Internet Shopping: What, Why, How, Where.

[ngunadi 2]

Has anyone tried buying shoes from zippos before?

[Drexter 0]

My favorite: Amazon

For Region A Blurays

[Ely1 0]

Borderlinx

1) Register here. To view a demo on how it's done, watch this. You'd require a Citibank card (NOT for purchases) but for the payment of the shipping.

2) Borderlinx uses DHL and is generally quicker than vPost. Shipping takes about 3 days after payment is made. Their hours are a little flexible too, but do direct your items to the office (if the company culture is okay with this) to ensure delivery everytime if you're not home.

3) Check the cost calculator by keying in the item's dimensions and weight. If you're unsure of the dimensions, run a search on Amazon. For example, if I want to buy the Merry Pet Washstand from eBay:

and they only included the product's assembled dimension, Amazon will list the package's dimensions:

. Key the values in for an estimate cost of shipping.

4) Choose Flexiship if you wish to consolidate your items (Borderlinx will hold your items for one month for free), and this way, you also get to choose to split them up into batches in order to avoid tax (total cost of S$400).

5) Should some items be listed with an asterisk (*), Borderlinx may also send an email informing you that the correct value of the item was not indictated. You CAN choose to ignore it if it's in your favour (under-valued), or if it's over-valued - For example, listing Star Wars Prequel Trilogy as US$60 instead of the paid amount of US$28, send an email to csrep@borderlinx.com - Example:

Subject: Item value - Borderlinx/DHL 0001-0001

DVD set

Shipper: EBAY

Shippers ref: 420431379102128882300604960333

Content :

- 1 x dvd set ()

Tracking number: 9102128882300604960333

Seller

isellblurays

isellblurays@gmail.com

Shipping address - confirmed

Online Shopping Queen

2120 Creekside Pkwy

Borderlinx/Dhl 0001-0001

Lockbourne, OH 43137-8500

United States

Postage details

USPS Parcel Post

Description: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (DVD, 2008, 6-Disc Set, Ch...

Item Number 150575594614

Unit price: $28.00 USD

Qty: 1

Amount: $28.00 USD

You can cut/paste from the PayPal invoice or forward the invoice (they are not particular at all). Make sure you include the Merhant Ref No. that is indicated on your Borderlinx page with the coordinating item. If many items are over-valued by Borderlinx, it can quickly add up to S$400 so make sure you verify the actual value. Bold and highlight the important fields so they can process it faster. Updating of the value usually takes one business day.

6) Use the online chat assistance whenever you have queries. The wait time is usually a few seconds and have your Borderlinx number ready, as well as the Shipper's Ref No if you're enquiring about a particular item. Take down the Chat Reference No. in your email correspondence to them.

7) Borderlinx promo codes can be found updated on their Twitter page daily (shipping discounts or discounts on different brands/items). Other shipping discounts collated from all over the world are found here.

8) During delivery, always check the number of parcels they hand you. They're labelled "1/9, 4/9, 8/9 parcels" indicating there are a total of 9, so make sure you count all 9 before you let the delivery guy leave. I cannot tell you the number of times they missed a parcel, or accidentally gave me another person's. Usually a quick call to DHL will resolve this (unless your parcel has been misdelivered to someone else...) and DHL will have the parcel returned to you within the day.

9) List of prohibited items.

- Ely

[Ely1 0]

vPost

1) Register here. Guide on how to start shopping with vPost.

2) vPost has a base charge of $13.40 (USA), S$16 (Japan), S$23 (Europe). Rates listed here. Use their cost calculator to check for shipping charges in order to make comparisons with other consignment merchants. However, they only consolidate your items for only 2 weeks before you pay a $10 holding fee (per item, per week).

3) In order to faciliate quick updating of your invoices to vPost, do make sure you bold and highlight the necessary fields for faster processing. I also label all my Invoices for quick reference. Forward your invoices to the correct vPost email according to country.

