Questions about Mini Malm Burners

How can I get a Mini Malm Burner/ Can I buy a Mini Malm Burner now? Mini Malm Burners and all of their accessories are available for preorder in my SHOP. There is a high demand for these little friends, and my team and I are doing our best to accommodate. The shipping deadline is based on demand during a given month. We can only work in batches of 120 at a time. If our orders reach 120 in a given month, our shipping deadline will be differed to the next month. We are usually able to get all orders out within 2 months. Please check the SHOP for our current shipping timeline.

Can I warm my home/ room with a Mini Malm Burner?

No, The Mini Malm Burner is an incense burner. It is not designed to hold a sustained open flame (larger than a tea candle). In some of my social media videos, I do build a small fire in the Mini Malm with Palo Santo or other fragrant woods, but please note, I always blow them out after a few seconds. The goal of the small fires is to produce a large plume of smoke, it is not to produce heat, or have a small fire.

Please do not leave your Mini Malm Burner unattended at any point while your incense are burning.

Can I burn charcoal discs for indirect incense in my Mini Malm Burner?

Yes! But please do not burn the charcoal directly on the Mini Malm Burner surface. We offer screens that will protect your Mini Malm from the direct heat of the charcoal, or you can find them here

How do I clean my Mini Malm Burner?

We actually offer a cleaning spray specifically formulated to clean your Mini Malm Burner! You can find it HERE

How can I learn about new and seasonal colors and pattern Mini Malm Burners?

The best way is to sign up for my Newsletter or Following me on Instagram @kate.schroeder.ceramics

Do you have a brick and mortar shop? At this time I do not have a public shop. But I offer wholesale. I have shops that stock my work from coast to coast! You can also request a studio visit from me if your are in the Kansas City area.

Do you accept preorders? At this time I am accepting preorders of Mini Malm Burners and all of their accessories, as well as my Mobile Earring Collection.

Do you Wholesale?

Yes! Please see my wholesale page

Isn’t Palo Santo endangered?

No, this is a common misunderstanding. The environmental status of Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens) is declared as "Least Concern" according to several recent IUCN Red List assessments. Bursera Graveolens from Ecuador, is the only type of Palo Santo we source.

The misunderstanding comes from Bulnesia Sarmientoi. Which is a tree also called Palo Santo that grows in the Gran Chaco region and is endangered due to heavy logging for its wood to build many products. We do not support deforestation, or use / sell of Bulnesia Sarmientoi in any capacity.

We wholesale our Palo Santo directly Sacred Wood Essense who has sourced their Fair Trade Palo Santo from the same family in Ecuador for over 11 years. They have worked directly with the ministry of forest and government agencies on reforestation projects including putting back over 100,000 trees into the dry tropical forest for the last 20 years. We at Kate Schroeder Ceramics are proud to have contributed to to planting nearly 3,000 new trees over 3 years.

It is also important to note- Sacred Wood Essence only purchases wood from independent local collectors that find naturally dead trees that have been sitting on the forest floor for 4-10 years. To learn more about the sustainability and fair trade of Palo Santo purchased for our shop, please click here.

Questions about one-of-a-kind work

How do I know when you will update your shop/add more one-of-a-kind items to your shop? My newsletter is the best place to find out about all shop updates. To sign up for the newsletter click HERE. To make sure you actually receive my emails, make sure to confirm your subscription to the news letter via a double opt in email, and check your junk and promotions folders.

How do I sign up for your Newsletter? There is a link to subscribe on my shop page and on the contact me page. Please do not fill out a contact me form to sign up. Please use the link above to subscribe yourself.

I signed up for your newsletter but I never get emails. Whats wrong? Unfortunately, many email platforms think that emails from small businesses are spam. They are often filtered into your junk or promotional folders. 99% of the time when someone asks me this question, they end up finding it in their promotional folders. If you confirm your interest/ double opt in to the very first email you get from me, this should solve the problem!

I ordered a custom piece, but forgot to answer emails about it. Can I get my money back? I’m sorry, there are no refunds on preorders. But your money is in a “savings” account and can used at a later date. If this is the case, it is your responsibility to reach out to me. I will make you a coupon code that will act as a gift card. It is also your responsibility to use the “gift card”

Why is all of your one of a kind work more expensive than it was last time I tried to buy something? While it is always hard to price artwork, I let the market drive my prices. I set an initial price based on market research. If my work sells out within 24 hours, I raise my prices by $5-$10 the next time I have an update.

I love this piece you made awhile back.. when will it be back in your shop? I usually do not revisit old bodies of work. I am a firm believer in moving forward, not backwards. So if you see a piece you like, try to get it while its offered!

