# Shopee vs Lazada. Which is better?



## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Hello everyone 

My GFs birthday is coming up in Dec (UK here btw). The rona ruined my plans to be with her  and so I thought I'd get her something online.

Unless I'm mistaken it appears that there are two big online retailers there in the Ph. *Lazada & Shopee. *

Are they reliable & safe? Decent delivery times? She lives in Iloilo. 

Would really appreciate some advice from those of you in the know. 

Many thanks


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> My GFs birthday is coming up in Dec (UK here btw). The rona ruined my plans to be with her  and so I thought I'd get her something online.
> 
> ...


Without a doubt reliable and safe, but we use the COD option, I'm not crazy about using my Credit Card online, but we've always received our package, we've ordered so many times I've lost count and we just put in two orders yesterday... but what you need to leave is a workable phone number in the Philippines so the delivery guys can notify you they are coming or help in finding your location.

Iloilo? Oh boy that's a long way from Manila so I don't know what the shipping time for that because I live on Luzon or about 60 miles from Manila and it can take from 3 days at best to two weeks for delivery.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> My GFs birthday is coming up in Dec (UK here btw). The rona ruined my plans to be with her  and so I thought I'd get her something online.
> 
> ...


I've used both and it sort of depends on what you are looking for. Delivery time depends on if it is from within the Philippines or from China. It can vary from a few days to 2-3 weeks from China. Saying that I received items from China very quickly. I have had a couple of items incorrectly delived ie completely the wrong item or not quit the same as the picture so it can be a bit hit or miss. If you want something to arrive on a certain date I think you will be pushing it. I do stick to COD which in your case is not practical and have had one large item not delivered by LBC even though they tried three times including a Sunday when their website says they don't deliver. But they didn't get the money so not my problem.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Gary D said:


> I have had a couple of items incorrectly delived ie completely the wrong item or not quit the same as the picture so it can be a bit hit or miss.


Good point Gary, we ordered some bed sheet comforter sets and they came in a different color and I ordered some briefs/underpants and not all came in the size that I ordered.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Hello everyone
> 
> My GFs birthday is coming up in Dec (UK here btw). The rona ruined my plans to be with her  and so I thought I'd get her something online.
> 
> ...


M.C.A. is correct, most here use those services because COD is the norm but paying up front might be riskier, as always a gift for your better half is probably worth it. Just make sure the seller has good ratings all around and you should be ok. Good luck.

Cheers, Steve.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

My Asawa has bought things online and has had no trouble with shipping(we live in Mandurriao, suburb of Iloilo City). They always call to let her know they are delivering and for directions. 

Just from your previous posts I would guess your lady lives out toward Janiuay if past the airport or somewhere near Santa Barbara if closer to Iloilo. As near as I know, there are no problems delivering in Iloilo Province as long as she has a phone so they can call for delivery. Also, as far as I know, there are no delays as when my Asawa orders, the goods arrive promptly within a couple days from Manila or otherwise.

Fred


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

Everything about Shopee is better, selection, chat, app, sellers, etc. 

If you find something you like, search by "total sales" to find the most popular sellers who generally have the best ratings / lowest prices. 

And in the message write "no color/size substitutions" or something like that when you order.


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## Nate5182 (Sep 8, 2020)

I’ve really only used Lazada and have never had an issue. Searching for specific items can be a pain sometimes though. I have no worries about using my credit card. You just need to do your best to feel comfortable with the individual sellers. You will find the same products sold by many different sellers, but reviews can be wildly different. There is also a lot of cheap knockoffs trying to be passed off as the real deal (some sellers are open and honest if you ask if it is authentic). If it has the “100% Authentic” graphic you can be confident on Lazada. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bobby1947 (Apr 15, 2020)

We use Lazeda , looked on shopee many times and the things we wanted always out of stock !
Have bought many things from Lazeda and am very pleased with the service even next day delivery sometimes !
Recently bought a fast charger and Data cable from a Philippines company on Lazeda its a well made product and works as it says ! Today i am ordering 2 UK and US multi mains outlets six sockets and 4 usb outlets ! On lazeda the page actually shows the inside of how its made if i need mobile or usb cables etc i will buy from the same company ! I think for long distance deliveries lazeda uses LBC etc


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

Lazada and Shopee are both reliable. I used to use Lazada but last year they started letting the sellers set their shipping prices, and they skyrocketed. We switched to Shopee and have been very happy. Lazada shipping cost may be cheaper in Manila... but we were in Iloilo. 

I lived in Iloilo and shipping was always really quick - even from China (maybe a week). But... right now it is best to look for items in Manila (you can sort by location in Shopee). I have tried adding things from China, during covid, and it automatically gets removed from my cart. Stuff from Manila comes pretty fast. 

I need a couple things now, and it will be fun to see how fast (?) things get to Boracay ha ha


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

bobby1947 said:


> We use Lazeda , looked on shopee many times and the things we wanted always out of stock !
> Have bought many things from Lazeda and am very pleased with the service even next day delivery sometimes !
> Recently bought a fast charger and Data cable from a Philippines company on Lazeda its a well made product and works as it says ! Today i am ordering 2 UK and US multi mains outlets six sockets and 4 usb outlets ! On lazeda the page actually shows the inside of how its made if i need mobile or usb cables etc i will buy from the same company ! I think for long distance deliveries lazeda uses LBC etc


I've had a mix of couriers with Lazada, LBC have been the most troublesome.


