Rainstick Trading and Fair Trade

We are often asked, are you fair trade? The answer is Yes. We trade with the following principles at our heart:

– We agree a fair price and then we stick with it. We are also open to price increases where necessary, in return our suppliers trust us to tell them when too high a price is a commercial issue. Thus we work to the mutual benefit.

– We pay significant amounts upfront and trust our suppliers to deliver as specified

– We are loyal and reasonable in all our dealings with developing suppliers, helping them to understand the export market where we can. We want to work together to build long term relationships that are both financially and materially sustainable.

– We bring in the vast majority of our goods from developing countries, especially African and South American but also Asian.

– We specialise in handmade items. We do not buy from large factories.

– Sustaining natural handicrafts is something we are passionate about. We believe that in many places it gives people a unique chance to build themselves an independent and dignified existence.

– We look for products that can be produced without damaging the local environment and culture.

– We contribute regularly to charities dedicated to improving social conditions in producer countries

– We feel it is important to respect other cultures and do not try and impose our own cultural ideals on our suppliers.

For the moment we have decided against seeking certification.

There is not one organisation who are an exact or representative fit. We feel that we are more in tune with our suppliers than an accreditation could prove or even show, and the cost of gaining it has can be put to better use.

We are open and approachable to our customers and pleased to answer questions on any of our supply sources; we also like to show the real people at work on our web site in either photos or short video clips.