Cheap glass spice jars in bulk!

[F.Pu-du-he-pa-as]

I have a lot of spices, and I buy them in bulk, so I now have need of large numbers of small glass bottles with metal lids, in the 2 to 4 oz range. Do any of you know of a good source for these in bulk for cheap? I just need the glass jars, not the spice shaker inserts, and not a spice rack.

I've checked Amazon, but the selection is pretty erratic, and I'm not sure the prices are all that good. I've also looked at the Container Store, but the prices seem high-- it shouldn't cost $1.50-$2.50 to produce a single glass jar. IKEA has jars but they can't be ordered online, and the nearest store is too far away. The nearby restaurant supply store didn't have them. I've also looked at online wholesalers of glass bottles, but the shipping cost has been quite high, like $35 in shipping for $50 worth of glass bottles.

Do you guys have any other ideas?

[silenus]

Try Penzeys. Plastic lids though.

[OldnCrinkly]

I don't know how important it is to have glass, but you could get plastic bottles with lids from a pharmacy I think.

[TriPolar]

Ace Hardware stores carry (or will order for you) Mason jars. I've seen a 4 oz. size. I'm glad they have them. Mason jars used to be available at grocery stores, drug stores, and any place selling kitchen supplies. Now the hardware store is the only place I can go pick them up.

[Darryl Lict]

Cost Plus usually carries them for around a buck a piece. They are probably more now.

[fifty-six]

Try this

I don't know about the shipping.The company is reliable. I have used them before. I live in rural Alaska so it is a part of my life. Amazon prime is the greatest thing ever.

[Chefguy]

I went with magnetic tins with see-through lids from here. Cut the magnetic sheet to fit the back of your cabinet door, and you're done.

[Ethilrist]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

I went with magnetic tins with see-through lids from here. Cut the magnetic sheet to fit the back of your cabinet door, and you're done.

The universe hates me far too much for that to work in my kitchen, no matter how cool it is. I just know one day I'd shut the door a little too hard and hear "clank, clank, rattle, clank, sssshhhhhh..... and I'd have to buy all new spices.

[Rachellelogram]

What about baby food jars? Here's a 4 ounce glass jar of Gerber pears for 99 cents. Just go to Meijer and buy as many as you need, dump the food, and wash them thoroughly.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Ethilrist

The universe hates me far too much for that to work in my kitchen, no matter how cool it is. I just know one day I'd shut the door a little too hard and hear "clank, clank, rattle, clank, sssshhhhhh..... and I'd have to buy all new spices.

It's a pretty strong magnet, but slamming the door wouldn't be good for anybody.

[Eva Luna]

Originally Posted by Darryl Lict

Cost Plus usually carries them for around a buck a piece. They are probably more now.

Nope - I bought a whole bunch of these not so long ago. Had the spice rack made to order because nothing prefab was big enough

[applebetty]

This site has plastic or cork tops, and volume discounts. I have bought spices and oils along with other kinds of bottles, I was always happy with their products.

http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/tools/spice.html

[Yorikke]

American Science and Surplus. More jars than you can imagine.

http://www.sciplus.com

Joe

[Taomist]

Originally Posted by wheresgeorge04

American Science and Surplus. More jars than you can imagine.

http://www.sciplus.com

Joe

Yay! Just wiped my computer; forgot all about this place! <happily bookmarks it>

[F.Pu-du-he-pa-as]

Bump to describe our spice jar purchasing success!

We ordered our spice jars from Container and Packaging Supply. The total damage was something like $120 for about 100 jars with the appropriate lids, including shipping. The shipping is kind of expensive, like $35, but we cut down on shipping charges by pooling our order with a friend's. They also offer samples, which I highly recommend taking advantage of-- it helped us choose which lids and jars we wanted (mainly based on how easily we could get measuring spoons through the mouth of the jar.)

Also, when you place your order, you get this confirmation screen.

What's not to like?

