I received an email from Matt Jackering tonight. He is affiliated with Woodworkingparts.com. I have not used this site before so I jumped over to take a look. They feature mostly craft related woodworking supplies and tools. Everything from toy wheels to framing supplies.I get quite a few of these type of emails so I thought I would show you how I check these sites out before I use or recommend them.
I decided to check out the prices on some of the more often used items in my shop. I started with the 1 7/16" mini clock inserts. Prices ranged from $5.80 up to $10.75 with most under $6. Those are very competitive prices for glass lens inserts. Their prices on toy wheels are also very good. I always keep a supply of toy parts in the shop. As I looked through their catalog I was impressed with most of their prices.
I wanted to check out their shipping costs so I added 10 clock inserts and some sandpaper to the shopping cart. They had a button that allowed me to estimate shipping cost. To ship to my home in Kentucky from Wisconsin was going to be $6.53. Can't complain about that. They also offered 9 different shipping options ranging from cheap to "you got to want it real bad to pay that much" prices. I like having options even if some of them are not likely to ever be used. They also offer international shipping.
I also checked their Contact Us page to make sure they have a telephone number for contact. I hate sites that only allow email contact. Their number and mail address is all there.
Their return policy is pretty standard and is completely shared under their Store Policy page. They also have a privacy policy page that is sparse but acceptable to me personally. I am not one to be overly concerned with these things but I know some are.
At that point I wanted to see more about them as a business. I jumped over to Alexa.com and checked their traffic rank. They are ranked 641,223 in the US with 16 sites linking in. That's pretty respectable for a small online store.
I did a search of the BBB for WiseAcres Art LLC which is listed on their Contact Us page. They showed no reviews either positive or negative. That's usually a good sign from my observations. They have not received BBB accreditation but that's not unusual for a small business either. After a Google search for customer reviews of the site I found nothing negative. I also noticed they have items for sale at Amazon. I checked their feedback ratings there and they have a 98% positive rating with an average 4.9 out of 5 stars over the last 12 months.
After doing my research of Woodworkinhparts.com I would not personally have any hesitation ordering from them. This is not a recommendation because I have not yet placed an order and experienced their customer care. It just shows how I evaluate an online store.
Now for the good news. Matt was kind enough to set up a discount code for my readers. You will receive a 10% discount on orders placed from now through the end of November. Just enter "scrollsaw10" at checkout to receive your discount.
Thanks Matt for your generous discount offer.