Kaki Shopping

I simply LOVE shopping on ebay!  I find myself getting amazing stuff for much much less than retail prices, and it’s really tempting NOT to keep shopping for more.

So I received my Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Stretch Oil today!  I used two bottles of this stretch oil during my first pregnancy and have nothing but good things to say about it.  The scent is heavenly, light and not intoxicating, and it did actually help me sleep better.  Even more importantly, it helped eased the itch I experienced on my belly when it stretched, and helped prevent stretch marks.  For my second pregnancy, I thought I could do away with stretch oils, because I wanted to save a buck or two.  Besides, I was already using a moisturizing body lotion that worked to drive away the itch. 

But how wrong I was!  Several days ago, I read that moisturizing lotions do help to ease the itch, but they don’t do anything to prevent stretch marks.  So I had to go hunting for this same stretch oil that had served me faithfully the first time I got pregnant.  The online store I purchased it from the last time did not carry it anymore, and so I hunted high and low on the internet till I ended up on ebay.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that a 4fl oz bottle of the stretch oil was being auctioned on ebay at only $10, when it retails for almost $25!  I instantly placed my bid for $10.50, with about 8 hours left on the auction, and the next morning, I was overjoyed to find out I was the winning bidder!  Woohoo!

I made the payment by PayPal, and waited patiently for the stretch oil to arrive.  My prayers for it to arrive before the Thanksgiving holidays were answered when I saw the package in my mailbox this afternoon.  Hurray for ebay!

But seriously, every pregnant momma should have a bottle of this handy. I can’t wait to slather this on tonight!

 
Photo credits

Thanksgiving Day is just two days away, and most households in the US are planning for big feasts, much like what we have for Chinese New Year reunion dinner back in Malaysia.  And after the big Thanksgiving feast, instead of resting at home, it will be… SHOPPING time!

Thanksgiving falls on the 4th Thursday of November every year, and the day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday.  No idea why, but this is a day for all shopaholics everywhere.  Malls, shopping complexes, factory outlets: they will ALL be offering bargains and discounts from midnight onwards.  In fact the best discounts will be from midnight till like 6:00a.m. or 7:00a.m. in the morning.  Imagine the mad rush of shoppers thronging the shops to grab those deals!

Me?  Well, three years ago, I might be one of those in the crowd, but I foresee myself doing some online shopping instead.  Hehe.

Check out the official Black Friday 2008 site for a complete list of bargains, discounts and deals.

And for those heading out to the ever popular Gilroy Premium Outlets, here is a list of all promotions for Thanksgiving weekend.  Woohoo!!! Let the shopping begin!

I have been searching for a good place to get a nice bento set for my hubby.  Something along the lines of a black, grey or dark blue hue, which can hold enough food for an adult.  Most of the items on eBay are overpriced and I was not willing to pay the amount PLUS the shipping fee too.

Then I found a Bento Gear shopping guide which told me that a place called Mitsuwa sold some nice boxes for about USD15, so I thought of giving it a try.  Mitsuwa Marketplace is one of the Japanese specialty stores we have in the Bay Area.  As I was looking round the Mitsuwa website, I found out that the store I intended to visit was having an “All 20% off” promotion on November 20-21 2008! 

So yesterday morning saw me arrive there nice and early at 9:00a.m., only to find out that the store had already opened its doors at 8:00a.m. because of the promotional campaign.  There were so many people inside the store, I could not believe it.  Everything was on discount, and these people were not going to let this opportunity slip past them.

As for bento boxes, there were only a few in the selection, but they were really good quality ones, and I managed to get two, one for hubby and one for myself.  Both were at 20% off, of course!

Because of the promotion, there were long queues at every counter.  I had to wait a good 20 minutes before it was my turn.  But it was completely worth it.  I’ve signed up for the weekly mailer, so I’d know when the next sale would be too.

(All images courtesy of Mitsuwa)

Having just embarked on my bento-ing journey, and having had a blast of a time shopping in Daiso Mountain View recently, I was certainly excited when my SIL in Malaysia informed me that Daiso would be opening its doors at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara very soon!

I decided to do a little snooping around the net and I found out that many bento enthusiasts have already heard the news and are also eagerly awaiting the opening of Daiso, touted as Japan’s No.1 ranked livingware supplier.  People are already planning to spend weekends at this store, but I am not sure if there is any indication of the official opening date yet.  Renovations are currently underway and there are signs advertising job openings though, so sooner or later, it WILL be here!

