My Desert Cart Experience

During my last vacation in Manila, I got a little obsessed with this little beauty product called Lucas Papaw influenced by my best friends who were raving about it. The product's originally from Australia and slightly overpriced in Manila so I didn't buy expecting that I'd easily find it when I go back to Dubai anyway. I searched for it everywhere (Boot's, Sephora, Areej, and even in pharmacies near our area) but to no avail. Then came Desert Cart AE, which I chanced upon online. It's a website that enables you to purchase from sites such as eBay and they'll buy and ship the items directly to you.

I was skeptical at first to try their service since there's like tons of negative reviews about them. Even their official Twitter account was loaded with unanswered queries and complaints from customers. It was scary alright, but not enough to completely turn me off. I was running my own online shop for three years back in Manila and already used to the dynamics of e-commerce. Most of the complaints were about delayed deliveries, so I figured that's fair enough since the products I intend to buy would be coming from the US and Australia. I understand that waiting is part of the experience. I wasn't in a hurry to receive them anyway. There's also a slight difference in pricing from the eBay website, which I find reasonable. But it's a good thing that they offer free shipping when your order reaches atleast a total of AED 250.

I ordered items that are not available here in Dubai: a handful of my favorite Burt's Bees lip balms ‒ the little life savers, a couple of Elvive shampoos which they already discontinued here ‒ the only shampoo that works for me, and of course, some Lucas Papaw ‒ the main reason of this somewhat risky stunt. I checked out, paid, and hoped for the best.

Luckily enough, after only three days from ordering, I received a text message from Skycom saying that my first parcel from Desert Cart will be delivered to me. Immediately the following day, my Burt's Bees lip balms arrived in mint condition. I was on cloud nine. I didn't expect it to be that fast. It actually worked! The other items took a little longer to arrive though. The Lucas Papaw tubes were delivered I think more than a week after while the Elvive shampoos took forever (almost a month!).

All the items were packed neatly and securely to avoid leaks or breakage. Really impressed with how they took care of them. The only down side was their customer service. They are seriously lacking in this area. As soon as I posted my Desert Cart packages on my Twitter and Instagram, I was bombarded with lots of questions (even complaints) from customers who have yet to receive their orders. I just hope Desert Cart would be more accommodating with all the inquiries of their customers instead of ignoring them, so customers won't resort to asking random people on social media about their orders. So if waiting is not your strong suit or you need the products on a certain date, I think Desert Cart is not the best place to buy them. Some will be delivered fast, but some will definitely take a while.

Personally, it's a good experience overall and I would definitely be using their service again once these products run out. I'm currently eyeing out a handful of paperbacks and lip products. Someday soon. :) If waiting is your game and you want to purchase something off eBay, click here to try Desert Cart AE.

P.S. I was in no way compensated by Desert Cart for writing this review. These are my personal and unbiased opinions based on my own experience of the service, which I paid for.