Internet Shopping: What, Why, How, Where.

[RimBlock 0]

Hi all,

As a British guy who came to Singapore a number of years ago I was very surprised that there was not more ability to shop on-line here. To me, as a foreigner, I understood Singapore was one of the countries at the fore front of technology in Asia.

Since reading here it seems that a number of people are buying on-line and importing to Singapore and many more are displaying an interest but are unsure of how to go about it.

To this end, I hope this will be a helpful guide on what, why, how and where to go shopping on-line.

Comments and tips are very welcome and will be added along with links to on-line shops.

So without further a do..... lets get going.

For those who just want to get started, here is the quick version. What - Being able to shop from stores all over the world, Why - to get products at cheaper prices or just items you cannot buy in Singapore, How - see the shop links section further down, sign up with vPost or Borderlinx, browse, buy, pay for delivery, get your new purchase. Where - you will have to scroll down to the shop links section for a categorized list.

For those who want a bit more information before taking the plunge.

What.

The internet is just a collection of computers all over the world. The way we navigate it is by using a web browser to travel around the World Wide Web (www or web). The web gives us the ability to see pages, like that of a book, on our computers and allows us to communicate with others on forums like RenoTalk to discuss topic, swap ideas and hopefully, make our lives easier. In essence, the web allows us to interface with a global community.

Since the web was created, people saw a great possibility to use it to sell things except rather than just having limitations of being able to reach potential customers in the local community or even the sellers country, now the seller can reach people all over the world. With the ever increasing evolution of computers, communication and the languages that make up the web, it has never been easier to buy more or less whatever you want (give or take legal restrictions) from anywhere in the world that has it for sale on the internet.

Why.

Think of popping down to your local shop to buy a cup. They have 10 designs and none of them fit your taste. You end up either having to go somewhere else or going home without what you wanted. Now imagine, from your home, you can look at thousands of cups... millions of cups, choose one, pay and have it delivered to your door within a few days. Now think about Bluray movies. There are currently limited titles available and they are very expensive in Singapore. Imagine being able to see just about every BluRay published and being able to take part in sales that make them 1/2 the price compared to buying in Singapore and getting them delivered to your door. How about a wall clock or a necklace, what about a kids toy or computer part....

The beauty of the internet is that you can browse and buy from home, pay by credit card and have it delivered to your doorstep. With a few simple rules you can also make it as safe as possible. What the internet does not allow you to do is to touch and feel something before buying, you may need to check warranties to see if they are international or take a risk the item will not break as returns are sometimes difficult.

How.

There are 4 main components to internet shopping and I will cover each separately.

1. Preporation.

Getting ready for your foray into the web for your first world wide shopping expo.

First you will obviously need access to a computer with access to the internet and a web browser (Internet Explorer/Firefox/Chrome/Safari etc). As you are reading this I would imagine this is already taken care of.

Secondly you will need a payment method. The two most common are to pay directly via a credit card or to pay via PayPal which will act as a link between your seller and you without giving your credit card details to the seller. Most sellers on-line use a broker to handle payments and do not take your details themselves. When you click the 'pay' button you will usually be transferred to another website where you will have to put in your credit card details to pay. These websites are usually run by some of the worlds largest banks and are pretty safe to use but it never hurts to check by using google (or search engine of your choice) to find information on the payment service name. Before entering in your credit card details you should always check the address in your web browser starts with 'HTTPS' as this indicates a secure and encrypted connection (this means only you and the person at the other end can ready any information sent between the two of you).

Lastly you will need a way of getting the items back to you. If the seller is in Singapore then you can arrange to meet or they may offer to delivery via Singpost or a courier. If it is an international company then they may deliver internationally. This is not always the standard though and you will need to check before purchasing. If the company doesn't deliver internationally you will have to use a service like vPost (Singpost) or Borderlinx (Citibank card holders only) which act as a virtual international delivery agent for you.

