Overseas shopping and shipping!

We always say that the world is becoming smaller because travelling and importing of items are made way more accessible compared to 10 years ago.

I remember how it was almost a dream for anyone to travel anywhere out of their own country or even to just the neighbouring countries, but now, travelling across continent is a norm. Buying of things from halfway across the world is a norm. But yet, we still constantly seek for the best, the fastest and the cheapest way to ship something across the earth.

As not all online sites provides free international shipping option, we will still need to search out for companies who does shipping for us.

In the past, i use to purchase things through Vpost where they offer shopping from USA, EUROPE, JAPAN and CHINA.

 Their charges was one of the best at that point with a base charge depending on the location, weigh and fuel charge that are based on the weigh or volume of item.

However, i found a better way and it's way cheaper! 65daigou ships for you from USA, TAIWAN and CHINA.

Their rates are based on weigh only. There are no additional base charges or fuel charges. That makes it a lot cheaper to ship something from USA or China, to Singapore.

Of course the location wise does matters because if you are purchasing from Europe, then you will still have to use Vpost for now.

These sites too have a "buy for me" option where you do not have to coordinate the shipping options of the various sites and ensure the parcels arrive and coordinate for the items to be shipped to you. You can purchase you item through the site by keying in the URL of the item from the shopping sites. However, do note that they charge a service fees of 4-8% of your spending, meaning the more you spend, the more you are charged for the service.

But the good part about using this function is, they will be responsible for coordinating with the sellers and ensure that your items are received and sent out to you in good condition. Hence, they work as a meditator to ensure shopping satisfactory.

Hope this gives you a better and easier way to shop and ship! ;)

Exploring Singapore? Part 1 - Haji Lane

Recently, someone asked me where are some nice places in Singapore. As a Singaporean, i took sometime to think through and since SG50 is coming.. I decided to do some short introduction to Singapore for the all the friends out there who would want to make a trip to this small little island filled with many surprises!

I will first start with the place closest to me! HAJI LANE! This lane has the name of being the hipster street! A few years back, when i first came to this lane, it's where local designers started out their own small boutiques and the things are really cool but expensive in those days.

Today, Haji Lane still kept to it's name for being Singapore hipster street! The colourful units sticks close to one another, and every shop has their own unique features! I love this street because... If you ask me... where can i find unique clothes? unique accessories? This is definitely the place! Many photographers like to take photos here too! because of the colors, the hippy and liveliness of this lane.

Personally, i am a lover of unique things! I buy unique things from all over the world whenever i travel and bring them back to this small island of mine! And of course, i am a cafe hopper too! Sitting down for a nice coffee of coffee or tea, with a magazine or iPad :x will make my afternoon!

2 months back, i decided to share my collections and bring these unique things i find together, i opened my retail shop here @ 21 Haji Lane!

Combining apparels, accessories, cafe and even beauty together all in one place!

If you follow my blog, present this post to my staff to receive 5% off apparels and accessories! You can also follow us on Facebook @thelastpiece and Instagram @thelastpiecesg for our latest promotion! We are also having weekly giveaways that you can take part in!

We open at 11am everyday and closes at 8pm. We close later on Fridays and Saturdays, at 9pm. If you are looking to have lunch or dinner around the area when you come by, do not worry! You will receive 10% off total bill at "I am" cafe, where they sells really really nice western food! when you purchase anything in my shop, and present the receipts upon ordering!

We have new stocks replenished every Mondays. Every piece is unique and only one piece available. Looking for dresses for events or parties where you don't wish to see another person wearing the same dress as you? We are confident to say that we only carry 1 piece of each design and per color. You will not find the same dress in the same color in our shop. We do not restock the same item :) So if you like something, grab them before they are gone! ;)

Facials are available too! come on down to see what are the promotions every month. We can also work around your budget so do not worry about having to pay what you are told to. We do our best to bring comfort and satisfaction to meet your needs. 

There are other shops around that sells cool things too. You can walk down the lane from where we are, and find interesting finds too!

The weather can sometimes be really warm. Wear light clothes, bring along an umbrella if you have to. As the weather may change and you will not want to be caught in the rain ;)

Planning a trip to Singapore? stay tuned for more introduction to other nice things in Singapore! <3 <3 <3

Fraser Rewards Card Reviews

Having a whole loads of cards in my wallet... Why another card? What are the benefits of having this card?

There are a list of benefits from this card, let me start from the one that attracts me the most and most useful to me to the least:

First of all is the FCM$ where you earn 1FCM$ for every $1 you spend AND this FCM$ DOUBLES on your birthday month! So it's my husband's birthday this month, and i bought $600+ worth of things from Challenger so i decided to get this card!

