Frequently Asked Questions

Are the prices on the Artisan Arcade website in $AUD or $USD?

All prices on our website are in $AUD.

Do the prices include GST?

Yes, all prices include GST however this amount will be deducted for customers from New Zealand as Australian GST is not payable.

Do you have a physical store?

Artisan Arcade is an online store only, (pick-up is not available).

How do I leave a review?

To ensure the integrity of the review system, customers can leave a review only in respect of products that the customer has purchased. To leave a review, simply go to the product page for that item or to My Account, select Orders on the left hand menu, select the relevant order number and then select the product you wish to review. You will be taken to the product page where you can add your review. You can decide how your name publicly appears in the review. Email addresses are not published.

If you would like to have an avatar for your reviews, simply sign up for an account at Gravatar (click the button ‘Create Your Own Gravatar’) using the same email address as your account at Artisan Arcade. You can then select any image as your avatar and it will automatically be placed in any review you make on our site and many other sites on the internet that are compatible with Gravatar.

For a limited time, when a customer leaves a review of a product purchase from an order on our website, a 10% discount coupon will be issued which can be redeemed against any products on a future order, except Gift Cards or products previously reviewed by that customer. The maximum discount is limited to $15. A customer is welcome to leave reviews for one or more items per order, but only one coupon will issue per order (including combined orders) and the coupon cannot be combined with any other discount. The coupon is valid for four months but does not apply to postage, sale or discounted items.

What do you recommend for someone with sensitive skin?

All of our products contain a ‘clean’ ingredient list. However we know that some people are sensitive to fragrances or to other ingredients such as lanolin. To see our products that are fragrance free (unscented) click the unscented tag on the home page. To see our products with a fragrance derived from essential oil, not fragrance oil, click the essential oil tag on the home page.

For a shaving soap that does not contain lanolin, click the lanolin-free tag on the home page. If you are having issues but are unsure of the cause, you may find this reddit wiki page helpful.

Will you be selling replacement shaving pucks?

We hope to stock replacement pucks at some point. For the present we are concentrating on building up our selection of shaving soaps in the tub and shaving soap samples.

Will you stock other Stirling products such as shampoo bars and soaps?

We now stock a selection of Stirling’s fantastic bar soaps in addition to their exciting range of liquid soaps and shampoo bars.

What is the plastic film that Stirling shampoo bars and sample soaps are wrapped in?

That’s Biolefin. Biolefin is a plastic that will degrade into biomass in 2-5 years, unlike regular plastic which takes hundreds of years. For more information on Biolefin and Stirling soap wrapping, check out www.nationalshrinkwrap.com. Note that sample soaps come with a removable sticker which can be placed on a container to suit.

Are your packaging materials environmentally friendly?

All our packaging materials (except for a small amount of tape used to seal parcels) are recyclable, reusable and/or biodegradable. The white packing peanuts we use are 100% biodegradable, compostable, water soluble and are made in Australia. Our bubble wrap sheets and pouches as well as our snap lock bags are reusable and/or recyclable.

Why does Stirling use animal fats in its soaps?

Using animal fats in soaps is a practice that dates back thousands of years. They make for a hard, great lathering soap that is rich in fatty acids. In addition, Stirling believes that if animals are to be consumed, there should be no part of that animal that goes to waste.

Do you sell vegan shaving soaps?

Yes, they can be found by clicking on the Vegan Soap tag on either the home page or the shop page.

I would like to learn more about shaving so can you recommend any forums, blogs or youtube channels?

We certainly can. For Australian & New Zealand shavers, the best forum is at Paste & Cut where you will find members with plenty of knowledge, experience and wisdom. For international forums we recommend, in alphabetical order, Against the Grain, Badger & Blade and the Shave Den. There are also pages at reddit here and here although the quality of advice on these reddit pages is variable.

For blogs, Michael Ham (Leisure Guy). Michael has also written an excellent book on shaving “Leisureguy’s Guide to Gourmet Shaving the Double-Edge Way“. The most recent (7th) edition was published in 2015 so it is possible a newer edition may be coming soon. Shavers may also be interested in the opinions of the Sharpologist (Mantic59).

For a youtube channel on shaving products we recommend Mark’s at Friendship Shaving.

Do you have any products for women?

Yes, we do. You need only click the tag For Her which is available on the home page and the shop page. We will be carrying more products for women soon. Also note that some of our scents are unisex, i.e. suitable for both men and women.

Where do I find the Kava FAQ?

Go to our Kava FAQ page.