Frequently Asked Questions

★ FAQ ★

You've got questions,
We've got answers!

payment & shipping

Yes! We ship all over the world. Default shipping method for international orders is South African Postal Service’s Airmail with tracking. This method arrives in most main cities within 7-10 working days. If you require courier for faster, more secure shipping, please message us and we can arrange it for you.
Yes! We accept payments in most currencies. Please use the credit card method of payment and input your details to process the order.
We accept all major credit cards. For domestic orders, we accept EFT and payment on collection.
For domestic (South African) orders we ship via Fastway or The Courier Guy courier services. For international orders, we make use of SAPO airmail with tracking. Courier also available for international orders – please send us a message.
Due to security measures in place to protect our customer’s private details, sometimes an error occurs while processing payment. If this has happened to you, we do apologize! We can process your order manually and send you a link to make secure payment in order to confirm your order. Please email us at sales (at) sparrowsociety.co.za or message us in the chat box.
Yes! All our payments are processed on secure servers through official payment processing companies. Your payment details are not stored.

Orders & Returns

Place your order through the online shop. If you are having trouble, you can email your order to sales (at) sparrowsociety.co.za and we will process your order manually.
No, but creating an account will make it faster and easier for your next order. Account creation required for subscription products.
+27 66 242 5698
sales (at) sparrowsociety.co.za
If your order has not shipped yet, you can cancel your order by emailing us your order number.
You can track your order here.
Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase (please provide receipt) for a full refund as long as product is still in new condition with tag. We do not refund shipping unless product was not as ordered. Return shipping also for own account. Exchange available in store if no receipt available as long as product is in new condition, with tag, and is not discontinued.

Branded & Bespoke

You can call or whatsapp us at +27 66 242 5698 or send an email to hello (at) sparrowsociety.co.za with details of the products you need. You can also send us a message via whatsapp that is the left icon on your homepage or contact form on the contact page.
Yes! All our products are locally and ethically manufactured in Cape Town, South Africa.
Yes, absolutely! Our workshop, retail store and Branded Showroom is based in Muizenberg, South Africa. We would love to welcome you to show our product samples, discuss your concept and show you where the magic happens! Alternatively, our Partnerships Manager can also come and present the samples to your team at your workplace and discuss your concept.
  • Branded and Promotional items for corporates, conferences, churches, organisations, events
    Gift With Purchase (GWP) : we team up with brands who offer
  • Gift with Purchase (usually in the form of a cosmetic bag or tote) to offer customers in major retailers across the country.
  • Bespoke/CMT: We help designers make their product dreams come to life and help companies create the perfect product to match their needs. We offer standard CMT as well as Fully Factored Design service (product development).
  • Retail Stores in South Africa and International , we have our own line of products featuring Afri-Mod prints and inspirational typographic prints. Wholesale options available.
We are here to help you! Contact us by phone, whatsapp (left icon on your screen), email or drop in for a visit to our retail store and Branded Showroom to see examples of our Promotional Product Offerings. We can basically make anything textile.
Yes, branded and unbranded samples can be arranged. These will need to be paid for in full. Please contact us to discuss your product.
Yes, we certainly can! We offer this free of charge on basic mock ups – for example your logo or design on one of our products. If you would like for us to assist in your design process ie. assist in design of your quote or layout and font options, this would be charged at an hourly rate.
Yes. We offer full-service design and R&D (research and development) to assist you in creating completely new and unique products.
All our products are locally and ethically manufactured by our amazing team in Cape Town. We offer a full solution from product development and design to final product or you can just add your logo or design to our existing offerings. Our vision is to empower women through job creation and skills development partnerships and initiatives in South Africa. Every time YOU partner with us, you join our mission to Change The World One Really Cool Product At A Time.
Most definitely. Our Sewboss network has grown to over 100 women, highly skilled seamstresses all over Cape town. We are able to produce high quantities while still maintaining our high quality standards.
We manufacture a range of high quality branded and bespoke products, made ethically and locally in South Africa. You can add your logo or design to our existing offerings, or we can offer a full solution from product development to final product. We can basically make anything textile – send us an image and details for more information. Our product range and services include: Textile based products – 100% cotton totes & zip pouches, cosmetic bags, coin purses. Fabric Face Masks We offer customizations using screen printing and digital printing Recycled leather bracelets for conferences and events Leather bags Clothing – Fully Factored Manufacturing service that includes Technical drawings, pattern making, grading and sampling.
Our MOQ for bespoke products from our standard product range is 100 (eg- adding your logo/brand to a standard product). Any product that requires new product development outside of our standard product range (for example a custom shape or size, or added accent) is a minimum quantity of 500.
Our production capacity is very flexible. Currently we are able to produce 20,000 standard units (cosmetic bags) per week. This can easily be increased if you have a large order or short timeline.
Production time varies depending on current production levels, availability of materials, quantity ordered, and customisations required. Please note that orders are only put next in line in the production schedule once 50% deposit is received, at which time our team will provide you with an ETA. The estimated time table below is only an estimate and can vary according to the above mentioned specifications.
Please contact us for a more accurate indication on your specific product and our current production schedule.

