Is it me or is buying from Spandex House difficult

[ChillyMum]

I need to buy a very specific fabric.  I can get it on Etsy but the sellers prices are higher. And I can only get a 'it will do' second choice option in England.

So far my experience of Spandex House has been
1 fill out order form with my full address and confirm my address is also billing address.
2 As instructed e-mail sales dept and ask for shipping cost.
Easy so far.
Now it gets tedious.
Sales dept reply and tell me I need to send them my address
3 I send them my address and explain I'm a 1st time customer.
Shipping dept reply and tell me the cost but say I still need to tell them what City I'm nearest.
4 I reply I do live in a City and tell them the next big City if that will help.

Argh! and neither dept has answered my other question. How long will it take to get here

Anyone know what happens next?

[CaraSkates]

I live in PA and all fabrics shipped to me from Spandex House usually arrive next day. Sometimes I order in the afternoon and it's on my doorstep by 10am the next morning. So shipping is fast.

They aren't the easiest to communicate. I usually just place the order and when they call to get CC# ask about shipping. They often don't know because they charge you the exact cost. So, I just figure it's $10-$15 each time and estimate till I get the invoice.

Fabric quality is usually very good. Hard to communicate with them on the phone. English is not first language.

[Skaterpsych]

I've also had good success with Spandex House, but I usually speak with them over the phone.

There is also Spandex World, just across the street, as a matter of fact.

Both places are fun to deal with, and have accommodated me with many samples, and quick service.

[CaraSkates]

Spandex House has better prices and better selection (usually) than Spandex World. I'll order from either depending on what I need. SW has online payment which is nice. SH has worked with me on discounts for large orders and when I do charity work.
So, both good, depends on what you want. SH wins hands down for shipping. Never more than 48hrs to get it to me. SW has taken a week even when I pay for fast shipping.

[fsk8r]

Is the problem down to the fact that you're not in the US ChillyMum?
I find some retailers over there haven't quite grasped that there is a worldwide audience on the internet (although sometimes when they suddenly wake up you get really good postage rates as they don't add on anything extra from the real cost).

[ChillyMum]

Is the problem down to the fact that you're not in the US ChillyMum?
I find some retailers over there haven't quite grasped that there is a worldwide audience on the internet (although sometimes when they suddenly wake up you get really good postage rates as they don't add on anything extra from the real cost).

Yes, I think you are right. They're gone silent since I told them where in the UK I live. But the website indicates that they ship worldwide. Maybe in future a phone call would be better.

I could have got the same fabric from The Fabric Fairy. They were 'on the ball' and offered a good price for both fabric and shipping.  But in the end I opted for an alternative from the UK because timing is a factor.

Good to hear other peoples views

[LateBackToIt]

I found that the samples they sent were not accurate to the fabric. I had problems with both Spandex House and Spandex World with this issue. I couldn't even match up the samples to what I got.