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Do you buy ritual and magical supplies online?
yes
14%
 14%  [ 1 ]
No
57%
 57%  [ 4 ]
Looking for good stores (e-commerce and physical)
28%
 28%  [ 2 ]
Total Votes : 7


Loona Wynd
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 6:37 pm


Over the last week I have spent a lot of time on Facebook groups related to witchcraft, paganism, and wicca. One of the most common questions asked by new seekers is where they can find supplies for their spells and their rituals. I often asked myself this question as well. Thankfully I have a real good stocked local metaphysical store. I know many are not so lucky,

So here is a thread to talk about your favorite stores and why. They can be physical stores or they can be online stores. If you sell ritual goods and supplies as part of your employment this is a good place to share that as well.

Hopefully with this we can get some good links and physical locations for people around the world.
PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 6:41 pm


Shops and suppliers


Online stores and suppliers


User Image - Blocked by "Display Image" Settings. Click to show.

13moons.com

abaxion

Monteray Bay Spice Company<
Ocuult/Spirituality/Magic PDFs for free


Esotericonline.net

Hermetics.org

Occultlibrary

Dimensionalchemist.com

Occult-underground

darkbooks.org

Project Gutenberg

Physical stores


Leaping Lizards-A Maine Metaphysical Store

Enchantments-Also found in maine though they also have an Etsy store

Loona Wynd
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Sadobitch

PostPosted: Sun Sep 01, 2013 10:20 pm


Dollar stores, Savers, D.I. Used bookstores, downloading online pdf's. I really only go to metaphysical stores for specialized needs and when I have the money to spare because they just charge too much for their s**t sometimes.

A nice journal is nice yes. Do you only have five bucks for free spending? Quit yer whining and go to the dollar store. Get yourself a composition journal. Problem solved.

Also, you can get sea salt and spring water at the dollar store. So there's your basic cleansing kit for 2 bucks. xD

Seriously. Shop smart.
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 2:23 pm


Sadobitch
Dollar stores
Most of which has s**t for quality when it comes to the herbs-especially the culinary herbs. Having bought and used dollar store herbs and spices before I can say that the quality is s**t. The stuff from dollar stores clumps up. You pay a dollar because its cheap a** s**t. Now for tea-light candles its not so bad. If you want unscented candles you best look else where though. Same for some glass ware and storage. Notebooks, supplies for cooking/mixing things sure Actual herbs and incense not really as they are typically cheap shits that while they may work the overall quality may suffer. So for somethings I'd agree and for other things not really.
Sadobitch
, Savers,
Is that a chain in your area? I've never heard of them. What do they sell?
Sadobitch
D.I. Used bookstores,
Always a good choice. I've gotten some rare books that way. I've also been ripped off by some charging 12 for a book used that when new was 15. For that difference just get the new book.
Sadobitch
downloading online pdf's.
This is a tricky thing. I've nearly been shunned from groups for posting sites that had PDF's for downloading. According to them nearly all of them contain pirated PDFs. So I'd like to list a few of the places you have found your PDF's.
Sadobitch
I really only go to metaphysical stores for specialized needs and when I have the money to spare because they just charge too much for their s**t sometimes.
Actually the stores are not over priced. This is something I have learned. The bagged herbs and bulk crystals are sold as low as they can with being able to make a profit. If they can't actually make a profit then they aren't going to be in business any more. Look at the prices on my own site for the bagged herbs and handmade incense. I price them based on cost of materials and labor as well as being able to earn money off them to be able to continue to make the products. There is also the fact that unless the items are something the store makes themselves they oftentimes don't get to price the items they sell.

Sadobitch
A nice journal is nice yes. Do you only have five bucks for free spending? Quit yer whining and go to the dollar store. Get yourself a composition journal. Problem solved.
Notebooks aren't what I was talking about. I'm talking more about herbs, crystals, candles, censors and the like. I'm not talking things that you can get every damn store on the planet. I'm talking specifically spell and ritual supplies. Everyone knows where they can find notebooks and books. Crystals and herbs as well as censors and charcoal for use indoors these are things that you can't find at your typical store.

