International Shipping, Customs & Export Compliance Policy

Last updated: [DD Month YYYY]

We are pleased to ship our handcrafted statues, temples, and handicrafts to customers worldwide. Because international trade in physical goods involves customs and export regulations in both India and your destination country, this policy sets out the additional terms that apply to any order shipped outside India, in addition to our general Shipping & Delivery Policy and Terms and Conditions.

1. Buyer Responsibility for Import Compliance

As the importer of record in your country, you are solely responsible for determining whether the product you order may be lawfully imported into your country, and for complying with all applicable import laws, licensing requirements, and restrictions. We recommend checking with your local customs authority before ordering large, heavy, or religiously/culturally significant pieces. We accept no liability for orders refused entry, seized, or destroyed by foreign customs authorities as a result of destination-country import restrictions.

2. Customs Duties, Import Taxes, and Clearance Fees

International shipments are sent on a Delivered-at-Place (DAP) / Delivered Duty Unpaid (DDU) basis unless expressly stated otherwise at checkout. This means:

• The price you pay us covers the product and shipping to your country only.
• Any customs duty, import VAT/GST, brokerage fee, or other charge levied by your country’s customs authority on arrival is separate and payable by you directly to the courier or customs authority before or upon delivery.
• We have no control over, and cannot predict, the exact amount of these charges, as they vary by country, product classification (HS code), and declared value. Please check with your local customs office for an estimate before ordering if this is a concern.
• Refusal to pay applicable customs duties, resulting in the shipment being abandoned, returned, or destroyed by customs, does not entitle you to a refund under our No Cancellation & No Refund Policy, and any return-freight or destruction cost charged to us by the courier will be recoverable from you.

3. Indicative Regional Tax Notes (General Guidance Only)

The following is general awareness information only, not tax advice, and rates/rules change frequently — always confirm with your local customs authority or a licensed customs broker before ordering:

• European Union: import VAT and, above certain thresholds, a customs duty may apply; low-value consignment relief has been phased out in most EU member states, so VAT is typically payable regardless of order value. An EORI number may be required for the shipment to clear customs smoothly for commercial-quantity orders.
• United Kingdom: import VAT and customs duty may apply depending on value and product classification.
• United States: customs duty may apply above the de minimis threshold prescribed under U.S. law at the time of import; state sales tax is not collected by us and is not applicable to an import.
• Australia: GST and, above certain thresholds, customs duty may apply on import.
• Other destinations: please check with your local customs authority, as rules vary widely and change over time.

None of the above constitutes tax or customs advice; it is provided solely to help you budget for possible charges before ordering.

4. Nature of Goods — Contemporary Handicrafts, Not Antiques

All statues, temples, and handicraft items sold on the Site are newly and contemporaneously handcrafted by living artisans; none of our products are antiques, archaeological artefacts, or “art treasures” within the meaning of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, and accordingly they do not require an Archaeological Survey of India export clearance certificate. If your destination country separately regulates the import of religious idols, stone, or mineral-based products for reasons unrelated to antiquity (for example, agricultural/biosecurity rules on organic packing material, or general import-licensing regimes), compliance with those rules remains your responsibility as set out in Section 1.

5. Restricted or Prohibited Destinations, and Sanctions Compliance

We reserve the right to decline, delay, or cancel (with a refund limited strictly to the amount paid, as this is our decision and not a buyer-initiated cancellation) any international order to a destination that is: (a) subject to prevailing Indian export-control restrictions or applicable international sanctions regimes (including those administered by the United Nations Security Council and equivalent Indian regulatory authorities); (b) not serviceable by our courier/freight partners; or (c) known to prohibit import of the specific product category (for example, certain stone or mineral products in specific jurisdictions). Where we decline an order for this reason before Dispatch, this is treated as our decision under Section 4 of the Terms and Conditions (pricing/availability errors), not as an exception carved out of your own no-cancellation obligation.

6. HS Codes and Export Documentation

For international orders, we will classify the product under the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) code and prepare the export invoice, packing list, and any other documentation required under Indian foreign-trade law (including, where applicable, filing under our Import Export Code). You agree to promptly provide any information reasonably required for this documentation (such as your tax identification number — e.g. an EORI number for EU deliveries — where your country requires it for customs clearance) so as not to delay processing beyond the timelines in our Shipping & Delivery Policy. We declare the true transaction value on export documentation and do not under-declare value on request, as this would be a violation of customs law in both India and your destination country.

7. Currency and Payment

International payments are processed through our designated international payment gateway partner, in the currency and at the exchange rate applicable at the time of payment. Any currency-conversion fee charged by your bank or card issuer is outside our control and is your responsibility. For large bulk or B2B international orders, alternative payment arrangements (such as a bank wire transfer, or, where agreed, a letter of credit) may be available on request — contact us before ordering.

8. Delivery Timelines for International Orders

International delivery timelines are longer than domestic timelines and depend on customs clearance in your country, which we cannot predict or expedite. Estimated timelines provided at checkout or by our support team are indicative only and are not guaranteed, and delays in customs clearance are not grounds for cancellation or refund.

9. Insurance

Where available, we recommend opting for shipment insurance on international orders at checkout, particularly for higher-value or fragile pieces, given the extended transit distances involved. For sea-freight or crated shipments, marine cargo insurance may be arranged on request. Insurance terms and claims processes will be as specified by the relevant courier/freight/insurance partner at the time of shipment.

10. Returns From Abroad

Because our No Cancellation & No Refund Policy applies equally to international orders, and because return shipping across international borders is costly and involves fresh customs formalities, international returns are only ever facilitated under the narrow exceptions in our Cancellation, Return & Refund Policy (non-delivery, transit loss/destruction, genuine manufacturing defect) and only where we, at our discretion, determine that a physical return is necessary to assess the claim; in most such cases we will instead rely on the photographic/video evidence you provide.

11. Relationship to Other Policies

This policy supplements, and does not replace, our Terms and Conditions, Shipping & Delivery Policy, and Cancellation, Return & Refund Policy, all of which continue to apply in full to international orders.

12. Contact

For questions about shipping to a specific country before you order, contact us at [support email] or [support phone number, with +91 country code], and we will do our best to advise on serviceability, though the final responsibility for import compliance remains yours as set out in Section 1.