Our Fair Trade Store Helps With Nutrition in the Amazon

One of the ethical advantages of shopping at the Shopping for a Change online fair trade store is that we are nonprofit. In terms of amounts of monies available to actually assist artisans in the fair trade cottage industry manufacturing world (jewelry, accessories, clothing, home décor, baby items, etc.) there is a big difference between for profit and nonprofit. Obviously for profit online stores are looking at a profit picture in their business model. In our business model, there is no profit, only operating expenses kept to a minimum. Largely, what we do is service in creating a marketplace to sell high quality fair trade goods at very good prices. We then pass along the profit to the artisans and the real needs of their communities.

For example, one of the pragmatic projects we were instrumental in was the Nutritional Empowerment Project set up to help Kichwa Artisans in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. SFAC joined with the Faire Collection in funding the project which established sustainable farming in the area. We were determined to help the Kichwa’s issues with malnutrition and consistent access to food. 

Remember, next time you’re shopping for fair trade, shop at a nonprofit store like ours. Your purchase goes much further than providing a living wage to the artisans.

As we enter into 2016, you’ll find a wide range of established and new items in our Jewelry and Accessories. Each piece is handmade and eco friendly, and always selected for quality and longevity.

Please visit us frequently during 2016 as new selections will arrive throughout the year. Like us on Facebook and please recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Fair Trade Clothing, Accessories Are Surprisingly Affordable

The assumption is, with most people we talk to, that fair trade handmade products or gifts (non food items) are more expensive than mainstream products. In some cases, they may be. But in many cases you can purchase fair trade clothing, accessories, jewelry or home décor, baby items, in the same price range as conventional store or online prices.

One man who held the fair-trade-is-more-expensive assumption found out with one day’s shopping that he could buy an entire casual ensemble at fair trade online stores for $8 under the price of conventional stores. Writer and blogger Kelsey Timmerman wrote in The Huffington Post about his experience.

Most folks think shopping for clothing with your ethics is a privilege that few can afford. I've been writing about being an ethical and engaged consumer since I traveled around the world to meet the people who made my clothes.

Since writing Where Am I Wearing? I encouraged folks to wear one thing a day they knew was produced in a way that treated people and planet fairly. I reach a lot of college students and thought that a whole outfit in such clothes would be unaffordable.

Today, I decided to do a little online shopping experiment: I put together a whole outfit consisting of underwear, shirt, shoes, pants, socks and a beanie by visiting the online stores of companies that I know are making responsible decisions about people and planet. And then I compared them to products you would normally find at the mall.

It turns out the ethical outfit I put together only cost $153, which was actually $8 cheaper than the normal outfit.

If you really want great prices for great fair trade products, please go to our Year End Clearance sale page (link). And our Jewelry and Accessories collections continue to be expanded with beautiful, handmade pieces as we search for items in the new year. We’re always eco friendly and always take the best care of our artisans.

Please visit us frequently during 2016 as new selections will arrive throughout the year. Like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.

SFAC Fair Trade Online Site In Jacki Zehner’s Advice Column

Happy New Year everyone! Thank you so much for your donations and support through shopping with us year-round.  We are truly grateful.

Jacki Zehner is a well-known and highly regarded writer and activist for women’s and girls’ rights, working towards a more gender-egalitarian world. She was  formerly a market strategist on Wall Street.

In a recent December 2015 column she wrote a column on Shop Your Values 2015 that discussed the power of women shoppers.

She wrote: In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it can be easy to forget that every time you spend a dollar, that exchange is an exchange of power. Companies understand this well, and they spend billions of dollars every year trying to convince you to give them your purchasing power. Who are the main shoppers? Women. We make 75-85% of all purchasing decisions, which adds up to trillions of dollars that we could be using to support our values. Your dollars can make or break a company, brand, or consumer item, so what if we all started using this power as a way of supporting our values in life? What if we used our spending dollars to hold companies accountable, and as a means of enacting social change? That’s what shopping your values means, and the possibilities are endless.

For me personally, shopping my values means supporting gender equality and lifting up women and girls around the world. …This may seem like a daunting challenge to throw into the mix, but in reality, it’s actually very easy to purchase great gifts, while at the same time knowing you are directly supporting families in places that lack robust economic opportunities. When looking for gifts, look no further than Rising International, Plum Alley, Indigo Africa, the Akola Project, Made by Survivors, Prosperity Candle, the Nomi Network, Soko, Same Sky, or Shopping for a Change. Each one of these organizations sells incredible handcrafted gifts such as jewelry, clothing, baskets, crafts, tote bags, and silks, all of which have been made by women in impoverished areas all around the world.

We now have tremendous New Year’s Sale going on at our site, so please visit for a great choice of remarkable deals and bargains. Prices on all Tagua and Horn Jewelry are so low you will think we’re nuts. Also, please be sure to take a look at our Baby Collection and our Purses, Handbags and Totes section.

Please visit us frequently during 2016 as new selections will arrive throughout the year. Like us on Facebook and recommend us to your friends. Shopping for a Change is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization.