Shipping & Customs

Every order ships from our small dispatch room in Patan, Kathmandu. We pack by hand — rice paper, jute twine, a cotton inner wrap — and label each parcel with the maker's name and village. Nothing leaves us until we have looked it over twice.

Where we ship

We ship worldwide via DHL Express, with the exception of a small number of sanctioned destinations. Most parcels go to the United Kingdom, the European Union, Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UAE — these are our regular destinations and the process is straightforward.

Transit times

• United Kingdom · 7–10 working days
• European Union · 7–10 working days (Germany and the Netherlands clear fastest; Italy and Spain are slowest)
• United States & Canada · 8–12 working days
• Australia & New Zealand · 9–14 working days
• Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, UAE · 5–8 working days

These are typical figures. Add 2–3 days during Tihar / Diwali in late October, Christmas, and Chinese New Year, when DHL's hubs slow.

Cost

Free worldwide shipping on orders above €200. Below that, shipping is quoted by weight and destination at the time of inquiry — usually €18–45 for a small parcel, more for rugs. We never mark shipping up; you pay what DHL charges us.

Customs duties & VAT — the honest version

Imports from Nepal into your country attract local duties and tax, paid by you on delivery. We declare the actual value honestly. We do not undervalue invoices, and we do not mark items as "gifts." This is a hard rule.

• European Union · roughly 15–22% of declared value (VAT plus duty), collected by the courier on delivery or before release.
• United Kingdom · 20% VAT above £135 plus a small DHL handling fee.
• United States · most single-piece orders fall under the USD 800 de minimis threshold and arrive duty-free. Larger orders attract 2–6% duty on textiles and handicrafts.
• Canada · GST/HST of 5–15% depending on province, plus duty of roughly 6–18%.
• Australia · 10% GST on imports above AUD 1,000 (smaller orders are exempt).
• Switzerland, Norway · 7.7–25% VAT, plus a small clearance fee from the courier.

Nepal Certificate of Origin — a quiet advantage

Nepal qualifies for preferential duty rates under the EU's "Everything But Arms" scheme and similar Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) arrangements in the UK, Canada, Japan, and Australia. We provide a Form A Certificate of Origin with every export — submitted correctly by your customs broker, this routinely cuts duty by 5–10 percentage points. Email us if your courier asks for it; we will resend the PDF the same day.

Insurance & lost parcels

All shipments are insured to the full declared value at no extra cost. DHL Express to our regular destinations has been near-flawless over fifteen years — we have replaced fewer than ten pieces. If something does go wrong, write to us and we replace or repair free of charge.

Damage in transit

Open the parcel in front of the courier where possible. If a piece arrives damaged, keep all packaging and email us a photograph within 48 hours. We file the DHL claim from Kathmandu and ship a replacement immediately, before the claim resolves.

Payment

Bank transfer via Wise or SWIFT, a one-time Stripe link sent over email, or PayPal — whichever is easiest at your end. We send a single invoice once you confirm the piece. There is no online cart on this site by design; we do not store your card details.