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)
Olfactory Rescue Service 
sniffsincense said,
February 22, 2016 at 5:06 pm
Hello, I’d like to participate but I’d also wonder if we could work out something like a ‘top ten’ though I doubt there are ten good dealers as I’ve found that in incense, there are ten really dishonest and terrible dealers for every one good one. So far I have only found two US-based dealers that are worth doing business with – Kotaro at Japanincense and Beth at Essence of the Ages.
Insenseguru – no customer service responses to multiple emails/facebook contacts – SELLS COUNTERFEIT INCENSE
Ecclecstacy – ordered off ebay and got what I ordered with no problem. Ordered off his site and he shipped me a partial order, leaving out the most expensive stuff saying it was ‘backordered’. After that, he stopped returning calls and I never got my $80 worth of Baiedo incense I ordered.
Incensesales – These are like drunk mormon housewives playing solitaire instead of running a business. They don’t answer their phone, might take 3-4 weeks to call you back, and then they get mean drunk sometimes when you ask them a question like ‘What are the shipping charges to Hawaii’. So far I’d call this an abusive and neglectful company that surprises me they’re in business.
Tom’s Incense – Ordered through Amazon, got the wrong thing, and Tom said ‘shipping the new one right away’ then two weeks go by, he says ‘it’s backordered’ then two months go by and Amazon just cancels the order and refunds the money. Since then I’ve attempted once more to do business figuring it was a bad day. He never shipped the items and has never answered my email. Maybe he thinks he’s getting revenge for the Amazon fiasco. Either way, never do business with this guy.
Now the following I’ve had nothing but good experience with but I think they’re crap because they have no really good selection:
Asakichi – I was surprised most of the interesting stuff from their store is not available here. They shipped really quickly, too, but Japanincense wins for selection and availability.
Scents of Earth – Quick shipping, boring selection
Shoyeido – Their online store has fast shipping but Kotaro is so nice I just buy from him anyway since he gives me free shipping
IncenseWarehouse – Fast shipping, got it in like 3 days all the way out in Hawaii. Boring Selection
Sensia – Same fast shipping, super boring selection
Special Mention:
Amazon
I’ve had good and bad experiences with Amazon, mainly because I don’t think they vet their marketplace very well and I’ve had experiences like Tom’s incense almost half of the time. However, I never have had problems with Bosen(okay so a pack of coils came completely busted up and they replaced it) or several of the Japanese shops that sell on there. In fact, if you’re a junkie for the Shoyeido Tenpyo, you can get 10 coils for $100 instead of the normal $150!
Gregg said,
February 23, 2016 at 12:03 am
The only way to get something you really want from Ecclecstacy, and I talking about off of the web site, so there won’t be much, is to call around mid day Pacific time and talk to Dave’s girlfriend/wife, not sure which she is. Dave is a total loss, way too many chemicals “back in the day”. She can tell you what is in stock and won’t give you a run around. I no longer even bother, as the coils I used to order have suffered greatly in quality, and the great old sticks in the red tubes they used to have, have been “back ordered” for years now. They haven’t had mainstream incense in stock forever either, suspect Dave forgot to pay the bills. Nippon Kodo also has an online US presence, although missing the high end of their product line and has good service. Scents and Sensia are the same entity, check the address. Scents used to be one of the top suppliers to incense makers as well as being a great Baieido source, but after it was sold, not so much so. Think you got it about right. Americans love their cheap, flea market double dipped garbage and without the internet, most refined people would be up the creek 🙂
Jeff LaPorte said,
May 20, 2016 at 10:27 am
I’ve placed 7 orders in the last few days and so far here’s my list of vendors
Incense warehouse. Placed my order and it shipped next day. Should be arriving today.
Incense Guru. Placed and order this morning and it already shipped.
Scents of Earth. Placed an order in the morning and it shipped in the afternoon
EOTA. Placed an order and gave her the wrong expiration date on my cc. She contacted me right away and we got it taken care of. Communication has been very good.
Japan incense Placed the order yesterday. Haven’t heard anything yet but not worried. Usually I wait 3-4 days before I start to wonder.
I did spend a lot so I could try a lot of different things. Once all this arrives and I figure out what I really like I’ll stock up on those items. Also very sorry to see the prices getting so high on the premium ones. I’ll probably never got to experience those at those prices but I am sure I’ll find something I like. :).
Terra Renee said,
August 12, 2016 at 6:02 am
I’d like to comment on what you said about Tom’s Incense from Amazon. You are absolutely right. I ordered some Shoyeido, which was “in stock” on several different product pages, but he sent me a message saying he was out. So I asked him why is it listed as in stock on MORE THAN ONE product page. He said “Oh, I forgot to take it down”. So he replaced what I ordered with something else, so I never got what I wanted in the first place. I left negative feedback (of course) and contacted Amazon. They refunded me, but Tom sent me an angry message saying I shouldn’t have left negative feedback when he sent me a replacement.
