Carigamers
Off Topic => Trading Grounds => Topic started by: Arcmanov on March 04, 2007, 07:49:11 PM
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From time to time, forum members will make references to products/parts from different online mercahnts.
My question is: with all the credit-cards issued by banks locally, what is your experience with the different
merchants with your credit-cards?
I would like to know what cards issued by which bank are best for purchasing stuff online.
Reason being: I have a TSTT/RBL Visacard from Republic Bank which works quite well on Amazon,
but not on Newegg, Buy.com, Best Buy, Circuit City, Tigerdirect, Zipzoomfly and the like.
Newegg has the best prices (usually), but I cant buy nothing dammit.
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I've used Amazon and Tiger Direct with my RBTT FF MC
Haven't tried Newegg or any of the others you mentioned there.
I've found that if I put my Skybox as an alternate address (shipping address) on the card's account details via the banking institution, I don't get as much trouble.
One site I had real trouble with was them Gil for money sites. Remember that time boy Crixx?
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Does anyone use Paypal?
If so, how does it work, and can we (TnT) use it?
I see that Newegg accepts Paypal payments.
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I use Paypal, for Ebay stuff, basically when you set up your Paypal a/c, and it's time to pay at the site, just select paypal as the payment type, it'll prompt you to log in to ur Paypal account then, and from there it will issue you your final payment to be made.
So far, I haven't gotten any real majour issues with it, so if Newegg accepts it, go for it :).
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so now trini's can just log on to PayPal and create an account? Top it up with any T&T credit card?
cool!
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I tried a small purchase using PayPal on Newegg, and it WORKED.
So I guess Newegg has a new customer.
Thanks guys.....
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This might seem like a silly question, but these sites ship to trini? :S
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Nah, not silly at all. How would you know if you don't ask?
They don't. You must have an account with a local shipper/importer.
The shipper would usually have an address in Miami that you would instruct the sites
to ship to.
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well you have any local shipper or importer you would recomend? I only know of one ttdirectbuy, but they kinda pricey, and they buy the stuff for you
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I think Ezone/PO Box Int'l offers something similar.....
But I agree this is a VERY important thread... for those of us who engage in importing computer parts regularly.
Take some more Chakura, Arc...
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Cool someone fill me in on how to open up a paypal acc
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Cool someone fill me in on how to open up a paypal acc
Go to https://www.paypal.com/
Click Sign-Up (near the top of the page)
:P
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aye ..they start to accept trini credit cards ....
i remember they weren't a while aback..
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I think Ezone/PO Box Int'l offers something similar.....
But I agree this is a VERY important thread... for those of us who engage in importing computer parts regularly.
Take some more Chakura, Arc...
*bows* Buddha Be Praised.
aye ..they start to accept trini credit cards ....
i remember they weren't a while aback..
Yep, they do now. I created an account and was actually able to successfully purchase stuff from Newegg,
using my Republic Bank Visa I might add.
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so if someone doesn't have a credit card.....they basically hadda salt ? or can a bank card be used ( for paypal)
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Woah woah....so Newegg now accepts International Credit Cards???
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no no no New egg accepts Pay Pal and Pay Pal accepts International credit cards now.
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Amazon is a safe bet for local credit cards. Anything else, you may have issues with. If anyone knows of a locally issued credit card that can be used as a US credit card, that would be some useful info. I had a Visa card from Intercommercial Bank and that was only accepted regularly by Amazon. Until I read in this thread about Paypal accepting local cards, I was under the impression that they would not accept local cards either. I guess things changed with them. I would hesitate to recommend using Paypal because of some of the negative publicity regarding them. Check out these sites for more info:
www.paypalsucks.com (http://www.paypalsucks.com)
www.paypalwarning.com (http://www.paypalwarning.com)
As for skyboxes, I have been using E-Zone for a couple years now and have not had a problem with their service. Keep in mind that you pay a minimum of $60 flat per package for shipping. Then, customs is calculated and added and finally, VAT is added if applicable. It explains a lot of the high prices you will see locally for electronics.
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I need some info i want to order some DVD box sets but i want to know the difference in duties for 1 DVD and a Box set.
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From what I remember, you pay 30% customs on stuff like games and DVD's. So you add the price of the item, shipping to your skybox and shipping to Trinidad. Then, you check 30% of that total for customs. So, the difference between a DVD and a box set will depend on the price of the items and also the amount you pay in shipping.
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Arc, you didn't find it a lil funny that they (PayPal) allowed you to add a credit card BEFORE you had to activate your email when you signed up?
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Now that you mention it.........yes.
Folks, this is just an update, based on my experiences so far.
Be a little wary of buying stuff from Newegg via Paypal. It seem to be a little
hit or miss depending on the value of what you're buying.
In my case, small items were approved and shipped with no issue, yet large value
items were voided, and no, nothing was changed, even though the reason given by Newegg
was that the 'address could not be verified'.
On that note I have a question: are there ANY local credit cards that work with Newegg without issue?
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can u top up a paypal account with a debit card
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not from trinidad, yet
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how much would it cost a person to bring in someting costing like 100 US? like a cd deck for instance?
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taking a weight of say, 5lbs
it's electronics... customs will waste you:
US$100.00 = TT$630.00
20% duty = TT$126
15% VAT = TT$94.5
say skybox charges are about US$3.00/lb, that's US$3.00 x 6.3 x 5lbs = TT$94.5
Grand total is $630.00 + $126.00 + $94.50 + $94.50 = TT$945.00
It had better be a DAMN good CD deck to go through that much extra expense...
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Well from when I order and bring in swords, and my teacher who has been doing it for years, for bringing in items like that....you have the original US price and multiply it by 10 and you would have an average price chances are its gonna be lower, but thats a good average as to what you would pay...
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Ok i aint read through all of these posts cuz i just wake up but my visa card has never failed me it works on countless US sites some of which are Amazon.com, Nintendo.com, Oversomething.com i forgot i got em all saved though anyway it even worked on a canadian site gamersection.ca i think never had any problems. As far as i know Visa is accepted worldwide no matter which country it comes from.
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Nope not so you've been lucky that all the sites you visited accept international cards, many sites refuse international cards because of the hassle of getting items back or recieving payment if the card happened to be stolen i mean depending on the country they most likely would end up spending more than the item is worth.
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ive had trinidad visa and master cards not be accepted
i had a us visa debit card not be accepted either
meh
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I've found that most of the big electronics chains (Circuit City, Best Buy, etc) do NOT accept international
credit cards. The site tells you that point blank when you try to add the card to your account.
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Anybody ever order anything via Money order if so how do you go about doing so.
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Money orders work, and basically through a bank I believe. So give one a call and ask.
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ok thanks will do
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Let us know how that works out or u qloxx.
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if you sending a money order ( bank draft, certified cheque, banker's cheque/order, etc) the process is a bit longer
costs you like between 15 and 20 tt normally, for a bank draft , of any amount.... downside is that you now have to post this bank draft to the person/company.. let's say it takes 5 days to reach them...
now you hadda wait for it to clear in their account ( funds wil be held for about 10 working days, for validation )
THEN the person/company ships the item out...
so i usually factor in a two weeks if i usin a bank draft....
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So I just now used my Republic Bank Visa card to order a 8800gts 320 from Newegg. They accepted the card and said the order will be processed in 24-48 hours. Even though they said that, it remains to be seen if the order will actually be successfully processed *crosses fingers*
*Edit*
Woahhhh well as expected I got the "unfortunately we cannot process because ur card is international yada yada" faster than a rabbit gets fcukd. Shame bout that though. Back to Amazon for meeeeee.
Thread stickied
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Well what i find myself doing is using BANK WIRES to send money to TIGERDIRECT. It works perfectly for me, here's my system.
I Place and order at tigerdirect costing more that $500 USD. If you spend less than 500 USD they charge a $25 USD wire fee.
Next I trot down to my local bank, First citizens San Juan, and Wire the money to them.
If you send the wire before 12 am, The money will reach the next day, Otherwise, 2 days wait.
Finally, Tigerdirect ships it straight to my house via UPS second day, So if you order youe parts monday, expect it thursday or friday.
The pricing looks like this:
Cart: $500.00 US
Shipping: $145.00 US (A 19" LCD, Processor, TV Tuner, Headset, Rechargeable Batteries etc)<-- About 22 lbs
Vat & Duties: $135 TT(Batteries and headset)
Wire Fee: $65 TT(FCB)
TOTAL: 500 + 145 x 6.33 = 4082
135 + 65 = 200
FInal TOTAL = 4282 TT
If i used a skybox, then I will have to pay Tax in miami,
and I would pay for shipping twice seeing that the skybox will be :
22 lbs x $3 USD = $66 + Taxes + Previous shipping + import duties + VAT + waiting. :evil5::cussing:
Its TOO MUCH.
This system works for me for computer parts.
I tried purchasing clothes online using my republic bank cc and of course it was turned down.
So for now I stick to everything from Tigerdirect using wire :occasion14:
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Interesting. So choosing UPS next day can actually negate the need for a 'skybox'-type service? (At least with Tigerdirect?)
Is it that you give Tigerdirect your address here in Trinidad, and UPS ships it from them straight to TT?
If this is so, then this approach would make more sense for large-value orders like yours.
Unfortunately, most of us won't spend that amount in one shot unless its a lot of stuff.
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Actually I do, give tigerdirect my address and they ship it straight here. If I simply ordered say, a stick of ram, then shipping will be like 40 US + Wire fee and tigerdirect under 500USD wire fee, so what I do is I save my money, also look around to see if anyone needs a part and add it to my shopping cart, so that it comes up to 500US or else i won't order anything.
I ordered an 8800 gts(extreme), 2 gig ddr2 ram and 500 gig sata 300 HD and I paid 520 as well as some other inert parts like hd cooler and case fan etc, but the order came up to $529 and shipping was $96 with no taxes and 65 TT wire fee. So I think that if u really really want parts that you and your buddies should come together and bring in a shipment, because i've been through hell with newegg and zipzoomfly.
If however you all discover a cheap alternative to bringing in a 4000 tt order, please share, it will come in handy later on.
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ordered all the parts to build my PC from Newegg using Paypal....i highly recommend paypal for PC parts, games......whatever...very good service
Amazon is always a very very good bet. Ordered books, DVD's, games and collectors edition whatevers. I even used their online service to get information on products and they were very very helpful and reliable
I use Ebay as well but only with a paypal account (most ebay sellers prefer paypal anyway). I only use people who have 90-something percent rating for a very very specifici reason....heres why
The christmas where the xbox 360 was launched I tried to purchase a console on ebay since the consoles were sold out nationwide.
I found a very very good deal with a console and 3 games for a 600 US dollar price tag which wasnt bad atall. I contacted the person concerning using paypal and he said he only accepts cheques or credit card. Makes you wonder already i know. I emailed him several times after and got no reply
On the other hand i was also speaking with several other sellers who were selling the 360 for a much higher price (900 US) but were very helpful giving me all the information and handling paypal as well..but the price was too much
the next day i was about to head out to the bank to have a managers cheque made out to the original vendor when i got an email from ebay. THey flagged the persons account and said (for reasons they could not disclose) the persons account has been suspended.....we obviously know why.
very good service form ebay but please be careful. I have also heard several reports that christmas of people purchasing an XBOX 360 and not reading "XBOX 360 premium box" and getting an empty box that was on display in gamestop prior to launch.
I was very VERY careful about buying from ebay afterwards. Last christmas my girlfriend wanted to get into gaming and was interested in some games she may find interesting for her PS2 that she had and never used. I opted to get Prince of Persia (first one) and Jack and Daxter (first one) for her...Of course PoP is pretty advanced for someone who doesnt play games and I found someone selling the original strat guide brand new on ebay for 10 US. i bought it, it arrived safe and sound.
Since then i have been purchasing games from ebay via reliable and specially flagged vendors who are reputable. always used paypal and have been very satisfied since.
I have not used Newegg recently since they had a problem with paypal.....about 4-5 months ago...maybee more. I have been using tiger direct since then when my PC blew out on me and i had to replace the processor, Ram, mobo and gfx card. I was very pleased with Tigerdirect despite negative opininons by people. They dont accept intl. credit cards, but they said "this time only" .....whatever it worked and they accepted it.
if Newegg is really accepting intl credit cards now or their paypall is working again i will deffinitely be going back the them.
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Thanks to Arc and my bro my anime collection has tripled off of Ebay purchases and yeah dont trust the people saying check only and stuff almost guaranteed to lose your money that way.
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yes. Ive seen lots of people selling japanese DVD's on ebay for very good prices. A friend of mine was always hearing about bleach and never watched the series. Managed to get all the episodes up to the last couple weeks for a very very good price....
Yes he coulda just "aquired it" but he is a guy, like many, who like their original anime in the original box to watch on a DVD on their big screen. No problems with that atall.
I got tons of anime but some are so good i would definitely be looking for them original. THe classics like Hellsing, Akira and even some personal favs like the GITS SAC series and such.
