NaturalMantra.com Online Shopping Review

NaturalMantra.com Online Shopping Experience Review

Today I am going to share my online shopping experience with naturalmantra.com. There are now many online stores in India which claim to sell natural, organic, green and eco-friendly products. JoybyNature.com, naturalmantra.com, ecotokri.com, mygreenkart.com etc are some of the famous ones.

While a good percentage of the products being sold by these sites may actually be with least chemicals, let me be very clear that the terms natural, organic and green are just motivational terms to lure people into buying products which may not actually be as safe as we are made to believe. We will discuss that some other time.

Safetykart.com Online Shopping Experience Review

Safetykart.com Online Shopping Experience

This is a review of Safetykart.com, the only online shopping portal in India exclusively dedicated to safety: all things Protection, Prevention and Care.

Right from personal care, personal safety, baby care, baby and kids safety, home safety, to safety equipment required during trekking and camping, to protecting your gadgets, find everything at safetykart.com. I first got to know about this business when I was writing a review for Knockout Pepper Spray.

Safetykart.com is an online business of SRV Damage Preventions Pvt. Limited, which is into business from last 10 years and has now gone online. It is based out of Gurgaon.

Caratlane.com Shopping Experience Update: Resolution and Answers from Caratlane

Caratlane.com Review Part 2: Resolution and Answers from Caratlane.

This is in continuation of my Caratlane.com shopping experience (read HERE) that I had shared in Feb end, and I was supposed to share a part 2. So I received my customized earrings (both pairs) with a lock system in the loop around 11 Feb. They looked more golden than before and I started wearing them regularly until one day I realized that the weight for the Ethea Paisley Earrings had gone down.

Initial Earrings Weight: 4.020 gms

I contacted Caratlane and was told that the weight has rather gone UP after the customization. When I mentioned that the certificate is showing a reduced weight, the lady insisted that sometimes there could be a difference in their assessment and that of the jewelry certifying authority. At this point, I took both the pairs to a local jewelry shop and got them weighed. Both the weights were BANG ON as mentioned on the certificate, which ruled out the lady's explanation. So finally I went ahead and shared my experience in that review.

A couple weeks later Caratlane happened to read my review and contacted me saying that the weight decrease was unintentional and that a refund cheque is always sent out along with the jewelry whenever such a case happens. They said it got missed out in my case because it was a rare case of repair/customization and that they will be happy to write me a refund cheque. I was also told that they would get back to me after a thorough investigation.

Caratlane.com Review

CARATLANE.COM Review

Today I am going to share with you my biggest online shopping experience so far: the review of Caratlane.com and my diamond earrings shopping from Caratlane. Caratlane.com is a renowned online Gold, Diamond and Gemstone Jewelry brand in India. Because the decision to buy Gold and Diamond jewelry online is not an easy one, this is a very detailed review to help you make an informed choice.

I had known caratlane.com for 5-6 years and yet this was my first purchase with them. I had subscribed to their newsletter back in 2008. I think it was the first online gold /diamond jewelry store at that time. Every week, I used to watch the beautiful designs and wonder how genuine and safe this business would be until I gave up and unsubscribed.

Concerns about Buying Diamond Gold/Jewelry Online:

During this last GOSF/The Great Online Shopping Festival (Dec 11-Dec 13, 2013), I happened to see caratlane.com listed and just went to the site for some window shopping. My heart hooked on to two pieces of earrings. Since I had never bought from them before, I was indecisive whether I should buy or not.

Postergully.com Shopping Experience Review

Postergully.com Review

Do you know people who type a lot actually lose the sensitivity in their fingertips? Well, nothing to scare you but it's just an interesting fact. I prefer using a mouse with my laptop. It's just so convenient rather than rubbing your fingertips on the touchpad.

I was looking for a mousepad on flipkart.com. I must admit that I have never bought a mousepad before so I had no idea as to how much a good one costs. While browsing I got to know about laptop skins and decals. But after reading a few reviews there, I got scared that these laptop skins could be something very sticky and may harm the surface of my laptop's lid. Yet, I badly needed something to protect my laptop.

