Where to Find Good Deals on Polymer Clay
Used to be, we could count on Michaels to put all their polymer clay on sale pretty regularly. Every few months, we'd all stock up on our favorite brands for just 99 cents a block. Unfortunately, the last few times they've only put Sculpey III on sale. If your stockpiles have gotten low while you've been waiting for the next sale on the "good stuff," here are a few options for finding good prices:
Local Stores
Depending on which other stores you have nearby, you may still be able to find a good deal locally. Hobby Lobby and Joann's still have 99 cent and percent off sales on all brands. Watch their websites or sign up for their email lists to get notified of sales.If things get really desperate, you could always use the weekly 40% off coupons to buy one block at a time. It's not the quickest way to stock up, but if you're stubborn like me, it beats paying full price!
Online Stores
There are plenty of choices for buying clay online... only problem is that shipping can be expensive. Still, it can be a good option, especially if you prefer the larger blocks of clay, which aren't generally available in local stores.Here are some prices from a few online stores:
| Store | Premo (sm / lg) | Fimo (sm / lg) | Kato (sm / lg) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Craftworks | $1.75 / 11.75 | 2.00 / 7.50 | Shipping via USPS Priority mail: actual cost + $3.95 handling fee. | |
| Polymer Clay Express | $2.00 / 14.00 | 2.00 / 10.00 | 2.00 / 9.00 | Shipping via UPS and USPS: minimum charge of $4.95, plus additional amount based on weight. |
| The Clay Alley | $2.00 / 12.00 | - / 8.50 | Minimum Order is $10.00 before shipping. Shipping via Priority Mail: minimum charge of $4.60; flat rate shipping on most orders of either $6.75 or $13.00 depending on box. | |
| Dick Blick | $2.29 / 11.57 | 2.57 / 9.99 | Shipping via FedEx. Costs $8.95 for orders up to $159.99. | |
| Munro Crafts | $2.75 / 20.50 | 3.15 / 15.75 | 2.39 / 10.19 | Minimum order of $25. Discounts on larger orders (25% off orders $50-100; 40% off over $100; 50% off over $200). Shipping via UPS or USPS Priority Mail. No shipping estimates available on site. |
| CreateForLess | $2.99 / 14.99 | 3.29 / - | Offers discount prices for buying in bulk (e.g., if you buy 5+ packages of Premo clay, you get a cheaper per package price) Shipping via FedEx or USPS, based on order total. (Starts at $4.95 for orders up to $14.99.) | |
| Hobby Lobby | $2.47 / - | 2.37 / - | 1.99 / 8.99 | Shipping via UPS Ground or USPS, based on order total. (Starts at $5.95 for orders up to $15.00.) Often advertises shipping specials. |
| Polymer Clay Superstore | $2.29 / 12.99 | Shipping via UPS or USPS, with estimates available at checkout. | ||
| Creative Wholesale | $1.54 / 11.53 | Shipping via UPS, based on order weight. (Shipping charges shown at checkout time.) Additional discounts may apply for case/multiple case orders (see wholesale pricing terms for details). |
Some of the minimum orders may be easier to reach if you can go in together with a clay buddy. If you've got a local clay guild, it's not that hard to reach the $200 order Munro requires for 50% off. And splitting shipping with a friend or two makes it cheaper for everybody.
Ebay may also be an option, with clay often listed for $1/block. Keep an eye out for clay lots, too. You could get a good deal if someone decides clay's not for them.
Bonus Tip: Whether you're stocking up on the sale price at a local store, or making a bulk order online, it's always useful to take inventory first. I like to keep a couple of blocks of the colors I use regularly — more for colors like black, white & silver. So I print off a sheet that lists all my regular colors, then go through my clay box to see which ones I'm low on. Helps when I get to the store — that way I don't end up buying even more Alizarin Crimson Hue when I've already got too many blocks at home.
Got another good place to buy cheap clay? Please leave a comment!
Comments
I think my last order from Munro was about 45 pounds, it came UPS and was only $15 for shipping. They will use USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes, too.
Posted by: Barbara Forbes-Lyons | April 24, 2009 9:41 AM
Ebay can be a great source for clay, but be very careful. Some people put clay that is rock hard, and unusable. I had this happen to me once, and it was not pretty.
If you are a Kato Clay fan The Clay Station on Ebay ( http://stores.ebay.com/The-Clay-Station-Store )can be a good source. What sticks out about her store to me is how she combines shipping in Priority Mail Envelops or boxes. She may charge a bit more then what is posted above, but I have done the math once before, and it worked out much cheaper. Here are her shipping policies if anyone is interested.
Shipping for additional 12.5 ounce and/or 2 ounce bars will be as follows:
USPS Priority Mail:
Flat Rate Envelope:
Up to 6 - 12.5 oz Bars
Or 44 - 2 oz Bars
Or a combination of 2 ounce and 12.5 ounce bars, substitute 6 - 2 ounce bars for 1 - 12.5 ounce bar.
Above 6 - 12.5 ounce bars or 44 - 2 ounce bars:
USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes will be used and are $9.85.
And Kato Clay is 2oz - $1.99
12.5 - $7.95
Posted by: Krista | April 24, 2009 10:48 AM
Barbara - Thanks for the shipping info on your Munro order. Our guild has ordered from them before, and while I don't remember the specific amount, we were also impressed with their low shipping prices.
Krista - I'm glad you mentioned the hard clay. A seller (like the one you mentioned) who regularly sells clay is a good choice. Personally I also avoid ordering clay online in the hottest months of summer because I'm afraid it could get partially baked in transit (unrefrigerated trucks, hot mailboxes, etc.). So that's another thing to consider with online orders.
Posted by: Angela Mabray | April 24, 2009 10:30 PM
Remember you can now sign up online to get Michaels coupons emailed to you. They also accept Joanne's and Hobby Lobby's flyer coupons or will match a price of an exact item if you bring in the flyer to
show them. I work at a Michaels but teach at Hobby Lobby! grin!
Posted by: Pam | April 25, 2009 6:36 PM
Createforless.com has weekly specials. My personal favorite is Craftsetc.com $25 minimum and free shipping.
Posted by: Theresa | April 26, 2009 2:07 AM
Pam - I didn't realize Michaels would email the coupons. There goes my main reason for getting the newspaper! (Well, that and the fact that my hubby works at the newspaper, so it's practically free - LOL!) Michaels price-matching policy can definitely be handy too.
Theresa - Thanks for the info! I added Createforless & Craftsetc to the chart, though as far as I could find on Craftsetc's site, there's no minimum order (they even list shipping prices for lesser order totals).
Posted by: Angela Mabray | April 28, 2009 4:56 PM
Angela, keep you newspaper coming. Michaels takes:
michaels email coupons,flyer coupons & has coupons with receipts quite often. you can use 1 of each in one transaction.
They also take flyer coupons from joannes & hobby lobby but not the ones you can print off. They price match too if you take an ad & its the exact same product.
Posted by: Pam | December 14, 2009 8:52 AM