FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

As a small business, it is easier to focus on making a whole body of work at once, and then posting it for sale on a specific day. This allows me to focus on making all the things, without the disruption of having to ship things or answer customer service questions. Or keeping track of inventory on the site. So updates happen as fast as I can fill my kiln!

Be sure to sign up for my email updates and follow me on Instagram. I always try to offer a preview of new work the day before it goes live on the site. It’s a good opportunity to check prices and dimensions so you can plan your purchase in advance.

When the shop goes live, things tend to sell very quickly! If there’s an item you really want, I suggest buying that first and coming back, rather than loading up your cart. Just because an item is in the cart does not make it yours. That only happens when it’s paid for. It’s just how the website works unfortunately. If you have multiple orders for a shop update, I will do my best to pack things together and refund any overages. However I have standard box sizes, and sometimes things need to ship separately anyhow to avoid possible damage in transit. I always organize orders based on buyer, and will contact you with any refunds.

I run pre-order sales of the most popular items every other month or so. When this happens you can choose from pre-determined sizes and glaze options to purchase a piece unique to your preference.

You will have the option to choose from a select number of colors when you order a product. However, we do not allow for custom colors. I’ve tested a lot of glazes with my clay body and only offer the ones that are known to be reliable. If your preferred color is not on the drop down menu, it is not an option at this time. Thanks for understanding.

Pre-orders generally ship within 8 weeks. I make them once they’re ordered, and they need drying time between each step of the process, plus they are fired at least twice, before they’re ready to ship to you.

I don’t accept custom orders at this time. Why not? Pottery has lots of testing and margin for error, so if I am making one unique piece for you, it’s never just one piece. I always make three, in case something goes wrong, and sometimes all three fail. It’s a lot of time and energy, and often distracts me from making the things I know and love to make, so for now, I respectfully decline all custom inquiries.

Ceramics are fragile, especially the pieces with sculptural leaves. This means I have to pack them very well to get them to you in one piece! Shipping can be time consuming and expensive, but it’s the reality of being a small business. Part of the costs most people don’t think about are:

* Time: I pack each piece myself, and pay my studio assistant to help.

* Materials: While I use mostly recycled packing materials (I gather used bubble wraps and packing peanuts from neighbors and local businesses to keep them out of landfills AND to save money), I do still purchase boxes, tape, and notecards needed for packing.


* So, the shipping cost, is the cost of shipping + materials + time. I could build this price into my pots and offer “free” shipping, but I prefer to be transparent on pricing and not inflate the cost of the art.

I can ship internationally, however it is very expensive, even to Canada. So I don’t generally ship to other countries. If there’s something you really love and don’t mind paying shipping, let’s talk.

Yes! This option is only for folks in the Portland area. Please don’t select this if you cannot physically come and get your piece!

Please photograph the box and the entire broken pot and email those to me directly to (at) nicolemcurcio (dot) com.