Media Services: Resale and Specialized Materials

Get Speciality Supplies on Campus

The SAIC Resale Center is a resource for students and faculty to purchase specialty supplies not sold through campus art supply stores or easily available downtown. We limit our inventory to supplies that have widespread and consistent need. Resale operates four stores and three vending machines.

ARTICard is the only accepted form of payment at the Resale Centers and the vending machines.

Please download the latest Resale Catalog [PDF]. Prices are subject to change.

During the regular fall and spring semesters, hours are as follows. Note we are closed during holidays and breaks, such as Thanksgiving and Spring Break.

Columbus Resale Center

280 S. Columbus Dr., room B-031 in the basement
312.857.7173

Open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m.–9:15 p.m.
Open Friday 8:30 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Open Saturday 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Open Sunday 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Columbus Resale carries:

• Clays
• Plasters
• Wax
• Welding and grinding materials
• Mold making materials (alginate, rubber kits, etc.)
• Turpenoid
• Screen printing, offset, litho, and etching supplies
• Small metals and jewelry making supplies
• Safety equipment (respirators, gloves, ear and eye protection)
• Storage media (CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, Mini DV tapes)
• Pay for lumber and steel to pick up in the Columbus shops

MacLean Resale Center (and MacLean Media Center)

112 S. Michigan Ave., room 801
312.345.9127

Open Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m.
Open Friday and Saturday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

MacLean Resale carries:

• Motion picture film
• Film supplies: editing, animation, cores...
• Neon supplies
• Safety equipment (dust masks and eye protection)
• Art and technology supplies
• Storage media (CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, Mini DV tapes)

Sharp Resale Center (and tool checkout)

37 S. Wabash, room 302
312.899.5235

Open Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Open Friday 9:00 a.m. –5:00 p.m.
Open Saturday 12:00–5:00 p.m.
Sharp Resale carries:

• Storage media (CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, Mini DV tapes)
• Muslin
• Wax
• Turpenoid
• Lumber for Sharp Instructional Shops

Sullivan Resale Center (and tool checkout)

36 S. Wabash, room 1243
312.629.6699

Open Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Open Friday and Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Sharp Resale carries:

• Acrylics, plastics, and foams
• Hardwoods
• Lumber (sheet and stick goods)
• Laser cutter-sized materials

Vending Machines

Two media vending machines are available at all times for student to purchase some small and commonly needed items, tailored to the activities in each building. Use your ARTICard to purchase the following common items.

The Columbus vending machine is in the basement of the Columbus Drive building, next to the Resale Center.

It vends:

• Light metals saw blades and solder
• CD-Rs and DVD-Rs
• Safety supplies: gloves, goggles, and dust masks
• Padlocks
• Various grinding and sanding implements

The MacLean vending machine is on the eighth floor of the MacLean building, down the hall near the restrooms.

It vends:

• Batteries
• Various media types: CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and MiniDV
• Filmmaking supplies: film cores, splicing tape, paper tape, and animation peg bar

The new Sullivan vending machine is on the twelfth floor of the Sullivan building, in the student lounge.

It vends:

• Nitrile gloves and dust masks
• Various media types: CD-Rs, DVD-Rs, and MiniDV
• Fashion supplies: thread, bobbins, bobbin cases, and needles
• LEDs, potentiometers, transistors, Arduino boards and chips, and photocells

**Please note that ARTICard is the only form of payment accepted at the Resale Centers and Vending Machines.

For more information, feel free to stop by either location and pick up our printed catalog or download it from the link at the top right of this page. You can also email resale@saic.edu, or call during hours of operation.

Criterion for Goods Sold in Resale

The SAIC Resale Centers provide specialty art-making materials that are not sold in the campus art supply stores or are difficult to acquire in downtown Chicago. The four Resale Centers are a convenient source for heavy or bulky materials such as lumber and plaster or materials hard to find downtown such as film and offset printing papers.