I replied that he should pay more attention to his listings and make sure he has stuff in stock before listing it, if it’s a new listing, and instead of replacing what I ordered with something I DIDN’T want, perhaps re-stock and then send it to me when he gets it in. I even said I wouldn’t mind the wait. His response? “I don’t do that”. Really? Even if I’m willing to wait a month to get my item? He doesn’t care if people get what they order, which is why I left bad feedback. He does ship fast, but odds are you won’t get what you actually paid for.
As for IncenseGuru…I have a question. Is EVERYTHING counterfeit? Because there are some products on there that I can’t find elsewhere and would love to try. I KNOW their Nado and Red Crystal and most of their Tibetan are counterfeit just from the names of the manufacturers, but are their scents like Balaji and Padmini (yes, I know these are low-priced charcoal scents, but I enjoy them) counterfeit?
william273 said,
August 12, 2016 at 9:57 am
Hi Terra. I haven’t had any problems with Incense Guru. There are two different Red Crystals out there and I think their’s is the “New Red Crystal” and not the original. I’m not sure if the retailers are aware of that or not. I haven’t tried it so can’t comment on it and I don’t plan on ever getting any.
I support the original and don’t care for any business that has to rip off another company to stay in business…trying to use another’s name to confuse people just doesn’t cut it for me. Just make sure it’s NOT the New Red Crystal wherever you order from.
Gregg said,
September 4, 2015 at 10:27 am
I would like to mention a seller in Canada with exceptional service that I seem to have missed in my search for purveyors of sensory stimulation. https://incense-traditions.ca/ , run by Hart Broudy and located in Ontario. While not having a huge selection, the selection he has is top notch and is focused for the main part on Tibetan and Bhutanese incense. The Holy Land in stock at present is “old” stock, take it for what its worth, sticks are uber dark and very musky, doubt he has many left. If you haven’t had it before, he just got a new order of Dzongsar sticks in stock, equal in funk to the Holy Land. Hart does open these tube, remove sticks broken in transit, and replace them with unbroken sticks and rewrap, part of the exceptional service! Longer pieces are sold in cheap “sampler” packs, the rest is ground into powder and sold as a powder version, nice. Another item worthy of mention is the nameless “Specially Made for Karo Kushoo HRH Prince Namgyal Wangchuk” of Bhutan agarwood based sticks. Listed ingredients are Aquilaria malaccensis, Gentiana crassoides, Terminalia belirica, Terminalia chebula, Juniperus recurra, Cupressus cashmeriana, and Cupressus corneynna. With the exception of the Aquilaria/agarwood, most of this is cyperus wood base instead of sandalwood, however, the aroma is light, slightly fruity and spicy, reflecting the agarwood and herbs to a greater extent than the cyperus. A very nice and unique blend without the “barnyard” funk of many of the high end Tibetan/Bhutan incenses. Not to get off track, this seller responds quickly to emails, usually within hours at most, orders are processed quickly, and shipped the same day.
Gregg said,
September 5, 2015 at 6:24 pm
Just to clarify on the “old” stock Holy Land comment, these are a real find, as these boxes predate ingredient listing in the English language, so you won’t find the muck in place of musk, just Chinese. Now, if only I could find some Highland sticks from that era 🙂
Christina said,
September 6, 2015 at 11:28 pm
I’ll be ordering from them for sure! Their Japanese sandalwoods are tempting me, as well as the Tibetan powders – my poor nose can’t distinguish all the separate ingredients when burned as sticks, so I put the powders on my Golden Lotus Heater. The Tacamajaca sticks look very interesting, too, and will be included when I place an order.
As a Canadian, I will appreciate the lower shipping costs!
Gregg said,
September 8, 2015 at 10:10 am
Not sure where you are in Canada, Christina, but times of ordering on my end were between 2am and 4am, personal response from Hart was within hours, Delivery from Ontario to southern Ohio was in all cases 3-4 days, not bad considering Homeland Security/Customs slowdowns at the border. Please note that the Dzongsar “powder” he sells is not the same as the powder that Beth sells at EoA, but rather is ground down broken sticks that he has received. I have mixed feelings about the repackaging. I understand on the one hand getting rid of customer complaints, and it does maximize company profits, on the other hand, as a “non-bitching” type consumer, I would rather get mine with the least amount on post production handling as possible, and put up such things as the Holy Land Grade 2 for long term storage. My personal preference would be for the product to be “as is” 🙂 Added note, Incense Traditions will soon have Grade 2 in stock as well, a plus for you northerners, hey?
