FAQ’s

ABOUT SHOP UPDATES AND THE AVAILABILITY OF YAMA YARN:

Q: How do I purchase Yama Yarn?

Yama Yarn is sold via Yamayarn.com only. I create 5-6 collections during the year, which becomes 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?

September 2nd, 2023

Shop update dates are announced on the website homepage and on Instagram a few days in advance.

When I add a new collection to the website, I post about it on Instagram and the yarn is then sold first-come-first-serve. 

Q: What time will the shop update go live?

The time of shop updates can unfortunately not be advertised. I have done this in the past and it created a chaotic frenzy on the website. An extremely high volume of traffic in a short period of time results in the website becoming overloaded, slow, unresponsive or crashing completely. This in turn amounts to an administrative nightmare of oversold products, unpaid orders and customer correspondence. Hence, the time of updates will not be advertised for very practical reasons.

Q: Everything is sold out..

Yama Yarn is a small home based business, with one person handling everything about it. Skeins are not mass produced. Each single skein is dyed, washed, twirled, labeled, photographed, packed and shipped by one person. What I can produce per collection has a limit to it ~ in the form of time, energy, space and the amount of administration that goes with each skein. 

Q: "Please do your updates in a time zone that will suit people on the other side of the world"..

It is impossible to do an update at a time that comfortably suits every singles person in this world. I fully understand the frustrations around this issue. I do try to alternate the times that my updates go live, but it is also depending on my situation and what window period I have for doing a certain update. When it goes live I have to be available to monitor the orders and offer customer support for a few hours thereafter.

Because the skeins are very limited vs current demand, the shop updates can be very stressful. If you missed a shop update or specific colourways, please be mindful and try to refrain from posting comments or sending DM's and emails out of frustration that adds to the stress. (Kind, supportive messages are always appreciated, thank you!).

Q: I had skeins in my cart but couldn't check out? (AKA Cartjacking) 

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, it will be refunded in full or for the skeins that are not available.

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.

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. Shipping within South Africa is via Dawnwing door-to-door or Postnet counter-to-counter at R139.50 for an A3 sized parcel.

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. Shipping costs are adjusted for every shop update, based on ZAR/USD exchange and fuel price.

September 2023 ~ to ship a parcel containing between 1-14 skeins via DHL couriers:

USD40 - Africa, Western & Central Europe

USD50- USA  

USD60 - 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. 

Certain 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. This will be billed for separately via Paypal. if you are living a little off the beaten track, please do expect this. 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 when applicable. For some combined orders larger than 14 skeins it is often still more cost effective to ship as multiple parcels, depending on how everything fits into the standard DHL packaging. Sometimes with extra large combined parcels, there are no overpaid cost to refund. Insurance will be added to larger parcels to the US when sufficient funds have been paid through multiple orders. Parcels are charged for by DHL based on whatever is larger - mass or volume - I always try to pack as economically as possible. Refunds are paid via PayPal after I have received the bill from DHL to compare actual vs paid cost (typically 2 weeks after shipping). Combining orders attract a USD10 admin fee.

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 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 with 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, which unfolds on the go and as inspiration strikes..so this question is a tricky one to answer! I do not dye every colourway every time. Batches of the same colourway will vary, some more than others since my colourways evolve and change over time. More about my colourways on the About page.

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

Full sweater kits are not practical to offer. My colourway batches are small and everyone needs a different quantity for their size. Skeins are sold individually or occasionally I put together a set of colours for colourwork, but the main colour still has to be purchased separately if the intended knit is a sweater.

For my own knits (including test knits) I often use colourways that will be available at the upcoming shop update, but I also work from stash which includes older and experimental colourways which will not be repeated exactly the same. The exact yarns and colours that I use for my knits will not always be available again but look out for similar alternatives!

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

My newsletter and Patreon page is on a hiatus..creating content is very time consuming. For now I am active on Instagram only, 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?

Dark, saturated colours can give off some colour on your hands while working with it. This is called "crocking". I often knit with my darkest colourways and while I have experienced the staining on my hands (which wash off with soap and water off course!), the colour do not bleed when soaking the knit in cool water. 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.