FAQs – Mono Sabi

Product Care

A wipe with a soft, damp cloth is all you need. Use a little mild soap for marks, then dry thoroughly. Avoid anything abrasive that might scratch the surface.

No, please hand wash only. PLA doesn't handle dishwasher heat well and may warp.

Our trays and bowls work beautifully for dry items like keys, jewellery, small objects. For food, we suggest using a liner or keeping items wrapped, as the textured surface can be tricky to clean thoroughly. Food might also leave oil residue on the product.

Yes, they'll hold water for fresh flowers. Just change the water regularly and dry the vase completely between uses. Don't leave water sitting for weeks at a time.

Keep your pieces away from direct heat sources and prolonged sunlight. PLA can soften above 50–60°C, so avoid windowsills in full sun, heaters, or hot cars.

Not with normal indoor use. If a piece gets a lot of direct sun over time, you might notice some gradual fading, but this is easily avoided by placing it somewhere with softer light.

Orders & Delivery

Within New Zealand only for now, but we'd love to expand internationally in the future.

Shipping costs depend on where you’re located and whether your address is considered urban or rural:

South Island: $9 (urban) / $14 (rural)
North Island: $14 (urban) / $18 (rural)
Orders over $90 ship free, no matter where you are

All prices are in NZD.

You can check using NZ Post's Address Finder. It’ll tell you whether your address is classed as urban or rural for delivery purposes. We trust customers to select the option that best matches their address at checkout.

Courier costs in New Zealand vary a lot depending on delivery routes. Separating urban and rural shipping helps keep things fair. This way, customers aren’t paying more than necessary, and shipping costs stay realistic for a small business like ours. We hope you understand.

We usually pack and send orders within 1–3 business days. Delivery times vary, but as a guide:

South Island urban deliveries are often quicker
North Island and rural deliveries may take a little longer

Don't worry, once your parcel has been dispatched, NZ Post should email you tracking details so you can follow its journey.

Returns & Refunds

If something's faulty or not as described, we'll sort it out whether that's a repair, replacement, or refund, depending on what's happened. This is covered under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

We don't accept change-of-mind returns, so please double-check dimensions and details before ordering.

Please email us within 14 days at monosabi.nz@gmail.com with photos of the damage. We pack everything carefully, but if something's gone wrong in transit, we'll make it right.

Just email us at monosabi.nz@gmail.com with your order number, photos of the damaged item, and tell us what's happened. We'll take it from there.

Materials & Making

We use high-quality PLA, a plant-based material derived from corn starch and sugarcane. It's strong, durable, and kinder to the environment than traditional plastics. It gives our pieces their smooth, organic feel.

Each piece is made using additive manufacturing, built up layer by layer in our Christchurch studio. This process lets us create sculptural forms while using only what's needed. We remove and clean up each piece, then pack it ourselves.

That's part of how they're made. We've kept this subtle texture rather than sanding it away as it adds character and shows these are crafted pieces, not mass-produced.

Packaging

Plastic-free materials throughout. Because we avoid plastic, the boxes might arrive with a few marks or a bit of dirt and we hope you understand this is part of reducing plastic waste. What's important is that your piece gets to you safely.

Yes, our cardboard packaging is recyclable. Please reuse or recycle where you can.