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Our
Goals, Products, and Prices
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goal is to bring our customers the best Arts & Crafts from around the
world. We are constantly searching for
new and unique handcrafted items to add
to our selection of products. The volume
at which we are able to purchase and the
fact that we buy as close to the source
as possible generally results in
considerably lower prices than you will
find elsewhere. Our prices are usually
about half of what you would pay in a
retail store. You may find a similar
item available at a lower price on
another website, but we have found that
this is generally because it is of a
lesser quality or the shipping rate is
inflated to make up the difference. If
you find a lower price on an identical
item, let us know and we will do our
best to match it. |
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Fair
Trade - Fair Prices |
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the years, we have developed and
maintained very strong relationships
with the artists and workshops that
create our products. They know that we
expect only the best for our customers
and they know that they will receive a
fair price for their work. Because of
this, we are able to buy their best work
while other businesses are left choosing from
the leftovers. We believe that if it is
not a fair trade for everyone, it is not
a fair trade.
We also
work with various Fair Trade vendors and
Cooperatives around the world to acquire
items in areas that we are unable to
visit personally. This ensures that the
artists are paid and treated fairly.
Currency
is a very powerful tool when traveling
the world and purchasing artwork from
native people with little experience in
dealing with the world of business. It
is very easy for someone to buy handcrafted
artwork from a person in need of money, at a fraction of what
it is worth and unfortunately, people
do it all the time. We
would never consider using our
purchasing power to take advantage of
these situations, even if it means
higher prices or less profits.
Our policy is Fair
Trade - Fair Prices. |
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Preserving
Wildlife |
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are licensed by the US Fish and Wildlife
Department to import and export products
made from natural materials. We do not
deal in products made from endangered
species. Every shipment is inspected to
ensure that the material used is from a
renewable source that does not damage
the environment or threaten the
long-term survival of any species of
animal or plant.
Many of
our products are inspected by
International Wildlife inspectors prior
to shipment to us and again by the US
Customs Service and US Fish &
Wildlife upon arrival. We then
conduct additional inspections to make
sure nothing slipped through that may be
illegal or jeopardize wildlife or
habitat. There
are species within most types of animals
and plants that are endangered. Certain
types of wood, coral, and animals just
to name a few. Some of the products we
carry may contain materials, such as
coral, that are strictly controlled by
both species and the area in which they
are sourced. These products are
purchased only from reputable companies
that are regulated and inspected to make
sure that they are from a source that
will not damage the habitat or endanger
the species. |
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Sweatshops
and Child Labor |
| Asian
Art Mall will not do business with
companies that produce their products in
a sweatshop type of environment or
utilize any type of forced or unwilling,
leveraged labor. Some of our products
are produced in factory-like facilities,
but they have been verified as providing
good working conditions and employing
only paid adult workers that choose
freely to be there. Many have been
inspected in person by us and our agents
to speak with the workers. Our
observation is that they not only enjoy
their work, but they take great pride in
what they do, which is reflected in the
beautiful artwork that we sell.
Many of
the products that we offer are made in
the homes of the artists that create
them or utilize small workshops located
in their villages. The techniques are
passed down through the generations from
father to son and mother to daughter. It
is not unusual for a child to begin
learning the family trade or craft at a young age,
and as they develop their skills, to
actually participate in making the
crafts. Just as a mother in America
teaches her daughter to sew and knit as
a young girl, many of the ethnic groups
that we buy from do the same. These
products are made in the home with the
parents teaching them, not in a factory
using child labor. |
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