Paul Galli said,
October 11, 2015 at 8:22 am
Excellent Service!
I have reviewed both Holy Lands in the “Review Your Incenses” section.
Terra Renee said,
December 13, 2015 at 10:37 am
I live in the US, but these incenses carried by incense traditions look so amazing that waiting 2+ weeks for it to clear customs doesn’t seem like a big deal at all. I already have 4 packs picked out to order as soon as I get my Christmas bonus (rest goes to daughters toys XD). Ordering Samye, Holy Land, Incense Collection #2, and either pure Dzongsar or Dzongsar Be Dur Ya. Has anyone tried the Be Dur Ya? Hart is mailing my fiance some free sample sticks (Hart is totally awesome) of it to try, but I don’t know if it will get here in time for me to decide between it and regular Dzongsar (which I love). Also tempted to get Nectar instead of Holy Land, since I have 3 full packs of Holy Land grade 2 and grade 1 is only slightly better.
sniffsincense said,
March 7, 2016 at 1:09 pm
Gregg, I have placed an order for all of his samplers! What a great site. I love the video on the Tibetan page that shows them making incense from cedar.
I asked about the selection and Hart’s response is that they are trying to cover things that other stores don’t cover. According to him, his wife is the one who can speak the languages. They have been to both Bhutan and Tibet and while Essence has a wider selection, they have carefully curated their selection so everything they offer should be in the ‘top 10’ or ‘Hall of Fame’.
So far, I have tried and loved the Jaju(so much better than the Nado, in fact, made Nado seem cheap), The ‘Lost Fragrance of the Mountain Gods’ which is really funny to me because it smells a bit like Magic Smoke, the stuff that sits inside electronics and makes them work properly. It made me wonder if like Star Trek, the ancient Mountain Gods were computers.
I’ve been working my way through the Medical Incense sampler and I’m very impressed that they don’t seem to have any ‘duds’ so far.
william273 said,
March 7, 2016 at 1:27 pm
Ditto everything you said sniffsincense. I got both sampler packs too and some extra samples. I also like the Bhutanese incense better than Nado’s…has a mystical sort aroma and is much different than Nado’s even though Nado’s is a great incense.
Hart’s customer service is top of the line and all of his incenses are high-grade. Hither and Yon is another Top LIne of incense and customer service…I always got an email reply within 24 hours from both. Hart’s incenses are the hidden gems not many know about and are better than most you will ever find…the best of the best.
Fenil said,
April 25, 2016 at 11:46 am
Thank you for the recommendation Gregg. I am in Canada and have been looking to buy locally, if possible, to save on import fees and international shipping. I already put in a request for samples and based on what I like, would love to order some. I have to say though, that for a novice like me, it is confusing what to choose! 🙂
Jg said,
July 22, 2015 at 2:05 pm
I complained about her last year because the incense was broken and she said that was normal and refused to issue a credit.
Mike said,
July 22, 2015 at 4:02 pm
I don’t know what the incense looked like when you got it or how many broken sticks there were, but I think when you consider the skinniness of Japanese incense and how far it has to travel, I think you have to allow for some broken sticks, otherwise the vendors would go broke in a heartbeat. I would say 85% of the Japanese incenses I’ve received have one to a few broken sticks in them and I always seem to break a lot on my own as well. It just comes with the territory. In fact I often burn the broken ones first and then hey, problem solved. Now if it was a box full of shattered one inch pieces it would be different.
essenceoftheages said,
July 22, 2015 at 6:31 pm
Hi,
I really wish that when people leave a comment about the retailers, good or bad, that they would sign their real name.
You are Joannie, the customer I had back in AUGUST 2012 that complained about 5 broken sticks out of a roll of an estimated forty sticks. At that time you had ordered 8 rolls of incense, claimed that the ONE roll you checked short by 5 sticks, and another 5 were broken and unusable. You then demanded 4 MORE rolls from me and threatened to write a bad review if I did not comply with your wishes. Here is a link to that original complaint and the replies that you received. https://olfactoryrescueservice.wordpress.com/review-your-incense-retailer/comment-page-1/#comments. Scroll down on the page to 7.
You not only were boo-ed on this blog for your behavior, the complaint that you sent to the BBB was decided in my favor.
Your comment now is simply out of spite. You have not placed another order with me so there is no way that you have complained to me about broken incense last year. It was 3 years ago. Unfortunately, you didn’t have a leg to stand on then, and you still do not have one now.
Blessings,
Beth Johns
Mike said,
July 23, 2015 at 9:10 am
Yeah that’s a good point about anonymity. I’m going to delete any further comments about any business complaints on ORS that remain anonymous. I’d also ask anyone reading this forum to consider that the first stop for any complaints about a business should be with the business itself and I’m starting to get a little weary with people who head here first to take shots at Essence of the Ages, especially after reading numerous follow ups from Beth that are a lot more detailed and objective than the people who are complaining and who often disappear completely once their complaint is addressed.
Margaret Thorpe said,
July 18, 2015 at 5:43 pm
Essence of the Ages offers a truly amazing incense selection, but the customer service seems to be hit or miss. I placed a $300 order a month ago and haven’t heard a peep since. I’ve sent a couple of emails asking for a status update, but haven’t received responses to either. You know, it’s not the shipping delay that bothers me, it’s the total lack of communication. Definitely not a positive customer experience 🙂
Margaret Thorpe said,
October 6, 2015 at 8:57 pm
A quick update – I received the above-mentioned order after 5-6 weeks. I was very happy with the incense, although mystified by the total lack of communication. The package also contained a coupon for a 20% discount, so I went ahead and placed another order on Aug.21. It’s now Oct. 6 and I haven’t heard a peep, even after sending 3 emails inquiring as to the status of the order.
Ivy P said,
January 21, 2016 at 12:32 pm
Did you ever get your order or a reply to your emails?
Margaret Thorpe said,
January 21, 2016 at 12:55 pm
I did, Ivy. I think that shipment arrived at the very beginning of November. Lots of lovely incense-making supplies from Nepal like sandalwood, cedar, rhododendron & juniper powders, galangal, spikenard root etc.
Terra Renee said,
June 27, 2015 at 6:28 am
I have to review BOSEN. They are superb. Powder, sticks, and especially coils. Their coils are AMAZING! Resin heavy, sturdy, and they have the same, if not more, scent than the sticks. My only complaint is the few times I was sent a box with the coils all broken up. BOSEN more than made up for it by sending me a box with TWO boxes of the broken box I’d ordered (the new one came direct from Taiwan and not a single coil was even chipped), along with MANY samples of their high end aloeswood coils and sticks. They even sent me 10 sticks of their second-most expensive aloeswood available.The seller is not superb at speaking english, so communication can be hard sometimes, but as long as you make clear your problem, it turns into an amazing experience.
I wish beyond wishing that they would open their Taiwan-only site to US customers. I’m dying to try Zambhala coils and Blessing powder (my two favorite non-aloeswood blends).
drummagick said,
April 20, 2015 at 9:18 pm
Just received an order from Exotic Incense in WI and I am very pleased. The price for the incense I ordered was reasonable, I had the choice between First Class and Priority mail so the postage was reasonable as well, and the order was shipped the day after I placed it. Very happy!
Andie said,
April 17, 2015 at 11:16 am
Just to chime-in on what others have been experiencing. Over the last few months, Feb-Mar-Apr, I have placed orders with both Essence of the Ages and Japan Incense.
Kotaro & Japan Incense get top marks in my book for their large in-stock inventory, efficiency of order handling, & friendly communication.
My experiences with Essence of the Ages on the other hand, have been disappointing. Long delays and inventory issues coupled with hit-and-miss communication.
I wish I had paid closer attention to the recent reviews of both businesses right from the start– Japan Incense is indeed as terrific as everyone says!
Beth Johns said,
April 17, 2015 at 11:43 am
Hi Andie,
Can you please let me know what name you ordered under? I would like to be able to verify and address your concerns. : )
Thanks,
Beth
Terra Renee said,
June 27, 2015 at 6:20 am
Wow, why all the Essence of the Ages complaints? I haven’t placed an order since she had Holy Land Grade 2 (years!), so I can’t say anything about that, but I have emailed Beth (about Holy Land Grade 2!), and she got back to me within 3 hours of emailing her, and this was just a few weeks ago. It was about a stocking question. She’s very nice.
Margaret Thorpe said,
July 18, 2015 at 5:10 pm
That’s good to hear, Terra! I placed a $300 order a month ago and have heard nothing from Essence of the Ages since. I’ve sent 2 follow on emails to Beth requesting a status update but to no avail. Your message gives me hope that the business is still operational and something may come of my order, but given my experience I can’t imagine ordering from there again.
Terra Renee said,
July 22, 2015 at 1:52 pm
I placed another order for Lotus Ground incense a few weeks ago too and haven’t received it yet, but I’ve gotten answers to my queries about the order. Apparently, she receives a LOT of orders and that’s a lot of work for her. It takes a very long time, but I think it’s worth the wait.
