First of all thank you all for your replies. Have you considered putting together websites, or an online store? There are websites that allow you to design for free:

wix.com
.com
etc.

I completely understand that FedEx and other popular carriers would be very expensive, but due to the currency exchange from other currencies to Naira, this may still be worth pursuing for buyers abroad.

If you have photographs of your products online that would help greatly. Additionally, whilst there may be several people looking to trap unknowing buyers/sellers. Small purchases can be made, proof can be provided in the form of photographs and forwarded emails, and a good business relationship can be established.

I personally am looking to purchase some of the following:

- Genuine Nigerian Adire (not manufactured abroad).
- Genuine Nigerian Aso Oke (also not manufactured abroad).
- Genuine Nigerian Paintings/Home Decor/Masks/Carvings/Pottery.

I am also looking to purchase hand made wooden products.

It is time that Nigerian products all over the world say "Made in Nigeria" and not "Made in China".

I live outside of Nigeria and I would love to purchase items from Nigeria to sell abroad.

I have tried using the internet to find sellers, similar to how you can use Aliexpress or Alibaba.com to purchase items direct from China - however, I can't find a single website where items can be purchased from Nigeria and delivered abroad.

Is there some type of government restriction? I don't understand how Nairaland and Nigerians as a whole are very entrepreneurial and business savy, yet if I want to buy something from Nigeria, I have to come here physically and meet the seller face to face.

Of course, security and legitimacy of business transactions are to be considered especially when carried out online, however, there are ways to safeguard against that, am I missing something here?

If there are businesses that ship their wares abroad, please can you share their names or website address/emails with me - thank you.

HisRib:

You only get married once & you will wear it forever. The price is not important, wearing a ring you love is what matters. That's how I see it.

I actually don't think you have to wear it forever, at least it's not as dramatic as that. People have their engagement rings altered, ammended, embellished and further customised all the time. For example, after 10 years for your anniversary you may want extra stones, or stones for each child, or a new engraved word/name. It really isn't the end of the world if your hubby to be is a humble man and can only afford a humble ring. We ladies need to work on building our self-esteem so that our worth is not defined by the price and worth of objects given to us. I would rather use the money to put down a deposit for a house or wedding than a ring. As long as I can deal with the loose comments from ignorant friends/relatives about the size of the ring and I am happy with it, that's all I care about..

Lol this is funny! I just want a pretty sparkly ring that suits my personality or is a classic style. I don't care because at the end of the day, nowadays there are so many obstacles to marriage. I don't want money to be another trivial reason in my life!

A wife wears a ring, a girlfriend wears other jewellery.

I think in this scenario the only way to know how she really feels for you is to move on, if she makes a reappearance then you can be sure that she at least is fond of you/misses you which is a good starting point. However hanging around waiting will give her the wrong impression. Some immature people find this to be a turn-off (that shows that she's not genuinely into you either - cos I know if a guy I liked wanted to wait for me, I would snatch him up in a heartbeat).

Anyways, that's my 2 cents, move on, date other women, and if she returns to you, then she was being sincere, but if she doesn't then you've avoided a potential heartbreak.

This is great!

Tell her that you loved the way she was physically when you first met her. Then place emphasis on health, encourage her to cook you healthy meals and suggest some excursions to the gm, with the promise of a sauna/hot tub relaxation or massage post-workout.

All the best!

DigitalSignal:
Lol. With what I experienced? If there was something more than marriage, I wouldn't even mind! After all in marriage we seek all of it!



*Smiles* Both love and lust! I'd know her personality, albeit little, in the course of arousing her interest in me! Anyway love conquers everything! If I can make her fall in love with me, then I can change her personalty if there's need to.
Physicality is the first thing I see and if its not appealing then the whole marriage thing is dead on arrival.
When the heart beats, then I explore deeper into the personality. For a marriage to stand there must be a balance between the two!


lol. Yes I'm a secret admirer! Remember I created an imaginary world that connected the both of us! Perharps, this was lust! I did those things in that beautiful world detached from reality, but physically we were still strangers! She doesn't know that my heart is inflated with such feelings for her!

No, I meant she had been with me in my world!

