Buy from outside of Singapore, deliver by Vpost

[nakatago]

Hi all

Consolidated reply:

• * ebay's no-go because all ebay sellers of my item are all from the US
  * the input voltage is not an issue for me. I know I can make it work in any part of the world that has AC electricity. The technical specs of the product is not an issue for me, just the technicalities of how I will get it here if I do get it from outside Singapore
  * I'm also aware of the dangers of having it shipped from overseas. I am willing to take the risks and live with them.
  * Duty Free's not really an option because the shops don't carry it. And I'm not really doing any traveling lately.
  * It seems that Vpost cleaned up their act. I'm still however, waiting for their reply (they said 4-5 business DAYS!!!) as instructed in their site for cases like mine.

Thanks for all the responses.

[econoMIC]

Sorry, I know this one is a bit late but I used Vpost several times to get some electronic items from amazon US and was very pleased with it. No hick-ups and I perceived the pricing to be fair for the service offered. I was actually very satisfied and would give it 4/5 and I would actually recommend it (that was three years ago though before I left Singapore)

[nakatago]

I just got a reply about my query...and I sent the email last Friday, which is pretty fast. I also called their hotline and got concise answers.

I also looked around their site and they're proudly advertising that shopping online and shipping to them is cheaper (complete with sample calculations).

About portable electronics, they told me to make sure the battery's packed in the same box as the device. I also saw an ad for Zune HD on their site. I guess that it's definitive that they do ship electronics. They also advise people to instruct online stores to pack stuff as small as possible to avoid ridiculous, voluminous packages.

They even advise people to clearly match packages so they can deliver within a week.

It looks like they cleaned up their act after all those years of bad rep. I'll just wait for their reply on my follow-up questions, mull about making decision and probably go for it.

Thanks for all the input, guys.

[nakatago]

I just thought people would want to know, for reference

I went ahead and bought the thing from Amazon.

31 Oct (30 Oct in US) - delivered to my vpost US address .

The weekend comes and goes...

2 Nov - waiting for Vpost to send the email billing me for shipping and GST (it was > 400 SGD). I called, they told the email will be sent after midnight

3 Nov - After midnight. The email came, I went ahead to pay. The thing cost me around ~600 SGD + ~30 SGD shipping + ~44 SGD GST. No biggie, I thought. I knew beforehand there would be GST and the shipping seems fair.

5 Nov - Evening. after ridiculously refreshing the Vpost tracking for several days, the status finally changed from processed to "arrived in Singapore

6 Nov - morning. Status changed to "with delivery courier"
- noon. I called. They told me it will be delivered by 6 pm
- a few minutes later, I called my home from work.
The package was delivered and there are no apparent signs
of mishandling

I feel like a 10-year old after Christmas Eve dinner; I can't wait to get home.

[x9200]

6 Nov - morning. Status changed to "with delivery courier"
- noon. I called. They told me it will be delivered by 6 pm
- a few minutes later, I called my home from work.
The package was delivered and there are no apparent signs
of mishandling

I feel like a 10-year old after Christmas Eve dinner; I can't wait to get home.

Congratulation and lucky you I can only tell you how my last delivery via speedpost looked like: 4 times arranging for redelivery and 4 time the courier did not show up. I picked that up by myself eventually. This information is meant only to provide some healthy balance

[nakatago]

yeah, that scared me at first but decided to take a risk anyway. I was told singaporeans like to complain but horror stories abound in the other forums, not just complaints!

I don't know though, if I will be lucky next time.

And I have yet to get home to check that my stuff works. So, my package is both broken and ok at the same time until I get home and open the box!

drawing parallels to Schroedinger's Cat

[econoMIC]

I am happy to hear it worked well for you. My experience was the same. Not next day delivery but reliable and well priced.

[nakatago]

Ok, I just got home and everything seems to be in order.

Ah, good times. I remember how it is to feel like a child on Christmas day again.

[road.not.taken]

Hi all

Consolidated reply:

• * ebay's no-go because all ebay sellers of my item are all from the US

But so what? If they ship internationally then you are all set. I buy items from US sellers on ebay a few times a year. I will never use vPost again ~ awkward, officious, and worst of all, LATE. Hope it all worked out.

