vPost - Has anybody tried it?

woof · 14th July 2009, 17:24

Hey all,

I came to know about a website vPost - https://www.vpostasia.com/india/index.html. From the website:

Quote:

vPOSTUSA is a service provided by Singapore Post, which allows you to shop at eligible and multiple U.S Merchant websites* at the same time and have your items delivered to your India address. With vPOSTUSA service, you save much more as the shipping charges offered are lower than most international shipping providers and you can purchase items from sites that do not accept International Orders!

With vPOSTUSA you can:

Save as much as 15% on shipping charges for shipping your items to India.
Purchase items from U.S websites that DO NOT ship to India*.
Be the first to purchase online items from the U.S that are yet to be released in India!
Take advantage of any applicable U.S Merchant websites* that offers free local delivery service. (Please check with your respective U.S. Merchants).
Purchase items that are relatively cheaper in the U.S.

They have a tie-up with ICICI Bank. Has anybody tried it out? They say that you have to just pay the shipping fee. There is no mention of custom/duty anywhere.

Has anybody used it?

Spitfire · 14th July 2009, 17:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by woof

There is no mention of custom/duty anywhere.

Is that even possible? Its illegal if it was. Go Grey.

Check the rules:

The shipping charges cover handling, overseas shipping and delivery from the vPOSTUSA address to your India address.

It does not include US local delivery to our vPOSTUSA address, Customs duty, License fee and any other applicable taxes and fees.

pranavt · 14th July 2009, 20:01

Another such company is http://www.iccworld.com/

aburagohain · 17th July 2009, 16:20

I tried it and got my stuff delivered today, no issues.
Service is pretty much ok, amazon delivered my item to VPOST on 10 July and I receive the same after 7 days at Bangalore, apparently, they took 4 days to sort out the order forwarding process and ultimatey shipped the item out on 15 July for me to receive the same in 3 days.
My order was of USD 100 (an electric shaver and cleaning system, about 2kg weight, charged 48 Singapore $, no customs duty), do not know how they would handle a bigger order though. Now that their service has been verified, anyone who goes ahead and makes a large sum transaction through them could tell of their experience.
Cheers!

kdp · 5th January 2010, 20:07

I used this service. i ordered Blu-rays from Amazon. amazon first broke the order into 5 parts, then vpost, which deals with india through tci-xps, unleashed my consignment on them. These worthies have spend 15 days on my consignment and it has still not been delivered. key reason -- the guy handling my consignment went on leave and did not hand over my task to anyone else. (total time that vpost has had the package after payment fo freight charge == 20+ days)

I was emailing for 5 days with no response from anyone; when another gentleman finally replied assuring me delivery "tomorrow, latest 2pm saar". this has happened for for the 5th time today (excluding sundays)

In addition; for the first time (though I have imported blu-rays from amazon at least 10 times) i was required to give the invoice and a declaration as to the contents of the package.

Maybe I have been unlucky all 5 times... but the response and processes that tci-xps has leads me to feel that it is a bit like russian roulette.

Oh, yes, the other fun is; if you log in to vpost from the "india site" and try to click on "contact us" you are taken to the singapore vpost site; where your login does not work. Net result getting in touch with vpost is close to impossible. (i finally got in touch with them through the facebook page; they got in touch through facebook mail; I explained my problem.. subsequently.. silence. - that was 5 days ago)

my experience tells me that any notionaly savings are not worth the headache and problems you face when dealing with vPost. Of course, like fuel efficiency figures. your experience may vary.. but just like it's relatively safe to generalise that an petrol ambassador is less fuel efficient that an Indica diesel.. i think it's safe to generalise that vpost (and tci-xps) are not worth the stress in almost all cases.

hope the feedback helps any unsuspecting users.

cheers

kdp

sanjayc · 5th January 2010, 20:27

As far as I know, importing as gift items for value equivalent to Rs.10000 or less, custom duty is exempted.

govigov · 6th January 2010, 00:35

i would suggest www.20north.com , be warned, the prices are on the higher side.

triedeverything · 20th June 2010, 09:16

How do we use the duty free option on 20north.com? It asks for a sender's address, but how does this work? Can't anyone search the web and randomly pull up an address on the net?

pranavt · 20th June 2010, 17:53

If you have Citibank credit cards, try borderlinx.com. Best site I've found for getting stuff from the US/UK. The rates are awesome, they provide a break-up of the charges and deliver via DHL courier within 3-5 days.