Nice replies! Any clarity on the situation.. have you made any moves since?

Wow! And here I was about to say they hide it because they don't want others to sabotage what they think is special. My friends are very opinionated and always adding their own 2 cents into my situation, so unless me and my bf are engaged or have been dating for several months I won't tell anyone.

Wow!! This would make such an amazing novel lool.

If any guy wants a quick speech to melt any girl's heart, this is it. However I was caught off-guard by the end, marriage!?!? But you haven't even asked her out yet lol.

Am I reading this right? You are in love or lust? Nothing about the personality, all about the physicality, can a marriage be sustained by physicality alone? Who knows..

Also, if you've kissed, and reached the 'depths' of this woman, can you really be a secret admirer. I struggle to think only one half is experiencing such delight and the other (her) is oblivious.

Perhaps, you mean that you appear like it is casual, but inside you melt with a greater desire and passion for her?? Is that it?

Hope you speak out, you have to put in effort, your literature is beautiful, and so could your love be if you just let it.

Very funny!

I hate to stir up anything, but this debate is so inspiring, I think things only get better when people do complain, and stop settling for less. The reason for the majority of these houses being built is because many of our designers are narrow minded, this might not be all their fault, your schooling does have a lot to do with it, if you're rewarded for doing American style houses, guess what! You will always do American style houses.

I agree, looking back in our history, we have left everything behind. Now Europeans and Americans (the very styles we try to emulate) are actually looking to Asian and Africa for ways of making their homes sustainable and environmentally friendly.

I have a blog here http://nigerianarchitecture..com, where I do talk about Nigerian Architecture, my hope is to inspire people, agitate some people but start discourse on the subject. We need to talk about it, not let the majority win everything.

Someone said that we spend million building mansions in dump sites, or next to shanty towns. What Nigeria needs is infrastructure and not to be ashamed of their past. Mud huts are NOT to be looked down upon, they are GENIUS! They are great for keeping our homes cool (wasting gas on powering generators to power air conditioning units!! , the materials is natural, plentiful, affordable, renewable, sustainable, versatile, creative, easy to use.. what more do we want!!

Please check out my blog if you are fed up of putting up with American mansion villas as the solution to our urban problems, visit my blog if you like to think outside of this hot and humid box, click/copy the link if you want to be proud of Nigerian architecture.

Thanks for reading.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through this post, have also loved the opinions, I'm not advertising, but I'd like to mention my blog really talks about these issues in depth and I would love it if you wouldn't mind me using some of your topics for discussion, possibly quoting a few, and if you are interested in writing an article I'd really like that.

You can find the blog link on my profile, otherwise googling Nigerian Architecture should get you there.

Thanks

Haha!

LOL

"ArQueBusieR
Do you have a gun?
Have you ever killed?
How would you like to die?
Do you have any idea how much I admire Jack the ripper? And lots of other romantic questions."

LOL

"dadicvila: Have you giving your life to christ??if you die now where will you spend eternity??do you know christ died specifically for you??these are the kind of questions i ask girls on 1st dates Wink Wink."

LOL

"1. What are you looking for here?

2. Why do you look fatter and uglier than the last time

3. I never knew you were this short, maybe i was deceived by your heels

After those compliments

then questions like

Who is richer between Dangote and Adenuga

Who is uglier Tinubu or Obasanjo

Who is the better boxer between Klitscko and Mayweather

Which laptop do you prefer Windows or Mac?

Who is more useless between Wenger and Arsenal

Who is more wicked MEND or Boko Haram

Which do you prefer Molue or Okada

Finally When are you coming to visit me at home"

Hard work is always worthy of respect and acknowledgment.

Loved this!

Fickle is not ugly,

I understand why the family might disaprove, because I believe it's slightly fickly to think that someone can just forgo something that should be his everything - his faith.

It doesn't say a lot about the guy and his commitment to things he believes in, and also there is always the uncertainty that he will one day want to convert back. If he wants to marry the woman I would advise he convert the religion and study it for a couple of years and then if he is still a believer then he can come again to seek acceptance.

We can't be naive, some people will say anything to trap a person in such a bond - what's to say he's not being genuine either.

Great post!