I would have been happier had Daiso opened a store in Penang too, you know, so I don’t have to go to KL to get my Daiso shopping fix.  Hopefully that will become a reality soon too.

Photo credits

When I read mott’s lament on throwing out her grandma panties, I couldn’t help but smile, because I, too own a few of these grandma panties.  Truth be knownst, these undies are comfortably comfortable, especially when one is preggers.  Of course, they cannot see the light of day though.

But now that I am pregnant for the second time, I realize that some of these grandma panties have stretched way past their time, and it’s very uncomfortable wearing undies which are loose.

So I hunted for some new maternity panties, and found some in Jaya Jusco going for dirt cheap prices.  Unfortunately some of them had fabric that cut into the skin and did not feel comfortable at all.

Then I discovered Bravado! undies.  I own a few of the Bravado! bras and have only good things to say about them, so I was curious to find out what the fuss was all about the undies.  I promptly ordered a 2-pair pack of the bikini panties from BreakoutBras, based on the lowest price available in the market.  I prefer bikini types because I like my maternity undies to fall below the belly rather than cover it.  So when the undies arrived in the mail, I couldn’t wait to wash, dry and try them on. 

Now guess what?  These are the most comfortable, softest, move-with-your-body maternity undies I have ever owned!  The elastic band around the waist (or rather below the belly) is of a soft stretchable material that does not leave any marks on your skin.  I cannot imagine going through pregnancy without this staple item in my wardrobe!  In fact, I do wish they came in more colors, so that I have a more varied choice!

Nevertheless, I just could not help NOT placing a second order for these bikini undies!  My order will arrive in a couple of days’ time and I just can’t wait!  Oh, Bravado! undies also come in two other styles, i.e. the maternity briefs (that offer full coverage of the belly) and also the thong (if you are worried about VPLs!).

By the way, BreakoutBras offers free shipping on all US orders regardless of amount and an additional 10% discount on repeat orders!

This is what busy executives need.  Just a click away from purchasing a classy, sophisticated, trendy piece of purse or handbag for Christmas that everyone can ooh and aah over.

The free shipping offer on the Coach online website is valid only for today until Monday, November 17th 2008 11:59p.m. EST, and it is only for purchases $100 and more to Continental US only.  If you want to take advantage of this offer, hurry on over to Coach now, because if you’re like me, you’re gonna take a LONG time deciding what to get!

Oh by the way, these are some of my current favorites now:

 
The Coach Graphic Op Art Julianne

 
The Coach Tonal Patchwork Zoe

 
The Coach Soho Leather Large Hobo

All photos are credited to Coach.

Years ago, when I was an ardent fan of Clinique products, I would take every opportunity I have to grab some products in the States whenever they had a Clinique Bonus Time event.  This is not your regular free gift in Malaysia, when all you get are sample sizes.  Most of the products they give are the full-sized ones.  And the minimum purchase is very minimum indeed.

You can bet I spent quite a fortune on Clinique products.  Well, enough to accumulate a collection a lipsticks, so much so that I could even give some away, and still have a stash to be used.

Anyway, I have since stopped using Clinique but you know, something at Nordstrom is begging me to go take a look at the Clinique counter again.  From now till November 22, there is a Nordstron exclusive Clinique Bonus Time event where you will get the following free gift pack with any purchase of $25 or more!  That’s very easy to hit, with maybe just one or two products!

That Trina Turk cosmetic bag is looking rather chic too, I might add.  And I do so need a new one myself.

 
Photo Credits

Yes.  This is how the customer and shopper should be treated.  In the United States, the phrase “the customer is always right” brings a whole new different meaning.  And no, I am not talking about being a bully or pushover while shopping, but over the past month or so, my hubby and I have encountered many a happy shopping experience here.  Allow me to illustrate.

Case 1
We did our grocery shopping at Ranch 99, a local Asian market.  And when we got home, I realized that the yogurt I had purchased was way past its sell-by date.  So the next time we visited the store (which was a good one week later, I believe), I brought along my receipt and the yogurt, and explained it to the manager in charge.  I expected her to return me some store credit, and ask me to purchase something else of equal or greater value, but no, she apologized for the mistake, and promptly return CASH to me, including the sales tax charged.

