Are there any suppliers in the U. S. that sell high quality findings
such as this leverback pictured?
I don’t yet have a business tax I. D. as I only sell like one or two
items to a single gallery a month so I believe I can’t buy from
Hoover and Strong. I’m still more of a hobbyist but can’t stand the
poor quality of findings when I do use them from the wholesellers I
have tried. The ones I have found so far are poorly cast and flimsy.
have bad springs that won’t last, or get destroyed during
fabrication.
I do my best to make my own things like pearl cups with wire and
that seems to work much better since I can control the integrity of
the materials but I am not experienced enough to make leverbacks and
other clasps like that with my limited jewelry time.
Are there any suppliers in the U. S. that sell high quality
findings such as this leverback pictured?
Stuller
Otto Frei
Rio Grande
and that’s just a start. There are many more, though some are more
stringent in who they’ll sell to.
But seriously here. If you’re considering yourself a professional,
and if you intend to do that level work, then treat yourself as such.
You don’t need to go the whole route of incorporating or anything
like that. Just get the sales tax or similar business registrations
that will actually allow you to buy from actual wholesales, rather
than hobby oriented places that call themselves wholesale, but sell
to everyone. Rio and Otto Frei will sell to you without, but Otto
Frei, at least, will give you better pricing if you can show (via
that tax id) that you’re allowed to buy wholesale (the issue is just
sales tax registration, not the amount you buy). Not sure about Rio.
Stuller also wants the tax id. They won’t let you buy all the
finished jewelry with just that, but you can by tools, materials,
findings, metals, etc, if you get an account with them (costs
nothing to do). To get that, you mainly need that tax id.
Getting that tax id is not hard, nor does it cost much of anything.
A little extra paper work at the end of the year for most small
craftspeople. And if you’re doing more and need to file more often,
then, well, you’re really a business, and have no excuse not to have
those licenses. Here in Seattle, I needed to get a state UBI
sales/use tax license, and a Seattle city business license. It took
about half an hour online to get both. simple. Not costly.
Unless you want wholesale pricing, I believe that Rio Grande will
sell to you. Pricing would be retail. They have an extensive line of
leverback earring findings. So far, any I have bought were fine
quality with no problems.
An FYI, the springs in these findings are heat sensitive and if
heated for soldering will anneal. I just went through this with a
customer who tried touse low temp solder to close the jump ring and
ruined the leverback. If one feels the need to solder the ring
closed, a laser would do the trick. However, the force necessary to
straighten out the ring would likely injure theear lobe.
Judy in Kansas, where temps are in record-setting mode. This is late
OCTee 88 degrees F!!!
I don't yet have a business tax I. D. as I only sell like one or
two items to a single gallery a month...
This is what jumped out at me, forgive me if I’m telling you what
you already know. If so maybe this will help someone else?
You should establish yourself as an small business. Just make an
appointment with a CPA, tell them what you do and they will help you
file the applications with State and Federal tax folks. It’s easy to
do and not at all expensive when compared to what you will gain.
Then not only will you eventually be able to open accounts with
whoever you want but you will be able to legally expense your very
legitimate business costs and so reduce your taxes. A sad truth is
that it’s the employee’s in the US who pay all the taxes, the self
employed have a long list of perfectly legal methods of reducing
them. It’s all politics and may be unfair but that’s how it is.
Any of the suppliers that I would recommend for that lever-back
would at least require you have a jewelry biz recognized by the IRS
to open an account. That may seem frustrating but I can tell you
it’s very much appreciated by all those who have businesses.
Then not only will you eventually be able to open accounts with
whoever you want but you will be able to legally expense your very
legitimate business costs and so reduce your taxes.
I have no licenses because I have a right I was born with, to earn a
living, and have no problem dealing with suppiers.
I have open accounts with all the big boys. (The ones that “require”
a JBT rating will alternatively accept a super-high credit rating
instead).
I file my income taxes as a sole proprietorship and deduct my
expenses just like a “real” business.
