Where & How to Buy
Online Art Supplies

Buying online art supplies is straightforward - but like a lot of items, there are pros and cons of acquiring your art materials this way...

Internet sales for buying online art supplies have exploded in the last few years. There are now many exclusively-online suppliers.

And many traditional art supply stores also know they have to have an online site nowadays.

The benefit to you is that you have the double advantage of visiting the store to 'look and feel', whilst coming home and making your mind up at leisure, surfing their site on the net.

But before you press the 'purchase' button and key in your credit card details, have a look at the following points to give you an independent 'for and against' picture:-

Benefits of Buying Online Art Supplies...

Prices are generally lower due to reduced staffing and warehousing costs.

You can compare different suppliers of the same type of items on a store website.

Compare the same item across two or more sites for price, delivery etc.

World-wide choice - not just on price, but maybe on specialist products not available nearer home.

Most online art supply stores are long established companies with a reputation to uphold, so security of your credit card details shouldn't be a problem.

Items in the online shopping basket that you decide not to buy? No problem. And no embarrassment with a checkout assistant either!

Most online sites have a description of each item, often including size, weight or other relevant details.

Better availability. The full range is at your fingertips, not what the local store happens to have in stock.

Check out items without feeling pressured to buy something.

Usually quick delivery to your door.

No special journey, parking or carrying home heavy or bulky items.

Online code for each item minimises the "...I think she asked me to get Daler Rowney, Raw Sienna Artists Quality Watercolor... or was it Sennelier, Rose Dore...?" uncertainty in the art supply store.

However, There May Be Downsides!

Online, you can't pick up and feel items to get a sense of whether they're right for you - or take them home to use there and then.

A knowledgeable art supply store assistant can be an enormous help - online, you have to rely on the quality of the site.

Make sure you stick to well-established stores... who provide secure credit card processing AND respect your privacy (see below).

Cost of Post & Packing can negate any online savings.

If you're browsing on a 'pay as you surf' tariff, this can run up hidden extras in purchasing online art supplies.

It's sometimes too easy to purchase at the click of a mouse button and you could end up with more impulse buys.

Despite the technology, it's still a van delivering art supplies to your door. Many carriers are good, but then there's some I can think of...

If you're not in when they call, will they leave the items where you specify, or do you have to make a special trip to the (sometimes, not so local) depot?

Many carriers don't deliver at night or weekends. Is this a problem for you?

What about returns. Do you have to re-pack the goods, despatch them and pay postage costs?

If wrong or damaged art supplies are delivered, how easy is it to get them replaced?

So there we have a few pointers to think about before you buy your online art supplies.

Like many people, I buy an ever-widening range of items online these days - and from all over the world.

Certainly, a good proportion of the art supplies I buy with confidence come from outside the UK. Touch wood, so far I've had no problems with delivery, quality or credit card fraud.

However, just as with buying anything on-line these days, always be careful not to give important personal details away like passwords etc. over the net. Legitimate art supplies firms won't want your password - just the normal card and start/expiry etc. numbers and dates.

Remember though, wherever you get your art supplies from, enjoy your painting!

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