Is Ausfis.org a scam, fraud or a legitimate service?

I and two of my friends who participated in the DV lottery got e-mails from scammers offering to transfer 800 USD per person to get green card. We old used USAFIS web-site without paying for their service. And last week I got the following e-mail about immigration to Australia:

Australia is facing a worker shortage and is looking for new immigrants. As a valued USAFIS customer, we wish to make your dream of a better future for you and your family a reality. We have joined forces with AUSFIS to see if you have the job skills to legally live and work in Australia. Finding out if you can immigrate to Australia is based upon your profession, education, age and English level. No lotteries determining your future just your skills.

If you are under the age of 49, experienced in your profession and have a reasonable level of English, let AUSFIS check if you can have a new life in Australia. Register Now to the Australian Skilled Migration Program: http://www.ausfis.org

This is a scam and fraud as reported many users (search for “ausfis.org scam”, “ausfis.org fraud”, “ausfis.org legit”, “ausfis.org complaint”, “ausfis.org review” to find out more). The AUSFIS web-site doesn’t give any reference to Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) website registration which is a requirement by law for all Migration Agents operating in Australia.

If you want to apply for an Australian visa, you should either apply directly via the official Australian government immigration website www.immi.gov.au/immigration/ or use a service of a MARA registered migration agent (www.mara.gov.au). Do not trust any other organisation offering immigration services to Australia and do not give them your credit card number over the phone!

Shipito complaints after 18 months of using it

I’ve been using Shipito for more than 18 months. I have consolidated 124 packages and sent 20 of them to Russia. Lots of experience not only to write praises, but also complaints.

What I don’t like about Shipito

• Changing service plans. Shipito has been introducing new service plans, changing current ones and removing them. This is very annoying.
• Hidden Charges. Shipito does mention that they charge extra for heavy packages ($10 for over 30 pounds, $20 for over 70 pounds, $30 for over 100 pounds, $50 for over 150 pounds). The most interesting thing is that they charge extra $8.5 for consolidating large packages. And if you have consolidated your packages already and the consolidated package is ready to be mailed out, then they will charge $44 for consolidating this package with another one!!! They call it a double repacking fee.
  

  Shipito: Double repacking fee of $44

  If you don’t request them to take pictures of the contents of the packages, they will charge 1% as an additional insurance. Does it really have to do anything with insurance? Absolutely not. Plus they charge 1% as a warehouse insurance, although it is not related to insurance as well.

  And how about their Bank fee of 4.3%? They charge it even if you fill in your account using one of their partners.

  But can you find all this information on the Shipito Services and Prices page? For whatever reason they don’t mention all these hidden fees at all:

  

  Shipito Services and Prices

• Blurry pictures. Many of the pictures of the packages they make are blurry. In many cases it is next to impossible to recognize the sender of the package. You can notify them that the label is unreadable and they will take another picture. But why can’t they always take good pictures?
• Significant delays every Chrismas and New Year. Some customers had to wait up to a week for the packages to be consolidated and sent.
• Account validation. Shipito requires you to send 2 IDs to verify your account. Moreover you need to send a utility bill and a notarized FORM 1583 to fully verify your account. You can receive packages, but not letters without providing the notarized FORM 1583.
• Limiting the size of the mailbox. Although my mailbox has bee 44% full at most, I don’t really want to have any limits. The more packages their customers send, the more they earn, so I don’t understand why posing any limits like that at all.
• Not working on holidays.
• No mobile apps, so you can easily manage your account from an iPhone, Android smartphone,… The web-site is not mobile device friendly at all.
• No branded duct tape. It would allow to identify whether your package was opened or not.
• Not perfect packaging by default for Russian post. Some russian mail forwarders know really well how russian post works, so they take additional steps to prevent damages of your goods. And you don’t need to pay any additional fees for this service.
• Poor customer service. I must admit that sometimes they do solve your problems. But sometimes communication with their customer service turns into endless discussion, when they don’t even recognize their own mistakes.
• Not perfect packaging by default for Russian post. Some russian mail forwarders know really well how russian post works, so they take additional steps to prevent damages of your goods. And you don’t need to pay any additional fees for this service.

Is it that bad that I will switch to some other shipping forwarder? The fees are not bad. You can find my examples here and here. Despite all the negativity mentioned above, it works good for me. And my Virtual Mailbox plan will end up in more than 6 months. If I see any better shipping forwarder after that, I will think about it.

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.

