New York Tattoo: 40 Years of Supplies, Service & Satisfaction.
Written: Apr 27 '06 (Updated Apr 06 '08)
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A kid came strolling into the shop a few weeks ago; when ever 'they' come in with their ID already out of their wallet, you know they have just turned eighteen and are itching for a tattoo. Without saying a word to him or looking up from my magazine I pointed to the sign above the desk that reads, "We Do Not Ink or Pierce Anyone Under The Age of 21". That might seem like a discriminatory remark to make or sign to have hanging but when you are eighteen you don't understand the words "permanent" or the ramifications of having a girls name tattooed on your arm. It was about that moment in time that the UPS guy walked in; he was a little scared of us when he first started doing our deliveries but he's mellowed over time. It's no big deal for him to hear someone whining about "the sign" so he laughs, hands me the electronic clipboard and checks out what's going on in the back. I unpacked the order from New York Tattoo, grinning up a storm at the empty squeeze bottles, receiving tubs and ink. All the while the eighteen year old is still standing there ranting that his father is a lawyer and I am practicing age discrimination ... vowing he would be back later in the day with his parental unit to "resolve things"
Now, I have reviewed a lot of stuff over the years that I have been at the site but [slapping forehead] I never really thought about the tattoo supply companies that I deal with - more to the point, writing reviews about them. It's pretty easy to write a review about a company that sells just one thing - like toys, magazines or even auction sites. Writing a review about a place that sells tattoo equipment or supplies is a completely different beast. Take ink for example. Someone might say something to the effect of, "I bought ink from them and it sucked, it didn't hold the color and it was runny". If someone were to read that sentence without knowing much about the company, type of ink, skill level of the artist, application etc - it could really screw with someone's business. There are a lot of variables to take into consideration and most of the time [as much as I hate to admit it] the product is perfect, the problem is with the person pushing the ink. Suffice it to say, if you see an established tattoo supply store online, they are legit. 95% of them are in the business because they love it, it's the 5% that are there to make a profit that you have to be careful of.
New York Tattoo has never let me down when I've ordered from them; even when I was in California, my orders didn't arrive three weeks after I placed them. That is partly because they are efficient in receiving, processing and packing orders and they offer same day shipping if you order by one pm eastern standard time. One thing that really keeps me coming back to the site is the customer service. When you call them with a question they are never too busy to talk to you - even if you are just starting out. A few sites [oh I will get to them eventually] have a real bad attitude when it comes to the newbie crowd ... they seem to forget that they too were once just starting out. To me customer service is one of the things that makes it or breaks it with me; I will pay more to order from a site that treats me with respect than one that has lower prices and acts like they are doing me a favor if I ask to have something shipped a certain way or call with a question. The fact that I am a female also compounds the problem with the 'old school' companies; they have the outdated mindset that if you have breasts and a vagina, your place is in the chair, not behind or next to it.
Selection
They carry everything from body piercing supplies to inks, machines, kit, power supplies and sterilization products. This was one of the few places that I found that carried disposable P [Pennington] and F [Forester] forceps as well as Lexan tubes [disposable]. When I started out I was mostly doing piercings but when I started pushing ink full time and eventually opened a shop in San Diego I realized that I needed to have quality vendors supplying me with products that were top grade. When judging a tattoo supply site you can't just look at prices or how much they have to offer, you have to look at variety, brand names and what other people in the industry have to say about them. This is where the word of mouth plays a huge part in the success of a site; tick someone off and trust me, they will tell anyone that's willing to listen how someone burned them. New York Tattoo has never been mentioned in a bad light at any of the conventions I've been to or when I've been talking to other artists.