Alexander Borisov said,
April 15, 2015 at 5:20 pm
Very disappointing experience with Essence of the ages and Beth Johns. Buyers beware: that person will not communicate with you about your orders at all. I ordered incense on March 18th and was told in an email that my order will be shipped immediately. After that there was no communication at all. I waited 2 weeks before I started sending emails inquiring about the status of my order and I also tried calling over the phone. There was no response to emails or phone calls. After 3 weeks I filed a charge dispute with my credit card company. 3 days after the charge dispute I was credited the money (still no response from Beth Johns). At this time I purchased exactly the same order of incense from another online store JapanIncense, which sent the package next day (talk about efficiency and expediency!). It was only then that Beth Johns sent me a package, and is now refusing to admit any wrongdoing in the delay and lack of communication. I strongly suspect Beth Johns purposefully will not communicate with you to avoid order cancellations. So now I am stuck with 2 packages which I can’t really afford… At this time Beth Johns refuses to refund me at full price upon merchandise return, citing restocking policies. On an order of $300 this is $45 + shipping I just lost! Please be advised that Beth Johns and Essence of the ages utilize bad business practices and should be avoided.
essenceoftheagesBeth Johns said,
April 15, 2015 at 6:15 pm
There is certainly more to this story that you are allowing people to know. Especially since you were sent an email letting you know there as a delay in shipping your order due to inventory. However, you did not cancel your order and I received no notification of any kind of a dispute until after the order was shipped.
In the emails you have sent me in the last 2 days you have been rude and disrespectful to me, and for fear of you doing the same thing here, I am not going to reply further. You threatened to leave bad reviews everywhere you could and this seems to be the first of them. As I quote you from your last email, “There have to be consequences for bad business! Otherwise all humanity suffers.”
I have been in business for 14 years and I would not have been able to do that if I was as lying and cheating as you are making me out to be. As I wrote in my email to you, I am sorry that this purchase experience has not been a pleasant one for you. I wish you peace.
Blessings,
Beth Johns
Essence of the Ages
Alexander Borisov said,
April 15, 2015 at 7:44 pm
It seems I am not the only one with the same issues. Others here report no communication from you. You claim to have sent an email and yet when I asked for proof of this email you responded that you cannot provide such a proof. I did not receive any communication at all. And I unlike you have proof of all the emails I sent to you that did not get any response. I feel like I am perfectly justified in my judgement of you as a bad business and people need to know.
Mike said,
April 15, 2015 at 8:11 pm
Alex I’ve allowed you to have your say, but I don’t want this to become an argument, so I’ll assume that this will be the last we hear on it. Thanks.
Jason said,
March 20, 2015 at 9:02 am
This company is a ripoff. I placed an order on February 8 and its now March 20 and I’ve received nothing. Also I can’t get a response from them. They had no problems taking my money. Do not send them your hard earned money. You’ve been warned.
Beth Johns said,
March 20, 2015 at 1:55 pm
Jason,
My apologies that you are feeling that I have taken your $26 and then completely ignored you. But that is far from the truth.
To give you the complete picture, I experienced both family illness and death in the first part of this year. As my family comes first, I took some time away from both of my businesses. I have two businesses that I run and as I am my only employee, shipping quickly became backlogged. An email was sent out to all customers whose orders were waiting to be shipped.
Later, a second email was also sent out, keeping my customers informed of the situation and again letting them know their orders were being shipped. Meanwhile a shipment from Nepal was partially destroyed in transit, making much of that shipment unsellable. Yes, there were orders waiting for those products.
You personally were sent 2 emails explaining the situation and letting you know that I was trying to get your aloeswood order together as I was out of stock. You were also sent, yesterday, an email letting you know that your order had shipped and giving you the USPS tracking information.
From the tone of the two emails you sent me today, accusing me of the theft of your money and them promising to ‘spread the word’ that I am a thief and that my ‘business is a joke’, you apparently did not receive the emails from me. Have you checked your spam folder?
Jason, I am not a thief, a rip off artist, or any other innuendos you have thrown my way today via email, and now this comment on ORS. I have been in business for 14 years. And I can certainly tell you that I would not have been in business that long if I took people’s money and didn’t deliver.
My apologies that you have had such an unfortunate first experience in purchasing from me. I am assuming from your comments that you will not be purchasing from me again. I wish you well.
Beth Johns
Essence of the Ages
pete said,
October 22, 2015 at 10:47 pm
well well well,I see that they have, once again deleted my negative comments about essence of the ages mirroring all the other complaints, How unethical is that?clearly it says to me that olfactory rescue should clearly not be considered a legitimate site. iI was under the impression that we had free speech int he U.S….But apparently not when we complain about the hideous service from Beth johns and essence of the ages. Hopfully this will stay up ;ong enough for enough people to beware of this companyandNOT order.before I am censored again. ORS = NO credibility = censorship and nepotism
Beth Johns said,
October 23, 2015 at 12:27 am
Peter,
What is your problem?? When you ordered the Mother’s Ganesh it CLEARLY stated on the page next to that item that customer’s ENTIRE order would be shipped when the Ganesh arrived to me. After SEVERAL nasty emails from you AND your misleading attempts to leave a negative comment previously on ORS – not to mention the absolute lies that you wrote to the BBB, you are now having a full blown tantrum. How childish.