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Got that set myself (even though i have all the episodes on avi I really like having the originals also)
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im new to this but i have aquestion wen using the paypal whicj is the best option to use between basic,premeir,business all i want to do is bring down parts
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Just use the 'basic'. If you want to be able to use your credit card, there is a $2.00 US 'verification fee' that they
will deduct from it. When you get the 4-digit verification from the transaction detail (call your ccard bank for it), and
enter it on Paypal's site, you will then be able to use that same card for any transaction amount. It works like a
CHARM for eBay, or any other site that takes Paypal payments.
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so on paypal what address am i using my trini one or my skybox one?
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You use the skybox address for the Paypal account. You should also have your skybox address as an alternate
address on your ccard (call your bank to do this for you). Online merchants get 'nervous' when a buyer's shipping
and billing addresses do not match, ESPECIALLY if the card is 'foreign' (to them at least).
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ok kool thnks alot man if i need anymorehelp ill let u know
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hey i have a question i live laventille,i want to know which is the best business to get a skybox at?
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Well, let me tell you one time: most of the courier companies stopped delivering to Laventille for a long time.
'...but why?' you may ask. Its because the couriers themselves kept getting robbed. If you still decide to go with
one, then you may have to provide an alternate address in TnT for them to deliver your packages to.
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ahhahahahaha lol thats funny laventille is the safest place ever lol.i going with caribbean express
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umm as we on the topic or couriers my moms want a skybox and i want some stuff can anyone recommend one one i living in chaguanas
details like contact information+/website etc. would be nice
been looking at this place but i can't seem to find a list of fees and what not.
http://www.skyboxusa.net/eng/home.asp?id=tt&lang=6
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Well I'm using Caribbean Express > www.CaribbeanExpress.com
All info on that site...
They're pretty good... We ordered something on the 26th of October arrived on the 28th at the skybox...
Got it shipped to our door on the 4th...
Pretty fast imo....but probably just a lucky order...
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Guys I was wondering whether you have to pay duties etc...on importing a laptop?
I know there's no duites on computer parts...but does a laptop fall in that category?
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Check out Ezone (http://www.getezone.com/about_ezone.asp) as well. All the relevant info is there on the site.
A laptop is considered as a whole computer. No VAT/duties are charged for em.
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^so cool...
I just paying shipping then/skybox charges?
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um ok i reading the caribbean express info and i not quite getting something, is there a monthly fee for the express individual?
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I have three letters for you guys....JSL (http://www.jslspeedpak.com). Who say FREE skybox handling and delivery to your door (you pay for the latter). Never dealt with anyone else, I must say, one satisfied customer here. Everything i've ever imported via air has come through them. Good stuff.
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um ok i reading the caribbean express info and i not quite getting something, is there a monthly fee for the express individual?
no monthly fee that i know of...
Its an annual fee... of around $250 i think... (when you pay in the month your subscription expires...)
Afterwards I guess the fee would be the same as the initial set up fee...
Initial set-up fee being $315...
The lifetime express payment is a one time fee...but you pay more on shipping...
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ok thanks hoss, more on shipping how lame, guess i'll go with them, what about these JSL people any monthly/yearly/special hidden fees?
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Stay away from JSL i have an account with them and lets say that i'm not very happy, at least a week and a half for packages to arrive when they get to them in miami BS i say BS, i have an account with Ezone now.
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No yearly/monthly fees with JSL. As I said before, i've been dealing with them for years, havent had a problem yet. When stuff reaches their Miami office, it usually takes a maximum of 4 days for it to be available for pickup down here. Any problems pple experience are more than likely isolated incedents.
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So a year and a half of late packages is an "Isolated" incident and I have a GOLD membership and I pay yearly dues so in my honest opinion FCUK JSL :violent5:
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Hmmm...well i'm no JSL spokesman so meh eh defending nobody...also im not forcing anyone to go with them, its just that my experience with their free account has been excellent thus far. If I got those problems, I would flame them like no tomorrow and promptly drop my account.
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hey question concerning paypal i added my credit card to it and my local address now i want to add my skybox address to it and it still says country as trinidad what do i do?
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You cant get around that. Don't worry, when you order something via Paypal, they will look at the address itself, not the country.
Mine is the same thing. Just remember you have to 'confirm' your address by agreeing to pay the $2 US activation fee, and then
getting the 4-digit code in the transaction detail from your credit-card centre. Only then will Paypal allow you to actually
purchase stuff online.
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Bad news folks...
Unfortunately you cannot buy stuff directly from Tigerdirect using PayPal/credit card if
you're shipping to what they (Tigerdirect) refer to as a 'freight forwarding' (i.e. 'skybox'-type)
address. Found this out the hard way trying to purchase an 8800 GT.
You can only make those purchases with a wire transfer. *sigh* I wish they would check these
things BEFORE they take your money. :protest: So now, just like what happened with Newegg,
I have to wait ten days to get a credit-card refund.
Steups......Amazon For Tha - muthaf#kin - Win yes :shakehead:
Just a heads-up.
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Aye guys...
Planning to oreder down an LCD monitor...
Do I get hit with lots of duties?
Or is that tax-free and I just pay shipping?
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guys i have a real freaking prblm last Monday my two laptops came in trinidad.on tuesday afternoon @ 5:30 i gave the girl @ courier bond my documents why? because the cost of the laptops came out to be over 10G.anyway after waiting for 4 hours and the next shift when the customs officer came to my turn guess wat they couldnt find the same documents that i gave the girl about 4 hrs ago.so after all this and waiting for another few hours it was about 12 midnight wen it was my turn and found my box it had a white clear tape on it.i opened it in front of the customs officer and bamm it only had one laptop in it. so hear are the clues
1.i purchased the 2 laptops online from a site i always buy stuff
2.from the company it went to miami via DHL who has it recorded as 20 lbs
2.Caribbean express received the laptops and weight it @ 19lbs
3.it came to trinidad via a plane to trinidad sometime monday
4.i went tuesday gave my documents to the girl and waited for them to call
5.i find out my documents went missing
6.i found my box observed that it had a clear tape on it and it only had one laptop in it
7.caribbean express says it nut there fault and blames customs
8.customs blame caribbean express because they say thats how they received it
i think its the airline that nab it any ideas wat i can do? o and the laptops nut insured i know stupid
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package was insured? i REALLY hope so for your pocket's sake, cuz you gonna get the run-around, and end up with nuttin! :shakehead:
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no its nut insured dats wat i said but i bringing my lawyer in this for sure
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This is why I'm very wary of shipping laptops like this. Let this serve as a lesson to would be importers of
multiple laptops. It might be a little more inconvenient (but more prudent) to stagger the shipping if you're
importing two or more, so that they each have separate shipping dates and arrival times. That way,
its easier to monitor the where's and when's, and makes it that much harder for pilferage to take place.
In this particular case, the theft could have occured even before it left the US. This type of theft is not uncommon.
The thieves normally target high-value electronic items such as these, and don't assume that all employees of these
shipping companies are totally honest. If they know that they can 'acquire' something without it being traced back to
them, then they will...its as simple as that.
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This is why I'm very wary of shipping laptops like this. Let this serve as a lesson to would be importers of
multiple laptops. It might be a little more inconvenient (but more prudent) to stagger the shipping if you're
importing two or more, so that they each have separate shipping dates and arrival times. That way,
its easier to monitor the where's and when's, and makes it that much harder for pilferage to take place.
In this particular case, the theft could have occured even before it left the US. This type of theft is not uncommon.
The thieves normally target high-value electronic items such as these, and don't assume that all employees of these
shipping companies are totally honest. If they know that they can 'acquire' something without it being traced back to
them, then they will...its as simple as that.
Especially when it's around the HOLIDAYS! Crime spiking like mad cause of Christmas, the criminal elements need money and things to give their loved ones for Christmas.....Somebody getting a brand new laptop for Christmas!
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After a very strongly worded letter to Ezone about some seemingly erroneous Customs charges, I was rewarded with
a very terse reply and an attachment. It details all the Customs duties and VAT charges for various items.
I have attached the file (http://download.yousendit.com/E4AC00D30A349448) for your perusal. Note...this still didnt explain exactly how they computed their charges eh.
The link expires in 7 days, so get it quickly.
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WTF?! they say that VAT is charged on PC parts?! i thought it was vat/tax free?
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Well, I thought so too. I guess VAT is back on some parts.
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After a very strongly worded letter to Ezone about some seemingly erroneous Customs charges, I was rewarded with
a very terse reply and an attachment. It details all the Customs duties and VAT charges for various items.
I have attached the file (http://download.yousendit.com/E4AC00D30A349448) for your perusal. Note...this still didnt explain exactly how they computed their charges eh.
The link expires in 7 days, so get it quickly.
you should always ask for the non trade document so you can see how the courier company classified the parts in the manifesto and how duties and vat were applied to the values submitted.
WTF?! they say that VAT is charged on PC parts?! i thought it was vat/tax free?
vat was never removed on some parts, customs revised their codes and some of the parts that were not usually charged are now being charged vat, e.g video cards, especially expensive ones.
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No man...my 8800 GT incurred no VAT/duties charges.
Check it out.
(http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/11/screen20112007082119pmbb6.jpg)
According to the list, this is correct. I've imported numerous video-cards this year,
and I don't recall paying VAT/duties on any of them....
...and yes, I'm getting it tomorrow. :banana:
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well based on the list you posted i do see video cards in the VAT only section. but again as mentioned, it is really how it is classified on that non trade document. i have seen where video cards are classified right and they are charged the tax and some aren't tax. so while it may be that you didn't get charge this rounds, someone else may not be as lucky. either way the couriers do play a big part in how these things are described in the manifesto and a lot of them claim it is strictly a customs issue but thats just to cover themselves.
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hey is there anyway to get back my laptop ppl i really need the help here
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Unfortunately, the paper trail that exists is not good enough to prove WHERE it was taken, far less how, or even by whom.
I don't think you're going to get that back.
The culprit knew that he could get away with taking just one and sending the package on to its destination. Officially, everyone is going to pass the blame.
Once you have your invoices for the original purchases and all shipping notifications, at least you can prove that there were two of them.
As for what compensation you can get is debatable, because, as you said, they were not insured.
Unless someone out and out admits that they took it, consider the item as good as gone.
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so how in future can i bring stuff down and alot of it and who will be best to ship stuff with?
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well boy... that's like asking what tomorrows winning lottery numbers are.
i'd say the best way to get stuff would be to stick with a reputable supplier (Amazon, Newegg, etc.) be sure to know the method of their shipping to your skybox (express, standard, etc.) And in the case of Amazon's Third party purchases, i am very weary purchasing stuff not directly sold by Amazon (unless their reviews are good at least).
but in your case, it gives thieves the best opportunity to take one and leave a partial shipment to carry on, .
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well boy... that's like asking what tomorrows winning lottery numbers are.
i'd say the best way to get stuff would be to stick with a reputable supplier (Amazon, Newegg, etc.) be sure to know the method of their shipping to your skybox (express, standard, etc.) And in the case of Amazon's Third party purchases, i am very weary purchasing stuff not directly sold by Amazon (unless their reviews are good at least).
but in your case, it gives thieves the best opportunity to take one and leave a partial shipment to carry on, .
Very good advice, I always prefer to buy directly from Amazon and not resellers on their website unless trusted. I got burned once and never again, got a Wii through them and the Wii died after 2 weeks.
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im still having a prblm with paypal anytime i try buying stuff frm from newegg it says im nut frm the us
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We've already been over this, in this very thread. Start from the 1st post and read on.
Newegg does NOT accept international credit cards, even through PayPal.
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I ordered stuff from newegg as early as last year august without any problems , using an international credit card...
I believe its because i use an account that they are familiar with , and enter a fake ZIP code billing address + use skybox .
I think it should still be working fine even now.
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Well...SOME people have somehow 'scammed' their way into Newegg's good graces with international cards,
but as a general rule, they're not accepted. If you really want to buy something from them, then send a money order.
Its a little inconvenient, but its the only way we here in TnT can legitimately purchase from them.
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will tigerdirect deliver to trinidad and tobago or is it only within the US
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Didnt TD stop delivering to "freight forwarding" addresses or did they relax their stance on that issue?
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Jeep in mind that TD does have a storefront on Amazon. If you buy items thru their amazon storefront they will ship it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html/103-1225844-5259036?me=A9B09ZK9BZJQ6
Buying direct from TD website is another story.... I personally don't know the policies, but I am sure if one reads back thru this entire thread the answer is found somewhere.
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Didnt TD stop delivering to "freight forwarding" addresses or did they relax their stance on that issue?
They will ship to those addreses once you pay with a money order/wire transfer. If you're paying
with a credit-card (even via Paypal), it a no-go.
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If you have an account in the US, you can get a Visa check card. Works fine for Newegg. Skybox address can be used as billing/mailing address.
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Simple... can u guys make a list, best skybox ppl, best US credit card, best payment method,etc
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if u have a skybox whats the best site to shop with international credit cards.
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^^Amazon.com
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I second Amazon
if you buy regularly get the Prime Account
free 2 day shipping for a year
EBAY is also ok once you filter the wheat from the chaff
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I ordered a PS3 w/ COD4 from ttdirectbuy. It's costing me $3980. How does this compare with bringing it down yourself when you have a skybox?
