As a retailer with high-value products, La Joya Jewelry is in a fortunate situation to be able to weather changes in fulfillment costs, according to founder Nishit Mehta.
La Joya sells exclusively online, through a mix of its direct-to-consumer (DTC) website and through Amazon and Walmart’s marketplaces. Founded in 2020, the retailer sells lab-grown diamonds with its products.
By channel, La Joya’s average order value (AOV) varies significantly. When selling on Walmart, for instance, the jeweler’s AOV is about $150 to $160, Mehta shared. However, on Amazon, La Joya’s AOV is about $375. Both fall short of La Joya’s AOV on its DTC website, which is about $1,500.
He guessed that the difference could stem from consumers on Walmart and Amazon looking for bargains or cheaper gifts. On the retailer’s DTC site, he said, consumers treat their purchases more seriously. They’re often searching for an expensive piece in general or an engagement ring specifically.
How La Joya Jewelry handles multi-channel order fulfillment
For orders through its DTC website, La Joya ships from its own office as well as using Amazon’s fulfillment. Its sales through Amazon and Walmart use those marketplaces’ fulfillment services.
“Amazon’s backend allows you to do multi-channel fulfillment,” Mehta told Digital Commerce 360. “So we just go ahead and tell them that this product needs to be shipped to XYZ. They make sure it goes in a non-Amazon package so the customer doesn’t know. Our packaging is consistent throughout whether you buy from Amazon or from the website. So as far as the customer is concerned, it could be shipped from our own offices.”
He added that La Joya stocks “a lot of goods” with Walmart, which also offers multi-channel fulfillment.
“Walmart — I don’t know whether it’s customer-centric or the jewelry business is not yet matured,” he said, referring to the lower AOV through that channel. “So while we do stock a lot of goods there, we don’t find in the holiday season people wanting that kind of jewelry. So we tend to use that a little less.”
When the marketplaces aren’t fulfilling on the retailer’s behalf, it mainly uses FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), with occasional DHL deliveries, Mehta explained.
USPS filed at the end of August to increase delivery prices throughout the 2026 holiday shopping season. The carrier anticipates the rates taking effect at midnight on Oct. 4, remaining in place until midnight on Jan. 17, 2027.
Mehta noted that La Joya communicates its cutoff shipping dates “boldly” on its website. It also uses its email marketing and social media presence to spread that message.
Impact of rising fuel costs on jewelry delivery
He noted that La Joya has absorbed the impact of rising fuel costs so far this year.
The price of a barrel of crude oil has risen to about $102, as of Sept. 10. For comparison, it was about $66 when the United States and Israel began their war with Iran at the end of February, according to historical data from Trading Economics. It had also reached a high this year of about $112 per barrel in April. That increase in oil costs has led delivery carriers to raise costs, adding surcharges to cover their expenses.
In April, Amazon added fuel and logistics surcharges. That followed USPS’ shipping surcharge, which it announced in March. Also in March, FedEx chief customer officer Brie Carere said the carrier adjusts its fuel surcharge index weekly and that it’s “doing its job.” That is, it has helped FedEx to avoid “material impact” from the war, according to Carere.
Meanwhile, at La Joya, “frankly, we’ve taken the hit because it was kind of priced in anyway,” Mehta explained. “We are selling $1,200, $1,500 products. $30 going to $35 or $38 doesn’t really break anything. So we just take the hit and go ahead. As far as the marketplaces are concerned, they have very good rates in terms of shipping.”
Additionally, La Joya insures all its products and requires an adult’s signature upon delivery to avoid losing deliveries.
“Having said that, it does get lost very often, but at least it’s insured, so there’s no loss on either side,” he said.
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