How FirstCry Fools us with 100% Cash Back Offers

Of late we have been seeing the FirsCry's 50% to 100% Cash Back offers on its kids clothing, accessories and shoes range and on other categories too.  Now, I am going to share a personal experience where you should never fall prey for such offers which is nothing but a marketing gimmick to boost sales, at least when it comes to Firstcry unlike many other online portals like Amazon, etc., which genuinely offers good deals to choose and buy.  I am going to talk about their much advertized 100% cash back offers which is a useless one.

How FirstCry Fool or Loot Us

• First they announce 100% cash back for 10 minutes or so
• Suppose you are buying a product of Rs. 600
• For which you dont have to pay any shipping charges etc
• But if your order value is below Rs. 500 you will need to pay shipping charges and that shipping charges will not be included in the cash back
• If you are lucky enough to buy the product within the specified time of (10 minutes) using their given code to be eligible for their 100% cash back offer
• You will get the product delivered as promised
• Now comes their marketing technique
• After receiving the product you will get a coupon code to your email to use for the same value of your purchase for example now in this case Rs. 600
• Now you will need to use this code within 15 days or receiving it otherwise it will lapse
• That is one of the drawback of this offer
• Remember this code is valid only on the select range of products which they choose for you
• And if you manage to choose another product for your kid to buy for Rs. 600 or above and if you enter this code your discount the discount will be applied on the MRP of the product and not what is displayed in their website (which I feel is atrocious from their end)
• For example if the product is mentioned as Rs. 650 and its MRP is Rs. 750, they will choose Rs. 750 as the product price and not Rs. 650
• And after entering the code you will need to pay Rs. 150 and thats what you will think but here comes their another cheating strategy
• While most of the other online portals do not charge shipping charges if you use a code to buy for a specified amount.  For example, Amazon has a shipping charge of Rs. 49 for all products below Rs. 500 and if you are paying for a product using a coupon code and if your payable price becomes less than Rs. 500, then they will not apply shipping charges but our great FirstCry charges shipping charges the moment your payable price goes below Rs. 500 no matter how you get it down to below Rs. 500 either from their given coupon or using gift vouchers which is another atrocious thing they do to rob us.
• So overall you will end up paying Rs. 200 + additionally for a product worth RS. 750 here using this offer
• But the product you receive from FirstCry is not worth the price mentioned for example if a dresss is mentioned as priced Rs. 650 its origintal worth would be only around Rs. 300 with the quality of it (personal experience)
• So overall you are not even buying anything for 100% cash back and not even 50% cash back but you are buying 2 products worth less what your are paying (Rs. 600+Rs. 200=800) so eventually you are paying 2 clothes for Rs. 800 which may be worth only around Rs. 600 so you end up paying additional Rs. 200 with this 100% cash back offer.

So guy/gals, just be aware of this open robbing from FirstCry and never fall prey for such gimmicks.  There are really genuine offers available at websites like Amazon, Flipkart etc., so try to avoid FirstCry At all cost.  There is no personal vendetta for me against FirstCry but just sharing what I feel what they were doing us in the name of offers!

Interesting eBay India Shopping Census 2011

Just like last year, eBay India has announced its very own census of India 2011 where it shares with us the shopping trends, as well as exporting and importing trends that have stemmed from various cities and towns across India. This census tells some very interesting and surprising trends when it comes shopping online in India. It tells us facts like which is the top brought product from a particular city, top 10 traded products, top 10 exported and top 10 imported products in India when shopping at the various eBay websites across the world and India. This shopping census is part of their sharing of online shopping trends that happens across their eBay websites and especially India eBay just like what Google used to share us with its Google Trends every month or year.

Top 10 Traded
According to eBay India Census 2011, the top 10 traded product/item this year are 1) cell phones, 2) wrist watches, 3) Solitaire pendants, 4) India Commonwealth stamps, 5) Republic of India currency notes, 6) DVDs, 7) 8 GB pen drives, 8) homeopathic remedies, 9) headphone with mic, 10) PC video games.

