This page is a thread for anyone to inform the list or discuss various incense retailers and suppliers. Thanks to Anne for the idea. I’ve also listed, below, a number of recommended incense retailers outside of the US as a resource, since they’re not listed in our links section.
Disclaimer: ORS as a site recommends a number of retailers that can be found as links on the left from the home page and does so as a result of doing successful business with these retailers on multiple occasions. This page may be used to add to that list in the future, but if we do so it will be due to a mix of reader consensus and personal judgement. This is not a page for business advertising unless previously approved by ORS staff, but representatives of businesses are welcome to reply to previously made queries by readers during the discussion. Constructive criticism is welcome; obsessive negativity and grudges are discouraged.
I’ve added a list of suppliers outside of the US posted by a couple readers. Claire says, ”…here is a list of suppliers I’ve come across in the UK – I’ve indicated with an asterix if I have satisfactorily bought from them at least once. I’m not endorsing any of these, just letting you know what I have stumbled upon over the last 2 years:
** http://www.simplyincense.co.uk/
** http://www.purelands.co.uk/?page_id=3&category=4
** http://www.dharma-store.com/incense-c-4.html
** http://humphreym.f2s.com/index.php?cPath=28&osCsid=cb5fd1be5aeb44492ae52b2c19499930
http://www.incense-man.co.uk/incense.html
http://www.soundtravels.co.uk/incense-sensual-incense-c-3_194.html
http://www.kemetdesign.co.uk/noncombustincense.html
http://starchild-international.com/index.php?cPath=181&osCsid=dbb4298d74475596387c4b5e3664be10
http://moonshadows-realm.co.uk/shopping/index.php?cPath=59&osCsid=2e21382218510a3c0304193a89d6325b
http://www.hunabku.biz/products.php?cat=115
http://www.incensemagic.co.uk/
http://www.panspantry.co.uk/price.html
https://www.baldwins.co.uk/Incense/387
and in Ireland:
** http://www.whitewitch.ie/index.php?option=com_oscommerce&osMod=index&Itemid=15&catID=1
Daniel says, ”I’ll follow Claire’s system and place an asterix in front of those that I have actually done business with.
* http://www.anandam-shop.de/shop/index.php/language/en (Germany, Baieido)
* http://www.senteurs-du-monde.com/ (Switzerland, Baieido, Nippon Kodo, and others)
* http://www.klang-stille.de/ (Germany, Baieido, Nippon Kodo, Shoyeido and others)
* http://www.artkokoro.com/index.asp/ (Italy, Baieido, and as far as I know the only source for Gyokushodo in Europe, even some kinds NOT available in the US!)
* http://www.malola-trade.net/ (Germany, Indian and Tibetan)
http://www.encens-de-qualite.com/ (France, Encens du Monde, Nippon Kodo, others)
http://www.midgaardshop.be/ (Belgium, Baieido, Tibetan)
http://www.shaktishop.com/index.php (Germany, Indian, Tibetan)
http://www.rorando.de/ (Germany, Kyukyodo, Shoyeido, Encens du Monde, Nippon Kodo)
apsara said,
February 3, 2012 at 2:03 pm
This is OT, in such as it concerns a seller of Oud (Agarwood) oil.
Taha, whose website ist “Agar Aura”, after I bought from him, has forwarded my e-mail address to Facebook against my wishes and without my knowing. I never wanted to have anything to do with FB, but now, thanks to Taha, they have my private e-mail which will stay on their record forever. I have reason to suspect that they have sold it to marketing companies since then.
Taha from Agar Aura keeps sending marketing mails against my wishes, claiming that I have signed up for them.
I will not EVER buy anything again from someone who misuses a buyer’s personal info. Furthermore, Agar Aura is not complying with the law by failing to include an unsubscribe link in its marketing spam. This has been going on for a year, by the way.
Sara said,
October 8, 2011 at 1:14 pm
If you do find gyokushodo please post it, thank you. We are able to get everything else between http://www.artkokoro.com/ and http://www.hitherandyon.com/ Art kokoro is divine while hither and yon is sublime
tacololo said,
August 30, 2011 at 5:23 am
I cannot find gyokushodo in Europe. Artkokoro.com seems to have ceased to exist.
Thomas said,
May 13, 2012 at 10:02 am
If you type “artkokoro.com” into the browser adress line, you will find the page. It seems they changed the main page, so the link provided here will not work.
Tina said,
July 22, 2011 at 8:47 am
I have ordered from Shoyeido, Japan Incense and Essence of the Ages. My orders from Japan Incense arrive within the same week. Their turnaround is AMAZING. Ordered on Monday and received on Thursday from Japan Incense. I have received handwritten notes and free samples from Japan Incense.
My first order from Essence of Ages did not go as well because part of my order was missing. However, it did contain some free samples. I called Beth to inform her that part of my order was missing and at first was informed that it was impossible for something to be missing since she packs the orders herself. After I informed her what was shipped to me, she told me that she had made a mistake and to enjoy the incense that was sent in error. My correct incense was shipped to me within the same week. I did appreciate that. I recently placed another order with Essence of Ages Monday and hopefully everything is included with this order so that I can order from her on a regular basis. I really do like the variety of merchandise sold at her store. Based on all of the other positive reviews written for Essence of the Ages, I am sure my first experience was a rare mistake.
Shoyeido is fantastic. Orders are received within the same week.
tacololo said,
June 26, 2011 at 2:48 pm
I recently ordered in the netherlands Europe from wierook.org
Prices are decent and within holland no fee for orders above 50 euro`s and also a discount if you order again. That is pretty smart. Via a spending point system the next order you get a discount of 10 cents for every euro you spent last time. Good idea to bind customers.
I also recently ordered from naturalincense in Lithuania. They do not have a whole lot but what they have is the cheapest I came across.
However they promise a free gift nepalese incense package for orders above 29 euro wich I did not get.
I actually bought here a lovely golden nag champa with beautiful paper wrapped around it with a dried flower on it. Very nice.
tacololo said,
September 2, 2011 at 1:28 am
naturalincense now has the nadopoizokhang grade A for 10 euro and the yog sadhana series
Petra said,
May 5, 2011 at 1:38 am
Since there are so few retailers outside the U.S. who carry Gyokushodo I’ll post this here for the ORS readers in Europe:
http://www.sonnlicht.at
is an incense retailer in Austria that carries Gyokushodo as well as some others, namely Shoyeido – also the high-end line in 8 stick packages up to Sho Kaku, Encense du Monde, Nippon Kodo, Baieido and Kunjudo. The indian incenses offered include Ramakrishnanda and some of the Mother’s Fragrances and some others. I have ordered successfully from there for three times now. Shipping EU-wide and paypal accepted. The prices are somewhat higher than when you order from the US but to be fair, I guess wholesale prices in Europe are higher as well.
Tio said,
April 25, 2011 at 10:19 am
A short while ago I discovered the original and apparently still the largest US importer of Mother’s Incense, a company named Mere Cie Ltd. (www.merecie.com). I mention them because I had a quality control issue with a bulk package of Ganesh Nag Champa purchased elsewhere. Though they hadn’t sold to the retailer in question, Dan at Mere Cie offered to replace my bulk Ganesh free of charge from a shipment just arrived from India. Four days later I received a 500g package of fresh, damp Mother’s Ganesh Nag Champa.
