Frequently asked questions

Yes, we ship worldwide from Nepal using reliable global carriers. No matter where you’re located, we’ll make sure your order reaches you safely.

Yes! We offer custom branding for bulk orders. Just share your logo, colors, fonts, slogans, or any other specific branding materials, and we’ll tailor the products to match your brand identity.

Absolutely. We take privacy seriously and never share your personal details. Your information stays safe and secure with us.

Yes. Our hemp bags are made with high-quality materials and strong stitching to ensure long-lasting use, even with daily wear and tear.

Just choose the product you like, enter the quantity, and click “Add to Cart.” Fill in your personal information, and you’re good to go! Once we receive your order, one of our team members will reach out with pricing and delivery details.

Our order flow is inquiry-based, not a direct checkout. Browse the catalogue, click “Add to inquiry” on products you are interested in, then submit your list with quantities. We reply within one business day with a formal quote including FOB Kathmandu pricing, lead time, and freight options.

For direct contact, email info@studenthandicrafts.com or message us on WhatsApp.

We aim to reply within one business day (Nepal time, UTC+5:45). Most quotes go out within 4–6 working hours. Complex custom quotes — private-label, bespoke design, large mixed loads — may take 2–3 business days while we confirm material availability and artisan capacity.

Yes — but only in person. Our single-piece retail operation runs out of our store in Thamel, Kathmandu. Online orders are wholesale only and start at 30 pieces per SKU.

No. You can submit an inquiry list without registering. Providing a business email and company name helps us serve you faster — we can share past-order history, custom pricing tiers, and shipping templates once you have been onboarded.

We do not enforce a fixed MOQ for most products — you can order as few units as you need. That said, we recommend a minimum of 30 pieces per SKU to keep freight costs proportionate to product value; smaller quantities risk shipping costs exceeding the goods’s worth.

For custom or private-label items, MOQ typically starts at 100–250 pieces depending on the product category and customization depth.

Mixed loads are welcome — different SKUs can ship together in the same consignment.

We quote a single wholesale price per SKU — we don’t run a fixed volume-discount ladder. Your quote reflects the product, materials, finishing, and order specifics, so the best way to get accurate numbers is to request a quote with the SKUs and quantities you’re considering.

MOQ is 50 pcs per SKU for first-time buyers; smaller trial quantities are welcome on request. All prices are FOB Kathmandu in USD (EUR/GBP available).

Wholesale pricing depends on quantity, customization, freight mode, and current material costs (hemp and felt prices fluctuate seasonally). Showing a single retail price would mislead buyers who are actually ordering 500 pcs. We quote based on your actual order profile.

All wholesale prices are quoted in USD by default, FOB Kathmandu. EUR and GBP available on request at the spot rate on the quote date. We do not quote in local destination currencies because of exchange-rate volatility over the 4–8 week production window.

We ship via four modes:

• Express courier (FedEx, DHL, UPS, TNT, Aramex) — 3–7 business days, best for samples and small orders
• Air freight — 5–9 business days, economical from 45 kg+
• EMS / registered post — 1–4 weeks, under 20 kg
• Sea / land cargo — 70–90 days via Indian seaports, best for full containers

Full details on our Shipping Policy page.

Every export shipment ships with:

• Commercial invoice
• Packing list
• Certificate of Origin (Nepal — SAFTA eligible for preferential duty)
• Phytosanitary certificate (for hemp, jute, and other plant-based goods)
• Airway bill or bill of lading

Country-specific docs (form A, EUR.1, GSP) available on request.

The buyer (consignee) is responsible for destination customs clearance and duties under FOB terms. We can arrange door-to-door service via courier/DAP terms on request — add-on pricing quoted separately.

We include full HS codes and declared values matching the commercial invoice to simplify clearance.

Common codes we use:

• Hemp bags: 4202.22 or 4602.19
• Felt products: 5602.10 / 5602.21
• Cotton clothing: 6109 / 6110
• Singing bowls: 7418.10
• Incense: 3307.41

We confirm the exact code per SKU on the commercial invoice.

Yes. We offer a sample program — order 1 piece per SKU at retail price plus courier. Sample cost is credited against any bulk order of that SKU placed within 60 days.