Abeer · 20th June 2010, 18:21

another site about the same thing is www.shopyourworld.com
I have not ordered anything yet as I found their price to be on the higher side.

TaureanBull · 20th June 2010, 18:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by triedeverything

How do we use the duty free option on 20north.com? It asks for a sender's address, but how does this work? Can't anyone search the web and randomly pull up an address on the net?

The duty free option for 20north is mainly for the items valuing less than 10,000/- or the items which can be broken into parts and shown as separate items of value less than 10,000/- for the purpose saving import duty.

This exemption of Rs 10,000/- is for gifts received from friends/relatives living abroad in this case US. The onus of providing the address lies on you. You may quote a wrong address. But 20north washes off its hands any problem arising out of this situation. If you read terms and conditions at 20north, under the "Duty Free Gifting" there is an important note and I quote :

"Customs authorities in India may deem an incoming gift as dutiable even though it is meets the specified guidelines for a duty free gift. This is completely at the customs authorities' discretion and typically no clear reason is provided. In such cases the courier delivering the product will collect applicable duty from the gift recipient before delivering the goods. The recipient will need to pay the applicable duty."

The link is as follows :-

http://shopping.indiatimes.20north.c...erms_condition

So, it means 20north will ship the item as a duty free gift from the "address" provided by you but in case customs in India dont accept the same as a genuine case you will have to pay the duty. Its subject to acceptance by customs.

triedeverything · 23rd June 2010, 10:13

Evil idea - create a borderlinx.com id. then go to 20 north and buy things quoting your US address

Question: On borderlinx.com, how do you find out what their charges are to ship to India? Do the charges depend on value or weight?

pranavt · 23rd June 2010, 13:20

They actually have a very nice calculator for finding the charges even without having anything with them. The tax/duty depends on value and shipping charges depend on weight.

https://www.borderlinx.com/m/total-cost-calculator

aargee · 23rd June 2010, 14:30

vPost or 20North - Guys I've one question. Is it possible for me to buy a stuff that is not listed on these sites? I'm looking for a Fox's Titan riding gear & I'm sure it should not be listed. Is it possible to get it delivered? Has anyone tried it? Pls share your experience. Tks.

pranavt · 23rd June 2010, 14:44

They give you a US address which you can provide to anyone or any store. You can damn well order anything you want except for the restricted stuff. Ordered my ITBs via vPost. Expensive, but worked out well with DHL courier to the last mile.

14th July 2009, 20:01	#3
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,693 Thanked: 831 Times View My Garage	Another such company is http://www.iccworld.com/
	() Thanks

17th July 2009, 16:20	#4
aburagohain BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 153 Thanked: 2 Times	I tried it and got my stuff delivered today, no issues. Service is pretty much ok, amazon delivered my item to VPOST on 10 July and I receive the same after 7 days at Bangalore, apparently, they took 4 days to sort out the order forwarding process and ultimatey shipped the item out on 15 July for me to receive the same in 3 days. My order was of USD 100 (an electric shaver and cleaning system, about 2kg weight, charged 48 Singapore $, no customs duty), do not know how they would handle a bigger order though. Now that their service has been verified, anyone who goes ahead and makes a large sum transaction through them could tell of their experience. Cheers!
	() Thanks

