The carvings for bat soup (🤮) or a lab leak in Wuhan, China, caused the SARS CoV 2 virus, the COVID19 pandemic that killed millions and changed the world as we knew it. One such complication I experienced, except for never eating another's birthday cake, is shipping complications from online e-commerce platforms like eBay and AliExpress. Shipping that was relatively cheap and fast disappeared. If you would like to receive even a tiny package within a month, you are stuck with couriers like DHL, FedEx, and UPS.

UPS seems to be the preferred carrier for Banggood. Many sellers on AliExpress use UPS as the shipping career as well. Over the last three months, I received a few packages through UPS.

Quality of Service

UPS provided an equally good service to the likes of DHL and FedEx, clearing items from customs and delivering them to my doorstep. The delivery agent was prompt, professional and helpful. Once, I only had Rs 5000 notes, and the tax was about Rs 1000. When I mentioned the fact to him on the phone, he was kind enough to bring change from a petrol station.

Improvements

The most significant improvement they can make is in the payments department. They currently accept bank to bank transfers, and once we WhatsApp the transfer receipt to the agent, he will deliver the items.

We can make bank transfers through CEFTS and online banking or go to the bank in person. The BoC Online Banking requires establishing a beneficiary, a cumbersome process. What would be better is the ability to settle taxes and clearance fees with a credit or debit card.

Providing each delivery agent with a card reader would be an extra cost. What they could do instead is to offer the ability to pay online and add 3% as card fees.

Steps for an improved process

• The item arrives in Sri Lanka
• An SMS or an e-mail is sent to the customer with a link with order details
• UPS agents perform customs clearance
• The page updates include additional charges taxes
• It will also include the option to change the delivery date or time
• The page will ask how the customer intends to settle the charges
• When Visa, Master or AMEX is chosen, it will add a 3% for transaction fee
• It also provides the option to pay by cash on delivery or the usual online bank transfer

I think a flow would significantly simplify the customer experience. For example, I had charges just north of LKR 1000. A 3% charge on that is LKR 30.00. That is a negligible fraction of the cost of procuring the items. After all, what am I going to do with that Rs 30? A Kibula Bun is about Rs. 60, isn't it?

Bank transfers are an excellent option for business users who import/export a lot. But for ordinary customers like myself, credit/debit cards are a much-refined flow. You don't need every delivery agent to have a terminal, as a user can use their phone to follow a link and settle the dues.