NVBeads

Frequently Asked Questions:

A: eBay's combined shipping calculator does not always work properly.  If your shipping total is not correct please email me at service@nvbeads.com for a combined invoice and I will fix it.  Once I have combined your items and adjusted the shipping you can click on the "Pay Now" link in the email invoice or you can go to your eBay and click the "Pay Now" link next to the first item from us. 

Between my sister and I there is almost always someone here working so we should be able to get back to you very quickly but if you know what the shipping total should be and you have to check out right away you should be able to edit the shipping field or remove the extra by putting a - amount in the other charges/discounts box.

A: Priority Mail is available for all order but with eBay's shipping calculator the Priority Mail rate rarely calculates properly so to receive Priority Mail please email us for an invoice and let us know you want priority mail (we will usually add it as an option anyway) and we will send you an adjusted invoice ASAP

If you are in a rush and do not have time to request and invoice you should also be able to edit the shipping total to be $5.  Any/ALL US orders with a $5 shipping total will automatically be shipped via priority mail.  If you cannot edit the shipping field you can also add or remove the extra by putting the amount you want to add/remove in the other charges/discounts box. Please be sure to use a - if removing the amount.

A: Sorry, we pay the same bank fees for Checks, Money Orders and PayPal so there is no discount.

A: YES! If you have purchased an item through "Buy Now" but have not sent payment and have changed your mind, bought the wrong item by mistake or have a personal problem that prevents you from being able to pay for your purchases it is very important that you contact us and let us know so we can mutually agree to cancel the items.  By mutually agreeing to cancel we get our selling fees back, you are no longer obligated to pay for it and you will NOT get a non paying bidder strike.  If you do not contact us and you do not respond to our messages to you we will be unable to cancel the items and you will receive a non paying bidder strike so please simply let us know and agree to cancel!

Auction bidders, please bid carefully.  We can cancel your item if you cannot pay but we will not agree to sell it to you for less than the closing bid price and will not cancel for "Buyers Remorse".  If you made an error/typo on your maximum bid price please contact us immediately so we can cancel your bid before the auction ends. Please do not bid more than you are willing to pay just to WIN the auction over the other bidders. If you do not want to pay your bid price your bid will be cancelled and the item will be offered to the previous high bidder.  Non paying bidders will receive a strike and negative feedback will be left.

A: Sorry, we have our feedback system set up to automatically leave feedback when your invoice is printed so that we can effectively keep track of which orders have been shipped.  We do not have any way to not leave feedback for a paid item.  There are however a couple of things you can do if you do not want buyers knowing your sources.  eBay does allow users to have two accounts.  Many people use one ID for buying and one ID for selling.  If you absolutely cannot get yourself a separate buying ID and you need the item now I can make you a custom "Buy Now" private listing.  That way when the feedback is left there would be no link to the item and it would just say "Private" however anyone viewing your feedback would still see our ID so they would know that you bought something from us just now what that particular item was.

A: YES, but only if you selected that address in PayPal when you sent your payment however if the address you selected is unconfirmed please be sure to add insurance. We ship online through PayPal to the shipping address you specified in PayPal at the time of payment.  When we click the ship button PayPal automatically selects your address and we cannot change it without it becoming unconfirmed so if you do not have the address in your PayPal account you will need to add it before sending your payment.  You can have up to 25 addresses to choose from in PayPal! Click here for step by step instructions on how to add additional & gift addresses in PayPal

A: We can't make any guarantees but we can try to match their price for you. 

We try to offer the best possible prices but it can be hard to keep up with so many other online sellers so if you find the same item somewhere else on the internet for a lower purchase price (including shipping) just email me a link to the website or item at service@nvbeads.com.  I will verify that it's accurate & let you know if we can match their price for you.  We do not contact the other seller in any way we only look at the item to verify that it is accurate & valid.  If we can match their price & you decide you would like to purchase the item from us I will make you a custom "Buy Now" listing in eBay.

Some sellers offer low prices to draw in buyers and then make up for it by overcharging on the shipping fees so please be sure to verify that the item is actually cheaper including all shipping & handling costs.

For Swarovski items we can only try to price match for the same colors, styles and sizes that the other online seller has in stock.  We cannot price match on colors that they do not have available because we carry many "Out Of Program" and hard to find Swarovski items that we sometimes have to purchase from non-wholesale vendors just to have a certain color in stock.

