Where to shop for Original Madagascar merchandise online (Part one)
Ever since the first secure retail transaction over the World Wide Web by NetMarket in 1994 and the immediate rise of Amazon and eBay in 1995, online shopping has become a popular phenomenon and sometimes a necessity in diverse regions. These sites with time made it possible for people living in other countries to be able to get items that were not locally available in their parts of the world from other places. This action has gradually reduced the size of our world as everyone has a very good view of other country’s markets.
Though it may not be known to a lot of people across the world, there are a host of sites that sell items that are available from Madagascarso the flavors of the Big Islandcan be spread all over the world over the world.
I’d be doing two articles that cover some of these sites that have been carefully researched for you to purchase items that are from Madagascar. Some of the sites are owned and administered by Malagasy people while others are owned by dealers that import form Madagascar and make them available for sale. Some of the sites ship to all parts of the world and some are limited in their shipping reach but you can be sure to find one or two sites that would give you products that are available for the Big Island for your pleasure.
The big guns and earliest birds in online shopping like eBay and Amazon have some of these items too, the only issue is the search term “Madagascar” is usually attached more to the movie than the country, so once you check these sites listed here and check out the names of the products you need, you can check them out on Amazon and eBay if you’re more comfortable shopping from there.
The prices that would be cites in this article and conversion rates are all at the time of writing this article so do look up the date of the article and your current date to be sure that things are still as is and of course you can click ion the sites to check for changes and modifications.
Just before diving in remember that shopping online is pretty easy to go about…
- You usually need your email address and a password to create an account on an online shopping website and also get a verification email.
- On registration you would need to fill in a delivery address for your items.
- When you view the items on the site you then click on the item that you want to view the pictures in larger frames and also see detailed descriptions of the items to ensure that they are what you want.
- You would then see the “Add to Cart” or purchase icon that allows you add the item to your virtual cart.
- Some sites give you the opportunity to favorite some of the items to save and to purchase on a later date.
- When purchasing you then look for the checkout icon and click and you will be presented with payment options
- You will choose your preferred payment options and shipping options and then put in your details and then wait for confirmation of payment and expected date of delivery.
- Then wait for your shipping to arrive.
The above steps may differ from site to site but it follows the same basic structure.
Sit tight and keep your eyes open for the sites that have the particular items that you need to make your life and current surrounding more Malagasy in feel…
First up… Nature Madagascar
The web address ishttp://naturemadagascar.com/. They specialize in spices and recipes. The spices are for saleand you can read the recipes and then order the spices that would be useful.
Some of the spices available include:
Vanilla, Cinnamon Oil, Turmeric, Essential oil of Eucalyptus, Black Pepper of Manakara, Pink Peppercorn (Baie Rose), Ylang ylang, Ginger, Tea Sahambavy, Wild Pepper (Voatsiperifery), Cypress Oil, Essential Oil of Ravintsara, Kaffir Lime, Dried Aloe, Cinnamon
The recipes that contain these various spices are then listed on the recipes page.
Some recipes include:
Vanilla Ice cream, Prawns with Kaffir Lime, Golden milk
The shopping packages are divided into various types:
- Priority Mail – Your shipment cannot be tracked with this option.
- Registered Mail – Your shipment can be tracked with this option.
- Courier – DHL is the preferred partner and your shipment can also be tracked.
The prices are also for shipments are dependent on weight and also locations.There are 3 groupings for shipments:
- Italia: This grouping has 3 locations – Italy, San Marino, Vatican City
- Zone 1: Countries like Albania, Austria, Ukraine, Israel, etc. Do check out the website for more.
- Zone 2: This covers a lot of African countries also places like Iran, Sri Lanka.
- Zone 3: Includes countries like Australia, Kiribati, Fiji and Guam.
You can order from as little as 50 grams to as high as 20kg in weight of the spices that you need.
Some certain packages do not have prices listed for some certain zones. Do well to check this out and get those Malagasy spices that you need.
Hautex Artisanat de Madagascar
This website (http://www.artisanat-madagascar.fr/?lang=en) gives you the opportunity to order local Madagascar craftin large quantity. There are no intermediaries between the site administrators and the producers of the craft but theydeal directly with the producers of the craft and which translates to a fairer price thus skipping the bottlenecks. The craft available are sourced from the Capital – Antananarivo.
The products available from this site include:
Baskets,Bags, Hats, Caps, Children’s dresses, Zebu horn jewelry, Stones, Decorative objects etc.
Samples of these items are displayed on the website in full color so that you can make your choice as you deem fit.
Note that the website is a French website ad they also put up regular news of when nextthey will return to Madagascar to stock up goods for sale. If you are in France the price rates would certainly be more affordable than compared to other parts of the world.
As regards prices, hats can go for 2.60 Euros (US$3.05) for an individual raban hat, there are also rings available at 0.85 Euros (US$1.00), some of the materials have VAT included on their purchases such asClaudine Collar Sleeves for the 2 – 4 year old range 25 Euros (US$29.35) including tax.
Within France purchases that are from 600 Euros (US$704.50) are VAT inclusive, for the rest of the world that want these items, VAT rates are consulted for.
This is a website that has large collections of items that are of Malagasy origin and you can find the site at http://www.auzoma.com/au/index.php/en/
Some of the items available on this site include:
Food, Jewelry, CDs, DVDs, VCDs, Movies, Books, Cosmetics
There are also recipes are available for you to try on this website.
The website was the first online shopping site that Madagascar had but even though they started with purely handicrafts they have extended to all the aforementioned materials and afford anyone willing to taste what is available from Madagascar.
The site displays the prices ofthe items in the local currency of the country that you are in.
You will be required to open an account and login to complete a purchase on this site.
You would then add the items that you need from the site to your cart.
The next step would be to CHECK OUT and choose the shipping method that suits you as a result of the area that you are ordering these items from.
You choose the method of payment that you intend to employ to make your purchase.
After filling in your details including your address for the delivery of the items then you confirm your details and then send the order.
Site address is http://www.artisans-de-madagascar.fr/art-malgache.htmland its administrators are French. The site majors on crafts and materials that are sourced from Madagascar which include:
Jewels, Wellness products, Bags, Pouches, Statues, Essential Oils
The only big deal here is that it is available to only those in France within Corsica, Metropolitan France and Monaco so if you are in France then you are in luck. They also have secure payment methodssuch as PayPal, MasterCard and Visa available.
They also give free shipping for all orders above 100 Euros (US$117.42), so you’re in luck and even more promising is that fact that you can be guaranteed a delivery within 48 hours if you place your order before 13:00 French Time.Lots of perks are available on this site.
The site is administered by Carol and Dominique Taurines.
A bit of caution and advice, don’t rush into ordering the items, look through properly and contact the owners of the websites from their various Contact Us Sections. Try to ensure that you can get someone to talk to and communicate with about your order as this can help a lot.
Read Part Two of Where to shop for Original Madagascar merchandise online here.