For USA shipments: invusa@vpost.com.sg

For UK shipments: inveurope@vpost.com.sg

For Japan shipments: invjapan@vpost.com.sg

Example of my forwarded PayPal invoices:

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: service@paypal.com <service@paypal.com>

Date: Thu, Apr 7, 2011 at 11:47 AM

Subject: Receipt for Your Payment to Janet Holland

To: Ely <ely@gmail.com>

SUBJECT: Invoice #4 - VP000001 Ely Queen

06 Apr. 2011 20:47 PDT

Transaction ID: 2A324192F78481728

Hello Ely,

You sent a payment of $28.00 USD to Janet Holland (xxeetty@aol.com)

It may take a few moments for this transaction to appear in your account.

Merchant

Janet Holland

xxeetty@aol.com

Shipping address - unconfirmed

VP564298 Luwyn Tan

8548 NE Alderwood Rd

Ste VP564298

Portland, OR 97220-1347

United States

Description: Solar Table Lamp for Patio, Porch or Deck

Item Number 64737060

Unit price: $8.50 USD

Qty: 1

Amount: $8.50 USD

Description: Solar Table Lamp for Patio, Porch or Deck

Item Number 65498166

Unit price: $8.50 USD

Qty: 1

Amount: $8.50 USD

Subtotal: $17.00 USD

Postage and packing: $11.00 USD

Total: $28.00 USD

Payment: $28.00 USD

Invoice ID: 31570200

4) vPost's customer service can be reached via Online Form or through custsvcs@singpost.com (keke).

5) vPost's promo codes can be found here. Key in the promo code during payment before confirmation. Unlike Borderlinx, you're unable to choose and select which parcels you want delivered first (or to split them up to avoid the tax), what I have done is write an email, then a follow-up phone call, and got them to discard a parcel which I felt the shipping charge was not worth it. They discarded the item and updated my shipping invoice within one day.

6) List of prohibited items.

- Ely

[Ely1 0]

eBay Tips

(taken from previous reply to El LoCo - recyling is good k~)

If there isn't an exact brand you're looking for, try using different search terms on eBay. People list their items differently so search terms like "kitchen tap" and "kitchen faucet" and "kitchen mixer" might all give different results. Narrow your search by listing Price lowest, or Ending Soonest; if clothing etc, narrow under size and condition:new etc. This would help going through thousands of results.

Sometimes, I go on both eBay.com.sg and eBay.com to look for the same items as there might be local products or Asian ones, which gives better shipping rates. Also try changing postal location from United States to SGP and check rates that way. If the seller allows worldwide shipping, ask them, on the item's page, how much shipping would cost and how they charge for combined shipping. You may find it more worthwhile to buy several items from one seller instead with combined shipping.

Always leave (truthful) feedback so that sellers will be inclined to leave feedback for you. This will give you certain standing among sellers (some sellers will not sell to those with 0 rating, or less than 10 transactions - it differs with everyone - so read carefully and email them first). The same goes for eBay sellers - if their rating is poor (anything less than 99% is a warning sign to me), read their feedback before deciding if you want to go ahead. I've found that avoiding those with poor feedback really helps. That said, if you find the product unsatisfactory, contact the seller first - they normally will accomodate all requests for exchange/refund because they cannot afford negative feedback. Negative feedback will hinder your account's limitations so pay on time.

Many sellers also provide tracking, so you can simply track your item via "Won/Purchased" tab.

Don't be afraid to make offers.

In this case, you can probably start with GBP 0.85. You are allowed to make up to 3 offers/counter-offers, but if the 3 offers are declined by the seller, you will not be eligible to purchase it, so make sure your offer is reasonable!

PayPal insures your transactions, so if there's a dispute that the seller won't take responsibility for even after opening a case on eBay, escalate the case to a claim - PayPal will investigate the matter and refund your purchase if it's in your favour.

For Amazon, always read the reviews and scroll through what other people buy instead - sometimes you find something better. Amazon also records what you're searching and would give recommendations. Set up an account with them (it's all free) and you can have as many shipping addresses as you like - use your consignment address, home address and office address and you can simply select which address you want your items shipped to. Everything gets calculated at the end, after you select the credit card you want to use, so you can review the shipping and total cost before confirming the order.

I, then, compare the item with Lowest Price + shipping on eBay, with that on Amazon.com, and Borderlinx's cost calculator and vPost's calculator with promos, and decide which to go for. Amazon lists product weight and dimensions so you can use that to calculator shipping charges from the various consignment merchants.