What these services do is offer a local address in the UK, USA etc (check with the companies for current services on offer) so you can have your items delivered locally from the seller and they will manage the transportation to Singapore. Borderlinx uses DHL currently but the price you pay is around 50% less than if you used DHL yourself. You need to account for shipping costs and import tax (if applicable) to the cost of the item you are buying in order to work out if it is cheaper to buy the same item overseas. Both also have cost calculators so you can work out roughly how much it will cost for shipping. These companies also sometimes have sales so you can get even better deals on shipping. If the seller will only accept a local credit card for payment then you will have to use these companies concierge service where they will buy for you and charge you for the item.

2. Browsing.

It is as simple as going to one of the links for the internet stores and browsing like you would a catalogue. Find the items you want and there will usually be a 'buy' button. Make sure you have chosen the right size / colour etc before choosing to buy and once the buy button is clicked the item will usually go to a virtual basket which is just a list of what you want. You can usually go to your 'basket' at any time and add, delete or change quantity of items at any time. Once you have all the items you wish to buy you can move on to the next stage by clicking a button labelled 'Go to payment' or something similar.

3. Buying.

Clicking this 'payment' button will take you through a process where you will verify the items you wish to buy, be given a total price, be able to enter a shipping address (either a virtual address as mentioned above or your Singapore address if they ship internationally cheaper than the other shippers) and then on to paying. Once you go through all the steps, you will bet an order number which most sellers will have a system for you to track your order. You will usually get an order confirmation detailing what you have purchased, what you have paid and the order number.

4. Delivering.

Once the order has been sent you will either receive it at home if the seller will send internationally or you will get a notification from your delivery agent letting you know a package has arrived. You will then be able to go through their process to arrange for the package to be delivered to your Singapore address and will pay your delivery charges. Once paid the item will be posted to you. Borderlinx usually takes around 3 working days. I have not used vPost so cannot comment.

There is one other step and that is to enjoy of your new purchases. If you need advice on how to do this then I am afraid you are on your own and to be honest I am surprised you managed to read this far or even turn on a computer for that matter .

Where.

Look at the Shops post (#3) below for a list of some of the better known internet shops.

More to follow.

RB

Oh and a quick disclaimer.....

I have no affiliation with any of the on-line providers listed here and internet shopping can very very hazardous to your bank balance .

Edited May 18, 2011 by RimBlock

[RimBlock 0]

Useful Links.

Payment

Paypal

Virtual Address and delivery

Borderlinx (Citibank card holders only).

Borderlinx twitter page (Promos)

vPost (by Singpost)

Vpost promotions

ComGateway - Shopping from US only.

EzPz Express - Ocean shipping. Expensive for under 0.5m cubed (25Kg or less) compared to air freight. Savings from 1m cubed size or heavy packages. No GST allowance on ocean shipped freight.

ShipTo - Untested.

ShopandShip - Untested.

International Couriers

DHL

FedEx

Coupon/Deals/Promo sites

Retailmenot

Slick Deals

Fat Wallet

Currency conversion

XE

Edited May 30, 2011 by RimBlock

[RimBlock 0]

International Shops.

Links are in the brackets for the countries.

Movies/Books

Amazon (UK/US)

Play (UK)

Waterstones (UK) - Books only.

General

Amazon (UK/US)

Debenhams (UK)

Argos (UK)

EBay (UK/US)

John Lewis (UK)

Littlewoods (UK)

TaoBao (CN) - No direct delivery. Need to arrange via someone like Pazar8.

Clothing

Austin Reed - (UK) - Mens smart.

Next (UK) - Mens/Women/Children

Topshop (UK) - Women

Topman (UK) - Men

River Island (UK) - Women.

Dorothy Perkins (UK) - Women.

French Connection UK - FCUK (UK) - Men and Women

H&M Hennes (UK) - Men and Women.

Jigsaw (UK) - Women.

Mango (UK) - Women.

Oasis (UK) - Women

Precis (UK) - Women.

Zara (UK) - Men/Women/Children.

Sports

Kitbag (UK)

Unusual and wacky

Firebox (UK) - Gifts, gadgets along with wild and wacky items like a water powered jetpack, the octopus chair and a half sized Jag e-type which can reach 46mph .