Sadobitch
Also, you can get sea salt and spring water at the dollar store. So there's your basic cleansing kit for 2 bucks. xD
I wouldn't trust spring water or seasalt from a dollar store. Why? because they can't be sold for a dollar. More aptly its probably purified tapwater labeled as spring water (and yes places do this as a practice) and iodized salt from the ocean claiming to be seasalt. And guess what, the majority of the population dont give a damn about it.

Dollar stores are great for somethings but they are also well known to be cheap products. Cheap knock off products sold at low prices because people will buy it. Dollarstores are really for people who dont care about quality and have exceedingly small budgets.

I've eaten enough dollarstore food and bought enough stuff from them over the years to be able to attest to how cheap they really are. Family Dollar stores and Biglots are also in this range as once again they have cheap knockoff crap that people buy for cost effective lives.

Sadobitch
Seriously. Shop smart.
Your not saying shop smart. Your saying shop inexpensive. There is a difference. Shopping smart includes assesment of quality. I have to ask myself if the items at the store are worth using because of how cheap the costs are.

Yes I have used the cheapass incense and candles and herbs from dollar stores and even BigLots. The rituals and spells were not effective at all. At least not when compared to actually going to specialty shops and performing the same rituals with those items. There was a major difference in the feel of the ritual simply by virtue that in a specialty store the quality of the items was much more substantial.

There is a time to be reasonable in shopping and a time to think about quality of products. If you just care about having the items then Dollarstores and Family Dollarstores are great options. If however you are more concerned about the impact and power behind the work then you need to consider specialty stores. Are they more expensive? yes, but you pay for quality.

You also are very limited in what herbs you can buy at dollarstores. They only have what most people have in their pantries or spice cabinets. You wont find Mugwort, Whitesage, or even peppermint in dollarstores (except in teabags).

Loona Wynd
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 5:33 pm


Any incense I don't make I tend to get from these people

http://www.incendiary-arts.com/

It's awesome stuff!

Most stuff I get from people in person,I know lot of Pagans within London so I tend to buy stuff from them directly or from a couple of shops I've been going to for years. Helps that I aid in the running of a pagan festival in London so I can ask traders in advance to bring stuff down for me and pay for it at the festivals. Even those who have websites, it just works out cheaper for them and me. Though once I figure out how much import tax will sting me I'll start picking up stuff from your store Loona.

Herbs, Spices and Resins - what I can't grow in my parents garden I buy from pagans who can or from the supermarket if it's a culinary herb or spice. Though there are a few shops I will go to to get unsusual herbs Treadwell and, Baldwins in London if I can't get stuff brought down to festivals of if I need something before the next fest.

Salt - cheap salt goes in the insence burner to absorb heat it's 50p a kg Sea salt I go to a supermarket and buy a 500g jar of flaked sea salt at £4.99 a jar, the current jar has been going for three years.

Crystals - As already mentioned in other threads I buy them directly off my geologist friend tony.

Books - I'm a book magnet, I have found numerous gems in charity stores but I will pay full price if I have to and I will scour amazon. I don't trust ebay. My favorite books store is an esoteric one named Treadwells, i love it so much that it has my bum print in the browser's couch.

Essential oils - local health store

Candles - beeswax from the Middlesex Beekeepers I buy candles, beeswax blocks and honey from them, the money they get goes straight back into looking after their hives, I'm proud to support my local beekeepers. If I can't afford beeswax I have a store called Tiger locally that sells 3 coloured candles for £1, these are full colour, not colour dip, dinner candles, or I buy boxes of 12 stearin wax candles for £2, they are half the size of the others. Tealights, I'm still working on the bag of 100 I bought 5 years ago. Though if I need scented candles for ritual/offerings I spend money on Yankee Candle tea lights at £6.95 per dozen. Loki and Skalaena like these.

Spring Water - I walk to the source of the River Pinn, it's local smile

Ritual tools - I forked out a hell of a lot for these but I know where they came from and who made them, same with my Lokli statue, I know the man who cast him in pewter, he also made me a Loki and Fenrir belt buckle.

