Where to Buy World Flags Online

If you’re wondering where to buy world flags online, there’s no shortage of websites. I unwittingly discovered the abundance of flag stores when I casually searched for a Slovak flag to hang in my kitchen. Instead of the five minutes I expected, the whole flag-shopping process took almost an hour. As I became engrossed in finding the best deal, I learned more than I ever wanted to know about where to buy world flags online: cost, selection, shipping, material, size, and more. I may not be a vexillologist yet (that’s fancy talk for flag enthusiast), but now that my Slovak flag is hanging in the window at a cost of merely $10, I’m a happy flappin’ flag owner.

These online flag stores can help you celebrate your heritage, commemorate travel, or represent your intellectual interests. Heck, you can even buy a country’s flag because it would look good on your wall. Whatever the reason you want to buy a world flag, do some comparison shopping.

1. FlagsImporter
www.FlagsImporter.com

Selling both wholesale and retail, FlagsImporter allows you to buy world flags from a Chinese flag manufacturer with a shipping outlet in California. They have the most comprehensive selection of world flags, representing all countries in the United Nations as well as many regional and territorial flags. For example, in addition to the flags of Portugal, China, and the United Kingdom, you’ll find the flags of the Azores, Tibet, and Wales – respective parts of those larger nations. FlagsImporter features easy navigation and simple organization. The only drawback is the selection of sizes and materials. All the world flags I found (except for tacky car flags) were 3′ x 5′ and made of thin polyester. But the cost is a low $9.95 plus shipping. While the standard size and cheap material were adequate for me, FlagsImporter will not help those wanting nylon flags or unusual sizes. Because I was just a “regular” flag shopper who wanted an inexpensive Slovak flag for novelty, I bought my item here.

Pro: cheap prices, truly comprehensive world selection, good site design
Con: only polyester, only one size

2. United State Flag Store
www.united-states-flag.com

Although they specialize in US flags, this store has a solid selection of world flags. The site owners tout that it is a woman-owned business and a member of the Better Business Bureau in their Pennsylvania town. Like FlagsImporter, the United States Flag Store sells polyester 3′ x 5′ flags for $9.95. Though fewer international entities are represented, they still have almost 200 nations’ flags in stock. Truth be told, I could just as well have purchased my Slovak flag here. In addition to polyester flags, the United States Flag Store has the lowest prices I could find on the more durable nylon flags, also 3′ x 5′. For example, a nylon flag of Argentina was priced at $32.40, and a nylon flag of Morocco was priced at $44.60. Those numbers undercut similar products on the three websites that follow. Lastly, United States Flag Store offers cheap ($1.50) stick flags for desks.

Pro: cheap prices, both nylon and polyester available
Con: world selection broad but not comprehensive

3. Martin’s Flag Company
www.martinsflag.com

Based in Iowa and dating back to 1895, Martin’s Flag Company has an old school feel. In fact, their website even displays old propaganda-like posters the company used in the 1940s. They primarily sell the higher quality nylon flags with excellent size variety, but prices fly high. The same Moroccan flag available at United States Flag Store for $44.60 was $52.80 here, and the Argentine flag was similarly overpriced. On average, I found that the nylon flags were anywhere from $5-10 more than at other sites. On top of this, the site suffers from poor design and is not searchable by thumbnail.

Pro: long-time business, size variety
Con: high prices, poor site design

4. Flagline
www.flagline.com

Flagline sells the 3′ x 5′ polyester flag for $13 apiece, $3 more than sites number 1 and 2 above. Small stick flags are also pricier at $2.25 each. In terms of nylon flags, prices vary – usually higher than competitors but sometimes lower. You’ll have to comparison shop by country if you’re insistent on nylon. Beyond flags themselves, this site has a host of other (mostly tacky) merchandise, including bumper stickers, pins, patches, and other flag-realted paraphernalia. Site navigation is tolerable, if unattractive.

Pro: both nylon and polyester available, excellent selection
Con: poor site design, somewhat higher prices

5. The Flag Lady Corporation
www.theflaglady.com

This company grew from the ground up at the hands of a woman who used to repair tattered flags by sewing the edges. Despite this novel story, this store is wholly overpriced for world flags. The 3′ x 5′ version of virtually every world flag is more expensive when compared to similar nylon versions at other sites. I also found the site to be careless, even if reasonably easy to navigate. When I searched for the flag of Colombia, for instance, I came up with no results. “That’s odd,” I thought. Upon further investigation, I found it listed incorrectly as “Columbia.” It’s a bad sign when you can’t even locate something on the site by using its search feature.

Pro: novel story about origin of business
Con: everything else