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## pagbati (Apr 9, 2014)

KatanaDV20 said:


> ... Decent delivery times? She lives in Iloilo. Would really appreciate some advice from those of you in the know. Many thanks


Agree with all that’s been said on here. As for delivery times, after you’ve logged on and selected your item, the system tells you the estimated delivery time and cost of delivery before you make payment, so you can back out at any time. In our experience, the item has usually been delivered earlier than specified. But no, you would not be able to guarantee a specific date. The overriding issue is one of quality. Even when they specify a particular brand, there is little guarantee that that is what you'll get.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

I've only ordered on Lazada which has been fine considering we ship to 3 hrs outside Tacloban City.

Since once you order then you deal with the seller, my last order of four items got confusing dealing with the four different sellers on the same order. So now I'll make each item from a different seller it's own individual order so what's going on is more clear. 

Have never used Shopee to know if its the same concept.


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## Darby Allen (Sep 22, 2014)

I used to use Lazada, but I found that every time I bought something electrical or electronic it was faulty! I'm sure that was just coincidence, but I soon got fed up returning defective items.
I've had no problems since switching to Shopee. Coincidence again, I'm sure.
I use COD for all transactions; if something is not available COD I don't buy it. 
One real bugbear with both is the very poor onsite search engine. No matter how explicit the search it returns everything with the word tea [for instance] in it. And if you search on cost: highest first basis, you will find items selling for thousands which are on the same page for P100! This must be down to carelessness, either by the vendor or by staff at Lazada and Shopee; or perhaps some vendors are relying on buyers not noticing the disparities!


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

Darby Allen said:


> And if you search on cost: highest first basis, you will find items selling for thousands which are on the same page for P100!


Those top results are paid "Preferred" ads, I use Shopee so much that I just naturally ignore them now.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Whoa what happened, it all looks so different on here. I kinda miss the 90s vibe the old forum interface had! This is nice too, text doesnt run in long strips lengthwise so its easier to read. Is there a dark mode? I'll check the settings!

Anyway back onto my topic....

Thank you all very much for the useful replies 

I have signed up to both sites. I must say they look extremely similar. Its a bit haphazard and both feel more like a giant private seller rather than like an Amazon. I think Im leaning more towards Shopee. I have however decided I will never order expensive electronic stuff from them. No laptops and such. I managed to install the Lazada app on my phone but Shopee is not available in the UK Google Play Store. Which is not a big deal as I can fire up the website instead. 

I have also decided to listen to all your advice to lean towards COD rather than pay upfront using a card. So im gonna pick the stuff, let her take a look and see if all ok then wire her the $ for the COD. 



fmartin_gila said:


> My Asawa has bought things online and has had no trouble with shipping(we live in Mandurriao, suburb of Iloilo City). They always call to let her know they are delivering and for directions.
> 
> Just from your previous posts I would guess your lady lives out toward Janiuay if past the airport or somewhere near Santa Barbara if closer to Iloilo. As near as I know, there are no problems delivering in Iloilo Province as long as she has a phone so they can call for delivery. Also, as far as I know, there are no delays as when my Asawa orders, the goods arrive promptly within a couple days from Manila or otherwise.
> 
> Fred


You are right, close to Santa Barbara! Not far from the main highway leading from the airport to the city. Good to know she is still in the delivery area thank you for your reply!


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Whoa what happened, it all looks so different on here. I kinda miss the 90s vibe the old forum interface had! This is nice too, text doesnt run in long strips lengthwise so its easier to read. Is there a dark mode? I'll check the settings!
> Thank you all very much for the useful replies


Hi Katana... there is a Dark Mode and I use it also, it's located at the upper R/H side of the screen to the right hand side of your icon photo, the 3 vertical dots.


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## PH-Expat (Oct 25, 2020)

I use both everyday, generally reliable, but Shopee will deliver things 1 by one, 5 items might mean 5 deliveries in 1 day it can be annoying. If you have a problem message the seller, they usually bend over backward to avoid a bad review and most will pay for return shipping. I use credit card with them all the time.


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## PH-Expat (Oct 25, 2020)

The only down side to paying by card is that some times they take weeks to deliver for some strange reason and your money is tied up. With COD you can just order again and refuse the original order.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Hi Katana... there is a Dark Mode and I use it also, it's located at the upper R/H side of the screen to the right hand side of your icon photo, the 3 vertical dots.


Oh I see it now, thank you. Enabled, thats much nicer  




PH-Expat said:


> I use both everyday, generally reliable, but Shopee will deliver things 1 by one, 5 items might mean 5 deliveries in 1 day it can be annoying. If you have a problem message the seller, they usually bend over backward to avoid a bad review and most will pay for return shipping. I use credit card with them all the time.