I admit that most of my stuff was accumulated while I was in the navy and earning £1,200 a month. I'm now on a wage of £624 a month so luxuries get saved for, for months and months some times as bills eat into the savings.
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 7:57 pm


Loona Wynd
Sadobitch
Dollar stores
Most of which has s**t for quality when it comes to the herbs-especially the culinary herbs. Having bought and used dollar store herbs and spices before I can say that the quality is s**t. The stuff from dollar stores clumps up. You pay a dollar because its cheap a** s**t. Now for tea-light candles its not so bad. If you want unscented candles you best look else where though. Same for some glass ware and storage. Notebooks, supplies for cooking/mixing things sure Actual herbs and incense not really as they are typically cheap shits that while they may work the overall quality may suffer. So for somethings I'd agree and for other things not really.
Sadobitch
, Savers,
Is that a chain in your area? I've never heard of them. What do they sell?
Sadobitch
D.I. Used bookstores,
Always a good choice. I've gotten some rare books that way. I've also been ripped off by some charging 12 for a book used that when new was 15. For that difference just get the new book.
Sadobitch
downloading online pdf's.
This is a tricky thing. I've nearly been shunned from groups for posting sites that had PDF's for downloading. According to them nearly all of them contain pirated PDFs. So I'd like to list a few of the places you have found your PDF's.
Sadobitch
I really only go to metaphysical stores for specialized needs and when I have the money to spare because they just charge too much for their s**t sometimes.
Actually the stores are not over priced. This is something I have learned. The bagged herbs and bulk crystals are sold as low as they can with being able to make a profit. If they can't actually make a profit then they aren't going to be in business any more. Look at the prices on my own site for the bagged herbs and handmade incense. I price them based on cost of materials and labor as well as being able to earn money off them to be able to continue to make the products. There is also the fact that unless the items are something the store makes themselves they oftentimes don't get to price the items they sell.

Sadobitch
A nice journal is nice yes. Do you only have five bucks for free spending? Quit yer whining and go to the dollar store. Get yourself a composition journal. Problem solved.
Notebooks aren't what I was talking about. I'm talking more about herbs, crystals, candles, censors and the like. I'm not talking things that you can get every damn store on the planet. I'm talking specifically spell and ritual supplies. Everyone knows where they can find notebooks and books. Crystals and herbs as well as censors and charcoal for use indoors these are things that you can't find at your typical store.

Sadobitch
Also, you can get sea salt and spring water at the dollar store. So there's your basic cleansing kit for 2 bucks. xD
I wouldn't trust spring water or seasalt from a dollar store. Why? because they can't be sold for a dollar. More aptly its probably purified tapwater labeled as spring water (and yes places do this as a practice) and iodized salt from the ocean claiming to be seasalt. And guess what, the majority of the population dont give a damn about it.

Dollar stores are great for somethings but they are also well known to be cheap products. Cheap knock off products sold at low prices because people will buy it. Dollarstores are really for people who dont care about quality and have exceedingly small budgets.

I've eaten enough dollarstore food and bought enough stuff from them over the years to be able to attest to how cheap they really are. Family Dollar stores and Biglots are also in this range as once again they have cheap knockoff crap that people buy for cost effective lives.

Sadobitch
Seriously. Shop smart.
Your not saying shop smart. Your saying shop inexpensive. There is a difference. Shopping smart includes assesment of quality. I have to ask myself if the items at the store are worth using because of how cheap the costs are.

Yes I have used the cheapass incense and candles and herbs from dollar stores and even BigLots. The rituals and spells were not effective at all. At least not when compared to actually going to specialty shops and performing the same rituals with those items. There was a major difference in the feel of the ritual simply by virtue that in a specialty store the quality of the items was much more substantial.

There is a time to be reasonable in shopping and a time to think about quality of products. If you just care about having the items then Dollarstores and Family Dollarstores are great options. If however you are more concerned about the impact and power behind the work then you need to consider specialty stores. Are they more expensive? yes, but you pay for quality.

You also are very limited in what herbs you can buy at dollarstores. They only have what most people have in their pantries or spice cabinets. You wont find Mugwort, Whitesage, or even peppermint in dollarstores (except in teabags).
Don't underestimate the power of decision. I have bought cheap and decided it would work. So it does. With some things you get what you pay for. Savers is like D.I. Cheap ingredients shouldn't have an affect on the ritual. That's where your decision to have the value of what you bought affect your magic comes in. smile

Some things are overpriced in the occult stores because it is a specialized need and some specialized needs tend to cost more. But, after shopping around they really do overcharge for some things.

