Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Online Gadget Stores in the Philippines

Admit it.  We love to window shop, to try and check the latest gadgets in the market.  Since Christmas is fast approaching, we are now in the “gift-buying mode” as early as October.  Maybe we want to buy the latest tablet in the market, but we think that the price is expensive.  And so, we eye for mall sale discounts and yet we find it still expensive.  Some gadget stores do promotional sales, say, in two hours, they are selling this gadget for 30 to 40% off, of course, on a first come/first serve basis only.  So, you will go there as early as possible, just before the store opens, only to find out that they’re selling a maximum limit of 10 items in two hours time.   Disappointing.  Sounds like my experience from LG. tsk. tsk.

Anyways, good thing there’s good news for everyone who doesn't want to experience that.  There are gadget stores online where you can buy the latest iPad at a lesser/discounted/cheaper -- whatever you want to call it -- price.  Yes!  Online Stores.   I have listed three that I had a firsthand experience transaction with.  I do sometimes check these websites to do price comparisons too from the authorized reseller stores in malls.

Do note, however, that some products may not carry OFFICIAL WARRANTY and offer only store warranty.





KIMSTORE
Website here: https://www.facebook.com/kimstorePH


They have a huge collection of gadgets from cell phones to tablets, to cameras, e-book reader, mp3 players.
I bought an ipod nano -- my first online purchase -- from them.  And that’s when they still have their physical store in St. Francis Square.  I find them very easy to deal with, especially Kim, the owner.

Update:  They're now accepting home/office deliveries for a fee in the ff area:

Makati and Manila area - Php200
Ortigas ad QC area - Php300


DBGADGETS
Website here: https://www.facebook.com/DBGadgets.Page

This is another online gadget store.   They have a huge selection of gadgets, too, just like Kimstore.  They do cash-on-delivery.  They always want to do meet-ups near train stations since it is more convenient for them, I think, to go from one place to another for other customers.
One thing that I find inconvenient (as a buyer) though is to bank deposit an amount (500 pesos) if you’re going to buy a gadget worth 8,000 pesos and above to ensure that you’re not a bogus buyer.

And finally, DBGADGETS has their physical store at Alphaland Magallanes, near Magallanes MRT Station.  Cool, isn't it?  




CMK CELL PHONES
Website here: http://cmkcellphones.com/

They sell cell phones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras.  What’s good thing about this store is that they are an authorized reseller for the brands they sell.  One thing that I like about them is that they have their physical addresses:  one near LRT1 Roosevelt station and West Avenue, QC, their newly opened store.  So once your gadget has a defect, you know where to go, right?  And another thing is that you can purchase using your credit card which I do think Kimstore and DBGadgets offers.


So, there it is.  My top three favorite online gadget stores.  I know that we all want to buy stuff from what our money is worth.  After all they are our hard-earned money.  If you think that you can get huge savings from buying on these online stores, then go ahead and buy from them.  But remember to check what item covers what warranty.  Store warranty is different from the official warranty where you can go directly to the authorized centers for services, etc.

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