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Hmmm...I didn't know of this 'site' before. Maybe I can use them to order stuff from Newegg and save myself
some headache.
Which PS3 model is it, and what's the retail price? (in $US).
I'm very interested, because I'm seriously considering doing business with them for the more 'troublesome' online merchants.
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It's the 40GB model. Everything was bought from amazon for around $450US which is about $2830 TT. When you take into account shipping and duty I think $3980 is reasonable. BTW I had the option of using a skybox and passed cuz I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference so I would like to know if I should have gone that route instead.
BTW their service is great so far. All you do is email them the link to what you want and you get a quote. I got mine the next day. The quote is the final price. I had to make a $200 deposit at one of their offices. They called me today and said I can pick up tomm which would make it a day less than two weeks delivery time.
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It's the 40GB model. Everything was bought from amazon for around $450US which is about $2830 TT. When you take into account shipping and duty I think $3980 is reasonable. BTW I had the option of using a skybox and passed cuz I figured it wouldn't make much of a difference so I would like to know if I should have gone that route instead.
BTW their service is great so far. All you do is email them the link to what you want and you get a quote. I got mine the next day. The quote is the final price. I had to make a $200 deposit at one of their offices. They called me today and said I can pick up tomm which would make it a day less than two weeks delivery time.
Be sure to post up your Playstation Network ID @ the Console Gaming Forum... :P
>>>
$3980 doesn't sound bad at all...
I saw the site but never bothered thinking I'd get crappy service..
Looks like I was wrong...
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will do
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Anyone check out these ppl or go through them to get stuff off the net when yuh cant do other wise? http://www.ttdirectbuy.com I source a cell phone and it came our reall nice cause dey covering all de importing expenses and thing plus they have pickup pts in Trinidad reall nice!!! :happy0203:
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Yes, I'm getting a PSU from Newegg through them. Impressed with their service thus far.
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So i'm guessing that this method eliminates the need for a skybox. How long does it take them to return the quote and actually place the order with the e-tailer? Also, how much more does it cost as opposed to sourcing for yourself and organizing your own shipping?
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Takes about a day to get a quote back, and another day to place the order. I haven't gotten my item yet,
so I can't comment on the delivery speed. Based on the quotation I got for this item (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002), I'd say that their
charges are pretty on par with the 'skybox' companies.
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Based on the quotation I got for this item (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341002), I'd say that their
charges are pretty on par with the 'skybox' companies.
arc yuh mind hitting us the estimate you got for it? I curious
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Yeah for real I wouldn't mind getting an estimate for this as well. If the price eh bad, I wouldn't mind checking them out for those times when I wanna order something from Newegg. The ONLY problem is that there is a delay for them to order items. Those familiar with how newegg operates, you'll know that prices change faster than Lindsay Lohan can say, "what the f***?...where did that tree come from" while driving. So if you see a sweet deal, you won't be able to act on it immediately. While its the only problem with that system(that I know of), its a pretty big problem.
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For that PSU, I got an estimate of 1370 TT shipped (all Customs charges included).
That total (if I may dare say it) might actually be better than eZone yes.
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Nah man Arc. Sale price of that unit is $135 working out to $850tt which works out to $520 in shipping and custom charges? Your own arrangements would cut that cost in at least half.
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Nope. The shipping weight, plus Ezone's 'insurance' charge, plus VAT (yes, VAT on PSUs), actually adds up to more,
than if i ship it with TTdirectbuy.
Remember, I cannot buy directly from Newegg, so I am saving money still, by not being forced to get this same
PSU on Amazon. So yeah TTDirectBuy + Newegg = epic winnage. :lol: ESPECIALLY if you don't
have a credit card.
Also, Newegg may have items that Amazon does not, like the ZEROTherm Nirvana NV-120 I recently
obtained. I think their fees are justified.
As with everything else, we'll see how it goes.
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...plus VAT (yes, VAT on PSUs)...
yeah ah heard about that the corsair ps (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139004) i was looking at coming in at about 780, i expect the OCZ ps (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010) to be about the same
Those familiar with how newegg operates, you'll know that prices change faster than Lindsay Lohan can say, "what the f***?...where did that tree come from" while driving.
ent, the msi 8800 went down again
As with everything else, we'll see how it goes.
we'll be waiting for the intel :)
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I would reccommend ttdirectbuy. I got my ps3 from them. The customer service is excellent.
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Quick question - How long does Newegg usually take to get replacements for "out of stock" products? Today is the ETA date for something I want to get, but it's still "out of stock", with no new ETA date. :(
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Any one have any history with the company in the link below, According to the site they ship to the Caribbean 2 day shipping, but the price per pound really adds up if you are ordering large items.
http://www.cdromshop.com/cdshop/shipping/ship.html#outsideusandcanada
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Quick question - How long does Newegg usually take to get replacements for "out of stock" products? Today is the ETA date for something I want to get, but it's still "out of stock", with no new ETA date. :(
Its hard to say. The ETA date is just a guide as they themselves dont even kno for sure when they would get an item back in stock. Its up to the particular supplier. Sometimes the item comes back before the date, most times after. You'l just have to wait until it comes back.
This is precisely the problem I was talking about concerning ordering items from Newegg through ttdirectbuy. Newegg's stock AND prices are always volatile so if you spot a sweet deal like you so often do, you're out of luck since it takes at least a couple days for them to actually place the order, by which time the item already out of stock or back at the original price.
That eh go work for me, mailied cheques ftw!!!
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Yeah they finally put up a new ETA, a whole week from now :(
Not using ttdirectbuy because I didn't know about them before. Sent funds to a US acc.
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Hi everyone, want 2 kno how to order from newegg? Last time i tried they told me they don't accept credit cards issues outside the US. :crybaby2: What do i do? Would like to buy from them since they always hav the latest stuff an cheap. HELP!!! :ph34r:
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read this thread real good the info kinda scattered but it there none the less:
http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.0.html
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lawd, men doh know how to 'Search' the forums :S
i htink besides the WTMC thread, the one on international ordering muss be quite a busy thread, lol
...good luck with the attempt to get stuff from them anyways!
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If you don't want the stress, forget newegg.
You can get the same items, latest and greatest, elsewhere on the internet for the same price (if not less), and at worse, for a few pennies more.
Pricewatch.com is your friend.
A lot of companies will accept international credit cards.
Alternatively, get a US issued credit card. (from a relative living abroad or so). You can get one of those visa debit cards that you can top up all the time if you don't want the burdensome credit card rates eating into your financial wealth.
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Or...scrap all that and check TTDirectBuy (http://www.ttdirectbuy.com). When it comes to Newegg, they just might be your one-stop shop.
Especially if you're new to online purchasing.
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To put my money where my mouth is:
Lets take this card, the PNY VCG88512GXPB GeForce 8800GT 512MB
One of the most sought after piece of gaming kit on the planet at the moment.
Available for US$209 @ newegg.
3 Business Day Shipping $7.59
Total US$217.58
A quick search at Pricewatch.com reveals the same is also available for $209.44 @ PartsPc.com
Free shipping
Total US$209.44
and yes, PartsPC accepts international credit cards.
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Thanks for all d help guys. Sry i didn't do a search. My bad. With reagards to ttdirectbuy it looks like the same service as skybox an i hav one already. my reel problem is finding sites dat accept international credit card. Shipping is not a problem. Price watch looks like my solution. Thanks again guys! :ph34r:
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To put my money where my mouth is:
Lets take this card, the PNY VCG88512GXPB GeForce 8800GT 512MB
One of the most sought after piece of gaming kit on the planet at the moment.
Available for US$209 @ newegg.
3 Business Day Shipping $7.59
Total US$217.58
A quick search at Pricewatch.com reveals the same is also available for $209.44 @ PartsPc.com
Free shipping
Total US$209.44
and yes, PartsPC accepts international credit cards.
NGW, said card is available for just US$197 on Amazon with free shipping (http://www.amazon.com/PNY-GeForce-SLI-Ready-Graphics-VCG88512GXPB/dp/B000XD1JJK/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1207760398&sr=8-1).... of course, we talking about THIS particular item... amazon usually pricier on computer parts..
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exactly
Newegg is not the be all and end all of online computer retailers.
Pricier can be nothing but a few dollars in many cases. So save yourself the headache of Newegg and use other e-tailers that welcome international purchases. You won't be put out by a wad of cash for the effort.
Pricewatch will make sure of it!
enjoy
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yay for pricewatch my age old friend ^_^
and more noob friendly these days too
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lol, yeah crixx is a long time believer.
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Since this discussion is also very pertinent to the 'Online Purchasing...' thread, I have merged both topics.
sha-ZAM!!! *poof*
There, all square now... :sunny:
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Is it a matter of having an international credit card or rather the fact that the credit card's billing address is not in the U.S.?
I've encountered problems before using my credit card due to my billing address being in Trinidad. Just a couple weeks ago in fact. I contacted the bank and had them put my skybox address as a secondary billing address and had no problems after that. Note this wasn't newegg btw.
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Yeah it IS the matter of having an international cc. Newegg simply doesnt accept them. Instead, I send them cheques. At least that way, you can secure an item immediately if u see it at a great price and before it goes out of stock.
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I just bought an old apple clamshell blueberry off ebay can't wait for it to reach, a bigger HD installed and more RAM and I set!! My dream laptop iymc, finally a pretty, girlie machine to use....I have a ubberly fast one so I ok with my 3rd laptop being a slow machine it is just for basic stuff anyways, will let you guys know how it play out.
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lol. splits what is the spec of your uberfast machine?
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Anyone using republic bank's gold american airlines mastercard ? I noticed in the little flyer they mentioned
"MasterDelivery provides a physical adress in Miami which US purchases can be sent and then forwarded to the cardholder's home"
was wondering if anyone ever used it and encountered any problems, my dad wants to get it do mainly ordering from amazon and maybe a couple ebay purchases.
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On the topic of what works and what doesn't it's great to know that NOT using Paypal is akin to buying drugs off the street...
Not using Paypal is akin to buying heroin on the street
According to Ebay
By Sylvie Barak: Wednesday, 07 May 2008, 6:07 PM
EBAY AUSTRALIA HAS firmly lodged its foot in its mouth, by comparing sellers who don’t use the Paypal option to heroin dealers.
At a "town hall" style meeting to discuss the fact that Ebay Australia will be scrapping all payment methods apart from Paypal, events went from bad to worse, with Ebay’s regional VP ending the evening with a comparison between people who didn't want to use PayPal and Junkies.
In April Ebay Australia announced that as of June, buyers would only be able to buy goods via the online commerce website Paypal, which just so happens to be owned by the online auction company.
Australians went hopping mad at the decision, which they saw as a ploy by Ebay to siphon off even more cash from user sales, to fill its overflowing coffers.
To try to appease some of the rage, Ebay decided to hold a meeting with sellers in Preston, Northern Melbourne. Regional VP Simon Smith, PayPal Australia MD Andrew Pipolo and trust and safety director Alastair MacGibbon were the execs chosen to head up Ebay’s panel, just asking for trouble by sitting under posters with the words "Making eBay even safer" and "practice safe shopping" emblazoned across them.
According to APC Mag, it all seemed to start out harmlessly enough, with Smith repeating the company mantra that Paypal was the most popular and safest option for buyers, and that keeping buyers happy would make them want to buy more stuff. This apparently didn’t go down too well with the crowd, but then Alastair MacGibbon decided to have a go.
MacGibbon, using a very random analogy, and responding to a question from a buyer who noted that she’d had nothing but good experiences from other payment methods, said, "I cross against the lights occasionally and I've never been hit by a bus, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea". As the boos filled the room and showed no signs of subsiding, MacGibbon stuttered "You can boo and hiss all you like, I can just tell you the simple facts."
But the ugliest part of the evening came in response to the question about why Ebay was taking freedom of choice away from the buyers. Smith, who attempted to answer the question, first fumbled around trying to make the point that many online shopping sites didn’t offer the luxury of choosing between bank transfers and credit cards, but when the crowd angrily rejected his initial explanation, Smith went on to say: "We're not allowing people to offer unsafe choices, just like in this democracy you can't go out and buy heroin on the streets".
http://apcmag.com/ebay_boss_not_offering_paypal_is_like_buying_heroin.htm (http://apcmag.com/ebay_boss_not_offering_paypal_is_like_buying_heroin.htm)
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OK fellahs,
I'm not sure if I should be posting this here, but it involves purchasing stuff online, so here goes. I'm looking to start buying parts for new rig (read my sig for the parts i'm interested in) and wanted to find out how many people on GATT make orders online for others as a business. The only person I know that does that is Saxman, but I'd really like to know of anyone else to compare prices with. Also, does anyone know of any stores in Trinidad that does the same thing and gives warranties with the items? I already got a quote from TTDirectBuy, but that whole "no warranty" thing had me thinking twice. I can really use yall help. I should be ready to begin ordering in a week or 2.
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As fas as I know, there's no way to get anyone to order stuff for you and have them give you a warranty on the items you order. All you have is a warranty with the company from which it was purchased.
