Got Burl?
Part of Easter Week Shipments (and my Packer/Shipper)
AustralianBurls.com
You won't find a larger variety and selection or better quality Aussie Burls outside Australia
Chesapeake, Virginia
757.816.5622
Elmo turning photo courtesy of Robert Pastel
Hi! Welcome to Elmo's World . . . Elmo's so happy to see you . . . Guess what Elmo's thinking about today . . . Ya ta ta ta . . .
BURLS!!! Mmm Hmm . . . Australian Burls!!!
Updated Wednesday, July 23, 2008 . . .
Please See Important Notes Below (after the quotes). . . I'm back from Alaska and shipping orders. Call or email me with any requests as I finalize two new shipments. Please excuse any website hiccups as I had difficulties with my service provider for a week . . .
FREE SHIPPING*
*On Domestic Website Orders (Continental US) over $350
10% off International and Hawaii/Alaska Orders over $350 (in lieu of free shipping)
"Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE . . ."
Yours Truly
"Time you don't use; You lose it; You grab every moment you can, before it's gone . . ."
Like No Other Night
.38 Special
It's a troublesome world. All the people who are in it
are troubled by troubles almost every minute.
You ought to be thankful a whole heaping lot,
for the places and people you're lucky you're not.
Dr. Seuss
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
The June 2008 shipment is posted as follows:
22 York Gum starting on YORK GUM BURL PAGE 6
8 Salmon Gum starting on SALMON GUM BURL PAGE 5
27 Yorrel starting on YORREL BURL PAGE 6
15 Horistes starting on HORISTES BURL PAGE 15
35 Gimlet starting on GIMLET BURL PAGE 7
24 Red Morrel starting on RED MORREL BURL PAGE 9
31 Corrugata starting on CORRUGATA BURL PAGE 18
5 Wandoo boards on the WANDOO PAGE and LOTS of CUT BLOCKS
6/27 I've started the process of assembling 2 new orders - Goldfields Burls from WA and from the eastern side, Red/Brown Mallee, Yellow Box and possibly a bit of red Coolibah. Check the Coming Soon page for periodic updates and pictures of what I've OK'd to go in the crates. As always, special orders are welcome as are pre-arrival sales.
5/1 CUT BLOCK pages have been revised so I can remove pieces as they are sold and larger pictures added with dimensions. I have more blocks that I've not yet photo'd and posted and will have plenty more blocks to post as I start to cut large burls that have not sold in June. 7/2 I'll be posting more Jarrah, Black Ash and Red Mallee blocks around mid-3rd week of July.
CURRENT INVENTORY PAGES . . . If you prefer not to go through every page and see a lot of SOLD indications, please click on the CURRENT INVENTORY link (listed on Page 1 for most burl species) and you'll see a page with teal green background and pictures with notes below (if there's more than 1 burl in the picture) stating what I currently have in stock for that species. As a general rule, I also try to list at the top of most individual pages which burls are still available or if all burls on that page have been sold.
FREE SHIPPING OFFER . . . I've discontinued the 10% discount to first-time website buyers, choosing instead to offer an opportunity for all customers to benefit from a discount . . . I will ship orders for more than $350 for FREE within the Continental US. For AK/HI and International customers, I will offer 10% off your order for orders over $350 (in lieu of free shipping). NOTE - For very large orders please provide a business address with loading dock or be willing to (a) pickup yourself at the local Roadway freight terminal or (b) pay the lift gate fee.
DISCOUNTS . . . As offered above, I am happy to offer FREE SHIPPING (or 10% discount for AK/HI and International buyers) for orders over $350. I think it is a generous discount, available to everyone, and a mutually beneficial offer . . . hopefully eliminating your concern about the cost of shipping and helping me move more stock. Unfortunately, the shipping is not free for me, so I do not offer additional discounts (other than the discounted shipping rates I get for orders less than $350), though I will periodically list specials on the SPECIALS page.
A note about how to best use this site . . . the font I use is Bradley Hand ITC . . . if it appears like Times New Roman on your computer, you likely don't have the font installed (try installing). . . my laptop is a widescreen, so my page size is 1280 x 800 . . . the front and reverse sides of burl caps should appear side by side . . . if not, I recommend changing your screen resolution to best view this site.
HOW TO ORDER . . . Contact me by email jsyvertsen@cox.net or by phone at 757.816.5622 to purchase (or setup a time to visit). VISA/Mastercard and Discover gladly accepted. You may also pay via bank transfer or by PayPal (you do NOT need to be a PayPal member). Of course, I'll also accept cash, or (if I know you) a check.