People like Dan at Mere Cie, who are committed to their product and customers, are why incense is my very favorite purchase (I put Kotaro and Jay from Kohshi in that same world-class league.)
(the above copied from “Ask …” after I noticed this thread)
bbrofman said,
February 12, 2011 at 9:47 pm
Been reading reviews here for a while, and I have appreciated the excellent information everyone here has … many of my recent purchases have been based on reviews here. … Thanks!
Not sure where to post this … basically, I’m wondering if anyone here has knowledge of where to buy/sampler decent quality aloeswood and/or sandalwood incense in Vietnam … ? For instance, specific companies or locations here … ? I’m based in Hanoi for the next month, and will be travelling through Hue and Hoi An this week …
So far, I have sampled The Hung incense (http://www.huongtramthehung.com/), which is just around the corner from my base in Hanoi, and have a small upcoming purchase from Secoin Co., Ltd. (http://www.secoin.vn/Desktop.aspx/Industrial-Wood-Page/Agarwood-products/) and (http://www.getamarket.com/en/Offers/121/agarwood_incense_stick.html).
I have irregular internet access, but will read replys and post again as I can …
Robert said,
November 18, 2011 at 9:57 am
Hi BBrofman,
how was your sampling of the vietnamese incenses? I think most of them have bamboo cores which increases their smokiness level. How did they compare to some of the moderately priced japanese aloeswood/agarwood incenses? Please let me know. Thank you. Robert
Subdeacon Seraphim Reynolds said,
December 24, 2010 at 9:52 am
Dear Friends,
I noticed we have been mentioned a few times on the ORS site, and we wanted to offer a 10% off your incense purchase at http://www.orthodoxincense.com through the end of December 2010. Just enter the word “incense” in the coupon code box when checking out.
We have Athonite style incense from Orthodox monasteries both here in the US and Mt Athos, Greece.
Thanks to you all for your support, and a Blessed Christmas to everyone!
Subdeacon Seraphim
glennjf said,
December 19, 2010 at 2:25 am
Hooray! Australia now has another Online Incense Retailer
Early days yet for mettascents.com who currently have on offer Shoyeido Gift packs. I know there’s sure to be/soon to be other incenses in the offing.
Feel free to read the METTA SCENTS About page and the Blog too or maybe even contact METTA SCENTS if you feel you want to get involved moreso than just buying her incenses.
I wish Kim and METTA SCENTS success and happy trading.
Anne said,
December 15, 2010 at 9:57 am
Ibn Saif Trading is a retailer out in Oman. Due to their location, they have easy access to some of the best Hougari frankincense in the market. They also provide excellent frankincense incense sticks (see my review of them in December 2010 posts). To see a picture and to order these frankincense incense sticks, go here:
http://ibnsaiftrading.com/Fsticks.html
Though Muhanna, the owner and Managing Director of Ibn Saif Trading, normally deals in large wholesale orders, he graciously agreed to sell me a small order of hougary resins and frnakincense sticks. In our dealings, he was always prompt to answer emails and polite. Incidentally, though it’s not advertised on his website, Muhanna also sells Fusoos frankincense and myrrh too.
Note though that Muhanna is not currently set up with paypal. When I placed my order, I had to wire my payment via Western Union. BTW, using Western Union requires a fee for the service. Also note that shipping charges from Oman isn’t exactly inexpensive, either. Therefore, buying additional product or placing a larger order may be the way to go to justify the shipping costs.
glennjf said,
February 8, 2011 at 9:14 pm
Muhannas sticks and Hogari (Hojari) resin are every bit as good as you said they were Anne.
I contacted Muhanna and worked out a small order of samples. Muhanna asked if I might be able to assist, to put him in touch with an Australian wholesale incense business who might be interested in his products, there was one place I thought of. They sought samples and were impressed by them. I’m (naturally) joyous about this outcome as soon now I expect to be able to find the sticks available in some some of my local shops
Thank you for the alert Anne, very very much appreciated.
glennjf said,
May 25, 2011 at 10:18 pm
My thanks to you Anne from for posting about Muhanna’s sticks here
The sticks as packets of 8 sticks and two types of resin which are available in pretty neat looking 125g boxes are all now available in Australia. http://www.tulsi-incense.com.au/Resin-from-Oman.html
My photo of the Frankincense resin box… http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5760912416_4a5b3627ba.jpg
If I should happen to run out of sticks I can now take a short easy drive and restock from a couple of local businesses.
Clifford said,
October 7, 2010 at 10:40 pm
Hi Guys,
Does anyone know any place that has a good selection of Incense in the DENVER area? I haven’t found anything yet and I’ve lived here for two years!
Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!
-Cliff
Michael said,
October 24, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Cliff,
I believe Shoyeido is in Boulder – not so far away and some really fine incense too!
Jerry said,
January 13, 2011 at 4:08 pm
Old Tibet on Pearl Street in Boulder.
Clifford said,
January 21, 2011 at 12:00 am
Nice! Thanks Michael and Jerry! I’ll be sure to check those out.
robin-m said,
August 28, 2010 at 5:20 pm
I received six of the new Mother’s Incense nagchampas today from merecie.com. Very timely shipping — it only took 4 days for them to reach me.
What impressed me the most, however, was a handwritten note enclosed that stated I had overpaid for shipping, therefore they were enclosing 3 12-stick mini-packs of Ganesh, Lakshmi, and Shanti!. (Since shipping costs were only about $4.75, I thought this was very gracious of them.)
P.S. My order included Lila, Lavanya, Hansa, Ananda, Bhakti, Agni and Moksha — very, very promising in the package!
Mike said,
August 28, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Good to hear! Thanks for the report, I’m hoping to have the other 7 reviewed sometime in the coming week….
Clifford said,
October 7, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Yes, that is a pretty decent shipping price. Many online Incense [and Internet Businesses in general] companies ridiculously overcharge for shipping. I mean, I just paid $7+ for a couple very light boxes of Incense, and it was shipped First-Class Mail (I won’t name names, but they are quite popular around here). That would be no more than a few dollars to ship (at most)!
Overcharged shipping is one of the biggest deterrents for me when it comes to choosing online Incense vendors.
glennjf said,
October 8, 2010 at 3:04 pm
Oops, I’m not happy either if it’s reading that way, please delete the post please Mike.
glennjf said,
August 10, 2010 at 4:26 am
My first purchase from japanincense.com and it made it from the States to here in five working days with a weekend thrown in. That’s pretty good traveling. The order was packed in similar fashion to how Beth packs her orders so there was never any chance of the contents incurring damage.
Thanks Kotaro and Jay and also for agreeing to send the order over here to me by my requested postage type.
Samples were included which always makes such good sense. With me living so far away from the marketplace samples let me experience the “real deal” which is something of a necessity for deciding about what to aim for with the next purchase. As has been mentioned here more than once, what appeals to one may not appeal to another, light a sample and inhale is often what it comes down to.