I googled and came across this site called postergully.com, where I found both mousepads and a great variety of laptop skins. Postergully.com sells a huge variety of colorful printed stuff under 3 categories:

1. Wall and Desk Art
2. Skins and Stickers
3. Merchandise

If you like expressing your personality through funky interesting products or if you like funky stylish stuff for your gadgets, you are going to love postergully.com. From posters, 3D posters to wall stickers, wall decals, keychains, gaming console skins, macbook and laptop skins to iPhone cases, iPad skins to Bumper stickers, canvas and frames art to designer USB flash drives, you can find it all at postergully.com. These also make for some cool gift items.

Flipkart.com Shopping Experience Review

Flipkart.com Review

After reading my Jabong.com shopping review, I am sure you all know by now that I had placed an order on Flipkart.com the same night. This was my second order with them. In my first order, I had ordered books and they reached super fast in perfect condition. But I was hesitant to buy personal care and makeup from them as I had read in some reviews that they shipped late or cancelled the order after a long wait.

I needed some personal care items for my son and Flipkart was the only store where I got all items available. Also, I saw some amazing discounts on certain products. So I went ahead and placed the order, fully prepared that there could be a delay in receiving some of them.

After reading the Jabong review, a few people told me that Flipkart is no better and that they have received late orders from Flipkart too. Now let me explain why this could have happened and this is a very important point to understand if you are planning to buy from Flipkart.com. 

Jabong.com Shopping Experience Review

Jabong.com Shopping Experience Review

I tried shopping with Jabong.com a year ago and my attempt ended in a funny to and fro with their customer support (read HERE). Still I kept reading positive reviews about Jabong from bloggers who keep receiving free gift vouchers from them to share their wonderful shopping experience. All those positive reviews somehow kept Jabong in my good books and I was hopeful may be one day I will also shop with them.

Last month I saw a 30% discount coupon on Jabong.com, applicable on a shopping of Rs 1499 and above. There were some items out of stock on Flipkart, so I decided to get them from Jabong and avail the discount to save some good bucks. If you live in Delhi or Gurgaon, you can skip reading further because you will be all gaga over this online store and their super quick delivery and what not. For those in other parts of India, here's the true picture.

Snapdeal scores a Hat Trick in Consistently Horrible Service

This is a review of my horrible shopping experiences with Snapdeal.com since 2010. Snapdeal started as a deals website in 2010, when the concept was fairly new in India. Mydala.com had been there in 2009 but I got to know about these deals websites in 2010 when I wanted to get inked (tattooed). Currently Snapdeal has evolved into an online shopping mall and the deals are there as well. Anyways, this is the history of my shopping with Snapdeal.com.

SNAPDEAL.COM SHOPPING EXPERIENCE 1: MOHIT TATTOOS

Click the picture for an Enlarged View

A tattoo deal came by in Sept 2010 for some Mohit Tattoos based in Gautam Nagar, South Delhi. I was to pay Rs 99 to Snapdeal and Rs 300 to Mohit Tattoos for a 3 Square inch Tattoo, which came to a tiny winy 1.5x2" tattoo. Since I wanted something bigger, Mohit Tattoos told me they charge Rs 750/sq inch for tattoo coverage area beyond the 3 Square Inch deal.

Chinabuye.com: Another Great Online Chinese Store that Ships Worldwide

Today I am going to introduce you to another Chinese Online store that I discovered recently: Chinabuye.com.

Chinabuye.com is a Chinese Online Shopping site that sells Men's and Women's Fashion Clothing, Shoes, Apparel, Makeup, Electronics, Gadgets, Watches, Fashion Jewelry, Car Accessories, Home and Kitchen stuff, Health care and beauty items, Security gadgets, Kids stuff and what not! They ship worldwide and there are various shipping options available from free to paid.

The variety of items offered at chinabuye.com is so vast it took me a few days to go through the various sections thoroughly. Though some of the items are available on other online stores too, I found many new products I had never seen before.