Sounds like you want the convenience having someone in Trinidad to "pass the buck" to if something goes wrong with an item you directed them to order online. I cant think of anyone who would dream of taking that kind of responsibility, unless they are healthily compensated, where the transaction will work like an insurance system...pay for coverage in the event of a problem, but get nothing back if there's not.
If you can find someone to do that, well, good for you. But make up yuh mind that the part you buying will cost SUBSTANTIALLY more by the time it reaches your hand.
If you want local warranty, settle for whats available locally.
If you want to buy online, prepare yourself to incur some financial damage should something go wrong.
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aye guys....whats the best way for me to bring in this???
EBAY (http://cgi.ebay.com/ASUS-EEE-PC-701-with-WINDOWS-XP-OPERATING-SYSTEM_W0QQitemZ280225759036QQihZ018QQcategoryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
EBAY 2 (http://cgi.ebay.com/Asus-EEE-PC-4-gig-White-Intel-PC-UMPC-mini-laptop_W0QQitemZ140232016974QQihZ004QQcategoryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting)
OFFTOPIC if anyone has one they wanna get rid of chek me k
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expertly said awesome.
You can also get anything ordered from the net by the recently formed trini tech squad. We will be offering that amongst other services. Cost to land the item plus 10% for our troubles.
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^OK. so how to I get in touch with these Tech Squad guys?
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I am looking to order a digital camera online, casio Exilim to be exact.
The problem is I can't seem to find a list with the various percentages that Customs would charge on particular items.
If such a list exists showing what percentage on what type of item, be it pc parts, electronics, car parts can someone give me a heads up please.
Thanks
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WE are the tech squad guys... @ Rage
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[8 Months Later]
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anyone knows if we can now order on new egg with our CCs?
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Nope, we still can't. Money order iymc.
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yeah money order ftw
i see my dream acer that was priced at 699 that is now priced at 649
for 465 open box!! iam like going zomg!
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Just wondering has anyone ever ordered contact lenses online? Cheaper than when yuh getting it from yuh optician? Belt tightening has come round.....
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funny yu should ask, ive been doing some research courtesy lifehacker and gizmodo on buying glasses online.
some extreme savings available if you can get a recent indepth prescription for glasses including your pupil distance, glasses and lense for as cheap as 25 us.
at that kind of pricing, you can definately chance a pair or two
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Hmm really, I was wondering about contacts since I dunno if they fall under some special category for duty etc...was wonderin if anyone buys em personally.
Yeah as for glasses I always like to try em on before, but for real much savings to be had...
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Hey guys I've been looking at other options to get PC hardware that you won't always find locally and was wondering if anyone orders from this site http://www.frozencpu.com
I know they sell stuff through amazon too but with a little reading it seems they accept paypal payments and also western union.
I see that they also ship to us via fedex/ups (not sure which one)
Anyone had dealt with this site before? I guess it may be better to just look for them under mechants in amazon and use your local credit card through there but I was just wondering.
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site rolled back apparently
reposting what i said yesterday
checked out mwave.com they have alot of stuff i want in stock when others dont, but they dont accept international ccs. Instead they have an ebay store front stores.ebay.com/techtreasure and they have the same items there and they take international orders, ship via usps as well. Pretty good prices as well.
soooo thats an option there dudes
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I've never much cared for ebay.
amazon is fine. Purchased from frozencpu before
also purchased from mwave, they were pretty decent as crixx said. Pricing and stock wise.
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yeah thats why iam mentioning there ebay store
cause its a reputable stores, ebay store front. and they will ship to trinidad via usps
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This is a write up on the Republic Bank Visa Travel Money card, or VTM for short as the local bank likes to call it.
A VTM is basically a Visa Electron card and is a great option for gamers who don't want the anvil of a traditional credit card hanging around their neck. It is also a lot easier to qualify for, requiring no prior credit record, job letter, pay slip or collateral.
Visa Electron is a reloadable debit card that works everywhere a credit card would. That means Online as well. Most importantly it IS NOT a credit card. A VTM is not a loan facility from the bank in any form or fashion. Meaning only the funds you "load" on the VTM are available for purchases and not a dime more.
That's great for two reasons.
1) Less interest
2) Less interest
As everyone should know by now, Credit Cards are the devil incarnate. They will burn a hole through your finances given half a chance (and they are almost always given half a chance)
For example, if you have a Credit Card with a 20,000.00 limit and you do not religiously pay off the amount due, you'll easily pay over $5000.00 in bank charges and interest a year. That is a lot of money that could be better spent.
So enough on the finance lesson and back to the VTM.
Republic Bank will allow you to purchase a VTM for US$10.00
All you need are two forms of ID. (One, if you're an existing customer)
You get the card the same day and it comes with a PIN which you will need if making withdrawals at an ATM machine. The PIN is sealed in the envelope with the card, unfortunately you are not allowed to set it yourself. If you planned to maintain an easy to remember PIN (like say 1234) across all your bank cards, you are SOL.
The expiry date is comfortably set in the year 2013. The card sports the regular 12 digit visa number to the front and the 3 digit security codes (known as CVC2 or CVV2 codes) to the back.
There isn't a name imprinted but they still included a spot for your "Authorized Signature". You may want to put something legible here for local merchants who may still want to verify your signature or ask for ID.
Note, you are allowed multiple cards for the same account. Up to a limit of 5. Great for sharing with friends or family. You will need ID for each member you want to sign up. Also, each additional card costs US$10.00
Once you've got the card, you should apply for their online banking feature, https://republiconline.republictt.com/ (https://republiconline.republictt.com/)
This will let you see the balance on your VTM and also transfer money if you have a Savings Account with Republic Bank (with money in it of course)
The Poor/Smart Mans way to buy online.
The Gotchas:
The first time money is loaded on the card, it will take 48 hours to be reflected in your account. Thereafter, it takes 24 hours. (A bit of a killjoy if you were anxious to try it out online with a purchase right away)
Loading money costs you 1.15% of the amount. So say you went to Republic Bank and loaded $100.00 on the card, they will take $1.15 for their troubles, leaving you with a net deposit of $98.85
Does not sound like a whole lot but if you use this card often, that percentage charge will add up to some significant money, (still no where near the financial smart bomb a credit card is though)
The card sign up form at the bank mandates that you place "Trinidad & Tobago" as the issuing country. Despite being US$ based.
Had the form allowed you to use a United States address, this would likely solve a lot of woes faced by Trinis attempting to purchase from NewEgg and the likes.
Being a US Based card, ATM withdrawals in the United States are free but local withdrawals carry a TT$20 charge. Note, local purchases are free as well (At KFC, Hilo, Francis Fashions, etc..). This charge only applies to local ATM cash withdrawals using your pin.
Read the official RBL VTM FAQ here: http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney (http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney)
This card has been tested with an online purchase by yours truly on STEAM (awesome game downloading service, where you can pay for a game online and download it directly to your PC). Also tested with Amazon.com. Worked like a charm.
That's it for the Republic VTM, happy hunting.
Intercontinental Bank offers a similar service with their Gold Visa Debit card. Primary difference being that those cost $200.00 a year instead of the 1.15% reload fee and there are no charges for using local ATMs. Depending on your usage, that may be a better deal.
Anyone using their service that can confirm?
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thanks alot for all that information NGW, i've been looking for a something similar but just can't make up my mind. That debit card is definitely something i can live with.
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i will try this to buy shit off steam. if that work no need for pops one agains
+1 for awesome info
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should help with online game purchases and the like yayz
but still wont save us from clearly anti terrorist actions by new egg
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once you can use a usps verifiable address as the address on your US based VTM, newegg should work fine.
The catch is, Trinidad and Tobago is hard coded on the form. Maybe worth our while to inquire whether that can be changed after the fact by Republic Bank.
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nah it wont work with new egg
anything to do with foreign, they will cancel your order
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NGW man, a simple PM could have saved you all the trouble.
That VTM card is great if you are right there in person at the merchant's cash register,
but its a nightmare trying to buy stuff online with it.
Did I mention I WORK at RBL? :)
That card does not have a CVV2 number, which is essential for doing online transactions,
so a lot of sites won't accept it. Not even Amazon. Is best for point-of-sale, in-the-flesh transactions.
It was primarily conceived as a way to send money to someone abroad without having to resort to
wire transfer, or Western Union. I tried it when it 1st came out, and was unsuccessful.
I don't like credit cards either, but I was forced to settle upon the TSTT Internet Visa card.
Yes, it sucks. I know all to well.
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I'm gonna try the Western Union Credit Card out, my friend got his green card a few years ago, so he's legit over there and already has a card. Uses it all the time online, NewEgg nonetheless!!!
So I told him I gonna try sending him money (direct to the card) and see if that works, then is just for him to place my orders for me, and organize everything to ship back to Trini.
If this works, I'll be hitting the egg pretty hard for my last few bits of upgrades, and then have all shipped in bulk to Trini by my good friend Gotaku!!!
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^^ i suspected the vtm card would not work for online shopping but i was not certain so i did not say anything. thanks for clearing that up.
best thing to do is get the normal credit card ( i have the bonus points one from republic) and use ur skybox as a secondary address (even though i didn't do this but still get to shop on ebay and they have me as a us citizen) and try ur luck at differnet websites.
the iones that work for me so far is amazon, ebay, old navy and google checkout.
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i'm not 100% sure but i think you can fund a paypal account with it or use the card via paypal
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Daddy Visa ftw yes heheh..
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Arc, they say the Visa TravelMoney is a prepaid reloadable Visa debit card that can be used online.
I saw the Security Code on the back of the card myself. (just yesterday)
http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_travel_money_faq.html (http://usa.visa.com/personal/cards/prepaid/visa_travel_money_faq.html)
Maybe they updated the service since you last tried?
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Hmmmm feel i gonna sign up for one ^^
But i have a Unit Trust Visa Debit Card my question is can that work online?
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nope...
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Tested the Republic Bank Visa Travel Money card online by purchasing a game with STEAM.
Success.
So just for clarification in case anyone doubted, these cards can be used to make purchases online.
also, while we on the topic of newegg, seems they've made some shipping changes.
http://techreport.com/discussions.x/16447 (http://techreport.com/discussions.x/16447)
Basically the article says newegg's latest "egg saver" shipping method takes inordinately long to deliver your items. Not only that, they get banged up along the way since this service uses DHL and USPS (United States Postal Office) Stick to the pricier fedex or ups option to avoid the hassle.
The interesting thing to note, is that once USPS is involved, a retailer would usually use only USPS approved addresses.
They can be pretty rigid. To see if your address matches up, visit the USPS site where you can test your address for "correctness" here: http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp (http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp)
May save you some "invalid address/address authentication" issues that plagues the world of online purchasing.
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If the card now includes the CVV2 code then thats great. The real test is to order something physical.
Amazon awaits you. :)
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Steam did ask for the security code, which I entered.
but never one to shy away from a challenge, will test on Amazon next.
who knows, might even try a lil newegg action while I'm at it. lol
I'll tell you this, once it works on Amazon (and I am pretty certain it will) that is the end of me and traditional credit cards, FOREVER.
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thanks noob +1 internets, i gonna use this to gets ma games nao.
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well NGW, once that works on amazon, i'll get this faster than manning build d Hyatt..
*crosses fingers and hopes NGW is successful*
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The Republic Bank Visa Travel Money card is ah plan. I gonna apply for 1 let yall know de scene too
Philo that "ferggie" sig is real jones yes...lol
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NGW any word if the card works on amazon?
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Good news. The VTM card does in fact work @ Amazon.
This is truly a great day for gamers looking to get their online buying action on. A great day indeed.
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does amazon ship straight here ? if so how via whom ?
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Can backup NGW by saying that the RBL VTM card does work online for me also.
Have used it to fund my entropay account.
Make sure before all of you all go applying for the card that you sign up for RBLOnline.
If you have an existing account with rbl you can set up your vtm card with rbl online an transfer funds to the card right from you compudda desk.
Go to https://republiconline.republictt.com and fill out the form etc.
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You can sign up for Republic's online banking "after" as well. It is not necessary to do that before applying for the VTM.
Just for clarification, it is not mandatory to have a regular Republic bank account. Just the VTM is sufficient to use the online banking service.
Getting a Republic Bank account would provide the advantage of an ATM card which you can then use to deposit money into your account (via a Republic ATM machine) and then transfer to the VTM online.
Pretty slick setup.
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haha yes not mandatory...meant it at a convenience point of view.
To save you the next trip so to speak :P
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either ways lol... same hassle same outcome :D
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ok so i picked up the VTM at republic bank yesterday afternoon. Was a breeze.
But i hav to open a normal savings account to really benefit, also as a uwi student i can also get exempted from service charges and fees....yay!
Didnt had to wait 48 hrs as dey said tho bec i tried this afternoon, i purchased some sKype credits and it worked.
OH yeh guys u can buy SKYPE credits too!!!....lol...cool!
One thing to be aware of is that this card is totally US base so doh go playin u swipin it here an there to buy KFC and gas an ting bec the conversion back to TT wud buss ur throat....i guess is for when u travelling, emergencies and of course getting good deals online.
