Buying Indian Handicrafts from Abroad

Why buy in India

Indian handicrafts sold abroad pass through importers and shops, and the range shrinks to what travels well in a container. The makers, co-operatives and small shops in India sell far more, at Indian prices, but most of them are set up only for buyers in India. An Indian delivery address turns your order into the kind of sale they handle every day.

What travels, and what to declare

• Brass and bell metal. Lamps, vessels and figures travel well but are heavy, so they are priced on weight.
• Wood, bamboo, cane and coir. Australia asks for every wooden and bamboo article to be declared and inspected, clean and free of bark and insects. New Zealand examines mail with souvenirs and may detain plant-material items. Declare them honestly.
• Sandalwood. India prohibits the export of raw sandalwood but lists finished sandalwood handicrafts as free to export.
• Kathakali masks and papier-mache. Light and fragile: priced on size, packed with care.
• Rosewood. Finished items made from rosewood can need CITES paperwork above 10 kg of the wood per shipment; small pieces are under that limit.

Buying, step by step

1. Sign up for a free India Rabbit address: our warehouse in Kerala, with your suite code.
2. Buy from the maker or shop, online or through a contact in India, with delivery to that address. Pay online; cash on delivery cannot be accepted at the warehouse.
3. We open and photograph each piece on arrival, so you see the finish and any damage before it travels.
4. Everything waits free for 30 days per parcel, then ships to you in one box.

Packing heavy and fragile pieces

We repack every shipment. Heavy brass is padded so it cannot shift, and fragile wood, lacquer and papier-mache are wrapped separately. There is no size limit of our own, so a large lamp or a carved panel goes as a courier parcel. We do not handle freight or pallets.