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.