Customer Service

You may email questions, concerns, comments, or product inquiries to: help@lovingafrica.com.

The Loving Africa Guarantee

We guarantee satisfaction. If for any reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return it within 30 days of the purchase date in its original condition for an exchange or a refund of merchandise cost. Click here for our complete return policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Shopping Online

How do I place an order?
What should I do if I experience difficulty placing my order online?
Why do some items say “sold out”?
Will the item I order look exactly like the picture?
Can I place a custom order?

Payment

What methods of payment do you accept?
Will I be charged sales tax?
How do I know if I placed my order successfully?
Is this transaction 100% secure?
Will my privacy be protected?

Shipping

What are my shipping options?
How will my shipping charges be calculated?
How will I know when my order has been shipped?
How can I track my shipment?
Do you ship outside of the United States?
Can I request that an item be sent to someone as a gift?
Do you offer gift wrapping services?
Can you guarantee that my holiday order will arrive before December 25?

Return Policy

What is your return policy?
When will I be credited for my return?

Privacy & Security

Is my privacy protected?
Is my online transaction secure?

Shopping Online

How do I place an order?

Click on the product image or product name to view the item details.
If you decide to purchase an item, add it to your order by clicking “Add to Cart”. You will be taken to your personal shopping cart where this item is kept. You may continue to shop by clicking “Continue Shopping” or you may proceed to checkout. At checkout you will be asked for billing, shipping and payment information. Once this information is complete, click “Place Order” to complete your order. A confirmation page will display your completed order and you will receive a confirmation via email, as well.

What should I do if I experience difficulty placing my order online?

Send an email to help@lovingafrica.com explaining your problem.

Why do some items say “sold out”?

All items at Loving Africa are handmade, and some are limited edition items. Because the items are not mass produced and come from Southern Africa, it is not always possible for us to keep up with demand. If you are interested in an item that says “sold out”, please email us and we will notify you as to how soon it will be available.

Will the item I order look exactly like the picture?

In most instances, the item will look very similar to the pictured image. However, all items are handcrafted, not machine-made. Therefore, there may be variations in color and detail. Even so, we make every effort to make sure that the product shown is as similar as the one you will receive as possible. Again, if you are not satisfied, simply return it and we can exchange it for another item, or issue a refund.

Can I place a custom order?

If you have in mind a special image, animal or gift idea that you would like to have custom designed, please notify us by email. Many artists take custom orders, so don’t hesitate to ask if your idea can be fashioned into a one-of-a-kind work of art.

Payment

What methods of payment do you accept?

Loving Africa accepts Credit Cards and PayPal.

Will I be charged sales tax?

We are required to collect sales tax for shipments to California only. If your shipping address is outside California you will not be charged a sales tax. For California shipments, the current sales tax rate of 8.25% is added automatically to the merchandise total.

How do I know if I placed my order successfully?

After completing the checkout process, a confirmation page will display your completed order and you will receive a confirmation via email, as well.

Is this transaction 100% secure?

Your transaction is 100% secure. We use the industry standard SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which insures that your private information cannot be seen as it travels over the internet.

Will my privacy be protected?

Loving Africa respects your privacy and does not share any information with third parties. We do not keep credit card information on record.

Shipping

What are my shipping options?

Shipping charges are shown in the table below, and include insurance for your security. In most cases, we ship in-stock items within 72 hours of receiving your order. Transit time depends on your distance from our location in California. We use FedEx, UPS or the US Postal Service. FedEx and UPS require a street mailing address. However, we will ship orders to a PO Box, APO, FPO or international address via the US Postal Service (Priority Mail).

How will my shipping charges be calculated?

We don’t inflate our shipping charges. They are flat value-based rates as shown in the table below. We process most in-stock orders within 48 hours, and ship them within 72 hours of processing. However, you should allow up to two weeks after the shipment date to receive your order, as we generally use ground shipping services to keep rates low. For items that are on back-order, we will notify you of the expected date of arrival.

