Closer to home

Images borrowed from www.beadfx.com

I must have gone through twenty different websites in search of reasonably priced Bali-style silver. There are plenty of online shops around - and plenty is what I need! I seem to have exhausted all the basic necessities from daisy spacers to earwires and headpins to bead caps. I desperately need to find a shop which isn't going to take me to the cleaners.

First I thought about using one of online jewelry supply stores in US, but their stock was either out, limited or expensive. Plus I wanted to order other beading supplies from these shops too. After five different attempts to fill out an balanced shopping cart I give up. My order is either too limited or too expensive. Taking the order over €50 will often incur additional costs - money in taxman's pocket you see. This clearly wasn't going work.

My bookmarks soon guide me into an Asian silver bead heaven with an enormous collection, and bead prices to die for. Click for daisy spacers, click click for beads caps, click click click....small print at the bottom suddenly yanked me away from bead heaven. 'Minimum order US$75'. Damn it! How could I have forgotten it? Tiny voice in my head says that I can easily find 75 dollars worth of silver. 'Paying tax on it won't so bad', it whispers. Click, click, click....the shopping cart fills with reasonably priced silver and I am reaching for my credit card. Card number, expiry date, billing address, shipping cost...momentary bead craziness has softened my brain enough to selectively forget the whopping shipping cost from Asia to Europe. Add another 25 dollars to the bill and you will get your goodies. I feel like banging my head against the wall.

My wrist aches, my eyes burn and I feel defeated. Should I just bite the bullet and accept the additional costs? Travel to Bali with an empty suitcase or revise my shopping list? Perhaps, but not today. Today I will write a letter to someone I haven't spoken to a while.

Dear Santa, this Christmas I would like someone to open online shop with following magic incredients;

1) versatile, well stocked collection of Bali silver
2) reasonable prices
3) shop firmly grounded within EU for tax purposes
4) no minimum order
5) and some decent shipping costs!

As I seal my letter to Santa, I wonder if I am the only one with this wish?