1. I want to know more about Berbero Saharan Handicrafts (BSH)
- What is the meaning of “Berbero Saharan Handicrafts”
- There is no plural form for “Handicraft”, so why handicrafts?
- When has BSH been in this promotion business?
- Is BSH registered anywhere in the world?
- Is BSH registered anywhere in the world?
- Who is Berbero Saharan Handicrafts (BSH)?
- Who created this promotional website? The owner?
- Why should I trust BSH and buy from their website? Is it safe and secure?
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| 3. Origin of products selling on BSH website: |
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Answers
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1. I want to know more about Berbero Saharan Handicrafts (BSH):
a. What is the meaning of “Berbero Saharan Handicrafts” The Berbers are found from Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara desert and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile River. BSH is promoting their handicraft. The letter o after Berber is used in a French form to connect the Berbers of the Sahara as well not only the Kabyles found in the north. |
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b. There is no plural form for “Handicraft”, so why handicrafts?
The letter s was purposely added to show the uniqueness of the different handicraft of the Berbers. |
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| c. When has BSH been in this promotion business? Berbero Saharan Handicrafts was created in February 2006 in Sydney, Australia. Then in June 2006 in Tiziouzou, Algeria. |
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| d. Is BSH registered anywhere in the world? Yes, BSH is registered with the ABN 52717903377 |
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| e. Does BSH have a physical shop that we can visit? Yes, BSH is operating both online and in the shop at 62 enmore Road Newtown NSW 2042 Australia. |
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| f. Who is Berbero Saharan Handicrafts (BSH)? Please refer to about us for more information. |
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| g. Who created this promotional website? The owner? The owners Name is Hacène Baleh, kabyle/Berber man originally from Algeria who settled in Australia since 1999. Currently expanded the business to become a family business that operates in Australia, France and Algeria, however sell all around the world. |
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| h. Why should I trust BSH and buy from their website? Is it safe and secure? The business is fully registered in Australia and Algeria, please use the ABN number provided above to get information from whois website or the department of fair trading website. Also please read your Privacy Policy guidelines and the Terms & conditions. |
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| 2. What BSH does and can do? a. Are the products selling on BSH’s website purchased from exploited men, women and children in North Africa? We are buying the handmade Berber products from our brothers and sisters in North Africa in order to promote the culture. We are 100% against any kind of exploitation. |
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| b. Can BSH provide proof of purchase of their products? Yes, we can provide proof of import and purchase documents upon request. |
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| c. Can BSH ship worldwide both in retail and wholesale? Yes, we can ship worldwide both in retail and wholesale. Please refer to our wholesale discounts. |
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d. Does BSH only sell products from Algeria?
No, we sell products from the whole North Africa. We mainly have products from Algeria and Morocco, but we are looking for products from Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali, etc. |
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e. What else does BSH offer on top of selling handmade Berber ornaments?
We also promote the Amazigh culture, singers, poets, artisans, etc. We do try to help those who are active for their Berber culture. |
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f. What warranty does BSH provide?
If you receive products from us different than the way it was described; BSH is committed to rectify the error by all means. BSH is ready to replace or give full refund for the purchased item. Conditions apply. |
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g. Why BSH is usually insisting in registering or insuring the shipped packages?
BSH is insisting on registering or insuring products shipped by post in order to minimise breakages, losses and any other kind of damages. |
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h. Where does BSH shipping their products from?
BSH has stocks in both Australia and Algeria. Depending on the quantity and the product ordered, it could be shipped either from Sydney or Algiers. BSH is transparent about that. If for any reason, you prefer the products to be shipped from a particular country, please let us know before even you commit to a purchase. |
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3. Origin of products selling on BSH website:
a. Who are the Berbers anyway? The Berbers are the native people of North Africa who lived there for at least 5000 years. The Berbers have their own language, food, clothes, way of thinking about life in general, educated, etc. Their handicraft is the most known in North Africa including coral jewellery, Tuareg Jewellery, Berber rugs, Berber leather, Berber pottery, etc. |
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b. What is the difference between Kabyle, Tuareg, M’zab and Berbers?
Kabyle, MZab, Tuareg, Chaoui, Chenoui, Rifi and Chelhi are all dialects of the Berbers. They all have the same origins and they all speak Tamazight. Berbers is a name given to Imazighen by the Romans some 2000 years ago. We do however be called Imazighen (Amazigh for singular). |
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c. Where do the Berber live?
The Berbers are found from Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara desert in Niger and Mali and from the Atlantic Ocean (Canary Islands) to the Nile River (Sewa Island) |
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d. How old is the Berber culture and their handicraft
The Berbers lived in North Africa for more than 5000 years; it is a very ancient culture that is still not lost. It is not lost because it is extremely strong and extremely different than the rest of the worlds. The Berber Handicraft has brought fascination to North African ornaments. |
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4. Quality of products and material used:
a. How unique are these Berber ornaments? Why should I buy them, not buy others elsewhere? For sure you can buy from any store that you wish. We do offer unique and genuine handmade products made by people with an ancient history. The Berber products are not seen anywhere else in the world. Their uniqueness makes the buyers rest in peace as no one else have identical product as theirs. Every single item is handmade. There is a history behind most of the Berber ornaments, as they use the symbols and shapes that mean different aspects of life such as love, life, family, work, spirituality, femininity, power, success, happiness, etc. The Berber rugs are decorated with Berber symbols knitted by women to be offered to their future husband as the brides belts, it contains messages that the husband reads for the rest of his life with her. The Jewellery are all symbols, forms and shapes that also mean a lot. Please contact us for more details. |
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| b. Are the Kabyle Jewellery with coral are made out of silver? Yes 100% pure silver 950 |
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| c. How pure is the silver used for the Kabyle Jewellery? The silver we use for our coral jewellery is the 950, purer than the 925. This is in order to have more flexibility in shaping and moulding by hand. Please download the certificate of Authenticity. |
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| d. Are the Tuareg Jewellery made out of silver? Yes the Tuareg Jewellery are made out of Tuareg Silver. |
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e. How pure is the silver used for the Kabyle Jewellery?