Decision. The power of decision. If you want something cheap to work. Decide it will. smile Really, we don't even need the tools. They're just accessories. We send out intent, decide it works, and it can.

Sadobitch


Sadobitch

PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:02 pm


"There is a time to be reasonable in shopping and a time to think about quality of products. If you just care about having the items then Dollarstores and Family Dollarstores are great options. If however you are more concerned about the impact and power behind the work then you need to consider specialty stores. Are they more expensive? yes, but you pay for quality."

Effigies are cheap to make. Get some string from the dollar store. A few sticks from the local wilderness. Get a lighter. Find a safe place to cast. For under ten bucks and a bit of sneakiness you can make a poppet/voodoo doll of someone only using nature and things from the dollar store. Power, does not have to be expensive. smile

Name brand items go to the dollar store as well sometimes. Not everything is shitty quality. Some of it is a genuine good find.

I bought 3 bags of tumbled river stones from the dollar store. Charged them using blood, white salt, and black salt. I split the stones with a fellow practitioner. 3 bucks. For 3 bucks. I was able to give us both a powerful focus tool to work with that works just fine.

Composition Journal for channeling. 1 dollar. What's important is you have the information written down.

Cheap does not = less power. It just means less quality or a cheaper find. If you know what you're looking for and you know what items are best gotten other places. You're set.
PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:09 pm


You can also have the low price of the item benefit spell work. Say, you get a statue from the dollar store. Get your ritual supplies together. Have the glass or whatever it's made of statue represent someone you dislike. Have the value of the statue represent their worth as a person.

Perform a ritual of destruction and add complexities as needed. 1 dollar and pre-existing ritual tools and you have a very effective degrading ritual of destruction with just a little bit of decision and focus.

Sadobitch


Sadobitch

PostPosted: Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:13 pm


Iron repels Fae. It's also really fricking cheap when oil burners are made out of iron.... Saw some at the dollar store once. Got three. Now here, I admit I wish they were of better quality. But, having them around keeps the Fae away. Or helps at least. 3 fae wards, 3 dollars. Add in a bit of charging the item and the power of intent and decision. There ya go
PostPosted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 5:36 pm


To clarify, shop smart and cheap. smile I felt like what I had originally said was twisted around some and the breaking up of the post annoyed me. I felt the urge to specify some ways how magic can be done for super cheap.

Truthfully, some things will cost money, and some things won't. But, the value you personally place on an item will have more power than any dollar amount in my opinion.

Sadobitch


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 1:16 am


For tea lights I go to Walmart.

I buy fresh herbs and dry them myself I use them to make my own loose incense that's burned on a charcoal disk. It's cost effective for me. For things like cinnamon and whatnots I buy in the little bundles that are in clear plastic bags down the Mexican food isles. I think they work the best for me.

As for stones we got a great local rock shop here in Reno called new age quarry. Really cheap and I buy my Himalayan salt chunks there which I grind myself to powder for rituals. If I use sea salt I buy from World Market.

My chalice, alter cloth, candle snuffer, and gold and silver candles I got from goodwill. Found a few books their too. My tarot box I got from Savers. I love it it fits all my decks and has a dragon on it. Beautiful. My incense burner I got from Walmart its a 3 headed dragon. I bought my athame at a new age store I admit cost $20. My cauldron was a gift. As was my alter dragon that sits in the north...my water dish and salt dish and sea shell I also got at goodwill.

My book of mirrors was on clearance for $6 and I wrote in runes on it with puff paint then drew stars on it. I use a binder that I found at savers for $0.99.

My small taper candles I get from world market.

My pentacle on my alter I made. And the alter table I found by the dumpster. I scrubbed it clean of course before use. I made my wand with a tree branch I found and a bit of silver wire that I got on clearance.

My mortar and pestle I got for 12 dollars and I love it. Nice and rough for herb grinding. It's made of some kind of black stone.