Interesting Facts

• Delhi city ranks No. 1 in this years census with most shopping made from eBay India
  
• Mumbai ranks No. 1 in buying most handbags in India
• Bangalore has imported most webcams
• Jaipur interestingly has brought more fashion socks brought
• Chennai ranks top with exporting most marble tiles in country
• Kolkatta has brought most calling cards on eBay ever
• Sony is the largest selling brand in India followed by Nokia, Samsung, Apple and Reebok
• 1267 Rural hubs are spread over India
• 51% of online shopping comes from the metros
• Electronic gadgets ranks on top with almost 50% shop for it on the whole
  

Shopping Trends

• Maharashtra has brought more exercise dumbbells
• Tamil Nadu tops with most sunglasses brought at eBay
• Delhi has brought most travel bags in the country
• Karnataka tops with most car wash products brought
• Uttar Pradesh exports most bikinis around the world
• Kerala tops with export of Christmas trees
• Goa tops with selling most party wear shirts!
• Manipuris brought most paintball accessories from eBay
• Indians export the most to US, UK, Australia, Germany, and Canada
  

Average Day at eBay India

• A mobile accessory sells every 3 minutes!
• A jewellery, portable storage device, health or beauty products, coins or notes is being sold every 4 minutes
• A mobile phone is being sold every 5 minutes
• A stamp or watch is being sold every 8 and 9 minutes respectively
• Toys and books and magazines are being sold every 17 minutes and 20 minutes respectively
• A laptop and MP3 player sells every 27 minutes and 28 minutes
• Digital camera and video game console is being sold every 39 minutes
  

These census places India under a lens when it comes to online shopping made at ebay.in and their parent websites across the world and is indeed an unique and interesting concept and let us know facts like what are being sold more and who buys them, etc. It is an interesting read indeed especially if you are online shopping enthusiast. It also goes to shows the online shopping which have come a long way in India and is here to stay for years to come and hopefully for the good for the consumers like us!

What do you think or say about this eBay Census? Do you agree or wants to add anything interesting about the shopping experiences or products you brought from eBay India, then share it here on the comments section below.

You can read and download this guide yourself from here. Also check out the existing eBay Dussera offers to get free gifts on your shopping at their website.

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Moving to my own domain at offersgalore.net

After two years of blogging and sharing offers at http://offersgalore.blogspot.com/ I have decided to move to my own domain. And the new domain is www.offersgalore.net. And all the existing and new posts on offers and deals will be posted and transferred here. The old link will not work henceforth. You don’t have to make any changes all the other details like feeds and others things remain the same, except the URL. All the existing fellow users and readers of Offers Galore, please change your bookmarks to the new domain and that is the only change that needs to be made from your end. The old URL will be redirected to the new link.

I have been deliberating to move to my own domain for quite some time and was postponing due to various reasons and finally I have done it. Since the .com domain was registered, I opted for the .net instead.

Hope to have an even more and better relationship with you all after 2 years of blogging and sharing offers here. I request you to give the same support you have been giving to me these 2 years.

Visit the new Address of Offers Galore at Offersgalore.net.

If you have any trouble visiting the blog, just post the issues here or send me an email at offersgalore@gmail.com.

The Online Shopping Guide and Tips

Since the offers are not so forthcoming these days since being off season of sorts, I thought of writing about a general and simple guide on buying online, especially in India. Since buying online is the order of the day these days, it is our duty as a buyer to have adequate knowledge about it, so that it would make your life a whole lot easier. Here I have tried to compile some tips from the experience I have gained all these years as a regular online shopper.

pic courtesy

Comparison Shopping
One essential tip you would need to follow while shopping online would be to do the comparison shopping, this plays a vital role in saving you at least some extra bucks. If you are planning to buy a product online, don’t restrict yourself to just one shopping portal to shop for it, just visit as much shopping sites as you can and look for the price of the same item and decide where you will get them for cheap. But while looking for them, also look for the hidden costs like shipping charges and which site offer them for cheap too.

