and shock.

[debsjeans]

OMG I can't believe how much I spent on tigertail at a bead shop seeing how much it is online. Their mark up must be unbelievable. I got 100m of 7 strand light blue for 10 pounds. Not sure what the dia was though it fits through my seed beads. Will the 7strand .45mm fit through seed beads?

[helenvictoria]

i would have thought so, that is so expensive!! I find that ebay is the best place to go for tigertail.

[cupcake]

ouch! Make sure you factor the cost in when you sell the jewellery you make with it.

[cupcake]

Which bead shop did you go to?

[debsjeans]

Bijoux in Salisbury

[BeadsbyLili]

Bijoux in Salisbury

Would imagine their overheads are quite high... hence the mark up...

[debsjeans]

I am sure they must be they were charging 50p a meter so being new to making jewelery I thought I was getting an excellent deal at 100m for a tenner.It is a lovely store to look around but I can see how people spend a fortune in bead stores.

Salisbury was a stop we could have done without that day as hubby had his wallet lifted and lost 100 pounds. Silly man putting it in his back pocket which he doesn't normally do.

[Selina]

Welcome to rip off Britain!!! I have spent a small fortune on beads and findings in the last week here in Florida and its so cheap its silly!!! I have bought reels of Tigertail (40ft long) and they cost me $1.97 each. In one shop I bought a bag of 3000 silver plated small spacer beads for $4.99, good job I'm allowed 2 suitcases to come home with and hubby is allowed 2 as well, I think I might need them! Selina

[crafty-clarie]

Hi Selina, Happy new year.

Next time you go I'm sending an order!!!!!!!

lol Claire x

ps. I love Bijoux beads catalogue but I do find them quite pricey - although they have a lot of unusual stuff.

[debsjeans]

Yeah it was nice to walk around and look at their lovely items.

[cupcake]

Oh no to hubby being pickpocketed, that's awful. I've never been to a bead shop out of London, I don't get out much!

Selina, I'm envious of your US shopping spree, I love shopping in America for anything, and now I'm a beadaholic I neeeeeed to get over there to shop! I've heard Tucson in February is the THE place to be, sadly I can't justify the plane fare.

[Pebbles]

you will find that most things, if bought in small quantities are marked up a fair bit. If you can afford the initial outlay, I would buy in bulk.

Are you using tiger-tail branded "tiger tail" or generic stuff?

There are many different brands and many different types, so shop around and try a few until you find one you like.

[Ger]

I can see it from both sides of the fence I sell jewellery making supplies in my store and unfortunatly unless you can afford to buy in bulk from overseas you are stuck with no option but to buy from suppliers in the UK and while many things are quite reasonable trade price wise Tigertail is something that isn't for some reason, and like BeadsbyLili said overheads are shocking, I have only been in business for 6 mths now and there is no way I could compete with internet prices!

[glasgowmike]

Welcome to rip off Britain!!! I have spent a small fortune on beads and findings in the last week here in Florida and its so cheap its silly!!! I have bought reels of Tigertail (40ft long) and they cost me $1.97 each. In one shop I bought a bag of 3000 silver plated small spacer beads for $4.99, good job I'm allowed 2 suitcases to come home with and hubby is allowed 2 as well, I think I might need them! Selina

As a new bead shop owner, i've struggled with the fact that things are so much cheaper in the USA. However, there are different tax structures there and supply and demand is even more different. The US has 1000's of Hobbycraft styled stores whereas the UK has 20+. More demand drives lower costs, more products, more shops, which is a cycle that helps drive prices down. Many of suppliers are also from the US (Acculon Tigertail is a USA based supplier) and this means delivery and possibly manufacturing are local. We import most stuff, pay VAT, high rates/overheads due to economic differences, etc. So it is true that things can be acquired more cheaply in the US but there are reasons.

That being said, £10 for 100ft is high! I think £7 is reasonable for a retail shop (internet is different due to overheads and they get you on shipping).