With the rise in cremation and more families exposed to shopping on the internet, buyers are getting more savvy and educated about their choices. We’ve been in business long enough now that for some of our customers, this isn’t their first time to buy an urn.
What Size Urn Do I Need?
One of the first steps in buying an urn is determining size. Whether you need full size adult urn, an urn for two, or smaller size for sharing or pets, keepsakes (mini size for storing just a little bit of ashes) There are so many choices available.
Who Are You Doing Business With?
Before you buy, check to see who you are doing business with. Is there a phone number, or live chat that you can contact and speak to a real human? Do they have a good rating with the Better Business Bureau?
We recommend that if you have questions, no matter how insignificant you may think they are, you should call or email and get the answers you need. If it happens to be a weekend, we may not return the call until Monday, but we will answer your questions as soon as possible. If you leave a message, be sure and provide good contact information so that we can reach you if needed.
When Will the Urn Be Delivered?
Most of our inventory is shipped from our warehouse in the Midwest. Many of the sites on the internet are drop shipping from another location, and we do as well on some styles. If you have a definite delivery date that you need to receive the urn by, by all means, reach out and confirm that your needs will be met.
Most carriers will drop off the package without a signature if you are not home. It’s important that you provide a secure location for delivery. If you are not shipping to the funeral home and you won’t be home to receive the package, please consider an alternate secure location.
What is the Urn Made Out Of?
Next in the selection process would be to determine what is the plan for where the cremation urn will be stored. Will it be buried, stored in the home, will the ashes be scattered at a later date? These are important decisions that may impact the style you select.
Whether a customer is shopping an urn for the ashes of a person or a pet, some people seem to care about where the memorial is made. These buyers tend to prefer an American made product, are open to products made in India, and they definitely don’t want Chinese. We’ve mentioned before that often the customer wants an American made memorial, but when making the final decision, they chose the import, usually due to cost. There seems to be a shift now and the trend is that they’ll pay more for an urn that is manufactured in the USA.
Here’s a brief rundown on the common materials used in the urn world and where the country of origin is:
METAL URNS: More families buy metal urns. Premium cast bronze is our specialty, is the top of the line, and proudly made in America.
The most popular styles of metal urns are brass, aluminum, some steel and copper that comes from India, Vietnam, and a couple of styles from USA.
By far, the metal vase shape is preferred by families that need an adult human size, but box type containers are good for burial and niche spaces.
Most of the metal urns come in smaller mini sizes, called Keepsake Urns. Popular nature themes are cardinals and hummingbirds and are usually imported and of excellent quality.
WOODEN CREMATION URNS: Mix of USA, India, and China. Walnut tends to be the most expensive wood and is usually sourced in the US. The imports are usually Birch wood or an MDF.
CERAMIC AND POTTERY Urns for Ashes: Many styles are made by American artists, some are imported from Asia.
MARBLE AND STONE Containers for Ashes: Mined from all over the world.
CREMATION JEWELRY: Again, a mix on the jeweler locations. We have an extensive line of sterling and gold finishes that are created by American jewelers. Most of the jewelry on any site will be shipped from the jewelers location. In the last few years, the Chinese have entered this market and are making stainless steel pendants and chains.
Biodegradable: Some of the bio urns are made domestically and some are imported. This style is ideal for earth and water friendly burials.
Personalization
If you want your memorial inscribed with names and dates, we may be able to help. Most of our urns can be personalized directly on the surface, with a name plate, or medallion that hangs from the top of the vase shape containers. Personalization may add a little extra processing time.
We are always honored to assist families in making beautiful memorials. We understand that no one wants to shop for an urn and our goal is to make the process a little easier and secure.
