Category Archives: Geek Shopping

Multiply is Closing Down by May 6, 2013 : A Look Back

Ever since I experienced the convenience of shopping online, especially for cosmetics that I already trust, I never looked back. My first ever online shopping experience was through Multiply.com back when you have to manually contact the online seller for the transaction. Now that Multiply is closing down on May 6, 2013, it’s a sad day, but I completely understand this business decision.

Multiply Marketplace is closing down on May 6, 2013

Many people were saddened by the news that the social networking part of Multiply was closing down. I was one of the many Multiply bloggers and users who enjoyed connecting with people on their site before the social media giant Facebook opened its doors.

When I learned that they were transforming their website to a local online marketplace, I was excited. I was even one of the bloggers who went to their press event where they made the announcement. When they went through a redesign, I thought they’ll continue to grow from there.

I remember buying my first gadget online from DB Gadgets – my Canon IXUS 220HS (I lost it just this year 🙁 ). Since then, we bought 2 more gadgets from them.

My Canon digital camera that I bought from DB Gadgets

Yeah, I WAS one of those people who name their gadgets. 😀

I was introduced to my top favorite online beauty store, Digital Traincase, through their Multiply store. Thankfully, they have moved on to their own e-commerce site after the recent issues.

Multiply has helped many online sellers and internet shoppers at the same time. They provided a venue for both to connect in a secure and comfortable (familiar) environment. Before the server issues in the past weeks, transactions went on smoothly on my end.

Multiply Marketplace closing down is a huge opportunity for online stores, but a setback for many online sellers who depended on Multiply for their business to run. I’m sure they’ll find a new venue to sell their products.

To everyone at Multiply, thank you and we wish you all good luck! 🙂

You can read more about this news here.

5 Black Friday Tips for Gadget Shoppers

Black Friday gadget shopping tips

One of the most anticipated shopping day of the year is coming – Black Friday 2012 is on November 23rd, a day after Thanksgiving! This is the BEST time to shop for those highly coveted gadgets like laptops, desktop computers, gadgets and other electronic devices.

With that said, I’m sharing some very useful tips for all of you who are planning on some Black Friday gadget shopping this year:

 

Black Friday Gadget Shopping Tips

 

1. Research for the best Black Friday deals and compare prices!

This is one of those days when retail stores mark down their items, even their most popular products, at surprisingly low prices. With that said, however, it is important that you do your research on the best deals you can find so you can maximize your shopping budget.

Also, it’s important to compare prices. This way, you can focus on that store with the best prices.

 

2. Know the store policies on returns and warranties.

For gadget shoppers, this is the most important tip of all. Make sure you’ve done your research. Most stores set a shorter period for return deadlines, so avoid the hassles by finding out about their return policy beforehand.

For warranties, don’t forget to check or ask. You might be rejoicing about a purchase that saved you a significant amount of money without knowing that the warranty policy is different from the regular priced ones. Well, this doesn’t really apply with popular gadgets, but just to be sure, ask.

 

3. Is it worth the hassle?

After comparing prices, it’s also important to know if the regular prices of the items you want are remarkably higher than the Black Friday prices the stores are offering. If it’s just a few bucks of savings, think about the hassle of waking up early, lining up and bracing the Black Friday crowds. Is it all worth it?

 

4. Look for early bird shopper discounts.

There are many stores that offer early bird shopping discounts as early as the week of Thanksgiving. Some offer early discounts online. Again, remember the importance of doing your research.

For Black Friday 2012, here are some of the popular retail stores that are offering early bird shopping deals:

  • Walmart starts their first Black Friday Sale at 8pm on Thanksgiving. They also announced a 10pm sale on electronics and another sale by 5am the next day.
    Walmart also made an announcement that those who are in line by 10pm and 11pm on Thanksgiving Day will get their most popular items:
    Apple iPad 2 for with Wi-Fi plus a $75 Wal-Mart gift card for $399
    Emerson 32-inch LCD TV for $148
    LG Blu-ray player for $38
  • Sears stores will open at 8pm on Thanksgiving and will stay open until 10pm on Black Friday. Additionally, those who are members of Sears loyalty club Shop Your Way can avail of the early bird specials online as early as November 18, 2012!
  • Macy’s, Kohl’s, and Best Buy will open at 12 midnight after Thanksgiving.
  • Lord & Taylor will be opening at 10am on Thanksgiving.
  • Kohl’s announced that online shoppers will be able to buy all early morning specials on November 21, 2012 and all day on Thanksgiving.