Lenny said,
August 5, 2010 at 1:21 pm
ordered from Ecclecstacy Arts recently. After reading the comments on here I feared the worst. However the order shipped quickly and came with a generous sample. Happy with the service thus far, keep it up guys!
glennjf said,
July 27, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Another addition to the Australian list of sellers and incenses offered…
Soka Gakkai International Australia is a part of SGI International, a Worldwide Buddhist Organisation.
SGI operate a couple of non affiliated online bookshops in countries around the globe ie Japan the UK and the USA. Do check for a local SGI website servicing your area otherwise contact the Australian SGI bookshop to confirm they will ship to your part of the planet. I understand they are happy to ship worldwide but I would imagine there might be some exceptions, it pays to check.
The Australian bookshop offers a small selection of Japanese incenses online, all of them being the low smoke type. They’re manufactured by just three companies, Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd, Seijudo and Nippon Kodo. Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd. I’d not heard of before encountering the SGI Australia bookshop.
Aside from the slightly stronger perfumed Nippon Kodo [ka-fuh] range of incenses, mostly all of what they carry are light or understated for scent. They are intended to be used for meditation purposes such is my present understanding. They’d probably hit the mark nicely with people who have difficulty dealing with the stronger scent types.
To locate which incenses SGI Australia might have for sale at any time simply enter the word incense into their search field then click on search or hit enter. They’ve recently received new stock (July 2010) however their website is yet to be updated. If anyone anywhere was interested to buy from the Australian website but was unsure if there was actually stock available then a short email to them would sort it for you. For payment I understand they accept Visa and Mastercard. I’m not sure how their shipping works.
The Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd. and Seijudo incenses they offer I’ve not seen for sale anywhere else or from anyone else in Australia.
The website is noticably light on for specifics. Box sizes are shown relating to small boxes only. Stick counts, company names et cetera are not given. Images are small. If anyone was interested to purchase a particular incense they could easily email and ask for more information otherwise the photos at their website stand as the a guide, those and the price for items showing as being “in stock”. I decided to seek company names for incenses other than the Nippon Kodo branded ones which was just as well since I was thinking them all to be either NK or Seijudo incenses.
Since the [ka-fuh] range by Nippon Kodo is able to be sourced with relative ease I didn’t bother with reviewing them. They’ve not been reviewed here, except for [ka-fuh] Hinoki. Of the [ka-fuh] range I’d previously tried [ka-fuh] White Plum and [ka-fuh] Lavender and Hinoki, which I’m fine with, in fact, I quite like [ka-fuh] Hinoki. [ka-fuh] Lavender although light, also meets something in me so I have a small box here which I light a stick from now and then when the mood takes me.
The White Plum I’m not really immured by although I know a local bloke who absolutely adores it and burns it regularly. SGI Australia also sell [ka-fuh] Daphne and [ka-fuh] Aqua. These last two I have not tried. I may never get to them at all since I’ve already a long list of incenses I’d prefer to try ahead of them. Probably they’ll be waiting in the wings till the year 3000 or thereabouts given my current sampling/acquisition regime, unless there’s some major changes come about. If anyone has tried them and want’s to feedback that’d be great.
For the incenses I sampled I wrote down the following brief notes…
Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd – Treasure Black
Sweet, leaning towards frankincense with a vanilla note.
Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd – Small Hoju Less Smoke
Wood and a slight green note.
Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd – Hoju Excellent
Stronger scented incense, sweet with cherry honey and amber notes.
Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd – Treasure Gold
Like Treasure Black but with a slight sharp green note.
Nippon Kodo – Kataribe Lavender
Lavender with a citrus note, a nice combination.
Nippon Kodo – Mainichiko Natural
Low smoke, a reserved light rose herbal scent followed with a light touch of wood. A daily incense for sure.
Nippon Kodo – Taiyo Murasaki (purple)
Herbal grassy and sweet, has character.
Nippon Kodo – Taiyo Yuri (green)
A woody, sweet fragrance reminiscent of lily blooms.
Nippon Kodo – Taiyo Sakura
A light floral incense with a sweet powdery fragrance and a hint of cherry blossom to finish.
Nippon Kodo – Seiten Blue
A sedate mind clearing resinous pine incense. I smelled “blue” in this incense if that makes any sense. I liked it.
Seijudo – Towa 8 Jasmine
Light floral, not distracting at all.
Seijudo – Towa 8 Lavender
Quite nice, amber note, lavender is faint, away in the background.
Seijudo – Towa 8 Rose
Floral but not so much a rose scent as just flowery, leaning to cherry and chocolate.
Seijudo – Towa Incense small
Very nice, a sweet cherrylike red note to it. Woody with a leather aspect.
Seijudo – Urawaka Sakura
I’m calling this one a friendly floral having the sweet scent of blossoms on a warm sunny day.
Seijudo – Renaissance Spirit small
Has a pine note. It’s an incense that’s definately still up for further interpretation. There was not enough sample stick to get me a yes, no or otherwise sense for this one but somehow I felt there was something there given time and a few more sticks I’d probably show itself. Since I was not instantly unimpressed with the stick I sampled I would imagine I’d like whatever eventually showed
Of the Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd incenses above I realise I would have been interested to try a few more sticks of the Treasure Black, Hoju Excellent.
For the Nippon Kodo incences more sticks of the Kataribe Lavender, Mainichiko Natural, Taiyo Murasaki (purple), Taiyo Yuri (green), Taiyo Sakura and Seiten Blue would be good.
Seijudo, would be nice to have a few more sticks of Towa 8 Rose, Towa Incense small and Urawaka Sakura.
The future, maybe…
If I was aiming to buy probably I’d begin with Seijudo Towa Incense small then Akazawa Choyo Co., Ltd Hoju Excellent then Nippon Kodo Kataribe Lavender, Nippon Kodo Taiyo Murasaki (purple) and finally the Nippon Kodo Seiten Blue.
I’d like to thank the folks at SGI Australia for their kind assistance, thanks especially to R Tand L
Anne said,
July 7, 2010 at 5:41 am
Just an fyi that I discovered another incense retailer located in Australia (Glennjf, take note!
) called Lilitu’s Books and Music. I haven’t bought anything from them (yet), but will likely do so sometime soon.
Anyhow, here’s the link:
http://www.lilitu.com.au/japan.htm
And btw, good news, they ship internationally!
glennjf said,
July 7, 2010 at 7:05 am
Thanks again Anne,
I’d found Lilitu’s Books & Music some time ago but since I was able to source the incenses they carry from a closer retailer I hadn’t followed up to buy anything from them. They’ve overhauled their website since then.
They get some if not all of their Japanese and Tibetan incenses from Incense of the World (wholesaler) previously mentioned by me here.
I’m still working to uncover other Japanese incense wholesalers trading within Australia, to find out from them who might stocking what they sell.
There’s not a huge selection of incenses to choose from within Australia so I’ll relist here what Japanese are presently offered by Incense of the World since they don’t list Company Names for their incenses.
With help from the good people running IOTW I have managed to determine (hopefully correctly) the names of the companies represented and the incenses they have on offer, but only for their Japanese incenses.
