Journal
Shipping a bamboo dragonfly overseas
Apr
A bamboo dragonfly that has spent twenty minutes at the bench and a week drying in the village of Thạch Xá now faces one last test: a journey that may cover eight thousand kilometres, three customs regimes, and four pairs of hands before reaching the shelf it was meant for. Most arrive intact. A few arrive needing a one-minute re-tune. How the atelier packs, ships, and tracks each piece is a quieter craft than the painting, and worth a few paragraphs of its own.
Who the atelier ships to
Over two decades, the atelier has sent pieces to most countries in the English-speaking world and much of continental Europe and East Asia. The regular destinations — in descending order of volume — are Japan, South Korea, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, and the Nordic countries. Individual pieces have gone to addresses in Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and the UAE without incident.
The atelier does not currently ship to addresses in mainland China, Russia, or destinations under international sanctions, and reserves the right to decline orders to post codes that local couriers mark as “restricted access” — mostly offshore islands and a handful of rural routes where tracking is unreliable.
How long it takes
The time between order and arrival has two parts.
1. Preparation (3–5 business days). Each piece is made, tuned, and packed to order. Standard dragonflies and personalised pieces alike go through the same three-to-five-day cycle at the bench — a little longer if the paint needs to cure. A tracking number is emailed to the buyer within seven days of the order, regardless of route.
2. International transit. Transit times from Hanoi, once the parcel is on its way, are consistent across the atelier’s usual courier mix (Vietnam Post international tracked, DHL, FedEx, or a local partner depending on destination):
- United States — 7 to 10 business days.
- All other countries — 8 to 12 business days.
A realistic end-to-end estimate from order to doorstep: two weeks for most destinations, three weeks as a comfortable outside limit. Around the December holiday peak, expect an extra five to seven days across all routes.
How a dragonfly is packed
Packaging is done by hand, one parcel at a time, with the simple goal of making each dragonfly arrive as firmly and intact as possible. Each piece is wrapped first in soft acid-free tissue, then in a single layer of bubble wrap, then slid into a cardboard sleeve sized to hold the wings in their natural forward sweep without flattening them. A second outer box — corrugated, with a kraft wrap — carries the sleeve. Fill material between the sleeve and the outer box is shredded rice paper and recycled kraft, not styrofoam peanuts.
The box is labelled on the outside with FRAGILE — HANDMADE in English and a small Vietnamese equivalent. Customs declaration lists the contents as “handcrafted bamboo handicraft, gift, no commercial value”, which is accurate for most retail pieces and keeps border clearance simple. For bulk, gallery, or gift orders that need a heavier-duty pack — double-box, archival foam, named carton — write to the atelier before ordering and we will quote the options.
Tracking, in plain language
Every shipment goes out with a tracking number. The atelier emails the number on the day the parcel is posted and includes the tracking URL for the relevant carrier. For international shipments, the tracking history is updated in two languages — Vietnamese on the origin side and English (or local language) once the parcel reaches the destination hub.
A common point of confusion: international tracking sometimes “stalls” for two or three days between the origin flight and the destination sort facility. This is almost always normal — the parcel is in the air or in transit between facilities and simply does not generate scan events during the gap. If tracking has not updated for more than five working days after the initial dispatch, write to the atelier and we will investigate directly with the courier.
Customs and duties
For most destinations and most single-piece orders, customs duties on a sub-fifty-dollar handcrafted bamboo object are zero, or very close. The practical thresholds vary by country:
- European Union — shipments under €150 typically incur no customs duty; VAT may apply at the destination rate. The atelier ships DDU (delivered duties unpaid); recipients pay any VAT or handling fee directly to the local courier on delivery.
- United Kingdom — shipments under £135 typically only attract VAT (currently 20%), collected by the courier.
- United States — as of current policy, shipments under $800 generally enter duty-free under the de minimis threshold.
- Japan, Korea, Australia — low thresholds apply, but handcrafted bamboo gifts under the value of a standard single-piece order rarely attract duty in practice.
