Stuller, will be happy to open any one a tools and metals account.
For other areas you will need the proper paperwork. If I can help you
know how to reach me
Andy " The Tool Guy" Kroungold
Tool Sales / Technical
Stuller Inc
Phone 800-877-7777 ext. 94194
Fax 337-262-7791
Kim,
I want some thing from someone...I call, give my cc number, and then I get it. I don't spend money that I have not made yet...do you mean that you need a line of credit?
Stuller requires you to set up a customer account with them before
you can place orders. The account has nothing to do with extending
credit (you can also apply for a credit account if you choose - I’ve
always found it easier to pay with a credit card when I order from
suppliers). They are true wholesalers, so this is simply so that they
can screen their customer base to ensure they’re selling to
legitimate businesses, not to Joe Schmo who wants to buy a ring
wholesale for his aunt Mary. It also screens out “hobbyist”
jewelry-makers in many cases. BUT, if you’re serious in this
business, there will be companies like Stuller who you will want to
do business with and it will be worth jumping through the hoops once
or twice to get the account established. Their pricing is good,
selection extensive, and quality is excellent, on everything ranging
from tools and findings to metals and mountings and stones.
They aren’t the ONLY company I buy from, by a long shot, but they do
represent a sizeable portion of my buying in any given year.
Karen Goeller
@Karen_Goeller
Hi Kim,
I think I am showing my "green" (newness), but, if it was me, will they allow you to order if you use your credit card?
Stuller and many, many other manufacturers try to do business with
other professional craftspeople, and will often require proof that
you actually have a business before they sell to you. IOW,
re-sellers get the wholesale price, but those goods are not
available to just anyone who calls them. This is done to protect the
retailer. For instance, you can’t call General Motors and order a
car, you have to go to the dealer.
The delaer gets the car at a wholesale price, you cannot. So, most of
those who manufacture products for the retail trade sell only to
those who are, and can prove they are, in retail. And an account is
the normal way that busines is done. At the end of the month, they
send you a bill for the things you have ordered and you pay them.
You said “I don’t spend money that I haven’t made yet.” Well, in
business, it is often necessary to spend money to make money. For
instance, in my case, I might buy a kilo of rough stone for $5,000,
and pay for it in thirty days or less (or right now) but not make my
profit until most of it has been cut and sold. That’s sort of how
most business works.
And, yes, volume orders usually can expect a discount. Note that some
suppliers are more lenient than others with their selling rules.
BTW, if you go to Tucson, unless you can not only prove you are a
retail store owner and have ordered goods to a certain level within
a certain time frame, there are some shows you will be barred from
entering. Same thinking; it protects those who have truly invested
in their business.
Good question.
Wayne Emery
The Gemcutter
Lunarcowgirl? I like the name!
I had the same problem with Stullar after buying from them for years.
Don’t feel too bad, I had an unfortunate experience with cancer and
stopped buying directly from them for about three years. Due to my
low cashflow, one of my accounts was kind enough to order for me when
I needed something ( my mistake in hindsight). They unfortunately
retired and…I was unable to re-establish myself quickly, like I
thought I might be able to do. Stullar also asked that I purchase
from someone else before asking again. They told me to fax two
invoices from other companies showing that I was purchasing for
resale some jewelry product. The problem was…their product was
what my customer wanted and I could not afford to make it as
inexpensively. Now I am left with the option of buying something that
I don’t have a customer for and wasting my money or hopefully finding
something from some other supplier that my (few) customers would
want. Not being a full bore stocking retailer this might take awhile.
In the meantime I am missing out on some sales. Stullar has a good
product and catalog presentation for the customer that doesn’t want a
custom (high priced) ring but they are making it dificult for the
small time craftsman/ retailer/designer person to do any business
with them. Short of fabricating a few invoices from other business
contacts there isn’t much you can do until you can match your
customer with a product that you can buy from some other vendor. I am
in the process of finding others to do business with and if I am
satisfied I will not buy from Stullar in the future. The conveinience
and familiarity is hard to beat although my recent experience has
left me a little sour. Perhaps someone can offer some sources for
both of us.