.....you're really a business, and have no excuse not to have those
licenses. Here in Seattle, I needed to get a state UBI sales/use
tax license, and a Seattle city business license. It took about
half an hour online to get both. simple. Not costly.
I’m really a business. Have been for a few decades. And I have NO
licences, no sales tax ID, and I have accounts in good standing with
all the suppliers you mentioned and many you didn’t.
I occasionally run into difficulties with companies that demand a
JBT number (which I flatly refuse to get. I ain’t giving up all that
personal info they desire!) I have a 600+ sq ft shop at my house and
I live in a subdivision in the county. The county government agrees
that I have a RIGHT to earn my living and need no permissions from
the state to do so.
The company so many have difficulty doing business with, Stuller,
didn’t ask for my SS# to do a credit check, but instead wanted
references from other jewelers and supply companies to prove to them
I was a real jeweler and not trying to snooker them into selling to
me wholesale.
As to sales taxes, if I end up paying sales taxes to buy some
finding or part, I just pass that cost on to the customer. but
generally because of the Interstate Commerce Clause, I pay no sales
taxes when buying from out of state companies (although the state
governments have wiggled past that by calling the sales taxes they
charge to people in other states, a “use tax”.)
In NYC, so far the best selection of gold findings I’ve found is
Hershlag, 41 W 47th St, 212-921-2660. They have a web site, but it
only has a fraction of what they sell in the store.
I have no licenses because I have a right I was born with, to earn
a living, and have no problem dealing with suppliers.
It’s good you’re operating as you choose and I’m happy it works for
you. I think you may be a bit of an outlier, but there’s nothing
wrong with that. It might be interesting for you to meet with a CPA
and have them run the numbers for various entity scenarios? You may
be surprised by how much you could save, or not. It depends on the
numbers. That is one of the things that is so interesting to me
about business, that there are so many ways to operate successfully.
I’d still stick with my advice to the OP that he become an
established jewelry business in the eye’s of the state and federal
tax people. That’s the language wholesale suppliers will recognize.
In NYC, so far the best selection of gold findings I've found is
Hershlag.
I forgot about Hershlag, thanks for that! Another supplier I like in
New York is New York Findings. They have a HUGE selection. I called
them one time and suggested that they reorganize their catalogs so
they were easier of customers to search. They said, “Do you have any
idea how long that would take!”
That cracked me up! They are nice people and a great source for both
basic and hard to find findings.
Good luck getting an act with Stuller - even WITH a business
license. Plus, they have an order minimum, applicable to all new
accounts. My studio - in business since 2007 is having a huge
go-around with them trying to get an account with them. Hoover and
Strong are much more user-friendly.
Good luck getting an act with Stuller - even WITH a business
license. Plus, they have an order minimum, applicable to all new
accounts. My studio - in business since 2007 is having a huge
go-around with them trying to get an account with them.
I have an account with them and only had to provide their minimum
requirements. I am a very small account and many of my orders are
for just one or twoitems. I doubt if my business with them even
covers the cost of all the catalogs and bench jeweler subscription
they send me. I have always felt that they treat me exactly the same
as they do with much larger accounts.
Good luck getting an act with Stuller - even WITH a business
license. Plus, they have an order minimum, applicable to all new
accounts. My studio - in business since 2007 is having a huge
go-around with them trying to get an account with them.
All you have to do to get an account with Stuller is prove you are
an actual jeweler and not just a hobbyist or a sneaky retail buyer,
and the way to do that is provide Stuller with names and contact info
of your other suppliers and/or associates in the trade.
A lot of folks like to bash Stuller because they’re the biggest
findings company in the states, but they’re a really awesome company
and treat even me like a valued customer, and they always go out of
their way to keep me a happy customer.
Stuller is always my first choice of supplier and who I always call
first.
That’s not the first time I’ve heard that has gotten harder Lori. I
think they are worth the effort of doing what they ask to establish
an account. If you need it they usually have it and can get it to
you the next day. That said, Hoover and Strong is a great company
too, plus they do and have some things Stuller doesn’t. It’s nice to
be able to use both.
