Berkeley Stamp and Engraving Co

You should post your store hours on your website. I’ve drive there twice to find you closed, what kind of business closes on Monday afternoons?
I like supporting local — but make it easier for folks!!!

I had a great experience at Berkeley Stamp and Engraving. I had a digital photo of my friend from his 1956 football team and wanted it engraved on a brass plate and attached to this gawdy, horrible trophy we circulate. Working with Mike was fun — very engaging and interested in catching this spirit of this off-​beat project. The work they did was perfect — the photo was engraved perfectly, the engraved plate proudly attached to the trophy — which we will present in a very awkward ceremony soon. Thanks Mike and Berkeley Stamp and Engraving. I recommend them highly. They were professional, did work on time, well-​priced — and fun.

What a great pleasure to find a business like this and an owner like Mike. Mike was so fun and enthusiastic about my engraving job, easy to work with, honest and delivered everything on time and for a competitive price. This is the kind of company that makes you glad to be doing business locally. Looking forward to working with Mike and Berkeley stamp many more times in the future.

I needed a rubber stamp to finish off my daughter’s wedding invitations. She’s getting married on the back of a Harley & I wanted something that would go with that. Mike helped me find a tire tread image that wasn’t too bust for the cards.
I had him make it way too small & he warned me, but I didn’t listen. When I called back to have a larger one made, he did it again & was super fast!
Thanks to Mike & everyone at Berkeley Stamp & Engraving Co., you’re AWESOME!

Great little place with a casual feel and cool guys working there. Got my knife engraved with my name and number here and couldn’t be happier. They followed my order to the tee — it turned out exactly as I wanted, if not better-​looking than the drawing I made for them. So good that I randomly pull it out just to look at it. I wanted it done the same day at a very specific pick-​up time and they were extremely accommodating, moving things around to make it happen. I’ll definitely be coming back here with all of the other things I tend to lose (before I lose them). Recommended.

Just started using these guys. great work. very pleased, only wished I had found them (well, I did but I hadn’t yet actually used them) SOONER!
Really affordable stamps can be made here. turn around time is good, attention to detail and care they put into their work shows!
We will continue to use these fine folks… to make more stamps, engraved pint glasses and who knows what else!!!
THANKS!!!

I went to Berkeley Stamp to have a pocket watch engraved. It was recommended to me by a reliable source and I read a few reviews on Unilocal to get some background. I really liked the idea of using a local family owned business… now I wish I had read further down. I spoke with Mike and another employee about my order. There was at first some concern as to whether or not they would be able to engrave on the inside like I wanted because of the watch pin. After being reassured by one of the engravers that he could make it happen (and also, that if they broke the watch or I wasn’t happy, they would replace my item) I left it there. I was also told they would call me when it was ready. They didn’t. I called them and was told me order was ready. I was so excited I couldn’t help but ask if there was any trouble with the watch pin. I was put on hold and when he returned he said «Uh, they put it on the outside.» What?! That is not what I asked for! He said he remembered me, that he was the one I spoke to about the pin, but he was not the one who filled out the order and was not the one who did the engraving. I was very clear about wanting my message on the INSIDE hence the lengthy conversation about the watch pin. I told them I’d be in that afternoon to look at it, but that I was very disappointed. This watch was a major investment. When I went to pick it up, Mike was at the counter. I asked if he had heard about the error and he blandly said yes. Well, it looked simply awful and ridiculous. Not only did they use etching instead of laser engraving like I asked, it was very much on the outside of the watch. Like a logo. Not like a secret special message for her eyes only. I said that what they had done was not what I had asked for, and it was my expectation that they would make it right. I was told that if I could produce a receipt, they would reimburse me for the watch but would do no further work for me. Without remorse or apology for what was very obviously their mistake. I said again how disappointed I was and he asked what more I wanted from him. I said I would like an apology. He flatly refused and said I couldn’t demand an apology from him and he couldn’t be expected to apologize to everyone. I said I couldn’t believe he could feel good about how he was treating me and he said he felt just fine. I asked to speak to a manager and was told that wasn’t going to happen. I said I would be back later with my receipt and that when I returned I wanted to deal with anyone but him. He was still there when I returned. He took my receipt to the back and came out with a check for the amount of the watch. I said I would also need the $ 25 for the work I had paid for. He went back in the back, came out and wordlessly handed me cash. After I was assured by the bank that there were sufficient funds to cover the check, I deposited it before the ink was dry. I would NOT recommend this place to anyone for anything. Abominable. No stars!

