Twisted Leather Creations

Pricing, Shipping and Taxes - Q & A

Placing an order: How much does it cost? 

It's one of the first questions we get asked by most of our first time customers. So, providing full transparency, here's how much it's going to cost you.

Unless you're purchasing something that's been pre-made and already given a price, the answer is going to depend on what you're requesting, the various options you choose to add or opt out of, the type of materials you want it constructed from, a selection of other options that will change with your unique individual situation, needs, preferences, etc., and of course, the most important variable of all, what your budget happens to be.

We do offer payment options/layaway because many of our products and services can be quite pricey, but we do our best to work with our customers to try and keep within whatever their budgets happen to be. While it cannot always be guaranteed, it is what we aim to achieve. Which does mean, unfortunately, that our prices cannot be estimated without a customer consult.

Why does this one cost more than that one? 

While two items may look identical, this may not always be the case. We understand this can be quite frustrating, especially when you see something that you want, but the color you don't want is a lower cost. Or your friend ordered the "exact same thing" but they were charged a different amount.

Let's break this down into simpler terms. For example, there are two seemingly identical dream catchers. One is red with golden crystal accents, and the other is turquoise with silver crystal accents. Their costs? The red one is $35 and the turquoise one costs $60. Why? It's not because the red one is considered less in demand or less favorable. It's because the turquoise dream catcher was made with deerskin leather and actual quartz crystal beads. While the red one was made from pigskin with glass crystal cut beads. They're both beautiful, and they were both crafted with great care. However, the higher costs of materials is what has determined the higher purchasing cost in this particular case.

Not all leathers, hardware and crafting materials are going to cost the same. Not all styles of construction, stitch techniques, adornments and accents, patterns, etc., are going to equate to the same purchasing price. Even the crafter who constructs your product will have an impact on what the final cost will be. Especially if you choose to allow for an apprentice artisan (supervised, of course) to be your assigned crafter. So many variables can impact the final cost of any given item, even if it appears to be "the same" as another that came with a different price tag.

Why was I quoted a lower price, but now it's for sale at a much higher cost? 

It doesn't happen too often, but occasionally, someone will go through the consultation process to design a custom product that they will ultimately not purchase. This can be for many reasons, but the most common is that they defaulted on the final construction payment. Life happens, and though it's unfortunate, once our policy hold has expired, the item will then be released for public sale.

Typically, these items will be sold for what they were contracted for. However, there are times when the artisan has been given the parameters of the constructed project, and all else is within creative liberties. By doing this, the purchaser can sometimes end up purchasing a final project that is worth significantly more than what they are being charged for it. It really depends on the crafter and what they choose to put into it. Sometimes, our artisans enjoy a project so much, that the final outcome may be two or three times the value of what they customer is being charged.

It's completely at their discretion, and if that happens and the item fails to be purchased by the one who initially ordered it? It is then also within their discretion to receive full compensation for what the finished project is worth for their time and effort to whomever ends up purchasing it.

Are there any discounts available? 

We do offer referral discounts to our customers, but because of the unique products and services we offer, we have chosen to not discount the compensation out artisans receive by participating in seasonal sales.

However, because the learning process can be full of flaws and imperfections, we do sometimes have what we call learning projects available for sale at a lesser cost than if you were to purchase them from a more seasoned crafted. They are perfectly good items, but they will have superficial errs or mishaps in their construction.

From time to time, we may also have imperfect prototypes available for sale. These are also going to have minor issues with them, that go along with the trial and error or creating something new. They are often made from the lower end pieces of scraps and hardware, so as not to be wasteful in our pursuit of new ideas, but that is also what makes them such unique pieces of art. They are truly one-of-a-kind.

The final products that you may see sold at a discount are those that, for one reason or another, have somehow become damaged and we have either chosen not to repair it, or are unable to do so without making the item unusable.

All discount items are always sold as is, and clearly stated what they are at the time of sale. And while we do our best to keep up with our inventory, they are not always guaranteed to be listed. So, if you're looking for something unique, you are always welcome to reach out to us (Email us at order@twistedleathercreations.com) and inquire about any readily available reduced sale inventory.

How much will shipping and processing cost me? 

We understand the frustration of finding exactly what you're looking for and then getting surprised with unexpected added expenses at the time of checking out. So, to make this an easier process for everyone, we have simplified out shipping and processing fees.

Shipping, in most cases, is now charged on a flat rate basis of $5usd for your first item, and an addition $2usd for each additional item. Items requiring special shipping or are extra large or heavy will require additional shipping fees that will vary depending on the needs of the item being shipped. These cannot be determined in advance due to the shipping variables that can change depending on where it's being shipped to.

An additional processing fee of 2% will be added to each purchase total to cover the cost of shipping materials, mandatory insurance, providing tracking, and all relevant expenditures related to processing the received payment and shipment of your items.

Where do you ship? 

At this time, shipping outside of the continental United States is not possible. Therefore, we are only able to ship to the 48 continental states currently within our immediate domestic shipping area.

This does mean we are unfortunately unable to service Hawaii, Alaska and other US territories, as well as Canada, Mexico and all our other international friends.

While we are seeking shipping options to resolve these current obstacles, we do apologize to those outside of our shipping area and encourage you to reach out to us should you ever be traveling within our shipping range in the future.

Do you do local work? 

Yes! We can definitely service those within out local Mead/Spokane, Washington area. Rather than having your order(s) shipped, we can certainly arrange for you to pick them up from one of our willing associates.

We do not have a physical business location, and any in-person services or sales, outside of local events, will require the signing of a liability waiver and your own transportation to wherever the artisan/crafter, associate, etc. will be meeting you. This is not a guaranteed service, and is only available upon the agreement and willingness of all parties involved.

Yes, on occasion we do attend local events, and we will post those on our social media pages, as well as here on our homepage to let our customers know. We will also let our newsletter subscribers know in advance if we are planning to attend an event, and where we will be located if that information is provided for us in advance.

No, we do not do deliveries at this time. We are looking into options for that service, and will update accordingly should that option change.

How much is tax? 

The tax laws have changed drastically in the past couple years, and they have become frustratingly complex and challenging. Federal laws now require all online eCommerce purchases to be charged a tax, and the states regulate their own sales taxes. These can vary from state to state, and even change from one county to the next. All of this can be hard to keep up with for a small business.

To charge too little tax, knowingly or not, can put a merchant in high cost legal trouble. Charging too much is just as much of a problem, in a different legal pool. Unfortunately, the vast majority of shopping cart programs and eCommerce options like PayPal haven't caught up to the new laws and don't allow for businesses to accommodate for so many shipping and tax code exceptions.

This means, that your tax rate will be determined by where you are.

• Online eCommerce purchases outside of Washington state will be charged the federally required tax rate of 6.5% (subject to change as federal changes and requires).

• Washington state residents will be charged their tax rates based on what city/county they reside in. The average will be around a 9% tax rate.

• Local in-person sales will be charged the tax rates determined by the county over-seeing the event, as required by law.

Contact us if you have any questions

We value our customers and are more than happy to answer any questions you may have, without ridicule or judgement. We also appreciate any comments or suggestions you wish to share with us.

All communications are handled with the upmost of care, consideration and respect, and will only be used to provide your requested service(s).