Offers and Deals
Another great advantage of shopping online is that you get good offers and deals or at least that is what is being said by these so-called shopping portals. But in reality many have some hidden pre-conditions applied to it, you will need to find out the real truth in them by reading the hidden terms and conditions applied and decide on whether to go for it or not. Even here the comparison shopping both online and offline would help you make that decision.

Shipping Charges
As said above one major hindrance when it comes to shopping online is that of the exorbitant shipping charges that most of the shopping websites charge us. Do lookout for the shipping charges before you actually order the item online. Look for such shopping portals which offer you cheap or nominal shipping charges.

Return Policy
You will need to also find out about the return policy of the particular shopping portal that you are planning shop online. As you may then find out that you would not be able to do so due to their no-return policy. Thus read their terms and conditions about it before actually buying online since you don’t want to end up getting a defective product and not being able to return it back. Some sites like Indiatimes have a rather customer unfriendly return policy where we will need to do it with great difficulty with packing, returning, etc. Do lookout for it before buying online.

Secure Shopping
Online security is the most essential part which we often times tend to ignore when shopping online. With the news that we hear every day about credit card details being hacked due to using them at unauthorized or insecure shopping portals, it is up to us to use it wisely and use it only at secure and authorized shopping portals, especially in India where this awareness is yet to catch up among us. Check for the security seal that most of the sites display these day. Also check whether they are offer 128-bit encryption or not. If you are not sure about these technical stuff, just avoid using your credit or debit card at sites which you are not much familiar with. Use them only at known and reputed shopping sites in India.

Read the Fine Print
Reading the fine print is one activity if followed can give you good results especially with shopping online for freebies or offers or anything for that matter. Just make it as a point to read those unwanted yet essential terms and conditions of the shopping sites that you shop with. This is one good habit which would surely help you in a great deal even long term.

Don’t be fooled by the extraordinary product description or on the looks of the product you buy, as the product you will receive may look and have an entirely different description especially in India and this, I have experienced myself multiple times when shopping online. Think twice before buying a product online about the quality of the item you may buy, as there have been many instances where you would receive very inferior quality product although it may sound very cheap on the outlook and description.

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Tips to use your credit card wisely and effectively

I have been using credit cards for quite sometime now and would like to share some tips I came to know of using it wisely, I learnt it from the usage of the same from it. Many would say that credit cards are evil and should not be used at all. But I differ from their views. If you know how to use your credit cards wisely, I say that credit cards are boon especially in circumstances like unlikely emergencies that might ensue without your knowing and you could not get cash immediately. I have had some such instances where credit cards have come in handy during emergencies.

• The first and foremost tip I would give is that never carry your credit cards when you are going for shopping, yes, you are right and you heard it right that never ever carry your credit card for shopping. This will get you into compulsive buying of products that you don't need but wanted to buy it. Always carry cash and/or debit card and this will have an impact on your mind that you are indeed spending your own money, while with credit card, in my own experience, I have found as if I am not spending my own money any expensive products are cheap. Try this tip, you will benefit from it, from my experience.


• The next important tip is about the financial charges that banks charge you every now and then for various reasons like annual fees, joining fees, late payment fees, and cheque bouce fees. Coming to joining fees, nowadays most banks are not charging you any joining fees instead they are giving you back by way of cash backs. Hence this option you can ignore unless some banks charge it. All such additional charges mentioned here can be reversible by the bank if you request for the same, yes it is true that they do indeed reverse the above mentioned fees if you have been charged. Just call the bank's call center number and request for the same, they will immediately oblige it without fail, this is from my own experience too. The annual fees is one aspect, although some banks offer life time free cards, most of us will ignore and will be paying it every year, whereas we have the option of waiving it completely. The late payment fees and/or cheque bouncing fees are another fees where if you forget to pay your bill on time or if your cheque got bounced, they will charge. If you request your bank to reverse it, they will reverse it for sure. Don't ever and never pay annual fees for your credit cards anymore, it is just not worth it. Just try.


