Delivery Methods and Charges

1. Delivery service. It can be UPS (for large quantities of products) or the company's own delivery trucks (like how Amway has their own fleet of delivery trucks). This can mean that there will be an extra charge for having the stuff delivered to your doorstep, and the amount of extra cost will defer from business to business. For example, Amway is a direct-selling company that very strongly utilizes the Internet as a means to order their products, and Amway provides free delivery if your order exceeds RM300. Others might charge you extra depending on the amount of products purchased and how far away you stay from the seller's location.

2. Snail Mail. For small-scale, imperishable online purchases, most sellers would opt for sending it by express mail (PosLaju). The extra cost for this method varies depending on the product's size and weight. Of course, by using this method, your stuff should arrive within the week, and not within a day or two. Snail Mail is Snail Mail, after all.

3. Cash On Delivery (COD). Another method, especially for small-scale online purchases, is where the seller meets up with the buyer and they exchange the goods for cash on the spot. They usually meet at a common location that is easily accessible to both parties, like the McDonald's at the nearest shopping mall or something similiar. This can also apply for buyers who order products like handphones through sellers/suppliers. In this case, the buyers would be notified of when the product reaches the seller's store, and then the buyers would go collect.

For example, if I were to order a handphone from a seller online through lowyat.net, the seller would then notify me when the handphone has arrived in their shop, and then I might have to go to their shop personally to pay for my handphone.


That about wraps it up this week. What do you think about the delivery methods in Malaysia? Are there any ways we can improve this aspect of online shopping in Malaysia?

Posted by Essie