Starting with their four black packaged incenses…
Azabu Kogado and Paco, Tokyo, make…
Green Tea
Bamboo
Rose
Lavender
Gyokusyodo is represented by…
Rose Classic
Kojurin Sandalwood
Sumire Violet
Kunjudo…
Byakuden Shirayuki, White or Virgin Snow
Cherry Blossom
Karin Karin
Karin Royal Nave
Lavender
Lily of the Valley
Moonlit Night – To the Moon
Plum
Shobiko – Oriental Breeze
Seijudo…
Crimson Plum
Emperor’s Choice
Japanese Lotus
White Chrysanthemum
Wildflower
Shoyeido…
Golden Pavilion
Japanese Orchid – Ranka
Kyoto Autumn Leaves – Kyo-nishiki
Kyoto Cherry Blossom – Kyo-zakura
Middle Path
Mount Fuji
Sora / Sky – Evening Zen
Incense of the World
glennjf said,
July 9, 2010 at 11:21 pm
I’ve just emailed Lilitu with the company names and incense names also, ie the those names they’re known by generally for the Japanese incenses she shows on her website. I rang her and chatted earlier today.
I suggested if she adds the Company name and Incense name particulars to what she has for sale then people will be able to search the internet and find her incenses more easily. I suggested she confer with the wholesaler before making any changes. my thinking is It would make a difference if searching for Gyokusyodo incenses in Australia if the company name “Gyokusyodo” actually appeared at the website beside the Rose Classic Incense made by Gyokusyodo which is on offer at her website.
glennjf said,
July 6, 2010 at 12:28 am
Here’s another addition to the Australian List of sellers of Japanese Incenses…
Concept Japan sells some examples of Kousaido Company incenses to the public through their Ikeguchi Creative Life shop which is located in Adelaide, South Australia.
glennjf said,
July 7, 2010 at 7:18 am
My review of the Kousaido Company incenses that Concept Japan (Australia) offers can be found here.
william said,
June 4, 2010 at 2:34 am
she did “casually” mention it on the phone and gave me the impression she was secure, strong and had things under control, at least that how she came across to me. i made a mental note of that and how it impressed me.
i took it at face value and thought she was ok with things so i had to wonder why she wouldn’t talk to me. it’s all a misunderstanding on my end. i lost my father awhile back so i know how she feels. i did send her my condolences the next day. if i had known better i’d have waited and give her time to heal.
feel free to delete this post if you want. i don’t want to put any bad vibes against her business.
glennjf said,
June 4, 2010 at 3:25 am
Hey william,
I’m fairly new when it comes to posting to blogs so know that there’s stuff I’m learning each time I visit. I’m certainly making my fair share of technical stuff ups in the posts and comments but I think I can assist you with one small insight that might make your posting here more streamlined and easier to follow when reading, here goes…. I’m not sure you’re aware that to “Reply to any particular comment” you need only to click on the “Reply” text link which appears immediately beneath and to the left side of the comment you are reading.
In relation to this comment there should appear beneath this text the word Reply situated just below it on the left side, click on it and post a reply and see how that looks when the reply get posted.
Using the Reply option makes for streamlining of comments if that makes any sense.
Check out previous comments and note how they follow on down the page chronologically. For New questions simply post as you have been doing, that’s no problem but making separate new posts for every reply makes it a bit harder to follow the conversation.
Anyway, no offense intended
william said,
June 4, 2010 at 3:38 am
hi glenn, i tried the reply button but got the “word press” window instead. i’m just getting up so i’m still alittle foggy. it’s working now…i see i just need to fine tune my mouse movement and scroll SLOWLY around the reply button, LOL. thanks.
glennjf said,
June 4, 2010 at 3:53 am
Foggy? That’s how this place here is of late, but what a wonderful fog it is! I prescribe lighting some incense immediately.
william said,
June 4, 2010 at 4:01 am
i’m should be getting an order today! i’m headin’ out the door now but will post some more when i get home.not sure exactly where to post though, LOL here or the “ask” section.
william said,
June 3, 2010 at 10:12 pm
essence of the ages has been ignoring me for about a month now although my orders have been taken online. i’ve called, left messages and sent emails but i get no response. she did answer the phone when i told her to cancel an order but that’s the only time.
guess she doesn’t need anymore business from me so i’ll take it to another vendor.
Mike said,
June 4, 2010 at 12:01 am
William, Are you aware that Beth lost a really close family member recently? Due to these circumstances, I’d recommend a little patience. The worst outcome here sounds like you might get your orders a bit late if you stick with it.
glennjf said,
June 4, 2010 at 12:05 am
Sorry to hear of Beths loss. Sending her and hers warm thoughts…
glennjf said,
April 24, 2010 at 6:45 am
Greetings from (semi rural) Australia and my first post to the ORS.
I live on the east coast quite near to Byron Bay which is Australia’s most easterly point, visiting anywhere east of Byron Bay, you’ll need some scuba gear!
Like many before me I wish to issue my thanks to the ORS Bloggers for making this place a reality.
Another thank you follows close on the heels of the first one but this one’s for the various and assorted ORS blog followers, for their posts, adding sparkles to the jewels.
That this place exists is pretty wondrous. I have searched the internet up, down and sideways and the ORS has ended up to be the best of it’s kind I’ve uncovered.
ORS has helped me get in the general know of things incense over the last few months since my very recent discovering and then becoming “slightly” enthralled by Japanese Incenses.
I will add a third thank you I think, to the couple of businesses who have been happy to sell and ship to me from across the planet and who do that using USPS and UK postage/shipping rates that I can afford to meet.
Beth, at Essence of the Ages, warm, delightful and professional in every way.
http://www.essenceoftheages.com/
A single item is presently winging its way to here from Utah. It was long journey I made online searching it out but my tiny order was warmly welcomed by Mose at http://incensesales.com/
He backpacked through my area when he was 17, thought about moving here even. Not sure how old he is now, kept that information to himself
The final international seller I’ve transacted with is an ebayer, Ecclecstacy Arts (pricklypath). I know, I have read some not so obliging stuff about Eccecstacy Arts but my buying experience was fine, no problems.
Having said that, a little more attention paid to packing incenses appropriately with foam or similar type beads wouldn’t go astray. Simply to guard against breakage. Something that you might highlight as a concern of yours when you get the chance to add that “message to the seller” as you go through the ebay paying process or… email them separately, to be doubly sure.
http://stores.shop.ebay.com.au/Ecclecstacy-Arts__W0QQ_armrsZ1
Without those businesses I’d be stifled for exposure to other than just a few Japanese Incenses.
I am yet to do any business with http://www.simplyincense.co.uk/ but I feel they would be fine to deal with. I’ve emailed and asked after shipping costs and got back a nicely worded reply.
Finally… I’ve emailed Kotaro and Jay at http://www.japanincense.com/
After reading positive comments about them here I thought I’d do worse than to ask them to consider shipping to Australia using “my” shipping affordability criteria. They’re thinking about it they emailed back. They will send to here EMS but that makes purchasing from them outside of my budget. I’m a pensioner, I suppose I should have let them know that.
