Some friends and I have been busy shopping on Amazon.com for the last couple of weeks. All thanks to that GlobeShopper feature from Citibank credit cards that allow purchases from various US sites to be aggregated at one location in the US before they all get shipped to us back here.
If you are familiar with shopping on Amazon.com, then you would know that most of the items purchased directly from Amazon would have no problem to be shipped directly from Amazon in the US to us here in Malaysia.
But if you buy something from some independent sellers on Amazon, then it may pose a problem as some of these sellers do not ship to this part of the world. I don’t know the reasons for this but I’m thinking it’s got something to do with credit card frauds. It’s only my guess, so don’t quote me on this one.
But with this GlobeShopper feature, we will have no problem with this non-shipping from independent sellers on Amazon because the items purchased will be shipped to a local US address to be aggregated with any other purchases you may have from other US sites as well.
Then once you’re done shopping and having shipped all your goodies to that local US location, they will be shipped to Malaysia together, therefore you get to enjoy bulk shipping which is a much cheaper way for us to shop for things in the US.
With this in mind, some of us are shopping like mad on Amazon.com! Furthermore, a lot of the items on Amazon.com qualify for free local shipping within the US, so we only pay for the international shipping.
And that is why I’ve been adding items to my shopping cart on Amazon like nobody’s business! I even bought my son’s birthday present already and can’t wait for the shipment to get here soon!
As much fun and convenience as it is, I also find that it’s quite a shopping hazard for me. You see, you can do this not only with Amazon but many other US sites. As it is, there’re already so much to shop for on Amazon.com itself. You can find almost anything you want there from books to household stuff to toys, etc. I won’t be surprised that you may even find some odd buys like copper sinks and even antique pieces if you look hard enough! 
With all that temptation out there, I don’t even dare to go on to more sites to browse. It’s just too easy to click on that “Add to cart” and spend all that good money away! I’m convinced that all that I bought from Amazon are good investments and essential needs. So I’ll stop there. For now.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I would like to shop with amazon.com and many other
sites with my citibank card. how do i go about it TQ.
I’ve just applied my Public Bank Visa Electron debit card so that I can verify my Paypal and shop online sesuka hati..=)
Richard, first thing you need to do is to apply for the service with the bank. I’m sure you’ll be properly guided should you contact the bank or go to the website for instructions. Happy shopping!
Nadia, that’s a smart way to shop too. PayPal is really useful and I love it too!
Did you encounter problems receiving the goods in Malaysia? I’d love to shop online from overseas stores too, but read online that some people were had trouble with the post office or taxes. How was your experience with Globeshopper?
Have you tried using Vpost?
Karen, so far I’ve always had pleasant and positive experiences buying from Amazon. The shipping is also surprisingly fast so I’m always happy. No issues with Globeshopper so far. I’ve not tried Vpost though.
So far I’ve only bought books, toys and clothes online. I think these items are quite common and have no complicated issues with taxes. Perhaps the other shoppers who had issues were because of the nature of items purchased?
I don’t suggest Citiglobeshopper (or Borderlinx). Yes, it allows you to get your stuff back but they always charge you a Tax. This tax is government tax on imports, but even on some items that are non-taxable they still charge you.
You see, the normal process is that these freight forwarders do not count in the tax and you only pay them when it reaches Malaysia (if tax is applicable). Borderlinx makes it compulsory to pay the tax, if government charges then they pay. If they’re not charged, they sit back and laugh at those of us who willingly paid it for nothing.
There’s also one more thing, they charge you based on extended calculations. Let’s say that you have one package (bag form, not box). They charge you based on Volumetric Weight, which is obviously more expensive. Under normal courier services, anything in bag form is charged its actual weight. Those inside a solid box is charged volumetric weight. Ask DHL and they’ll tell you the truth, but as Borderlinx and they’ll say “Actual weight is charged as ground shipping. Volumetric is when you ship it by air”. My comment, they’re dishonest and not transparent.
Here’s the fact about Borderlinx:
- All your packages are treated as though its in a box.
- All items are taxable (either Borderlinx or M’sia Govt. takes it)
- All packages are measured based on its maximized shape. (if it’s a bag, puff it up so it costs more)
It’s only right to point out that Borderlinx bullies anyone who uses their service. Vpost is at the very least more transparent I can say.
I have nothing against people using their service, but I’d like to share my experience using it after about 5 times. I did manual verification to all these, tried arguing but no refunds are given.