That would be annoying. Thats a very good point on the reviews, I get the impression that those reviews are very big deal there and so they will do their best to avoid a bad one. So are all the items on these sites from private sellers? For example on Amazon there is a filter "Amazon only" and now whatever you buy you deal with Amazon only. Do Laza and Shopee have similar?




PH-Expat said:


> The only down side to paying by card is that some times they take weeks to deliver for some strange reason and your money is tied up. With COD you can just order again and refuse the original order.


A great tip thank you, will definitely keep that in mind. Shes never used online ordering before so will go with small items the first time.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

I ordered a new 8tb hard drive from lazada on Sunday afternoon, paid with credit card.
It was delivered Wednesday about 10:45 am.
That's excellent.


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## John Monk (Oct 28, 2020)

Lazada in my limited experience when I ordered stuff while in country, now im in the states Lazada can be a pain in the ass ordering to friends in PH being they dont have the proper fields to charge a US credit/debt card the address is only setup for PH billing.

I still use Lazada though but I have to send it addressed to myself which is stupid because it causes confusion if my friend isnt home and they say "no monk here" haha!


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## PH-Expat (Oct 25, 2020)

John Monk said:


> Lazada in my limited experience when I ordered stuff while in country, now im in the states Lazada can be a pain in the ass ordering to friends in PH being they dont have the proper fields to charge a US credit/debt card the address is only setup for PH billing.
> 
> I still use Lazada though but I have to send it addressed to myself which is stupid because it causes confusion if my friend isnt home and they say "no monk here" haha!


Are you sure about that? Lazada takes my US cards just fine (in fact I have no PH cards), it's saved in there too. However Shopee doesn't take foreign cards at all but they don't tell you the reason why it failed you gotta dig to realize this lol.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

I've used US cards without issue with Lazada, but then started using COD for assurance we get the item before paying with the remote location we ship to.


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## John Monk (Oct 28, 2020)

PH-Expat said:


> Are you sure about that? Lazada takes my US cards just fine (in fact I have no PH cards), it's saved in there too. However Shopee doesn't take foreign cards at all but they don't tell you the reason why it failed you gotta dig to realize this lol.


It takes it but you have to send it to yourself, so yes im positive of the fact. Its stupid when your trying to gift items to someone and it goes to "John Monk" and some people say theres no John Monk here, like grandma answers the door and forgets her niece is dating me so it fails to deliver lol. Grandmas not all there anymore!

It was a pain in the ass to get it to take my bank card because of the PH address format. It works but its a pain when they could simply have a toggle option to change to USA billing address vs PH address.


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Lazada was recently hacked and 1.1 million account details stolen - be careful. They said names, address, phone # and some CC account numbers were exposed. If possible do COD payment.

Fred


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## fmartin_gila (May 15, 2011)

Forgot to say - this was reported by OAN (One America News network)

Fred


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Lazada and Shopee, we only COD and works well, almost like a guarantee you are going to get your items as they always call or send a msg to make sure we are home. At times we open the parcel in front of the delivery guy before we pay depending on what it is but a witness etc.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

fmartin_gila said:


> Lazada was recently hacked and 1.1 million account details stolen - be careful. They said names, address, phone # and some CC account numbers were exposed. If possible do COD payment.
> 
> Fred


SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore e-commerce firm Lazada said on Friday that personal information including addresses and partial credit card numbers from 1.1 million accounts had been hacked, a major breach in the city-state of 5.7 million.

The Alibaba-owned firm said in an email that the information was taken from a database of its grocery arm RedMart that was more than 18 months out of date.

"The user information that was illegally accessed include names, phone numbers, email and mailing addresses, encrypted passwords and partial credit card numbers," a spokesman for Lazada said.

The firm said it had immediately moved to block access to the database and that its current customer data was not affected.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

PH-Expat said:


> Lazada takes my US cards just fine (in fact I have no PH cards), it's saved in there too. However Shopee doesn't take foreign cards at all


This may be why I start using Lazada instead of Shopee; I don't want to deal with coordinating with endless delivery drivers and paying cash, which means I need to pay in advance so they can just drop the package at my door, and only Lazada has the US credit card option.


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## Darby Allen (Sep 22, 2014)

COD only for me. I believe, cynic that I am, that if the vendor already has the money he has no incentive to send the purchase quickly, or even at all!
I agree that it is a pain having the right cash to hand, but I don't order anything until I do have the right cash.
And as for the rider leaving things at the gate, how long will the items stay there without being "claimed" by some ne'er-do-well?


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

Darby Allen said:


> COD only for me. I believe, cynic that I am, that if the vendor already has the money he has no incentive to send the purchase quickly, or even at all!


Sellers still need proof of delivery because buyers can issue chargebacks on credit cards, and that's if they even know it's not a COD order. I'd say buyers are covered more with credit card orders, because if you get an incorrect item with COD, there's not much you can do.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Been a while since I came back on here, woefully existing here in the UK wondering when I'll ever see the gf again! Oh well, its out of our hands!

I have decided to get a new debit or credit card and load that with just enough money to cover an online Lazada order. This way my main card is never used or exposed. For example if Lazada total is £55.76 I shall put just £55.76 on the card and make the purchase.