[congodwarf]

Originally Posted by wheresgeorge04

American Science and Surplus. More jars than you can imagine.

http://www.sciplus.com

Joe

THIS IS AWESOME!!! I'm gonna get myself some grey lined paper for taking notes next semester! White paper is so boring!

[Mama Zappa]

Originally Posted by rachelellogram

What about baby food jars? Here's a 4 ounce glass jar of Gerber pears for 99 cents. Just go to Meijer and buy as many as you need, dump the food, and wash them thoroughly.

or better yet, ask friends with young kids to save them for you.

Penzey's does indeed have jars, though I don't think they're all that cheap. Still, for a spice you use often enough, it's not a huge expense in the long run.

Magnetic spice racks sound cool but as Ethilrist said, I'd worry about door-slamming.

Not what the OP was asking about, but we wound up getting a rack system from the Container Store's Elfa collection - it has a single pole in the middle, and can be attached to the flimsy cupboard door with over/under-the-door hooks (so no drilling, or worries about ripping holes in the door). The racks hook right on that, and they have ones designed for spices and for larger items as well. Now I can actually find the spices I need, I have something like 7 shelves of them in alphabetical order, and I can store other stuff there as well. Which finally makes all that wasted cubic (between the front of the shelves, which only go half the depth of the pantry cabinet, and the doors themselves).

[rsat3acr]

Does baby food still come in jars? Haven't had to worry about it in a lot of years and don't know what it costs now. I used baby food jars for lots of things, still have a bunch holding all sorts of screws, bolts, nails etc. at my workbench.

[carimwc]

I use 4oz mason canning jars. Around here they're $7.50 for a dozen. They stack quite nicely and even come with labels. I love my bulk spices.

[biqu]

Originally Posted by F.Pu-du-he-pa-as

I have a lot of spices, and I buy them in bulk, so I now have need of large numbers of small glass bottles with metal lids, in the 2 to 4 oz range.

I'm confused at the conjunction of "buying in bulk" and specifying such a narrow range --- "2 to 4 oz." --- of glass bottle sizes. If I were going through spices in such quantities, I'd probably just rinse out and reuse the glass jars in which fruit preserves are sold (or any other foodstuff that has such a container). Of course it takes a prolonged effort to stockpile such a collection of empty jars, but once you've built up a collection you'll have enough capacity to permit either (1) a leisurely refilling schedule, or (2) an easy flow of spices for hosting large dinner parties.

[Rex Goliath]

Baby food jars aren't designed to be resealable. They don't twist quite right and you can't get the jars airtight, meaning your spices will go bad faster. I bought jars from http://www.specialtybottle.com/, which sells in bulk and individual without going crazy on the shipping. By the way, do you already have many 2oz jars? I ask because they don't hold nearly as much as you might think. 4oz is OK but I can go through it pretty quickly.

[Taomist]

Originally Posted by kwafp

I know you can get spice jars in a variety of sizes and shapes with either plastic or metal lids at Freund Container. They are the largest selection I've seen so far.

Report? "Hey, let's start an account and immediately answer a question from months ago with a link to somewhere else! Yay!"

[F.Pu-du-he-pa-as]

Yep, I reported it. As you said, it reads like an ad, and the posting circumstances are a little sketchy.

[Sicks Ate]

I got a bunch of flip-top jars at Old Time Pottery to use for spices, I don't recall how much they were but it was incredibly reasonable.

[Ethilrist]

Ironic, however, that the first reply to the OP's question was a link to Penzey's.

[perfectparanoia]

Damn! I was going to tell them to go to Dollarama (or the US equivalent). They sell glass spice jars for three for a dollar with plastic lids but the lids have a rubber flange so they seem to seal well.

I actually get old spice jars from my parents. They buy the expensive jars every time. I just run them through the dishwasher and fill them as needed.

[Taomist]

Originally Posted by Ethilrist

Ironic, however, that the first reply to the OP's question was a link to Penzey's.

Nah. That was a timely reply to a question, and not by a poster who signed up specifically to answer that question and, apparantly, nothing else.