Secondly, it is the convenience of signing up for the card on the spot! I actually found out about this card after making my purchase at Challenger and was introduced to this card by the cashier in Challenger. When i went to find out about signing up for this card, the counter lady was very helpful, you just need your NRIC and key in some particulars over the iPad provided and the card was done almost instantly! The next best thing was that they allow me to credit in the FCM$ of what i have already made payment for at Challenger as long as it was on the same day!

On top of these, the third thing that happened was that i found out about instant rewards of complimentary gifts with purchase or promotions that vary across the malls, with minimum spending applies. The existing promotion at Northpoint was, spend $50 = receive $5 e-cash voucher or spend at least $150 = receive $15 e-cash voucher. You can combine up to 3 receipts in the same day. I have already spend $600+ in a single receipt at Challenger, so i was credited with $15 e-cash on the spot.

What can you do with the FCM$ you have earned? You have to convert your FCM$ into e-cash in order to use them to make offset of your next purchase. Some points about converting your FCM$ are, you need to have a minimum of 500FCM$ to start converting. Every 500FCM$ = $5 e-cash. You are capped at earning 8000FCM$ ($80) per redemption year (1st July to 30th June of the following year).

Every $30 you spent earns you a chance for promotional periods Fraser Rewards Travel Draw. I'm not sure how this draw will goes but who knows? You can win yourself a trip for a nice getaway~

Free weekday parking (with minimum spending) is something i have yet to try. Below are the list of participating malls! Find out more about the minimum spending for each mall and it's existing promotions by checking http://www.fraserscentrepointmalls.com !

* Anchorpoint
* Bedok Point
* Causeway Point
* Changi City Point
* China Square Central
* Compass Point
* East Point
* Northpoint
* The Centrepoint
* Robertson Walk
* Valley Point
* Yew Tee Point

Just a summary of my first transaction with the Fraser Rewards Card:
- Spent $600+ at Challenger = 600FCM$
- Double the points on birthday month = 600FCM$ X 2 = 1200FCM$
- Existing mall promotion of spending at least $150 = receive $15 e-cash voucher
- 1000FCM$ = $10 e-cash
- $30 = a chance in the Travel draw. $600 = 20 chances
Total i earned $25 e-cash and 20 chances in the travel draw!

*One not so good thing about this card is... you have to bring the physical card around and swipe it for the points. Many retail malls or shops have already gone 'card-less' where points can be credited directly to the account via NRIC or telephone number etc. So it just adds on the the stack of membership cards in my wallet~

Furniture shopping

This is one of the most exciting thing to do, when preparing for you new house!
Shopping around for chairs, sofa, cupboards!!!

Many would have used this as a dinning table because it is a dinning table!
But loving this table and yet it does not fit my living room design, i got it for my study instead!

Saw the cupboard on the left? it is made of Acacia wood!
For those who know what Acacia wood are, they are wood that by right will not rot or decay due to the way it is 'constructed'!
The sofa on the right is what i really like!
Love both of these so much but too pricy for now i guess.. =(

I'm trying to find a nice and yet comfortable chair to match the study table....

Paypal save?

Save? or Safe? Was that a typo? I'll explain why.

With the constant increase of online shopping and payment across the nations with different currencies, paypal has emerged as one of the most trusted way of making payment!

Just a few years back, people are so scare to do transactions online or to give people their credit card number as credit card frauds was a norm. However, with the growing e-commence network, credit card companies have stepped up in their security. Paypal came forth as a very secure payment mode and gain the trust of many!

Recently i wrote a post on 'Ebay Frauds?' with my personal encounter with fraud activities on Ebay. Even though prevention is better than cure, sometimes a cure is still needed. I wrote about how to prevent being fraud by fraudsters who are out to cheat us of our trust in what they have posted.

In this case, Paypal served as my 2nd row of defense. For some reason, i could not raise the issue to Ebay as the item is not under the Ebay buyer protection, even though it is different from what was described under listing. Thank God i made payment with Paypal and i could still raise the issue to paypal!

What are the steps to take?
1) Go to Paypal - Resolution Centre
2) Opening the case in Paypal with the paypal transaction number that can be found under your paypal transaction history list
3) Contact seller through this Paypal case, that will be recorded and monitored by Paypal
4) In the event seller do not reply or you could not come to term with seller, you may 'escalate to claim'. Note that when you take this step, the case is no longer in your hands or the hands of the seller. The money will be freeze with Paypal and it goes to no one until Paypal reviews the case and determine who will get the money
5) Paypal will contact you via emails for actions needed or information needed on your part. In my case, Paypal required for a letter to verify that i have discarded or destroyed the item. I guess the request was quite drastic, instead of request for a return, because the item was an imitation or fake of a branded
6) If you did not receive the email within 2 weeks after escalating the claim, do not hesitate to drop them an email to check the status of the case. In my case, my email had issues receiving system generated emails from them and i waited for a month before doing so. You do not have to wait that long to email them to check
7) Do as Paypal requires you to, and send them the information needed
8) Wait patiently for Paypal to review the case and they will get back to you shortly!

