I’ve only ordered from the US site, so I can’t comment on shipping fees from China. My experience has been positive in that they had what I was looking for in stock at a reasonable price and they shipped it out very quickly. I did interact with Scott via email and he was very responsive. We exchanged 4 emails back and forth in near real time in which he answered my questions. His replies were concise but did fully address my concerns. I will continue to order from them when they have something I’m looking for in stock.
My first orders of quality tea came from Upton. Have ordered from them multiple times without issue. Their customer service emailed me to offer to combine two orders I placed on the same day to save on shipping (nice). They are still my go-to for Indian Assams & Darjeelings and Sri Lankan Ceylons. They ship fast (most times same-day), have a reasonable flat-rate option, and can get a package to Florida in two days (except around Christmas, which isn’t their fault).
I agree that their web site interface seems clunky at first, but I got used to it without much trouble. They have a running series, “Reversals of Fortune in the Tea Industry”, which makes for fascinating reading and past issues are available on their site.
Worth a look if you’ve never visited.
