How To Buy Stained Glass

If you have a retail stained glass shop, you probably already have a wholesale account set up with a supplier like Ed Hoy's or Delphi Glass, but what if you don't have a shop and you are a stained glass hobbyist? There are several places you can go to buy stained glass.

You can establish a retail account with some of the same stained glass supply companies with which retail stores set up their wholesale accounts. Most require credit cards to pay for your purchases if you order by phone from their stained glass catalogs. Some allow you to pay by check, but wait until the check has cleared before they ship your stained glass order.

Stained glass magazines are full of advertisements for stained glass suppliers and you can search on-line. The magazine advertisements and articles also show pictures of some of the stained glass available so you get an idea of what the different types of glass look like. The stained glass suppliers' catalogs have color pictures of all the glass and colors they offer. The only problem is that you can't get a true feel of the glass and see exactly how it looks with natural light going through it.

If you can visit a stained glass warehouse, you will be able to see for yourself the many colors and textures of stained glass. This will help you so you know in the future what you are ordering. Be sure to call the stained glass wholesale warehouse or store before you travel there to be sure that they are open. Some wholesale stores only allow people with wholesale accounts in their warehouses by appointment; some have certain days when retail buyers are allowed.

There are many types, textures and colors of stained glass from which to choose. Sample boxes from different stained glass manufacturers can be purchased, but are very expensive and not practical for a hobbyist. You can create your own sample box by cutting squares or rectangles of about 1" x 2" of the glass that you do purchase along the way. Label them with the manufacturer's name, the color, and the universal order number which stands for the name, color and texture.

When you order stained glass by phone or by mail order, the glass can be sent to you in 12" x 12" sheets or up to 1/2 sheets. Most full-sized stained glass sheets are 24" x 48" and do not ship well, so they have to be sent by freight truck, which is quite expensive. If you order over $1,000 worth of full-size stained glass sheets for your retail store, you can offset the cost of freight through your retail pricing. If you are a hobbyist, it isn't practical.

You can purchase most of the stained glass you need through a local retail stained glass shop. Some will special order glass for you, but don't be surprised if a small shop owner cannot accommodate you by special ordering a piece of stained glass. Wholesalers require them to meet minimum dollar amounts and the small stained glass shop or studio owner probably will not be able to meet that minimum based on your needs, alone. Stained glass shops with a larger client base will place stained glass orders more frequently. You might have to wait until the shop has a large enough stained glass purchase order.

Stained glass varies in texture and color. Your supplier may not be able to match additional stained glass sheets; so, purchase all the stained glass for your project at the same time.