• Never ever hold your payment in your credit card, pay your full amount due instead of using partial and/or only paying the 5% revolving credit, this is the major factor in which many of us fall into and get into debt trap. So pay your full amount due unless you have emergency and could not pay the full amount this month but just remember and pay the full amount at least next month. Or else you could use the balance transfer option that many banks are offering these days, some are even offering 0% interest but with a minimal fee.


• The other important aspect in getting maximum benefit from your credit card is that you should know your dates. Especially, you should be knowing your credit card's statement generating date and the payment due date without fail. Try using your card especially the next few days after your statement has been generated instead of within the period. Suppose if your statement is being generated on 15th of every month, try to use your card after 15th of every month, this will let you enjoy the whole credit period the credit card companies are offering. This will be usefull especially if you have more than one card, try to rotate your cards to get maximum benefit from it.


• Don't ever try to withdraw cash using your credit cards, as they attract even more interest than your normal purchases.


• Another important tip would be that don't have more than two credit cards. As this is a bad practice and would often lead to debts accumulating.


• Try to utilize some really very useful offers that the credit card companies come every now and then as well as their and their rewards points.


• If you have a big amount left to be paid in your credit card account and you have been paying only partial payments for quite some time, try to negotiate with that card company on reducing the amount to be paid to a bare minimum that they can afford. Due to accumulation of huge interest rates, most of the banks would accept your offer and would come to a lesser amount and would suggest you the same that you can pay. If you still could not afford to pay, try getting a personal loan and repay it, as personal loans are much cheaper when compared to credit card interests.

• When contacting credit card companies always try to use their toll-free numbers and not the normal toll numbers (most banks will have both). And also try to use their online contact forms if possible (some banks have safe online contact forms). As you know that how long it will take for some banks to get to the "so-called" customer service persons of the respective banks, this will save you time and some extra money on your phone or mobile bills.

These are some of the tips I could remember now but will update more tips every now and then.

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Balance Transfer and Get Rs. 250/- Cash Back

If you actually have some money balance to pay in any credit cards other than HSBC and can actually pay that amount easily, wait don't pay it immediately, just balance transfer it to the HSBC Credit Card. If you do so, you don't have to pay interest for 3 months. In 3 months option, your interest rate will be 0% (which is really amazing) and for 6 months the interest rate is 1.5% (normal rate is 2.95% or more these days).


Here I am going to talk about the three months option and that is with 0% interest. Which considering the zooming interest rates for various loans and mortgages, is really an amazing offer. There is a service charge for each of these transfers. For three months, the service charge is Rs. 249/- Hence that Rs. 250/- cash back will be nullified with this and eventually you will end up with your amount transferred for three months with 0% interest.

Here is an evil or easy way to earn some extra bucks. For the amount you have transferred, consider it as Rs. 10,000/- (it can be even more too). You can actually invest the equivalent amount in mutual funds for three months and try earn interest from it, and yes there will be some 2.5% entry or exit load, but with the markets booming these days, you may get some return at the end of the three months and you can withdraw the whole amount from the fund and pay back the amount you had in the balance transferred card. You can earn at least Rs. 300/- for these three months for Rs. 10,000, from my calculations, and the rest you can calculate yourself for higher amounts if you are transferring. This is not a big amount but still an easy way to earn or should I say save from your credit card?

Here's a very important thing that you need to remember and that is you should know your date in which you balance transferred and should also calculate the exact three months of it and know the date and remember it and note it down. And you should pay it exactly before that date, else you will be charged the normal interest rate as applicable. So go ahead and save some money on your credit card, which were used to be termed as evil, but you can turn it into good.