funfaqs

Where do you get all of these amazing things?
Eli is our only buyer. He travels to China, Tibet, Nepal and Mongolia. He and his wife
Pauline both used to go but they now have four young children.
How are you able to find all of these different items?
It's a simple process, much like a vacation. Eli merely hops a plane, sleeps for over a
day on the flight and then checks into the nearest five star hotel in Beijing. He then
makes a few phone calls to his contacts and they bring items to him on silver platters.
No, wait. That's how Walmart buyers do it. Actually, he'll take whatever transportation
is available and travel to as many towns and villages in the provinces as he can. He
hits different areas each time because he limits each trip to about three weeks. On
the way he visits old contacts and seeks out new ones.
It must be great having a job like this, all the exotic travel!
This certainly is a great job for all of us here at Artasia. It's not even like having a
job, especially since we're in business for ourselves. It's hard work but we get to do
what we love. Although the buying trips are to faraway places, it's not like a vacation.
There is constant travel, planning, negotiations, etc. We have to get in as much travel
as possible because we're always seeking new items, new contacts, etc. Whoever
goes always feel like they need a vacation when they return!
How often do you go on buying trips?
Five to seven times per year, depending on what we need. The length of the buying
trips used to be about three weeks but now they are each around ten days. We now
have such a variety of items that every travel day there is at least one flight to
another city.
Do you have to speak Chinese to do this? Eli and Pauline both speak mandarin
fluently. She is from Taiwan originally and he learned while living there for some years.
How did Eli learn to speak Chinese?                Top
He learned because he had to. Eli went to teach English in China when he was in his
early twenties. Although that job fell through, by the time he arrived he decided to
stay for the adventure. He lived in China, Taiwan and Hainan Island on and off for
eight years. Meanwhile he worked as an extra in commercials and films. (He was
Tarzan in a Gatorade commercial, a Russian soldier, a "bad guy" who always got beat
up by a karate kid. We're still on the search for the only movie Eli remembers the
name of: Ninja Killers.) He also owned a bar called "Catch 22."
How are you able to bring all these things back?
We have a warehouse in Beijing where all of our items are gathered before being
shipped to the U.S. The items are then loaded onto 40 ft. containers that travel
oversea, then by rail and finally by truck.
I was just in China and I could have bought a cabinet (statue, carving, etc.) just like
yours for much less. Why do you charge so much?
Unless you could carry the item back yourself you would pay more for that item than
you would in our store. Crating, shipping, insurance, local fees, customs, etc. raise the
cost of the item. You might even pay more there for an item than you would here,
especially if you're a tourist and don't have local contacts and don't buy in quantity.
I've been there and I know you don't pay much for these things, why are your prices
so high?
In order to stay in business to support our families we have to pay our bills. And we
live in America, where the cost of living is much higher. Lunch over there might be ten
cents, but here I think a good bowl of soup might actually cost around 50 cents by
now!
I'm from Manhattan (or LA or San Francisco or Chicago). Why are your prices so low?
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Though it costs more to live in Milwaukee than in Mongolia, the cost of living here is
less than in larger major cities. If we were based in a more expensive locale we'd
surely have to charge more. But even in Milwaukee we're known for having low prices.
Low prices make more sales. So we always have new items coming in. Plus, the
sellers can give us better deals if we buy more each time we see them.
Your prices are great! I hope you're not exploiting the workers?
We're direct importers, which means we buy right from the bronze makers, the statue
carvers, the furniture refinishers, the stone cutters, etc. There are no middlemen or
women. And most of what we buy keeps artists working in the age-old traditions. It's
a great alternative to having to work in a factory!
Do you practice Fair Trade?
Because we buy direct we see where and how our items are made. And we see who
makes the items. We don't buy from places that exploit their workers.
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