Hope youre all keeping safe, thanks again for all the tips on Laza and Shopee.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Been a while since I came back on here, woefully existing here in the UK wondering when I'll ever see the gf again! Oh well, its out of our hands!
> 
> I have decided to get a new debit or credit card and load that with just enough money to cover an online Lazada order. This way my main card is never used or exposed. For example if Lazada total is £55.76 I shall put just £55.76 on the card and make the purchase.
> 
> Hope youre all keeping safe, thanks again for all the tips on Laza and Shopee.


Why don't you just load a small amount into a Lazada wallet. It's done online so can be remote. I've loaded a couple of thousand pesos into my Lazada wallet from the UK with no problem.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

I looked at Lazada again but it just can't compare to Shopee which has better selection, searching, and prices. 

Since I wanted delivery to drop just the package I use either a local debit-card, or ShopeePay wallet. Another thing I like about it is if you cancel or get a refund for a debit-card order, the funds immediately go into ShopeePay. 

Also the security; no matter how many times I use the debit-card, it always goes through an additional security verification or fingerprint if using the app.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

Gary D said:


> Why don't you just load a small amount into a Lazada wallet. It's done online so can be remote. I've loaded a couple of thousand pesos into my Lazada wallet from the UK with no problem.


This is interesting, I need to learn more about it. So its a kind of paypal but built into Lazada? And you just top it up when needed?




Shadowman said:


> I looked at Lazada again but it just can't compare to Shopee which has better selection, searching, and prices.
> 
> Since I wanted delivery to drop just the package I use either a local debit-card, or ShopeePay wallet. Another thing I like about it is if you cancel or get a refund for a debit-card order, the funds immediately go into ShopeePay.
> 
> Also the security; no matter how many times I use the debit-card, it always goes through an additional security verification or fingerprint if using the app.


Thanks for this reply. Once again it has got me thinking, I need to take a second look at Shopee. I note that they also have a wallet function. Nice to know that there is another layer of security when using the app. Will get a membership and have a look now!


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Thanks for this reply. Once again it has got me thinking, I need to take a second look at Shopee. I note that they also have a wallet function. Nice to know that there is another layer of security when using the app. Will get a membership and have a look now!


We've ordered from Shopee many times so far so good but when it came to the exact color of bed sheets we got a different color and also I ordered several pairs of briefs and 1/4 came in a smaller size then what I asked for but other than that it's been pretty good and fast delivery in our area of Laguna on Luzon, usually the Ninja motorcycle drivers they all know us.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

KatanaDV20 said:


> This is interesting, I need to learn more about it. So its a kind of paypal but built into Lazada? And you just top it up when needed?


Shopee has this as well. I had an order canceled by the vendor and my refund went into my shopee wallet. Next time I ordered something I just used it, then later added a top-off to use it on another order. I do not generally keep anything in it, but it makes for super fast refunds, when needed.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

It's amazing how far online shopping has come in the Philippines since I first arrived in 2010, before you had make a payment in a Philippine Bank Account before they would ship your products to you and if you didn't want to go that route you had to travel to Manila and spend the entire day looking for the product you needed but now even meat, vegetables and fast food meals are delivered to most doors.

In our Municipality we have the option of delivery from Mcdonalds, Shakeys, Yellow Cab, JolliBee but at least it's an option the only negative is the fast food chains require cash for deliveries, Gcash or the like so the next step for many restaurants and even business is to accept foreign credit cards, Dominoes, Shakeys, Pizza Hut will accept the foreign credit card if you dine in.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> It's amazing how far online shopping has come in the Philippines since I first arrived in 2010


It really is, back then if you wanted a taxi, you had to walk around and find one. If you wanted to eat out, you'd have to visit a restaurant, if you wanted to buy any product you have to get to a market or mall, and if you wanted something delivered same day you'd have to bring it yourself. Big changes, all for the better...I still miss Uber though.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Agree Mark with all of what you have posted including wrong coloured sheets, for us it is Basmati rice, twice now from the same seller, still Basmati rice but different brand this time, when Ben questioned them the other day about the different brand they apologised and said they sent us a msg (out of stock is it ok to send this brand) and as we didn't reply they sent what they had,,,,, on checking sure enough they did try to contact us and yes it's Indian Basmati rice. Ben please turn on your notifications.

In Oz for most of my internet buying days it was all or mostly done on Ebay, over 12 or 15 years never a problem, when we lived here 8 years ago I foolishly purchased a couple of items on Ebay PH. paid up front, never received and never a reply to any queries, learnt my lesson and was very skeptical some 18 months ago when we made our first small purchases on Lazada and then Shopee,,,, the clincher as most will agree is COD. and the only way we purchase.