-charles
Hi Wayne:
You said "I don't spend money that I haven't made yet." Well, in business, it is often necessary to spend money to make money. For instance, in my case, I might buy a kilo of rough stone for $5,000, and pay for it in thirty days or less (or right now) but not make my profit until most of it has been cut and sold. That's sort of how most business works.
I very much agree, but I’m afraid I worded my post differently from
what I meant. I feel a business should always have a buffer held in
savings…just in case. Even I, as a small-time crafter, have what I
call a “special savings” account. What I meant to say was that I
don’t operate in the red. I agree with your point completely and
probably, when I am more established, will operate in the same way.
BTW, my special savings is about to come in very handy for my
upcoming classes with Kulicke. I knew I kept that money for a good
reason!
Best Regards,
Kim Starbard
A while back, James Gilbert at Stuller posted Stuller’s policies to
get an account (below).
I followed his instructions and got a response from another Stuller
person asking for more documentation, history, etc. When I forwarded
to her the Orchid post (and copied James Gilbert on it), magically I
had to do nothing else but provide a copy of my tax id certificate.
Hopefully, you too will get the same results by referencing (or
including) the following email from James Gilbert.
Good luck!
Elizabeth
These posts about Stuller crop up occasionally, and I am pretty sure
there is not one professional jeweler or repair person who does not
have an account with Stuller.
Because of their huge inventory, the overnight Fed Ex for $8, the
service, the knowledge of the people who take orders, the incredible
customer service, I can not live without them.
They have gone the extra mile time and time again. There has never
anything other than friendly and courtious service 100 % of the
time.
If you cannot get products for Stuller, in my not so humble opinion
it is that you are not serious about what you are doing. It is not
them, it is you. Andy the tool guy had offered intercession on some
level over and over to help resolve issues, and there is still what I
consider whining. Twenty years of literally weekly or bi-weekly
ordering is where I am coming from.
Any problem I had was resolved in my favor. When my wife had medical
problems and I got behind, explaining my situation, they spread my
payments over several months, AND KEPT SHIPPING !!! No company can
do more or better than that.
If you are legitimate and legal, there should be no problem.
Richard Hart
Hi:
Stuller and many, many other manufacturers try to do business with other professional craftspeople, and will often require proof that you actually have a business before they sell to you. IOW, re-sellers get the wholesale price, but those goods are not available to just anyone who calls them. This is done to protect the retailer.
Wow, I was showing my greenness. My apologies to the original poster
if I sounded like a bore. I had no idea
Actually, I don’t disagree with the fact that companies do this.
Even though I am not one of the businesses that “qualifies” as of
yet, I will be.
I did go to New York a while back and shopped for beads. My business
name that I shop under has recently changed and, because of this,
the woman could not find my file. When she told me I would get no
discount, I thought I had made the 2 and 1/2 hour train trip for
nothing. Luckily, the sales girl remembers me. It just means that,
next time I go, I bring copies of receipts, that’s all. I actually
appreciate the fact that they gave me a hard time. It means that they
won’t give the best prices to just everybody.
Thanks for setting me straight on that
Kim Starbard
I had the same problem with Stullar after buying from them for years. Don't feel too bad, I had an unfortunate experience with cancer and stopped buying directly from them for about three years.
I had the same problem…first cancer of my own and then terminal
illness of my daughter. Slowed my business down to accommodate my
health and then moved to a different state so I could be close to my
daughter and grandchildren to help her during her last days with us.
After being here for almost a year I called “Stullar” with an order
and was told, no you have to send two yadayahayada and then we can
re-establish your account. I’m thinking “Your kidding! Right?”.