You can view the site in many languages like English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, French etc, and can shop only in US$ currency. You can add as many items as you like to your shopping cart and your cart remains saved till you don't clear cache and cookies. That gives you the freedom to browse and shop stuff at your leisure and convenience.

WHY BUY FROM CHINABUYE.COM?

People are mostly wary to buy from international sites. Chinabuye.com has the relevant links for FAQ's and policies clearly listed on the home page itself.  In fact, I found this website much more professional and organized than many other online stores. There is also a proper customer forum link on the home page, where customers can directly interact with chinabuye.com team and other buyers.

The unique thing about chinabuye.com is that they offer 1 year warranty on all products (read more HERE), which I have not seen on other such online stores. They offer a 30 days money back guarantee They also offer you 'Gold Points', which you can use as discount towards future shopping or use towards their VIP Customer Membership Program.

Another reason I prefer buying directly from such sites is because they are much cheaper than eBay and Amazon etc. Most sellers on eBay and other gadget websites (hitplay.in, gadgets.in and many international sites) buy directly from such Chinese sites mostly on wholesale rates and sell the items further at ridiculously high rates.

Left Chinabuye.com. Right ebay.in. Compare the prices!

I found that some items on chinabuye.com are costlier as compared to other chinese sites while some items are cheaper. But with rewards and more variety, it gains an upper hand over other sites. This site is really great for businessmen.

CHINABUYE.COM REWARDS AND DISCOUNTS:

There are various ways you can earn Gold Points. Once you have shopped with them, you can earn

1. 100 Gold points for writing a Product review on their site for an item you purchased
2. 5 Gold points for uploading an image of the product you bought
3. 100 Gold points for uploading a video review of your purchase on that product's page on chinabuye.com
4. points for reporting a product error. Points for this are not mentioned but I guess it is based on testing your reported error to be correct.

100 gold points = US$1. Now you can accumulate these points and redeem them as discount on your purchase. Or keep on acquiring more points to become a VIP member and get special prices for all products in the future.

At 1000 Gold points you get Silver VIP membership

At 5000, Gold VIP and

At 10000 Gold Points, you become a Diamond VIP member.

For more details, read HERE.

So if you bought 10 products and write a review for them/ post video review for all 10, you earn 1000 gold points. Then just write to their customer care and get upgraded to Silver VIP membership! Isn't that cool?

SHIPPING CHARGES AND SHIPPING POLICY

Shipping is free through Airmail for every order worldwide, but for free shipping you don't get a tracking code. In many countries, the parcels reach safely even without a tracking code and chinabuye.com claims that most of their parcels are rarely opened by customs according to their data. For shipping with a tracking code, these paid options are available:

1. Register Airmail

2. EMS Express

3. DHL/ TNT/ UPS/ Others

Your shipping options and estimated shipping costs (if you choose paid shipping) are displayed to you at the time of checkout. You can choose 'Airmail' for free shipping (no tracking code), OR enter your destination country to get an estimate on paid shipping to your address. You can read the Shipping Policy HERE.

Chinabuye.com supports many payment methods including Paypal, the payment system commonly used in most international transactions. Paypal transactions are very easy. You just need to link your credit/debit card or bank account to your Paypal account.

CHINABUYE.COM BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSMEN

If you are a businessman and want to purchase items on wholesale rates, there is a '-20% Wholesale' link on each item page which directs to you to their wholesale website mixmelot.com. They also provide dropshipping. Dropshipping means you take order from the customer, tell chinabuye.com to fulfill that order and send it directly to your customers in your name. You act only as a mediator and still you can charge your customer whatever you want. Chinabuye.com will not interfere with your client relationship. Read more HERE.

I look forward to purchasing from this site some time in the future. Do check it out. You can find them on Facebook HERE (beware, there are many duplicate pages, I have linked to the correct one). I also found a 5% discount coupon facebook page for chinabuye.com. You can check HERE.

Have you ever shopped internationally? Share your experience if you have.

