Where to buy boro?

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

So it seems we have a choice.........limited choice over here or more choice from the states but heart stoppingly huge shipping costs. Where do you get yours?

[Chameleon]

I got a fab GA set of about 4" of all the colours from Q came with working notes too and meant i could try lots of colours ... it was a while ago though !!

Other than that I have had a little of the TAG from Off mandrel and some GA from plowdens and I have braved getting odd bits from the states

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

The best choice seems to be the states but the shipping is as much as the glass itself making it improbably pricey. Q doesn't seem to be around much anymore and I love Off Mandrel but am feeling more adventurous.

[garishglobes]

I'm afraid most of mine comes from ABR or Frantz in the US, I just swallow hard and try not to look at the shipping    
I almost always buy NS odds, boxes of shorts or wait for a sale (like the 40% off Momka that they have at the moment) which offsets the cost a bit. The sales are usually shown on the LE sale rack. I buy GA in February, when they have a big sale - but they usually have a selection of "occasional quality" glass available and I've never had a problem with that either. The only problem is needing to buy 1lb at a go with the odds and OCQ glass... that's a lot of boro colour.

If you include shipping and customs, the TAG from Off-mandrel is a good deal and often works out cheaper. Creative Glass do a small range of Northstar if you want to try a rod, and Fritenglas also has a good selection of rods, with rather less heart-stopping shipping costs!

[awrylemming]

If you don't mind waiting for 4-6 weeks and ask nicely, some of the US companies will send it the cheaper route.

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

I have created wishful thinking baskets in a few of the us sites and none of them offer the cheaper but longer delivery option anymore and I was wondering if that was because they were having a lot of lost and damaged parcels issues.

[beadysam]

I have created wishful thinking baskets in a few of the us sites and none of them offer the cheaper but longer delivery option anymore and I was wondering if that was because they were having a lot of lost and damaged parcels issues.

Why don't you email and ask, they are often very helpful and flexible. You may be able to buy bigger quantities and split with others in the UK too, and that might get you a discount.

[Shirley]

I'd let Martin know you are getting into boro, Tan. Might lead to something

[Stacy]

ABR do a "cheapest shipping" option. They will weigh your parcel once picked and then charge you the cheapest rate.

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

I thought about the buying and splitting thing Sam but I don't think it will work out much cheaper and I can't be arsed to sort and post all that glass. Shirley.....I wish

Stacy, I didn't know ABR did that, that is really good to know

[June]

Martin has a little bit of boro, Tan, but not a lot!  Christina of Frit n Glas also does quite a range.  The shipping might be a bit, but at least there is no customs charge! 

[Steampunkglass]

When starting out the sampler packs are a really good option, it's almost as if you get too much choice though! Makes a nice pallete so you've got lots of colours to try out, Martin usually has the Northstar pack and Sean does a TAG sampler as well. I hear there are sometimes there are shorts on sale on ebay (very occasionally) but the problem there is you really don't know what you've got, which makes it really hard to figure out how to use them.

[♥♥Tan♥♥]

Glenn, I have been looking at the sampler packs, they seem like a really good way to go, all the rods labelled so I know where I am starting from and a nice choice to play with, no Northstar packs on Martins site at the mo I did originally think shorts were the way to go financially but couldn't face the headache of working out what they were!!

June, thankyou, I did get my clear from Martin but the colours were so limited, along with my knowledge that I didn't dare venture into colour rods

[June]

Sean has some boro frit, too, Tan, which may be worth a play with some clear (you being the frit Queen and all that  ) ? 

[garishglobes]

Shorts aren't as much of a headache as you might think because most boro only works in a few different ways... but I do agree that there is something nice about starting with labelled rods and knowing what you are playing with.
ABR do tend to overestimate shipping on the basket and then work it out properly afterwards.
The downside with the sampler packs is that they include some colours you will never, or very rarely, use. But then probably over time you do end up having a go at most of them.. 
I think the frit woman on Etsy sounds like a good deal, and eplanetglass has nice Momka frit.