FAQs
1. Why are the Queen of the East spices so expensive?
As far as the product prices are concerned, we had placed it against the organic products of the two leading players in the global spice market, McCormick and Simply Organic. They are big corporations, trading in Indian spices and for a really long time. For example, Cinnamon Powder of McCormick is 7.82 dollars for 35 grams, and we are selling 68 grams, almost double their quantity, for 0.18 cents extra. Simply Organic is even more expensive: they're selling 19 grams for 5.91 dollars. We are not matching the rates against spices from Vietnam, which in the market has the reputation to be not as superior a quality as that of the Western Ghats, south of India. Plus, we meet all the industry and certification standards to get the Organic authentication, from seed collection to growing to packaging—we had to secure over 20 licenses and permissions— which was costly. Most importantly, we pass on 20% of our profit to the farmers and the communities we live in. Plants, communities and customers are the three central focus of our business and as we go along if there are ways we can reduce the cost we would surely do that.
2. Why are the courier charges quite high for international orders?
We were also surprised to see the high international courier charges, these are somehow determined by the big shipping players in the market, and it seems this is the best rate they have given us. Hopefully, when the volume of sales increases, we should be able to get a better deal.
It is the shipping cost that we need to find a way to keep it cheaper. Simply Organic is taking 6 dollars for shipping to NYC, and unfortunately, since we ship from our base in India, the cost is around 1300 rupees, which is around 16 dollars.
The bigger traders of spices have warehouses in the US, and they purchase from myriad Indian traders and ship in bulk to their houses and package it locally, but our business model is that the spices are packed at the source itself and not stored in big warehouses and we want to ship it directly to you, avoiding the middlemen or intermediary handling. But when the business grow and customers prefer to get it sooner than a week, which is the standard time our shipments take currently, we will look into it as we grow.
3. Do you accept returns?
Yes. We have a 10 days--from the date of delivery--returns policy. For details please go through the Shipping Policy and Cancellation link.
4. What is the shelf life of Queen of the East products?
The shelf life of our spices is two years.
5. How much time does it take for an order to arrive?
Usually it takes 4 to 6 business days for all major cities in India. For international orders, it takes 6 to 9 days.
6. How can I track my order status?
You will receive an email regarding your shipment details and a tracking id will be provided. For any questions, you can email us at vinod.queen.east@gmail.com or call us at +91 9207831415.