Sending jewellery to family in Pakistan from abroad

You can order jewellery from abroad for family in Pakistan by placing the order online with their name, address and phone number as the delivery details. With a cash-on-delivery seller such as Zayr, the recipient pays the rider in rupees when the parcel arrives, so either tell them the amount in advance or arrange to cover it separately. Allow at least a week before any date, and two weeks around Eid.

The gift itself is the easy part. The payment, the address, the size and the timing are where orders from abroad go wrong, and each has a simple fix.

How cash on delivery works when you are abroad

Zayr takes payment by cash on delivery only. There is no card payment at checkout, which means that for an order placed from London, Dubai or Toronto, the money changes hands in Pakistan, between the rider and whoever receives the parcel.

That is simpler than it sounds, as long as the person at the door knows. The amount is the order total plus a flat Rs. 250 shipping charge, or no shipping charge at all if the order is over Rs. 5,000, and there is no extra fee for cash on delivery. Most families handle it in one of three ways.

1. 1Tell the recipient the exact amount and let them pay, then settle it with them through however you normally send money home.
2. 2Send the money to them in advance through your usual channel, with a note that a parcel is coming.
3. 3Have it delivered to a relative who is in on the plan, who pays, receives it and hands it over.

Getting the address and phone number right

You may not have written your family's address in full for years, and a courier needs more than the version everyone at home knows by heart. The full guide to addresses and phone numbers for COD orders goes deeper, but the essentials are these.

• House number, street, block, sector or phase, area and city, in that order. In DHA and Bahria Town the phase is essential.
• A nearby landmark: a mosque, a school, a petrol pump, a well-known shop sign.
• The recipient's name as they would answer the door, not the formal name on their ID card if nobody uses it.
• A Pakistani mobile number that will be answered during the day in Pakistan time, which is UTC+5.
• Your own WhatsApp number in the order notes, so we can reach you if something needs checking.
• A request in the notes to leave the price off the invoice, if you do not want it seen.

How long delivery takes, city by city

Delivery is counted in working days from dispatch in Lahore. These are the windows we actually see, and the sensible margin to leave before a date.

Time zones help rather than hurt. An order placed late in the evening in the UK or North America is already the next morning in Pakistan, and orders confirmed early in the Lahore working day have the best chance of going out the same day.

Sizes, when you cannot measure anyone

• Chains are the safe choice. 40–45 cm for women and 50–55 cm for men suits almost everyone.
• Bracelets are nearly as safe. 17–19 cm for women and 20–22 cm for men, or ask someone to measure one they already own.
• Rings need a real measurement. On a video call, ask a relative to measure the inner diameter of a ring the person already wears, in millimetres.
• Bangles are sized by the hand, not the wrist, and a wrong bangle size is the most common exchange there is.

Eid, weddings and visits home

The last ten days of Ramadan are the busiest period of the year for Pakistani couriers, and delivery windows stretch. For Eid, order two weeks before the expected moon sighting. Shaadi season, from November to February, is similar, especially into Punjab. If you are flying home for a wedding, having the gift delivered to family a week before you land is often easier than carrying it through two airports.

Exchanges when you are not there

Zayr's exchange window is 7 days from delivery, for unworn pieces in their original packaging. Ask the recipient to try the piece on the day it arrives and keep the box. Either of you can arrange an exchange on WhatsApp at +92 334 4008322 or by email at queries@zayrclothing.com, and we reply around the clock, which suits anyone in a different time zone.

On what you are sending: Zayr's men's pieces are 316L stainless steel with PVD gold and black tones, and the women's rings are plated over a hypoallergenic base and set with cubic zirconia. We do not sell real gold, silver or diamonds, so if the gift is meant as an heirloom in gold, that is a purchase for a trusted jeweller in Pakistan.

From abroad, the best gift is the one someone at home was told to expect.