Privyshop.com Shopping Experience Review

Privyshop.com is a new online store with a very different concept. I got to know about it from an ad on my blog. It is an online store where men and women can buy intimate and private products from the comfort and privacy of their home.

Privyshop is owned by a customer oriented couple from Bangalore, that did thorough market research before starting this business. Being a new business, they have their share of challenges, despite which, my shopping experience was as good as any other established online store.

Many readers share their confidence issues in emails and I see how some people feel very embarrassed about buying private clothing and other hygiene or intimate care products. God has created the Man and Woman bodies with specific biological features in mind and there is nothing to feel shy about buying a brassiere, sanitary napkins or intimate care products. However, owing to the restricted environment we are raised in, not everybody feels confident about buying such stuff from the direct market. Privyshop.com will save you from such confidence or embarrassment issues.

I was writing an introductory post on this business and contacted them for some details. They sent me a promotional coupon so I can shop with them and include my real shopping experience in the post, positive or negative. Basically they wanted genuine feedback on their business and identify any gaps. So I got a chance to shop with them.

ABOUT PRIVYSHOP.COM

While other online lingerie stores mostly target premium buyers, Privyshop targets all sections. They have products for low to medium buying capacity buyers and also keep some high end brands. So there is something for everyone. The products are categorized under 'Women' and 'Men' sections

Under Women's ♀ Section, you can buy Undergarments/Lingerie (Bras, Camisoles, Panties), Shapewear, Accessories (Nursing pads for feeding women, disposable panties, hygiene panties, sweat pads, Period panties etc) and Personal Hygiene products for Women (Razors, Hair Removal Creams, Panty Liners, Sanitary Napkins, Tampons and Intimate Wash). Besides these, they also offer some additional items like Facial Bleach Creams, Facial wet wipes and Saari Slips/Petticoats.

Under Men's ♂ Section, you can buy Undergarments (Boxers, Briefs and Vests) and Sexual Wellness products (©0nd0ms, St¡mulat0rs and Gels).

I am watching this site from one and a half months and they are continuously expanding the range of products.

As a policy, they do NOT sell any factory seconds. So all items are fresh and without any defect. Just in case any item gets damaged, the Shipping policy clearly tells what to do. Every relevant information and policy link is at the bottom of the home page and the left column of all the pages in the site.

I read all policies thoroughly before shopping and see that they have taken ownership of almost anything that can go wrong, to ensure a positive experience for the buyers. All new online businesses start like that, and I hope the service remains consistent in the future also, when it becomes a very established business.

MY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE WITH PRIVYSHOP.COM

I usually do not buy clothes online as there is no try and buy option available for my place. Also, even on big sites like Jabong.com and Yebhi.com, I had found ridiculously irrelevant size charts for lingerie. Privyshop.com had all relevant size charts in place and with simple measurements, I could figure out what sizes to order. They answered all my emails promptly and I received an email confirmation at each step.

I got stuck at the checkout as the promotional coupon was not working. Also, I could not find my pincode in the list of serviceable areas even though we have both EMS and Fedex, which are Privyshop's shipping partners.

I wrote to them and got a prompt response about the technical changes being made in the site at that time, which was not allowing the coupon to be processed. The area codes list was fixed within 30 minutes of emailing them. I did not want to delay my order. I chose bank transfer as payment method and they helped me complete my order by waiving off the coupon amount from the bill. Later, the coupon issue was also resolved.

COD (Cash on Delivery) is rarely available for my area code so I prepay for my online shopping. Fedex just comes up to our adjoining pincode, so I informed them to ship my order via EMS. I placed the order on Friday late evening. It was dispatched on Saturday morning and reached me on Tuesday by noon, exactly in 3+ days.

I was extremely surprised because courier delivery takes 6-10 days in my area and my privyshop.com order through EMS reached me on the 4th day morning, despite a weekend in between! Good job Privyshop and India Post.