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great feedback on the VTM.
bwtmc @ uwi student getting exempted from charges. You mean you don't have to pay the 1.15% loading fee? I am gonna sign up for a course just for that benefit yes. Tertiary education here we come. lol
Suzie, can you explain what you mean by having to open a normal savings account to really benefit? I'm curious.
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^I think suzie means because of the online funding? so you can just transfer money within RBL right into the VTM card, instead of carrying cash and what not?
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^I think suzie means because of the online funding? so you can just transfer money within RBL right into the VTM card, instead of carrying cash and what not?
Indeed.....bec to put money in ur account u actually hav to join a Foreign Services line in de bank.(if u dont hav a normal account and online banking)
LOL...nah i dont get exempted from the 1.15%...ah wish doh.....however for a normal RB savings account, as a student i would get some exemptions from charges.
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How long does it take for them to add a card to the online banking? Its been days now and its still pending.
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^^^well i havent sign up for a savings account as yet much less for online banking so im not sure.
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like 48 hrs if so much...
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How long does it take for them to add a card to the online banking? Its been days now and its still pending.
They took like 5 or 6 days with mine.
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I'm on the 5th day and my online banking hasn't been setup as yet.
They said 2-3 days. Will give em a call and make some "row" on monday.
You don't need a regular savings account to sign up for the online banking btw.
I plan to just use it to monitor the balance of the card and check transactions.
Even if I get the regular Savings Account, I still have to go a Republic Bank ATM to make the deposit, then go online to transfer to VTM.
A two step process.
Since the Ellersie Branch is close to me, I'll just go in and deposit funds whenever needed directly on the VTM.
If the line starts being a problem then I'll consider the regular savings. (Not much for patience, so should be interesting to see how it plays out, lol)
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Important update, got the online banking enabled. They say it takes Four Working days.
Good to note.
The transactions were quickly reflected online. Better than my previous experience with scotia's online service, which could take a week and more to show a credit card transaction.
Very impressed.
Considering moving my primary banking account to Republic now. Very impressed indeed.
The other banks could learn a thing or two about online banking from these guys.
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yep...and umm your regular "linx cyard" deposit account.
When you use it, the updates to your balance are virtually immediate.
And if you do a statement query...you see the purchases made, time etc.
and for the sake of building VTM confidence.
I've used it on Entropay, Paypal, Steam, Amazon, Godaddy.com. all worked no problem.
It didnt work with facebook though.
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Nice, nice.
So...is it now safe to say the VTM experience has been a resounding success?
[shameless plug] If so, can I now refer you (as in GATT itself) to our marketing dept? [/shameless plug] :laughing7:
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lol @ shameless plug....hmmm
waitin to use it myself...
got the online banking also, that should be enabled by Wednesday hopefully, they said you will be emailed or texted once its activated.
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Nice, nice.
So...is it now safe to say the VTM experience has been a resounding success?
[shameless plug] If so, can I now refer you (as in GATT itself) to our marketing dept? [/shameless plug] :laughing7:
sooo dat mean free ting ahwah
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LOL yea sounds like fun XD
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For those who use Amazon alot www.shopobot.com (http://) , pretty useful gives you some nice historical trends on any item you are looking for. Good to use in conjunction with NukePrice.com to get a good deal/figure out if price rising or falling...
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Well its been said before in this thread but I'll add my own personal experience. The VTM has been working great with steam, godaddy and maximuscards. Once the card has been added to your online banking it is so easy to add funds.
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Nice, nice.
So...is it now safe to say the VTM experience has been a resounding success?
[shameless plug] If so, can I now refer you (as in GATT itself) to our marketing dept? [/shameless plug] :laughing7:
sooo dat mean free ting ahwah
LoL...no, but do you see the potential here for a synergy of promotion? Or possible future sponsorhip of gaming events?
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sponsorzorship indeed!! and if we could get the bank to talk to newegg so they could stop their gayness! then zomg!!
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hey i know i real late here,
but could online shoppers give us an idea what skybox carrier you use and the service offered.
I use Caribbean Express and Lanbox.
CE is about $12 per pound, $250.00 subscription per year and charge $20.00 advance payment on every shipment (multiple box from same merchant).
Lanbox has no hidden fees, but they are generally expensive about $18 per pound.
Both takes about 7-10 working days for delivery.
I have a friend that uses JetExpress, no subscription fees, you pay for every package seperately.
hummmm not sure of the $$$ per pound.
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So yeah, I should be getting my X3 720 BE today, but just a heads-up on the VAT charges...
(http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/8620/screen28052009081543.jpg)
So, if anyone is considering importing a CPU and in particular, this one, take note of the charges.
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that's tt right...
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Here are the rates for TrinCargo:
Freight Rate:
0-1 lb $30
2 - 25 lbs (20.41 / lb)
26 - 50 lbs (17.70 / lb)
51 - 100 lbs (15.75 / lb)
101+ lbs (13.99 / lb)
Volumetric weight is worked out as follows: Length x Breadth x height divided by 166 (This gives you the lb equivalent, Whichever is greater is used for weight calculation)
$200 to create the box
$150 a year renewal.
Handling Fee of TT$23.00 is applied on a shipment if Duty and Vat is charged on your import.
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You can check out TTpost's facility called TTpak
http://www.ttpost.net/ (http://www.ttpost.net/)
Click on the TTPAK logo and then scroll down to see the Rate chart
They charge in US by the KG example:
Weight in $US
KG
0.5-1.00 5.50
2.00 11.00
3.00 16.50
4.00 22.00
5.00 27.50
6.00 33.00
7.00 38.50
8.00 44.00
Yea it may seem expensive but it's my only real option in Tobago here. Apart from a lil hiccup as with everything else, I got charged only 240TTD to clear a box from amazon that had both my phenom II 720 BE and the GTX 260 in it.
100TT a year for that box and you go to a select TTpost branch to pickup your stuff and pay to clear it.
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That dimensional weight bs will mess you up if you buy a small item weighing 1 pound and the diemnsional weight is 6 lbs, or worse you import a low weight, high volume item, say like a tripod.
I go stick to Ezone - you pay a minimum of 4 pounds weight (@ US$3.00 /lb) for any box no matter the size (except in extreme cases I guess). At least you already know how much you are going to pay in freight before you get item in hand
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Yea but as I said TTpak is my best option as I see it over here in Tobago..
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Yeah, Ezone FTW. There is no 'handling' fee. Just your flat 12 US for all packages under 5 lbs,
and 3 US/lb for all packages 5 lbs and up...and a small 'insurance' charge. (see above)
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Yeah, Ezone FTW. There is no 'handling' fee. Just your flat 12 US for all packages under 5 lbs,
and 3 US/lb for all packages 5 lbs and up...and a small 'insurance' charge. (see above)
yeah but if the things you usually bring in is 1-2lbs (like the stuff i bring in) then ezone don't make much sense.
i'm with jsl speedpak. with the free subcription package
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Please explain, because a lot of what I usually bring is usually 2 - 7 lbs, but are high-value items (50 US or more),
so I don't understand what you mean.
Enlighten us.
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well the stuff i usually buy weigh less than 4lbs. the only heay heavy items usually bring down are laptops.
even when they weigh more than 4lbs lbs the charge comes out less than that of ezone.( yeah i was with ezone for a year before jsl).
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Have to chip in as well. I know some ppl have had problems with ezone but I have had nothing but good experiences with them ordering pc parts.
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wtf i got my cpu/mobo/game 2day and it came up to like $949 total.
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^^so was that good or bad lol
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Based on our MSN convo...VERY bad. I think someone in Customs made a mistake with their calculator.
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Yea I was a victim of that with my mobo, had to be fakkin $400 to clear it....hardluck dey boss it happens to all of us
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Yea I was a victim of that with my mobo, had to be fakkin $400 to clear it....hardluck dey boss it happens to all of us
Yep i was f'ed up.
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A not so gentle reminder of why to avoid regular credit cards and consider the less risky options to purchase goods online, like the Republic VTM Card.
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Is that for credit cards away or locally? funny btw lol
Case in point if you want to get a regular credit card just ensure you're a responsible person when it comes to money.
As my father told me if you want to have a credit card make sure you have money. It's not free money.
But yea you do have to ensure you know what you're getting into in terms of cards.
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^^ that's how i use my credit card. i ensure i have the money for what's i'm buying and consider it spent as soon as i buy something online ( and a lil extra for shipping and taxes)
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Anyone here can help me? I want to order a m3i zero but have a hard time finding someone that can order it for me :crybaby2:
If anyone can help id be greatfull :lol:
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Check ur PM.
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ok tks for the info. I just checked and to person you said to check hasent been on for mths :(
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lol. last time he was on was bout 2 weeks ago. he's kinda busy with work, but he's the best when it comes ordering online.
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You can order online for yourself easy as pie using a Republic Bank VTM card.
We went through it step by step on this site. Lemme find link
Found it:
http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.msg210988.html#msg210988 (http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.msg210988.html#msg210988)
You can use my "skybox" if you don't have one of your own but that is also simple to get.
If you need any help let me know. It is really simple.
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This is a write up on the Republic Bank Visa Travel Money card, or VTM for short as the local bank likes to call it.
A VTM is basically a Visa Electron card and is a great option for gamers who don't want the anvil of a traditional credit card hanging around their neck. It is also a lot easier to qualify for, requiring no prior credit record, job letter, pay slip or collateral.
Visa Electron is a reloadable debit card that works everywhere a credit card would. That means Online as well. Most importantly it IS NOT a credit card. A VTM is not a loan facility from the bank in any form or fashion. Meaning only the funds you "load" on the VTM are available for purchases and not a dime more.
That's great for two reasons.
1) Less interest
2) Less interest
As everyone should know by now, Credit Cards are the devil incarnate. They will burn a hole through your finances given half a chance (and they are almost always given half a chance)
For example, if you have a Credit Card with a 20,000.00 limit and you do not religiously pay off the amount due, you'll easily pay over $5000.00 in bank charges and interest a year. That is a lot of money that could be better spent.
So enough on the finance lesson and back to the VTM.
Republic Bank will allow you to purchase a VTM for US$10.00
All you need are two forms of ID. (One, if you're an existing customer)
You get the card the same day and it comes with a PIN which you will need if making withdrawals at an ATM machine. The PIN is sealed in the envelope with the card, unfortunately you are not allowed to set it yourself. If you planned to maintain an easy to remember PIN (like say 1234) across all your bank cards, you are SOL.
The expiry date is comfortably set in the year 2013. The card sports the regular 12 digit visa number to the front and the 3 digit security codes (known as CVC2 or CVV2 codes) to the back.
There isn't a name imprinted but they still included a spot for your "Authorized Signature". You may want to put something legible here for local merchants who may still want to verify your signature or ask for ID.
Note, you are allowed multiple cards for the same account. Up to a limit of 5. Great for sharing with friends or family. You will need ID for each member you want to sign up. Also, each additional card costs US$10.00
Once you've got the card, you should apply for their online banking feature, https://republiconline.republictt.com/ (https://republiconline.republictt.com/)
This will let you see the balance on your VTM and also transfer money if you have a Savings Account with Republic Bank (with money in it of course)
The Poor/Smart Mans way to buy online.
The Gotchas:
The first time money is loaded on the card, it will take 48 hours to be reflected in your account. Thereafter, it takes 24 hours. (A bit of a killjoy if you were anxious to try it out online with a purchase right away)
Loading money costs you 1.15% of the amount. So say you went to Republic Bank and loaded $100.00 on the card, they will take $1.15 for their troubles, leaving you with a net deposit of $98.85
Does not sound like a whole lot but if you use this card often, that percentage charge will add up to some significant money, (still no where near the financial smart bomb a credit card is though)
The card sign up form at the bank mandates that you place "Trinidad & Tobago" as the issuing country. Despite being US$ based.
Had the form allowed you to use a United States address, this would likely solve a lot of woes faced by Trinis attempting to purchase from NewEgg and the likes.
Being a US Based card, ATM withdrawals in the United States are free but local withdrawals carry a TT$20 charge. Note, local purchases are free as well (At KFC, Hilo, Francis Fashions, etc..). This charge only applies to local ATM cash withdrawals using your pin.
Read the official RBL VTM FAQ here: http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney (http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney)
This card has been tested with an online purchase by yours truly on STEAM (awesome game downloading service, where you can pay for a game online and download it directly to your PC). Also tested with Amazon.com. Worked like a charm.
That's it for the Republic VTM, happy hunting.
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Sounds good but dont you like have to prove you have a job befor being able to get one? I am in university now so not working.
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No job letter, pay slip nor job required. sweet deal huh?
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lol. last time he was on was bout 2 weeks ago. he's kinda busy with work, but he's the best when it comes ordering online.
this sounds strangely familiar
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you sure they dont need you to have a job or a joint account with someone that does to get one? cause i didnt see anything about that on the site
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perfectly sure.
You can speak to Crystaline Aubain in Customer Server @ the Republic Branch, Ellerslie plaza. She can confirm everything I've said.
Got one of the cards myself. I could have been a fisherman from cedros (no offense to any fishermen onsite) and still got the card.
Remember, it is not a loan facility like traditional cards. The VTM avoids all of that hassle. You just load on the money you want to buy stuff online. No credit, no loan, no worries.