I’ve gotten a stamp made here before and the experience was decent, but I just got a plate engraved and this time it was horrible.
Mark, the guy at the counter, was the most unhelpful and rude representative I could imagine. He couldn’t tell me what plates were available, when the plate would be ready, or anything else. When I would ask him simple questions he would go to the back to ask «mike», who apparently knows and does everything besides take orders.
Mark told me that they wouldn’t call me when the plate was done and that I should call on friday. When I called on friday, he said mike was going to make it next. When I didn’t hear back, I called on monday and he said mike said it would be ready in 20 minutes. When I showed up 30 minutes later he said mike said it would take 15 mins. When I finally got my plate, it looks like crap.
The whole reason I went here instead of ordering online was to support a local business and to have a face to face interaction. I would have rather stuck to the computer.
I will never go here for anything ever again.
Hands down one of the worst customer service and product experiences I’ve ever had.

I recently crashed on my bike at 45mph. Luckily I had only minor skin abrasions and no injuries. At the same time I thought it would be a good idea to invest in a medical ID tag (ie dog tag) that a bystander could read if I ever do get seriously injured or knocked unconscious.
After a long Google search, all I could find were $ 60 cheap stainless steel IDs that would hold 5 lines or less of info and would take at least 2 weeks to get to me. I also found USB Medical IDs, which didn’t make any sense to me. If I am knocked unconscious and bleeding heavily, do I really want to wait for someone with a laptop to show up so they can figure out what blood type I am?
Then I did the smart thing — I used Unilocal to find a local business who would do the job right, for less money, and a lot faster. Enter Berkeley Stamp and Engraving. They promised to give me a dog tag in any color of my choice, in corrosion resistant anodized aluminum, with fully customizable laser engraving on both sides of the ID, with turn around time of a week or less, for only $ 20. How could I say no?
Together in the store, we talked about all the details, including going through a big book of fonts. They even helped me find an image online to use on one side of the ID tag so that it would be quickly recognized as having medical information in the event of an emergency. We then checked and double checked everything, and I signed off on it. After finalizing my order with them, I called them back at least three times on different days to make changes. Despite my being such an obnoxious customer, they never once complained or changed their polite friendly tone.
By chance on the street, I ran into one of the gentlemen who run the store shortly after they closed on Monday. He told me my order was ready and he could reopen the store for me to get it. (Wow!) I politely declined since I felt it was too nice.
The next morning when I came to pick up the order, there was a minor detail that I would prefer to have had changed, and they engraved a new ID for me in less than 30 minutes with no complaints. They even threw in a free chain for me to wear it on!
Go for Berkeley Stamp and Engraving. I promise you’ll love the quality of the product and the level of customer care you will receive. Having the work done at a third of the cost and half the time as online shops doesn’t hurt either!
See photos of the finished product here:

Berkeley Stamp Company is one of those great old family owned business that knows there business and handles their business. They haven’t done much or anything to fix the place up but that is because they are too busy getting stuff done. When you walk in their is a little dust on the shelves and some cracks in the walls, but as soon as you start talking with the team you see they are focused on customer service. I went in with a vague idea of what I needed, they showed me some options, prices, and designs. After some consideration got some plaques made that I was super happy with. Great service. I would give them a 5 star rating if they painted the walls and maybe dusted a bit. Other than great place to do business.

Just picked up another awesome plaque today. This time we did it with the «Sublimation» machine/​method. Really neat effect ! Multi color and looks like it was painted on. We can’t wait to do some more «Sublimation» :)

This establishment does great justice to its customers which shows in craftsmanship, organization and communicative skills. Matt and Mike are awesome! I received high quality work for a phenomenal price, it just does not get better than that!

I had a very unique request to engrave a plastic component for a new commercial product. These guys were terrific. Not only did they take time to create samples at a reasonable cost, they actually improved the another part of the product by cutting it more accurately.

