I have been wanting to shop from Amazon for the longest time but I'm too stingy to pay for the exorbitant shipping fee so I have not pursued that desire of mine then. So when I read the news about Amazon's free shipping to the Philippines, my heart skipped a bit because I can finally shop without having to worry about the shipping cost.
So how to shop without having to pay for the shipping? It's simple! Just make sure the total cost of your items is $49 USD and above. That's less than 3,000 in Philippine peso.
My Experience with Amazon
I placed my order on October 20. I paid my order using my HSBC MasterCard. Note that the credit card conversion from US dollar to Philippine peso is higher than the current exchange rate. In my case, the total cost of my order was $50.62 and my credit card was charged Php 3074.52. That is more than Php 60 for $1 USD.
Below are the items I ordered.
My package was shipped the same day and arrived in the Philippines October 27, a week after I placed my order. It was then taken over by Ninja Van (local courier) which I am glad because that means it will be delivered to my address and I will no longer have to deal with customs and other protocols set by the government. I was expecting that it will be delivered through the local post office and was already preparing myself for delays and other issues common when buying and shipping items from outside the country. Thankfully, it didn't happen.
Based on Amazon's tracking, I was supposed to receive my package within October 28 to November 1 but Typhoon Paeng (Tropical Storm Nalgae) ravaged the country for a few days starting October 28 thus affecting transportation and delivery in many parts of the country including Western Visayas. Additionally, it was a regular holiday last November 1 in observance of All Soul's Day, a Catholic Holiday in the Philippines. I was only able to receive my package, without issues or extra charges, last November 3.
My package arrived in good condition with the box still intact and all the items complete.
How to Avail the Free Shipping
In addition to meeting the free shipping threshold of $49 USD and above, the items should qualify for free shipping to the Philippines. Note that not all items are available for free shipping so be careful with what you add to your cart. Also, items worth more than P10,000 may be subjected to import fees.
My experience with buying from Amazon for the first time has been good hence this will never be the last.
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