Hello,

I am writing with regards to a recent order I placed, with the invoice no. #####.

Frankly, I was speechless at the USD74.28 shipping charge. It was sent expedited shipping by international courier, but: a) I did not have a say in whether I really needed it expedited and b) couriering is not cost-effective at all for a small, non-fragile package whose contents were around USD200.

What's worse is that at no point during the ordering and checkout process was there any indication of how much shipping would cost. Nor in your FAQs or shipping notification email. It was a shock to only see the invoice (and also my credit card bill because I just could not believe it) upon receipt of the package. Having clear information on shipping is an e-commerce fundamental which you have sadly missed out. And yes, I do frequently shop online and even used to build e-commerce websites for clients. Had it not been for the fact that I have an order history with XXXXX, this lack of transparency would've been a big warning sign.

Your international shipping used to be about USD20 and the merchandise came in a global priority flat-rate box. May I know why this option is no longer offered? Or any other options, like regular parcel post (non-expedited)? I have shopped with other jewelry supply companies that are able to offer reliable international shipping at a fraction of yours, with about the same transit time. I also note, according to the return messages received and with some degree of sadness, that your order handling system has not been updated, enhanced or improved in the past 3+ years. I can only surmise that worldwide online business is not that important to your company.

I don't have a problem with your merchandise - unfortunately, I am extremely disappointed with this level of online competency and will not be purchasing anything from XXXXX any longer. There are similar offerings out there with more reasonable shipping policies which work out to be more affordable even at retail rates.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for the ride.