It's all about intent. I'm a thrifty witch. If I don't have to pay for it or full price...I won't. It's not about how much an object or herb costs its about intent and the energy you put in it.
PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:32 am


Zabora Lionheart


It's all about intent. I'm a thrifty witch. If I don't have to pay for it or full price...I won't. It's not about how much an object or herb costs its about intent and the energy you put in it.
In most ways I agree with that statement. However the quality of the products can and does effect the magic. As I said in my conversation with Sado I have used supplies from dollar stores and discount stores effectively. However when the same ritual was performed with supplies of higher quality (as in bought from places that specialize in those items like crystals or newage giftstores) the magic was more effective. I used the same amount of intent and the same practices. Just had different results due to the quality of the supplies.

I never once said it was about the cost. Quality yes. Cost no. I personally would rather pay for quality products and know I have a quality product rather than buy something cheap because it was cheaper. This is a personal choice I have made. I feel quality is more important than low cost.

For that reason I made a decision to have a budget for when I go and buy supplies from those stores. I stick to this budget. I am able to get a years worth of supplies for $30 or so in one go because of planning and budgeting. I do shop smart and effective. Thats why you have budgets and dont just get something because it smells nice or what not. Researching ahead of time what I need or am looking for and then buy.

Loona Wynd
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:59 am


Sadobitch
Don't underestimate the power of decision. I have bought cheap and decided it would work. So it does. With some things you get what you pay for.
Actually with everything you get what you pay for. When I was searching for bulkherb suppliers to craft my incenses and ticntures I looked at several different companies. The one I choose to work with was among the higher priced peround bags to be sure. However I was concerned about the quality of the herbs. I choose the one that I had never seen low ratings on quality. Its a choice that is made. Quality or cost effective. There is a reason dollar store items are a dollar. They are cheap and made out of low grade materials. Its not a dig. Its a matter of fact. The higher quality the products are the more expensive they will be.

It also seems you ignored the whole statement I made about how I've done rituals and spells both with dollarstore supplies and with supplies bought from NewAge supply stores. There was a significant difference in the power raised and the energy manipulated. I did nothing different aside from use different suppliers.
Sadobitch
Savers is like D.I. Cheap ingredients shouldn't have an affect on the ritual. That's where your decision to have the value of what you bought affect your magic comes in. smile
Value isnt just price. Value is also quality. Any one who has worked in retail knows this. There is a reason knockoffs or non-name brands are a hell of a lot cheaper. Quality of materials in production.

Value also comes in size packages. When you look at large family sized bags of chips compared to the regular size the price per ounce goes down and the value goes up completely based on the amount present. This is also why bulkstores like Samsclub and the like have such great deals. Name brand products with same quality supplies and materials only in larger packages.

Value is both amount and quality of product. You can have something be cheap but that doesn't mean it was worth the price. You can also pay a hell of a lot for something and not have it have any quality.

Thats just value from a financial standpoint. If you are talking effective value in magical crafts thats a bit different. My most valuable magical tool is a crystal that I took out of the earth when I was about 10 at a quarry that was near a Cabin that my parents owned and we spent a lot of time at in the summer.

Sadobitch
Some things are overpriced in the occult stores because it is a specialized need and some specialized needs tend to cost more. But, after shopping around they really do overcharge for some things.
Not really. Going through the process involved with setting up a small business and sales and profit things are not overpriced there. The herb packets and crystals are priced according to their cost per ounce and how much profit they need to be able to continue to buy the supplies from their suppliers. One herb that many people would say is Overpriced is Dragonsblood. However at an average of 50-$60 a pound selling an ounce for $15 is reasonable.