As for progression with the internet it's really the governments, companies as well as individuals grasping and making the most of the the fast and lucrative technology available today,,,,,,,,, all my bills in Oz were mostly automatic direct debit and the few that weren't were paid online,,,,,,,, here the only direct debit is Netflix and everything else is cash in store or Gcash on the phone,,,,,,,,, with all our modern technologies? I have used voice mail in Oz for 20 years and the last 15 or 16, perhaps 18 years the service was free, here? NADA. Your call cannot be connected and I'm talking about government departments and big business both land lines (answering service, no) or mobiles (voicemail, no)
In Oz 40 bucks a month (PHP 1,400) Unlimited calls to mobile and landlines, AU 300 bucks a month for international calls,,,,, gave Ben 150 minutes a month free talk with all of his family members in PH. aside from all the other free internet services available. Here? Collusion and monopolising. Telstra, an Australian company has some 4,000 local employees in the Philippines,,,,,, call centre, Virgin Mobile the same,,,,,, God rest their souls as they sold to Optus who were their carrier for over 20 years. Telstra tried to come into the PH. market and through multiple pressures and millions already invested bowed out........ Why? 

Sorry to wander off on a b*tch. Lazada and Shopee offer great services and to date no issues aside from most of what is available is made in China. The bell is ringing.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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## pinecrest (Dec 19, 2020)

I've found the Lazada delivery and payment system smooth. Works seamlessly with GCash and deliveries have been fast.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

pinecrest said:


> I've found the Lazada delivery and payment system smooth. Works seamlessly with GCash and deliveries have been fast.


Oh interesting ... G-Cash? Its like Google Pay? The delivery drivers carry a wireless payment system and you can use phone pay?


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Oh interesting ... G-Cash? Its like Google Pay? The delivery drivers carry a wireless payment system and you can use phone pay?


Gcash is used for all sorts of payments even the Electrical bill or Internet provider also restaurants.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Gcash is used for all sorts of payments even the Electrical bill or Internet provider also restaurants.


Very interesting, Im reading up about this now. I am very much a newbie when it comes to knowledge of the Ph and have only been to Panay Island in the Ph (Iloilo) so can only use that as an example. If Im wrong do correct me!

Compared to India for example (where I have been as well) the Ph feels far behind when it comes to phone-payments (outside of the slick shops and malls). In India while walking along a small village I got some fruit and veg from an old lady sitting on the pavement. Got out my cash to pay her but she waggled her finger and held up her phone, I got my cell out and beeped her the payment. All done. I saw this all over the place, everyone at the local market beeping away. Of course there was cash payments as well (not everyone has NFC phones) but I was surprised to see the penetration of this tech.

Im sure this is widspread in places like Manila though? I hope very much it increases in the Ph as it feels vulnerable to be tootling about with wads of notes but for now its very much a case of Cash is King.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> Very interesting, Im reading up about this now. I am very much a newbie when it comes to knowledge of the Ph and have only been to Panay Island in the Ph (Iloilo) so can only use that as an example. If Im wrong do correct me!
> 
> Compared to India for example (where I have been as well) the Ph feels far behind when it comes to phone-payments (outside of the slick shops and malls). In India while walking along a small village I got some fruit and veg from an old lady sitting on the pavement. Got out my cash to pay her but she waggled her finger and held up her phone, I got my cell out and beeped her the payment. All done. I saw this all over the place, everyone at the local market beeping away. Of course there was cash payments as well (not everyone has NFC phones) but I was surprised to see the penetration of this tech.
> 
> Im sure this is widspread in places like Manila though? I hope very much it increases in the Ph as it feels vulnerable to be tootling about with wads of notes but for now its very much a case of Cash is King.


I always paid cash, but I had to resort to another form of payment after Covid because I was blocked from getting to my Bank in the next city so I couldn't pay my Electrical bill plus once I got there the total waiting time to pay my bill was 3 hours, 2 hrs outside and then another hour of standing inside the Main Office of Mercalco and it was because each and every person there brought in a string of unpaid bills they couldn't pay and they had to figure out a payment plan.

I was using a chained business called Cebuana L Hullier but they refuse to take Meralco (electrical company in our region) bills anymore but they still take PLDT payments. I now use a local Mom & Pop Pharmacy to pay my Electrical Bills, they use another form of payment called "Paydala", my ATM card isn't local it's from my bank in the US so I can't use local ATM machines to draw cash, when I eventually switch my banking to a Pensioner account I'll ask for a local ATM card but until then I've figured out how to pay our bills, what a hassle.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

I hear your pain Mark. Our Luelco office only takes cash but another member advised some time ago they also take Gcash and while we haven't looked into whether we can simply do it online or have to front up to use Gcash I will get Ben to ask next week when we get our next bill,,,,,, next day pay,,,,, no queues. Gcash has a limit of PHP 8K, Ben and I have but if we pay the electricity bill with this mode it potentially pushes us into extra fees if we go over the 16K,,,,,, other bills etc. I simply can't understand the logic with many companies here, the technology is available to offer customers direct debit or pay online, quick and efficient, it could also reduce counter staff numbers thus saving on overheads or simply reducing customer waiting times.
Sorry to go off topic but I was only saying to Ben yesterday that 40 years ago I had an answering machine (Voca, magnetic tape machine) to take messages for my business when I was out working and away from the phone,,,,, picked up a lot of business because I supplied a service for my existing customers as well as new. 40 years on and we don't even have voice mail for our mobile phones here... most times no direct debits for common services.

Lazada and Shopee have a good service, especially the COD side of things and it works well to date. Ebay in Oz doesn't offer such a service.