I am therefore an entry level affordability type person for buying Japanese incenses, not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Thanks to the ORS and the “Hall of Fame: Japanese Incenses” plus reading posts added to the blog topics I have been, very happily, positively enabled in…
[i] Configuring a ever evolving list of incenses that I would like to experience, as I am able.
[ii] Locating businesses outside of Australia from whom “I” can afford to purchase some of the incenses on my list.
We here in Australia are a bit on the scant side of the equation for wholesalers importing and retailers selling Japanese incenses either online or from a shopfront.
To this date I’ve managed to confirm only a couple of Japanese Brands as being brought into Australia not full ranges either and only a couple of importers doing the importing.
We are very lucky to have a Baieido wholesaler/online retailer situated in Melbourne, Victoria.
http://primamateria.com.au/
Prima Materia is Australia’s only wholesaler/online retailer of Baieido Incenses run by George Kara.
You can shop directly at the web site with a credit card or paypal. Postage to within Australia only is presently AU$5.00 for purchases up to AU$50 then free. I don’t know if George sells to other countries?
I highly recommend him. For example as I write this as I have selected and light a stick of Baieido Tokusen Shukohkoku from its Paulownia gift box which George offered to me hugely discounted after I inquired about the potential to buy and the difficulty I sensed i might meet with seeking to buy just a small quantity. I had been made aware of Tokusen Shukohkoku after George sent out a sample with my first purchase. I found Prima Materia though “the very slow moving but” “gee I’m glad it was there despite that” Alices Incense blog. http://alicesincense.blogspot.com/
There are an assortment of retail outlets geographically close by to where I live but none are dedicated to selling Japanese incense. I can visit and buy from those shops fairly easily.
They almost all sell an assortment of Indian and Tibetan incenses, but they may carry some Japanese Incense as part of what they offer for sale to the public. I’m almost certain a couple of the people running those places have not ever lit a stick of Japanese incense, something I do try and remedy. I put to such folks when I buy from them that they should consider at some time in their future to light a stick and see if they, like me, don’t quickly become infatuated.
So, retailers I’ve visited usually carry a few examples from Nippon Kodo, Shoyeido and Kunjudo but only a few of any one company are on offer. I suppose that reflects back to what’s being imported into the country.
Luckily for me one importer/wholesaler/online retailer is operating from a premises only a few kilometers away from where I sit. Silverstone Incense Traders Pty Ltd, their website addresses are…
http://incense.com.au/ or… http://www.silverstoneincense.com.au/ Either URL takes you to their website. Their front page has a note that Personal Shoppers should read.
They are happy to serve people who casually drop by their wholesaling business premises. They don’t mind selling individual items off the shelves or out of the box.
They carry Nippon Kodo as their only Japanese incense, stocking some, not the full range on offer from.
What they do carry is most of the Morning star and New Morningstar range, Mainichi-Koh Viva Sandalwood, the Ka-Fuh range and Daigen Koh Rosewood. They sell much more besides.
Another local importer who sells from their website is…
http://www.finejapaneseimports.com.au/index.html
They sell Kunjudo incenses over the net. I have found a bookshop in Byron Bay who retails their imports.
The last business I’ll mention is Incense of the World, a wholesaling business only but I still I have still had some contact with them.
They currently wholesale all their products to stores throughout Australia and New Zealand.
http://www.incenseworld.com.au/about.htm <— Remember, a wholesale business only! Email them will get the name/s of retailers they supply near to you.
Incense of the World was founded in 1998 by students of spiritual master, Sri Chinmoy. They wholesale a selection of Japanese and Tibetan incenses.
I have spoken on the phone to them a few times asking general questions about Japanese incense.
Their main front person comes across as a really nice bloke. He knows the incenses they sell, has traveled to the sources in Japan and elsewhere and met the makers to set up for business.
He speaks Japanese so I was told, would certainly be a be an assist in that.
There are likely to be other importers and retailers out there carrying more of or other brands besides than those that I've come across so far but at present I have not been able to track them down.I can however easily interact to purchase from the one's I've found so far via the net or in person.
Australia – Sells online..
http://primamateria.com.au/
http://incense.com.au/ or http://www.silverstoneincense.com.au/
http://www.finejapaneseimports.com.au/index.html
Australia/New Zealand – Wholesale only…
http://www.incenseworld.com.au/about.htm
Anne said,
April 26, 2010 at 4:50 am
Hi Glenn!
Thanks for making your first post on the ORS so insightful! Particularly for those readers that may be residing in Oceania. Your post piqued my curiosity and I googled around to see if there were any additional incense retailers in your part of the world. I did discover one online retailer that you didn’t mention:
http://www.windhorse.com.au/shopdisplayproducts.asp?Search=Yes&sppp=15
Windhorse books is an online buddist bookstore that sells books, stationary, incense…etc. Their incense selection is small, but seems to contain a decent variety of japanese and tibetan ones. Best of all, for those of you that reside in Oz, the store is located in Newtown, NSW. So shipping charges within Oceania should be quiet reasonable and economical.
glennjf said,
April 26, 2010 at 6:46 am
Thanks for the welcome Anne.
I checked out the Windhorse website. It appears they’re being supplied by the wholesaler, Incense of the World.
Last time I spoke with Incense of the World I was told they are in the process of negotiating to bring into Australia product/s from another (couldn’t catch the name) Japanese company other than those they already deal with. Negotiations were underway at that moment I was told. Fingers crossed it comes to pass. The moment I hear back about that situation I’ll pass it along.
Today I spent some time emailing almost all the folks I referred on in my post. I thanked them for their various efforts to assist and let them know they’ve been referred on, some not for the first time, to the wider incense community.
The Australian Baieido and the Kunjudu importers reported they both were comfortable with having been mentioned here.
My hope in posting is that someone like me will might now happen upon my Australian flavoured post. Perhaps it will smooth the way for them getting access to more and varied locally (Australian) sourced incense. I’m very pleased the blog was here to post to.
Mike said,
April 26, 2010 at 8:25 am
Hi Glenn, welcome to ORS and thanks for the kind words. Appreciate the wide ranging overview of where to find good incense in Australia. I think one of our near future projects will be to capture this and other information on its own page for those who buy incense internationally. I can imagine this will be of great use for incense lovers in your area.
glennjf said,
April 27, 2010 at 12:49 am
Thanks for the welcome Mike. A page of, I’m assuming, internet links and business addresses of places to buy from, listed under country name, sounds like a handy thing to have knocking about the blog.
Beverly said,
March 25, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I wanted to share with everyone who might not be aware of Asakichi’s online store: http://www.asakichionline.com/
I found this web store almost by accident, placed my first order with them and was happy with the entire experience. They offer a modest collection of Japanese incense (Minorien Fu-in, Nippon Kodo, Shoyeido, Daihatsu, Kunjudo, Kunmeido and Baieido), holders and charcoal/ash. I made an e-mail inquiry about a particular incense that I didn’t see on their website and I got a prompt reply and was told that their online offerings might increase in the future. Shipping is free for $50+ purchases, which is a nice threshold and easy to do with Japanese incense! Plus they even threw in a few samples and their signature triangular matchboxes in my order. Processing and shipping of my order was fast and was made via UPS.
