Ordering

How do I know a piece will suit me? Send us the product link on WhatsApp and ask — we will reply with extra photographs, daylight video and honest advice, including 'this one is not for your occasion' when that is the truth. Can I reserve a piece while I decide? Informally, for a few hours during store time — message us. Single-piece items sell without warning otherwise. Do prices change? The selling price shown is the price charged; sale reductions are real reductions against our marked price, and the strike-through you see is the same number our POS shows in store.

Is what I see in stock? Yes — the site sells from live store inventory, and the availability check on each product page is real. On the rare occasion two buyers race for the last piece, the second payment is refunded in full immediately with an apology and first pick of alternatives.

Payment

We are fully prepaid: UPI, all major debit and credit cards, and netbanking, processed by Razorpay. We do not offer Cash on Delivery at present. Card details never touch our servers — they go straight to Razorpay's PCI-DSS-compliant vault. Is EMI available? Where your card issuer offers EMI through Razorpay's checkout you will see the option at payment; the terms are the bank's. My payment failed but money left my account — see our Refund policy: network auto-reversal within 48 hours to seven days, and we can confirm the attempt's status from our dashboard if you send the order number.

Shipping

Where do you deliver? Over 97% of India's pincodes; the checkout verifies yours before payment. What does it cost? Free at ₹19,999 and above; otherwise the live courier rate for your parcel and pincode, shown as up to three speed choices before you pay. When will it arrive? Dispatch in one to two working days, delivery typically two to seven depending on distance and the speed you chose; your exact estimate appears at checkout and in Account → Orders with live tracking. Can you rush a wedding order? Tell us the wear-date on WhatsApp when ordering; Express options and a flagged dispatch usually solve it.

Returns and refunds

What is your return policy? All sales are final — no returns, exchanges or refunds on delivered orders, with one exception: damaged or wrong items reported within 48 hours of delivery with an unboxing video, which we resolve at our cost with replacement or full refund. Can I cancel? Any time before dispatch, for a full refund including shipping. Why no returns? Occasion wear returned is occasion wear worn; our policy guarantees the piece you receive has never been anyone else's, and keeps prices honest. The full reasoning and every edge case live on the Returns and Refund policy pages.

Products and craft

What does the Crafted Handwork tag mean? The decoration on that piece — zardozi, aari, gota patti, mirror work and kin — is genuinely hand-executed; machine-embroidered pieces are labelled Machine Work instead, because the difference is real and priced. Is the blouse included with a saree? The specification table on each product states inclusions exactly: most sarees include an unstitched blouse piece; lehenga listings state whether the blouse is semi-stitched and what margins exist. Are colours accurate? As accurate as screens allow — for critical decisions ask for daylight video, which we send freely.

How do I care for handwork? Dry clean only, first and always. Store zardozi flat or hanging in breathable cotton, never plastic; keep mirror work away from pressure; refold silks along new lines twice a year to spare the fibre. Each product page carries its own care line, and our WhatsApp will answer piece-specific care questions for as long as you own the garment.

Account and privacy

Do I need an account? Yes, for checkout — it is how your orders, addresses and tracking stay visible to you, and it takes under a minute. I forgot my password — use the reset link on the sign-in page; the email arrives within a minute from hello@nitarashankar.com. What do you do with my data? The short answer: fulfil your orders and nothing shady; the long answer, including every cookie and every third party, is the Privacy policy — written to be read, not skimmed past.

Craft and authenticity

How do I know the handwork claim is genuine? Ask for macro video of the reverse side — hand embroidery reads differently from the back (knots, thread travel, slight irregularity) and we will happily film it; machine work's mechanical regularity shows there instantly. Our Crafted Handwork tag is applied only where that test passes, and mislabelled work would be a 48-hour-window claim we would honour without argument. Do you sell replicas of designer pieces? No. Our pieces are our own sourcing and finishing; where a style participates in a broad trend, the listing says what the piece is, not whose runway it echoes.

Will heavy zardozi shed? Real metal-thread work can release the odd sequin in its first wearings — normal, and the reason we advise keeping the leftover fabric scraps as a repair kit. Genuine detachment of whole motifs is not normal and belongs in the damage window if present on arrival.

Gifting

Can you gift-wrap? Yes — gift wrapping is available at checkout for a small charge, with tissue, ribbon and a handwritten card whose message you type at checkout. Can you ship to the recipient directly? Of course: set their address as the delivery address and yours as billing; the parcel carries no price documents beyond the legally required invoice, which we can email to you instead where rules allow. Do you sell gift cards? Not yet — it is on our roadmap; for now many gift-givers pay for a WhatsApp-assisted selection session and let the recipient choose live with us.

Store visits and Jaipur

Can I see a specific website piece in store? Yes — send the link a day ahead and it will be steamed and set aside. Do store prices match the website? The selling price is the same in both places; the website's shipping is obviously its own. Can I pay online and collect in store? Message us first and we will arrange it — collection orders skip the shipping charge entirely. Is parking available? Yes, nearby, and the store is a short ride from Jagatpura railway station. Do you take appointments? Bridal visits benefit from one (WhatsApp a day ahead); walk-ins are welcome always. Can my tailor come with me? Bring them — a tailor who has touched the fabric fits it better, and ours will talk margins with yours happily.