How do I tell a souvenir made in Costa Rica from an imported one?

Look for natural variation between pieces of the same design, and whether the seller can explain the material and workshop of origin. A price that's too low for the level of detail is also a sign it's probably not handmade.

What's the cheapest and most expensive souvenir in the catalog?

The catalog's entry price is $7.50, for hand-painted enamel mugs; at the top end there are large-format carved mirrors that reach up to $1,347.

What souvenir is best to pack in a suitcase?

Enamel mugs, napkin holders and small boxes — light, sturdy and compact. Mirrors and larger pieces are better shipped directly instead of carried.

Can I order a souvenir after I've already gone home?

Yes. We ship internationally, so you can order the piece at any time and receive it without having had to buy it in person during your trip.

What payment methods do you accept for an international order?

Credit or debit card, plus SINPE Móvil and bank transfer for anyone paying from within Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Souvenirs, Handmade — Not Airport Souvenirs

The problem with airport souvenirs

The typical airport or tourist-zone souvenir — the fridge magnet, the plastic bracelet printed with the flag, the generic keychain — is almost never made in Costa Rica: it's imported in bulk and gets a sticker added on arrival. It's not just a quality problem, it's an honesty problem: the buyer thinks they're taking home something local when they're not.

The simplest way to avoid that is to buy directly from a catalog that shows each piece's real origin. Here, every product is made in an identifiable workshop in San Ramón, Alajuela, by artisans in a social reintegration program — so what you see on the product page is exactly what you'll receive, with no middlemen hiding where it actually came from. If a shop can't tell you the workshop, the material, or roughly how long a piece took to make, that's usually enough reason to keep looking before you buy.

What to bring home, by budget

With $7.50 to $25 you're straight into hand-painted enamel mugs and napkin holders: light, sturdy, and easy to bring home several at once without spending much. Between $25 and $150 you get into wooden boxes, small sculptures and décor pieces with more presence, good as a single gift with more weight to it. From $150 up you're into mid-size carved mirrors, more elaborate sculptures and original paintings, and at the top end of the catalog there are large-format openwork mirror frames running up to $1,347 — pieces meant as a room's focal point, not a passing souvenir.

You don't need to spend at the top end to bring home something genuinely handmade: even the $7.50 piece comes out of the same workshop and the same hand-carving or hand-painting process as the priciest one. The difference is size and time on the piece, not authenticity.

If you're traveling with a group or a family and want to spread the budget across several people, it usually goes further to buy two or three mid-range pieces — a box, a painted mug and a napkin holder, say — than one large piece for everyone to share. That way everyone gets something of their own, and shipping can be consolidated into a single order to save on delivery cost.