Native American products on Bonanza-a review

Hi everyone!

If you visit this site on a regular basis, you will know by now that I am a fan of the Etsy website…For example, you can see this post about it. I like the fact that the site supports individual artists, including Native American artists (or artists selling Native American inspired products), giving them a platform to share their art. And you can literally spend quite a few hours browsing through the diverse products. But enough about Etsy! This post is about another site: Bonanza!!

What is Bonanza??

Well the reason I mentioned Etsy is that Bonanza is in a way similar. It is a site on which individuals can sell products in their “stores”. However, as opposed to Etsy, the people selling the products are not necessarily the artists who made them. They might be collectors or individuals who buy and sell collectibles online for example. For example you could buy this print of Two Moons. The print comes with a detailed explanation of the print, how it is made, comments from buyers (you have to be careful with those….) and exactly what it includes. All for approximately 23$ US. You can see the posting here.

Generally speaking, I found their selection of Native art, including prints, sculptures and paintings to be quite extensive and varied in prices (ranging for example from 7$ to 450$). You will find something for every taste, in black and white or in colors. For example, see the painting below. The wife of White Cloud for 59$, with a complete posting of what you are getting.

They also sell jewelry and clothing…

Yep they do and boy do they have a lot! Navajo and southwest turquoise jewelry, like this bracelet made by a Navajo artist. See the posting here. Gorgeous stones used, comes with a higher price but beautiful nonetheless. And a listing of exactly what you are getting and where it’s coming from. You can also spend some time browsing through the rest of their over 4000 native american jewelry items….You know, if you have a few hours to kill! More silver and turquoise pieces, southwest colorful pieces, feather necklaces and earrings, you name it.

And finally, they have clothes, ranging from  t-shirts with printed portraits on them (around 25$) to vintage moccasins and dance and ceremony wear. Like those beautiful 425$ 100 years old moccasins… that are a bidding item. So the starting price is 425$…

Is it worth taking a look at Bonanza?? Pros and cons

Well it is. I mean, browse around and see if you like something on there. For those who like vintage portraits or pictures/paintings, this is a good place to look. Prices can be affordable and shipping appears to be reasonable. I know I do plan on spending more time looking at some prints, which I would be interested in buying. Bonanza certainly has a wide variety of products, ranging in prices, addressing the needs of a most people.

However, there are some cons. I see Bonanza as a mix of Etsy and Ebay. You will find Native American products but not sold by the artists who made them. So you are dealing with a third party selling the items (some you have to bid on). Does it mean that the products are not as beautiful or valuable? No. But I think there is a certain charm in buying directly from the artist, encouraging them in their own art, their sharing of possibly their culture. And most will be there to answer any questions you have or accommodate custom orders. With Bonanza, you might get what you see but sometimes limited information is available on the product or even the seller in their store profile. So be careful. I would recommend sending a message to the seller before buying anything to get a sense of who they are and obtain more information on what you are buying. Do your research and enjoy browsing!

My Rating: 4/5