I thought this matter was settled when YOU wrote me, in an email dated 10/06: Please just send the products I paid for when they arrive”. And then in an email dated 10/07 YOU wrote: “Please just send my order when it arrives and i will appreciate it greatly. Please just send when you have everything in order.”
The Ganesh still has not arrived from India so your order has not shipped.
YOU also wrote me, in an email dated 10/07: “I do not need THIS conflict in my life, over something like this, I have bigger fish to fry with my own business.. Please just send when you have everything in order.”
So why are you carrying on like this? This is the most ignorantly, childish way to handle this. You haven’t even contacted me since 10/07 and yet days later you are making a scene again.
I have never had to deal with this kind of behavior from someone who supposedly also owns a business.
I am immediately cancelling your order. Your tirade has gone on long enough and taken up enough of both my time, Mike’s time, and the time of people reading this.
I wish you peace with your anger and your hatred.
Blessings,
Beth Johns
Essence of the Ages
Mike said,
October 23, 2015 at 8:01 am
Pete, no worries I will be leaving this note and Beth’s follow up. I have mentioned recently on this site at least twice that I would be deleting certain types of complaints and so what I did was in accordance with what I clearly stated. I do think you have a bit of a misunderstanding about free speech though, that actually enables you to create your own site and have a voice, but it does not give you the right to go walk into someone’s home and start wrecking the place. ORS is an expression of my own free speech and in that sense, I do my best to display my own ethics and those led me to allow you to state your case before and let Beth respond, but it does not lead me to feel that it justifies the kind of excessive approach you are demonstrating here especially when the evidence of your complaint is clearly not in your favor But I will now assume that since you think of ORS in such a manner, that you won’t be using it anymore and I’ll leave this up because I’m positive that when the reasonable human being takes all evidence in consideration it’s rather obvious who is in the right here. I’m more than happy to let my readers come to their own conclusions.
pete said,
October 28, 2015 at 6:48 pm
Ok Mike fair enough. It is your site. and you can clearly as do as you please. But doesn’t it strike you as odd that all complaints against EOA are all the same? I just wonder how many other of the same complaints that you have deemed inappropriate.You talk of “evidence” this is not a court of law, You have my words and Beth’s. I guess you just find in favor of Beth’s… I know what the truth is and so does Beth. And according to her it is ALWAYS the customers fault. It is simply a universal law that one human is NEVER always right. I know I make mistakes.
So be it Mike. I do not have to do business with Beth anymore and clearly will not. She states that my money will be refunded by Friday or 3 business days. We will see. And please, if its even possible, humor me and tell me exactly what “evidence” that you based your decisions on. This I would greatly appreciate. And yes let’s let all the other readers decide. And please try and let all the other dissatisfied customers of EOA too if they want to. Thank you
Mike said,
October 28, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Pete, well first of all I appreciate the change in tone from the last comment. I’ll leave this as the last comment on this issue. You’ve had your say and now it’s time to drop it here. Thanks!
Melissa said,
December 18, 2014 at 6:08 pm
For Tibetan and Chinese incense, I’ve ordered from both cart100 (seller lq_1125) and aliexpress (seller Zen Mood) online. On cart100, you have to pay twice: once for the item price, then they invoice you based on the actual weight of your package. There’s a low fee for credit card transactions (which are secure VeriSign), but you can add money to an account and pay as you purchase. Cart100’s site is hard to navigate, their search function is a bit unreliable, and they seem more inclined to wholesale rather than one box orders. However, they have a million varieties of incense and shipped 6 boxes of Tibetan Medical College Holy Land for around $50 (the shipping was a bit more than the item, actually). Aliexpress is more suited to single box orders, and the shipping is often free. Their site is more navigable, the search function works better, but the selection and price is not as good as cart100. I have not yet received my order from them to know how fast and well-packed their shipping is. Knowing Mandarin would be a plus for both sites, as the mutual Google Translate communications are difficult. For instance, the Holy Land incense was under the title, “Tibet pure natural Handmade Tibetan snow treasure Shengkang incense incense Buddha genuine anti-counterfeiting Acura home health.” I’ve found Kumbum, Labrang, Mindrolling, Drepung, and Tashilhunpo Monastery incense on both sites. The Dzogchen has eluded me. I’ve also found The Snow Land varieties, plus several new brands I’ve yet to experience: Menpa, Youminba, Tunbai, and many more listed under “Nimu incense,” which apparently is a county in Tibet long known for incense works. Be prepared to both wait for shipping, have some (but not many) broken sticks, and pay a bit more for shipping than you might be accustomed to–but if you buy more at once, I’m sure it’s a more reasonable venture.