Sour? Just a little, not only do I have to re-establish life now I
have to re-establish suppliers…No Thank you…I’ll buy from others
and recommend that others not use Stullar. I won’t make a dent in
their business but at this time in my life principle, fair trade, and
morals matter to me…
Char (Ms. Charolette’s established 20 years ago, but not
with Stullar any longer!!!)
There is a solutuon for some of you having problems ordering from
Stuller. If you know someone who has an account. If you call and
place an order with someone your know, and pay them with a credit
card, they can call Stuller and have it drop shipped to you. I would
do that for someone that I knew was legitmate.
And my experience of having an account with Stuller and closing it,
restarting several years later was not a problem for me, but that was
15 years ago, and maybe they are stricter now. I just gave them my
old account name and was given $500 credit limit.
Richard Hart
Hi, Here is my understanding of the situation: If you want to buy raw
materials from Stuller, it is easy to set up an account. All you need
is a credit card. However, because Stuller’s primary market is
individually-owned jewelry stores, they wish to protect those
store-owners’ interests by making it wholesale-only for finished
jewelry. Therefore, to get an account to buy rings, etc. one needs
to show that you are truly “in the business”. If you call and want to
buy only stones or metal, it should not be a problem; if the sales
person does not understand these rules, ask for a Steve McDiarmad.
Cynthia
The ‘hoops’ Stuller makes people jump through is often appreciated by
legitimate jewelery retailers. What’s the point of wholesale if
anyone can get it. Isn’t that what Tripps does? Although I would
argue there is no way their prices are wholesale. Don’t get me wrong,
I like tripps, just not for gold.
Craig
www.creativecutgems.com
the last couples of days i see about getting an account with Stuller.
Yes it is hard, we try tp protect you and the industry. we alot of
people and the policy in any company is always changing. you can get
a metals and tools account only. the goverment with the patroit act
needs you to fill forms. I Will say it again if you are having any
trouble e-mail me,or call i will Promise anything but i will try to
get the correct answer or the right Person to speak to, about the
accounts.
Richard
I don’t have a Stuller account, nor do I have the direct need to use
them. As you just posted maybe I am not serious in what I am doing,
correct?. In Toronto alone there are about 8 (eight) tool suppliers.
Plus another extra large tool supplier in Montreal, Quebec called
"Noble Tools". Of these, there are four tools shops all within a 10
minute walking distance of each other…Shipping is still not an
issue with many of them too…I personally don’t like to totally
depend upon one tool house.
For my students, I request a 10% discount on all of my needed tools,
if not, I just go elsewhere for them…
Gerry Lewy!
I asked for help and have received 3 emails from different people
and each asked for different criteria for opening an account. One
wants a W-9 form the other a copy of drivers liscense and passport
another copy of tax sales license.
So it comes down to Stuller departmental problem it’s own customer
service people what accounts they have and requirements, etc
I just want to buy metals and tools and findings not finished
jewelry so the hoops are not necessary. The identification is by law
necessary I don’t mind proving I am me and citizen of US.
I just don’t like that Stuller comes accrossed as confused. I also
don’t like that the is different in each e-mail.
Teri
Silver & Cameo Heritage Jewelry
www.corneliusspick.com
I feel sorry for those whose having trouble getting an open account
with Stuller, but the industry has to look out for itself or before
long we will have every Tom, Dick and Harry buying from Stuller and
every other supplier. Lets keep the garage/at home non tax paying
people out of being able to buy at the same price that we that pay
rent, insurance, overhead, etc do, until they make a true commitment
to the industry. Try to open an account in some other industry and
get supplies, it’s almost impossible unless you have a license or a
retail or wholesale operation set up and are doing business. The home
based hobbyist are just taking business from those of us who are
trying to make our living at it and doing it a a lesser price because
they have no overhead. To bad for them, but Good luck to those
honestly trying and are having trouble. Don’t give up.
