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Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazon. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

[Review] Amazon shopping via Uskoop PH

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.


But so far, my item was safe and sound inside. And thankfully, it has no defects! Yay!


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? :)

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Shop Globally with Uskoop


Want something from the US? 9 Reasons to shop with Uskoop

If there's one thing I sorely miss when I came back from the US, that would be the heaven that is Amazon. The level of convenience it offers is freaking over the top. I'm not even exaggerating. Check out how much I rave about it in my tweets. In the 5 months I stayed in Minnesota, I've spent almost $2000 dollars shopping online. No regrets.

If you're an avid online shopper like me, you know that no e-commerce site in the Philippines deserves your full confidence. Countless times you have to double check the merchant you're buying from, even going to lengths such as stalking their Facebook account to confirm if they're legit, and still you get scammed. I never had to do that in my entire US online shopping history (which is really just 5 months lol), and I miss it so bad.

I still have a lot of items in my Amazon wishlist that I want to reach my doorstep and I've found that the easiest way to get them is to go to Uskoop and let them buy things for me!

What?
Uskoop is an online shopping portal that lets you shop from top global merchants like Amazon, Walmart, Macy's, Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, The North Face, Adidas, Nike, etc. You basically tell them what you want to buy and they'll get it straight to your doorstep.

Just take a look at the range of shops you can buy from!

Source: uskoop.com.ph
How does it work?
Source: uskoop.com.ph
3 simple steps:
  1. SEARCH - the products you want to get from top global merchants around the web.
  2. COPY URL - copy and paste the product URL from above step to Uskoop's site. Click on search button and the product's full landed price will be displayed in Php.
  3. CHECKOUT - by clicking the Buy for Me button and have the product delivered to your home at a single fixed price.

    The final price indicated already includes the base converted price, plus all other estimated fulfillment fees (ie. insurance, shipping, handling, import, and admin fees).
Here's a video tutorial to help you further:



If you're still undecided, here are 9 reasons that will definitely get you on board

1. One-stop shopping-and-shipping service on one site
No need to pay the merchant and freight forwarder separately.

2. Prices are all-inclusive and Uskoop PH will take care of shipping, customs & taxes with insurance
Yup! No hidden charges, the final price is all you pay for and nothing more.

3. Delivers to your doorstep anywhere in the PH via air 10-15 business days
That means you are saved from personally picking up your items at the customs office, avoiding getting ripped by the duty collectors in the process! WHAT A RELIEF. Also, that's fast delivery considering your stuff is coming from across the globe.

4. No need to worry about credit card acceptance outside your home country
The final bill is in Philippine peso and not in USD so all the necessary conversions are already taken care of. No more worrying about forex rates and international charges to your credit card.

5. No need to pay US Sales Tax
One less thing to worry about!

6. No need to use a US shipping Address
Uskoop uses their own facility to receive your items. No more virtual US addresses and no more pestering your friends and family from the US to buy something for you.

7. Single checkout from different US online stores
Since Uskoop is the one doing all the buying and shipping, you only have to pay Uskoop and that's it.

8. Multiple Payment Options
Uskoop accepts the following payment options:
 Dragonpay
 Charge2Phone
 Visa/Mastercard (Citibank Card Holders)
 Visa/Mastercard (SMART Customers)
 All Visa/Mastercard

9. Uskoop PH takes care of everything
You only have to tell what you want to buy and Uskoop PH will take care of everything from buying to shipping to your address to customer service and post-sale support.

BONUS!

10. Buy More Save More
I inquired about whether they combine shipping for multiple items of the same kind, cos I noticed that when I doubled the quantity of one item I was gonna buy, the final price doubled too, including shipping and fulfillment fees. I thought it was ridiculous so I asked.

They told me that they're rolling out a new feature, tentatively this Friday, called Buy More Save More. I have high hopes this would work to minimize fees for multiple items so I'm really excited to know more about it!

What's in my wishlist?
To show you how much the items I want from the US are going to cost if I buy via Uskoop, here's a couple of stuff from my Amazon wishlist. They're either too overpriced here or are simply unavailable. Uskoop solves those problems for me.

1. Pyrex glass food containers

I actually brought a set of these with me when I came back so when I lost it during one of my commutes, I was devastated. I've looked up Pyrex in department stores and they don't seem to carry this particular product. I'm not a fan of clip-on lids like the usual we have here so actually, arte ko lang to. But stiiiill.

2. Wireless, front closure bra
Joke lang yung size ko bes, wag ka na mainggit
Also not available in the Philippines, this bra is super haveyyy. Wire-free, has front closure, and thinly padded, this is the most comfortable bra I've ever worn. I wanted to buy more of these but during the sale where I got it, there's only one stock left in my size. MUST.GET.MORE.

3. Bed Rest


I haven't found this kind of pillow here. It's perfect for reading and I badly want one! For products that are bulky or have indefinite dimensions, the final price isn't indicated yet. You have to click on Get Quote for the Uskoop crew to manually assess the product and compute for shipping costs.

As of now I'm still waiting for my quote. Will update this post as soon as I get word.

Edited to add: Uskoop finally updated the final price of the pillow!



4. Herbalife Total Control



This one I couldn't find here even after inquiring to local Herbalife distributors. It has been very effective in my weight loss agenda, and is one of the few slimming products I didn't suffer any side-effects from. Highly recommended!

5. GoPro Hero 5 Black


Your favorite travel buddy just got an upgrade, if you're itching to get one now, do so with Uskoop. Online stores charge almost the same but you have to pre-order to get one. Physical stores are definitely going to charge higher, maybe ₱25k to ₱28k for this gem, when it comes to shore. And when is that?!

You know the deal, gadgets are much cheaper sourced online and abroad, with shipping being the biggest setback. Thankfully, we've got Uskoop!

Start shopping!
It's almost thanksgiving season and you know what that means, SUPER DUPER MEGA HUGE SALES. And you can expect that to go on until Christmas and New Year season. I'm not kidding, during the holidays I got shirts from Gap and Banana Republic that are only $2 each, and Adidas are Nike shoes are effin cheap, I swear.

Consider this a pre-holiday gift, use promo code USKOOPTEN% to get 10% off shipping and handling :D
Expiring November 7, 2016

Follow Uskoop
To know more about Uskoop and the latest deals happening in the US shopping scene, you may visit their website at www.uskoop.com.ph

 USkoopPhilippines
 uskoopph


Happy shopping!


*Disclaimer: This post was created for a Nuffnang x Uskoop PH contest. I haven't their service yet.



UPDATE
I won 6th! Yay! Will finally get the chance to review Uskoop PH for real. Thanks Nuffnang and Uskoop! Here's my review of their service, check it out!