Mixed Results, But Recommended For Metals
Thunderbird Supply Company
Thunderbird Supply Company is well known in the industry for their competitive pricing and wide-range of products in wire, metals and tools. Thunderbird also offers beads, semi-precious stones, findings and other jewelry-related supplies in their web site product catalog. All items can be ordered directly from the secure web site or by phone.
I use Thunderbird almost exclusively for my sterling and copper wire needs, but there is a lot to be desired in their web site.
On the positive side, Thunderbird has some of the better pricing and variety on raw materials — wire, sheet, bezel, tubing, etc., in many different types of metals: copper, fine silver, gold, gold-filled, nickel silver, red brass, sterling. Materials are high quality and are packaged well to minimize damage during shipping.
No minimum order, however there is a $5 handling fee for orders under $30. Thunderbird accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover cards and does sell at wholesale prices to the general public (no resale or tax ID number required.) Shipping methods are via FedEx and UPS, and international shipping is available (additional fee). I have never had a problem with quality or with what I've ordered being misrepresented on the web site, but if I did need to reorder, returns are accepted with a restocking fee (see web site for details).
On to what I don't like about Thunderbird's web site. In the times I've tried to order from their web site, the basic shopping cart functionality to complete an order has been hit and miss. Many times, I'll put items in the shopping cart, then go to check out and it's empty! Other times, the cart works fine. It's probably less of a headache to figure out what I want and then call their toll-free number, but I mainly place orders at odd times or on the weekends, and the phone service is only staffed 8:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, Monday - Friday.
The web site itself is horrible to maneuver; there is not an easy way to go back after placing an item in the shopping cart. This adds to the time it takes me to place an order, but contrary to popular belief, that doesn't tempt me to spend more. Also, a personal pet peeve is that I can't order multiple items from the same page (i.e., 16g, 18g, and 20g wire) all at once, again wasting a lot of time.
Until you have used the site a few times, you might be confused when ordering wire...first determine the continuous length of wire you want (one foot or more), and then the number of cuts of that length. Sheet metal is the same way. I like to order continuous rolls of wire, 25' at a time or more. I just need to remember when ordering that if I want two cuts of 25' wire, I need to change two fields on the order form.
Finally, Thunderbird's "More Info/Pricing" really doesn't provide "more info". Whether metals, tools, findings or stones, descriptions are elementary and offer zero help. Perfect example, I wanted to order saw blades, but the blade descriptions gave me no insight as to what size I needed to order. If I wanted to know if I should order a 1/0 or a 4/0 blade, I had to go somewhere else to research. For folks who are well-versed in jewelry making, this may not be an issue, but for someone who is starting out or learning a new skill, it is essential and will help to drive sales.
Additional notes: I have not ordered stones or beads (silver or stones) from Thunderbird, the prices are higher than most other suppliers. Selection is average — nowhere near the choices of a Fire Mountain or Rings & Things, but there is a nice basic selection to chose from. Shipping is average, while great care is taken to ensure products are not damaged in shipping, the time to receive a shipment is okay — nothing to write home about, but nothing to really complain about either.
Bottom line, I order silver and copper wire from Thunderbird because they ARE reliable and have competitive pricing. That being said, I do not like their web site set up, and have delayed ordering many times because of it. If you are unsure of what you need, do your research first, because the site doesn't offer much in the way of extra information about their products.