The problem is this… You all say you want new people in the trade
and when someone is damned serious about it and scraping all they
have together to damn well learn silversmithing from scratch and
making jewelry and starving til they get enough stock to go to the
first show and open the storefront they meaning ME do not need an
officious pompous ass telling them it is them not Stuller. Maybe it
is Stuller maybe it is people like you there. All I know is that
most people I have had contact with in this trade have been wonderful
and thankfully very generous with their knowledge and time.
So right I am not a ‘professional’ I don’t buy precalibrated stones
and plop them into pre-made settings and buy ready made jewelry and
make 400k a year but by damn I AM A JEWELER. and if this is Whining
then too bad at least I got that lump off my chest.
Teri Davis
Cornelius’s Pick
Silver & Cameo Heritage Jewelry
www.corneliusspick.com
In reading this thread in combination with the Ain’t No Biz thread,
I find it astonishing that Stuller can afford to turn away business.
I also find it astonishing that people would want to do business with
a company that makes it so difficult to do business with them.
And the folks who say that hobbyist-level “garage jewelers” steal
business from those who have “legitimate business-grade overhead” by
getting price breaks similar to what Stuller offers them, astonish me
also. How in the world can that hobbyist in the garage begin to
compete with the resources available to those jewelers who have all
of that overhead? Along with that overhead comes volume, marketing,
advertising, exposure - all of which give the professional jeweler a
huge advantage. Compared to what - a bigger margin on the price of a
single piece of jewelry that the garage jeweler can make in the same
time it takes a professional jeweler to make - how many? - while
simultaneously having the means to find the customers to sell to,
and the inventory available for add-on sales? I’m sorry, this just
does not compute. (Quotation marks are mine.)
Can anybody make a convincing argument that having a Stuller account
is the one thing a jeweler must have in order to be successful? Why
give one company that much power?
Linda
Yes, all, it is difficult to get a Stuller account. When I bought my
now deceased trade shop, it was largely by virtue of the prior
owner’s (and my prior employer) relationship that I was able to get
my account, which I have been careful to keep active in the years
since. Having done years of trade repair work, it became obvious to
me that Stuller was both a blessing and a demon. A blessing for the
large inventory of EVERYTHING, readily available, quickly delivered.
Rarely do I need to look elsewhere for the stuff I use in day to day
repairs. I can be sure of quality and fair pricing, and am anxious to
try out some of the new metals when my current ‘reinventing myself’
phase is completed this summer. The demon side came in when every one
of my trade customers could by the same parts at the same prices I
could. They no longer needed me for anything but labor. I had long
been able to keep my labor prices down by using profit (low, but
nonetheless profit) to augment the overall picture. Now they would
buy their own parts, send them along, and expect me to NOT raise my
labor costs to compensate. Foolish thinking on my part, perhaps, but
it still managed to sink that ship.
My feeling on the difficulty getting an account? Keep it up, guys.
Just imagine if every retail customer got wise to the fact that they
could go to the Stuller web site and buy those mountings for the same
price we could. Never mind the difficulties of trying to work with
stones that don’t fit right and stuff. Those bargain hunting
customers have little respect for our expertise, or at least place
little monetary value on it.
Rio, on the other hand, sells to everyone. How do I buy from them at
retail costs and have room to mark it up. Fewer and fewer customers
fall into that wonderful category of ignorance that let us have
‘blind items’ in the past. More and more know exactly what stuff
costs. Lets keep a few wholesale only suppliers so that we can
continue to get materials at wholesale and make a living.
The home based hobbyist are just taking business from those of us who are trying to make our living at it and doing it a a lesser price because they have no overhead. To bad for them, but Good luck to those honestly trying and are having trouble. Don't give up.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work this way. Wishing that the home-based
business will disappear will not make it so. Business is
competitive. If there are those out there that have figured out how
to operate effectively and bring home more pay by not having a high
overhead, then good for them…bad for you. If they truly are taking
business away from “legitimate” businesses…like yourself…it’s
time for you to dust off your business plan and mark it up with the
red pen.
People will not change for you. If it’s not going well, you have to
find a way to change yourself.
Kim Starbard