Note: I live in New Zealand, so this is a review of the online purchase process.
Dharma mainly sell plain white silk fabrics and the means for dyeing them, with a small range of other products. I think having a limited range is a good idea, as (presumably) it means they are very knowledgeable about what they sell, and that they probably restock the same products regularly.
Their range of silks leans toward the lightweight end of the spectrum (as opposed to heavy bridal fabrics). I imagine this is related to their focus on silk dyeing and painting, which is usually done on light fabric. The prices are very reasonable compared to similar products online, and they are very clear about what you are getting in terms of fabric weight, opacity, uses, etc.
I wanted to try a few different products - silk organza for interfacing, stretch charmeuse for a slip, and crepe de chine for underlining my wedding dress.
Their online ordering system is intuitive and problem-free. Automatic emails are generated at each part of the ordering/shipping process, which I find reassuring and always retain for my records.
They have a whole page explaining international shipping, with example prices for shipping to Australia by different methods. You get four choices from basic post to fast courier. Shipping estimates are calculated before placing your order - for me the actual shipping on 9 yards of fabric only differed by $0.42 from the estimate!
I ordered my silk on 12th November by First Class International shipping. This was the cheapest option, and cost $17.42 for shipping and insurance. The parcel arrived today (21st December), which is not bad considering that it's Christmas time.
The fabric seems nice. For fabric of this quality (when I have even seen it in New Zealand), the price difference is around 300%.
From my experience, this store is well-designed and the company is genuinely interested in serving international customers. Based on this experience, I will definitely call on them again for silk (or if I get into fabric dyeing).
*LOGIN to add a comment on this review
*Only registered members can post comments to the reviews. Membership is free. if you are not a member, please Sign-up now!
tigergirl said... I ordered silk organza from them (I'm on OZ) and found it to be a good experience too - they even refunded me some postage. 12/21/12 1:55 AM
|Login|Help]
I ordered silk organza from them (I'm on OZ) and found it to be a good experience too - they even refunded me some postage.
12/21/12 1:55 AM