Shopping for Curtains, Furniture & Fabric

guy

going to India for the first time in April to do some major shopping for our new house, would like to get your advice on:
a) stores that could do custom curtains, bed covers & linens etc.
b) furniture - formal dining room table & chairs, formal living room set, library desk & book shelves, bedroom furniture, casual dining room set
c) Paintings and tapestry.
d) clothing: tailored gents suits
e) saris - for special occasions (swarovski crystal shiffon, georgette)
f) accessories including wall carvings and lamps

well I did say we wanted to "shop".....has anyone done anything on this scale? Any advice on getting a container to ship this amount of items back to the U.S. / clearing customs /duty.

thanks very much.

davey

Where Are You Going In India,

davey

Where are you going in India? certain regions specalise in different crafts such as block printing and embroidary, let us know the places you are visiting then we should be able to help you more. We have just returned and brought back quilts curtains, clothes paintings jewellry and many other items, what we found was the areas such as Jaipur were great for the block printed quilts which are a lightweight cotton beautifully printed in vegatable dyes, the patterns are incredible Indian patterns to very modern styles and as cheap as chips. we brought back 4 bags full of stuff and we looked at couriers which we will use on the next visit, DHL which is everywhere were asking about $160 Aud which is about 70 pounds for a 10 Kilo box, althought the box wasn't very large, there are better deals its best to get to know someone there who you can trust or someone that you'll meet that has already gone throuygh the process. we also had made coushion covers for outdoor use and had them made virtually overnight. Let me know if you are going to Jaipur and I'll tell you the names, these places were recommended to us by Lily who is a great member of this forum and knows every store and outlet in Jaipur.

crvlvr

Depending on you taste, I would recommend that you go to the place of origin. I have a friend who went to Rajastan and bought a truckload (indian lorry) of furniture -- real cheap. But it will be of the same style.

A whole container? Now, thats as big as a 18 wheeler. That will be easy to ship. A "less than container" can be shipped too, but it will take longer as they will have to fill it up with other stuff.

As iyou suggested, there are a lot of freight forwarders. Burt make sure they put it on a ship that comes directly and does have too many transhipments (where the container is unloaded and put on another ship) Maersk is one of the better cargo lines which allow you to track online.

guy

Thanks for the kind responses, sorry I had not made it clear where we were going the first time but it's Mumbai. It looks like we need to consider a couple of other areas to get real bargains. It potentially could be a lot of stuff we bring back that's why I was thinking container, of course there's no way we could fill it.

If anyone has specific places/stores they could further recommend, that would make it easier for us. Thanks again.

cyndayco

He may not be going to Jaipur, but I am. Looking for fabrics, small pieces of furniture (chests, endtables, that sort of thing) and jewelry, of course. But I won't be staying in jasvillas. So can you recommend a few shops?

robv

I'm also going through Jaipur, after Delhi & Agra, to see Rajasthan. I would be interested in any info on shopping/particular stores/particular areas. I am particularly looking for a nice sari for a 16 yr old (I will have to read up on the available materials they use, but want to get her a fancy one), but am open to any suggestions, ideas, etc. I also try to pick up something from each country I travel to as a souvenir. Any ideas or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Thanks!

davey

There are hundreds of places in delhi for sari's we found some really good quality ones at fixed prices in a store called FabIndia, all top quality clothing and there are other stores around that area mostly fixed prices. Looking at the place there were a lot of Indians shopping there who obviously had money. The store also stocks soft furnishings, menswear and Indian and western clothing, but as I say its a little more expensive than some places but the quality of the goods is far better, as an example I paid 650 IR for a pair of heavy cotton mens pants and 450Ir for a really good quality Kurta. Have Fun

robv

Thanks Davey! I appreciate the ideas!
Will the people at my hotel know where to find this store? What part of town is it in?
Thanks again!
Rob

cyndayco

Check out this link for addresses.

www.fabindia.com

robv

Thanks again! I appreciate the help!

Nick-H

Suppliers of Kurtas By Appointment to Nick-H

Yes, they do furniture as well, but it is a trendy shop, so expect to pay more than you might in an 'ordinary' shop.

Some places will offer to ship for you. I've no experience, but I remember something in a guide book about marking your items to be sure you get what you bought. But, once home, what would one do about it if they have switched stuff?