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Cool me thinks ill get one. Oh btw does this work in all us sites? and what about outside the US say a japan site for eg. What if they only accept payment in yen? just wondering.
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Some sites are particulary ignorant about doing business with customers outside the USofA (Newegg comes to mind), so I don't expect it to work on ALL e-commerce websites the world over.
This is not particular to the VTM because all other locally issued credit cards face the same problem.
I've tried it on Steam and Amazon personally. Worked a treat.
Give it a try and let us know.
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lol. last time he was on was bout 2 weeks ago. he's kinda busy with work, but he's the best when it comes ordering online.
this sounds strangely familiar
how come?
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well i just waiting for the guy to respond. sent him a email to his home address.
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who is this mystery guy?
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seecarr11. i get all my stuff online from him. really cool guy.
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seecarr11. i get all my stuff online from him. really cool guy.
LOL same guy
yeah he a little hard to get a hold of right now but he is very professional and courteous.
well i just waiting for the guy to respond. sent him a email to his home address.
yeah that should work
but as rage said he under a lil stress, phone on the fritz to i think
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you sure they dont need you to have a job or a joint account with someone that does to get one? cause i didnt see anything about that on the site
I works nowhere iam a student too a i use this all the time....
today skybox are quite affordable now shud invest in 1 or jus ask someone for a borrow.
The RB VTM is also paypal friendly which is reliable and safe for payments for sites that accept them...
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lol @ works no where. Just like Suzieboy says, this is so easy now you can do it yourself. no sweat.
ordering online might have been a big deal 10 years ago. Not today. Especially with the vtm. Makes it a no brainer.
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I wish people would use the 'search' button. :(
Merged.
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lol arc yuh had meh worried i now hit post and i see error
* New / Replacement Card Fee * US$10.00
* Commission on the TT equivalent of the amount loaded / reloaded * 1.15%
* Currency Conversion Fee * 1% of the amount requested for transactions in foreign countries where US Dollars is not the currency
* Cash-Out Fee * TT$20.00
* Immediate Activation Request Fee * TT$46.00
not the best table but meh
http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney (http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=ebs_tmoney)
check there for moar infoz
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Does anyone buy clothes online? Aside from Amazon what other sites are hassle free when using our local credit cards? Want to get some new clothes if on sale/good quality.
Ordered some stuff off Victoria Secret for my girlfriend with no problems.
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Does anyone buy clothes online? Aside from Amazon what other sites are hassle free when using our local credit cards? Want to get some new clothes if on sale/good quality.
Ordered some stuff off Victoria Secret for my girlfriend with no problems.
You naughty boy...
...but ah like how yuh thinkin. :)
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ebay + paypal
jus do research before buying. you doh wanna pay for a nike top and when is reach it sayin mike
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Does anyone buy clothes online? Aside from Amazon what other sites are hassle free when using our local credit cards? Want to get some new clothes if on sale/good quality.
Ordered some stuff off Victoria Secret for my girlfriend with no problems.
You naughty boy...
...but ah like how yuh thinkin. :)
Lol it was just a swimsuit but there were um other very interesting pieces of clothing for sale :p
Will look around, though ah doh really like Ebay anymore. Lol @ "Mike"
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you wanna buy male clothes or female clothes?
i ordered from oldnavy already and was decent and quick shipping. jus make sure the skybox address on the cc.
and if old navy works i guess u could buy from gap, piperlime and banana republic also.
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i wanna buy some cologne from ebay bad
but i still have no way of doing so, steups :(
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skyboxes could bring in cologne?
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No they don't because of the alcohol content, its considered as a flammable item.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but www.eastbay.com takes international credit cards.
I remember getting pops to order a shoe for me there a few years back.
They're more are shoes/athetic eq website but they have possibly any damn shoe you'd ever want or need on there. They have casual clothing also but the strong point of the site is sports gear.
This was before all of the skybox option, got it sent directly to our P.O. Box but now I guess it would be even better to use a skybox to forward stuff :sassy:
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Hmm thanks for the suggestions, looking for male clothes will try em out if I see anything I like.
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Ok got my VTM card today from republic, don't have an account with them so will be making my topup trip to the bank but was pretty easy to get the card.
Just have to put some money on it and test it out on amazon and steam(heheh ready for MW2) :P
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welcome to the VTM club bro.
smart choice
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F********* paypal in they MC F****hole. Them niggaz take $13.95 from my credit card. FOR WHATT. I COULDNT EVEN ORDER NOTHING USING THEY A** SITE. And now I cant even find an email address to mail them bitches. I reall feeling like choking them mofos right now.
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Hardluck dey dread, and I now thinking about joining them....well salt for dat. *pats VTM card in wallet*
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^^^ happen to a padna of mine except it was like 100 usd twice in one day since the site was not responding properly, he called them by phone and had to wait a week or two before being credited back. the money never made it to the seller' site ( it wasn't ebay)
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Redfish, nah paypal is still a great service. thanks to them i got a many things off of ebay which i couldn't find down here for a relative price
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Fire bun dis thing. I go just have to find my stuff otherwise. This is bull.
*Account closed*
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^ you ever used paypal succesfully?
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No. I was so steaming I call them. At least the money will come back to my account after about 48 hours.
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nothing's perfect man. i used it over 50 times and no probs, and my padna used it twice and he got probs, so i won't give up on it.
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I haven't had good experiences with paypal either.
amazon ftmfw
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hmmm very strange.
Well I use paypal alot, no problems yet.
The good thing is that I use the VTM with paypal, and that VTM never has funds in it when I don't need it.
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Well its the vtm self i used. It had about $13 left after an amazon purchase. Paypal proceeded to clean it out. Good thing it didnt have more money in it.
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Sorry to hear that Capn. My tenure with Paypal so far has been golden,
but I'm aware that a lot of people have had LOTS of issues.
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for those of you that have successfully been using paypal
could you outline for the rest of us how you setup your account and in what ways you use it, so maybe we can get a better idea how to have a good paypal experience.
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trouble is, my dad gets through so easy!!!. I figure i'll just let him add my vtm to his account and work so yes.
i 2nd crix's request too.
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I think it would be great having a "Setting up a Paypal Account tutorial" stickied somewhere relevant, if someone would be so kind to share the knowledge.
Did not know the VTM works with them so I'm willing to try.
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what about pre paid visa cards like the ones rbtt offering they claim you can shop online with it anyone know if this is true or if you ca recharge a paypal account with a pre paid visa card aka gift card
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ok i see the above replies about VTM bascially the same thing
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lol, qza answer his own question yes.
As for buying clothes online. I've tried a few sites and got blanked.
Amazon works but haven't been impressed with the quality. They fit funny and look like they used the cheapest materials on the planet. Despite carrying big brand names like Armani Exchange.
I'll still try again at other sites in the coming months and report back which clothing sites delivered. Sure is a lot harder than buying electronics.
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guys....i wanna order a CHEAP acoustic guitar from ebay. saw a couple for about 30US with around 20US shipping to skybox address. How much would it cost me to clear(duties and taxes)?
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^ will check it out for u an get back to u as soon as i can
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cool. thxn
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I buy all my games on amazon.I also bought my processor,8800gts and an evga motherboard but I will advise against buying computer parts because of the hassle and expense if you have to RMA .
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what's the best skybox currently? i know ezone is of highh quality, i was with them but their charges were too much for my liking. i'm with jsl now and consider them medicore, no pronlems but quality could be be.
i know there are many new skyboxes that are out now. any new ones that are impressive?
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I can say unequivocally that all skyboxes are NOT made equal.
I have experience with both Ezone and JSL and the service between the two are LIGHT YEARS apart.
Ezone, w/o a doubt owns them all when it comes to quick, absolutely no stickage service and delivery. Between amazon prime and them, I can order something Monday evening and have the order IN MY HANDS on Friday morning.
Of course, that comes with a price. Higher shipping cost. Also, their priority is clearing stuff asap so they go to the first customs officer available even if it means going to a very harsh one who charges hard. Case in point, two months ago I brought in a camera, cost $150tt to clear and ship. Last week, order same exact camera, cost $560.
JSL on the other hand knows which customs officers are cool and waits for their shifts to clear things. Obviously, this introduces lag time and on top of that, they does REAAALLLLLL stick to create invoices for stuff and VERY often TWO weeks after stuff reach in trinidad they now get around to deliver. Also they pick and choose thir delivery days and places. A real nightmare if u want something in a hurry. No yearly membership fees and very low freight costs though.
So there u have it. If like me you want ur stuff asap, ezone ftw but set aside $$ to clear and ship. If u come out cheap, fine. If not, you're prepared. If ure not in a hurry, jsl ftmfw.
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well that's why i went jsl, i don't be in to much of a hurry cuz most stuff i buy for personal reasons, and plus i live trincity near jsl so i go and pick up the items myself. the delivery problem does not affect me.
And its so true about the customs officers point you mentioned. last wk i collected a fossil watch from jsl, i paid them $150 total in charges. when i was with ezone, i brought down a similar fossil watch, cost $460, a little less than the cost of the watch. (and they came in the same sized case.
so in terms of cheaper jsl hands down.
what i want to find out is if there is a skybox cheaper than jsl with efficiency almost on the level as ezone. that will be the bomb
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That my friend, sounds like something that only exists in the land of milk and honey.
If u find what u looking for, let me know.
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^Aye cap how much extra that amazon prime thing costs you? kept seeing the offer but never took it up as I don't order stuff regularly
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Ezone, w/o a doubt owns them all when it comes to quick, absolutely no stickage service and delivery. Between amazon prime and them, I can order something Monday evening and have the order IN MY HANDS on Friday morning.
i use CSF couriers in chaguanas
same speed u described with ezone
i order somethin monday with amazon prime and friday i hav it no stickage wat soever
^Aye cap how much extra that amazon prime thing costs you? kept seeing the offer but never took it up as I don't order stuff regularly
isnt it around like 70US for a year of amazon prime and u get free 2-day shipping on ur stuff ?
cant remember d exact price but it worth it if u order stuff online alot
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Amazon Prime is 79 US per year. It entitles you to 2-day free shipping on items
that come from Amazon themselves, and 1-day shipping for $4 US.
Totally worth it.
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Suh-wheat!!
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Amazon Prime is 79 US per year. It entitles you to 2-day free shipping on items
that come from Amazon themselves, and 1-day shipping for $4 US PER ITEM.
Totally worth it.
Correction in yellow
Definitely worth the money. Order something Monday and get it in your hand as soon as THURSDAY via one-day.
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I don't think anyone has posted this yet Republic/Blink Visa Internet Shopping Facility (http://www.republictt.com/1asp/personal.asp?f=internet_card_upxpress) haven't tried it out yet anyone who has ? any feedback be it good or bad ?
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i getting a server error
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link fixed
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JSL on the other hand knows which customs officers are cool and waits for their shifts to clear things. Obviously, this introduces lag time and on top of that, they does REAAALLLLLL stick to create invoices for stuff and VERY often TWO weeks after stuff reach in trinidad they now get around to deliver. Also they pick and choose thir delivery days and places. A real nightmare if u want something in a hurry. No yearly membership fees and very low freight costs though.
So there u have it. If like me you want ur stuff asap, ezone ftw but set aside $$ to clear and ship. If u come out cheap, fine. If not, you're prepared. If ure not in a hurry, jsl ftmfw.
Hmm JSL has duty skillz you say. I wouldn't mind giving them a try when ordering high duty items, would not mind a lil wait if it save me from total duty rapage....
They got a website? No annual fees sounds good too for such infrequent use.
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I was wondering about the ability to receive money via paypal. I've got a confirmed address and may need to collect money from US companies. I checked the Paypal site but it doesn't look like Trinidad is on the list to receive money. Anyone had experience with receiving $$$ via paypal?
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Not sure about recieving money. That would be some nice info.
Just another bit of information, my dad bought an Omnia II and paid $280tt last week with JSL.
Needless to say my jaw dropped when I heard that.
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Wow JSL slow delivery times might be worth the wait yes. I wonder how much it would cost to bring in a 360 with them....hmm.
Edit: Got an email from Paypal and they said it is not possible to receive money if your country is Trinidad.
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Hs anyone heard of DealExtreme.com? hong kong megasite that sell just about everything and offers free shipping to adresses worldwide via hong kong post office standard email?
Well i get ketch
My eyes lit up and i order 5 items one time the most expensive being about 85 USD and the four others mid range in USD i order since november 2009 and not one france come yet.
i ordered one item and used a california PO Box address that i have as a test and the order reaced the po box in 11 days with free reg airmail shipping so i know is not a bogus website.
so now i stick bad anybody had an experience with them? i am now to-ing and fro-ing with them to get some refund so far they have resent the first order but i so damn stupid i didnt change the address to the cali po box heh, i could laugh but it real F Up.
i will have to be in dey ass now to get them to re send the other 4 orders and i will ahve to use the cali po box and then have my gf who up there fed ex the shit to me.
as norcal ppl would say HELLA Bad
So yeah be wary of free worldwide shipping especially on dealextreme
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I only deal with Hong Kong merchants via ebay. Lets just say their new feedback system keeps everyone honest. I've never had a problem with them since.