5th January 2010, 20:07	#5
kdp BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 76 Thanked: 86 Times	caveat emptor! I used this service. i ordered Blu-rays from Amazon. amazon first broke the order into 5 parts, then vpost, which deals with india through tci-xps, unleashed my consignment on them. These worthies have spend 15 days on my consignment and it has still not been delivered. key reason -- the guy handling my consignment went on leave and did not hand over my task to anyone else. (total time that vpost has had the package after payment fo freight charge == 20+ days) I was emailing for 5 days with no response from anyone; when another gentleman finally replied assuring me delivery "tomorrow, latest 2pm saar". this has happened for for the 5th time today (excluding sundays) In addition; for the first time (though I have imported blu-rays from amazon at least 10 times) i was required to give the invoice and a declaration as to the contents of the package. Maybe I have been unlucky all 5 times... but the response and processes that tci-xps has leads me to feel that it is a bit like russian roulette. Oh, yes, the other fun is; if you log in to vpost from the "india site" and try to click on "contact us" you are taken to the singapore vpost site; where your login does not work. Net result getting in touch with vpost is close to impossible. (i finally got in touch with them through the facebook page; they got in touch through facebook mail; I explained my problem.. subsequently.. silence. - that was 5 days ago) my experience tells me that any notionaly savings are not worth the headache and problems you face when dealing with vPost. Of course, like fuel efficiency figures. your experience may vary.. but just like it's relatively safe to generalise that an petrol ambassador is less fuel efficient that an Indica diesel.. i think it's safe to generalise that vpost (and tci-xps) are not worth the stress in almost all cases. hope the feedback helps any unsuspecting users. cheers kdp Last edited by kdp : 5th January 2010 at 20:17.
	() Thanks

5th January 2010, 20:27	#6
sanjayc BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 953 Thanked: 8 Times	As far as I know, importing as gift items for value equivalent to Rs.10000 or less, custom duty is exempted.
	() Thanks

6th January 2010, 00:35	#7
govigov Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cochin!!!!! Posts: 1,702 Thanked: 1,103 Times View My Garage	i would suggest www.20north.com , be warned, the prices are on the higher side.
	() Thanks

20th June 2010, 09:16	#8
triedeverything BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 503 Thanked: 242 Times View My Garage	How do we use the duty free option on 20north.com? It asks for a sender's address, but how does this work? Can't anyone search the web and randomly pull up an address on the net?
	() Thanks

20th June 2010, 17:53	#9
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,693 Thanked: 831 Times View My Garage	If you have Citibank credit cards, try borderlinx.com. Best site I've found for getting stuff from the US/UK. The rates are awesome, they provide a break-up of the charges and deliver via DHL courier within 3-5 days.
	() Thanks

20th June 2010, 18:21	#10
Abeer BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UP-16 Posts: 227 Thanked: 23 Times	another site about the same thing is www.shopyourworld.com I have not ordered anything yet as I found their price to be on the higher side.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 10:13	#12
triedeverything BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 503 Thanked: 242 Times View My Garage	Evil idea - create a borderlinx.com id. then go to 20 north and buy things quoting your US address Question: On borderlinx.com, how do you find out what their charges are to ship to India? Do the charges depend on value or weight?
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 13:20	#13
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,693 Thanked: 831 Times View My Garage	They actually have a very nice calculator for finding the charges even without having anything with them. The tax/duty depends on value and shipping charges depend on weight. https://www.borderlinx.com/m/total-cost-calculator
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 14:30	#14
aargee Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: TSTN Posts: 6,278 Thanked: 9,822 Times	vPost or 20North - Guys I've one question. Is it possible for me to buy a stuff that is not listed on these sites? I'm looking for a Fox's Titan riding gear & I'm sure it should not be listed. Is it possible to get it delivered? Has anyone tried it? Pls share your experience. Tks.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2010, 14:44	#15
pranavt Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 1,693 Thanked: 831 Times View My Garage	They give you a US address which you can provide to anyone or any store. You can damn well order anything you want except for the restricted stuff. Ordered my ITBs via vPost. Expensive, but worked out well with DHL courier to the last mile.
	() Thanks