Cheers, Steve.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Most of my electrical bills run around 6000 pesos but I performed a search on Gcash limits and this is what I found the change was last June. 500,000 Gcash Wallet

And then there's another app called Paydala Paydala I have the pharmacy due this for me it looks similar to Gcash but I've never used Paydala myself but like I mentioned a small Pharmacy uses this service and they have customers all day long making payments.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Ours around 4.2 to 4.5K per month (and I think we are getting off lightly as we are pigs with our power supply) historically. (just wish Luelco would come into the 21st century at a business level. Realistically Gcash has never been an option for us using the selling platforms with Lazada and Shopee as all our transactions are COD and we are very happy with their service/s though mostly for us seems to be Shopee, regardless we are always contacted 1 to 6 hours before a delivery and if we are not available they reschedule to suit. I think at this level some first world countries could take note of the efficiencies that not only the sellers platform offers but the workings of the delivery systems used by these companies; It works and works very well here, time for the captains of other lagging companies to take note and offer more for their customers instead of standing inline for 3 hours. 
I'm fortunate to have a patient partner for these moments, not often but they do occur.

I'm curios about the 500K Gcash wallet as my understanding is PHP 8K per month per account before incurring fees, anyone up on this issue?

Cheers, Steve.


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## Lunkan (Aug 28, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> Mercalco


 That and many other, who has joined, can be paid through Bills Payment for Utilities, Telco, Broadband, and More | Coins.ph through your phone.

And there are several services made for sarisaris and such to SELL bill paying service, mobile load and ticketing, but they seem so cheap to get, so it can be worth checking if worth to buy one just for own use. A year ago I saw such for even as low as 999p , others up to 4500p. They have to be cheap to join when they aim at sarisaris and such too.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

Cashless payments are not that widespread. For example on the toll expressways the use of RFID tags was very low, there would be 6 or 8 lines for cash payment with 20 minute waits and only one RFID lane open and no wait to pass through. When they made it mandatory, the uptake was so slow that the deadline was extended a couple of times.

Part of the problem is that competing platforms here do not play nice with each other. There are two RFID toll systems and until recently you needed both tags to drive all freeways without cash payments. Now you need two accounts but can combine on a single tag. ( I think, not sure.)

I was banking with HSBC and opened a GCash account. However HSBC would not transfer to GCash. I had to go to three different banks, in person with IDs etc before I found one that would allow me, a resident with long term visa, to open an account. Now to transfer to my Union Bank account I have to use pesonet from HSBC. The transfer only occurs ar 13:30 next business day. I missed the cutoff on a Friday and the money did not transfer until Monday PM. Then I can use Union Bank Instapay to transfer to my GCash, that is faster but can even be an hour or so. So a transfer initiatwed 2 pm on a Friday never made it to my Gcash account until late Monday afternoon.

Many places will only take one or two of the different electronic payments available, So to be able to go almost completely cashless, you would need to put a few thousand in several different accounts so that every store that accepts cashless will accept one of your accounts.

Now us foreigners can usually afford to tie up the money, but not many philipinos can. Also you need a smartphone, I see lots of non internet enabled phones still in use so cashless will not work for them unless they buy a new phone, that they cannot afford. When they tried to mandate the use of Ping cards on the MRT system, many commuters could not afford the 300 p minimum top up let alone the cost of the card.

Also in GCash if you make a mistake in entering in the phone number you cannot reverse it, GCash will not intervene either. You are just SOL.

Not a lot of additional money to put into the cashless system to make it work, not an easy and integrated system to make transfers painless and safe, not a lot of trust in the system for the average philippino, fear of records for the tax man all contribute to the lack of widespread cashless economy here.


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## Manitoba (Jun 25, 2014)

bigpearl said:


> .......
> 
> I'm curios about the 500K Gcash wallet as my understanding is PHP 8K per month per account before incurring fees, anyone up on this issue?
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


The 8 k p limit os for cash in and out. Go above that and it is 2% fee. If you transfer electronically in and out, no fees up to your limit after which, no more action until the first of the month.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

We load at the local supermarket up the road (Puregold) and nary a problem but have been mindful of what you posted some time ago regarding the 2% fees if you go over the monthly limit,,,, thanks for the heads up, only an opinion but wouldn't it be so much easier with direct debits or simply pay online? Apparently not. More fun in the Philippines.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

We pay both Globe and PLDT on line, when they are working.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

Been ordering some lately on Lazada. Learning most Lazada sellers are fine and fulfill in one day. It's the delivery partners that are an issue. Learning to dread seeing an item is being shipped with LBC. The items eventually show up but till they do even though there's tracking you're in limbo in my experience.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

cvgtpc1 said:


> Been ordering some lately on Lazada. Learning most Lazada sellers are fine and fulfill in one day. It's the delivery partners that are an issue. Learning to dread seeing an item is being shipped with LBC. The items eventually show up but till they do even though there's tracking you're in limbo in my experience.