Sadobitch
Decision. The power of decision. If you want something cheap to work. Decide it will. smile Really, we don't even need the tools. They're just accessories. We send out intent, decide it works, and it can.
The need for tools is debatable. Certain practices require tools. Herbal magic requires herbs, mortar and Pestal, and whatever else you are working with (oils, alchohol, ect). Crystal work requires crystals. Poppet spells require some sort of medium to represent the person and it can't be just a mind otherwise its not a poppet. If your point was to cast a spell that no tools are needed you are right. If your point was that all work can be done with out tools then I disagree.
PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:16 pm


Sadobitch
Effigies are cheap to make. Get some string from the dollar store. A few sticks from the local wilderness. Get a lighter. Find a safe place to cast. For under ten bucks and a bit of sneakiness you can make a poppet/voodoo doll of someone only using nature and things from the dollar store. Power, does not have to be expensive. smile
I wouldn't call that a poppet though. Poppets are stuffed with herbs and the like. They are also typically made out of fabric. Its where the term puppet comes from. An effigy sure but not a poppet. Poppets are something else entierly. Though if people want a cheap alternative to fabric I use construction paper and glue. I fill it with herbs according to need and burn it in a caludron. No caludron burn it outside on the ground where it can be stomped out if something goes wrong.

You are also making it sound like I say ritual has to be expensive. No where have I ever said that. I merely made the distinction about quality. For example the spices at the dollar store are a dollar. They are cheaper and of lower quality than those at the grocery store which in turn is chaper and of lower quality than stores like WholeFoods or TraderJoes, just as organic is more expensive and of higher quality than processed.

Sadobitch
Name brand items go to the dollar store as well sometimes. Not everything is shitty quality. Some of it is a genuine good find.
The only namebrand items I've ever seen at a genuine dollar store are sodas in the front or candy bars. The rest of the items are knock offs. Now Family Dollar stores where items are not just $1 but lower cost may have name brand items, but its the bulk buy deal as I mentioned above.

Candleholders and storage containers. Those type of items at dollarstores are worth the investment. Tealights are even worth getting at dollarstores. Sometimes incense may be decent there. Lighters excellent places. Items that may be 3-5 in the grocery store (like storage containers and lighters) are best invested in at the dollar store.

I have already said that there are some finds at dollarstores where it is just as good to get them there as any where else. Herbs I wouldn't get there, nor would I get any crystals there. Candle holders and tealights sure. Incense maybe if there was a scent I was looking for I couldn't find elsewhere or that I felt I needed and they had it but no place else has.

Sadobitch
I bought 3 bags of tumbled river stones from the dollar store. Charged them using blood, white salt, and black salt. I split the stones with a fellow practitioner. 3 bucks. For 3 bucks. I was able to give us both a powerful focus tool to work with that works just fine.
Those stones were more than likely originally meant to be sold as aquarium decorations or crafty items. That would be a good find. Though for me here its ridiculous to buy tumbled stones when I can go to the beach and get them.

Sadobitch
Composition Journal for channeling. 1 dollar. What's important is you have the information written down.
And that is a good use of dollar store supplies. While I have found that those books don't take a beating like Mead comp books, they are great to have. Granted I'm one of those insane people that have a different notebook for each and every topic.

Sadobitch
Cheap does not = less power. It just means less quality or a cheaper find. If you know what you're looking for and you know what items are best gotten other places. You're set.
In herbs cheap can mean less power as the quality of the herbs is not as high. In herbs the power is tied to the quality as the essence is preserved better in high quality herb suppliers. In other items you're right.

Loona Wynd
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 12:47 pm


Vox_Draconis
Any incense I don't make I tend to get from these people

http://www.incendiary-arts.com/

It's awesome stuff!
I'll add them to the list. Thanks for sharing.

Vox_Draconis
Most stuff I get from people in person,I know lot of Pagans within London so I tend to buy stuff from them directly or from a couple of shops I've been going to for years. Helps that I aid in the running of a pagan festival in London so I can ask traders in advance to bring stuff down for me and pay for it at the festivals. Even those who have websites, it just works out cheaper for them and me. Though once I figure out how much import tax will sting me I'll start picking up stuff from your store Loona.
I would prefer to buy supplies from people I know. I have in the past with specific kitchen witch stuff and a magical perfume. Like you said helping run or even work at events in the local community gets you in tight with vendors. Its one of the reasons I also knew I would have support once I got my store going. People in the local community know me or at least have seen me around at enough events. Sometimes vendors are even willing to work out deals with employees or volunteers at events.