Can I use the Dishwasher? NO! Please do not put these objects in the dishwasher. These objects are very fragile and can jostle in the dishwasher, this jostle can cause micro fractures that will eventually lead to breaks.

Can I use the Microwave? NO! Please do not microwave. Many of my pieces are constructed with nichrome wire. This is metal and can cause damage to your microwave and to the piece. Even if you cannot see the nichrome wire, that does not mean it is not hiding! I often use it to hold a tiny sculptural piece in place.

How do you make these? If you would like to learn more about my techniques, I would love to teach you! I am open to doing workshops world wide, or video workshops. I am a firm believer in collaboration over competition. I am confident enough in my own work that I am happy to share my techniques. I will only say- strive to be an artist, not a copy cat. If you love my work, respect it enough to let it be original. Student copies are welcome. We all need to start somewhere, and copying our inspiration is a way to get there. I know you will find your own voice eventually! I think American biologist, theorist, naturalist and author EO Wilson says is best. “There is no better high than discovery”. So get out there and discover your own voice!

Questions about Policies / shipping / returns

How much is shipping? I offer free domestic shipping on all of my artwork, but the incense has included shipping costs. To make sure you are not over charged for shipping, please use the code Save2 on all incense orders that include more than one item.

Free shipping does not apply to International Shipping. You are responsible for any additional taxes or tariffs that may occur with international orders. Prices are calculated to the best of my ability.

Do your ship internationally/ to my country? YES! I ship to every country that accepts packages from the US.

When will my order ship? Shipping on Preorders fluctuates and is dependent on order volume, but the shipping date is up to date on all items and the shop itself. All readymade orders will be shipped within 5 business days after ordering. Please allow up to 2 weeks to ship large sculptures. These require making or buying custom packaging materials and take a very long time to package safely. Thank you for your understanding!

I received a notification that my label was created, but I haven’t seen a shipping confirmation. Our shipping prep takes several days as we are busy packing and shipping 100+ pieces at a time. This process takes up to a week. It includes pulling incense to carefully wrapping your piece in our signature packaging, to putting the boxes in the shipping van. This means we print and prep shipping labels sometimes days in advance! Rest assured your order is being prepared and will be sent out shortly after we print the label.

I accidentally shipped my piece to my old address. What can I do?

We offer 2 solutions for this. First, we can cancel your order, and let you reorder. Second is to purchase an address change on our website. If you do not do either of these things, and your package is delivered to your old address, it is your responsibility to get it. We cannot be held negatively responsible for our shipping carrier delivering your package to the address you provided. Once your package leaves our studio, it is completely out of our hands. We cannot be help responsible for a package being delivered to a location you can no longer access. (ie: you moved out of state, your old apartment building has been closed for renovations, your old house was leveled and a new house is being built in its place, you used to live on the moon, etc.) If you provided old address, you are responsible for figuring out how to get to the moon to get it.

My package was lost or stolen, What can I do?

We offer Signature Confirmation in our shop. If the “Signature Confirmation- Guaranteed Delivery” is not selected as your shipping method, Kate Schroeder Ceramics cannot be held responsible if your order is lost or stolen. Applies to US orders only. Since we offer free shipping on our website, we believe the $10 signature delivery fee is more than fair. We are a micro business. We do everything in our power to give the best service possible, but we cannot keep eating the cost of stolen packages. If your package was lost or stolen, and you did not select “Signature Confirmation- Guaranteed Delivery” please contact us, we will do what we can to file an insurance claim with our carriers (if applicable).

Return policy Please contact me within 7 days of receiving a broken piece. Please keep EVERY PART of the broken piece and packaging. This is all crucial for filing an insurance claim with all major shipping carriers.

60 day return policy due to product defects. This includes breaks at attachments, or as a result of glaze fusing. This does not include breaks caused by human error, micro fractures over time, etc.

Please note- for one-of-a-kind work- ceramics soil and rocks in miniature pots- Due to the fragile and complicated nature of this work, sometimes in transit a little rock or a small bit of “soil” may come out of one of the tiny flower pots, This is just like if the soil came out of a real potted plant in transit, and is not considered to be a “broken piece”. In most cases, this will not cause the piece to look different than it did before. If for some reason it is very noticeable, I am happy to help walk you through the steps to reattach it.

To return a piece you are unsatisfied with, you must pay for return shipping and return the piece in the condition you received it. Only upon a successful return will you be refunded minus a $10 restocking fee.

After 60 days, no items will be refunded, even if they are lost in the mail or broken.