For body piercing they have videos, needles, jewelry, various supplies and implements used in the process. I'm not a huge fan of using topical pain killers or numbing agents because that's part of the experience, some people have a low tolerance level for pain and they've heard about products that can be sprayed on. I try to talk them out of it but ultimately it's their choice. New York Tattoo carries a few of these types of products in case you are in the market for them. They also have medical supplies like gloves, soaps, drape cloths, cold sterilization products and autoclaves. They are more than just "ink and guns" ... and yes, they sell Tattoo Goo [hehe private joke]. They carry an impressive line of inks including Moms, Intenze and Starbrite as well as a lot of Moms products. One thing I always stock up on are the empty ink bottles that they carry in one, two, four and eight ounce sizes. These are a necessity for mixing and storing specialty colors.
Navigating through the site is easy thanks to the links on the main page but I really wish that they would have a little more information about some of the products that they carry. If you know exactly what you are looking for then finding it at the site is simple but if I tell someone to get me a price on something and they don't know other names that they are called, well, it takes a while. Having even a couple of lines about something can really help the people just starting out in the business; but in their defense, that is why you start out at the bottom of the shop food chain and work your way up. Even so, there are trust fund babies out there that think all you need to have is some flash, a tattoo set up and some ink to start your own shop. To get the most from the site, consider signing up for their free newsletter to keep you on top of all the sales, deals and specials that they are running at the site. This is a spam free publication that you can opt out of at any time but once you see what goodies are inside this, you won't want to! Sign up details are available at the site and all it takes is your email address in the submission box to get you started.
As far as shipping charges go, it's almost impossible to give you an accurate quote because every shipment is going to be different. The charges depend on where you live in relation to their address and the weight; you can call them to get a quote or add something to the cart to see the ballpark amount. My orders usually run in the $75.00 to $100.00 range and cost about $7.00 - $9.00 to deliver. In my opinion that's not bad but what really impresses me is their 'same day' shipping. Like I said, if you order it by one in the afternoon, it will ship that day. I've never had to make a return to the site and they don't have an exact policy listed. Since they are dealing with things that are using for tattooing I am going to have to assume that there are some items that can't be returned if they are opened like bottles of ink. While this might seem like a huge inconvenience to some people, to me it means that I know - without a doubt - that when I order something form them I am getting something new. If you have any doubts about something that you are ordering or want to find out the specifics about return policies before you order, call them.
Customer Service
New York Tattoo
PO Box 1102
West Babylon, NY 11704
[631] 694-3552
www.newyorktattoo.com
info@newyorktattoo.com
Payment Options
While most sites stick with the usual credit cards like Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Discover, New York Tattoo takes it a step further by accepting money orders, payments via PayPal, wire transfers and checks. Now, in this modern day and age this next payment option is almost obsolete ... COD [cash on delivery]. I have to be honest here, if I ever ordered anything COD I would have to be there to pay for it because it would confuse the hell out of everyone else at the shop. Even trying to explain the process [which is simple] baffled them. "Wait, so like, they show up with a box and you like give them money?" Exceptional artists they are .. thinker and planners they are not. Billing is accurate, what you see at the time of the check out is what is posted to your credit card.
The Bottom Line
New York Tattoo has never let me down so they have my business. I'm picky about where I get certain things and when it comes to specialty items like 'Almost Skin" I can be a complete bluenose. Since they are a hop, skip and jump away from me now that I'm on the east coast my order arrive within a few days of placing them, even if I opt for UPS or FedEx Ground. The site is easy to get through but during peak hours some of the pages are slow to load. If you're wondering about that 18 year old that came in looking for some ink ... he did come back in a few hours later with his father but it wasn't as bad as you might think. Instead of ranting at me and quoting lines from dusty law books the father asked me point blank what the site policy was. I rattled it off in a heartbeat. "We reserve the right to refuse anyone as a customer for any reason including intoxication, being under the influence of any drug, prescribed or otherwise, and for not meeting the minimum age requirements clearly posted." That's when his father said a line that was just so incredible that I couldn't resist writing it down. "You can't even pick out socks that match or keep your car from running out of gas and you want to get a tattoo" He saw the display of temporary tattoos, pulled out a five dollar bill, grabbed a pack and handed it to his son. "Here's your tattoo."
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2006 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
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