Over the weekend, I wanted to order a mid-range bicycle from Amazon - the Schwinn GTX Comfort Adult Hybrid bike, which costs US$648 (S$872), way more than I expected. I thought I would get it in about three weeks, as is usually the case. But to my surprise, I found I might have to wait till after Christmas - more than two months, in other words.
Even worse than the sticker shock was the shipping cost from the United States, which was quoted at a whopping US$477.48, or almost three-fourths of the already elevated price of the bicycle itself. I held off my order.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