[nakatago]

Hi all

Consolidated reply:

• * ebay's no-go because all ebay sellers of my item are all from the US

But so what? If they ship internationally then you are all set. I buy items from US sellers on ebay a few times a year. I will never use vPost again ~ awkward, officious, and worst of all, LATE. Hope it all worked out.

The original premise was that buying from the US is an issue because of some law that prohibits shipping of lithium-ion batteries. My item has a lithium ion battery so Amazon won't ship it internationally (I tried during checkout). SE suggested looking for it from other countries, and ebay also came up. However, searching revealed that ebay sellers are all from the US anyway. So, it was assumed that ebay US sellers won't ship internationally too. (Jeppo's friend looked for the item in HK but it's not available there).

How come I can have it shipped to a US address and have Vpost ship it? I don't know but it seems using a third party will let shipment through.

So, after confirming that Vpost will ship my item and knowing full well the dangers of using Vpost, it was a 50-50 win/fail going that route. I decided to take a plunge and now, I'm happily tinkering away at my item. Think Schroedinger's cat--the only way to know if the cat is alive or dead is to open the box.

Vpost doesn't have the best service, yes. I had to lend a hand processing my package, so to speak--matching it early, paying for it right away and calling in for updates...I wanted this item that badly (so much for emotional maturity). They didn't fail me this one instance and I'm happy for that.

Will go with them again next time? I'm not sure--there's always the possibility that vpost will f*** up. Perhaps, if I deem that taking the risk again is worth more than the ridiculous overhead I'll be paying if I get locally, I just may do it again. Maybe.

But whatever happens next time, I'll just have to do my homework again to look for the best option.

[EADG]

A friend of mine uses www.myus.com. I've not yet but probably will one day.

[x9200]

The original premise was that buying from the US is an issue because of some law that prohibits shipping of lithium-ion batteries. My item has a lithium ion battery so Amazon won't ship it internationally (I tried during checkout). SE suggested looking for it from other countries, and ebay also came up. However, searching revealed that ebay sellers are all from the US anyway. So, it was assumed that ebay US sellers won't ship internationally too.

The easiest way is just to register with ebay and specify your shipping address then all the hits you get from the searches are of the sellers that ship to your destination.You mentioned Zune HD, right? They are sellers who ships to SG both from USA and Europe and this is not your responsibility to know the relevant export regulation. What would be important is whether this legal to import it to SG and this is legal so no problem here.

[nakatago]

The easiest way is just to register with ebay and specify your shipping address then all the hits you get from the searches are of the sellers that ship to your destination.You mentioned Zune HD, right? They are sellers who ships to SG both from USA and Europe and this is not your responsibility to know the relevant export regulation. What would be important is whether this legal to import it to SG and this is legal so no problem here.

I already have an ebay account (reg'ed way, way before) and no sellers that would ship here show up.

The second point, it's not that I need to know the legality; it's just that I think it's a legal reason why Amazon wouldn't ship certain electronics outside the US. I already now it's legal to import it. Well, it's moot now since I already have my device. For future reference, I guess.

The Zune HD is just an example that I used/saw in Vpost. Why on earth would I buy a Zune!?!?!? (ok, that last one was a joke; no need to reply to that point )

BTW, at least we now have a healthy discussion of options going on here; the other boards are just filled with unintelligible rants, extreme singlish and baseless conjecture So, if you don't mind, I'm bowing out now but letting you go on with the discussion.

[kanderson]

I hate vpost. I ordered something super light (i'm talking less than a kilo) and shipped through vpost and they charged me $100! apparently the merchant packed it in a very large box so the shipping charge was based on volumetric weight. it was BS!

you just dont know how the merchant will pack it so you can get screwed...

I actually want to find another way to ship...

[Jean_tan]

I started out using VPost but got really upset when a stuffed toy got charged by volumetric method simply because the shipped used a bulky box.

Since then i've been using Borderlinx which i've been really happy with. and you can store your purchases for up to 1 month, giving you time to group items together for cheaper rates.