Vox_Draconis
Herbs, Spices and Resins - what I can't grow in my parents garden I buy from pagans who can or from the supermarket if it's a culinary herb or spice. Though there are a few shops I will go to to get unsusual herbs Treadwell and, Baldwins in London if I can't get stuff brought down to festivals of if I need something before the next fest.
I just posted Herbco on the list. Right now its where I get most of my bulk herbs that I use in my tinctures and incenses that I sell. Prior to that I bought them mostly from a local store that would special order herbs if they didn't carry it or have it in stock.

Someday I hope to basically grow the majority of the herbs I use. Some of them I know will always be sourced to other places. If its not something I can grow I'll buy it when that day comes. For now I buy them in bulk all dried. That works for me though as I can instantly start working with them dried.

Vox_Draconis
Salt - cheap salt goes in the incense burner to absorb heat it's 50p a kg Sea salt I go to a supermarket and buy a 500g jar of flaked sea salt at £4.99 a jar, the current jar has been going for three years.
So I'm guessing its not sea salt in the incense burner but iodized salt?

Vox_Draconis
Crystals - As already mentioned in other threads I buy them directly off my geologist friend tony.
Which I consider you very luck to have. I may see about making a bulk buy deal with a local gem/crystal store in the area if they will sell my other products. Get them to provide me with crystals and I'll provide them with herbal products to sell. Its a boon for both parties. I'll be dealing with that tomorrow actually.

Vox_Draconis
Books - I'm a book magnet, I have found numerous gems in charity stores but I will pay full price if I have to and I will scour amazon. I don't trust ebay. My favorite books store is an esoteric one named Treadwells, i love it so much that it has my bum print in the browser's couch.
Lol. The local metaphysical store has had a great selection of books in the past. I do constantly check out the use book stores in the area, but they dont always have good finds or even books in the best of conditions. I'm warry of buying used books on Amazon now after one book said it was in excellent condition but all of the beautiful artwork was colored in by a 3 year old in marker in most places (it was a Cunningham book so you know the art was beautiful).

Vox_Draconis
Essential oils - local health store
Never thought to look there. Though I'm probably going to go through Herbco as again I'll be needing bulk amounts when I actively start working with essential oils. I should probably get a few bottles of essential oils for myself to work with and explore working with prior to producing products with them....

Vox_Draconis
Candles - beeswax from the Middlesex Beekeepers I buy candles, beeswax blocks and honey from them, the money they get goes straight back into looking after their hives, I'm proud to support my local beekeepers. If I can't afford beeswax I have a store called Tiger locally that sells 3 coloured candles for £1, these are full colour, not colour dip, dinner candles, or I buy boxes of 12 stearin wax candles for £2, they are half the size of the others. Tealights, I'm still working on the bag of 100 I bought 5 years ago. Though if I need scented candles for ritual/offerings I spend money on Yankee Candle tea lights at £6.95 per dozen. Loki and Skalaena like these.
Yankee Candles! Gotta love them for some things. There are plenty of those stores around here. I think I know what to gift you sometime lol. I'm happy to see Yankee Candles enjoyed across the pond. Its a New England treasured company <3

Vox_Draconis
Spring Water - I walk to the source of the River Pinn, it's local smile
Thats actually what I am going to start doing. There are plenty of rivers in Maine that I can use for actual spring water. This is my preference for cutting the alcohol content in my tinctures. In ritual I typically use rain water or what ever water I have on hand.

Vox_Draconis
Ritual tools - I forked out a hell of a lot for these but I know where they came from and who made them, same with my Lokli statue, I know the man who cast him in pewter, he also made me a Loki and Fenrir belt buckle.
Nice. My ritual blades were made by a regional company that does stage and real combat ready swords. They are real blacksmiths in that regards. I can actually use my ritual blades as weapons if I ever had the need to do so. Do I really want to? No, but it is an option. I have three different sizes. One for Dragons, one for primary ritual, and one for my ancestral work.

Vox_Draconis
I admit that most of my stuff was accumulated while I was in the navy and earning £1,200 a month. I'm now on a wage of £624 a month so luxuries get saved for, for months and months some times as bills eat into the savings.
That I understand which is why I mentioned having a budget when working with specialty stores. Go in with an idea of what you want or need get that. If there is a bit extra then have fun.
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Pan Pagan path Discussion-General religious discussion

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