Steve said,
April 12, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Received my first order from Asakichi today and also wanted to say it was a first class experience. They utilize Amazon.com’s check-out cart, so it was an added level of familiarity and security for the purchase. As is kinda the norm for the better incense shops, they included a generous sample (the Shoyeido Daily incense sampler pack) as well as an Asakichi-branded ballpoint pen, in addition to a nice note on my invoice. For what I purchased (Tokusen Karin and Minorien Fuin Aloeswood, both large boxes) their prices were *seriously* less than other places I checked out, so of course they get a big plus for that!
This example of their business ethic really impressed me: I purchased the Tokusen Karin by itself. At $27, it didn’t qualify for free shipping (orders over $50) and I was fine with that. Later in the day, I decided to purchase the Minorien, and at $54 it did qualify for free shipping. Without any prompting from me, they picked up on the fact I had just made another order on which I had paid shipping. They combined my orders and refunded my shipping charge. Really first class!
Shipping was very fast ( 2 or 3 days to get here) and packaging was very good, including my boxes being sealed in a plastic bag that would prevent any moisture damage.
Great outfit – hope to see their incense selection continue to grow. A+++
janet said,
April 12, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Yes, my experience was exactly the same – I should have posted a recommendation sooner. It’s funny, too, because my purchase was made about 2 1/2 weeks ago, and was the exact opposite of yours….I had bought the large box of Minorien Aloeswood, and then Pinjie brought the new Karin to my attention a few hours later, so I added the large box of that…I already had the free shipping, but they combined and refunded the second shipping charge….I wonder what they thought, especially if they noticed both orders were going to NC!!!!
Steve said,
April 12, 2010 at 8:41 pm
Hmmmmm – maybe one of these boutique incense retailers will realize that NC is just as incense-eager as San Francisco and open up a local shop
Sharon said,
March 6, 2010 at 6:00 pm
I placed an order with http://www.ecclecstacy.com/ and one of the item I ordered was a ceramic plate incense holder. It was supposed to have one of those small tile incense holders included. It was missing, so I emailed the company and they said they would send me the tile.
Now the plate is glazed a dark blue, so I expected them to send me a matching dark blue tile. The tile they sent me was stark white, in fact it looked awfully like the freebie tiles Nippon Kodo includes with their incense. Actually it looks exactly like the tile in the box of a Fragrence Memories incense I purchased.
I’m not sure what I should do. If I should follow this up further with the company. No, I didn’t get exactly what I ordered, but it is just a tile.
Terry M said,
March 8, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Hi Sharon,
Sounds like another jab from Ecclecstacy Arts. You’re not the first one on ORS to get the acupuncture ouch from them. It wouldn’t hurt to email or call them and ask for the correct tile. Good luck. TM
Mike said,
March 9, 2010 at 10:39 am
I think it’s within your rights to ask for what you ordered. I’m not sure why a couple of these companies think it’s OK to substitute for something else.
Anne said,
December 27, 2009 at 5:07 pm
This isn’t a review, but just an fyi to all the american based readers/posters on this blog. I’m not sure that I should even be mentioning this, particularly as that most of us probably spent a ton of money over at EOTA’s 12 days of Xmas sale, but if any of you still have any cash left, then you really might just want to check out the sales going on over at http://www.thefifthsense.com/sbp/incense.html there’s a mass sale going on, with all incenses being sold at 50% off! And not just the incenses, either, but burners, charcoal, ash, fragrance lamps…etc. are all 50% off right now. A lot of the stock is sold out, but there’s still some goodies left to be bought. Alas, the Fifth Sense does not ship internationally, so Canadians such as myself, and other international readers cannot participate. Which in my case, just may be for the best. I spent a ton of money at EOTA, so it’s probably for the best that the Fifth Sense doesn’t ship to Canada! Though I must admit that I’m both disappointed and relieved about Fifth Sense’s shipping policies. My wallet thanks them, even if the rest of me doesn’t! :O
Apologies, Mike, if this is the wrong forum to post this. However, I really didn’t know where else this should go, and if anyone does end up purchasing from the Fifth Sense, maybe s/he will post a review of them here.
clairsight said,
December 27, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Thanks for the tip Anna, payday, luckily, is coming up so soon :0 )
-Ross
Mike said,
January 4, 2010 at 10:32 am
Not a problem Anne, we all appreciate the heads up!
Anne said,
January 4, 2010 at 7:33 pm
Hey Mike,
I don’t know if you got a chance to buy anything from the Fifth Sense seeing as you were away on vacation when I made the original post. But I think I know why there was such a huge 50% off sale there, they were going out of business. The Fifth Sense site is now closed, and it seems to be permanent. I thought they were having a great extended Boxing Day sales, but it turns out they were liquidating stock due to closure.
Oh well, c’est la vie. Hope that this closure doesn’t affect anyone that made purchases at Fifth Sense – it shouldn’t as that credit cards and paypal will cover any issues that may arise.
Mike said,
January 5, 2010 at 8:41 am
Hi Anne, no I didn’t get a chance, mostly due to having made a huge incense order from Beth around the last sale, so I’ll need some time to recover from that. It’s too bad though, I think had it not been holiday time I’d have jumped on some of the Horin products myself, I don’t think I could ever stock too deeply on those (especially Ten-Pyo which is impossibly good in coil form). Appreciate you letting us all know about it.
Steve said,
December 18, 2009 at 7:44 pm
It’s a blustery, snowy evening here and with the latest Shroff acquisition (Red Sandal) on the burn and the dogs sleeping by the fire, I thought I would give a quick review of Japan Incense.
Having heard nothing but rave reviews of Jay & Kotaro at Japan Incense, I recently placed my first order with them – a medium sized purchase with a couple of moderately priced Japanese incenses and a couple of more premium ones, as well as a cup-shaped burner.
The order arrived promptly – just a few days after I placed the order – and was carefully packaged. I was pleasantly surprised by a few things:
1) the “premium” incenses in my order were individually wrapped by Jay & Kotaro in the finest way imaginable – ornate wrapping papers, trimmed with ribbons and then wrapped in sheer, colorful tissue paper
2) not only was a pleasant message written on my invoice by Jay & Kotaro but they also included a holiday card, again nicely handwritten, and inserted into a small envelope
3) seeing that I purchased a cup burner, they kindly threw in a free bag of Shoyeido ash
4) they included an amazingly generous sample of 6 sticks of Seijudo Kyara Enju, which if you do the math comes out to be nearly $50 worth of that fine incense (this, too, was carefully wrapped in wrapping paper and adorned with a design made of ribbon)
I have heard from folks here about Jay & Kotaro’s superb customer service and generous samples and now you can add my praise to the mix – the guys at Japan Incense truly are fantastic! I don’t get out to California too often, but making the pilgrimage to their physical store (Kohshi) is gonna have to be on my itinerary.
janet said,
December 18, 2009 at 8:05 pm
Enju??? Really????