For larger orders — five or more pieces — it is worth asking the atelier for an invoice before ordering, so the customs calculation is predictable. Wholesale shipments typically ship DDP (delivered duties paid) on request.
If a parcel arrives late
A late parcel is usually only late. In twenty years of shipping, the atelier has seen a handful of parcels delayed by weeks — almost always sitting in a destination customs backlog or waiting for a recipient signature — and a much smaller handful truly lost in transit. For a parcel that has not arrived within one week of the courier’s estimated delivery date, the atelier will open a carrier investigation at no cost to the buyer, and will re-ship or refund if the original piece is confirmed lost.
The only situation where re-shipping is not offered automatically is when the recipient address was mistyped at checkout; in those cases, we work case-by-case, which has never yet been a bad conversation.
If a parcel arrives damaged
A dragonfly that has been knocked slightly out of tune in transit can usually be re-balanced at home in under a minute — we keep a separate guide for that. A piece with an actual broken wing or a cracked body is a different matter, and is covered by our replacement policy: within 30 days of delivery, send a photo of the damage and a photo of the outer box, and the atelier will replace the piece or refund in full at no additional cost. Return of the damaged original is not required; the carriage is rarely worth it. Change-of-mind returns are not accepted, since each piece is made to order — if you are not certain which piece is right for you, write before ordering and we will help.
Ordering ahead for a specific date
For birthdays, weddings, and Christmas deliveries, the atelier recommends ordering at least four weeks ahead for European and North American addresses, and three weeks for Asian addresses. For personalised pieces, add another week to allow the paint to cure properly before the parcel ships.
Around the global December holiday peak, expect an extra five to seven days across all routes; ordering by early November rather than late November makes the difference between a Christmas delivery and a New Year one.
Why it matters that a village can ship to you
A decade ago, buying directly from a Vietnamese craft village meant either travelling there, or going through a chain of resellers, each of whom added a margin and erased a little of the maker. Today, the atelier ships from its own bench, to any address in nine in ten countries, for a postal fee that is almost always cheaper than the price of the dragonfly itself. That is a small quiet change, and a good one — it is the reason Liên and Xoan now know most of their customers by email, rather than through a distributor’s invoice.
The craft stays small because the hands stay the same. The reach is bigger because the parcel travels further. Order from the shop and the dragonfly will leave the village within a day or two, wrapped by someone who made it.
For shipping a named or custom piece in time for a specific date, see personalised bamboo dragonflies. If the piece arrives slightly out of tune after its journey, the one-minute re-tuning guide puts it right.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to make and dispatch an order?
Every piece is made, tuned, and packed in 3 to 5 business days. A tracking number is emailed to the buyer within 7 days of the order.
How long does international shipping take?
Transit from Hanoi, once the parcel is dispatched, takes 7 to 10 business days for the United States and 8 to 12 business days for all other countries. End to end: about two weeks for most destinations, three weeks as an outside limit.
How are bamboo dragonflies packed for overseas shipping?
Packaging is done by hand, one parcel at a time, with the aim of keeping each piece as firmly protected as possible. Each dragonfly is wrapped in soft tissue, cradled in a rigid corrugated box, and cushioned with shredded kraft and recycled paper. Larger or gift orders can be upgraded to a double-box pack on request.
Who pays customs duties and import taxes?
The buyer. Any import duty, VAT, or customs fee charged by the destination country is paid by the buyer directly to the local carrier on delivery. We declare the accurate value of every parcel.
Can I track my order?
Yes. Every order ships with a tracking number, emailed to the buyer within 7 days of the order being placed. The number works on the local postal service and on aggregator sites such as 17track.net.
What is the return and exchange policy?
Returns and exchanges are accepted within 30 days of delivery, for pieces that arrive damaged — a broken wing, a cracked body, or a beak that no longer takes a balance. Send a photo of the damage and a photo of the outer box; we will replace or refund, no return shipment required. Change-of-mind returns are not accepted, because each piece is made to order.
Can I contact you with questions before ordering?
Yes — write to the atelier through the contact page for any question about shipping, a specific piece, custom colours or sizes, or a gift deadline. We reply within one business day.
