By Mahali editorial team · Published
1. Define the purchase before choosing a brand
Write a short brief: what you need, how you will use it, the size or dimensions required, and when you need it. For clothing, that might be an outfit for a specific occasion; for home, it might be tableware that fits the pieces you already own. A brief makes comparisons more useful than browsing unrelated products until one photograph stands out.
Start in a category hub or the full approved-brand directory. Mahali groups stores by explicit category membership, and stores may appear in several categories. A category helps you find relevant merchants; it is not a guarantee about the material, origin, quality, or availability of every item they list.
2. Search, then check the exact product
Use product search for the type of item you want and apply the relevant filters. You can also search by a JPEG, PNG, or WebP image up to 5 MB when an image describes your starting point better than words. Image similarity is a discovery tool, not proof that a result is identical to the reference.
Open a result and select the actual options you would buy. A representative image or initial variant is not enough to establish whether your size or color is available. Read the product description and use the merchant's measurements, composition, capacity, or care details as appropriate. Ask the merchant when an important specification is missing.
3. Compare a small, like-for-like shortlist
Save the candidates you want to revisit. Compare items serving the same purpose, with a similar included quantity and the exact options you need. A set and a single piece, or two different garment lengths, are not directly equivalent even if their photos look similar.
Include the practical conditions in your comparison. Review delivery coverage, expected timing, shipping charges, and returns with each merchant. Displayed product prices are useful for a shortlist, but the final checkout determines the complete amount and applicable currency. Do not assume a promotion or delivery term applies across brands.
- Does the exact size, color, capacity, or included quantity match your brief?
- Are the material and care details explicit, rather than inferred from an image?
- Can the merchant deliver to your address within the time you need?
- Do you understand the return, exchange, and cancellation conditions?
4. Know who you are buying from
Mahali is a discovery service, not the seller or a single cross-brand checkout. Each merchant handles its own sale, payment, delivery, and returns. Approval in the registry reflects Mahali's review process; it is not formal legal due diligence or a guarantee of merchant performance.
Move your chosen items to the cart when you are ready, review each merchant group, and confirm the final order on that merchant's checkout. Keep the merchant confirmation for after-sales questions. If you are still deciding, return to your saved shortlist rather than treating a cart item as reserved inventory.