The Tuareg artisans usually use thin silver sheets in their jewellery. In order to carve and engrave it by hand, the metal had to be hardened, that is the reason they mix other metals such copper or nickel or so on. They are also used to give permanent colours to the Jewel. You can also get them in pure Silver 925 or even 950, which are more expensive because of the amount of silver used to make them. According to some surveys and experiences we had with our customers with ear allergies (infections) to Nickel or other non pure silver or gold metals, the Silver 950 earrings causes no reactions or infections to the ears. |
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f. Clothes and outfits
i. Are the Kabyle/Berber dresses or outfits made in Algeria or Australia or…and why? The Kabyle dresses and outfits are all handmade made in Algeria. 1) because that is where the professional tailors are; 2) BSH is helping to reduce the unemployment rate in Algeria particularly for women, 3) it makes the price of the outfits and dresses very cheap while the dress makers are well paid, this is because of the exchange rate difference between the currencies. |
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ii. Are the dress makers professional?
Indeed, they export to France, USA, Canada, Australia, Spain, Italy, UK, Germany, etc. Also, they cover a huge part of the local market in algeria, where competition is extremely high. |
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iii. Are the dresses made professionally for brides, weddings, parties, etc or…?
You can have any dress you want and for any occasion, they can even reproduce dresses they see on pictures only. |
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iv. How can they be custom made if we can’t even see the dress maker to take measurements?
There is a detailed form online where pictures and measurement guidance that you can fill out. Please provide accurate measurements and we will make an outfit that fits best. |
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v. Can I choose a different fabric for my dress?
Indeed you can choose any fabric you want. The price of the new fabric can be either cheaper or dearer. Before we order the fabric; first we will send you a picture of it with the price. You give us your go-ahead, you pay the total amount including the shipping and handling in choosing the expedition method (Air mail, air mail with insurance, registered, express, etc). The new order is therefore made. |
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| vi. Can I send you my preferred fabric? Any discount? Of course you can send us your preferred fabric, which you buy yourself. Your dress will then be cheaper in price. |
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vii. What is the quality of the fabric used for the dresses? For the most popular fabrics, we normally find two to three quality choices in the market, sometimes we only find one choice unfortunately if the fabric is not as popular in the culture. We use the second quality wherever we have a choice, but most of the time we select the first choice. We check and assess the quality of the fabric before buying it. We never use the third and forth choices as this could compromise our business.
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viii. Are all the fabrics always available?
Unfortunately that is not always the case in Algeria. Fabrics get discontinued, other new ones get fabricated or imported. Therefore, the products you find today are not necessary the same you find in few weeks time. Therefore, we always check the availability of the fabric as a customer orders an outfit. |
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ix. Can I order the complete Kabyle uniform that comes with dress, Fouta and belt?
Of course you can. If works out cheaper for you to order the whole set in giving you a discount. We encourage our customers to bundle their orders to save heaps. |
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x. Can I order the complete Kabyle outfit with that comes with dress, Fouta, belt and matching Jewellery?
Of course you can. If works out cheaper for you to order the whole set in giving you a discount. We encourage our customers to bundle their orders to save heaps |
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xi. Why are the dresses so low in price?
The dresses are so low in prices because we make them in the kabylie region in Algeria. The labour is not as expensive as in the western countries such as Australia, France, UK, Canada, USA, etc. |
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g. Berber rugs look beautiful on the picture, are they genuine?
I went personally to the Sahara desert to purchase these beautiful Berber Rugs made by the Mouzabites people (Mouzabites are another ethnic group of the Berbers, located in the Algerian Sahara desert and known for their unique handmade Rugs). All the Rugs we are selling are genuinely handmade by the Berbers using Camel hair, sheep wool or synthetic fibre. The choice is yours! |
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5. Why are the products selling on BSH’s website so low comparing them to other professional websites?
Because the goal of Berbero Saharan Handicraftsis to promote a culture, not just to make profit. After exhibiting these handmade Berber products few times to the general public in Australia, we sell them on our website with cheaper prices to cover the cost of the import, taxes and other expenses with a minimal margin of the profit. |
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| 6. What is the value of the Australian Dollar comparing it to the US$ of Euros? You know the rate is always changing but it is usually as follows: 1 AUD = 0.75 Euros 1 AUD = 1.050 USD Please refer to our website for current rates conversion. |
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7. Are the products selling on BSH website really handmade?
They are indeed all handmade. Please read the descriptions on every product to see exactly how they are made and what they are made out of. BSH does not mislead its customers and readers. If you any reason, you believe that the product you received is not handmade contrarily to what is described on the product on the website, we have then committed to refund the money you paid and offering the product as a present. Which means you are receiving double the amount free. |
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| 9. Are all the products GST (Goods and Services Tax, that applies to Australian buyers) inclusive? Yes the GST is included in the product price for domestic orders. There is no GST on all international purchases. |
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10. Je suis Francophone, Comment commander en ligne? |
| If you cannot find answers to your questions, please contact us Si vous n`arrivez pas a trouver des réponses à vos questions, veuillez nous écrire. |
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| Hacène Baleh Director of BSH Berbero Saharan Handicrafts |