Although I’m not a shopper, numerous treasures from around the globe have somehow managed to insert themselves into my suitcase. Seeing what some of my favorite souvenirs sell for in the U.S., I’m staggered.

I can’t do the Lotus Position–and I didn’t need any reminders of the mad Indian Yoga Master I encountered in Kottayam. So I resisted the local grass woven mats: $2 for a simply-woven mat or $16 for a super-fine Pattamadai mat shimmering with silk threads.

Maybe I was foolish. Similar “authentic yoga/meditation mats from India” (without silk threads) sell for ridiculous prices in the States. Anything from $35 to $70.

Perhaps because of nostalgia for youthful idealism, many Baby Boomers are moving away from mass-produced goods and purchasing in the global market place. Did you know the traditional crafts market in the U.S. is worth $22 billion–and $280 billion worldwide?

“There is a hunger for authenticity,” says Armenia Nercessian, co-founder of L.A.-based Novica, a website showcasing the work of global artisans. “People want to know why an item was made, who made it, how they made it, and what inspired them. They want to feel good about what they bring into their homes.”

I certainly feel good about what I’ve bought into my home: Bohemian crystal goblets from the Czech Republic…a replica gargoyle from Rouen in France…a sheila-na-gig stone figurine and the two-headed Janus from Northern Ireland…the voodoo doll from Haiti (via New Orleans)…the Winter Solstice witch from Austria…the sumptuous fabrics from India, China, and Malaysia…the jade Singha dragon from the Thai-Burmese border.

But that’s just for starters–and I don’t even do this for a living! I have to mention the olive wood Komboloi (worry beads) from the Peloponnese in Greece. I bought these for just over $3. On websites in the States, you’ll see plastic/resin worry beads priced at $13-$21. Olive wood beads can cost as much as $39.

I paid $55 for the gold- and silver-leafed icon of St. George slaying the dragon from Varna in Bulgaria. Buy from U.S. religious art websites (and their icons aren’t as classy as mine) and it will cost you anything from $200 to $392.

There’s the exquisite hand-beaded shoes for $39 from a backstreet craftsman in Malacca, Malaysia. These cost $105-$130 in Kuala Lumpur’s boutiques. Unfortunately I can’t say what you’d pay in the States because they’re so unusual–I’ve never seen anything like them.

Why didn’t I buy a suitcase full of amber ear-bobs when I first visited Latvia in 1991? They were only $0.50 a pair. But it’s not only amber jewelry–you’ll also come across exquisite amber carvings. In the States, prices are around $38 a gram. In the Baltic countries, more like $6.50 a gram. But the real place to make an amber killing is Kaliningrad. There it’s an equivalent $2.20 per gram.

I could have used this entire postcard detailing bargains from Chiang Mai in Thailand. As it’s probably highly irresponsible to tell you about the opium scales and weights (for decoration, not personal use!), I’ll confine myself to one deal: A pale green celadon teapot with rattan handle in the shape of an elephant, with four matching cups. I bought the set locally for $19. Novica sells something very similar for $123–and their suggested resale price is $175.

Another Thai buy was a teak wood “spirit house” I picked up in the Golden Triangle area for $21. The price for Joe Public? Well, unless you visit Thailand yourself, figure at least $200.

Steenie Harvey
Intrepid Explorer, International Living

P.S. Here’s an insider import-exporter tip–If you plan on selling your global finds on the Internet, use an interesting little story to attract prospective buyers. For example, if I brought back a consignment of those mats from India I mentioned earlier, I would talk about how Pattamadai in southern India is famous for its grass mats. In previous times it was considered prestigious to include a couple of these mats in a wedding collection. Woven from Korai grass growing on the banks of the river Tamaraparan; it’s said the smoothness of the mats depends on how finely the Korai is split. Old craftsmen will tell you with pride that it was a finely textured Pattamadai mat that was chosen in 1947 as India’s wedding gift to Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

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