WHEN . . . I used to pay $7 for a 5 x 5’ sheet 
remember the OP’s Question.
The best / cheapest place to get wood, etc.
Best I ever scored was about 11$. These days with material shortages the best I can find in metro Atlanta is about 22$. Boooo.
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I bought a 4’x8’ sheet of 1/4" birch or maple (don’t remember which) from Lowe’s for maybe $8 a couple of years ago. It was warped. By the time it’s cut to GF sizes, the warp isn’t too bad. I use it mainly for small pieces, where the warp is negligible, or things that will be glued flat.
Always check for a scrap bin! 
broad general statements like this are foolish.
buy the seller. the site they sell through is irrelevant, to some extent. etsy is just a storefront, not a seller.
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same can be said for eBay, they are a ‘venue’
but my sentiment stays the same, MOST of the a MAJORITY of the sellers on BOTH the sites overcharge spectacularly on wood / acrylic.
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totally agree that ebay is the same. i wouldn’t diss ebay as a place to buy materials (i’ve bought plenty, @evansd2 found a great hardwood seller there that i’ve used several times).
just because some, or even most, overcharge doesn’t mean that if you find someone who doesn’t, you shouldn’t use them because they’re on etsy/ebay. as i said above, buy the seller. price and reputation matter.
i wouldn’t ignore a good seller on etsy or ebay because they’re on etsy or ebay. “DO NOT buy from ebay or etsy, they are a ripoff” is just a purely false blanket statement.
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I agree there are gems, but since OP was a newbie, a firm warning was in order, the longer she is here, and reads the posts, she will learn where to buy, and every so often like this SALE comes along!
Jonathan
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New doesn’t equal stupid. Don’t assume someone doesn’t know how to shop around just because they are new to using a laser. Go to pretty much any marketplace in the world and some places will have good deals, while others will gouge you.
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i’m not a dumb guy, but when I started I was ignorant, and the people on here where great guides.
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Well, price comparison is a life skill, not a laser skill, but even so, “guiding” is providing specific experience/information and letting people apply it (or not) to their own situation. Warning people off entire platforms where there are some excellent buying options doesn’t seem like guidance at all, unless you assume that people don’t have some basic life skills.
It’s really a shame because two of my absolute favorite vendors are on Ebay and Etsy.
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for wood / acrylic?
Yes. I actually have a lot of vendors I use on Etsy, but they aren’t all related to laser supplies. And I have some favorite vendors who aren’t in those places because I do shop around for the best prices/selection/uniqueness.
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you see, you make my point…
“Jonathan, you are wrong, Bills woodworking on etsy has the best prices”
no one well, except me has told a source, everyone says ‘don’t judge’ but NO ONE is giving references to prove me wrong.
I am sure there are a TON of really great people on Tatooine, but no one bitched at Obi-wan for calling it a hive of scum and villainy…
my point is offering guidance on experience, and my experience is neither eBay or eTsy
have great / competitive prices on wood / acrylic, and the OP should be aware of that,
before spending hard earned money.
I have no idea what you’re talking about or how I could possibly have proved any point you were trying to make, but honestly, I don’t care. The OP didn’t ask for a source. If she had, I’d have happily shared, just as I’ve done when other people have asked.
Welcome to the madness, Cheryl!
Somebody shared this nice site with me recently, seems relevant.
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Consider this dead horse beaten,
/END
Interesting note: I purchased hardwood from a seller on eBay. I found that seller because he was recommended by others here on the forum.
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That’s good to know, thanks!
I realized I’ve also purchased from Inventables. Mostly acryic. The GF founders received a store credit with them and even though I didn’t use it before the expiration, they still honored it. As a result, I’ve bought from them again.
I have an x-carve but only used store-bought materials on that.
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