Drink Stuff (UK) - Gifts and gadgets to do with drinking both small and large. Amongst their catalogue is an inflatable pub, Home cinema nacho warmer or my favourite.... the 4 person inflatable hot tub with spa jets for around S$1k +delivery.

Edited May 19, 2011 by RimBlock

[RimBlock 0]

Contributors to this guide.

RimBlock, Sleek, 666, Ely1, Aegis0129

Edited May 28, 2011 by RimBlock

[RimBlock 0]

Tips and suggestions.

Consolidate multiple packages in to one delivery to save shipping costs but be aware of storage time as virtual address providers will give you free storage for only a limited time whist waiting for multiple packages to arrive.

To avoid our local GST cap of SGD400 (items + shipping), always try to cap orders at max USD250 or less (dependent on exchange rate at that time)

Edited May 19, 2011 by RimBlock

[RimBlock 0]

Over to you guys.

Please contribute to make this a great guide for anyone wishing to look in to internet shopping.

If you wish to add a shop link then please include the name, link, catagory of goods and any notes you may have (i.e. no international delivery / local credit card only).

Thanks

RB

[boyblunder 0]

Thank you so making things easier!!! Should get the internet shopping queen to add some of her comments here too.

[RimBlock 0]

People are always asking questions about when they see so many nice items people have bought overseas so it just makes it easier having it all in one place.

I used to get all my supermarket shopping delivered to my door after buying it all on-line. Oh how I miss that. Cold Storage and NTUC do home delivery I think but only during working hours . Used to be the same in the UK until the started charging a bit extra for evenings and the whole idea really took off.

I am sure the kings and queens of internet shopping will find their ways here .

RB

[sleek 2]

RB, great guide! the other common forwarder is http://www.comgateway.com/ and there is one that ships back via container http://www.ezpzx.com/

also to avoid our local GST cap of SGD400 (items + shipping), always try to cap orders at max USD250 or less (dependent on exchange rate at that time)

[666 0]

Well my usual & reliable internet shopping sites

Sports stuff

kitbag

my current fav

taobao

China hyper supermarket comes to you, everything & anything you can think of. I have bought tonnes of stuff from there.

But you might need someone to help you buy. Anyone interested can let me know, a frd is doing it part time.

[RimBlock 0]

Well my usual & reliable internet shopping sites

Sports stuff

kitbag

my current fav

taobao

China hyper supermarket comes to you, everything & anything you can think of. I have bought tonnes of stuff from there.

But you might need someone to help you buy. Anyone interested can let me know, a frd is doing it part time.

Hi 666.

Do you have a link for Kitbag and info of which country it is in and I will add it to the list of shopping sites ?.

Also, just to confirm from you that TaoBao does not deliver internationally and there is no service providing a virtual address in China that anyone is currently aware of but some individuals do sometimes arrange shipping for people sort of like doing a spree (a group of people grouping together and purchases to save on delivery and possible get volume discounts) ?.

Not reading Chinese I cannot confirm myself.

Thanks

RB

Edited May 19, 2011 by RimBlock

[666 0]

Kitbag

Its from UK,pay by credit card, they wont deduct till they ship out your stuff. There was a time, 1 of my package didnt reach me. I emailed them, they actually despatched another package with similar items to me. 1-2 month later, the earlier package arrived and I got 2 packages of similar items. They did not charge me additional too..

Regarding taobao, you can type english too in their search engine but of coz best is to type in chinese.

The local company i dealing with for my taobao stuff is this -> Pazar8

They can advise you too, in fact you can even ask them you want say "electronic weighing scale", they will list the items for you to choose.

[RimBlock 0]

Kitbag

Its from UK,pay by credit card, they wont deduct till they ship out your stuff. There was a time, 1 of my package didnt reach me. I emailed them, they actually despatched another package with similar items to me. 1-2 month later, the earlier package arrived and I got 2 packages of similar items. They did not charge me additional too..

Regarding taobao, you can type english too in their search engine but of coz best is to type in chinese.

