Shipping policy

General policy

Once MedA Conseils has checked the product and CIAAC has certified its quality, MedA Conseils agrees the overall price of the piece, shipping included, with the artisan. MedA Conseils then collects the parcels from the artisan and hands them to the carrier: the artisan does not ship anything themselves.

Delivery is handled by DHL, PostNL and La Poste du Bénin, depending on the destination. From Benin, MedA Conseils entrusts the parcel to La Poste du Bénin, the national postal operator and member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), through its Postal Parcels (Colis postaux) and EMS - international express mail services, with package tracking and optional insurance on declared value, or to DHL for an international express shipment. Items from the multicultural shops in the Netherlands and made-to-measure bags sewn in Heerlen are delivered by PostNL or DHL (see below).

Every shipment of goods is accompanied by the CN23 customs declaration and the invoice required by La Poste du Bénin, along with a tracking number (UPU format ending in "BJ").

The delivery times listed below correspond to actual transport time, excluding production time if the product is made to order (this lead time is indicated on each product page). As a guide, La Poste du Bénin EMS service indicates an international transit time of J+1 to J+4 depending on the destination.

Sources: La Poste du Bénin - Postal Parcels - Express Mail (EMS) - DHL - PostNL.

Multicultural shops in the Netherlands

Items from the shops in the network are prepared by the shop. When ordering, you choose:

• Collection at the shop: free. You show the collection code received by email.
• Home delivery: the cheapest carrier for your country and the parcel weight, PostNL or DHL, at the rates in the table below. The exact amount is shown in the cart. If you are not at home, the parcel is left at a nearby PostNL or DHL pick-up point.

For home delivery, we arrange the shipment: the shop does not receive your address.

Made-to-measure bags sewn in Heerlen

Each bag is sewn to order. The lead time shown before ordering covers design (about 5 days), collection of the fabric from the artisan (about 10 days), packaging (1 day) and transport:

• Netherlands and other countries: the cheapest carrier for your country and the parcel weight, PostNL or DHL, at the rates in the table below, with its delivery time.
• If you are not at home, the parcel is left at a nearby PostNL or DHL pick-up point.
• Delivery is possible to every country served by PostNL or DHL, except countries under European Union sanctions. Outside the European Union, the sale is an export: 0 % VAT, and the customs duties and taxes of the destination country are paid by the recipient on delivery.

The price of a bag is made up of the making price (fabric, supplies, sewing, packaging), the platform commission and the VAT of the delivery country; shipping costs including VAT are added. Parcel tracking appears on your order page and is emailed to you on dispatch.

Shipping costs from the Netherlands

This table applies to shop items and made-to-measure bags. It is built from the PostNL and DHL rates stored in our database, which are checked continuously: it changes as soon as a carrier changes its prices. For each country and weight, the cheapest carrier is used.

• PostNL : rates valid since 01/10/2026 · checked on 03/10/2026
• DHL : rates valid since 01/10/2026 · checked on 03/10/2026

Prices include VAT, for a parcel delivered to a home address from the Netherlands. The exact amount, based on the real weight of the cart (packaging included), is shown in the cart.

For a specific parcel, the calculator « What will your shipping cost? » gives the rate by country and weight, from Benin and from the Netherlands.

One cart

If your cart combines artisans' creations, shop items and bags, each part keeps its own delivery method and costs, shown before payment. You pay for everything at once.

Order preparation

• Items in stock - shipped within 2 to 5 business days.
• Made-to-order pieces - production time indicated on the product page (often 5 to 21 days).
• Unique pieces - check the product page; some require stock verification with the artisan.

Order tracking

You receive an e-mail at each step: order registered, payment received, preparation, shipment, delivery. The "payment received" step only appears once the payment has been confirmed by Mollie or Kkiapay: an order whose payment did not go through stays "awaiting payment", and you can resume the payment from your order page as long as the deadline has not passed.

Shipping from Benin: La Poste du Bénin

When MedA Conseils drops the parcel off at La Poste du Bénin for shipment, it receives a deposit receipt bearing a tracking number in the international UPU format ending in "BJ" (e.g. EE…BJ for an EMS shipment, CP…BJ for a postal parcel). This number follows the international S10 format. For a DHL or PostNL shipment, the carrier's own tracking number applies.

The tracking number is recorded by our courier when the parcel is handed over and appears on your order tracking page. The following steps (in transit, customs clearance, out for delivery, delivered) are reported by MedA Conseils from La Poste's international tracking; you can also track the number directly on the La Poste du Bénin website.