For custom or private-label products, sample development takes 10–14 days. Sample fee is quoted per design.

Every order of 250+ pieces includes a pre-shipment QC inspection covering:

• Stitching and seam integrity
• Material grade (hemp weight, felt density, cotton thread count)
• Color consistency against approved sample
• Dimensions vs. spec sheet
• Hardware (zippers, buckles) function test

Third-party inspection (SGS, Bureau Veritas) available at buyer expense.

Email photos and the affected SKUs within 14 days of delivery. For confirmed manufacturing defects we offer, at your choice:

• Replacement in your next shipment
• Credit note against your next order
• Partial refund to original payment method

Because these are handmade products, minor natural variation in color and texture is expected and not considered a defect.

Yes. Services include:

• Woven tags — your brand label sewn into each piece (MOQ 250 pcs)
• Printed hangtags — card stock or recycled paper with your logo and care info
• Custom packaging — cotton pouches, branded boxes, tissue wrap
• Embroidery / screen print on bags and clothing

No setup fee on woven tags for orders of 500+.

Yes. Send us sketches, reference photos, tech packs, or just a mood board — our design team will produce a prototype in 10–14 days. Bespoke development adds 3–4 weeks lead time to the bulk order. MOQ for fully bespoke designs is typically 500 pcs.

Vector formats preferred: .ai, .eps, or .svg. Minimum 300 DPI for raster files (.pdf or .png with transparent background). Specify Pantone (PMS) colors for accurate reproduction. We provide a digital mockup for approval before production.

We accept the following payment methods for wholesale orders:

• T/T (Bank Wire Transfer) — Preferred method. Lowest fees. Works for all order sizes.
• Western Union / MoneyGram / RIA — Available for international transfers.
• Letter of Credit (L/C) — Available for large orders; terms as per LC agreement.

Standard terms: 50% advance on order confirmation (production start), 50% balance when goods are ready to ship. We do not accept PayPal, Wise, credit cards, or cryptocurrency for wholesale orders.

Standard terms for new buyers:

• 50% advance on order confirmation (production start)
• 50% balance when goods are ready to ship from Kathmandu

The advance payment is non-refundable once production has begun. For repeat buyers with 3+ successful orders, we can discuss net-30 terms or payment against shipping documents on L/C.

Prices are ex-works Kathmandu and exclude Nepal VAT (wholesale export is VAT-exempt). Buyer is responsible for import duties, VAT/GST, and any destination country taxes. We assist with duty estimation on request.

Yes. On request we provide:

• Fair Trade compliance letter (our artisan cooperatives follow WFTO principles)
• Certificate of handmade origin (artisan names and workshop location)
• Organic material declaration (hemp, cotton where applicable)
• EXIM registration certificate and Company PAN copies for your records

We have been exporting handmade Nepali goods since 1999 — over 25 years. We are EXIM-registered with the Government of Nepal and members of the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal (FHAN).

Our products are made by a network of 50+ artisan workshops across Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts. The majority of our artisans are rural women earning a fair-trade wage. Each workshop specializes in a particular craft — hemp weaving, felt pressing, dhaka cotton, metalwork, wood carving.

Most of our materials are natural, renewable, or recycled:

• Hemp — grown wild and rain-fed in the Himalayas, no pesticides
• Felt wool — sheared sustainably, dyed with low-impact azo-free dyes
• Cotton — handloom woven, undyed options available
• Packaging — cotton pouches and recycled paper, no plastic wrap in domestic packing

We ship to 25+ countries, with regular buyers in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Australia, Japan, South Korea, UAE, South Africa, and across Scandinavia. If your country is not listed, ask — we have likely shipped there before.

In our workshops, “handmade” means each product is cut, stitched, felted, woven, or hammered by a human artisan — not stamped out by a machine. Specifically: hemp and cotton bags are sewn on treadle or foot-pedal sewing machines; felt products are hand-rolled from raw wool using soap and warm water (a process called wet-felting); singing bowls are hand-hammered from a seven-metal alloy; dream catchers are individually woven. Small variations in size, stitch density, or color tone are expected and are the signature of genuine handwork. Mass-produced “handmade-style” goods usually have perfectly identical seams — ours do not.

Three reasons. First, time: a single hemp backpack takes a trained artisan 2–4 hours; a felt rug can take 8–12 hours. Factory output is measured in seconds per unit. Second, fair wages: we pay our 50+ artisan partners above the local industry rate so craftwork remains a viable livelihood in rural Nepal. Third, material quality: we use long-fiber Himalayan hemp, pure New Zealand merino wool, and AZO-free dyes rather than the cheaper synthetic substitutes common in fast-fashion supply chains. The price reflects labor hours and durable materials, not markup.

Look for: (1) small asymmetries — two “identical” items should differ slightly in stitch spacing or dye tone; (2) visible human marks — hammer dimples on metal, finger impressions on felt, slightly uneven weave on fabric; (3) provenance — a real maker can tell you the village, the artisan group, and the material source. We include an origin card with every wholesale order listing the artisan cooperative and the district of Nepal where it was made. If a supplier cannot name a village or show workshop photos, the goods are almost certainly factory-produced.

Beyond ethics, there are practical reasons buyers specify handmade: (1) differentiation — boutique retailers need product no Amazon reseller carries; (2) repairability — hand-stitched seams can be repaired by any tailor, glued factory seams cannot; (3) material honesty — handmade supply chains are short enough to verify claims about hemp, organic cotton, or real wool; (4) story — end customers increasingly ask “who made this?” and handmade gives you a real answer. Mass-produced wins on price-per-unit; handmade wins on margin, repeat custom, and press coverage.

Our hemp fiber is harvested from wild-growing and cultivated Cannabis sativa in the mid-hill districts of Nepal — primarily Dolakha, Rasuwa, Bajhang, and Ilam, between 1,500 and 3,000 meters elevation. Stalks are retted in mountain streams, hand-peeled, and spun into yarn by village women, then woven on pit-looms before being sewn into bags in our Kathmandu workshop. This is industrial hemp with negligible THC content — it is legal to cultivate in Nepal and legal to import as finished textile in the EU, US, UK, Australia, Canada, and most of Asia.

Hemp has the longest natural fiber of the three (up to 4.5m), giving it roughly 3× the tensile strength of cotton and better UV resistance than jute. Hemp softens with use; jute stays coarse; cotton starts soft but wears thin. For wholesale buyers: hemp is premium positioning (eco + durability story), jute is budget-natural (lower price point, rustic feel), and cotton is versatile but less distinctive. Hemp also resists mildew in humid climates — which is why it outperforms jute and cotton for coastal and tropical retailers.

Yes. We use AZO-free, heavy-metal-free reactive and vat dyes certified to Oeko-Tex Standard 100 requirements, plus traditional plant dyes (indigo, madder root, walnut husk, turmeric) for our natural-dye ranges. AZO dyes — banned in the EU since 2003 for textile use — break down into carcinogenic aromatic amines and are never used in our workshops. If you need documentation for customs or for your own compliance audits, we can provide dye-house certificates with bulk orders.

We use 100% pure New Zealand merino wool for our premium felt range (cat caves, slippers, ball garlands, felted rugs) and a blend of New Zealand merino and locally-sourced Himalayan sheep wool for heavier industrial felt. Merino is chosen for its fine micron count (18–24 microns) which produces felt that is soft against skin without itching. No synthetic fibers, no acrylic blends — if a “felt” product feels plasticky or squeaks, it is acrylic craft felt, not true wool felt.

Yes — in independent abrasion testing, hemp canvas outlasts cotton duck canvas of the same weight by a factor of 2–3×. Our standard backpack hemp is 12 oz/yd² (similar to military canvas), double-stitched at stress points, with YKK or equivalent zippers and reinforced webbing straps rated to 15 kg. We have buyers reordering the same backpack model for school programs where kids use them daily for 3+ years.

Raw hemp has a mild earthy smell that fades within a week of airing. We do not use fragrance masking. On fading: undyed natural hemp lightens slightly in direct sun over months — this is desirable for the “aged canvas” aesthetic many buyers want. Dyed hemp (indigo, black, olive) is color-fast when washed cold; avoid bleach. If a hemp bag smells strongly chemical on arrival, that is residual dye or finishing agent — ours are rinsed and sun-dried to neutralize this before packing.