 

5. Shop online.

Some stores like Apple have been known to give out the best deals on their products at their online stores than retail stores or official distributors. So, again, do your research and compare prices in-store and online. If the price difference is not significantly high, then why bother waking up early and lining up, right?

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Have fun shopping! I’m planning on buying a new laptop this year. How about you?

Related Black Friday Articles:

I Miss My iPad

Back in 2009, I won an Apple iPad from an online blogging contest I joined. Imagine winning something as valuable as an iPad. Back then, it costs around Php 18,000+ (around $440) in Greenhills, so it was indeed something I was ecstatic about. However, last year, we had to part ways for some reason. I guess it’s because I was aiming for another gadget and I felt like I wasn’t using my iPad as often as I thought I would.

Fast forward to today, I am missing having my iPad around. I use it to read ebooks, do my regular browsing on my favorite social media, news, tech and entertainment sites, and catch up on some of the blogs I follow. I prefer its touchscreen and how much portable it is compared to my laptop. And I’m not comfortable reading ebooks on my laptop.

Enjoy browsing through The New iPad

As much as I want to buy a Kindle instead, I am now aiming for The New iPad. I want to start reading again and catch up on some of the books I haven’t finished because I have no proper medium to read them without straining my eyes.

I am already canvassing and comparing prices. I’ve also tried finding great coupons online for gadgets and sites that have promos for the iPad I want. But, I have to hold off on this plan since I’m also preparing for our 4-day, 3-night vacation in Bohol that’ll coincide with my birthday. I think I’ll just take care of an extra battery or battery grip for my DSLR (Nikon D3100), so I can take photos like there’s no tomorrow during our vacation. Need to scour the web for the best prices for the battery or the grip too. I have’t found any online voucher codes that I can use, so I’m sticking with the same online gadget store where I bought my Canon digital camera back in 2010.

The resolutionary iPad.pg

I’m currently reading a Michael Pollan book, but I can’t seem to stay long reading through my laptop’s screen, so I’m looking forward to getting me an iPad before this year ends. It’ll be like my Christmas gift to myself. 😀

Oh wait, I’m also thinking about getting an Android tablet instead after some of my friends’ recommendation. What do you think?

Thank Goodness for Group Buying Sites

As I’ve written before and on my other blogs, I am loving the convenience of online shopping. There are a ton of online stores, not to mention the online sellers on Sulit, Multiply, AyosDito, and eBay, giving us shoppers more options and, of course, bigger savings since most of them are posting their ads and products on free sites.

Last year, we saw the boom of group-buying sites. Almost every month, there’s a new group deal site launching, offering us discounts for various products and services from restaurants and other establishments / companies. These sites used to only have discount vouchers for dining, spas, hotels and travel agencies. But, now, there are more products you can buy through them at very big discounts, including cosmetics, beauty products, rustic bedroom furniture and other stuff you can add to your home. Lately, though, I’ve been monitoring the gadget deals they’re offering.

For instance, these deals from CashCashPinoy and Groupon Philippines. You can buy this Android Tablet for 51% off…

Onda Vi10 Elite Ice Cream Sandwich Android Tablet on Groupon Philippines

… or this Cherry Mobile M9 for Php 1,999.

Cherry Mobile M9 on CashCashPinoy

Most of the products like these are for pickup, especially when they’re not that expensive. But, I still prefer to shop through DBGadgets since I’ve bought a digital camera from them.

I know, there are group buying sites you need to be wary of. I wrote about the sickening ploys of MetroDeal which led me to buy vouchers for this restaurant who offered mediocre food after they tricked customers through false advertising. So, be careful. Make sure you do your research and don’t always trust that people (or companies) change. I’ve learned my lesson. I go for those establishments who respect customers, even those like us who buy discount vouchers.