Due to restrictions of space and staff, Resale must limit our goods to those with prevailing and constant demand. By doing so, Resale is able to serve the largest portion of the SAIC community without sacrificing quality of service.

Goods that are appropriate for Resale must have:

• Wide-spread need and not be limited to one class
• Consistent need throughout the school year and not just for a portion of a semester or a school year

Goods that are not appropriate for Resale will not be stocked if they:

• Fill a short term need or have infrequent or sporadic need
• Are available at Utrecht, Dick Blick, jewelers row, and other downtown shops
• Are subject to speculation of personal taste such as stocking a material in a variety of colors or many variations on a particular type of paper
• Are tools; tools are provided by school facilities. Students wanting their own tools should consult faculty and facilities managers for information about tool specs and where to buy them
• Are a wide variety of similar materials. Resale provides only the basics to get students started, after which, they can obtain more specialized materials on their own
• For example, Resale sells maple, walnut, basswood, poplar, and cherry hardwoods in support of AIADO in the Sullivan Fabrication Studio. Resale does not sell mahogany, alder, willow, ash, or cypress, etc. These are considered beyond the basic hardwoods. However, Resale can direct users to suppliers so they can buy their own hardwoods and other materials.

Resale Prices

• Though Resale does not make a profit, we do attempt to recoup various business costs by marking up items over our purchase price. Resale's business cost don't include rent, utilities, insurance, etc., so the markup is lower than a regular retail operation. However, Resale must cover costs such as student employment, shipping and delivery, ARTICard fees, POS (point of sale) software, and lost or damaged goods, aka, “shrink”.
• Resale can't match other vendors prices due to their ability to buy in large quantities, bigger store sizes, and higher sales turnover.

ARTICard is the only accepted method of payment

• No cash, checks, or credit cards. You must pay in full and remove your items after you have paid.
• We cannot hold your items or do lay away.

If you have any doubts about what product you should buy, CONSULT WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR FIRST.

All wire and metal must be paid for before being cut.

• Metal and wire cannot be returned
• Sheet metal is to be cut in the Columbus Shop
• Wire is self-serve

If you would like to purchase a quantity larger than available on the shelves, email RESALE@saic.edu with details of what you need. We will do our best to accommodate your request.

Resale only stocks items listed on the price list. We are happy to provide you with vendor information so you can buy other materials. But we cannot accommodate special orders.

Returns/Refunds will be made if the following conditions are met:

• A valid receipt less than 7 days old is presented
• Items must unopened, unused, and otherwise not tampered with
• Absolutely NO returns on respirator face masks, film, fabric
• Metal and wire cannot be returned
• Items must be in the same dimensions that they were purchased
• For example, if you purchased a 4x8 sheet of plywood, you cannot return 2 4x4 sheets
• All returns will be dealt with by either a full refund or an exchange, no store credit
• Returns/refunds can only take place with manager approval, this can take 30 minutes or more. If you cannot wait, please leave you name, a contact number and you email address. Resale will contact you and set up an alternate time to conduct the transaction.

About buying from Sharp Resale

• Wood purchased through Resale and picked up in room 308 should be picked up as soon as possible.
• We are not responsible for unclaimed receipts—if you do not pick up your wood immediately you risk loosing it with no refund.
• When purchasing materials, please consider how you will transport, cut, and store them. While Shop Staff can occasionally assist, they are not required to assist in any moving and cannot assist in moving items out of the shop. You buy it, you haul it. 
• The Sharp Instructional Shop is exclusively for the use of the Contemporary Practices. While Resale is open the whole school, the Instructional Shop cannot be used by anyone outside the Contemporary Practices program.

About buying from Sullivan Resale

The Sullivan Fabrication Studio is ONLY for the use of authorized students in AIADO. While Resale is open to the whole school, please note this fact when making purchases, as you will not be able to store or cut in the SFS if you are not authorized!