Shipping from the Netherlands: PostNL

1. We pack your order in Heerlen, print the PostNL label and drop the parcel off at the nearest PostNL point.
2. The parcel is scanned on drop-off: its PostNL tracking number appears on your order page and is emailed to you with the tracking link.
3. PostNL delivers the parcel to your address.
4. If you are not at home, PostNL leaves the parcel at a PostNL point near you and lets you know by e-mail and in the PostNL app. You have 5 days to collect it, with valid ID (the original); someone else can collect it with their own ID and your address. After that, the parcel comes back to us: you can request a new shipment (paid service, see below).

Shipping from the Netherlands: DHL

1. We pack your order in Heerlen, print the DHL label and drop the parcel off at the nearest DHL ServicePoint.
2. The parcel is scanned on drop-off: its DHL tracking number appears on your order page and is emailed to you with the tracking link.
3. DHL delivers the parcel to your address.
4. If you are not at home, DHL leaves the parcel at a DHL ServicePoint or DHL parcel locker near you and sends you a message, then two reminders. You have 5 days to collect it, with valid ID. After that, the parcel comes back to us: you can request a new shipment (paid service, see below).

Outside the Netherlands, the parcel is delivered by the carrier's partner in the destination country, with its own collection periods. In every case, keep your tracking number: at each step it shows where your parcel is (on its way, delivered, left at a pick-up point) on our Track a parcel page or on the carrier's website.

New shipment of a parcel returned to us

If your PostNL or DHL parcel was not collected in time and comes back to us, request a new shipment on the page Request a new shipment, with your order reference and your e-mail address. This service is paid:

1. You make the request online within 60 days of dispatch. You can correct the address, within the same country.
2. As soon as the parcel is back with us, we e-mail you the bank card payment link (3-D Secure verification), valid for 14 days.
3. Price: 15 % of the order total excluding VAT, plus the carrier's current rate for this parcel excluding VAT. The VAT of the delivery country is added once on this total (0 % outside the European Union). The breakdown is shown before you send the request and appears on the invoice.
4. After payment, we send the parcel again and you receive the new tracking number by e-mail.

If the parcel does not come back to us (lost by the carrier, for example), no payment is asked: write to us from the Contact page.

Customs duties and taxes

Shipments strictly follow the framework of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) network. Every shipment of goods is accompanied by the CN23 customs declaration and the invoice.

• ECOWAS zone - deliveries within this area benefit from regional agreements that generally reduce or eliminate customs taxes.
• European Union (EU) - all goods imported into the EU are subject to the VAT of the destination country from the first euro. In addition, from 1 July 2026, a flat customs duty (around 3 € per item type, for parcels up to 150 €) applies to direct shipments from third countries - including Benin - to EU consumers; a further handling fee (around 2 € per shipment) is expected by the end of 2026.
• Rest of the world - customs duties and local taxes may be charged by the authorities of the destination country.

All such taxes, handling fees, or clearance charges are the sole responsibility of the recipient and are collected on delivery. Neither we nor the carriers (DHL, PostNL, La Poste du Bénin) have any control over these amounts or over customs retention times.

Sources: European Commission - end of the 150 € exemption - La Poste du Bénin - Postal Parcels.

In case of problems

If your parcel is damaged, lost, not received or not as ordered, please report it as soon as possible with our Report a parcel problem form: find your order, describe the problem and add photos. You immediately receive an acknowledgement by e-mail, with a personal link to follow the claim and write to us. We open the case together with the artisan or the shop, MedA Conseils and the carrier concerned (DHL, PostNL or La Poste du Bénin).

For a damaged parcel, please do so within 7 days of receipt: this is the time DHL and PostNL give us to report the damage. For other problems, please report within 14 days. After this period, your claim is still reviewed: the legal guarantee of conformity applies in addition to this procedure.

We contact the carrier ourselves, as the sender. Each carrier has its own rules:

• PostNL: damage must be reported within 7 days of delivery, with photos of the parcel, the packaging and the label, and the invoice. Only registered or insured shipments are compensated; with increased liability, the contents are covered up to €5,000.
• DHL eCommerce (parcels dropped at a DHL ServicePoint): damage must be reported within 7 days of delivery, loss within 14 days.
• DHL Express: claims must be made in writing within 30 days of DHL accepting the shipment. Without insurance, DHL's liability is limited by the Montreal Convention (22 Special Drawing Rights per kilo, air transport) or the CMR Convention (8.33 Special Drawing Rights per kilo, road transport); with insurance, the value of the goods is covered.
• La Poste du Bénin: see below.

For La Poste du Bénin, in accordance with international postal rules (UPU), compensation in the event of loss or damage depends on the type of shipment and the value declared at posting; an investigation may be required before settlement. Parcels insured on declared value are reimbursed up to that value.

Sources: PostNL - Damaged parcel - PostNL - Increased liability - DHL eCommerce - Reporting damage - DHL Express - Terms and Conditions of Carriage (sections 6 to 8) - La Poste du Bénin - Postal Parcels.

Last updated: 02/10/2026 at 03:39