As the name suggests, Privyshop respects your privacy. The best thing was discreet packing, which I did expect from such a private store. My order came in a plain thin khaki cardboard box with cling tape wrapped around as lamination. The packet mentioned only "Siddhartha Trading" as the sender name and Privyshop was nowhere mentioned on the box, thereby ensuring that nobody knew what was inside. No copy of bill pasted outside, one invoice copy inside the box for the customer to review the ordered items.

The box got a little beaten up and got a small slit on one side (postal handling), but all products were intact. The packing was very normal yet sensible. Thermocol stuffing was not required for these items and the clothes/lingerie were inside their original cardboard packing.

The cling tape is torn because I was just about to open it and then remembered to take pics first.

It is also mentioned in their Shipping Policy that lingerie and undergarment items are simply mentioned as 'apparel' in the invoice and other personal care private products as mentioned as only 'personal care product'. This ensures a completely private shopping experience. The courier or postal guy does not know the details of the items inside.

PRIVYSHOP.COM PROMOTIONAL OFFERS:

They currently have some offers going on. You can check the current hot deals HERE and the discount offers HERE.

There is a great flat 21% off offer on panties including branded Adira hygiene panties, for all prepay orders. 10% off on Adira period panties. Also, I am surprised that they are selling the discounted sanitary napkin packs for SOFY Sidewalls, which no other online shop sells and even physical stores don't stock them for low margins. First 2 packets count in free shipping. If you order more than 2 packets, it attracts a Rs 10 additional shipping charge from the 3rd packet onwards.

PRIVYSHOP.COM SHIPPING POLICY

PREPAY ORDERS (Online Payment/Bank Deposit/ Cheque/DD):

Free Shipping on all Prepaid Orders of INR 600 and above.
For prepay orders between Rs 200- Rs 600, Shipping Charge of Rs 49 applies
For Prepay orders value up to Rs 199, Shipping charge of Rs 69 applies

The shipping charges for small orders are quite nominal and less than other online stores selling similar stuff.

COD ORDERS (Express Shipping - Limited Pincodes available):

• Free Shipping on all COD orders >= Rs 1199
• For COD orders between Rs 600-Rs 1198, a nominal COD charge of Rs 49 applies
• For COD orders between Rs 200-Rs 599, a COD charge of Rs 98 applies
• For COD orders between up to Rs 199, a COD Charge of Rs 125 applies

Check the complete Shipping Policy HERE.

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

You can pay through Visa or Mastercard Debit/Credit cards or Transfer the payment online through Netbanking. Else pay Cash on Delivery (COD) through courier or VPP (India post service).

Such businesses are changing the scene on the Indian Market Front.

PRIVYSHOP.COM BUSINESS INFO:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/privyshopcom/467139580008140
Email: customercare@privyshop.com
Ph: 080- 2521 0089

Recent shopping from Buyincoins.com

Here comes my first haul post. I am a little shy when it comes to sharing my shopping publicly, so I have never shown off any of my hauls to you guys before. This is my second purchase from buyincoins.com and I purchased more sensibly as compared to my first haul. Here are the interesting products I bought. Do let me know what all you like :)

Facial Pore Cleanser Cleaner Blackhead Zit Acne Remover

This facial pore cleanser comes with proper usage instructions and it DOES work! I need to test it a little more and then will share a review with you all. Works on a single small 1.5 V battery, the one you normally use in household stuff. I bought one for me and one for my mom. You can check it out HERE.

Fragrant Camphor Wooden Moth Balls

These are fragrant wooden camphor balls. I bought 2 packets, 5 balls in one pack. These are awesome and smell really nice. You can keep in purse, closets, almirah, bathroom... anywhere you want nice natural fragrance and protection from moths. Bye bye naphthalene balls. You can buy them HERE.

Magic Crystal Soil / Water Beads for Flower Plant

These are little beads that fluff up into gel balls on adding water. As water dries, these shrink in size and when you add more water, these swell up again. It is being sold as plant food but as you can see, my plant's leaves turned curly and unhappy. But these look great as decoration piece and you can also add fragrant oil to them to use as a deodorizer or room freshner. (don't use oil and water together, use either).