These guys provide really great customer service, and care a lot about the quality of their work. It’s especially impressive to know that this is a 2-​man operation, with only Mike (the owner/​manager) and Kyle (the production manager). The products they provide are so versatile and individualized, and they can make a stamp of almost any image! Also, they can mass-​produce things like trophies, name plates, and plaques like nobody’s business. I know they have got some bad reviews here, but keep in mind that Mike took over the family business in March and there has been a learning curve, which has resulted in a business that actually cares about making their customers happy and producing great products. I will definitely come back here again and again for all of my stamp and engraving needs!

Good quality custom stamps. Mike was very helpful and the product I ordered was done in time and looks great. Very affordable too.

I want to shop local. But I live in Berkeley.
Here we have it: another business only open when people are at work. This place is only open weekdays till 5 PM. How can I shop here?
(To be clear, we DID shop here, at the time of the review. But the tag for our new dog wasn’t done on time, so I had to go back again — so three trips, all during hours when most folks are at work. A common Berkeley problem for those who don’t want to order a dog tag online for less money.)

I am so frustrated by this business.
Our company had previously gotten some nameplates created by them last year. They came out fine (aside from being in the incorrect font size) and their prices were very reasonable so we decided to give them another shot.
On July 13^th this year I had my assistant order some more nameplates from them. She submitted the order via email and also called several times to speak with Mike in regards to the specifications.
Long story short is it is now August 20^th and we have STILL NOT RECEIVED OUR ORDER.
It is beyond ridiculous that something we were told would take less than a week has now taken 5 weeks to complete.
The nameplates were actually sent to us a few weeks ago, but they were late (they sent them to the wrong address) and were not what we wanted. We refused to pay and insisted they re-​do them, which they agreed to do.
I was told to get them re-​done would take 2 to 3 days at the most. It’s now been almost 2 weeks since we asked them to re-​do the order and still no sign of the nameplates.
Who knows if we’ll ever get them and if we get them if they will be what we want. One thing is for sure, we will never use their services again.

A staffer at Paper Source recommended we have a stamp made for our wedding invitation and referred us to Stamp & Engraving Co. since it was down the street. Unbeknownst to us, they were flaky and unprofessional. We had three inexcusable incidences regarding one stamp:
1) We dropped off the image to have the stamp made and were told it would be done in two days. When we returned to pick up the stamp, the employee informed us the resolution was too low and nothing was made. We never received a phone call.
2) Once we submitted the correct resolution, we returned in two days to pick up the stamp. We returned home only find out the wedding date at the bottom of the stamp was cut off.
3) Three times a charm and they still couldn’t figure it out. We returned a third time thinking «what else can possibly go wrong?» When I picked up the stamp, I had the employee demonstrate the stamp worked and notice half of the image did not take to the paper. The employee told me it was because the ink pad was old and he assured me it would work properly with a new ink pad. Surprise, I returned home with two new ink pads and neither ink pad took to the stamp.
When I called to express my grievance, they told me they were happy to make me another stamp and «would even let me keep the broken stamp just in case.» My thought was you must be kidding! After driving back and forth from Oakland to Berkeley four times, a broken stamp was the least of my worries. Call me crazy, but after making 4 trips for one stamp, I thought they would at least reimburse me for the string inconveniences.
If you have a tight time line and/​or do not live near this place, I recommend staying away from it. I like to support small business, which is another reason I went here. However, if I knew it would be such a headache I would have happily gone to Office Depot.

Oops, they did it again!
I love this place. EVERYONE here is so pleasant and accommodating. Once again, I was in a hurry for something for work (surprise), and they had my custom engraving order ready in no time! I guess if there’s anyway to get the word out about this place, it’s thru Unilocal,so do yourselves a favor and do not hesitate to go to Berkeley Stamp & Engraving. It’s a treat!

I ordered a plaque for my business, EndGame Oakland. It was a weird order (by my standards, anyway) — a photo, a an engraved plate, and an old box knife, all put together on one 8×10 plaque for a departing colleague. Oh, and it was also a rush order!
The order didn’t faze Erin (one of the owners) at all. She spec’d it thoroughly, delivered it ahead of schedule, and priced it inexpensively given how fantastic it looked when finished. Erin was also super friendly during the whole process. I’m sold on Berkeley Stamp if I ever need something like this again.