If you need your shipment to arrive by a specific date, please notify us and we will reply regarding the likelihood of timely arrival and the necessary shipping method. We may suggest expedited service, which carries an additional charge.

SHIPPING CHARGES
(within the United States)

Order total	Shipping cost
$0.00 - $14.99	$3.99
$15.00 - $29.99	$4.99
$30.00 - $74.99	$6.99
$75.00 - $99.99	$7.99
$100.00 - $149.99	$9.99
$150.00 & Up	$11.99

Charges for Optional Services
Multiple Address Fee : $4.99 per additional address
Expedited Shipping : $9.99 and up, depending on weight
International Shipping : see below

How will I know when my order has been shipped?

Once your order has shipped, you will receive a Shipping Confirmation email with a link to track your order. By following this link, you can see what method of shipment was used and where your package is located.

How can I track my shipment?

If FedEx is used to ship your order, an email will be sent with a tracking number and a link to track your package. This tracking number can also be entered manually at one of the following web addresses for U.S. shipments:
FedEx: http://www.fedex.com/us/tracking/
UPS: http://www.ups.com/WebTracking/track?loc=en_US

If the US Postal Service is used, you will receive a delivery confirmation number which can be used to confirm the delivery of your shipment.
USPS: http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm

Do you ship outside of the United States?

Loving Africa ships to all of the 50 United States as well as all APO/FPO addresses and Puerto Rico with the shipping costs listed in the table above.

Residents of the UK, Ireland, France, Japan and Canada may also place an order for delivery via Global Priority Mail via the US Post. If your country is not listed here, please send us an email to inquire about shipping options. Please note that the shipping charges listed above will not apply to international shipments, but will be calculated according to your location. You may place an inquiry via email to receive a shipping quote. Otherwise, you will receive an email with the estimated shipping charges after placing your order.

Can I request that an item be sent to someone as a gift?

Yes! Any item from Loving Africa can be sent to a gift recipient. Simply insert the recipient’s details in the Shipping Address form, and indicate if you want a brief personalized message included.

Do you offer gift wrapping services?

Yes! Many of our items can be gift wrapped for $3.99. Gift wrap can be requested by clicking on the orange Wrap Gift button (located on the left menu, just above "Discounts & Prizes").

A gift card is available upon request. Notify us of your gift message(s) via email. No pricing or promotional material will be included with gift orders.

Can you guarantee that my holiday order will arrive before December 25?

For guaranteed arrival before December 25:
Orders must be placed by December 13 for standard shipping.
Orders must be placed by December 18 for expedited shipping.

Return Policy

What is your return policy?

We guarantee your complete satisfaction. If for any reason you are not happy with your purchase, please notify us immediately via email regarding the nature of your problem so that we can work to rectify the situation as soon as possible. You may return or exchange it within 30 days of the date of purchase, in its original condition. Shipping charges are non-refundable. For refunds, we will issue a check or, if preferred, provide you with a gift certificate of the same amount. Returns should be sent to:

Loving Africa
c/o Returns
PO Box 6038
Altadena CA 91003

Please note that items purchased for the sole purpose of resale on auction websites are not eligible for our 30 day return policy.

When will I be credited for my return?

We mail you a refund check as soon as we receive the merchandise and process your return.

Privacy & Security

Is my privacy protected?

Loving Africa respects your privacy and does not share any information with third parties. We do not keep credit card information on record.

Is my online transaction secure?

Your transactions are 100% secure. We use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which insures that your private information cannot be seen as it travels over the internet.

LOVING AFRICA
WHERE EVERY CONSUMER IS A PHILANTHROPIST
& EVERY PUCHASE IS A GIFT

Loving Africa offers a unique selection of contemporary South African art, crafts and gifts. Our entire stock of lovingly-crafted artisan jewelry, beadwork, collectibles and figurines is handmade by skilled artists earning a sustainable income.

Loving Africa is the online store of Art Aids Art, a nonprofit organization promoting education and sustainable economic development through the arts.

Customer Service, Shipping, Privacy & Security