Hit and Misses Online Purchases

Since I don't go out much, I rely on buying some stuff online. Here's a few things I purchase online:

House Items 

One thing we learned is to buy items for house repairs from physical stores like Ace Hardware or Wilcon Depot. I follow this tip for electrical related repairs. There are items though that you cannot find online, like the top part of sink drain covers or anti-rust paint (not QDE). For DIY stuff like adding anti-slip tape for stairs, you can just buy online too. If you're buying solar, stick to reputable brands like Bosca or Philips. I bought a lot of solar items online, a lot don't last. 

Not good

Gardening Stuff

I noticed, buying materials from garden nurseries can be quite expensive. There are a lot of gardening suppliers/farms online. Sometimes their items are better than buying from nurseries. I usually just get vermicast/chicken manure perlite, coco chips and coco husk online. I have earmarked favorite stores that don't disappoint. I still buy some stuff in person especially when I'm looking for a specific pot size. One thing I learned also is to buy seeds from a reputable brand (like Ramgo). 

This blue hose is good, just don't buy it if you have cats

Cat Care Items

I stopped buying re-packed cat food. I became wary about it since I've read a lot of feedback that they oftentimes just re-mix it. I'm also scared my cats might get sick, so for cat food I just buy sealed and not re-packed food. I also try to cook their food often. I used to buy cat beds online, but it's hard to find something that will last. So far, the cots I got are good. I stopped buying furry beds, they don't last. Don't bother buying cat towers online, they're usually just good for kittens. We finally found a good one from the Australian Surplus Shop in Muntinlupa. 

Craft Materials

I miss going to Divisoria! My Mom and I used to go there to buy craft materials. It's been years since I last went and I think my boys won't allow me to go there anymore. Luckily, there are a lot of shops in Divisoria who sell online and there are fabric stores online too. We don't have Spotlight here, so I just usually order online if there's any sewing or craft materials I need. Everything I used to re-furbish a vintage case, I just bought online.

This is just a short-list of some items I purchase online. There are some things I prefer to purchase in person like food/ingredient, wearables and gadgets/appliances. If you're buying from an online store, read feedback and check first if it's a legitimate store. I check The Budol Group also for referrals and reviews (just use the search button). Always be careful :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

I Got Scammed!

No matter how much care you do, you can still fall for a scam! A week ago, I saw an ad on Instagram for a 360' bookshelf. It looked really nice and it said we could fit in 300 books. We really need a bookshelf so after careful review I ordered. The order system looked exactly like others I've filled out. It also promptly asked for the bank confirmation. I happily went to sleep imagining how I would store our books in it. 

The next day I felt something wasn't right. I normally list items I bought online in my planner to track my expenses and to monitor delivery. I remembered that I did not provide my email address when I made the payment for the bookshelf. It felt strange because they did not ask for any contact details except my address. So I never got a confirmation via email that I made an order. Good thing I took a screenshot of the bookshelf and the receipt so I was able to take note of the shop name. 

Since I saw the ad on IG, I searched for the shop. IG said it only had a FB page. Found the FB page and got the link to the website. The name of the shop does not show any search results on Google. You can only see it if you go to it's website without typing www. Went directly to the website and checked the contact details of the shop. It showed a US phone number and a Wuhan address. I immediately filled out the contact us page to follow up on my order. I was still hopeful at that point. 

In response to my follow-up, I received an email to create a zendesk account. I figured that it was their help desk system. I was eventually redirected to a forum page and saw many other customer complaints. I re-submitted my follow-up and waited for a response. It's been almost 5 days and I never got a response, so I told Sweetie about it. He reviewed the page and confirmed my fears. 

I immediately reported the page to FB (since that's how you advertise on IG and you have to report by flagging the page). Then I reported it to my bank. The bank immediately blocked my card and will investigate. I also sent a screenshot of the customer complaints to the bank. Hopefully they are able to confirm that the shop is fraudulent and I get my money back. Getting my card blocked is a small inconvenience for now. At least I know they cannot abuse my card. I hope the other customers would report the company so all credit card companies would block them. I hope FB would also invalidate them from making ads. 

I guess from now on I'll have to research about the company first before purchasing. I rarely purchase things from ads. I think it's probably just the second time I did. I rarely get budoled by ads. I've also been very wary about purchasing from the FB marketplace. So far I've only bought citronella plants through the FB marketplace. I only did after reading through the page of the seller. A friend though got scammed yesterday when he was trying to buy luncheon meat. What a scary world we live in. 

I still need the bookshelf. There are other sources, but they're so expensive. I could just have my Mom's carpenter make it for me when he's back from vacation. It would be a nice project for him. I just need to figure out where I could get the item that could make the shelf rotate.

#BeKind #StayHome

Best Budol Buys

Admit it, have you gotten hooked with online shopping? The pandemic has certainly changed our buying habits. I miss those days when I could go to the mall anytime and do groceries in person. I previously avoided buying stuff online before. I was very wary of using my credit card online because I experienced fraud twice already. I was also paranoid I won't receive what I ordered. 

I was forced to buy things online when we had a lockdown last year. Then I needed to buy some materials for my sewing projects which I also got via Lazada. Soon enough I was looking forward to the monthly sale on Lazada and Shopee. I add stuff to the cart and eventually just buy what I really need (a friend recently saw I have 99+ on my card hahaha).

What interests me are knick knacks that would be beneficial for home use and making sewing easier. Here are some things which I found really useful:

Top on the list, privacy stamp! Sweetie would usually cut up packaging before throwing it away. We also tried using a marker, but you could still see through it. I got the privacy stamp during a flash sale and it's so far been very useful. I also use it to cover my particulars for my medicine boxes. 

Scrabble-like tiles. I super love the letters, I actually made a second purchase. I use it mostly for my blog when I can't find an appropriate photo. I've been keeping them now in a Toast Box can hehe. 

Package opener. I'm not sure what this is called, but I got it from a flash sale. I use it to open boxes. So far it's been safer for me to use this than a cutter. It's easy to clean too. 

Needle threader. I got this out of curiosity. I've been trying many different needle threaders the past year (#signsofoldage). I have a bunch of the traditional one, but it's only good to use for a few times. I got the one with a light from the US, also good for just a few uses. This one looks sturdier (yet to be proven). It's a new sewing contraption, so we'll see. 

Shoes. Ahh, buying wearables online is the least thing I wanted to do. I chanced upon this pair on sale and thought it might be the same one I usually buy at the Taipei train station. It was! This is actually my second pair and it's really comfortable to wear. I also got a budol pair from Sketchers haha. 

Similar pair from Taipei station, really comfy for walking.

Marupok midnight moment.

Fabric. Buying fabric from stores here is very expensive. Then I discovered more inexpensive options on Lazada and Shopee. The cheaper ones come from Indonesia though. Most cute ones are available in South Korea. I hope I could find options from Divisoria when I come home. Anyway, I found a lot of options online (including Amazon). It's better to buy by the meter/yard than buying fat quarters or layer cakes. 

Finally, one of the most useful things I got is my Chromebook's  cover and keyboard cover. It keeps it protected and keeps the crumbs away from my keyboard. 

Sweetie's top pick is his hand massager (#titohitz). He uses it every night. I'm hoping to find something similar for my legs. They used one on me at the hospital and it was heavenly. I think my Mom would want one too. Maybe I'll check for 10.10 noh? Haha. 

What about you? What are your fave online finds? Are you ready for 10.10?

CB////*Yr2/181 #StuckAtHomeDay/Yr2/202 #NewG266 #Home25 #Xmas79 #StayHome #BeKind