Yes. Cold machine wash on gentle cycle, mild detergent, no bleach, air dry. Hemp actually gets softer and more pliable with each wash — the opposite of most natural fibers. Avoid tumble drying which can shrink the canvas by 3–5% on the first cycle. For printed or embroidered bags, turn inside out before washing.

Botanically the same species (Cannabis sativa) but different cultivars. Industrial hemp used for fiber contains less than 0.3% THC (the psychoactive compound in marijuana) — legally defined non-drug cannabis. Our fiber hemp is harvested for stalk length, not flower, and tests show effectively zero THC in the finished textile. Customs authorities in the EU, US, UK, Canada, and Australia treat hemp textile as ordinary commercial fabric and require no special import permits.

Wet-felting: raw wool is carded (combed to align fibers), laid into a pattern or stuffed into a mold, then rolled with hot soapy water for 2–6 hours. The agitation causes wool fibers to interlock permanently — no stitching, no glue, no backing fabric. For cat caves and larger objects, the shape is formed around a resist (often a plastic mold) and felted from both sides. When dry, the felt is brushed, trimmed, and sometimes decorated with needle-felted details. Every artisan develops a “hand” — experienced felters can tell a beginner from a master by density alone.

Yes, and they are one of our best-selling wholesale lines. 100% wool felt is non-toxic, naturally flame-resistant (wool self-extinguishes), breathable, and contains no glues or synthetic binders for cats to chew on. Cats are drawn to the smell of lanolin in real wool — which is why acrylic copies rarely get used. The dome shape also provides the enclosed “burrow” environment cats instinctively seek.

Well-made felt is already shrunk to its final density during the felting process and will not shrink further unless washed in hot water. Surface shedding is minimal and stops after the first week — this is loose fiber working its way out. If a felt product sheds heavily ongoing, it was under-felted (common in cheap mass production); ours are rolled long enough to reach a density of roughly 0.25 g/cm³, which locks fibers permanently.

Traditional Himalayan singing bowls are hand-hammered from a seven-metal alloy corresponding to seven celestial bodies: copper (Venus), tin (Jupiter), iron (Mars), lead (Saturn), mercury (Mercury), silver (Moon), gold (Sun). In practice, the working alloy is mostly bronze (copper + tin) with trace amounts of the others. Machine-cast bowls are made from plain brass — they ring but lack the complex overtones of hand-hammered alloy bowls. We sell both and label them honestly.

Three factors. (1) Purpose: meditation bowls are larger and lower-pitched (7–12 inch); sound-healing practitioners often want specific frequencies matched to chakras; decorative bowls prioritize appearance. (2) Sound: play the bowl before buying — a good bowl sings for 30+ seconds with a single overtone, a poor one dies within 10 seconds or wobbles between frequencies. (3) Construction: hand-hammered bowls show visible hammer marks and irregular rims; cast bowls are perfectly round. Neither is “better” — they serve different buyers.

Cheap bowls (under $15 wholesale) are machine-cast brass from India, often polished to look like hand-hammered. Mid-range ($20–$60 wholesale) are hand-hammered in Nepal by a single artisan over 1–2 hours from bronze. Premium bowls ($100+) are antique or made from true seven-metal alloy with documented provenance. Price tracks labor hours and alloy cost, not marketing.

Four reasons buyers choose Nepal over India, Vietnam, or China: (1) Craft heritage — Nepali Newar, Tamang, and Tibetan communities have unbroken metal, textile, and paper traditions dating to the 7th century; (2) Material access — Himalayan hemp, wool, and metal ores are native and abundant; (3) Small-batch flexibility — most workshops are 5–30 artisans, which suits boutique order quantities (MOQ 50–300) that Chinese factories will not accept; (4) Story value — “made in Nepal” carries a premium in ethical retail that “made in China” does not. The trade-off is lead times: Nepal runs 4–8 weeks, not 2.

