Using Vpost to Purchase Astro Items

This is where you can read up the answers to some FAQs on astronomy and star-gazing in Singapore. Members' contributions are welcomed.
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Airconvent
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Using Vpost to Purchase Astro Items

Post by Airconvent »

Extracted from a post by Chris (Bodoh). Thanks!:

Here are the FAQs for VpostUSA for those who are interested...

What is vPOSTUSA service?
vPOSTUSA is a service provided by Singapore Post which allows you to shop at eligible and multiple U.S Merchant website at the same time and have your items consolidated and delivered to your Singapore address.
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What are the benefits of vPOSTUSA service?
· Purchase items that do not ship to Singapore
· Save as much as 20% on shipping charges as a result of consolidation of your items for shipment to Singapore
· Be the first to purchase online items from the U.S that are yet to be released in Singapore!
· You can purchase items that are relatively cheaper in the U.S.
· You can shop at eligible and multiple U.S Merchant websites.
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Which overseas website can I make a purchase from?
You can purchase from any U.S Merchant website as long as the Merchant allows a Singapore credit card billing address. You should check with the Merchant if you are unsure whether the Merchant supports a Singapore credit card billing. Here are just some examples of U.S Merchants you can purchase from: www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.victoriassecret.com, www.lego.com, www.landsend.com, www.christianbooks.com and many more.
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How is it that I am able to enjoy savings with vPOSTUSA?
As vPOSTUSA gives you the opportunity to consolidate your items for shipment, you can save up to 20% on your shipping charges if you consolidate your items and meet the weekly shipment to your Singapore address.
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How do I sign up for vPOSTUSA service?
You must be a verified vPOST member. If you are not already a vPOST member, please click here to sign up for vPOST service first.
Next, proceed to sign up for vPOSTUSA by simply selecting “vPOSTUSA” on the top navigator menu after logging into vPOST. Once you accept the terms & conditions, a vPOSTUSA address will be revealed to you. You can thereafter refer to your Personalized Guide on how to use vPOSTUSA service.
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What are the terms and conditions of vPOSTUSA service?
Please click here for the latest Terms & Conditions.
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What are the 3 easy steps in using vPOSTUSA?
Step 1: Shop and pay for your purchase. Indicate your vPost account number (VP) and the vPOSTUSA address when checking out:

Name : <your name> c/o GPS-LAX
eg Michelle Lim c/o GPS-LAX
Address 1 : 900 West Florence Avenue
Address 2 : <your VP number> eg VP123456
City : Inglewood
State : California
Zip Code : 90301
Telephone : (301) - 4108880

Step 2: Email or Fax your purchase invoice to vPOST customer service within 24 hours of your purchase

Email : vpostusa@vpost.com.sg
Fax : 68413982

Step 3: You will receive an email invoice of your total shipment charge. Pay for your total shipment charges via vPOST and your items will be delivered to your Singapore address. vPOSTUSA consolidates items on a weekly basis.

What are the items that I can purchase?
Any items except those prohibited by any law in force in the Republic of Singapore and the country of origin (U.S).
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What are the items that are prohibited?
Dangerous items and any items that are prohibited by law in force in the Republic of Singapore. The list of prohibited items are, but not limited to:
- chewing gum
- chewing tobacco and limitation tobacco products
- cigarette lighters of pistols or revolver shape
- controlled drugs and psychotropic substances
- firecrackers
- obscene articles, publications, video tapes/discs and software
- reproduction of copyright publications, video tapes, video compact discs, laser discs, records or cassette
- seditious and treasonable materials
- animals or any living being
Please refer to Customs website at www.customs.gov.sg for any updates/information on prohibited items.
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How should I plan my purchase to enjoy savings in the consolidation of my items to meet the weekly shipments?
Please refer to Process Chart for the procedures and the necessary actions to be taken to meet the weekly shipments.
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What if I forget my vPOST account number and the vPOSTUSA address I have to use?
Your vPOST account number and the vPOSTUSA address will be reflected in your vPOST profile after you have signed up for vPOSTUSA service. To check your vPOST profile, simply log in to vPOST and click “Profile” on the left navigator menu.
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What must I do before I log off from the Merchant’s website?
You must ensure that you have printed or saved a copy of the invoice of your purchase. Please forward this invoice either by fax or email, within 24 hours of your purchase, to vPOST customer service for the verification of billing and custom clearance of your purchase.