I have the eBay app on my iPhone so I know when I'm outbid and can bid and pay wherever I have connection! If you like an item but the bid is too high and notice that the seller has several in inventory or relists them after each sale, stalk the item for weeks even and persist on bidding within your budget. You'd eventually get it at the price you want Sometimes the stalking helps, I use the watch list (up to 200 items can be watched) and keep track of what the going rate for the item is. It's also a lot about timing. If the listing on ebay.com ends at Singapore PM time, you'll have a better chance of not being counter-bidded.

I also include personal notes to eBayers, telling them I use a consignment merchant and that while I understand they strive for customer excellence by ensuring the item gets to be flawless, it would be really help save some extra shipping money should they considerately use minimal but adequate packing, as well as the smallest box. They usually are more than happy to oblige.

- Ely

[RimBlock 0]

Thanks Ely.

All very informative and helpful.

RB

[aegis0129 2]

I do a lot of my shopping online and have found the following forums useful for tracking US sale items.

Slickdeals (click on icons on left to zoom in on items of interest, such as photo, audio, etc)

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Fatwallet

http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/

One of the common issue that folks may face is that US merchants require the use of a US based CC and

a US billing address. I do have a US based CC which was obtained when I lived there and I use my company's

US address as the billing address. This is probably not feasible for most folks but I have read that some

people have used Amex cards with some degree of success so it may be worth checking that out.

Generally there may also be coupons lying around on the internet for free shipping or further discounts. Simply

type the merchant name + coupons and there will be plenty of results on google.

I use priceline alot for bidding on hotels if I'm in the states or even UK. Probably not so much under internet

shopping but if people find that useful I will be happy to post some guides as well.

In Singapore, internet shopping has not caught on as much as in larger western countries probably due to

the proximity of amenities on this island. The amount of deals one can get in the US is incredible,

very easy to get into a buying frenzy.

[aegis0129 2]

eBay Tips

(taken from previous reply to El LoCo - recyling is good k~)

If there isn't an exact brand you're looking for, try using different search terms on eBay. People list their items differently so search terms like "kitchen tap" and "kitchen faucet" and "kitchen mixer" might all give different results. Narrow your search by listing Price lowest, or Ending Soonest; if clothing etc, narrow under size and condition:new etc. This would help going through thousands of results.

Sometimes, I go on both eBay.com.sg and eBay.com to look for the same items as there might be local products or Asian ones, which gives better shipping rates. Also try changing postal location from United States to SGP and check rates that way. If the seller allows worldwide shipping, ask them, on the item's page, how much shipping would cost and how they charge for combined shipping. You may find it more worthwhile to buy several items from one seller instead with combined shipping.

Always leave (truthful) feedback so that sellers will be inclined to leave feedback for you. This will give you certain standing among sellers (some sellers will not sell to those with 0 rating, or less than 10 transactions - it differs with everyone - so read carefully and email them first). The same goes for eBay sellers - if their rating is poor (anything less than 99% is a warning sign to me), read their feedback before deciding if you want to go ahead. I've found that avoiding those with poor feedback really helps. That said, if you find the product unsatisfactory, contact the seller first - they normally will accomodate all requests for exchange/refund because they cannot afford negative feedback. Negative feedback will hinder your account's limitations so pay on time.

Many sellers also provide tracking, so you can simply track your item via "Won/Purchased" tab.

Don't be afraid to make offers.

In this case, you can probably start with GBP 0.85. You are allowed to make up to 3 offers/counter-offers, but if the 3 offers are declined by the seller, you will not be eligible to purchase it, so make sure your offer is reasonable!

PayPal insures your transactions, so if there's a dispute that the seller won't take responsibility for even after opening a case on eBay, escalate the case to a claim - PayPal will investigate the matter and refund your purchase if it's in your favour.

For Amazon, always read the reviews and scroll through what other people buy instead - sometimes you find something better. Amazon also records what you're searching and would give recommendations. Set up an account with them (it's all free) and you can have as many shipping addresses as you like - use your consignment address, home address and office address and you can simply select which address you want your items shipped to. Everything gets calculated at the end, after you select the credit card you want to use, so you can review the shipping and total cost before confirming the order.

I, then, compare the item with Lowest Price + shipping on eBay, with that on Amazon.com, and Borderlinx's cost calculator and vPost's calculator with promos, and decide which to go for. Amazon lists product weight and dimensions so you can use that to calculator shipping charges from the various consignment merchants.