::looks green around the edges::…
yeah, they are top-notch.
here in Chatham county, it’s just barely enough over freezing for this storm to be nothing but rain….
Steve said,
December 18, 2009 at 8:23 pm
I know! I saw the sample and went
A slushy wet mess here – more snow tomorrow. Good thing I just put new tires on our cars!
clairsight said,
December 19, 2009 at 12:12 am
Not only are they very nice but they are also responsible for increasing the amount of different incenses to choose from by “many hundred percents”. Not to mention always on the look out for more.
-Ross
Alex said,
December 4, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Just wanted to speak highly of Japan Incense.
Based on the reviews here, I planned on making a purchase from them. By the time I was able to get around to it, however, they had ran out of stock on two of the three incenses I was buying. When I called to ask when they would be back in stock (the answer ended up being several weeks), they instead offered to open up a larger box of each kind and send me the equivalent of a roll. Needless to say I was really happy that I wouldn’t have to wait the extra 3-4 weeks, not to mention that the customer service over the phone was just great.
The delivery came on time and safely packaged (I can’t believe how many online companies ignore this point these days). They wrapped it all nicely and put them in nifty little plastic tubes, and they even threw in a Tennendo sampler, which is perfect as it gives me a chance to try a couple of the other scents I was looking at.
I was very happy with my first online incense purchase, and I will definitely using them again the next time I order.
Anne said,
December 1, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Praise for ParadisePerfumes.Com
Just wanted to give a belated review for this little store. This past June, I purchased three bakhoors from ParadisePerfumes.Com. Altaf, the owner/operator provided fast, friendly, and efficient service. His prices for bakhoors are very reasonable, too. He ships to anywhere in the world, and if you purchase over $100 CDN, shipping is free, even if you’re in the US or elsewhere. BTW, he throws in free samples as well, not only of bakhoor, but of perfume oils.
If you’ve been curious about bakhoor, which is a middle eastern type of incense, but haven’t gotten around to trying it because of difficulty in obtaining it, or because of the price, I do recommend that you consider buying some from ParadisePerfumes.Com. As I said, the prices are reasonable for the quality that you get.
Reviews for the bakhoors that I purchased will be posted in the ‘Review Your Incense’ forum/column.
Sam said,
November 30, 2009 at 6:32 pm
I just wanted to put in a word for Tibetan Spirit, who are a good source for some of the Nepali Tibetan-style incenses and incense burners, as well as a wide selection of other Tibetan dharma-related items. Prices are low, though unfortunately there is no free shipping. They are helpful, ship things fast, and took the time to call first when I entered my zip code incorrectly. They don’t have anything from the very high end, but they do stock the excellent Mandala Trading incenses, including Tibetan Monastery and Himalayan Herbal, as well as tried and true standbys like Red Crystal.
Hamid said,
November 24, 2009 at 9:54 am
I dont think Beth and Essence Of The Ages can be praised too often for the superlative service offered. The products and swift helpful service are above reproach, and without equal imo.
Al Sainte said,
November 23, 2009 at 2:46 am
Please send me if you have info about incense dealers in Melbourne Australia.
Thanks, the column its a bloody great idea.
Al
Hamid said,
October 26, 2009 at 1:28 am
A word for the Incense Man, an on line dealer here in the UK. He carries a lot of fairly mediocre and synthetic stock, BUT he also carries some of the Pure Incense range, Bam Champa, Golden Champa etc. His service is very personal and swift.
Janet said,
October 23, 2009 at 8:23 am
Another big “caveat emptor” for this retailer:
http://www.fourgates.com
They list several types of incense that are not available elsewhere, and cheerfully allow you to purchase them, and pay for them, although apparently they have almost nothing in stock.
I purchased two items three weeks ago, which put me over the “free shipping” minimum, was told one item was out of stock, tried to find an alternative – my three suggestions were also out of stock, was steered towards Reiryo-koh as an “aloeswood alternative”, and when I declined was told that I would have to pay shipping for the remaining item, since I was under the minimum for the offer.
I politely questioned that policy, since their prices were already high and the addition of shipping drove the price up to the silly range for that one roll, and got a response that was condescending and denigrated to bordering on rudeness.
Hopefully I’ll get my refund.
Blech. I’m definitely getting gun-shy…..give me Beth and Jay and Kotaro any day (and the other wonderful and responsible sellers I have encountered)….
Mike said,
October 23, 2009 at 8:44 am
I rarely if EVER order without using a minimum free shipment order for the very reason you stated, it just makes more sense to save up to get what is often an extra box/roll or two of incense.
Paul said,
October 13, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Well, I just had one of the best encounters ever with Jay and Kotaro at Japan Incense. Living in the UK its hard to get a wide range of top-end Japanese incenses, so on a short trip to San Francisco I paid them a visit at Kohshi after they were kind enough even to offer to bring a package to where I was staying….They were incredibly hospitable and knowledgeable and I came away with a clutch of incenses that I hope will keep me going until I manage to make a trip back. Awesome!
Robert Green said,
October 12, 2009 at 4:06 pm
I’d just like to plug a new favorite of mine “Incense on the Way” This is a first class operation with the kind of service that makes a seller great to deal with. they have awesome turnaround time and an excellent website that is easy to navigate, and it is run by a gal who really knows her scents! Very friendly and professional as well, and the prices can not be beat. She beats the TAR out of Toms Prices like they were not even selling the same product, but they are!! Give her a try and then thank me later, she always sends samples with explanations of the sample and she does not hesitate to make it a personal experience, I have placed several orders with her and because of the constant updating of the site there are no backorders or “out of stock sorry” notes sent along. The final gem is the newsletter she does, and it all comes together to make this a truly exccellent incense experience that will have you coming back for more time and time again! feel free to e-mail any questions! Sincerely, Robert Green
Janet said,
October 18, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Thanks, Robert!
Tom’s service is exemplary, but I’ve found prices can be kind of high, so this sounds terrific!
Janet said,
October 8, 2009 at 11:07 am
Well, I have hestitated to say anything in the past, because I don’t wish anyone ill, and I would like to think everyone values my business as much as folks like Essence of the Ages, Japan Incense, etc….
and I surely do love to throw more business their way
And mistakes happen.
Without getting into gory details, I’ve got to say that after several tries, with only one transaction that was completely successful (first order, one item)…I have given up on Ecclecstacy Arts. Should have listened to the naysayers here, but I’m an eternal optimist, and EA offered a few things I couldn’t easily find anywhere else.
Suffice it to say that a big order I placed took over a month to arrive, and I had to wait another 2 weeks – and send reminders – before I got a refund on an out of stock item. Then, right after that, I ordered one item I had forgotten (I remembered that my other one item order came quickly, and the big order DID contain several samples), was told several days later that it was out of stock but that a sample was available, and then…..nothing. For over a month, despite inquiries, no response, no nothing. Until yesterday, when I got a shipping notice and my refund notice. So, a five week wait for one sample and my refund, which was in the close to thirty dollar range, enough to care about.
The times I have heard from them, they have been very courteous, but – c’mon. No explanation was ever offered, this just seems to be the way they do business. It’s kind of hard to believe they still have any to do.