Attention To: vPOST Customer Service
Fax: 68413982
Email: vpostusa@vpost.com.sg

What are the Shipping charges under vPOSTUSA service?
Shipping charges which covers handling, overseas shipping and local delivery from the vPOSTUSA address to your Singapore address, will be based as follows. Please click here to see the shipping charges.
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How can I calculate my shipping charges when I am shopping online?
You can refer to vPOSTUSA Calculator for the easy calculation of your shipping charges while shopping online. Please log on to vPOST to locate the vPOSTUSA Calculator.
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How will I be notified of the total shipment charges I have to pay?
You will be notified via email containing our payment advice on the total shipment charges. We will notify you on every Friday of the week so that your items can be shipped from the vPOSTUSA address by the end of that week.
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What payment modes are accepted for any payment I have to make to vPOSTUSA?
Payment modes such as Giro-On-Demand, Credit card (Visa/Mastercard) and eNETS Debit payment modes via vPOST are accepted for any payment to vPOSTUSA service. Please ensure that you have made the necessary arrangements for any of the above payment modes before signing up for vPOSTUSA service.
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Besides shipping charge what are the other charges I have to be aware of?
Other possible charges are, but not limited to, Goods and services tax (GST), Customs duty and License fee and any other applicable taxes and fees.
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How is GST calculated and how will I know whether I have to pay GST?
GST is calculated based on the Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF) value of the item plus all duties payable. GST relief is granted on items (excluding intoxicating liquors and tobacco products) imported by a total value not exceeding S$400. Where the value exceeds S$400, the entire sum would be subject to GST. The current GST rate is 5% of CIF.
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How do I know whether my items are subjected to Customs duty?
You can refer to Customs website at www.customs.gov.sg for any updates and information on dutiable and prohibited items. Any dutiable items imported into Singapore are subjected to Customs duty and/or Excise duty in accordance with the Schedule to the Singapore Customs Duties Order.

Where will my items be delivered?
Your items will be delivered to your mailing address as specified in your vPOST Profile only.
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How long will the shipment take?
It takes about 1 week for your items to be shipped from the vPOSTUSA address to your Singapore address. Please refer to the Process Chart for a good understanding of the whole process.
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How will I know my items have reached the vPOSTUSA address?
You will receive an email alert once each shipment has been received at the vPOSTUSA mailing address. Please ensure that you have updated your email address under your vPOST profile and that your mailbox is not full..
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What if all my items have not reached the vPOSTUSA address?
If some of your items have not reached the vPOSTUSA address, you can either hold the shipping till all your items have reached the vPOSTUSA address or choose to ship only those items already at the vPOSTUSA address. Please note that you can hold your items for up to a maximum of one(1) week only.

How can I get the status of my order?
You can check directly with the Merchant’s website on the delivery status of your item to the vPOSTUSA address. Once your item is received in Singapore you can log on to www.speedpost.com.sg to enter your item number under “Track & Trace” to check on the status of your item.
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What if the Merchant delivered the wrong items or quantity to me?
As vPOSTUSA only provides the means for you to consolidate your shipment to Singapore, you will have to liaise directly with the Merchant for any refund, exchange or money-back guarantee policy and/or procedure of any items.
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What is your warranty policy?
As vPOSTUSA only provides a means for your items to be shipped from the vPOSTUSA address to your Singapore mailing address as specified in your vPOST profile, you will have to check directly with the Merchant on their warranty policies. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for details.

Example of shipping charges

(A) Books/Audio Books
The calculation for the purchase of 2 books will be:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore: $8.99 + $6.99 (2) = $22.97

(B) CDs / DVDs / VHS
The calculation for the purchase of 2 DVDs will be:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore: $4.99 + $3.99 (2) = $12.97

(C) CDs / DVDs / VHS Box/Collection/Series Set
The calculation for the purchase of 1 Box Set of Matrix Trilogy containing 3 DVD-ROMs will be:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore: $4.99 + $3.99 (2) = $12.97

