Sigh: 62 pounds, down the drain

I signed up for an Aramex account a couple of months ago. This ingenious little service gives me a post office box in the US and the UK, enabling me to receive mail and packages that otherwise would disappear this side of the Atlantic in regular post.

It's not cheap - 10 bucks for a couple of magazines, usually - but when I open up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, I don't care. (You can get magazines here, but they are obscenely expensive, so it is still cheaper)

The other day I went a little overboard when, ordering a special large round-barrel hairbrush from a UK website (I have searched high and low here in Abu Dhabi for one) I spotted Aveda products, which I also have not yet found in the UAE and am almost out of. I snapped up several tubes of Madder Root conditioner, which smells amazing and partially restores my hair to a gorgeous shade of red I did not appreciate in my teen years. I checked the banned list. Sure, tea tree oil and Christmas crackers are not allowed, sex toys and porn, obviously, untreated animal skins and oven cleaner, sulphuric acid and gold bullion, human remains, swords and animals (alive or dead), all banned. The list said nothing about shampoo and conditioner.

And then this:

On Hold - Unacceptable Material --- 9029376392 ---- Ann Marie McQueen

Dear Valued Customer,

Good day…

Thank you for choosing ARAMEX as your transportation solutions service partner. We would like to inform you that your shipment of AWB Number 9029376392 (shampoo & conditioner) was put on hold due to containing prohibited item which is not allowed to be ship by law.

ARAMEX needs your consent to either:

Destroy the Package

Return the Package to the supplier with shipping charges

If you choose to have the package returned to the supplier, we will charge you a return fee of $25. Some suppliers may refund you the price of the item returned depending to their return policy.

We apologize for any inconvenience caused. For future orders, please refer to the http://www.aramex.com/shopandship/faq.aspx for a general list of materials that are strictly prohibited to ship.

Should you need any further information or assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

At ARAMEX we are here to serve you.

Thank you,
SHOP AND SHIP TEAM