Case 2
At Walmart, we purchased a shower nozzle with a hose to fix to our bathtub, but unfortunately when we tried it at home, it would not fit.  We had already taken the hose and nozzle out of its wrapper then.  My hubby took the item and the receipt back to Walmart a few days later, went up to the Exchange and Returns counter, and was promptly refunded the dollar amount plus tax that we paid, no questions asked.

Case 3
I bought a bottle of massage oil in the latest fragrance from Bath & Body Works.  And I was told that if I didn’t like the fragrance or if I changed my mind about it later, I could return it.  When I asked the salesperson if I had to return it within a week, she didn’t seem too worried and said, “Oh, perhaps in about a month, would be fine too.”  Turns out we wanted to exchange it for a different scent and only found time to take it back after almost a month.  I brought a new bottle in a different scent to the cashier and told her I would like to exchange it.  Again, I was so impressed that she didn’t even ask me WHY I need to exchange it.  She just took the first bottle and placed it behind the counter and wrapped up the new bottle for me.  Handed it all to me with a smile.  Now that’s what I call excellent customer service.

Compare these scenarios to what I had to go through in Jaya Jusco Penang when I went back to claim an additional discount I was SUPPOSED to be given.  The supervisor then wouldn’t even give me the excess payment I was charged with.  Instead I had to spend half an hour looking for something in the store to cover the amount.  Isn’t that a waste of time?

In one of my most recent internet surfing adventures, I stumbled upon a site that specializes in a new concept of online auctions that I find rather appealing.  The online auction offered at Paylessbid.com is targeted at consumers looking for electronics wholesale products, at very very cheap prices.  The online auction uses a unique bid system where the highest unique bid wins.

In what is also known as a reversed auction, Paylessbid.com’s online auction is one-of-its-kind because it requires a little plotting and scheming along the way, if you really want that particular electronic product for a bargain.  For example, if you have been eyeing the new Apple 16G iPhone 3G, typically, in regular auctions, what you would do is to make sure you outbid everyone else.

However, in this reversed auction, you need to remember that only the highest unique bidder wins.  What’s more, some strategy comes into play when you are able to outbid other bidders, by bidding the same amount, thus cancelling their bid, and at the same time propelling your bid to a higher position.

Confused? 

Don’t worry, so was I, till I read the guidelines on how to bid and took the three-minute-or-so virtual tour, which is really self-explanatory.

If you want some hands-on bidding practice, you can also try your hand at the practice auction, before you actually try the real thing.  After all, signing up is free of charge, and it never hurts to take a look first before you commit, right?

Happy bidding!

 
Photo Credits

And no…I don’t mean physically shopping on a street named eBay of course!

While I have been an eBay member for a very long time, I had not ventured into eBay shopping until recently.  I was of course tempted by certain eBay sellers offering their items for a really low price, and also the lure of something known as FREE SHIPPING.  Most of the sellers do not offer free shipping of course, but I like to look for those that do.

Here are a few tips and pointers I used while I did my eBay shopping, all from the comfort of my computer chair at home.

• Shopping on eBay is something not to be taken lightly, because first of all, we need to verify that the seller is a trustworthy one.  We wouldn’t want that person to run away with our hard-earned cash now, would we?  All eBay sellers have something called a feedback rating, where you can read all about other buyers’ experience with the said seller.  You will then be able to gauge if the seller is prompt in delivery of goods, or if the items are in good condition, for example.
• Next, we need to ensure the price we pay is worth it.  For example, make sure the item is the exact model you want and if you are looking for a new item, make sure it is not a secondhand one. 
• Most of the eBay sellers I contacted responded rather promptly the first time, but some of them, unfortunately, stopped corresponding once I asked a few more questions.  I most certainly didn’t want to deal with sellers like that!
• Almost all eBay sellers prefer payment made via PayPal, so it would definitely help if you have a PayPal account handy.
• eBay has a feature called a Watch list, where you can mark selected items for *watching*.  This way, you will be able to keep track of the items you had in mind, make comparisons, and be informed if the seller relists or changes the price of the item.  A very handy tool, I would say, when there are tons of stuff up for sale on eBay.

Well, I am happy to say that I am very pleased with my maiden purchase on eBay, albeit I discovered that the price of that exact same item was further discounted on Amazon a couple of days after I bought it.  SIGH.  C’est la vie!

I am intrigued by the bidding process on eBay, and although I have not tried that out yet, I just might, one of these days!