Hi, everyone
I just want to let you guys & gals know that I have had some very positive experiences ordering fabric & quilting stuff online. I've ordered off of ebay, but I rely on the seller's reputation and feedback based on past customers. I ordered from bienlien designs on ebay and received a 10% discount on a future order. Thrilled with her service and the future discount!
I've ordered from Connecting Threads and was very pleased with the service and the products. I really like their thread.
QIAD is no surprise. I'm currently waiting on a box from them and hope it will be here this week. Only complaint is no tracking number unless I use an expensive mail option. I can wait. Maybe. :lol:
I also ordered from Hancock Fabrics online. Their main office is about an hour and a half from me, but the closest store was out of a fabric I wanted. I figured they'd stick in the mail via USPS. They used the FedEx/USPS option where FedEx picks it up, sends it from North MS to Memphis to Atlanta to Birmingham then in B'ham gives it to the USPS to deliver to my post office to me. Might have gotten it sooner had they just shoved it in a mail box. For the west coast people, the FedEx option would be quicker.
When I lived in the Sact'o area of California, I could mail a letter to my folks back in Alabama and it took two days for them to get the letter. They could mail one to me and it took 5 days or more. Never did figure out the difference.
I ordered some panels of snowflakes and quilt labels from a couple of shops online:
FabricLovers.Com
Prairie Rose Quilt Shop
I also ordered some Iris print fabric from one of the ladies here on the forum (Thanks, Jane).
A total positive experience. I know some people prefer to pick fabric when they can feel it. I'm inexperienced enough to think that if I like the fabric when I see a swatch, I'll eventually find a good use for it. Wish I could afford the $10 a yard stuff to piece with, but that isn't likely to happen anytime soon. So it's gotta be on sale, much as I might wish otherwise.
Anyway, I hope that posting my experiences with online purchases might help someone else who's thinking about doing so. I'm all for supporting your LQS, but since I don't have one (closest fabric shop is Hancock's and it's 60+ miles from me), I don't mind supporting reputable dealers online when I can.
Happy Quilting,
M&M