Rules for Ordering Puppets From Our Workshop

Legal Status and Applicable Laws

WoodenTales operates as a registered proprietorship business under Indian law. Our business is registered with the Udaipur Municipal Corporation and complies with Rajasthan state regulations for handicraft workshops.

All transactions are governed by Indian law, specifically the Indian Contract Act, 1872, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. For international orders, we comply with customs and import regulations of the destination country to the best of our ability, but customers are responsible for understanding and paying any import duties or taxes in their country.

Our GST registration number is available upon request for business customers requiring tax invoices for accounting purposes.

What We Expect From Customers

When you order from WoodenTales, we expect:

• Payment of 50% advance: Required before we begin work on your puppet. This advance is non-refundable once carving begins, as each puppet is made specifically for your order

• Final payment before shipping: Remaining 50% must be paid when your puppet is completed and ready to ship. We send photos for your approval before requesting final payment

• Accurate shipping information: Provide complete and correct delivery addresses. We are not responsible for delivery failures due to incorrect addresses provided by customers

• Realistic timeline expectations: Standard puppets take 12-18 days to make. Custom orders require 6-8 weeks. Rush orders are sometimes possible with 30% additional cost

• Communication during custom orders: Respond to our design sketches and questions within 5 business days to keep your project on schedule

• Respect for artisans: Our craftspeople work hard to create quality puppets. Unreasonable demands or abusive communication will result in order cancellation with advance payment refund minus any work already completed

Handling Disagreements and Problems

If you are unhappy with your puppet or have concerns about your order, contact us immediately at contact@woodentales.com or call +91 98212 99969. Most issues can be resolved through direct communication.

Returns and refunds: We offer a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you are not satisfied with your puppet, return it to our Udaipur workshop (customer pays return shipping) for a full refund. Puppet must be in original condition. Custom-designed puppets cannot be returned unless there is a defect in craftsmanship.

Damaged in shipping: If your puppet arrives damaged, photograph the damage and packaging immediately. Email photos to us within 48 hours of delivery. We will repair or replace damaged puppets at no cost if the damage occurred during shipping.

Disputes: If we cannot resolve a disagreement directly, disputes will be handled through mediation in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Any legal proceedings must be filed in Udaipur district courts under Rajasthan jurisdiction.

Cancellations: You may cancel your order before carving begins (within 3 days of placing order) for full refund of advance payment. After carving begins, cancellations result in 50% refund of advance payment to cover materials and labor already invested.

Get in Touch With Questions

We prefer to explain terms in plain language rather than legal jargon. If anything in this document is unclear, please ask us to explain it.

These terms were written by Raghunandan Bhattacharya in consultation with a local business advisor. Last reviewed on January 8, 2025. We update these terms occasionally as our business practices evolve.

What We Promise About Your Puppet

Every marionette we create meets specific quality standards. We want you to know exactly what to expect when you order from us.

• Materials guarantee: All puppets use genuine sheesham wood from our verified supplier in rural Rajasthan. We do not substitute cheaper woods or composite materials

• Handmade verification: Each puppet is individually hand-carved and painted. We do not use machine carving or mass production techniques. Your puppet will have minor variations that prove it is handmade

• String quality: Control strings are professional-grade nylon designed for theatrical use, rated for minimum 500 hours of performance before replacement needed

• Paint durability: We use lightfast mineral paints or professional acrylics. Colors will not fade significantly for minimum 10 years under normal indoor conditions

• Costume fabrics: All fabric costumes are hand-sewn using quality cotton or silk blends. Stitching is reinforced at stress points to prevent tearing during performances

If your puppet fails to meet these standards within the first 30 days, we will repair or replace it at no cost. After 30 days, our lifetime repair service is available at discounted rates.

Intellectual Property and Design Rights

Traditional puppet designs (Rajasthani folk characters, historical figures, animals) are based on public domain cultural heritage. These designs can be freely reproduced by anyone.

For custom puppet designs created specifically for your order, you own the rights to use your commissioned character in your productions, publications, or performances. However, we retain the right to showcase photos of the completed puppet in our portfolio and use similar design elements for future customer orders.

If you need exclusive design rights (preventing us from making similar puppets for others), this must be negotiated before production begins and requires a 50% premium on the custom design fee.

The WoodenTales name, logo, and branded materials are our intellectual property. Customers cannot claim their purchased puppets are "WoodenTales originals" if they resell them commercially without our written permission.

Workshop techniques, construction methods, and carving processes developed by the Bhattacharya family remain our proprietary knowledge. Workshop participants agree not to commercially teach or publish our specific methods without written authorization.