Woman orders ladder online, receives gold worth 600,000 yuan

By Yining Su

Online shopping has its downsides. You might think that skirt looks super cute, only to order it, and realize that you are not a Chinese size small. On the other hand, you could order a ladder online and instead receive 600,000 yuan worth of solid gold.

Ms Yang, Chongqing-based construction company worker, ordered an ordinary step ladder from a factory in Shenzhen. When she received an express package the next day, she was surprized to find several small packages of gold jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

In total, the package contained 1.7 kg of gold, worth an estimated 600,000 yuan.

Yang and her colleagues contacted the local police, who eventually traced the jewellery to a wholesaler in Shenzhen surnamed Ye. The mistake originated with the courier company, SF Express Ltd, who reportedly mixed up labels on the two packages.

Ye, the jewellery merchant, said that because his profit margins were not high, his company used low-cost couriers to deliver their merchandise.

Note: if you're shipping a small fortune in gold across the country, don't stint on the delivery service. And get some insurance.