Question 1

How can I check if I’m paying a tourist markup on Avendi?

Accepted Answer

You aren’t. Every Avendi Local product is listed at the maker’s local list price — the same rate residents pay at the workshop or city market. We then convert that local price into USD (which is what we charge you) using a third-party FX provider and round up to the nearest whole dollar. You can verify the underlying local price by visiting the maker’s workshop in person; convert it at the day’s rate and the difference will be the rounding (less than USD 1 per item).

Question 2

How much of my Avendi payment actually reaches the artisan?

Accepted Answer

Artisans receive 100% of the local list price for the product. Avendi’s revenue comes from two transparent sources: a platform commission paid by the vendor (charged on the vendor side, not added to the traveler’s product price) and a delivery fee paid by the traveler at checkout. We do not discount the maker’s take to subsidize Avendi.

Question 3

What is included in the delivery fee?

Accepted Answer

The delivery fee covers insured local courier service from the vendor’s workshop to the hotel front desk, travel-safe packaging, and the operations cost of routing same-day delivery within hotel checkout windows. It is shown transparently at checkout — no hidden service charges or concierge fees.

Question 4

Why does Avendi charge a vendor commission?

Accepted Answer

The vendor commission funds vendor verification (KYB), platform engineering, customer support, and dispute resolution. Vendors agree to it knowing Avendi connects them to high-value hotel guests they could not reach individually. Most vendors net more on Avendi than from their own walk-in tourist trade because the volume and basket size are larger and the operational overhead is lower.

Question 5

Are Avendi prices ever cheaper than the maker’s shop?

Accepted Answer

No — and that is intentional. We refuse to undercut the maker’s own retail price; doing so would compete with their workshop. The USD price you pay equals the local list price the maker charges in person, converted at the day’s FX rate and rounded up to the nearest whole dollar. The convenience comes from same-day hotel delivery, not from a discount.

Question 6

How does Avendi pricing compare to typical tourist shops?

Accepted Answer

Tourist-area souvenir shops in launch cities typically mark up 30–60% over local list price; airport gift shops can mark up 80–150%. Avendi lists at local list price. Even with the delivery fee included, the all-in price on Avendi is generally lower than the equivalent tourist-area or airport price for the same authentic product.

Question 7

What currency does Avendi charge in?

Accepted Answer

All Avendi Local orders are charged in US dollars (USD), regardless of the operating city. The maker is paid in their local currency at the local list price; we convert that to USD using a third-party FX provider and round up to the nearest whole USD. So a converted price of USD 40.80 is charged as USD 41.00 — a maximum rounding of less than USD 1 per line item. The exact USD amount is shown at checkout. If your card is not USD-denominated, your card issuer may add its own foreign-transaction fee, which is outside Avendi Local’s control.

Channel	Markup over local list price	What the maker actually receives
Maker’s workshop (in person)	0% (local list price)	Full price
Avendi Local (hotel delivery)	0% on product (USD price = local list price + FX rounding under USD 1/item) + transparent delivery fee	Full local list price
Tourist-area souvenir shop	~30–60%	Often a wholesale rate (~50% of list)
Airport gift shop	~80–150%	Wholesale rate or licensing-only
Generic global marketplace (mass-produced)	N/A — usually not a real local maker	N/A

How Avendi pricing works

Where your dollar goes on every Avendi order

The four-step price flow

You see: USD price equal to the maker’s local list price

You see: transparent delivery fee

Maker receives: full local list price

Avendi earns: vendor-side commission + delivery margin + small FX rounding

Avendi vs typical tourist channels

Why we refuse to discount the maker

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