We cannot price match any auctions since the closing prices will vary from one auction to the next.  We cannot price match for any items that can vary in quality from one item to the next such as stone beads.  Genuine Bali silver items cannot be matched because they are hand-crafted and every piece varies in weight.  Plus many other sellers offering "Bali" or "Bali Style" silver are actually offering the lower cost factory made Indian silver that is made to look similar to Bali silver, but are not only cheaper in cost but also in quality.

Important note: When buying silver please also be sure to verify that it is in fact "Sterling Silver".  Some items use the word "Silver" but they are not "Sterling Silver" (.925 or higher)  for example the term "Mexican Silver" is generally used for an alloy that is .800 or less silver content and the term "Tibetan Silver" is sometimes used for an alloy that contains no silver at all and is actually an alloy similar to pewter but with a very high lead content! Alpaca is another alloy which also contains no silver but is sometimes sold as "Alpaca Silver". Here are some links and guides by other ebayer's that might be helpful

Tibetan Silver:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Tibetan-Silver-A-Buyer-s-Advisory_W0QQugidZ10000000003804484

Alpaca Silver:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpaca_silver

Bali Silver:
http://reviews.ebay.com/What-is-Bali-Silver_W0QQugidZ10000000001232717

Thai Hill Tribe Silver
http://reviews.ebay.com/The-Beauty-of-Thai-Silver_W0QQugidZ10000000001815688

A: No, I'm sorry but we do not have loose extras to make mixed packs.  To save time, ensure accuracy and track inventory all items are pre-packaged and labeled in the quantities listed.  For example 4mm sizes come in 1440 pcs sealed packs. The day we break the factory seal we hand count the entire 1440pc pack into 48 pc packs.  If we are 1 short or have 1 extra when we get to the last pack we switch to our 0.00G scale and weigh every pack to see if there are variances and if any are lighter or heavier they are hand counted a second time. That way we know 100% without a doubt that our pack count is accurate.

A: I am sorry unless we have them listed by the piece we cannot sell lots under $1.00.  Each transaction costs us more than that in time and fees.  For most of our items we now offer small pack sizes so you can get the same low wholesale price whether you purchase just 1 pack or 100 packs!  If you need something larger or smaller than what is listed please email me at service@nvbeads.com and I will let you know if we can work something out for you.

A: It depends on the quantity you need. Because most items are hand counted it takes us the same amount of time to count a 480 pc bag as it does for us to count ten 48 pc packs so for anything that we would need to hand count there would be no discount.  If you want bulk sealed factory packs that do not need to be counted please email me at service@nvbeads.com and let me know the quantity of what you need.  We do offer most of our items in bulk wholesale lots so If we have it or if we can get it I will let you know the price and can make a custom "Buy Now" listing for you if you decide to place an order.

A: Please email me at service@nvbeads.com and let me know what you need.  If we have it or if we can get it I will let you know the price and expected ship date.   If you decide you would like to go ahead and order it I will make a custom "Buy Now" listing for you when the item is back in stock.

A: According to eBay's pre-sale listing rules all backordered items must be delivered within 30 days from the date of purchase however most backorder items will only take 1-2 weeks.  All backorder items are guaranteed to be delivered in 30 days or less from the date your payment was received.  We do not backorder items until payment has been received. Backorder items are guaranteed to be AS DESCRIBED and cannot be returned for refund or exchange so please make 100% sure before backordering that you are aware of the color, size, shape and quantity you will be receiving. 

For Swarovski items if you are not familiar with the exact color you are ordering please start with a smaller quantity and/or visit your local bead store to view the color in real life. We work hard to get the colors in our photos as accurate as possible but the colors you see on your monitor we never be 100% accurate because no two monitors are set to the exact same brightness, contrast and color balance. What looks right on our screen could be very different on yours depending on how you have your monitor adjusted.  Even if you think your monitor is displaying correctly it is always a good idea to calibrate your monitor.  Here are some links to help you calibrate your monitor:

http://www.displaycalibration.com/ 
http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php
http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Gamma.htm 

99% of our past merchandise returns were for beads being "Larger" or "Smaller" than the buyer "Imagined" they would be.  This is very costly and we absolutely cannot accept returns if you order the wrong size.  If you are not familiar with MM sizes please see to the Sizes & Measurements section of this page.

Please email me at service@nvbeads.com and let me know what you need.  If we have it or if we can get it I will let you know the price and expected ship date.   If you decide you would like to go ahead and order it I will make a custom "Buy Now" listing for you when the item is back in stock.

