Raksha Bandhan concentrates a month of parcels into about ten days, and the items themselves are small, light and easy to crush. Both facts should shape what you buy and when.

What travels well

• Thread and bead work — flexible, with nothing to snap.
• Meenakari and metal-centred rakhi in a rigid box rather than a pouch.
• Lumba sets, provided the hanging cords are coiled rather than stretched.

What needs care

Anything with a glass or resin stone in a shallow bezel can loosen if the parcel lands on its edge. We box these rather than bag them; if you are posting one onward yourself, keep the original box.

Timing

Handling is 1-2 business days, then 2-4 business days to metro cities and 4-8 business days to the rest of India — and those windows stretch in the week before the festival. Ordering with four or five days in hand is the difference between a gift arriving and a gift arriving late.

If it arrives damaged

Film the parcel as you open it and write to us within 48 hours. In festival weeks we would rather replace quickly than work out who dropped it.