FAQ’s

ABOUT SHOP UPDATES AND THE AVAILABILITY OF YAMA YARN:

Q: How do I purchase Yama Yarn?

Yama Yarn is sold online only at Yamayarn.com ~ I create 3 to 4 unique collections through the year which become available on the website during shop updates. The shop remains empty between updates. Worldwide shipping via DHL's very reliable and efficient courier service. 

Q: When is the next shop update?

1 April 2025 ~ keep an eye on my Instagram posts for more information.

Q: What time will the shop update go live?

The time of shop updates can unfortunately not be advertised as it creates high volumes of traffic resulting in the website becoming slow or crashing. I do post on Instagram once an update goes live ~ make sure not to miss any posts by signing up for IG notifications, see here how to do this.

Q: Everything is sold out..

Yama Yarn is a one person business, for this reason skeins are limited.

Q: I had skeins in my cart but couldn't check out?

Skeins are only reserved once an order was successfully checked out and paid for. While in the cart, the stock can sell out. In this case, it will not be possible to check out an order until the sold out items were removed from the cart. 

On occasion skeins may oversell due to high traffic volumes on the website during shop updates. If an order cannot be fulfilled, the skeins that are not available will be refunded.

ABOUT SHIPPING, IMPORT COSTS, MULTIPLE ORDERS & CURRENCY:

Shipping is at own risk and no insurance is included in the shipping fees. Yama Yarn can not offer refunds on lost or damaged parcels. To add insurance at an additional cost, please contact Madeleine via the Contact page as soon as an order was placed and a quote will be provided prior to shipping.

Q: Do you ship to my country?

Yes! I ship worldwide via DHL door-to-door couriers, a reliable and fast service with comprehensive online tracking, see the rates below - rates are reviewed for every shop update. Shipping within South Africa is via the Courier Guy.

Q: How much does shipping cost to countries outside of South Africa? 

Shipping costs are reviewed before each shop update and adjusted based on ZAR/USD exchange and fuel price. Costs include transaction fees. NO VAT and NO import taxes/duties on purchased items are included - where applicable, these charges will be payable by the receiver to the authorities in their country.

Annual DHL rate increase on January 1st of each year. 

April 2025 ~ to ship a parcel containing between 1-14 skeins via DHL couriers:

USD44 - Africa, Western & Central Europe

USD50 - USA  

USD62 - Eastern Europe, Middle East, Eastern Asia, Southern Asia, Japan, Asia Pacific, Canada & South America

Larger parcels are charged according to the weight and volumetric size of the parcel. 

Addresses to countries where DHL have less coverage (especially to Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Japan) or addresses in outlaying areas will attract a "remote area surcharge" of USD28. High risk areas (especially the Middle East) attracts a risk surcharge of USD40. This will be billed for separately via Paypal. Surcharged parcels are only shipped once full payment was received.

Q: What about VAT, import taxes, duties and any related fees? 

This varies from country to country. Customers are responsible for any VAT, import taxes, customs duties and/or related fees that may be applicable in their country. The pricing on Yamayarn.com does NOT include VAT. EU customers please be aware that new VAT rules for e-commerce came into effect on 1 July 2021, and it can be expected that VAT will now be payable on the arrival of your parcel.

Q: Can multiple orders be combined?

Yes, I do combine multiple orders into one parcel when possible and calculate a refund for overpaid shipping costs.This service attracts a USD10 fee. Note that on larger combined orders it is often still more cost effective to ship as multiple parcels, depending on how the yarns fit into the standard DHL packaging. Insurance will automatically be added to combined parcels to the USA of 10 and more skeins. Refunds are paid via PayPal 2-3 weeks after shipping. Multiple orders for delivery within South Africa will be combined but no refunds will be calculated.

Q: How long will it take for my parcel to be delivered?

Typically parcels to Europe and the US are delivered within a few days and within 1-2 weeks to most other destinations. Full tracking is available via the DHL website.

Q: I live outside of South Africa but will be visiting soon, can I have my order shipped to a South African address?

Yes you can! At check out, fill out your correct address under "billing address" and under "shipping address" the street address in South Africa where the parcel can be shipped to. Payment will be in USD via Paypal, but the website will charge for local shipping.

Q: Can I shop in the ZAR currency, it seems cheaper?

The Rand (ZAR) currency is only availlable to South African customers paying from a South African bank account for shipping to a South African delivery address. Everyone else will be charged in USD via Paypal. USD pricing includes transaction fees (Paypal + local bank fees).

OTHER FAQ's:

Q: Can I visit your store? I am visiting Cape Town soon, can I place an order?

I do not have a brick and mortar shop, the yarn is sold via the website at shop updates only. I do not take pre-orders or custom orders.

Q: Is Yama Yarn available via other stores / I own a yarn shop, can I stock your yarn?

Yama Yarn is sold via Yamayarn.com at shop updates only. I am not able to stock other stores at this time.

Q: When will a certain colourway be available again?

I prepare a unique collection for each shop update, most colourways will not repeat exactly but look out for similar shades in future collection!

Q: Will there be kits for the sweater that you test knitted?

I often put together colourwork bundles for sweaters that I test knit, but mostly skeins are sold individually.

I also work from stash alot which include older and experimental colourways, so while the exact colours may not be available, do look out for similar alternatives!

Q: Do you send newsletters, do you have a Patreon page?

Creating content is very time consuming ~ for now I post shop news on Instagram please follow along there to see what I am up to. 

Q: What dyes do you use, is it harmful?

The dyes are weak acid dyes that are fixed with common white vinegar or food grade citric acid and heat, and are non-hazardous to humans when used correctly. Fibre, yarn and textiles dyed with these dyes can be worn against the skin without risk. The dyes comply with EU regulations and the manufacturers confirm that cloth dyed with there dyes can be certified under the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. This standard is the most widely known standard for certification of ecologically-safe clothing. Detailed information can be found under https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/standard-100-by-oeko-tex. The dyes pose no risk to the environment if the dye liquid is neutralised with baking soda before disposal in the waste water system. 

Q: Will the colour bleed?

The yarn will not bleed when soaking in cool water. Dark, saturated colours can give off some colour on your hands while working with it ~ this is called "crocking". To reduce crocking, dark skeins can be rinsed and dried again before winding into a ball to work with it. More info about crocking under Care Instructions.