So a while ago I got chatting with Christina from Heaven Gifts. I was on a mission to figure out how valid it was to use international vendors. There always seems to be cool things at a decent cost, yet time spent waiting for shipping has always bothered me a bit, and shipping is definitely something local vendors have set an amazing standard for. They offered to send me a sample of something (the new UD Simba as it turns out), and that way I could review the product for them, as well as the service that they would offer to South African customers.
Firstly all my mails were answered quickly and efficiently, the concept that I was dealing with someone on the other side of the globe went right out the window as they were quite attentive. Even when I started sweating and fired off an email to them about an article citing a ban of chinese ecig exports, they took great pleasure in pointing out that I had been made a fool of (an April fool, the worst kind!).
I gave my shipping details over on Tuesday the 29th of March, and I received the Simba by Friday the 1st of April. This really blew my mind, I was actually on leave, down the South Coast, figuring I would be back at work by the time it got there. When I opened my browser on my cell to track it, and saw that someone at my office had already signed for it. Luckily for me, my amazing wife agreed to come home early just so I could get it up and running!
I really thought that it would take a lot longer, and they do state that there is a small chance it gets held up for a couple of days at Chinese Customs. The shipping method was DHL express, which while it was fast, it isn't cheap, you're looking at a $40 shipping bill. However, there are other (and by that I mean cheaper) options available, which are listed here:
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/shipping-methods-shipping-restrictions-to-south-africa.t18618/
Really it all boils down to patience, something which I think all vapers suffer from a severe lack of (myself included, waiting for vapemail is a true test of character!), the longer you're prepared to wait, the more you can save on shipping costs.
In short, when the time comes for a big upgrade, or getting my little paws on something I want badly, I will be happy to get from them, but really one has to weigh up the pros and cons of the shipping.
Hope this helps someone else make an informed decision!
Now... If only I could figure out a way to convince myself that I would look totes-cool with a Playboy mod...
Firstly all my mails were answered quickly and efficiently, the concept that I was dealing with someone on the other side of the globe went right out the window as they were quite attentive. Even when I started sweating and fired off an email to them about an article citing a ban of chinese ecig exports, they took great pleasure in pointing out that I had been made a fool of (an April fool, the worst kind!).
I gave my shipping details over on Tuesday the 29th of March, and I received the Simba by Friday the 1st of April. This really blew my mind, I was actually on leave, down the South Coast, figuring I would be back at work by the time it got there. When I opened my browser on my cell to track it, and saw that someone at my office had already signed for it. Luckily for me, my amazing wife agreed to come home early just so I could get it up and running!
I really thought that it would take a lot longer, and they do state that there is a small chance it gets held up for a couple of days at Chinese Customs. The shipping method was DHL express, which while it was fast, it isn't cheap, you're looking at a $40 shipping bill. However, there are other (and by that I mean cheaper) options available, which are listed here:
http://www.ecigssa.co.za/shipping-methods-shipping-restrictions-to-south-africa.t18618/
Really it all boils down to patience, something which I think all vapers suffer from a severe lack of (myself included, waiting for vapemail is a true test of character!), the longer you're prepared to wait, the more you can save on shipping costs.
In short, when the time comes for a big upgrade, or getting my little paws on something I want badly, I will be happy to get from them, but really one has to weigh up the pros and cons of the shipping.
Hope this helps someone else make an informed decision!
Now... If only I could figure out a way to convince myself that I would look totes-cool with a Playboy mod...