I am sure most of you have seen these or have them at home. These are sold at fairs and at Delhi Haat too. You can buy these HERE. My little one loves touching these gel balls :)

120 Color Professional Eye Shadow Palette. I have already gifted this, so I don't have a picture. It is a favorite among bloggers and super affordable quality makeup. I want to buy one for myself too. The eyeshadows are very small though. The palette is compact and the cover is good quality, looks like a tiny laptop. 2 colors got broken a little because I live in a remote area and the post man came dangling around with the packet. It was packed very sturdily by buyincoins otherwise. You can read the review on Niesha's blog HERE and you can buy it HERE.

Faux Wig Hairband Ponytail Holder

This is a beautiful rubberband made of synthetic fibres. Comes in three colors:   Brown, Dark Brown, Blonde. I bought dark brown. It is actually quite big as compared to normal hairbands so you can wear it around a bun too. Very high quality. Can be bought HERE.

This is a BEAUTIFUL ladybug apron for kids for painting or when they want to mess around in the kitchen. It had a heavy smell when I opened, but the smell faded away within a few hours. It is waterproof and again very good quality. If my son doesn't use it, I will use it, as it fits me too :P Makes a great gift item. Comes in several colors. Can buy HERE.

Flamingo Black Waterproof Gel Eyeliner from Buyincoins.com

This gel eyeliner is useless. The gel does not dry and the moment you touch it, it will smudge. I never buy cheap cosmetics but wanted to check the quality, so bought this. The eyeshadow palette above is very good though. I bought this HERE (so you can avoid buying this one).

Cleaning clothes for glasses, frames, laptop or computer screen etc. There are 10 pieces in one packet. Lint-free and good size. These are thin, synthetic but clean efficiently. Usually you get these with spectacles but you don't get extra. Can be bought HERE.

Makeup Brushes

These are very high quality makeup brushes. The bamboo one can be used to apply both powder and liquid makeup. The black one is superb for applying liquid foundation flawlessly. You don't need to be a pro to use these. The quality is comparable to premium makeup brushes brands. I will review them separately. Can be bought HERE and HERE.

100 pieces of these cute baby buttons. I am into craft and emroidery and could not resist buying them. They come in many cute shapes like baby face, bibs, strawberries, paws, hats, ice cream, football, alphabet, hearts, flowers etc. But there are some ordinary ones too and most are different colors so you can't actually use them on one dress. Can use them with rubberbands too. For now, my kido loves playing with them.

AND here's the best one that I saved for the last :) 

This is an empty atomizer bottle in which you can transfer your perfumes and carry them while travelling. There are many variations of these at buyincoins and all come at different prices. I found this one best. It has many other amazing uses that I will share later. I wish I had bought more of these. You can buy this one HERE.

They are giving a free gift for all purchases >=$10. I got this cute bendable flower pen. The free gift keeps changing.

I got a 5% discount on household and makeup items. 

BUYINCOINS.COM 5% DISCOUNT

While creating an account, put my name Gaganpreet in the 'Recommender' box to receive a 5% discount coupon.

Please know that buyincoins.com is a huge site and you may get confused and end up buying unnecessary stuff.  Take your time to browse the site for a few days and keep adding items. They remain saved in your shopping cart. In the end, review all items and see which ones you really want and remove the rest :)

For a happy shopping experience with them, do read my buyincoins.com shopping guide HERE.

My Shopping Attempt with Browsecart.com

I am going to share my recent shopping experience with Browsekart.com. It is a new online business that propped up in 2012 and is based out of Chandigarh, India.  It was more of an 'attempt' to shop with them, which never materialized into an order for reasons explained in this post. 

By now somehow I have developed an aversion with any online business which   has some 'cart' in its name. After my terrible experience with another 'kart' named company (Bagskart.com : Sister of Lenskart, Watchkart and Jewelskart.com), my experience with browsekart.com is going to be in the same category.