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thats some hard luck man, as arc say the most risky i use is ebay, and after double analyzing their feedback. i don't even spend much on stuff from hongkong as its more than likely inferior quality. hope you get through with the refunds
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whats jsl? they have a website?
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So here's how its gonna go
| Item Name | TAX (Y/N) | DUTIES(Y/N) |
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http://www.trinebox.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=13 (http://www.trinebox.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=13)
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..didnt hadda pwn de man so doh..
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lol, figured it would be helpful
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like actual values u guys have seen... cause this site doesnt say if it has vat or not
ORrrr does everything have vat
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http://www.aeropost.com/pos/services_customs.htm (http://www.aeropost.com/pos/services_customs.htm)
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/6529/ecouriersdutyguide10640ns7.jpg)
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God... watching that list makes me sick.. they so backwards steups
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once an item carries duty, vat applies.
lol @ backwards
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Don't we already have a thread (http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.0.html) for this?
...and wasn't info like this repeatedly posted before?
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good looking out, feel free to merge
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Well, there goes my lifelong dream of going as Luffy D. Monkey from One Piece for Halloween, what with straw hats being banned and all.
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lol, I didn't even notice that.
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speakers require hazmat???
Wtf is wrong with these people??
Steeuupppssssss fire dem and scrap de whole business yes
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Hs anyone heard of DealExtreme.com? hong kong megasite that sell just about everything and offers free shipping to adresses worldwide via hong kong post office standard email?
I bought a couple of wiimotes from them as they had two wiimotes and nunchucks for only 20 us. I ordered that in november 2009. Got the package at my house in trinidad in march 2010 after using standard mail. I wasnt too mad about that cause i read reviews that said dealextreme was extrememly slow. What really got me mad is that the wiimotes were defective. The d-pads on the both of them did not work properly.
So my advice never buy from dealextreme. CHEAP THING NOT GOOD AND GOOD THING NOT CHEAP. those damn chinese and real scammers. Dont buy anything from hong kong in general as it will most likely be a substandard ripoff.
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Amazon Prime is 79 US per year. It entitles you to 2-day free shipping on items
that come from Amazon themselves, and 1-day shipping for $4 US PER ITEM.
Totally worth it.
Correction in yellow
Definitely worth the money. Order something Monday and get it in your hand as soon as THURSDAY via one-day.
Best money ever spent...
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Pardon if it's been posted before...but how does one order from newegg with a local credit card. Is there any way around that?
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Cant be done, not even using it to fund a Paypal account. The only way to pay is via wire transfer or good old money order/bank draft.
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Ah! Miserable!
...Wire transfer, eh? Any idea how to go about that on newegg?
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On checkout, there should be a money order option. When you choose that, they will then provide the address you have to mail it to.
Then, its a simple matter to go to your favourite bank, fill out the money order with the address provided, and then take that money order to TT Post, or Fedex, and have them mail it to that same address.
Only when newegg receives and verifies the money order will they ship the item.
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Time is money.
If I have to run around, go to the bank and do all that to place an order, it negates the US$10.00 I was going to save by going with newegg over say Amazon.com, which accepts local VTMs just fine.
Pennywise and pound foo.....well you know the rest.
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115728 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834115728)
Or in this case...the US $200. :/
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Don't they cancel your order anyway if they see you are using an address of a known courier that exports?
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No, which is why they insist on money orders for shipment to a 'freight forwarding' service.
I spoke to a Newegg rep on the phone some years ago, and they said that they got burned too many times by credit card fraud.
Once it leaving the US, money order time.
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So technically he could scoop up that deal once he willing to money order.
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Yes.
The money order is the only difficult part, because you have to pay for it (in addition to the value of the item you're buying),
and then you have to pay to mail it to the merchant.
Totally worth it for certain items on Newegg.
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Want to bring in 3 23inch PC LCD monitors > What's the chance i woould be taxed on the items?
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you will just have to pay shipping (unless the customs man is a idiot and charge you for a tv lol)
last time i shipped 3:
2 24" and a 23" and paid 800 Total shipping.
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Once they can be clearly identified as PC monitors, and not mistaken for TVs, you should not be charged VAT, or duty.
...but with these Customs officers we have...yuh never know. Always go with 'worst case'.
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Brought mine in like a week or two ago with UPxpress and got charged 588TTD even though it's 26inches (d box big no ass too) but it had written on the box LCD Monitor.
As those before me said, you should be safe once the person that clearing your stuff aint a bottom that doesn't know the different between a lcd monitor and a lcd tv. Go brave man, it's all part of the fun of ordering down stuff, I was once like you all scared and worried but it's satisfying when you save so much on ordering SOME things online.
Buy eeeeeeeeet, then come tell us if you got shafted lol j/k
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lol, redfish yuh wicked.
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Anyone want any other parts brought in, even a monitor??? Message me in my thread stickied on the trading ground asap, not to clog up this one
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lol, redfish yuh wicked.
What?? I just giving him some motivation :P
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http://lifehacker.com/5589115/bongo-international-ships-us+only-packages-overseas (http://lifehacker.com/5589115/bongo-international-ships-us+only-packages-overseas)
hmm possibilities??
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How is this different from the various local companies that offer these services? Can't remember which on but someone was telling me about a local company that offers repackaging to reduce shipping weight. I'd be concerned about ppl stealin my stuff tho :p
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What's different here is that you can have Bongo receive and hold multiple packages for you, and then they can send everything as one shipment to you.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to buy 3 or 4 different things from ONE site (Amazon), and have them all arrive on different days.
Will ezone hold up until they get all the packages? Hell no...there's money to be made , so they will gleefully charge you a separate
piece a money for each package.
I read through the site in some more detail...I actually like the concept. You can pay on an as needed basis when you actually ship something,
or register for 15 US a month for discounts...although this would work out to be more expensive per year than my ezone account.
Of course, the overriding concern here is that big ol 'cell-block D' nigga called Customs...hard n veiny...just WAITING to give ya a good reaming out. :laughing7:
The question here is: who receives/clears the packages through Customs on your behalf...and how does the package eventually get to you
once its in-country?
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The thing to also be wary of, is that if a single shipment crosses a certain value, you'll need to have a customs broker clear it.
Expensive.
Not a big deal if you're bringing in say 30 laptops.
but if you just lumped together four or five component purchases and they barely crossed the limit, you'll feel the pain. Courier bond clearance is joke compared to the cost of a broker.
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OK...so I took a gander at their shipping rates to Trinidad...
(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/9163/capture19072010154902.jpg)
...and if those are US-dollar prices, I'll have to say: ''aw HELL naw!!!''
I don't think I'll be getting rid of my ezone account any time soon.
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Anyone else having trouble purchasing stuff online with their VTM of recent?
I got blanked trying to pay for the battlefield server.
Then again from Amazon.
Strangely enough, I retried the Amazon purchase a few hours later and it worked.
I don't know if VISA's network or system is giving trouble, or maybe its just me?
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I've tried Caribbean Express and they seem freaking expensive (I feel they overcharge duties and taxes). I've also use tropical Express (aka Laptop City) but they seem slow.
Who do you use to bring stuff in?
PS: for those who don't know this is BlackFriday Weekend, I trying to filter the best of amazon.com (and other sites) deals out and tweet about it, anybody interested can follow me @rantsh.
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I use ezone. They sometimes overcharge on duties (imho) but they are very fast.
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I use ezone. They sometimes overcharge on duties (imho) but they are very fast.
Same here. They do overcharge. The very least you can expect to pay for any item they handle is like $90tt, we talking bringing in a literal feather.
But yes, they are very very fast and efficient.
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http://www.csfcouriersltd.com/ (http://www.csfcouriersltd.com/) for me
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How are they in terms of speed and delivery to your house? The rates looking ok, looking for an alternative to ezone's ridiculous $12us/lb 0-5lb rate.
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...and once again, here we have a ANOTHER new thread when there's an existing one (http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.0.html) for posts like these. :shakehead:
Merge in 3...2...1...
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How are they in terms of speed and delivery to your house? The rates looking ok, looking for an alternative to ezone's ridiculous $12us/lb 0-5lb rate.
i usually pic up from them so i'm not sure about the delivery.. i think the delivery might be free though
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i used dhleasyshop. Free membership, your stuff usually arrives on monday every week for sure (and wednesdays as well i think). As for cost, rates start at 5.50 for 1 lb but does not increase in that constance (http://www.dhleasyshop.com/POS/rates.html (http://www.dhleasyshop.com/POS/rates.html)). Has been pretty easy to use so far, no real problems.
Right now, the issues is that customs is just completely unfair in how they charge duties. For instance, I just picked up 2 skinomi cases from amazon. Total cost shipped was $29.00 USD. Customs charged me 18 USD (DUTY) + 5 USD (VAT) + 5.50 from DHL to bring it in. Yes it cost 28.50 to bring it in, and 29.00 to purchase. Seriously, WTF is up with that. My advice, if u bringing in cell phone accessories, tell the ppl don't put and invoice and declare the value as $5 yes.
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...and once again, here we have a ANOTHER new thread when there's an existing one (http://www.carigamers.com/cms/forums/index.php/topic,10426.0.html) for posts like these. :shakehead:
Merge in 3...2...1...
lol, admin on duty. well played
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i used dhleasyshop. Free membership, your stuff usually arrives on monday every week for sure (and wednesdays as well i think). As for cost, rates start at 5.50 for 1 lb but does not increase in that constance (http://www.dhleasyshop.com/POS/rates.html (http://www.dhleasyshop.com/POS/rates.html)). Has been pretty easy to use so far, no real problems.
Right now, the issues is that customs is just completely unfair in how they charge duties. For instance, I just picked up 2 skinomi cases from amazon. Total cost shipped was $29.00 USD. Customs charged me 18 USD (DUTY) + 5 USD (VAT) + 5.50 from DHL to bring it in. Yes it cost 28.50 to bring it in, and 29.00 to purchase. Seriously, WTF is up with that. My advice, if u bringing in cell phone accessories, tell the ppl don't put and invoice and declare the value as $5 yes.
An all-too-common occurrence. Ezone gave me a rate sheet that CUSTOMS THEMSELVES produced, and yet is like a lotto when it comes to VAT and duties now.
I totally fed up ah dem yes...
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hahahah @ customs lotto.
too true, too true.
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When you win the customs lotto is it cool tho lol, ent someone on here posted a while back that they brought in 2 iphones and paid no duty lol. Must have been a good day.
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www.shopwebsource.com (http://www.shopwebsource.com)
NO volumetric shipping, only weight they charge... U do the savings there :D
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that link broken to me mailman
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http://shipwebsource.com/ (http://shipwebsource.com/)
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Aite. I need some info. Anybody here actually using Web Source? Cause I lookin to join dem now. Dem rates real nice. mailman166!!! Leh we talk business!!!
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just say i sent you ... alot of the staff know my name :) jus kidding they know my real name though cause i use them
Call and go through they reliable
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anyone here tried Carribbean Express? I used to use them but never considered the competition.
http://www.caribbeanexpress.com/general/services.asp (http://www.caribbeanexpress.com/general/services.asp)
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Good idea Berserk. Consider the competition and let us know.
Those sites have shipping calculators on them. Do like two scenarios.
Say 1) A computer part for US$100 weighing 4 lbs
and 2) A toy for US$40 weighing 2 lbs.
See what cost you get for each and lets compare the competition.
Should be interesting results.
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^^their rates don't seem too bad but how is the service ?
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We used Caribbean Express for a year or so.
Cancelled due to their volumetric weight charges as something valued $60 costed us $500ttd.
They had a "repackaging" service where items in big boxes will be repackaged for cheaper cost, we requested that but there was communication mix-up and we paid extra for bubble wrap and air balloons in the box =/.
Other orders were fine but I remember arrival being a bit slow compared to "Aeropost" which we use now. Just that volumetric weight nonsense left a sour taste.
http://www.aeropost.com/pos/home.htm (http://www.aeropost.com/pos/home.htm)
Aeropost is pretty good overall. Ordered something from amazon with 2 day shipping on a Saturday night. Got it Wednesday morning. No volumetric weight charges either.
They email you and text you as well as call you the day they are delivering to your door.
Email contains all charges due as well.
Overall nothing to complain about Aeropost so far.
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Yeah been using aeropost for years, got no problems so far.
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^^wat they said aeropost is very efficient
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I heard aeropost is very expensive.
Can you check their rates and work out the price for two items to compare to the other providers?
You could use the examples from earlier in the thread. One toy and one computer component.
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This costed $60TT
http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Elements-Desktop-External/dp/B002QEBMCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301273337&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Elements-Desktop-External/dp/B002QEBMCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301273337&sr=8-1)
Killzone 3 PS3 costed $20tt
I dunno but I don't recall ever paying vat/duties...Just TT$19.71 per pound, delivered to door.
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Not sure about the others but I know I get the full brunt of customs/duty most times I use aeropost hehe. If I order a new PS3 game for example costing 60 USD I would normally end up paying 20 USD or so in duty :(
How you so luck apprentice :p
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I use Aeropost and earlier this month I brought in my msi GTX 560 ti and a 450gig Velociraptor in one box and that cost me what TT $198
I dunno if that's expensive....