Melissa said,
December 29, 2014 at 12:37 am
I received the incense from the aliexpress seller. Very well packed with no broken sticks and fairly quickly delivered–about two weeks from Chengdu in Sichuan Province. The Tunbai in the red box is OK, nothing extraordinary, but low-smoke, decent aroma, not too cedary or juniper filled.The large tube of Snow Land, however, is phenomenal. I cannot describe it. It’s really, really good. I will be back to try more, but I’m approaching entirely too much incense at this point. http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Tibetan-Kang-sang-Authentic-Tibet-making-incense-pure-natural-herbal-ingredients-Contains-about-75-joss-stick/812623_582382568.html
Kensboro said,
July 16, 2016 at 12:07 am
Just got a tube of Snow Land in the mail today. You’re right, it is fantastic; and quite a large tube for a handful of dollars. Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Dead Crow said,
December 6, 2014 at 1:40 pm
Would just like to comment about my recent experience with Japan Incense. Have both good and bad news for the readers here. First, the service is above and beyond that of any other incense store that I am aware of, luckily, I live well over 1000 miles away, or I would be making a weekly choice between food and high quality incense! Kotaro and Jay have ordered deep for this holiday season, even getting in some Kunmeido Tokusen Tenpyo Limited Edition, probably the last stick made using Black Kyara, which stopped being made 2-3 years ago and had been out of stock for a year. Great job guys! The bad news is that Seijudo, after having dropped the number of sticks per tube rather than raise the price on all of their line, will be raising their prices in January. Considering that this is, in my opinion, one of the highest quality incense lines going, it beats diluting the product or further decreasing the amount of sticks per tube. Really, at present, the top of the line Enju works out to $380 per 30 stick box (as other makers present their sticks of this caliber), so a small price increase isn’t out of line. Great job of working out the order/bank problems with me Jay, and special thanks to Kotaro, who I heard advising you, sounded great in stereo 🙂 -Gregg
science25 said,
November 10, 2014 at 5:25 am
Hi Beth,
I call and send emails…sorry I meant to say I do both and not just one phone call and I give them a few days to respond and if I hear nothing then I move on. If they’re to busy… then they’re to busy…I’ll just find a place that isn’t.
I understand where you’re coming from though and am talking from a customers point of view or my own view and experience. I don’t have a business and you do so I can’t really speak to that but only from a customers end.
essenceoftheages said,
November 9, 2014 at 8:27 am
Hi William,
I tend to disagree with your comment, “I …usually avoid anyplace where they don’t answer the phone”. I run two businesses completely by myself and I literally can’t always answer the phone. To write a business off because they don’t answer the phone is a bit short-sighted. Maybe, as in my case, they are a very small business without any staff. Add into that 200+ emails a days, shipping orders, ordering inventory, and other things just to keep a business running … sometimes answering a phone call just can’t happen. Please consider writing an email and giving the company a chance to reply. VERY often, I am responding to emails at 3:00am. Unless you know the circumstances of why they didn’t answer the phone, please do not write a business off just because they cannot take a phone call. You may be missing out on a fabulous business relationship. : )
Blessings,
Beth
Essence of the Ages – http://www.essenceoftheages.com
Grandfather’s Spirit – http://www.grandfathersspirit.com
science25 said,
November 9, 2014 at 5:33 am
For that exact same reason I generally try to get some sort of communication going before I buy something to make sure someone’s there in case something goes wrong. I’ll call and write and tell them I’m double checking to see if they have what I want in stock…sometimes they don’t then give them no more than 48 hours to respond.
If I don’t hear back I’ll look some place else and usually avoid anyplace where they don’t answer the phone. To me customer service is what gets my business and if they don’t have much then to me it’s their way of saying they don’t need or want my business and I’ll go somewhere else.
In your case they were the only ones that had what you were looking for so it’s a matter of taking a chance.
William
joseph kupiec said,
September 6, 2014 at 5:48 pm
Hello…recently ive read allot of harsh comments on here about Beth and her company Essence of the Ages…..I must say that I have ordered from her many times over the years and her service and merchandise were always TOP QUALITY…..NEVER A PROBLEM…..soo,it makes one wonder if the people posting the harsh reviews have a less than honorable intent and a self serving agenda….
Mike said,
September 10, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Hi Joseph, I think the positive reviews tend to outweigh the negative ones to a really large extent. Most of us have had nothing but top notch service from Beth and EofA and we have a good symbiotic relationship.
