Minimum order
Our wholesale minimum order is $100.
Ordering and shipping
We ship as quickly as we can. We are a small company and do our best to get orders out in 2-5 days, but unfortunately we cannot make promises. We never know when a rush of orders will come all at the same time! Feel free to put a cancel date on your order if it is time sensitive, or email us if you have a future event for which you need the product.
We welcome pre-orders as it gives us a chance to work on them during slower times. It also gives you a better chance of having everything in stock. We do not charge your card until we ship.
In order to be fair to all of our customers, we ship in the order in which we receive our orders. We do not pull or pack orders until we have a payment method.
As much as possible we try to use recycled boxes to ship our product. The boxes we receive from Kenya are often very sturdy boxes which would cost us a lot of money to purchase in the U.S. By reusing them, we are not only being environmentally friendly, but we are saving money, which helps keep our prices down.
Out of stock items
We try our best to keep our website up to date.
Problem with your shipment
We must be notified of issues with your order within 15 days of receiving the order. If the problem is with one of the pieces, please send pictures to Sales@VentureImports.com and note the number on the bottom of the piece. If the problem is with packaging, please keep original packaging for any investigation the shipping company needs to perform.
Thank you for your help. Pictures help us determine where a problem may have occurred, whether in our U.S. warehouse or in Kenya.
Please note that the color of the stone varies naturally and sometimes that color will show through the paint. One can imagine how the coloration of granite or marble would show through were one to paint over it. The same is true for soapstone. This is particularly true for the lighter colors like yellow and pale blue. This is not something we consider a defect. Over the years we have found that the vast majority of customers love knowing that each piece is unique and handmade; the coloration of the stone highlights that uniqueness. If this is something you do not think your customers will understand, however, you may want to stick to darker colors like blue and purple.
Due to the nature of our product, we do not ship replacements, but we can issue a credit to your account or back on your card. Typically, we do not request that the product be returned, but please wait to hear from us before throwing it away.
Backorders
We try to keep our inventory updated on the website and at the trade shows, but due to the nature of our business, that is not always possible. If you order something that is out of stock, we will backorder the item for you, unless you request otherwise.
Typically, we will contact you when the product arrives so you can decide if you want the backorder and/or need anything else. If the backorder is small enough, we may simply cancel it.
Terms
We do not typically offer terms.
Our products are heavy and ship from a long distance. This means that our lead time is quite long. To keep our shipping from Kenya costs down, we ship by container. It takes our artisan partners a considerable amount of time to make enough product to fill a container. It then takes a couple of months for the container to make its way to us. So, our lead time is usually four to six months.
Because we are a fair trade company, we typically give a sizeable deposit to our partners when we place our orders with them. This means that we pay up front for items that we will not even have in our possession for months. Even if they sold the second they came off of the container, we would be out that money for four to six months. Given that most items actually go into stock before shipping to customers, the length of time we are out that money is even longer.
As you can see, our cash flow is extremely difficult under the best circumstances, so giving terms to customers would make it even more difficult for us to fulfill our mission.
Our best bet for keeping prices down while being fair to our artisan partners and keeping product in stock is to not give customers terms. We thank you for your understanding.
Returns
We do not accept returns. Our products are too fragile and too heavy to make this feasible. Thank you for your understanding.
Restocking
Our restocking fee is 20% of the order.
Custom orders
It is possible for the artisans to do custom items, with some limitations. Keep in mind that they are using simple hand tools, so elaborate logos might not be possible, but simple words probably are.
The minimum quantity requirement is 250 pieces of the same item. A 50% deposit is required at the time of the order.
The lead time is approximately six months, but email Jen@VentureImports.com to discuss options.
Ecommerce policy
You are welcome to sell our products online, but please use at least a keystone markup when pricing our items.
Please do not sell our items on Amazon or other third-party websites.
Retailer Territory Policy
We try our best not to sell to two similar stores within the same zip code. We want our stores to succeed and don’t want to sabotage our customers! In return, we ask that stores with zip-code protection maintain regular orders. We want to support both our customers and our artisan partners and our artisan partners need regular orders in order to continue.