The lock down sure hurt many deliveries and time lines because Manila is still in GCQ so they have stricter measures but we've had to wait as long as a month in a couple cases to get our products, the normal timeline lately has been two weeks.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Not up with Lazada these days, we prefer Shopee as they are always quick with deliveries. Last Saturday 23rd I placed 2 orders with 2 different companies, Checked Monday morning 25th and one order had been dispatched from Manila and arrived AM on Tuesday 26th, the other order was not dispatched until Monday late afternoon from Manila and received a text msg at lunch time 27th the parcel will be delivered today,,,,,,lol, still waiting but I'm sure it will turn up tomorrow. I think they are pretty good considering we are 6 hours north of Manila.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Raffy Tulfo, family launch safe online shopping platform


The Nation's Leading Newspaper




mb.com.ph





Hard-hitting broadcaster Raffy Tulfo announced on Sunday, December 6, the launch of an online shopping platform dubbed “Idol Shopping Network.”

During the digital press launch, Raffy revealed that the business is owned by his children. “Kami ng wife ko support system lang kami sa mga anak namin sa business na ito.” (My wife and I are just support system to our children’s business).

Tulfo said that ISN is expected to correct some procedures of e-commerce business in dealing with customers when shopping online. “In our business, safety is one of our major concerns.”

The broadcaster said that he does not have any serious problems encountered with other popular e-commerce companies. But he said that he has received complaints from customers related to e-commerce relayed through his radio show and television program.

“Halimbawa na lang, ang order nila ay mani pero pag dumating na sa kanila ang package, pop corn pala ang laman. ‘Yung mga ganun bang problem?” Raffy said. (For example, customers would order peanuts but they would receive popcorn. Problems like that)

Raffy said that his dream of having a marketplace for the people is now a reality where both the buyers and the merchants are safe.

Under ISN, Raffy said that the company will introduce a one-of-a-kind system that would keep the products safe from seller to the rider to the buyer.

“The product is going to be videod and shot from the time it is released from the merchant, to the rider and to the seller,” he said.

The ISN will also screen merchants and resellers to make sure that the buyer is not short-changed.

“Mahabang proseso para makasali ang isang merchant sa ISN. Hindi lang kami basta kukuha ng kukuha ng mga reseller sa ISN,” added Raffy.

Known to take quick action and provide immediate solutions to issues presented to him by his listeners, and his viewers over TV5, Raffy has helped resolve concerns regarding social injustices committed by people in power against ordinary citizens. He already gained the title “Hari ng Public Service.”

Raffy, who also anchors the primetime newscast Frontline Pilipinas and the radio program Wanted sa Radyo, has also conquered social media.

So far, Raffy has garnered 16 million followers on his YouTube channel Raffy Tulfo in Action and has an active community of 3.1 million in his official Facebook group.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Reading the article, it looked like it would be a good alternative to Shopee & Lazada, but its just a Farcebook group, and a quick scan of the comments it looks like it isn't doing anything to reduce the number of scammers.


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## cvgtpc1 (Jul 28, 2012)

bigpearl said:


> Not up with Lazada these days, we prefer Shopee as they are always quick with deliveries. Last Saturday 23rd I placed 2 orders with 2 different companies, Checked Monday morning 25th and one order had been dispatched from Manila and arrived AM on Tuesday 26th, the other order was not dispatched until Monday late afternoon from Manila and received a text msg at lunch time 27th the parcel will be delivered today,,,,,,lol, still waiting but I'm sure it will turn up tomorrow. I think they are pretty good considering we are 6 hours north of Manila.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


Ours quickly show shipped, and then the waiting game begins. Granted going to Eastern Samar. And cheaper and easier than going to Tacloban to shop, so it's tolerated. Tried Shopee, several items I picked said won't ship to our location so back to Lazada.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tiz said:


> Raffy Tulfo, family launch safe online shopping platform
> 
> 
> The Nation's Leading Newspaper
> ...


The end game and winner is any online business that can ship your product COD. Analogy would be someone borrowing money from you and of course you'll have to track them down to get it back.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

bigpearl said:


> Not up with Lazada these days, we prefer Shopee as they are always quick with deliveries. Last Saturday 23rd I placed 2 orders with 2 different companies, Checked Monday morning 25th and one order had been dispatched from Manila and arrived AM on Tuesday 26th, the other order was not dispatched until Monday late afternoon from Manila and received a text msg at lunch time 27th the parcel will be delivered today,,,,,,lol, still waiting but I'm sure it will turn up tomorrow. I think they are pretty good considering we are 6 hours north of Manila.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


The Second parcel turned up about 630 pm so 2 business days for one and 3 for the next, I'm happy with that. I do remember much longer delivery times from another online site.
The other thing we do is always give the delivery guys 20/30 pesos tip so maybe that helps. Ben said the guy that usually delivers our stuff does 100 to 120 deliveries a day so if 20% of his deliveries tipped he could make another 4 or 500 pesos a day.

Cheers, Steve.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

M.C.A. said:


> The end game and winner is any online business that can ship your product COD. Analogy would be someone borrowing money from you and of course you'll have to track them down to get it back.


Interesting you say that Mark, turns out that the regular delivery guy that rocked up last night paid for our product and delivery when he left his depot so he didn't have to go back with the cash,,,,, apparently we are on his way home, obviously a thinking man that also trusts us.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

I ordered something from Lazada on January 20th, and its only today that it has even left China.
Its nothing important, so no real problem... but if it was important...



