As carriers roll out fuel surcharges and the USPS files seasonal rate increases, La Joya Jewelry is choosing to swallow higher delivery costs rather than pass them to customers — a decision made possible by its high average order values and a deliberate multi-channel fulfillment strategy.

How La Joya routes orders across channels

La Joya, a direct-to-consumer seller of lab-grown diamonds founded in 2020, sells exclusively online through its own site and the Amazon and Walmart marketplaces. Average order values differ sharply by channel: about $150–$160 on Walmart, roughly $375 on Amazon, and approximately $1,500 on La Joya’s DTC site.

To keep customer experience consistent, La Joya uses Amazon’s multi-channel fulfillment when appropriate, instructing Amazon to ship items in neutral packaging and maintaining the same branded presentation as orders shipped from its own office. The company also stocks larger inventories with Walmart and uses that marketplace’s fulfillment capabilities, though it sees lower AOVs and weaker holiday performance there.

When marketplaces are not fulfilling orders, La Joya ships primarily via FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service, with occasional DHL use.

Why La Joya can absorb rising shipping costs

Carriers and marketplaces have introduced or signaled surcharges this year tied to fuel-price pressure. The source cites crude oil trading around $102 per barrel as of Sept. 10, up from roughly $66 in late February. Amazon added fuel and logistics surcharges in April, USPS announced a shipping surcharge in March and has filed a seasonal rate increase set to apply from Oct. 4 through Jan. 17, 2027. FedEx has said it adjusts its fuel-surcharge index weekly.

For La Joya, those incremental costs are manageable. Founder Nishit Mehta told the source that on products priced in the $1,200–$1,500 range, an extra $30–$38 in shipping does not materially change the economics, so the company has absorbed the increases rather than raising prices. The business also insures all shipments and requires an adult signature on delivery; insurance reduces the financial exposure when packages are lost.

La Joya also highlights shipping cutoff dates prominently on its website and reinforces them via email and social channels to manage customer expectations during peak season.

Practical takeaways for other merchants

La Joya’s approach illustrates several practical choices merchants can make for peak season:

  • Leverage marketplace multi-channel fulfillment to access marketplace-negotiated carrier rates and distributed inventory.
  • Decide whether to absorb surcharges based on product price points and margin tolerance — high-AOV sellers have more flexibility than low-margin merchants.
  • Protect high-value shipments with insurance and signature requirements to limit financial risk from loss or theft.
  • Communicate cutoff dates clearly and early to reduce customer service friction and set accurate delivery expectations.

Smaller or lower-margin sellers that can’t absorb surcharges should consider options such as adjusting shipping tiers, adding explicit handling fees, promoting earlier holiday cutoffs, or shifting inventory to channels with more favorable fulfillment economics.

What to watch next

Merchants should monitor the USPS seasonal rate window beginning Oct. 4 and watch fuel-price volatility through the winter. Those two factors will influence carrier pricing and fulfillment choices as holiday demand ramps up. For now, La Joya’s model shows how high-AOV brands can use multi-channel fulfillment and insurance to keep customer experience consistent while protecting margins.