The local company i dealing with for my taobao stuff is this -> Pazar8

They can advise you too, in fact you can even ask them you want say "electronic weighing scale", they will list the items for you to choose.

Great, thanks, I will add them in .

Rb

[sleek 2]

RB lol do we really want to list down all the shopping sites? the list would be looooooooooong as there are heaps of them and almost everything and anything can be delivered if we really wanted too.

I frequently shop the Old Navy, Gap family of stores online for the whole family, http://oldnavy.gap.com/. Ralph lauren, http://www.ralphlaur...ndex.jsp?direct, is one which should please brand conscious Singaporeans like me, so will the much higher end net a porter, http://www.net-a-porter.com/.

just to name a few other sites.

For everyone - kohl's ~ http://www.kohls.com/, threadless ~ http://www.threadless.com/, asos ~ http://www.asos.com/?r=2 (UK - offers direct shipping), f21 ~ http://www.forever21.com (offers direct shipping), aeropostale ~ http://www.aeropostale.com/, drugstore.com ~ http://www.drugstore.com/ (offers direct shipping, but it's quite expensive)

for women - charlotte russe ~ http://www.charlotte.../home/index.jsp, dorothy perkins ~ http://www.dorothyperkins.com (UK), victoria secrets ~ http://www.victoriassecret.com/ (offers direct shipping)

bags, shoes - lesportsac ~ http://www.lesportsac.com/, crocs ~ http://www.crocs.com...default,pg.html, fit flops ~ http://www.fitflop.com/, tobiasmayer ~ http://www.tobiasmayer.com/ (Germany - direct shipping)

Kids - The Children's place ~ http://www.childrensplace.com, carters ~ http://www.carters.com/, eco baby buys ~ https://www.ecobabybuys.com/, disney store ~ http://www.disneystore.com/, gymboree ~ http://www.gymboree.com/, party city ~ http://www.partycity.com/, crayola ~ http://www.crayolast...com/index.asp?., diapers.com ~ http://www.diapers.com/, http://www.bargainballoons.com/

I buy vitamins & supplements fromhttp://iherb.com/ since they do cheap and efficient direct shipping. If anyone uses my code EZO929, you get USD5 off your first order and after that you get your own referral code to share so they get the 5 off and you get some iherb cash back.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/, name says it all.

Edited to add in links, all with no country stated are USA sites &

PS: RB, the first comment in this post is just a rhetoric question

Edited May 22, 2011 by sleek

[RimBlock 0]

RB lol do we really want to list down all the shopping sites? the list would be looooooooooong as there are heaps of them and almost everything and anything can be delivered if we really wanted too.

Sure we do. If you are thinking from your level then you would be fine without but for people who have no idea where to start or where to go to shop, this will be a one stop shop for links to major online retailers in other countries where internet shopping is fairly easy. How many people who have never been to the UK knew that Argos existed or Debenhams or Littlewoods. All are major UK department stores with thousands of items to choose from and have regular big sales. My wife also commented that Zara in the UK was significantly cheaper than Zara in Singapore. Ok, ok, maybe not every tom, Dick and Harry shop but certianlly the most popular big retailers or others of particular note would be good.

I frequently shop the Old Navy, Gap family of stores online for the whole family. Ralph lauren is one which should please brand conscious Singaporeans like me, so will the much higher end net a porter.

just to name a few other sites.

For everyone - kohl's, threadless, asos, f21, armani exchange, aeropostale, drugstore.com

for women - charlotte russe, dorothy perkins, victoria secrets

bags, shoes - lesportsac, crocs, fit flops, tobiasmayer

Kids - The Children's place, carters, eco baby buys, disney store, gymboree, party city, crayola, diapers.com, www.bargainballoons.com

I buy vitamins & supplements from iherb.com since they do cheap and efficient direct shipping. If anyone uses my code EZO929, you get USD5 off your first order and after that you get your own referral code to share so they get the 5 off and you get some iherb cash back.

Thinkgeek.com, name says it all.

Cool. Links please if you think they should be included along with country so I can add them with the minimum of extra effort.

Thanks Sleek.

RB