FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

What is the shipping fee?

Visit our 'Shipping & Returns' page to see the full details. 

Where is pick-up located? Can you deliver? 

Pick-up is available in Markham. Once you have placed your order, we will notify you via email as soon as your order is packaged and ready for pick-up.The email will include the exact address of the pick-up location in addition to the pick-up time window. 

We may be able to accommodate local GTA deliveries but send us a message or email in advance to inquire. We typically charge about a $20 delivery fee depending on location and the extent of advance notice. 

How fast can I get my order? 

As a law student, I am in school full-time, engage in extracurriculars/volunteer work part-time, and work on Chittukuruvi in between. I am so fortunate to have a partner and family who enable me to juggle it all. As a small business, we do not have the capacity to guarantee turnaround times. We will strive to have your order ready for pickup within within 1 week  and will aim to promptly inform you if there will be any delays. 

HOWEVER, if you need your order urgently and can pick up, DM us on Instagram (@chittukuruvibooks) or email us at info@chittukuruvi-books.com. We'd be more than happy to make it happen if possible! 

 

Where do you source your collection from? 

We work with independent publishers around the world, ranging from Australia, India, Malaysia, and Singapore. We are so proud to also source from two local Canadian publishers, Amutha Learns & Kanaga Books! 

Do you have a physical store? Can I see the products in-person prior to purchasing?

We operate entirely as an online ecommerce store. We offer no contact pick-up only in Markham and Ottawa. However, we love to take advantage of any opportunity to connect with our community in-person! Canada Kanthaswamy Temple kindly allowed us to set up a booth at the temple on New Years Day 2023 to sell our collection. In the summer, we held a pop up at Madras Kaapi, the cutest South Asian cafe in Toronto! We would absolutely love the opportunity to set up booths at community events and venues and showcase our beautiful collection of Tamil children's books and educational resources. If you are aware of any opportunities, please contact us! 

How do you decide what to price the products at? 

The vast majority of our products come from Tamil small businesses abroad. Our Tamil children's books are sourced almost entirely from independent publishers, our beautiful dolls are handcrafted by a social enterprise in Tamil Nadu, and our pencil set is sourced from a Tamil Nadu small business as well. In addition to product costs, we also pay international shipping fees, that can be exorbitant considering the large weight of our bulk orders. 

There are so many expenses in running a business, many of which I didn't consider when starting this venture - website fees, marketing expenses, design tools, packaging, import/customs duties, gas to fuel trips to and from shipping centres/fulfil delivery requests/buy materials, shelving, storage space, etc.  

As a niche business, we took an enormous amount of risk in investing our time, money, and energy into this endeavour, working practically full-time hours to bring our vision to reality. Likewise, product prices also reflect our time & effort.