Dennis said,
September 18, 2014 at 4:48 am
i must admit, i’m curious why you would label someone who posts a negative review “less than honorable, and self serving” joseph.
currently, i’m part of an apparently large group of customers who paid for (within 48 hours or the order would be cancelled) incense that would be shipped in 3-4 weeks. at week 4 the group received a poorly worded email, and an equally poorly worded apology, in response to customers asking where their payed for orders were. personally, i waited until week 6 before asking for a refund. beth denied my refund stating…my order has been prepared for shipment and to check my spam folder for a shipping notice. it’s now the end of week 6 and….nothing.
so….is it less than honorable to warn others to use caution when ordering from EofA?
Mike said,
September 18, 2014 at 2:38 pm
Dennis, I’d guess Joseph is referring to much earlier reviews rather than what has been going on in the last month or so. I know a little bit about what happened last month, but I think it’s Beth’s to explain. I think in this case the frustration on your part is completely understandable, but I don’t think what happened recently has anything to do with Joseph’s post.
Beth Johns said,
September 18, 2014 at 4:04 pm
Interesting comments Dennis.
The incense promotion that you are referring to is the annual Dzogchen Monastery Incense sale. This incense is only available to me once a year, and in very limited quantity. As a courtesy to existing customers and people who sign up for my newsletter, I give them first opportunity to make the incense purchase before I open it up to anyone who wanders by my site. That is because I truly value my customers.
This presale promotion started on 08/07 and ran through 8/12. And yes, people were “supposed” to pay within 48 hours or their order would be canceled. (In reality, people have lives and not everyone gets on their computers every day.) I gave out the shipping dates of 3-4 weeks as the incense had not yet arrived to me from the Monastery in China, not to mention that once it did arrive I needed to inspect the incense, label it, package it, and ship it out to my customers. Based on last year’s same event, the timeline would work.
The reason that the “poorly worded email, and an equally poorly worded apology, in response to customers asking where their payed for orders were” was sent out was because people were emailing me immediately as to where their order was, not waiting two weeks or even three weeks, to question the shipping. And contrary to your believe that both emails were poorly worded, I received countless emails from customers saying that they found absolutely nothing inappropriate about what I had written. So, your opinion. My apologies that you found my communications “poorly worded”.
According to my calculations on my calendar, the four week mark would have been week of September 4th. That was also the week that the last of the incense was delivered to me. Orders started shipping that week and are still being shipped. I am both shipping the Dzogchen and shipping the orders that come in daily from both of my businesses. And yes, you did ask to cancel your order on 09/16, and yes I did tell you that a refund was not possible as your order had been prepared for shipment.
I see that you failed to mention that your order was delivered to you today.
This was your first transaction with my business and I am assuming that based on your comments that it will be the last. I do hope that you are enjoying the Dzogchen and that it was worth waiting for.
Blessings,
Beth
Essence of the Ages
william273 said,
March 3, 2014 at 3:28 pm
Just wanted to give a nod to Hither and Yon for their great and fast costumer service. Placed an order and within one hour I got a reply they received my order and another that my order has been shipped along with a tracking number.
The few times I sent emails to them I got replies within an hour. This is the type of customer service I like and will gladly give them my business. I wish more businesses would be like this.
ipbys said,
February 15, 2014 at 7:44 am
I found one Store in Germany with the following Incense: Happy Hari, The Mothers Fragrances, Pure Incense & Malola Trade…
The owner writes on his Facebook Page that he is testing out many more…for example Shroffs will be available soon.
You can check here: http://www.padmastore.de/
Suzie townsend said,
January 8, 2014 at 4:16 pm
do you know anyone in australia that sells these incense or can i purchase from you
Suzie
Madhav Bhole said,
July 4, 2013 at 7:30 am
Triyugi Enterprises is a Manufacturers of Agarbatti, Dhoopsticks and Puja Products. We are manufactures of “Triyugi Fruity Agarbatti” (Fragrances available: Green Apple, Litchy, Fruit Chat, Strawberry, Blackberry) Our Fruity Agarbatti especially Green Apple Agarbatti and Fal chat (Fruit Salad) Agarbatti is very famous.
“Triyugi Floral Agarbatti” (Fragrances available: Har Champa, Kacchi Chameli, Nagchampa, Ratrani, Rajni Gandha) Our Floral Agarbatti especially Nagchampa Agarbatti and Kacchi Chameli Agarbatti, Rajni Gandha Agarbatti is very famous.
Triyugi Ashta Laxmi Dhoop sticks (Fragrances available: Mogra, Gulab, Chandan, Kesar).
For more details visit our website.
[I normally don’t let these types of posts go through, but appreciate you contributing elsewhere. – Mike]