Shopping on the Internet: Transaction Details

As someone who is a frequent buyer/seller on eBay and as someone who has owned and operated an online retail store, here are some tips and information I think everyone should know about making online transactions.

Making An Online Transaction

1. Safety is KEY. Never hand out your credit card number to anyone. 

Seriously. NO ONE. That's what PayPal is for. It allows you to use your credit card without displaying or sharing any of your card's information with the seller. It also offers your protection insurance, especially useful in the eBay marketplace. Remember! The great sellers offer PayPal as a means of payment ALWAYS. And they should absorb the the cost of using PayPal, not hand over the cost to you.

2. Internet Banking is much much much easier for everyone. 

Most local online retail stores, usually referred to as blog shops, offer bank transfer as a mode of payment. The most common bank offered is DBS/POSB because a lot of people have a DBS and POSB account. Usually they also have a second (or third!) account from another bank. If you don't have an account with any of these banks, then you can perform an interbank transfer, which will take up to 3 days to complete (i.e. 3 days until the seller receives payment) and will cost you a small percentage of your transfer.

3. Made your payment via internet banking? Here's what to include in your "Transaction Details" email. 

Since sellers need to verify that it was indeed you that sent them the money and that you did indeed send them money, this email is vital. You will need to include your:

Internet Banking Nickname (the bank will prompt you to include one)

Your Bank Account (in the case that a re-transfer back to your account is needed)

Amount Transferred (just to confirm that you did transfer the right amount + any additional shipping charges)

Date and Time of Transfer  (at the top of the banking details page)

Transaction Reference Number (self-explanatory, I think)

4. Always choose the "Registered Mail" option. 

Registered Mail or Insurance Protection is an additional fee on top of your shipping charges. In Singapore, sellers should charge you an additional $2.24 for registered mail but some round off the figure to $2.25, some even $3! Even if they make you pay $0.76 more than what you should be paying, you NEED to pay that amount. 

Let me tell you a story of how I learned my lesson the hard way when it came to Registered Mail. 

I bought OPI's Mad As A Hatter from an online nail supply store here in Singapore, I opted for no registered mail, just standard. Now, I've purchased items many a time from this person and I've never, not once, not received an email when the package has been shipped. So happens, this time around, with my precious limited edition OPI Alice in Wonderland, I never got an email stating that the package was sent. I emailed the person about it a few weeks later and she said she already sent the package weeks ago!

Now, I was shocked. I thought she was being dishonest. But then the reality of the situation hit me, even if she was dishonest, I couldn't prove it! She said her server crashed and so I had to believe her. That's why, now, I only ever purchase items with registered mail. 

I just don't chance it. 

That's pretty much the major rules of transactions when it comes to shopping on the internet. If I left out anything. Let me know! :P

Movies: The Losers & The A-Team

Just watched The Losers and The A-Team back to back.

Since the story lines are pretty much parallel, it makes sense to watch them one after the other and it also makes sense to compare them. Another recent movie I should probably add to the mix would be The Expendables, but that movie was so bad, I don't even want to say anything more than, please don't waste your money on it.

Personally, out of the two movies, I think I prefer The Losers. Movies based on graphic novels always seem to turn out better than movies based on old television series. Example? The failure of Starsky & Hutch (you can't tell me that there was truly any merit from the Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson and Snoop Dogg remake) versus the success of Spiderman. Enough said. Although there are exceptions that come to mind...

The A-Team does have redeeming qualities. Liam Neeson being the main one. In Taken, he was amazeballs, in this one, I'm not too sure. Something's not right about seeing Liam Neeson in this sort of fugitive situation. Perhaps it's because I watched the Clash of the Titans remake recently and I seem to remember his voice as the voice of Zeus. The power of the roles an actor plays does seem to have an impact in how you view his/her next movie.

The Losers, well, didn't really lose in my opinion. It was a little refreshing and I was honestly on board with the writing until the ending rolled on screen. That was a waste of an entire movie. The ending is supposed to be the sequence that leaves the biggest impression on the audience and the ending of this movie just fell flat on itself. Didn't work for me, doubt it worked for a few others.

But watch the movies if you've got no preference and a lot of time. They're both equally entertaining.

My Butt Is Big

Here's something that all fat girls (read: not skinny and shapeless) know about - a round butt.

This was created by Nike Women for all the curvy and bootylicious sisters out there.

Enjoy :)

Places: Perea Nails

What's a girl to do on a lazy, rainy Saturday? 

Get her nails done of course :D

I decided that it was finally time to start trying out nail salons closer to home. Decreases the travel time and increases the convenience. Might even save some dollars in the process (although I highly doubt that).

Perea Nails is located in a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" residential area but it's surprisingly chic, spacious and yet unpretentious. 

The staff are friendly, inquisitive and nail care experts who are actually Singaporean! I guess I've been so used to foreign nail technicians in salons all across the country that I never expected Singaporean nail techs, even in a neighborhood salon.

I indulged myself in a Spa Pedicure (Promo Price $39.90, Usual $68) and a Classic Manicure ($20) opting to buff and shine my nails instead of getting them lacquered. The best part of the pedicure and the highlight of my thus-far wonderful Saturday was the Cooling Foot Mask. 10 minutes of peppermint bliss. The foot scrub and massage was pretty good too. 

So good that I decided to purchase a small bottle of raspberry scrub ($19.90) that can be used as a body scrub as well as a foot scrub. Along with that, I decided to spend $3.90 more to get a bottle of raspberry lotion. They don't normally sell the bottles, which have been repackaged into smaller containers. I was told that it was to celebrate the salon's first anniversary. 


The proximity to my place is so near that I am seriously reconsidering making it my go-to nail place. For now, I'll just admire my lovely nails til the next time I need a relaxing lazy day. :P

FAT TV: The Biggest Loser Asia Season 2 Episode 1

I'm home early from work today. I turned on the TV, like a good couch potato would, and guess what rolls on?! 

The Biggest Loser Asia S2.


I know the show is supposed to be inspirational. But there are times when it's just good reality TV. I'm all about the characters.  I love weird creepies and funny sillies.
 


If I was on TBLA, I'd be on the blue team. I'd just stare at Dave Nuku the whole time while he figuratively whips my ass into shape.


I'll leave you now with Dave's war cry-slash-mantras.


Determination - Motivation.


Believe - Believe in Yourself. Have Faith.

Quote: Whip It!

"Well, put some skates on. Be your own hero."

Maggie Mayhem to Bliss (Babe Ruthless)
Whip It.

Just a little inspiration...

I came across this before/after video on YouTube. It was posted by this guy called Ben just a few days ago (Sept 13th 2010). 

Ben has lost 120lbs (about 55kg) since January 2009.

Real life and real life stories have such inspirational power. The beauty of it all is that his story is all about running. No gimmicks, no complicated diets. None of that commercialized weight loss.



Just running.

Real World.

I've been blogging since having a web page of your own was cool. I've always been the normal blogger, writing about life, likes, dislikes, grievances, annoyances and the occasional exciting thing or two. I even tried blogging about beauty and make-up but it turned into a chore to have to churn out posts, and it became a strain on my pocket to hunt for new products just to write good content. 

I just started my first real job and I'm just beginning to learn about real world issues and what it means to be an adult that has to think about income tax, CPF and retirement planning, amongst other things. 

So this is me, venturing into the unknown, big, scary and cruel realm that is THE REAL WORLD. 

Wish me luck, 'cause I have a feeling I'm going to need all the luck I can get.