I have the eBay app on my iPhone so I know when I'm outbid and can bid and pay wherever I have connection! If you like an item but the bid is too high and notice that the seller has several in inventory or relists them after each sale, stalk the item for weeks even and persist on bidding within your budget. You'd eventually get it at the price you want Sometimes the stalking helps, I use the watch list (up to 200 items can be watched) and keep track of what the going rate for the item is. It's also a lot about timing. If the listing on ebay.com ends at Singapore PM time, you'll have a better chance of not being counter-bidded.

I also include personal notes to eBayers, telling them I use a consignment merchant and that while I understand they strive for customer excellence by ensuring the item gets to be flawless, it would be really help save some extra shipping money should they considerately use minimal but adequate packing, as well as the smallest box. They usually are more than happy to oblige.

- Ely

Depending on how much one needs the item, I usually maintain a lot of discipline in buying things off ebay for the wants. Sometimes if its just a

small amount more, I may go ahead and use buy it now to secure the item so that my things will reach vpost in a timely fashion. If one exceeds the 2 weeks timeframe for holding of items using vpost, you end up paying more base charge. I collect books have have amassed quite a collection off ebay by simply having tons of saved searches in my ebay, things will often show up from time to time for a good price.

[RimBlock 0]

Depending on how much one needs the item, I usually maintain a lot of discipline in buying things off ebay for the wants. Sometimes if its just a

small amount more, I may go ahead and use buy it now to secure the item so that my things will reach vpost in a timely fashion. If one exceeds the 2 weeks timeframe for holding of items using vpost, you end up paying more base charge. I collect books have have amassed quite a collection off ebay by simply having tons of saved searches in my ebay, things will often show up from time to time for a good price.

Thanks for the tips Aegis.

I may be a little slow updating the first posts but will get round to it as soon as I can. New baby taking my time as you can imagine .

RB

[aegis0129 2]

Thanks for the tips Aegis.

I may be a little slow updating the first posts but will get round to it as soon as I can. New baby taking my time as you can imagine .

RB

No prob, hope someone will find the info useful. I'm tied up with juggling my reno, wedding, work and a part time advanced degree so don't have too much time on my hands as well.

Anyways, memorial day is next week so look out for deals on the US forums!

[jaskel 2]

Very useful information. Kudos to all who contribute.

[RimBlock 0]

Have updated the useful links page and included the vPost/Borderlinx promo links supplied by Ely.

I have also added the deals websites provided by Aegis and Ely.

One other tip for EBay.... when you do a search for an item and get the results back you can select "completed listings" in the options on the right to see what sort of price the same items have sold for in the recent past. This will give you an idea of what you may expect to have to pay in order to secure the item you wish to bid for. Of course, EBay is based on supply and demand so you may have to pay a lot higher if unlucky or a lot less if the wind is in your direction.

RB

[RimBlock 0]

Added another couple of companies that provide virtual foreign addresses (ShipTo and ShopandShip). I have not used either but they are recommended by others elsewhere.

RB

[jopej 0]

Hi all,

I am always very into buying from overseas. Bot a few small items before. E.g paid US$10 for a clutch bag and paid US$17 for the international delivery fee. Hahaha.. sounds quite ridiculous. But I still cant get the item at the total price in SG.

Recently I realised I can get items from China, much cheaper than the same items in SG. I managed to get many many items for my new house through this lady (think like freelance) who helped me get from China and delivered right to my door step. I tried going taobao like mentioned by others, but the chinese words are really hard to manage and the transactions too...

Through her, i bot things like toilet fittings, crystal lighting, carpet, bedside table, etc.... I wanted to get some more items. But she is still waiting for her next shipment to be consolidated. Then the shipping cost will be shared among all the items. It will be cheaper. Hope more pple are interested, then I can purchase my items faster.. hahaha...

pls pm me if anyone is interested... :-)

[chocoholic 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,

i really need your help , i have chose some lightings from www.taobao, but cant make payment using our local credit cards ,how are we going to make payment and so far have you encounter any problem with their delivery of your purchase .

please email to me if you can @ happie_yeo@hotmail.com

Thanks very much...