I recently exhausted my Organic Surge Color Protect Shampoo, which I earlier used to get from medplusbeauty.com at 50% off. Medplus has increased the price a lot, for this brand (though medplus is still a great business to deal with). With a 15% + additional 10% off (on Organic Surge Products) Coupon at Browsecart.com, along with another additional 2% off on prepaid orders and assured gift on purchase of INR 1000 and above, I was lured to try out this new online business.

I first called them up to check delivery in my area and the girl at the other end simply greeted me with a "Hello?" No business greeting and I was left to ask if I had actually called the correct number. Moreover there is no customer care email displayed anywhere on their website.

Anyways, she confirmed the courier service in my area and also confirmed the discount was still on and gave me their email ID. I added a few Organic Surge products into my cart and tried to apply the 10% coupon and got an error despite a few tries. I wrote to them and even called them. 

Received a call back from a heavy voiced man, who seemed to be their business owner. Despite sending them a screenshot, I had to explain the entire thing again. By now, my imagination was picturing a physical cosmetics shop owned by him in some market in Chandigarh, where his Sales Assistant(s) was attending customer calls and as if he got a website made to get more bucks in the recent times of online shopping.

He promised to send me another coupon shortly. I waited from 10 AM to 3:30 PM but no call! Finally I called back, spoke with the same girl, and was again assured I will get a call back in half an hour. Nobody called. Around 6PM, the same man called and told me that the offer had actually ended and that it was showing on the site for some technical issues. He said they have extended the offer for a day just for me :) After an hour or so, when I got free, I again went online and tried to checkout and guess what?

The Organic Surge Color Protect Shampoo and Conditioner I wanted to buy urgently were no longer on their site! Out of stock. All extra items were still showing in the cart. I was too tired by now and emailed them a stinker. They apologized profusely just like they had done on the phone and I was assured the items will be restocked positively the next morning and that I will be sent a fresh coupon, which never happened!

A complete bhaiyaji (roadside vendor) gone online kind of experience. Chandigarh is full of software developers and I am positive they do not have any regular admin for their website, which is why they fail to deal with their technical issues. Their newsletters do not even open in my email. I am glad I could not place my order with them. Time to bid them tada and to trash them to the same list where bagskart and its other sister sites are lying.

BuyinCoins.com Shopping Experience Review

This is a review of the Chinese online shopping website buyincoins.com. It is a great online shopping portal that lets you buy DIRECTLY from China at ZERO SHIPPING FEE and UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICES. The variety is so huge, there is definitely something for everyone. If I have to summarize my shopping experience with them, I would say 'Very Professional' and 'Zero Risk.'

Though it is too late to buy Christmas gifts from them, it is still a good time to avail some amazing discounts.

No matter how big or small is your order, there is no limitation of a minimum shopping amount. The quality of most products is amazing and you literally get everything dirt cheap... it completely justifies its name ... BUY IN COINS.

BuyinCoins.com describes itself as a professional electronics online website, but actually they sell a HUGE variety of products from electronics, jewelery, Jewelery tools, pet supplies, home and gardening, makeup, apparel, kids clothes, toys and what not. It took me 5 days to completely browse the website before placing an order.

Many renowned websites selling Jewelry and Gadgets at high prices actually buy from them and then resell at huge margins.

When you hover your mouse on one Menu, you see a sub menu. Sometimes all items are not listed under that. Click on the menu button and you will see the entire list of categories there. Else use the search button.

REGISTERING TO THE SITE:

Registering is just like any other online shopping site. Write "gaganpreet" in the recommender box while creating your account and get 5% discount on your total bill on first order. Existing customers can like their Facebook page and get their 5% discount coupon under 'Fans Special Deals', which they can apply at the time of checkout.

OTHER DISCOUNTS:

They also give you a $0.1 discount on every additional quantity in your cart. I don't know how it works, but I got close to $2 discount automatically applied on my total bill for that too, besides the 5% recommender discount I have mentioned above.

PAYMENT:

Like most international businesses, you need to have a Paypal account to shop from them. Anyone who owns a debit or credit card or uses internet banking can open a Paypal account. It is very easy and hardly takes any time. 

