Questions

Choosing

A saree is not a size. How do I know it will work?

There is no small or medium, just five and a half to nine yards of cloth that falls differently depending on how it is woven. On a video call we drape a piece to roughly your height, show you how the pleats sit, and tell you plainly whether it wants a fall or a petticoat in a particular length.

Will the colour be what I am seeing?

Close, not exact. Natural dye moves between lots (madder root gives a different red every time it is boiled) and every screen shows colour differently. Ask us to hold the piece in daylight on a call and you will see the real thing before you decide.

How do I know it is really handloom?

Ask us to show you the reverse of a block-print, or the weight of a silk in the hand. Slubs, small irregularities in a border, a motif that is not perfectly repeated. These are what a loom leaves behind and a machine does not.

Buying

Is there a checkout?

No. You tell us what you would like, by message or after a call, and we take it from there. In India that usually means UPI or a bank transfer; from elsewhere we send a payment link. No card details are ever entered on this site.

Why are prices in rupees?

Because that is what the shop bills in. Other currencies are shown so you know roughly what you are spending; the exact figure is set by your own bank on the day.

Can you hold a piece for me?

Yes, and it costs nothing. After a call we can set pieces aside on a private page of your own, with a note about each one. Nothing is sold until you say so.

Getting it to you

Do you ship to my country?

We ship worldwide, every week. Tell us where you are and we will give you a real answer on timing rather than a policy page.

What about customs and duty?

Charged by your country, paid by you at delivery, and not included in the price. We will tell you what it usually comes to for where you live. See the terms for the full position.

Afterwards

Can I return something?

No. Every sale is final: no returns, no exchanges, no refunds, for any reason. Most of these are the only one of their kind, and a piece that travels twice cannot be sold as new. That is exactly why we would rather show you the cloth on a video call first, and why we will happily talk you out of a piece. The returns page says it in full, including what to do if a parcel arrives damaged.

How do I wash it?

Dry-clean, or a careful cold hand-wash on its own, out of direct sun. A little bleeding on the first wash is normal with natural dye. Ask us about your specific piece and we will tell you exactly.

Something else?

Book twenty minutes on video, or write to watermelonwoven@gmail.com.