India: larger factories, faster turnaround, stronger cotton and leather; weaker on felt, hemp, and Himalayan metal craft. China: lowest unit cost at scale, fastest shipping, but rising minimum order quantities (often 1,000+ units) and generic designs. Nepal: slower (air freight 5–7 days, sea freight 35–45 days), lower MOQs (50–300 typical), stronger craft narrative, but limited factory capacity for orders above 5,000 units of a single SKU. We recommend Nepal for differentiated, story-driven product lines — not commodity.

EXIM (Export-Import) registration with the Government of Nepal means we are legally authorized to export goods and receive foreign payments. Buyers benefit because: (1) we can issue Certificates of Origin required for preferential tariff rates (GSP, EBA) in EU, UK, Canada, Japan; (2) customs clears faster with a registered shipper; (3) wire transfers and L/Cs can be processed through formal banking channels rather than informal routes. Unregistered “supplier” accounts on marketplaces often cannot provide these — a common source of customs delays.

Nepal export is well-established — the country exported over $100M in handicrafts and pashmina in 2024. Main risks are: (1) monsoon disruption (June–September) which can delay road transport from villages to Kathmandu by 1–2 weeks; (2) occasional flight capacity constraints from Kathmandu TIA airport; (3) festival closures (Dashain, Tihar — typically late Sept to early Nov) when workshops pause for 2 weeks. We factor these into quoted lead times. Payment risk is minimal with T/T advance or L/C; we have not had a disputed shipment in 5 years.

For us, fair trade is operational, not a label. Concretely: (1) piece-rate pricing is negotiated with artisan groups annually and set 15–25% above the regional minimum wage; (2) payment is released within 15 days of delivery, not 60–90 days like most export chains; (3) no child labor — our workshops visibly employ adults and we do not subcontract to home-based labor where this cannot be verified; (4) women-led cooperatives receive priority sourcing — currently 70% of our hemp and 90% of our felt comes from women-led groups. We are not WFTO-certified (the fee is disproportionate to our size) but we welcome buyer audits.

No. Our workshops in Kathmandu and our partner village cooperatives employ adults only (18+), and we do not subcontract to piece-work home labor where age cannot be verified. The Nepal Handicraft Association has specific anti-child-labor standards which we follow. Buyers concerned about this can request a workshop video call before placing bulk orders — we will walk you through the workshop live.

Direct trade means 60–70% of the wholesale price reaches the artisan or artisan group, compared to 10–20% in conventional retail chains where middlemen and distributors each take margin. For our hemp weavers, a standard $45-wholesale backpack means roughly $18–$22 flows back to the weaver, spinner, and sewist combined. At volume, this underwrites year-round workshop employment rather than seasonal piece work. We publish rough cost breakdowns on request.

Cold machine wash gentle cycle every 2–3 months of heavy use, or spot-clean with mild soap. Air dry in shade (direct sun lightens color over time). Avoid: bleach, fabric softener (coats the fiber and reduces breathability), tumble drying on high heat, ironing directly on printed surfaces. For leather trim, condition once a year with neutral leather cream. Properly cared for, a hemp bag lasts 10+ years and softens into a patina most buyers prefer to new.

Brush gently with a soft cloth or pet brush to restore surface. Spot-clean only — full immersion in water can re-felt and shrink the product. For odor (cat caves especially), sprinkle baking soda, leave 30 minutes, brush off. Air outside occasionally. Pilling on high-contact surfaces is normal and can be removed with a fabric shaver. Never dry-clean — the solvents destroy wool structure.

Dust with a soft dry cloth. Avoid polish or brass cleaner — the patina is part of the sound character and buyers of premium bowls prize it. Fingerprints on polished bowls can be removed with a drop of lemon juice on cotton, wiped dry immediately. Store upright on the included cushion; avoid stacking bowls which can warp the rim. Strike with the mallet on the outside rim (not the inside, which dampens the tone).

Wholesale orders carry a defect warranty: any product with manufacturing defects (broken stitching, failed zipper, incorrectly sized) can be replaced or credited in the next shipment. Normal wear, buyer-caused damage, and natural material variation are not covered — small color and size variations are part of handmade product and not grounds for return. We provide a written defect policy with every PI (proforma invoice).