Backstory: I won ₱3,000 shopping credits from joining this Nuffnang PH contest. I was excited to use it before thanksgiving season ends because Uskoop has a couple of Black Friday discounts up that time.
Uskoop PH is an e-commerce site that connects you to top US online merchants like Amazon, Macy's, Newegg, Walmart, etc. so you can buy their products and have them shipped to the Philippines at a very transparent cost. I'm stressing transparency out 'cos Uskoop quotes your items in real time, based on the value and dimensions from the product page, so it's easier for you to set money aside for it.
Using it is pretty straightforward, you may read my post here to learn more.
And now to my package!
Aaaaah, the nostalgia of receiving Amazon shipments. This one came in the original packaging, the tape wasn't tampered, meaning they didn't open it.
Since I bought a peripheral gadget (webcam) I was worried about the signs of wear the box sustained during transit. You can see that sides were quite dented. Buying this gadget was a risk for me simply because I couldn't test if it's functioning.
Here's an order tracking summary, to give you guys an idea how "fast" the entire thing went for me. This can be found from Uskoop's tracking page.
| Status | Date |
|---|---|
| Order Received | November 29, 2016 |
| Order Processed | November 30, 2016 |
| Order Shipped By Merchant | December 7, 2016 |
| Order Arrived International Warehouse | December 19, 2016 |
| Order Shipped (To Philippines) | December 27, 2016 |
| Order Arrived (In Manila) | January 6, 2017 |
| Order Arrived Local Warehouse | January 9, 2017 |
| Order Out for Delivery | January 11, 2017 |
| Order Delivered | January 11, 2017 |
That took a month and 13 days to be exact. Sounds okay to me.
Pros
- Hassle free shopping - you don't need an Amazon account
- Easy tracking
- Great for those without Credit Card because you can pay using DragonPay
- You pay everything in Philippine peso
- Shipping is okay considering items came from the US
- They also support a couple of UK merchants and brands
Cons
- They don't consolidate - which isn't good for multiple items. I quoted for 2 pieces of the same clothing item once and the shipping cost was doubled. Imagine if they consolidated that by opening the package and combining the two items together, then I would only have to pay for a single shipment
- Shipping price isn't that low, I quoted against LBC shipping cart and Jinio by Xend and Uskoop is higher by at least ₱500
- They don't seem to have Amazon Prime. From merchant to their international warehouse, it took 12 days. The item I bought is available in Prime so it can be shipped within 2 days. They could've saved 10 days from the turnaround if they invested in a Prime account. Just saying. And you know, when I asked on their Instagram page if they have Prime, they told me to DM them instead. And I was like, okaaaay, whoever their social media manager is, doesn't even know if they have prime or not. That's like a yes/no question. So I didn't bother anymore lol.
Tips
- Use Uskoop if you don't know or don't want to create accounts for US online stores
- Or if you don't need your items in a rush
- Use it for items that are not fragile (like apparel, but just one cos they don't combine, boo) because who cares if the box gets thrown around at cargo
- I won't suggest buying gadgets and makeup with this. Gadgets may come in defective, Makeup - you may want to risk it, but pressed products may break, and bottled ones may burst. Since Uskoop doesn't open your boxes, you wouldn't know the condition of your item. If it was Jinio or LBC Shipping cart, you can request to return the item once they're found defective.
Will I use their services again?
Probably not, 'cos I still find it expensive. I'm not new to Amazon so I don't mind transacting there directly and shipping my items to a virtual US address. I haven't tried it yet though!
What do you think, have you tried Uskoop? :)