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Not sure about the others but I know I get the full brunt of customs/duty most times I use aeropost hehe. If I order a new PS3 game for example costing 60 USD I would normally end up paying 20 USD or so in duty :(
How you so luck apprentice :p
O.o
I ordered 2 copies of Assassin's Creed Brotherhood valued $70usd
I paid Aeropost $20TT lol
Same for KZ3.
Ordered 2 pairs of earbuds and that also costed $20tt per box.
(1 pound charge)
I have no idea why I getting away everytime lol
(I do "pre-alert" every package though..if that makes a difference.)
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Wow you lucky, I always get charged vat & duty when I buy new ps3/xbox games. I prealert all the time too. Ah well.
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Wtf
Apprentice. I will let you bring in my stuff if you can guarantee I'll not be charged duty and vat.
Spread the love
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Wtf
Apprentice. I will let you bring in my stuff if you can guarantee I'll not be charged duty and vat.
Spread the love
lol it could really be just luck. I fraid if I abuse it I'll get hit with some nasty charges.
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I have a co-worker who uses Aeropost, and has 'escaped' some nasty charges for PS3 games,
and electronics. He's a gadget-freak like me, so he's always bringing in something. He just
recently got a new iPod, and if he spent 200 TT total to ship/clear it, he spend plenty.
Apparently that 'pre-alert' thing (as he explained it) helps 'rush' the item through Customs.
They still open it up to check that there's no contraband, but the pre-alert makes categorisation
of the item easier for them.
For example...he recently brought in a Dell Streak, and pre-alerted it as a 'tablet computer'.
Of course that immediately meant, no VAT/duty. :laughing7:
The more I hear of this, the more it makes me want to switch from eZone.
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Lol not so fast eh I've done the whole prealert thing and believe me they do "catch" people lol. Though as you say some people get lucky.
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Wtf
Apprentice. I will let you bring in my stuff if you can guarantee I'll not be charged duty and vat.
Spread the love
It does just be luck I can attest to this cuz some times u don't get the charges
and other times they hit you full blow (even if its prealerted or not) with the duties
I get hit a brisk 1300 in duties when I ordered meh phone October last year :(
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Yup had a similar experience when I brought in my Nokia E71
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This looks like the ideal thread for personal experience for "skyboxes".
I'm looking to open an account with a skybox company and as i won't be ordering regularly speed doesn't matter, only really reliability and cost.
Any suggestions on a skybox with free/relatively cheap registration as well as decent service and delivery? I narrowed it down to: JSL, Carribbean Express and Trans-Express but any insight offered is greatly appreciated.
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I can stand by Tropical Express/Laptop City, fast delivery and they work with you to get the best price.
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There's a Laptop City in Trincity Mall i think so that's a good start. What about registration fees and the like?
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you checked out www.trinebox.com (http://www.trinebox.com) as yet lqdsnk?
Been using them for like 12 years.
also, I'm pretty sure we had a thread comparing the local "skybox" services.
If I can't find it, maybe we should start another.
May require updating anyway as a lot of their rates have changed in recent times.
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i use upxpress can't really compare it since I've only used that but its good and reliable
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Anyone use this site?
http://www.fetchcouriersltd.com/
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I am into amazon... they have been on the spot every time. If you are not in a rush shipping is free... and they got loads of what you want.
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Shipping is free as long as it's direct from amazon, if it's a 3rd party different shipping options will be available usually 3-5 business day shipping.
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I've read earlier into the thread and saw that it worked, however; can anyone confirm that newegg has been taking paypal linked to local credit cards/ VTM? Recent experience preferable.
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To the best of my knowledge, paypal is no longer supported by newegg and for quite a long time now.
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That's very strange as i checked it just the moment before i posted to ask. You can check it yourself it says "Checkout with Paypal or Secure Checkout"
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Yea PayPal still works only thing is it doesn't let you ship to anywhere except your billing address it will give you a message saying its neweggs policy
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Oh i vaguely remember that discussion now, but not the final outcome. Did switching your main address/secondary address to your forwarding address get it to work?
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nope
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So quick question. What is Amazon's shipping method if i use the Free Super Saver Shipping? I want to pre-alert a package before i forget about it lol
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So quick question. What is Amazon's shipping method if i use the Free Super Saver Shipping? I want to pre-alert a package before i forget about it lol
They use different shipping companies not the same one all the time. So you'll have to wait for the shipment confirmation from them with the details.
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I am so glad to see this thread. I wish I saw it before but maybe my experience will help someone avoid the pitfall know to us a DHL Easyshop. I bought some luggage from KMART worth cost $39.99. DHL tells me I have to pay $133.70. All prices are in US dollars!
If what I read is true... Aeropostal is the way to go? Tell me please!!! I dying here!
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Anyone buying clothes online these days? Aside from Amazon are there any other sites that sell decent mens clothes that take Trinidad credit cards? Target rejected me.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note using Tapatalk
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Aside from Amazon are there any other sites that sell decent mens clothes that take Trinidad credit cards?
I've purchased from eastbay.com without problem in the past. I haven't shopped there in at least a year and a half so I'm not 100% sure what they're up to these days.
One of the reasons I prefer using Amazon is that it allows you to purchase stuff from other stores that don't usually accept international credit cards.
Sent from my Xperia arc using Tapatalk
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Thanks, I agree with you with Amazon allowing you to access other stores. Actually that's how I used Target before, over the past year or so they migrated to their own ecommerce platform and no longer take international credit cards.
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Agreed. Amazon ftw!
Tapped from LG G2x with nVIDIA TEGRA2
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dread
for the past 4 yrs i havent had them bad experiences nah..
aeropost FTW, from what iv heard......... they got their own officers in their facility.
Let me move that discussion here...and ask this very salient question then:
Aeropost customers..do you, or do you NOT pay VAT (not duties) on certain PC parts as mandated by law?
Serious question...because for years I hearing 'stories' about Aeropost.
I want to know if it is I have to get a divorce from Ezone in the morning.
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sorry i never paid vat on PC parts.. EVER...
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To my knowledge nope, once it's PC parts you should be good to go.
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Aeropost customers..do you, or do you NOT pay VAT (not duties) on certain PC parts as mandated by law?
I've been charged VAT more than once, can't remember what parts though. It seemed more random than anything imo. In most cases they don't. What parts are we required to pay duties on? I'll keep an eye on this.
Sent from my LT15a using Tapatalk 2
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NONE
but.. i'm blessed..
PSU are more likey to get some shaft though...
ironically.. all my PSUs came in via suitcase lol
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There's only VAT (no duties) on certain PC parts, like mobos, CPUs and graphics cards for sure.
There's no VAT or duties on hard-drives and monitors. 'HDTV' monitors though, are a different story...they attract normal VAT and duties like other electronics.
I cannot remember what applies to RAM and/or PSUs. I'll have to check some old Ezone invoices to clarify.
I have no problem with 'hit or miss', or 'random', but it's blatantly unfair that some people ALWAYS get to pay VAT out they ass, and others don't get to pay ANY.
I resent that...I really, REALLY resent that.
So the playing field really not level to begin with. Can't say I'm surprised though...is Trinidad, right?
Ridiculous.
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Its a shame that we have to pay so much to import stuff in the first place.
Considering we work for less $$ than those in america / canada.
The items are often made in asia, shipped to america then shipped to us.
Rape after rape.
Feel I making a move to Singapore yes. Cut out two middle men.
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Received a very interesting email earlier tonight with the following attachment...
(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/6714/aeroh.jpg)
Apparently our little discussion above prompted someone to ask Aeropost directly.
I'm glad they could clear that up. :)
It's a shame they didn't state exactly which parts though.
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customs can provide that list for free.
thing is, it is still left to the whim of the officers, which has been the point from day one.
That is, you can get processors in without duty and vat. Then at other times, you'll get laced.
ymmv
Safest bet, move to singapore.
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thing is, it is still left to the whim of the officers, which has been the point from day one.
Wyatt is totally correct here..... there is no sure way to know if you will or won't get charged hence a hit and miss situation....
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I have eZone and my neighbour has Aeropost. On average eZone is faster and Aeropost is cheaper. I think Aeropost uses their own set of custom officers so they can generally get lower custom charges applied while ezone just gets the first available customs officer to clear as fast as possible.
There are no real set rules for customs. They can do whatever they want. I have sometimes paid vat, sometimes duties, sometimes both and sometimes neither on pc parts. Heck I've sometimes paid almost double on item cost and shipping in custom charges.
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Steups...ridiculous. :(
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Ok, so I was going through my order history on Aeropost and found out that I have consistently been paying VAT/Duties on the items that require it. It only appeared random to me as I wasn't aware of which pieces of hardware we pay or not.
These are some random ones:
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/shivanandrs/Random/Aero7.png
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/shivanandrs/Random/aero6.png
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/shivanandrs/Random/aero5.png
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I think Ezone/PO Box Int'l offers something similar.....
But I agree this is a VERY important thread... for those of us who engage in importing computer parts regularly.
Take some more Chakura, Arc...
*bows* Buddha Be Praised.
aye ..they start to accept trini credit cards ....
i remember they weren't a while aback..
Yep, they do now. I created an account and was actually able to successfully purchase stuff from Newegg,
using my Republic Bank Visa I might add.
I know this post old but i signed up with paypal using Republic Bank VTM and their Visa Credit, but when i try to purchase items from Newegg, it keeps saying it can't payment... is there anyway to bypass this?
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Yes, very old. Newegg actually declined my very next purchase.
They do not accept international credit cards. Period.
If you want to purchase from Newegg, you have to send a good old money order.
SwiftKeyed from my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Tapatalk 2
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Yes, very old. Newegg actually declined my very next purchase.
They do not accept international credit cards. Period.
If you want to purchase from Newegg, you have to send a good old money order.
SwiftKeyed from my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Tapatalk 2
how do you do a money order?
UPDATE
I did a lil research on newegg and apparently they dont accept money orders anymore
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Damn...not surprised though. Money orders are a PITA to process.
I good with online merchants who actually not allergic to my money.
Newegg could eat a big bowl of dix. :(
SwiftKeyed from my Samsung Galaxy S3 with Tapatalk 2
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lol, NewEgg is dead to me
We can order items off of newegg but the added steps in processing will cost you, in which case you would lose the benefit of the cheap price they offered in the first place.
Unless you are ordering a lot of items, it won't be worthwhile.
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I used Tiger Direct and ordered parts with my VTM card and it went through but I had to pay a lil more.
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I've been looking at a 50" led TV for my parents. It is heavy at 40 pounds, has anyone ever bought one that size online? Trying to see if it worth it vs just buying it locally.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4
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u tried pricesmart? I heard they have some incredible deals on tvs. Havent seen em personally. Looking for one for parents too actually.
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Pricesmart usually has old models that they can hawk for cheap.
40lbs isn't bad weight wise, we have shipped in items larger.
Anything under 50lbs is fair game for air freight. Over that, you start looking at ocean which is considerably cheaper per pound but takes a lot longer (3-4 weeks, vs 3-4 days for air)
We just started a shipping company, so if you do go that route, let me know and you'll get the GATT special rates.
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my real worry is i pay to ship something like that down and find something wrong with it after a few months and have to ship it back :ko:
passed in a store in POS on weekend and saw that you could get a "smart tv" 50" Samsung for under $10.3k or an LG for $11.6k, and 55" for $14.4k locally, and that has 1 year parts and labour included. but lets be honest, when you watching world cup next year, you want to be able to see all those brazilian girlies in full splendour :sassy:, so 65" going to run you about $28.4k, or you can get the one with built in wifi for $43.3k
have the contact info on my phone. hit me a pm if you want
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Yeah...somehow I feel that 'store in POS' will be keeping those for quite a while longer. :laughing7:
Wow...
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My parents bought a Sony 60" Smart TV from pricemart last month. $15000 with a one year warranty. I calculated shipping one down (55 lbs) and after duties and shipping costs it would have been more expensive. In that case pricemart ftw.
I had assumed pricemart only had old models, was happy to see the Sony we got is a current 2013 model.
Sent from my Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 4
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Which model is that? At 55 lbs, it would make sense to bring that in via Ocean Freight. (anything over 50lbs)
Interested to see if it would work out better to import
Hit us the model when you get a chance.
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWKBZ2A?vs=1
It was actually 82 pounds.
My question is if a tv this heavy was defective, how you shipping it back lol
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That's what insurance is for!
84lbs, definitely ocean for that.
TT$13370.4 landed.
So you would save about TT$2000 if you went the import route.
Keeping in mind that ocean freight takes 3 - 4 weeks....I wouldn't mind buying a big item like that at PriceSmart for the instant gratification and local warranty.
Not bad at all.
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Wouldn't that insurance only cover damage in transit? I am talking about if the TV was defective from the manufacturer.
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No, it covers everything.
TVs in particular are tested before they are set to sail on the ships to Trinidad. For that very reason.
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Oh cool good to know. I guess if you can wait, ocean freight is the way to go.
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Amazon minimum free shipping is now $35....Prime unaffected
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&nodeId=527692