Success story on getting insurance from USPS for stolen (lost) iPhone 4

In my previous post I stated that it might be a good idea not to send notebooks, cellphones (including iPhone 4) to Russia, because USPS denied insurance claims for these items. And now I want to share a success story on getting insurance for a stolen iPhone 4.

USPS denied the insurance claim at first, but the guy didn't give up. He wrote to the "International Claims Processing Accounting Service Center". In his message he mentioned the following links:
http://www.rossvyaz.ru/activity/correlation/declaration/registerDeclaration/
http://www.rossvyaz.ru/press/news/news403.htm
http://tsouz.ru/db/entr/notif/Pages/Default.aspx

In his message he mentioned that iPhone 4 was not a prohibited item. And he attached the following papers and their translations (click to enlarge):






It took 3 weeks to get the insurance for the stolen iPhone 4.

Sierra Trading Post problem: Your order is being held. The name and address of the credit card holder does not match the bank's records.

Sierra Trading Post is one of the best online stores offering sporting goods and outdoor gear. It allows to save 35-70% every day.

I tried to make an purchase at Sierra Trading Post and ship my order to my package forwarder Shipito. I used Shipito virtual address for shipping and billing. I was able to make it, but then my order was put on hold:

[caption id="attachment_1861" align="alignnone" width="583" caption="Sierra Trading Post: Your order is being held"][/caption]

Subject: "Please Respond: Order #EXXXXXXXX On Hold Pending Response"
Message:
Your order is being held.

Customer Number: PXXXXXXXX

Order Number: EXXXXXXXX

Dear Vasya Pupkin,

Thank you for your recent order.

Unfortunately, it is being delayed because:

The name and address of the credit card holder does not match the bank's records. Please call your bank to confirm your billing address, then contact us by email or phone to provide updated information.

Please contact us immediately to verify your foreign credit card billing address.

Please refer to your order number and your customer number when responding to this letter.

Your merchandise will be held for 7 days. If we do not hear from you, we will cancel your order. If you have already taken care of this over the phone, please disregard this notice.

We apologize for the delay, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Sierra Trading Post
Customer Service Department

It was easy to resolve the problem. I just had to contact support once. I have explained that I was paying with my Russian debit card, but used my Shipito virtual address in Torrance, California for both shipping and billing. I also added that this worked fine in other shops including similar once like the Department Of Goods and Altrec (which is true).

Got my order without any problem. Luckily our ski pants and underwear had come before this year's abnormally freezing temperature affected us. So we've been enjoying them this winter.

Happy shopping!

p.s.
Use the following link to register at Sierra Trading Post and you will get $10 just for signing up:
www.sierratradingpost.com/invite~3095691/outlogic/

Purchasing Hartan Buggy IX1 baby stroller and PUKY Dreirad CAT S6 Ceety bicycle in Germany

I had successful experience in shopping for Britax/Romer car seat in Germany. So when I needed a baby stroller and a trike (bicycle with 3 wheels) I decided to check prices in German shops. As previously I was looking for German online stores with prices lower than in Russia. And of course I wanted a shop shipping outside the European Union and excluding VAT. I've reviewed baby strollers and bicycles before making my purchase, so I knew I wanted the Hartan Buggy IX1 baby stroller and the PUKY Ceety bicycle. I will show the shop I've made purchase from and compare prices below. And I will also show some useful tips.

Comparing prices onto Hartan Buggy IX1 and PUKY Ceety in Germany and Russia

According to Yandex.Market Hartan Buggy IX1 costs almost 500 EUR:
[caption id="attachment_1830" align="alignnone" width="485" caption="Yandex market: Hartan Buggy iX1"][/caption]

Compare with 239 EUR (including shipping to Russia) at KidsRoom:
[caption id="attachment_1829" align="alignnone" width="478" caption="KidsRoom: Hartan Buggy iX1 with shipping to Russia"][/caption]

To see the price with shipping and VAT excluded, add items to the shopping cart and choose your country.

Puky Ceety bicycle is new, so I wasn't able to find its prices on Yandex.Market. The lowest price I was able to find was 9500 RUB. Of course it was cheaper at KidsRoom.de (200 EUR), but not twice cheaper as with Romer/Britax car seat or Hartan Buggy IX1 baby stroller:

[caption id="attachment_1833" align="alignnone" width="481" caption="KidsRoom: Puky Ceety with shipping to Russia"][/caption]

Saving even more

I've bought 2 Puky Ceety bicycles and the Hartan Buggy iX1 stroller. As a new year gift I got Puky Wutsch (50 EUR) for FREE. Shipping for all these items was only 60 EUR:

[caption id="attachment_1836" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="kidsroom: Hartan Buggy iX1 and Puky Ceety"][/caption]

This purchase was sent in 3 packages by DHL.

So you can bundle your purchase to save on shipping. But make sure not to exceed 1000 EUR to avoid any customs fees and duties in Russia.

Mistake by paying with Paypal

This time I tried to pay for my purchase with Paypal instead of my debit card. My Paypal account is in USD, and Paypal has charged almost 4.5% for USD to EUR conversion. When I pay with my debit card, the conversion is usually only 0.5 - 1.0%. So I don't recommend to use Paypal in German shops when you purchase from outside the European Union.

More trusted German online stores with baby strollers, car seats, toys,...

KidsRoom.de is not the only web-site recommended by Russian shoppers. There are several other baby shops in Germany that ship to Russia directly and exclude VAT, namely: maxis-babywelt.de, babyshop.de, kidscomfort.eu, Loopoo.de, PingPong Online.

Links

• KidsRoom.de


• maxis-babywelt.de


• babyshop.de


• kidscomfort.eu


• Loopoo.de


• PingPong Online


• Yandex.Market (price comparison and reviews)

www.zulily.com review: Is Zulily a legit private shopping club or scam and fraud?

Private shopping sites for moms, kids and babies (fashion sale sites, private sale clubs, sample sale sites) offer designer clothing at a 50-90% discount.

Zulily claims to offer top-quality apparel, gear and other goodies for moms, babies and kids. But is it a legit shopping club or scam/fraud?

About Zulily

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Zulily - U.S. private shopping club offering sales for kids, pregnant women, moms. It allows orders to be shipped to the USA and Canada. And it can ship internationally using its partner FiftyOne.


Zulily offers great selection of clothing for kids. Some sales feature toys, children books, clothing for moms and pregnant women, ...

Is Zulily a legit shopping club or scam and fraud?

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I've made several orders from Zulily. Bought nursing dresses, lots of great clothing, shoes and toys for my kid. But instead of using FiftyOne for shipping internationally, I used Shipito. I did manage to pay for my orders with my Russian debit card (see this post to learn more). I decided to use Shipito instead of FiftyOne, because it is cheaper this way. Besides I wanted to consolidate my packages to save even more.

[caption id="attachment_268" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Package from Zulily.com on Shipito"][/caption]

I can confirm that you can trust Zulily. It is a great private shopping club for kids, babies and moms.

My rating for Zulily is 4.5 out of 5.

Links

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• Zulily (private shopping club for moms, babies and kids)


• Shipito (US package forwarder)