Online Shopping

Who wouldn't love discounted products from online shopping sites? I know I do. I tried international online shopping a year ago when I bought my Sigma travel kit and it was indeed a pleasant transaction. Though it took more than 6 weeks for the package to reach Manila and I had to pick it up at the post office to pay for additional postal and customs fee, I believe it was worth the wait. 

This successful transaction with Sigma gave me a little confidence in making online purchases from international sites. My next and most recent international purchase was from the site strawberrynet.com last month. The wait was longer than I expected which took approximately 8 weeks. To my surprise I was only asked to pay Php 40 ($1) for postal fee and no additional customs fee was charged. Maybe strawberrynet is a reputable seller and the post office never had problems with their packages that's why they weren't too strict. Anyway, I was really happy when I finally got hold of this..

The box was sealed securely and the items were neatly stacked inside with cute curly styrofoam fillers.

Stuffed inside were Philosophy hope in a jar (purchased) and two freebies from Calvin Klein, delicious light glistening lip gloss in taffy (6.5ml) and delicious luxury creme lipstick in flutter (3.5g). I'll be posting a separate review on these lip products soon.

On to my main concern and sole reason for this blog post, my very own Philosophy hope in a jar which was cutely wrapped in purple/pink glossy paper. The pretty wrapper almost prevented me from tearing it off but my excitement over what's inside undoubtedly prevailed. I was very happy to see that they sent me the commemorative limited edition made especially for Miss Oprah Winfrey in honor of The Oprah Show's farewell season. This was also included in Oprah's ultimate favorite things in December 2010. I'm not really sure what it was, but it suddenly hit me that it's been 2 years since this was first manufactured and I became a little worried that it might be an old stock. My fear became more evident after opening the lid.

I was disappointed with the product's quality. Though the box and jar looked brand new and the seal was intact, the texture was surprisingly unacceptable. The product was in clumps and looked like finely grated parmesan cheese. I tried mixing it hoping to improve the overall texture but to no avail. Both the manufacturing and expiration dates were not indicated on the label or on the box so I couldn't tell if it was really expired.

I immediately sent an email to strawberrynet informing them of the situation. They sent me an equally immediate response apologizing for the unforeseen event and gave me a full refund. They even let me keep all the products they sent. What's more impressive was that they double checked their warehouse for other items from the same batch and made sure to correct the problem and prevent it from happening again.

I commend strawberrynet for their excellent customer service. Though my first attempt of online shopping with them failed, I still recommend strawberrynet to my friends. I will definitely make future purchases but this time I might be considering the type of product first before going through with it. 

Online shopping is indeed risky but knowing the right shopping sites and making sure you know what you're buying will make the experience a little less scary with greater chances of landing successful transactions. 

NOTES: 

• Below is a list of trusted sites for online shopping, you may click on the image to visit their website and start shopping now.

• All products mentioned in this post were bought unless indicated otherwise and therefore not intended for advertisement.
• My experience with online shopping may not be the same with others as every transaction is unique.
• Always remember to keep your guard up and buy only from reputable sites or those recommended by your friends.