I just placed an order with KJP hardwoods, and I wanted to post my experience. They're fairly new to the online merchandising world, but they're very professional and have excellent customer service.
They're based in Canada, which is a rarity in the penturning world - there are only a few online vendors of pen supplies and woods (incl. spindle blanks) that are based in Canada. While ordering from the states is easy, customs tends to slow things down sometimes - it was nice to order from a Canadian company and not have to deal with customs!
Shipping was cheap - for me at least. This might be because I'm used to ordering wood from the states, but for a large pile of wood, the shipping was less than I expected.
The wood is individually photographed, so you know exactly what you're buying and can pick out the piece you want. I picked out exotic shorts and spindles based on grain, as I'm planning to make Christmas ornaments out of them - it's nice to know what you're getting.
But, the number one reason for the positive review is because their customer service is excellent. I happened to have a gift certificate, and I had trouble making it work. I sent an email to the site, and Karen (the owner) called me directly first thing in the morning to figure it out for me and get my order shipped!
I wasn't expecting such prompt service, but they're a fairly small outfit, so they seem to understand that customer service is how to win customers!
I know that some people are leery about placing an order with an outfit they don't know, so I just wanted to let people know my experience ordering from them. Karen is a member of this forum too - I think her name is lacewood?
kjponline.com
They're based in Canada, which is a rarity in the penturning world - there are only a few online vendors of pen supplies and woods (incl. spindle blanks) that are based in Canada. While ordering from the states is easy, customs tends to slow things down sometimes - it was nice to order from a Canadian company and not have to deal with customs!
Shipping was cheap - for me at least. This might be because I'm used to ordering wood from the states, but for a large pile of wood, the shipping was less than I expected.
The wood is individually photographed, so you know exactly what you're buying and can pick out the piece you want. I picked out exotic shorts and spindles based on grain, as I'm planning to make Christmas ornaments out of them - it's nice to know what you're getting.
But, the number one reason for the positive review is because their customer service is excellent. I happened to have a gift certificate, and I had trouble making it work. I sent an email to the site, and Karen (the owner) called me directly first thing in the morning to figure it out for me and get my order shipped!
I wasn't expecting such prompt service, but they're a fairly small outfit, so they seem to understand that customer service is how to win customers!
I know that some people are leery about placing an order with an outfit they don't know, so I just wanted to let people know my experience ordering from them. Karen is a member of this forum too - I think her name is lacewood?
kjponline.com