Paypal saves!

Are you a member?

Membership card is one of the common item in our wallets nowadays. They give us shopping and dining privileges to various places and discounts. 

Maybe just like me, you carry a cardholder that holds up to 20 cards apart from your long wallet!

Are these cards really useful? Should we or should we not, have to carry them everywhere we go to ensure that they are within our reach in the event when we need them!

Lets see what are some of the cards i have. Credit cards of 5 different banks, credit cards to specific stores and membership card for different shops and places
It feels like, i do need all of them right?
but membership cards can sometimes go out of hand as the number of shops and places we go just keeps increasing!

First of all questions:
Do these cards really help you to save more? Personally, YES!
There many shops that may sell the same item, and i will only go to the one that i have a membership card with or have credit card promotions.

So what can i do to cut down on some of the cards i have to carry around?
#1: Look through your credit cards and pick out the one that gives you the most rewards, in terms of discounts and also rewards points. Keep to one main card.

Many people overlook the reward points and simply allow them to expire. But do you know that they can add up to quite an amount? I have already redeemed up to USD$300 worth of vouchers from my credit card points.

#2: Credit cards to specific stores should be carried around because they often gives better rebates and discounts compared to membership cards

#3: Take out those membership cards that allow you to redeem with your personal identity card or mobile number, which many of them do nowadays.

#4: Remove those membership cards of stores that you have not visited for more than a year. The chances of you visiting them again is quite slim and very often you don't even remembered that you have the membership card until purchase is already done!

I'm beginning to appreciate places where membership is linked up with our identification card or mobile number because it makes shopping easier and i do not have to always remember to bring out my whole loads of cards when i go out for some shopping.

Ebay Frauds?

Just like many other ebay users, i sell and i buy from ebay. But as much as we want to be a honest seller, to give a 100% true and full account of the item we are selling, we expect other sellers to be as honest as we are. However, we need to know that there are dishonest sellers around!

Having many unpleasant encounters with dishonest sellers, the thought of giving up on ebay crossed my mind. However, instead of withdrawing from my bad experiences, i decided to write them and advise other ebay users of how they can protect themselves!

Recently, i made a purchase on ebay for a bag. Looking through the photos almost 20 times to make sure that the item is not a imitation or a fake, i decided to buy it. When the item arrived, the alignment of the print is completely out and it is obvious an imitation, a fake! But because the seller indicated 'do not accept returns', i could not do anything or report this seller to ebay!

What can you do to prevent things like this from happening?
1) Make sure that you check through the photos and the materials used to be real before even bidding for the item or make a purchase
2) Check whether seller accept returns, it is ok if seller DO NOT accept returns
3) Make payment with paypal and only in a single payment. DO NOT accept oversea sellers offering you a discount to make payment via transfers at a discount, especially if item is expensive

If after you have done all the above, but still you encounter the same situation as me, what should you do?
1) Contact seller and communicate with seller
2) Indicate to the seller the reason why you think it may be an imitation or a fake
3) Try to come to an agreement with the seller that you will be satisfied with. Whether is it a full refund, a partial refund or other agreements
4) In the event if seller is not responsive to your messages and have indicated clearly that they DO NOT accept returns, try reporting to ebay
5) However, there maybe times where item is not under the ebay buyer protection. Do not be despair. You can go to paypal solution center and file a case against the seller via the transcation
6) If seller still does not response to paypal solution center, you may then escalate to a paypal claim where the money will be withheld from both the seller and the buyer till paypal review the situation and come out with a reasonable payout
7) Be patient to let paypal review the situation but at the meantime, try to keep record of as much evident as possible, as paypal might ask you for some information

Unless seller tell you personally and guarantees that item is authentic, do not assume that it is authentic. There are many replica nowadays that comes even with the authentic card, so even if the seller has an authentic card, it no longer guarantees that the item is authentic anymore. So unless you get a personal response from seller that item is authentic, do not buy.

My 2nd case is as such. i asked the seller whether item comes with authentic card and seller replies yes. However after the first case, i wrote to the 2nd seller immediately to ask whether item is 100% authentic and his reply was that it is from a private seller and it comes with the authentic card. After prompting further, he could not give a 100% yes and say that if i receive the item and still do not like it then i can send it back but i will have to pay for postage and bear the cost of sending the item back.

SO BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN YOU ARE PURCHASING ONLINE. Make sure the seller could tell you and assure that it is a 100% authentic even before you make the purchase so that it will save you all the postage fees and the trouble of sending the items back. Postage fees can easily cost up to $100 per time, so be wise!

However, there are some items that you can live with even if they are not authentic, just like those i mentioned in my previous post on Real or Fake.

Over shopped?

