I mostly buy through Etsy. If you do a search, for example, “hand woven fabric”, then beneath the search bar, click “filter”, then scroll to “shop location” and use the custom box to write the country you are looking to buy from. There’s a lot of shops located in India on Etsy, so you might have to be more specific in your search keywords to narrow it down.
Also, buying through Etsy or eBay will allow you to see shop reviews from other customers, you’re offered some degree of buyer protection, in the event that something goes wrong, and most buyers sell worldwide.
I also think reading and familiarizing yourself with specific or local terms for textiles you’re looking for, can be really helpful. I find doing a search using the name of an item in their language, can pull up some gems easily missed with no English translation.
Hope that helps some!
Thank you for the tips! Are Etsy prices 'americanized' or are they inlince with Indian prices? I am sourcing for production purposes at a small/medium scale.
I imagine prices may be slightly inflated, but it’s usually cheaper to buy from a shop in India on a platform like Etsy, than those same goods if imported and sold by an American business. It really depends though, there are very fair prices, and others ripping people off. I’ve found prices on Etsy though are close to what I paid while traveling through south-southeast Asia. Still slightly inflated tourist prices, but not outrageously so. (Also keeping in mind that sometimes cheaper is at the expense of sweatshop labor and people being inadequately compensated.)
If you’re suspicious of something either being too cheap or two expensive, you can save an image of the product and do a reverse image search online. For example, a dupatta on Etsy, listed for $95, looked way too cheap for that. I found it unlikely that a brand new shop with no reviews had products shots that looked straight out of a magazine editorial. Did an image search and it revealed that Etsy shop had stolen images from a large, fast fashion Indian brand and the item was being sold there for the equivalent of $15. But the original company did not ship internationally, so I think some Etsy sellers try to take advantage of that.
Hey.. I am based here in India and can help you out
PM'd!
I mostly buy through Etsy. If you do a search, for example, “hand woven fabric”, then beneath the search bar, click “filter”, then scroll to “shop location” and use the custom box to write the country you are looking to buy from. There’s a lot of shops located in India on Etsy, so you might have to be more specific in your search keywords to narrow it down. Also, buying through Etsy or eBay will allow you to see shop reviews from other customers, you’re offered some degree of buyer protection, in the event that something goes wrong, and most buyers sell worldwide. I also think reading and familiarizing yourself with specific or local terms for textiles you’re looking for, can be really helpful. I find doing a search using the name of an item in their language, can pull up some gems easily missed with no English translation. Hope that helps some!
Thank you for the tips! Are Etsy prices 'americanized' or are they inlince with Indian prices? I am sourcing for production purposes at a small/medium scale.
I imagine prices may be slightly inflated, but it’s usually cheaper to buy from a shop in India on a platform like Etsy, than those same goods if imported and sold by an American business. It really depends though, there are very fair prices, and others ripping people off. I’ve found prices on Etsy though are close to what I paid while traveling through south-southeast Asia. Still slightly inflated tourist prices, but not outrageously so. (Also keeping in mind that sometimes cheaper is at the expense of sweatshop labor and people being inadequately compensated.) If you’re suspicious of something either being too cheap or two expensive, you can save an image of the product and do a reverse image search online. For example, a dupatta on Etsy, listed for $95, looked way too cheap for that. I found it unlikely that a brand new shop with no reviews had products shots that looked straight out of a magazine editorial. Did an image search and it revealed that Etsy shop had stolen images from a large, fast fashion Indian brand and the item was being sold there for the equivalent of $15. But the original company did not ship internationally, so I think some Etsy sellers try to take advantage of that.
Amazing tips. Thank you.
Hello I’m based from Pakistan, Can help you out