Where to Shop - Packing & Shipping

Chiang Mai is, quite simply, Thailand's major centre for quality handicrafts. The visitor need merely visit the nearest city emporium or Night Bazaar to purchase an extraordinary variety of antiques, silver jewellery, hill tribe opium pipes and embroidery, Thai silks and cottons, basketry, celadon, silverware, furniture, lacquer ware, woodcarvings and parasols.

A major advantage of shopping in Chiang Mai is that the visitor may watch artisans working within the city and in several outlying villages, particularly along the Bo Sang-San Kampaeng road where, in genuine cottage industries, parasols, silk and cotton weaving, jewellery, wood-carving, silverware, celadon and lacquer ware are manufactured, and number among popular purchases.

Where to Shop
	Cottons & Silks First-class Chiang Mai cottons and silks are of incomparable quality. Cottons and silks have innumerable fashion and furnishing applications. The largest possible selection is available in San Kampaeng.
	Silverware The finest Thai silverware is exquisite, and is made in Chiang Mai, where certain families have practiced their art for several generations. Traditional skills and a guaranteed content of at least 92.5% pure silver invest bowls, receptacles and decorative items with authentic value. Silver shops are concentrated on Wua Lai Road, where silverware artisans and their families live.
	Umbrellas and Parasols These are inextricably associated with Bo Sang where villagers have been engaged in their manufacture for at least 200 years. All materials, silks, cottons, sa paper (manufactured from the bark of the mulberry tree), and bamboo are produced or found locally. Visitors to Bo Sang will see literally hundreds of designs and sizes ranging from the miniature to the gigantic.
	Lacquer ware   Striking black and gold designs give lacquer ware its visual appeal and sheen. This decorative art enhances items made of wood, bamboo, metal, paper and baked clay, in the form of receptacles, ornaments and various souvenirs.
	Furniture and Woodcarving Chiang Mai's Ban Thawai village in Hang Dong district, is a major centre of furniture making. Major woods and materials include teak, rosewood and rattan. Items may be unadorned or, especially with teak and rosewood, artfully carved in traditional or modern designs. Woodcarving is a traditional northern Thai art featured in numerous temples. In recent years, wood carving has increasingly embellished furniture, gracing screens, chairs, tables, beds, indeed anything bearing a wooden surface large enough to be carved. Carved elephants, figurines and tableware number among other popular purchases.
	Hill tribe Products These include silver ornaments, such as bracelets, necklaces, pendants, hairpins and pipes of intricate design, and embroidered items including tunics, jackets, bags, purses, caps and dress lengths.
	Gold Plated Orchids & Butterflies Orchids and butterflies are preserved and plated with 24-carat gold to create unusual gift items such as necklace pendants, hairpins and earrings.
	Pottery Chiang Mai is the major centre of Thailand's pottery industry. Prized items include high-fired celadon which is produced in many forms, including dinner sets, lamp bases and decorative items.

Packing & Shipping

Should you fall in love with a large wood-carving piece or a fragile ceramic work, you may want to consider enlisting the help of one of the packing and shipping services in Chiang Mai for the job of getting it home. There are over 30 such companies in Chiang Mai and most of them provide packing as well as shipping services. Many souvenir and handicraft shops can also arrange to have your purchase packed and shipped for you.

Packing
Some businesses provide only packing services and are located in the same area as that you are most likely to purchase your craft, such as the San Kampaeng and Chiang Mai Hang Dong Roads. These services are extremely helpful in providing a way to safely transport your piece. If you are planning to send your piece by sea, then the business will pack it in a crate at the rate of approximately 2,100 baht (47 US$) per cubic meter. This rate will go down as the piece increase in size, and the price will vary from place to place. If you are planning to send your piece by air, then a corrugated box and lighter packing materials are used, as air cargo is weighed by the kilogram.

Shipping
Some shipping companies are located near craft areas, while others are located in the tourist areas of town such as the Thapae, Loi Kroh, Sridornchai, and Wualai Roads.

You have the options of sending your piece either by air or by sea, depending on your needs. On average, it takes about one week by air and two months by sea. The prices vary greatly, as air cargo prices are computed by weight, and sea cargo by the square meter. If you are sending a heavy piece, it is much more economical to send it by sea. If you do so, an agent contacts you when your piece arrives, or, for an extra fee, delivers it straight to your residence.

The shipping cost for sea cargo varies depending on the destination and size of the piece.
Should you desire to ship a piece by air mail, it is recommended that, unless it weighs more than 20 k.g., you should use the postal service. Though it takes an extra week to arrive at its destination, the price is considerably lower as you do not have to pay for the taxes that are included in the rates of the shipping services.

Insurance
Insurance that covers the damage or loss of your cargo can also be obtained. The price of the insurance will be a certain percentage of the price that you paid for your piece. This percentage is dependent upon how fragile the piece is. For example, the percentage would be higher for a crystal chandelier than it would be for wood furniture. The average insurance for glassware is 6% of the cost of the piece. Most people buy insurance only for extremely fragile pieces.

Buying Agents
Many packing and shipping companies also act as buying agents for those interested in the import/export business. Such companies buy the products you want, pack them, and ship them to you.