I love online shopping. I prefer to buy stuff I don’t need to fit or swatch online because it saves me from the hassle of going out, suffering through the traffic, and then looking for parking when I finally get to the mall. Plus if I want something that isn’t available here in the Philippines, I can order it off the internet.
But you know what the problem is right? Shipping! It’s tricky and most of the time expensive trying to ship things from say the US to the Philippines. For example, some time ago I ordered a tube of Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream and a Nintendo DS game (it’s old so it’s no longer available at Data Blitz) from Amazon. Due to licensing issues, Amazon CANNOT ship video games to non-US addresses and so shipping directly to my house here in Manila is out of the question. If I order just the Aveeno, it would cost US$13.99 per shipment + US$5.99 per item for Amazon to ship anything to the Philippines. It’s no longer cost-effective because the cream costs only US$9+. I usually order video games from Amazon and have them shipped to my mom’s house in California so that whoever comes to Manila can just bring them over.
But now I can ship whatever I buy from the US or UK to the Philippines with Kango Express. Kango Express provides me with a US and UK address so that I can direct my packages there. Amazon offers free shipping for a minimum purchase and so I just have to make sure I can avail of free shipping from Amazon to Kango. When my Amazon purchases reach the Kango Express address, Kango Express will then ship the items to me. They don’t just ship, they resize the packages for free so you can avail of the lowest shipping cost possible. They can also consolidate your purchases so everything you buy gets shipped to you in one go.
So anyway, Kango Express charges US$15 to ship 1 lb / 0.5kg of stuff plus US$9 for each additional kg. That said, it makes more sense to use Kango Express to ship higher priced lightweight items. A friend of mine ordered a kitchen accessory while I ordered a tube of Aveeno cream and a Nintendo DS game. All together our shipping fee came out to US$16.62. I divided the cost between us according to the weight of our orders. I ended up paying US$10+ while she paid US$5+. Kango Express shipped out our stuff on Dec. 31, 2015. They arrived at my doorstep on Jan. 6, 2016 — that’s less than a week! I didn’t have to pay anything more than the US$16.62 I was charged for shipping.
If you’d like to get a more accurate idea of how much shipping will cost, you can use Kango Express’ Shipping Estimator on their website.
Registration is free. Just log on to http://kangoexpress.com and make an account. You can enter my account number KX001389 in the referral field if you find out about the service through me. I get bonus shipping credits for referring people (thanks Deann for pointing it out to me, lol). After you make a Kango Express account, you too can refer your friends and get credits with every referral.
Oh yeah, make sure you check Kango Express’ list of prohibited items before you shop. Stuff like cigarette and tobacco products, perfumes, batteries, hair coloring products, adult toys, and a whole list of others are all not allowed. Kango Express will not ship them out no matter what.
To get started, log on to http://kangoexpress.com and register for a free account. Happy shopping!
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Hello! So you just paid Kango’s shipping fee and that’s it? No more local duties, VAT, and whatnot?
Yes if you choose consolidated no more duties, you just pay for Kango’s shipping fee.
I just signed up and used your referral code. Huli ako sa balita! But your post really helped! Thank you!