Difference Between Winsor Newton WSOs for sale on the official WN Site and the WN oils sold on the Utrecht/Blick Sites

The Winsor Newton Artisan WSOs on the WN site are much more expensive than the (same?) ones that are sold on sites such as Utrecht and Blick. The difference in cost is quite a lot. The WSOs on the Utrecht site are listed as being comprised of modified safflower oil. No ingredients are given for the WSOs that are for sale on the official WN site. Are the WSOs sold on the Winsor Newton site of a better quality or comprised of something else when compared to the WN oils sold on the other sites? I would expect that the official WN site might be a bit more expensive, but the difference between its prices and the prices of the other sites is a lot! Just want to make sure that if I purchase the paints for less money on other sites, I am getting the same product!

Apparently, about a year or 2 ago Winsor Newton Artisan made a great change in their Artisan oils. However, they didn't advertise it or make a big change in the looks of the paint tubes. After having wasted a ton of money on the original Artisan Oils, I will never try them again. New reviews about the Artisan's are much better now, though. I do know that for most paints you can get a substantial discount through Dick Blick. Dick Blick has also bought out Utrecht recently, and some of their prices are even better. I imagine Utrecht will close down, once everything has sold. You can also get discounts on supplies at Jerry's Artarama. Good luck and happy painting.

Thanks for the info, Crystal. I really appreciate it. So - what to do? I'm getting back into painting after about 15+ years, never have used WSOs, and from all I've researched and read, I have decided to get the Artisan brand (for now anyway) because it seems to be the one that will suit me - I like a thicker oil paint. But how will I ever know if I'm purchasing the older, less quality stuff? Maybe the prices on the official WN site are higher (than Utrecht and Blick) because the WN site is selling the newer and better product!

Dick Blick has a wonderful customer service department and all you need to do is call and ask them. I imagine they're selling the newer product since they have such a tremendous turnover in their inventory. They have a stake in keeping fresh products to keep their reputation and to keep their customers happy.

Almost all manufacturers of art products list full retail price on their websites so they won't undercut the stores that sell their products at the retail price. Those stores wouldn't carry their products if customers could get them at a discount directly from the manufacturer. Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama and other large online stores get major discounts because they order so much. Those stores can afford to offer lower prices and it doesn't make the manufacturer look bad because everyone understands 'the more you buy, the lower the price' discounting.

I think you're safe ordering from any large retailer and you'll get the newest products for a discounted price.

Thanks again, Jan. Makes perfect sense.