Where to Buy African Print Fabrics Online

African wax print fabrics are difficult to find when you’re living outside the continent. Most people turn to their local ethnic stores to get their fabric or source them directly from the African retailers through relatives who are travelling from and from countries in Africa. Well, I am pretty excited because I got a box of these African print fabrics all the way from Nigeria via a contact in Los Angeles and it arrived just in time to write this blog post. Based on my experience with shipping items from countries in Africa, I would like to share a few things that you should keep in mind when you are looking to buy these fabrics.

Find a Retailer of Wax Prints in Africa

Just because these African print fabrics were sent to me doesn’t mean the process was a piece of cake. The items were shipped out from Los Angeles to Canada through FedEx but there was a clearance delay and it took almost two weeks to get to me. Luckily I had the tracking number and was able to track the package so I noticed when there seemed to be an issue. I called customer service to resolve it and the next day I got my goods. To cut the long story short, if you are getting items sent to you, just make sure the shipper always declares the contents of the package including the overall value of the items so it doesn’t get delayed at customs. Keep in mind that you might need to pay custom fees depending on where the product is coming from. Like I said earlier, the best way to get African print fabrics is still to have someone ship it from Africa to you but if that does not work or you don’t know anyone who can do it for you, you can follow the steps below.

Buy African Print Fabrics from Etsy

Etsy: There are a whole bunch of retailers on Etsy selling African fabrics. Most of them are in the United States. All you need to do is just search carefully using the search terms “African print fabrics” or “ankara prints” and a lot of results will show on the page. Start by trying to find someone close to your location who is a seller. Make sure you read all the reviews for that seller especially their rules on shipping, taxes, returns and exchanges.

Check Your Local African Store

Do some digging in the city where you live to find a local retailer who sells the African fabrics at a reasonable price. You can ask Africans in the city, visit the multicultural centre or neighbourhood association for resources. In Canada for example, there are many ethnic stores in the African Diaspora where you get access to the fabric. Ask around the community, inquire from friends and see if you can get a word of mouth recommendation for someone to buy from.

Buy Online Directly from Vlisco

When all else fails, you can always turn to the top brands and patronize the big players in the game by buying directly from their online stores. One of such players is the popular Vlisco brand which consists of four fashion textile brands that first established the world of African print fashion. I hope these tips help you to find what you are looking for when it comes to African print fabrics.

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Have you bought African print fabric online before? Be sure to share your shopping tips and experiences in the comments section below.

Jamila Kyari

I’m a seasoned communications and marketing consultant with a penchant for all things stylish and chic. Follow me on social media and subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates on industry trends and much more!

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