After opening a Paypal account, you will need to verify your card/bank. When you click on the verification link in your Paypal account, Paypal charges $1.95 to your card or bank. You see a transaction ID for that in your bank/card statement. Enter that transaction ID in your Paypal account and you get verified.vOnce verified, Paypal immediately returns that $1.95 to your account/card. 

When I verified, my bank immediately sent me a transaction email, that also had the Paypal transaction code, and I could verify in just 2 minutes.

Paypal makes your online shopping safe because if you do not receive your items or receive damaged items, you can dispute for a refund within 45 days of making the payment.

SHIPPING IS FREE:

1. Orders equal to or above US$30 automatically qualify for registered post/EMS through China or Hong Kong post. You get a tracking code for these.
2. Orders below US$30 are shipped free through normal China or Hong Kong post. Expected delivery time is higher for unregistered parcels.
3. If your order is below US$30 and you want express shipping with tracking code, choose 'Express Shipping' at checkout. A $1.95 fee will be added to total bill.
4. Most orders reach safely even without tracking code, but sometimes they get lost too. It is better to pay $1.95 for registered shipping even if your order is small. It is every bit worth it.
5. They keep you informed at every step. You get an email once your order is packed, then when it is sent to the post office and finally when it is shipped. 
6. Once shipped, you can also see a picture of your parcel in your buyincoins.com account.

HOW TO TRACK YOUR REGISTERED ORDER:

To know how to track your order and complete shipping details, please read their Shipping Policy here. Even though it says they do not ship to Africa, Italy and India, they do ship to India.

SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE SHOPPING WITH BUYINCOINS.COM

SPLIT SHIPPING:

Buyincoins.com has several warehouses. If all your ordered items are not available at one warehouse, they may split your order into different packets and each will be shipped separately. They do NOT inform you beforehand.

So even if you have paid for or you qualify for (order <$30) registered shipping, only the first packet will be sent through registered post. The remaining packets from the split order are sent through normal post.

To avoid this situation, immediately after placing the order, open a ticket with customer care writing "PLEASE DO NOT SPLIT MY ORDER. I CAN WAIT. I WANT TO RECEIVE EVERYTHING IN ONE PACKET." To open a ticket,  click on Menu>>My Account >> Order History>> 'View' next to Order number >> 'Message to BuyinCoins' link in top left or Envelope button in bottom left toolbar.

COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMER CARE: Customer care is really polite but you need to be very patient with them. They understand only easy English sentences. You get reply only once in 24 hours.

BEWARE OF DUPES: While most of the products are extremely good quality, you will also find some famous products you may have seen on TV but it could be a duplicate of that. Just read the description very carefully till the end. There are customer reviews available for each item, in different languages. Just copy paste the review in Google Translator and read before ordering any item. It really helps. 

MY EXPERIENCE:

I could not believe my eyes when I received my parcel on the 10th day (I was  not expecting it before a month). The quality of 90% of items was amazing. God job buyincoins. Honestly, I never expected such quality from China. I had ordered jewelry, accessories, a vanity pouch, a wallet, a science toy and a few other items (no makeup). Every thing was securely bubble wrapped. One ring broke on the way. I wrote to them and they immediately refunded for it.

The only item that got broken in transit

Even though I did not receive all my products, I am very happy with my safe shopping experience with them and definitely recommend this site to everyone. My order was split dispatched. I only received the packet with the tracking code, rest of the items never reached me. I disputed through Paypal on the 45th day of payment and buyincoins.com refunded every penny for lost items, without any fuss! Their Facebook Help Desk guy helped me a lot and answered every single query of mine with patience.

This is why I would recommend this site to everyone for a safe and happy shopping experience at amazing unbelievable prices.

I do not write haul posts on my blog. If you want to see pics of other items I ordered, let me know and I will post on the Facebook Page.

At this time they may be loaded with orders because it is year end, but if you order now, you should get it by Valentine's day for your loved ones :)