Oriental Trading Company

Full review
Youngsters like arts and crafts and they enjoy assembling unique and creative items with their hands, some paper, and other aids. One web store that sells plenty of supplies for kid's crafts, special events, and other things is Oriental Trading, a web site loaded with craft products, educational material, and art supplies.  

What Does This Site Have to Offer?:

With Oriental Trading, online shoppers can purchase items in categories like:
 
Party Supplies
Craft Supplies and Hobbies
Craft Kits and Activities
Art Supplies
Teaching Supplies
Toys and Novelties
Holidays
Sale
 
Besides merchandise for sale, Oriental Trading online also offers a newsletter delivered via e-mail to keep shoppers up to date with special offers and unique products. There is also an event reminder service that will send an e-mail message to you when an important date is near.
 
Payment Methods/Ordering:

Oriental Trading accepts the usual credit cards for payment: Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. Shipping options include Standard, Express 3 to 5 Business day, Express 2 to 3 Business day, and Next Day Delivery. Standard is the least expensive and an estimate of your delivery is displayed when you make this selection. It is typically seven or eight business days. Free shipping is common with Oriental Trading provided you purchase enough merchandise (usually, $60 or more).

Final Thoughts:

Oriental Trading is an online store that has grown very popular in my household due to its crafts and party supplies. I have known about Oriental Trading for many years and I first got to know this business when I received it catalogs in the mail. I still receive the catalogs (anyone who places online orders is certain to receive them on a permanent basis), but I tend to make my purchases through the Oriental Trading online site rather than by placing a phone order with the catalog. I like paging through the Oriental Trading catalog to see what unique products are offered, but then I go to the Oriental Trading online site when I'm ready to place an order.  

The reason for my newfound interest in Oriental Trading is due to my two little girls. Were it not for them, I doubt I would have ever used Oriental Trading online. Like all toddlers, they love parties and they like making various crafts. They already get a taste of craft making in preschool, but this only serves to whet their appetites for even more. They want to make crafts at home, too, and Oriental Trading has all the supplies necessary to keep them preoccupied for hours.

Oriental Trading has supplies organized into the subcategories above and these categories are further subdivided to help customers find what they want as quickly as possible. In Craft Supplies and Hobbies, there are subcategories like scrapbooking, writing and drawing, and paper craft supplies. In Party Supplies, there are subcategories like fiesta, anniversary, baby shower, and more. These subcategories provide shoppers with the means to find exactly what they want and comparison shop with minimal effort.

Oriental Trading makes it very easy to find what you want for the price you desire. With each category selection, a listing on the left side of the screen indicates all of the available subcategories along with the number of items available in each. Then, when one of the subcategories is selected, the customer is provided the option to narrow down further by price range. I like that Oriental Trading offers an easy to use search function like this. Not only does it make life easier for the customer, it is also essential for an online store like this because the number of items in some categories is so large, it would become overwhelming if you tried to search through without some way to narrow down (and price is generally the best way to narrow down, in a site like this). For example, in the Craft Kits and Activities section, there are more than 4,000 (!) selections. Select Christmas crafts and you narrow down your list, but there are still more than 600 items to select among. Now, further narrow down your list to include only gingerbread and candy crafts, and the list shrinks to a manageable number (about 55). It is at this point that Oriental Trading now offers a further breakdown by price, with the 55 items separated into three price categories.

Crafts are the main reason people visit Oriental Trading, but there are some other things offered. Teaching supplies and Toys & Novelties are two such areas. The teaching supplies section even offers subcategories like furniture, carpet, and equipment. But before you get too excited, keep in mind that this and other subsections are geared toward kids. Thus, the "furniture" offered includes things like small plastic chairs and a folding table; a play kitchen; and soft foam- like couches and chairs.

Oriental Trading succeeds by offering literally thousands of craft and other items under one roof, pretty much guaranteeing that you will find something that suits your needs. The shipping is offered in four different levels and, like with most web sites, the standard shipping is the one that should be used to save the most money. The other methods can add a large percentage to an order and should be avoided. Also, like other web sites, there is a free shipping option that kicks in once you spend over a specified level. The last time I shopped here, the level was set at sixty dollars. Standard shipping is only about nine dollars, but free shipping often convinces me to buy more. If I have spent, say, $50, it only makes sense to spend ten more dollars and get the free shipping. Spending $50 makes no sense because the added shipping charges will increase the order total to $59. For one more dollar, I can get another $10 in merchandise.

Some traditionalists might still prefer to shop with their catalog first and then find the item online. Oriental Trading makes this process easy by offering the Oriental Trading catalog quick order feature. You just enter the item numbers from the catalog and select the desired quantity. This is also a good choice when you find something in the catalog and can't seem to locate it online by category. Just enter the item number and it will display.

Overall, Oriental Trading is a very nice web site for purchasing party supplies, craft supplies, and art supplies. The last few times I have used Oriental Trading, I have purchased enough to get free shipping and the shipment took about five working days to reach my house- two days faster than I was promised, which was better than expected. Supplies were all packed neatly in a single box, in separate plastic packages, and were in tip- top condition. Each shopping experience has been excellent with Oriental Trading and looking for something to criticize, I really cannot come up with anything. Low prices, thousands of items to choose from, easy navigation, and free shipping add up to high customer satisfaction.