Quantities of 100-200 :: 2-3 weeks
Quantities of 201-500 :: 3-4 weeks
Quantities of 501-1000 :: 4-6 weeks
Quantities over 1000 :: Please inquire
Digital Print :: Please add 2 weeks printing time
Bracelets :: 3-6 weeks
Yes, rush orders may be accommodated for an additional fee depending on current production capacity. Please inquire to confirm if your order qualifies. We do always recommend the standard lead time to ensure your product is of the highest quality. Please note that rushed orders can also impact quality as we might need to reduce our recommended quality control steps and increase overtime staff hours. Please note that no refunds or credit will be given on quality issues on rush orders.
To proceed with your order we require a 50% deposit. No materials will be ordered and your order will not be placed in production line until this deposit is received. We cannot accept responsibility for late delivery due to late payment. We also require the balance of the order to be paid before we dispatch the order to you. Please note that we can only release your products once the full order has been settled.

Donations - Section 18A

If you are a South African taxpayer, your donations (of up to 10% of your taxable income) can be deducted from your taxable income on your annual tax return.
Detailed information from SARS:
“A taxpayer, that may include an individual, trust or company, making a donation in cash or of property in kind is entitled to a deduction in determining that taxpayer’s taxable income provided the donation is actually paid or transferred during the year of assessment to the section 18A-approved organisation….
…the allowable deduction may not exceed 10% of the taxable income (excluding any retirement fund lump sum benefit, retirement fund lump sum withdrawal benefit and severance benefit) of the taxpayer as calculated before allowing any deduction for donations under section 18A or a deduction for foreign taxes under section 6quat(1C).”

If you process your donation through the online form above, your Section 18A certificate that you will need for tax deduction will be automatically emailed to you. If you process your donation offline, please email proof of payment to hello (@) sparrowsociety.co.za and we will populate your certificate manually for you.

The section 18A certificate may only be issued in respect of donations received in cash or kind (other than services). A misconception is that if the donation consists of free services rendered to the PBO, the PBO must also issue a section 18(A) certificate to the provider of the service. This is not the case.

Donations that do not qualify, for a deduction:

  • Donations of a service, such as time, effort, or skill to an approved organisation;
    Amount paid for the attending of a fundraising event/charity event;
  • Amount paid for the successful bid of goods auctioned at a fundraising/charity event by an organisation (and which goods have been donated for the event);
  • Sponsorship and advertising;
Investing in Sparrow Society is investing in the future of female entrepreneurship and upliftment, over 90% of our beneficiaries are women and this investment helps build a better future for African women, historically one of the most marginalised demographics globally.

Absolutely.  Please visit our Donate page and select the donation box for the project you want to support.   Want to contribute to something not there? Please contact us.

Absolutely. Please contact us at hello (@) sparrowsociety.co.za. 

Sparrow Society with a Board of Directors who meet once a year to review programme management and financial reports, identify key risks and opportunities and ensure that we remain true to our mission. The Board holds the organisational leadership accountable for the year’s goals and budgets which are approved annually. The organisation is also audited annually by external auditors who present their reports to the Board of Directors.
Our quantitative measurement of our activities is recorded via our Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) Salesforce, here we capture all the activities of our training programs and economic empowerment activities.
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