PICTURES . . . I have to keep picture size and resolution on this site small so page load speed is not annoyingly (any more so) slow . . . if you see something that you think might interest you but you'd like a better picture before deciding, just email or call me and I'll email you a higher resolution picture. I realize the inability to "touch" is an impediment to some people when buying off the internet (Algore didn't think about that when he invented the internet) . . . I take pictures of the burls in RAW format (unless I mistakenly change the setting) so while the pictures are small on the site, I keep high resolution/large pictures (in most cases) in my electronic files (so don't hesitate to ask for a larger picture).
PRICES . . . prices are based on harvest weight (that's how I buy burl from the Australians) and are in line with my competition (or lower than larger wood retailers selling a limited selection of Aussie Burls). Those offering at a lower price are likely buying 2nd or lower grade burls. I buy either SELECT or 1st GRADE burls. Unfortunately, like everything else these days, burl prices and importation costs are being driven up by the outrageous price of oil. That being said, the Aussie burls are still a bargain compared to other burls like Amboyna or Rosewood.
SALES TAX . . . no sales tax for out of state buyers and Virginia residents who provide me with a copy of their state tax ID (ST-10) number or business license. Sorry, but I have to charge VA residents without a valid ST-10 the normal 5% sales tax. Though I'm not required to charge tax for out of state buyers since internet sales are not taxable, be aware that the dirty rotten scoundrel politicians (that's a non-partisan statement) in many states, in their continual efforts to stick their hands deeper into taxpayer pockets and circumvent the laws enacted, MAY charge you a USE TAX when you file your state taxes (as they do in Virginia) each year.
SHIPPING . . . I normally ship by FedEx Home Delivery or FedEx Ground for shipments up to 150 lbs . . . I get excellent discounted rates. For very large shipments I use Roadway Express. Even if you do not choose to take advantage of my free shipping offer, I get exceptionally good shipping rates (though small packages are billed at a higher $/lb rate).
CANADA SHIPPING . . . While I normally ship by FedEx, I'd be happy to ship by USPS to my growing Canadian customer base if it is more cost effective for you. It may be less expensive to ship by Flat Rate International (if I can fit what you want in one of the 3 different boxes available at USPS - even the large size is not very large). I'm told by my customers that there are no additional charges with USPS beyond what I charge you. FedEx will charge you customs/duties upon delivery in addition to what I charge. That being said, FedEx is worth considering and may be less expensive overall for larger shipments. I'll gladly provide you with an estimate of customs/duties from FedEx if you wish.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES . . . All wood I buy is fumigated before it leaves Australia. Canadian buyers, if you'd like to purchase, but need a copy of the fumigation certificate (for the Australian Burls), I'll happily supply one with your commercial invoice so you don't have a problem at the border.
There are lots of large and/or irregular shaped burls on this site. Personally, I've found that some of the most interesting turnings develop from the ugliest of burls, so don't be turned off by caps that are not perfectly round . . . just makes for more of an artistic challenge . . . That's not a sales pitch. While the Australian Burls are known for the fantastic color and figure of their heartwood, turnings are far more interesting with contrasting sapwood incorporated. Some species of burl commonly have faults - Red Morrel and Horistes come to mind - this frequently makes for better figure and artistic character (and if you're making a bowl anyway, just makes your job easier).
I want you to be happy with your purchase. Unlike some others who come to mind, I don't buy 2nd grade burls (I buy 1st grade or a limited amount of select grade), unless I specifically OK a particular burl with significant termite damage that I know will not affect what's underneath. Burls are not inexpensive and I would like for you to be a repeat customer. To that end, I will provide you a top quality product, at a reasonable price, with, what I hope you'll agree is, exceptional customer service. I'm honest and not looking to have a dissatisfied customer. If for some reason you're not happy with your purchase, please contact me, and between us we'll work out a reasonable solution. If you're happy with your order and my service, please tell a friend!
Lastly, I am the owner of all pictures on this site (and the parent site www.jimsyvertsen.com), or have permission from the owners (Kim Blatt, Cindy Drozda, Harvey Fein, Matthew Hatala, Skip Bellock, my Australian suppliers, etc.) to use their images. For those who might feel inclined to "borrow" pictures without my expressed permission, that would be a violation of copyright law. PLEASE DO NOT DO SO.