A: You do not need to have a millimeter gauge to measure MMs. Because most of us in America never use MMs in our daily lives we have never taken the time to notice that just about every standard ruler and tape measure also has MM/CM on the opposite side from the inches.  To measure in MMs simply take any standard ruler or tape measure and flip it over to the centimeter side opposite from the inches.  Each tiny line is 1MM and 10MM's is 1 centimeter. A Penny is 19mm or 0.75" and 24.42mm is 1" If you do not have a ruler or mm gauge you can also use the Google calculator as explained in the next question below.

If you are going to be working with beads a lot a MM gauge or caliper would be a good investment.  We no longer sell the brass MM gauges because they are heavy and costly to ship and 90% of them came back to us because the buyer did not know how to use it and they did not come with instructions.  I recommend digital calipers that measure in mms and inches as they are much more precise and you can measure wire gauges and tell the difference from .020" and .025" thickness which is something you just can't do with the little brass gauges. The best places to find inexpensive calipers or gauges would be Harbor Freight or Sears.  Your local bead shop might have some as well but they would probably be a bit more expensive.

A: I'm sorry, Off the top of my head I do not know the answer but there are several ways you can check it for yourself.  First just look at any standard ruler or tape measure. The side opposite the inches is MM/CM.  I prefer the long flexible sewing ones because you can measure just about anything with them.  Just measure the length you need on the inches side and flip it over and see what it says on the other side.  I show 18" is just under 46 centimeters add a 0 to the end to convert CMs to MMs and you get an approximate number of 460mm. If the beads you plan to use are 8mm divide 460/8 = 57.5 beads. 

A fast & fun way to "Cheat" is to go to Google and use their automatic calculator.  Just enter in any Google search box: "18 inches to mm" or reversed "400mm to inches" and the first result will be the calculation.  This calculation can be done to convert any/all of our beads.  Just multiply the # of beads in the pack by the mm size of the bead. For example 100 pcs of 4mm is 400mm.  Then just enter 400mm to inches in Google and the result will show: 400 millimeters = 15.7480315 inches. To reverse it just enter the "18 inches to mm" take the result 457.2 and divide it by the size of the beads you wish to use and the # you get will be the # of beads needed. 457.2/8= 57.15 beads. Always get a few extras just to be safe.

Google calculator does just about any every conversion I know of including grams, ounces, troy ounces, carats, pennyweights, grains and even measurements for cooking like cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, gallons etc.

A: Wire gauge is thinner the higher the gauge.  Here are the wire sizes you will find in our store with diameter of each gauge shown in inches.
20G (.031"), 21G (.028"), 22G (.025"), 23G (.023"), 24G (.020"), 26G (.016"), 28G (.013")

A: I am sorry but you really need to know the wire gauge.  While our regular size will fit the most common sizes (22-24G) of French wires there are some that are made with very thin (24-26G) wire and would need out small hole stoppers and others like the hand-crafted Bali and the ear threads (21-20G) that need the large hole stoppers.  The best think you can do is to get a digital caliper that measures in inches and mms so you can measure the thin earwire and determine the thickness.  The wire gauge conversion to inches is shown above.

A: While we can and will answer any specific questions in regards to the details of any of our items such as size, shape, weight, colors or other details it is too difficult to try to teach beading and jewelry making by email.  There are tons of tips and tutorials on beading an jewelry making online so great way to find lots of information on the particular type of beading or jewelry making you are interested in is to do a Google search.  We also offer several bead and jewelry making books with illustrations that can explain how everything is used.

A: Sorry, it is all a matter of personal opinion and we cannot answer questions like that because what we think looks nice might be very different from what you think looks nice. 

If you are new to beading and not familiar with mm sizes sizes, beads shapes, stone types and Swarovski crystal colors & shapes it might be a good idea to visit some local bead and craft stores before buying anything online!

Please see our Swarovski Color Charts to view many of the available colors and effects.  The colors on the charts are not 100% accurate and will vary depending on your monitors settings but between the chart and the photo included in the item's description you should be able to get a good idea of the color.  If all of the photos look too light, too dark, too red, too green  etc you may need to calibrate your monitor:

http://www.displaycalibration.com/ 
http://www.photofriday.com/calibrate.php
http://www.photoscientia.co.uk/Gamma.htm 

Have a Q that wasn't answered here? Please email me at service@nvbeads.com.