Mike said,
October 8, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I know what you mean about them having some things noone else does, they seem to have a lot of very interesting aloeswoods and such, certainly stuff I’d be buying if it wasn’t like pulling teeth. I get the distinct impression that this is one company who never really got used to the internet age, the website’s an absolute mess and other customers have said they have better luck just calling them on the phone. But it’s the extra mile that makes you a dedicated customer of anyone, at least with Capricorn’s Lair you know you’ll never get your money back and are at least saved the chase.
Thanks Janet (really appreciate all your comments and observations!)
Terry said,
October 18, 2009 at 11:12 am
Hi Janet, Mike and All,
Hmmm, Ecclecstacy Arts.. Yep, that’s the place. I brought this up quite awhile back, with the exact same situation. So sad, as this company!? has some of the best aloeswood and pure sandalwood incense you can get. After talking with the owner (Dave, I think), I found out what the deal is there.. They do eBay almost exclusively and if one buys from them on eBay, you’ll get your order fairly quick (eBay rules & customer feedback). Unfortunately, they do not put their best incenses on eBay.. which forces one to order from their website… a real test of resolve. The only way to deal with them is to call on the phone and get a firm commitment of your order at that time (screaming kids in the background free of charge). The last time I ordered from them, I just stocked up on all the scents I wanted so I wouldn’t have to go through all the BS again…. Too bad..
Janet said,
October 18, 2009 at 1:12 pm
It’s really funny you mention that today, because I just stumbled over them on ebay, and from their sales volume excellent feedback rating I drew the same conclusion. With an extra happy discovery! BOTH the incenses that I was told (within the last two months) would be out of stock until “i don’t know when” – and waited for those refunds on – are listed there!!!
I mean, maybe they both came in unexpectedly….
But the prices on ebay are higher, so….
To me, that moves into a different realm than just being slack.
I know what you mean about resolve, Terry.
This latest will help me with that, for sure!
Jerry said,
May 7, 2010 at 9:36 pm
My first order from Ecclecstacy Arts was more or less a disaster. First, no word at all for a couple of weeks. I emailed and got a fast response, my incense was “out of stock” but miraculously showed up on the day I emailed and would ship “tomorrow”. It finally shipped a little over a week later. It was coil incense and had broken quite a bit in transit. I decided to keep it and burn the pieces rather than dealing with a return. Ecclecstacy is giving Capricorn’s Lair a run for their money!
Now, the GOOD places that I’ve ordered from include: Essence of the Ages (of course), Incense on the Way, Incense Guru, The Purple People, Scents of Earth.
glennjf said,
May 26, 2010 at 2:56 am
I, in my first ever post to ORS mentioned Ecclecstacy Arts stating that although I said I’d read stuff about them that wasn’t the best I myself had not had so much to complain about after my interactions with them. I want to add to that now to further clarify things.
I have only ever dealt with them via their eBay store. I have had reason to email them more than once asking about this and that and it is true, they are inherently slow to return emails and seem to miss altogether returning the answers being sought. This happened to me more than once and resulting in me having to re-email them asking the same question/s.
Now here ‘s the interesting bit… I was going through the process of emailing and re-emailing when I failed to choose the “type of question being asked” part of the eBay emailing page but I still clicked to send the message never the less. It would not send, and immediately an alert message came up saying something about the person being sent the email was not in an english speaking country or something to that avail and so to expect the possibility of difficulties or such, that’s my memory of what popped up without being able to totally recall what I read.
I was on autopilot at the time so I automatically clicked and choose the type of question and sent the email off before I realised I’d really liked to have had a second read of the alert message.
What if anything might be deduced from this? I thought at the time that the alert message situation seemed to present a scenario that might go a little way towards accounting for the communication difficulties I was having and that other folks had mentioned? Am I imagining too much?
Mike said,
October 8, 2009 at 8:11 am
Added two more links. First under suppliers, Exotic Incense. They’re fast and efficient and have increased their stock measurably over the last year adding all kinds of unique Indian incenses to their list. Second under companies, Primo Incense, which also ship fast and like many companies add extras to orders. Both have helped me wrap up a few things I needed for future reviews (a multi part overview of Primo, more Mothers Fragrances and some odds and ends for several different Flora and Nag Champa incenses.
Laurie said,
September 8, 2009 at 8:14 pm
I think Japan Incense just teleported my latest order or something – I ordered it Fri. and got it today, Tues. And the USPS was closed yesterday, unless I’m mistaken! Also got a free Seijudo sample, which made me go “squee!”
(Also echoing the good words for Essence of the Ages – great customer service there.)
Janet said,
October 23, 2009 at 8:27 am
Me too! Me too!
I was soooo jealous, but I got my Seijudo sample yesterday (which I’m going to save but was *dying* to try).
If I was any better at girly noises I would “squee” my own self.
Jacob said,
September 5, 2009 at 11:23 pm
A great site for the more affordable staples of Tibetan Incense – very fast turnaround – and always lots of samples. I am in Canada and they get it to me in 4 days! The one thing that always strikes me is how fresh their incense is. I’ve tried most of the other sites under google; Tibetan incense and received “old” incense on occasion (including that Ages site, won’t order from them again) Still looking for a good burner though…
Pinjie said,
September 3, 2009 at 9:23 am
http://www.incenseplantation.com
They offer free shipping on everything, and they certainly have the best customer service! The owner is super nice and helpful.
Nancy said,
July 28, 2009 at 5:59 pm
My favorites are Shoyeido, Japan Incense, and Essence of the Ages. I can pretty much get everything I need from these three without out having to go anywhere else. I make a point to rotate who I am buying from cause they’re all so great! Excellent customer service all, fast shipping, and lots of QUALITY incense at fair prices.
Janet said,
July 28, 2009 at 11:43 am
I’ve had great experiences with Essence, Japan Incense, Mermade, and Shoyeido, who have had *super* fast turnover on my two orders – I think I had a three day turnaround from Colorado to NC!
Another great company to work with so far:
Tom’s Incense, who has both a dedicated site and also sells through Amazon. Another really fast shipper, and the one time a mistake was made, a replacement was in my hands in a couple of days, no questions asked. Also, when I made a pricing inquiry, I got a prompt and courteous response.
I would definitely recommend all of the above.
Mike said,
July 28, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Janet, you could time your lunch break to a Shoyeido mail out, they are indeed that good. Glad to hear about Tom’s too, I will have to put a shopping trip there on the radar for the future.
Janet said,
August 3, 2009 at 10:48 am
Just wanted to add that I placed an order with Essence of the Ages Friday at lunch, and got it today at lunch!
Beth is definitely challenging Shoyeido for fastest turnaround – doesn’t get any better than that!
Marla said,
July 27, 2009 at 10:10 pm
This column is a great idea. I just wanted to put in a word for Japan Incense. I’ve bought incense from them online several times now, and they’ve been terrific. They do beautiful, Japanese style wrapping of the incense, write a personal note sometimes, and send samples of other incenses they think my family and friends here would like. It’s been a great experience. (Full disclosure: I have no financial or personal connection to Japan Incense, I’m just a happy customer.)