(D) Apparels (only for Clothing)
a) The calculation for the purchase of Apparels that priced US$15, using US$1.7 to SGD1:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore: $6.99 + $4.99 = $11.98
b) The calculation for the purchase of Apparel that priced at US$80, using US$1.7 to SGD1:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore: $6.99 + 15%(US$80) = $27.39
c) The calculation for the purchase of Apparel that priced at US$180, using US$1.7 to SGD1:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore
Shipping Charges : $6.99 + 10%(US$180) = $37.59
d) The calculation for the purchase of Apparel that priced at US$320, using US$1.7 to SGD1:
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore
Shipping Charges: $6.99 + 8%(US$320) = $50.51

(E) Others - Camera Accessory
The calculation for the purchase of a 64MB wearable camera will be:
Weight of the package: 0.5 kg
Dimensions of the box: (18 x 14 x 3) cm or (7 x 5.5 x 1.2) inches
Volumetric weight of the box calculated by: (18 X 14 X 3)/6000 = 0.2 kg
Actual weight will be used since it's higher.
Value of the product: US$50.99
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore:
Shipping Charges: $9.99 + $6.99 (0.5) = $13.49

(F) Others - Computer Accessory
The calculation for the purchase of a Laptop Battery will be:
Weight of the package: 0.5 kg
Dimensions of the box: (34 x 9 x 7) cm or (13.4 x 3.5 x 2. inches
Volumetric weight of the box calculated by: (34 X 9 X 7)/6000 = 0.4 kg
Actual weight will be used since it's higher.
Value of the product: US$139.00
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore:
Shipping Charges: $9.99 + $6.99 (0.5) = $13.49

(G) Others - Wireless Accessories
The calculation for the purchase of a 128 MB Compact Flash WIFI card will be:
Weight of the package: 0.5 kg
Dimensions of the box: (36 x 26 x 10) cm or (14 x 10 x 4) inches
Volumetric weight of the box calculated by: (36 X 26 X 10)/6000 = 1.6 kg
Volumetric weight will be used since it's higher.
Value of the product: US$94.04
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore:
Shipping Charges: $9.99 + $6.99 (1.6) = $21.17

(H) Others - Health Products
The calculation for the purchase of a Nutrition Capsules will be:
Weight of the package: 3.2 kg
Dimensions of the box: (42 x 40 x 1 cm or (16.5 x 16 x 7) inches
Volumetric weight of the box calculated by: (42 X 40 X 1/6000 = 5.1 kg
Volumetric weight will be used since it's higher.
Value of the product: US$235.42
Shipping Charges from vPOSTUSA to Singapore:
Shipping Charges: $9.99 + $6.99 (5.1) = $45.64
The Boldly Go Where No Meade Has Gone Before
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United Federation of the Planets
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ariefm71
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Location: bedok

Post by ariefm71 »

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Do I REALLY need to email the purchase invoice to vpost?

You'll be the judge, the following is an email i received from them:
Dear Arief,

We appreciate your interest in our services.
We wish to inform you that we have received a package from Universal Astronomics at the vPOSTUSA address for you.
Please forward a copy of the invoice to us via email at vpostusa@vpost.com.sg or via fax at 68413982 for processing. The invoice shall consist of all necessary information ie. your order number, merchant name, product description, product price, number of item purchased.
We regret that without such information, we are unable to process your order.

Thank you and have a nice day.

Yours sincerely

vPOST Customer Service
vpostusa@vpost.com.sg
For my astromart transactions, I used my paypal receipts as the "invoice". They're ok with it.
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ariefm71
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Location: bedok

Post by ariefm71 »

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(this was asked by several ppl before): How much is it to ship an "8 SCT OTA through vPost?

This pretty much depends on how the seller package the OTA. Some seller uses oversize boxes, some use smaller boxes. Double-box is a must, use firm padding for the inside box and shipping peanuts for the outer box. The vPost shipping cost for my two C8 OTAs I shipped here is between S$150 to S$200.

PS: the charge is always based on volumetric weight, not actual weight. Actual weight of 8" SCT is between 6kg (celestron) to 9kg (meade), the volumetric weight for either one of them can shoot up to 25kg!
addy
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Location: Singapore
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Post by addy »

I guess then we can't use vPost to get items from Astromart since it may not be possible to get an invoice from them..
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ariefm71
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Location: bedok

Post by ariefm71 »

I guess then we can't use vPost to get items from Astromart since it may not be possible to get an invoice from them..
as long as the seller accepts paypal, we can use paypal receipt as the invoice. did that a couple of times.
cheers,
arief
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