Shop, like, buy... Especially when you are away on a holiday and you have to make a decision on the spot whether to buy or not. In the end, to prevent regretting not getting what we like, we end up buying more than what we need!

Like many shoppers, i believe many of you face the same situations below:
1) Bought too many things and you do not need them all
2) Have many brand new things laying around that are not used, bought on impulse!
3) Accumulation of things over the years and some are only wore once or twice
4) Growing out of your sizes
5) Buying clothes that are not your size, believing that you will fit them one day!

Honestly, i fall into almost all of the above! I can relate to how you are feeling now because i am facing the exact same situation and thoughts are running through your mind:
"They are still brand new, i can't bear to give them away"
"Maybe i can really fit into them soon!"
"What if the fashion comes back?"
"I really love this dress/top even though i cannot fit into them"
"I only wore this twice, so wasted to just give it away"

With all these thoughts running constantly through your mind as you go through every piece of item in your closet, you will never be able to pack out anything! But once a wise man said, whatever you did not use for the past one year, you probably will not do it again~

Don't know what to do with the items that are still brand new or once wore once or twice, in perfectly new condition? Shopper's Mind is planning to start a Shopper's Mind Store to help you get rid of these items but at the same time, do good! Stay tune for more information! But meanwhile, pack your closet and take nice photos of these items!

Style Book #1 - Embracing Studs and Embellishments

Knowing the style of the mind, behind this blog!

Latest shopping purchase!

White Embellished Mesh Low V Back Dress by Lipsy

Below are some other stud and embellishment designs by Sass and Bide

Walking in style with studs and embellishment that brings out the curves in you. Love it!

Joy Killer!

So disappointed i rather not get anything!

I am sure you have had this kind of experience before too! Lately, i have many such unpleasant encounters with salesperson from the shop! Their rudeness and attitude simply turns me away, leaving me such unhappiness i did rather do without the item.

I asked for the price of a perfume and the salesperson went "hundred plus~", i replied "hundred plus?!?" cause i was expecting an exact amount. The salesperson then responded with an attitude like i could not afford it "yes, hundred plus!" It was a complete turn off for my day, i left for home.

Ever tried entering a shop where the salesperson follow you wherever you go, making you feel totally uncomfortable to shop further? To make things worse, some of them even arrange every item you touched, giving you the impression that you are messing up their display.

The joy of shopping is very much affected but the people we meet and the people we go shopping with. Complete joy or joy killer. With the same amount of money or even more, i rather buy something from a shop with a really nice salesperson, than the shop with an unpleasant one! A good salesperson will know how to make you feel comfortable and want to go back again! What are you willing to pay for? The item or an experience?

Shopping is all about the joy behind the experience!

Bangkok, Platinum Market and Asiatique

Platinum Market

Asiatique

Photographer: Ivan Yeo (Husband) & Me!

Went to 2 different parts of Bangkok and saw a contrast in the lifestyle. Platinum market crowded with people and bargaining of every single piece of items they are purchasing, food are sold on make shift carts! Asiatique is a completely out of Bangkok feel. Filled with high class restaurants, beautiful shops and ample amount of space. This is quite a newly developed tourist attraction, a nice place for a classy dinner and a beautiful place for photos!

Dress to Honor, Not to Impress

Living in an environment where people don't really dress up, they always thinks that people who dress up are out to impress or to show off the things they have. But for me, I only learnt to dress up to honor.

From young, I am just like anyone else. Dressing the same way regardless of where you are going. Neighborhood, orchard road, nearby shopping mall, it's all the same. Till I met Someone who made me want to dress up for!

Photographer: Ivan Yeo (Husband)

I met Him when I was 14, one day outside the old Hollywood Theatre at Paya Lebar. Since then, I will only dress up every Saturday when I go to church, City Harvest Church. Not for anyone to see, but for God to see. Not to impress Him, but as a form of honor to Him. I want to look my best, beacause I love Him. These carries on through my teenage years and now as I entered into the workforce, I realized that it is the same in all areas. When you dress up for an event or for a person, it is not just a form of love, but a form of honor and respect to the person you are going to meet!

The effort you take to dress up and prepare for the meeting, shows how much you honor and respect the person and how much they mean to you! Many couples stop dressing up for each other after getting together. Try showing them how much they mean to you by doing your best to look best for them. You will be amazed by the results you will see! ;) Love can be rekindled!

Early arrivals!

Having my birthday this Sunday and i have already got my 2 presents from the mails! Ripped open the parcels excitedly to see the presents that awaits!

First up!

Max C Disco Spot Skirt from ASOS

Thanks for the birthday present that arrives early!!! :D

Secondly, it's a present i got for myself!

This is the limited edition Christian Dior sunglass that i have been eyeing on!!! Thanks for loving myself! HAHA! Just a little gift to love myself a bit more.

As the saying goes, you can only love others as much as you love yourself and i am sure i can love people as much too! ;)