Jan.30 16:35
Departed from Origin Country
Your parcel is on the way to Philippines.
Jan.28 23:40
At customs
Your package is currently undergoing international export customs clearance in preparation for departure to Philippines.
Jan.28 18:20
Departed from Overseas Sort Center
Your package has departed from the overseas sortation center in China. [*Yiwu, China*]
Jan.28 16:56
Arrived at Overseas Sort Center
Your package has arrived at the overseas sortation center in China [*Yiwu, China*]
Jan.21 20:43
Packed by seller / warehouse
Your package is packed and will be handed over to our logistics partner.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Tiz said:


> I ordered something from Lazada on January 20th, and its only today that it has even left China.
> Its nothing important, so no real problem... but if it was important...
> 
> 
> ...


The three times we ordered products that shipped from China the average time was only 3 days but once I had to wait 6 days, it could be do to stocking because I ordered two steel wallets and only one ships and then other one came much later.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> The three times we ordered products that shipped from China the average time was only 3 days


Same here, and they only charge about 150p, still don't understand how it's even possible. 

When I used to order from AliExpress, the average time from China was more like 3 months.


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## KatanaDV20 (Mar 27, 2020)

I'm curious - why hasn't the giant Amazon not yet penetrated the Philippine online marketplace? I mean a regionalized Amazon (amazon.ph) like Singapore has amazon.sg


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

KatanaDV20 said:


> I'm curious - why hasn't the giant Amazon not yet penetrated the Philippine online marketplace? I mean a regionalized Amazon (amazon.ph) like Singapore has amazon.sg


I don't know if there are problems with the Philippines company laws. Amazon was getting into bed with SM but not heard anything lately. Perhaps it failed.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Would that be any different opposition telcos offering better systems at cheaper rates trying to get a foot in the door here? No need to mention other competition in other areas but in the end the Filipino people suffer the inefficient control freaks.

OMO. 

Cheers, Steve


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## Tiz (Jan 23, 2016)

Tiz said:


> I ordered something from Lazada on January 20th, and it's only today that it has even left China.


And then there's the opposite..

Lazada are having a birthday sale. I saw an item last week in the official Philips LazMall that was advertised for php 5,999, but also showed that from today it would only be 4,199 (30% off). So I just added it to my shopping cart.

Then just last night at approx 00:30 I jumped in and payed the new price.

90 minutes later it was on its way to me and will be delivered today.

I


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

Last Shopee order took two weeks from payment to delivery from China, very impressive.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

Shopee. Motorised vacuum head for dyson....... (we'll see how long it lasts) we should receive it tomorrow 29th. pretty quick considering the 5 days it sat in their warehouse before they dispatched it, ordered on the 03/17/2021.
Any thing that comes from Manila based Shopee vendors takes 2 to 4 days to get to La Union, better that the postal system where it takes 2 to 4 months to get our Cignal bill delivered.

[Paranaque DC] Your parcel is being transported to [La Union Hub]


03/26/2021 23:11
[Paranaque DC] Your parcel has been received by sorting center (SPX:SPEPH018787026233)


03/25/2021 15:20
Parcel is in-transit from China to Philippines


03/24/2021 02:49
Your parcel is shipped from our sorting center in SH


03/22/2021 22:47
Your parcel has arrived at our sorting center in SH


03/22/2021 20:34
Your parcel is shipped from the seller to our overseas sorting center


03/17/2021 06:37
Your parcel is ready to ship from the seller

Cheers, Steve.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

If I'm not mistaken all deliveries out of Manila now are suspended until 4th of April.


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## Shadowman (Apr 20, 2020)

M.C.A. said:


> If I'm not mistaken all deliveries out of Manila now are suspended until 4th of April.


That would suck, where'd you read that?


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

Shadowman said:


> That would suck, where'd you read that?


I may have got that wrong here's the link IOndustries allowed to opeate

The following establishments and services will be allowed to operate at full capacity: 


Public and private hospitals
Health, emergency, and frontline services
Manufacturers of medicines, medical supplies, devices, and equipment
Agriculture, forestry, and fishery and their workes, including farmers, ARBs, fisherfolk, and agri-fishery stores
Delivery and courier services, transporting food, medicine, or other essential goods
I'm not sure where the line is drawn on essential goods.


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## bigpearl (Jan 24, 2016)

M.C.A. said:


> I may have got that wrong here's the link IOndustries allowed to opeate
> 
> The following establishments and services will be allowed to operate at full capacity:
> 
> ...


Deliveries and courier services, who is going to vet a delivery, regardless our Dyson motorised vacuum head died 8 months ago so another week or two won't hurt and this isn't Shopee's fault, in the mean time we use the Dyson for small things and the electric stick vac for the floors etc.
I forgot to mention in my last spiel that the delivery cost from mainland China to our door some 260 kms north of Manila was a whole 60 pesos........ how can they do it for a 1,000 peso item? No complaints here until the item breaks down and again not Shopee's fault.

OMO.

Cheers, Steve.


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