Package from Zulily.com on Shipito

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)

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

Private shopping sites (fashion sale sites, private sale clubs, sample sale sites) offer designer clothing for men, women, kids at discounted prices. They allow you to buy fashion clothing as well as other stuff at a 50-90% discount. The only problem is that top US and Canadian private shopping sites do not offer International shipping. But there are exceptions.

Few private shopping clubs offer international shipping. Prive.com claims to ship not only to Canada, the USA, the UK, but also internationally. But is it a legit shopping club?

About Prive

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Prive – is a members-only online retailer offering access to designer clothing for men and women at exclusive prices.
Prive features a unique selection of established designers and contemporary collections.

Does Prive ship internationally?

Currently Prive ships internationally. Orders shipped outside of Canada are not subject to any sales tax.

What countries Prive allows to ship to?

• Group A: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Luxembourg, Malaysia, Morocco, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Spain, St. Kitts & Nevis, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan.
• Group B: All other countries.

International Shipping Rates (except for the US and Canada)

	Xpresspost	Priority Courier
Group A	$50 (3-5 days)	-
Group B	-	$70 (2-5 days)

Is Prive a legit shopping club or scam and fraud?

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I’ve ordered a couple of jeans and a jacket from Prive. I’ve sent them to the my virtual USA address (I’ve been using Shipito package forwarder). Here is my package from Prive on Shipito:

I’ve consolidated my packages (only one of them was from Prive.com) and sent them to Russia. I can confirm now that Prive.com is a legitimate shopping club.

Comparing Prive with my favorite shopping club

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I still prefer to use a USA shopping club Ideeli with my shipping forwarder Shipito. Both Prive and Ideeli support International debit and credit cards, but there are many reasons why Ideeli is better:

• Ideeli allows you to add items to your order after placing it. You can also change your order or cancel it easily. This is very important when using flash sale sites. It is very disappointing that you can’t change your order, add items or cancel your order on Prive.
• Ideeli has much more sales than Prive. And besides clothing for men and women Ideeli offers items for kids, home and travel deals.
• Prices on Ideeli are lower than on Prive.
• Ideeli has size charts, so it is much easier to find the size that you need.
• Ideeli ships your orders much faster than Prive.
• Ideeli has better photos of clothing.

Links

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• Prive (private shopping club)
• Ideeli (private shopping club)
• Shipito (US package forwarder)

As of February 17th 2012, Prive.com is closed.
And they didn’t return my 650 dollars of credits to me, so this is a scam.

Shipito.com alternatives. Part 2: VIAddress.com review and comparison with Shipito

VIAddress is a worldwide shipping forwarder offering a USA virtual address for making online purchases in America. Its membership is free. There are no fees for package consolidation, you may store your packages for free for 90 days. Assisted purchases are available. And VIAddress can ship to worldwide destinations via UPS, FEDEX, DHL, USPS. Looks attractive, isn’t it? Let’s find out whether there is any catch.

Comparing VIAddress and Shipito shipping rates

If you take a look onto VIAdress homepage, you will find a very attractive chart:

So I decided to compare VIAdress estimated shipping costs to the costs of real packages I sent to Russia in 2011 via USPS Express Mail using Shipito

Weight, lbs	VIAddress Estemation	Shipito
12.3	$127.38	$121.89
19.9	$180.42	$135.25
34.7	$279.86	$222.59

I do pay $50 for a yearly membership in Shipito, while VIAdress membership is free. But if I send a package of 34.7 lbs via USPS to Russia using VIAddress, I will pay extra $55+ compared to Shipito.

Some more details about VIAddress

Unfortunately shipping fees is not the only problem of VIAddress. VIAdress has the lowest possible rating on BBB. And there many complaints about VIAddress from around the world, some of them even lead an investigation by The Indiana Attorney General’s office.

Would you recommend to use VIAddress?

I have never been a customer of VIAddress, but personally I prefer to stay away from it.

Shipito shipping rates are one of the best. Considering the amount of services Shipito provides, their quality and cost, I think Shipito is one of the best freight forwarding companies.

DiamondShark discount jewerly review: Saved $1,558.00 off MSRP on jewerly since 10/28/2010

I’ve been a happy customer of DiamondShark (www.DiamondShark.com or www.SharkStores.com/Jewelry). I had one problem with them, but their customer support was so quick and helpful, that can’t even express how much I love this discount jewerly shop.

The only problem is that DiamondShark (SharkStores) has never showed MSRP prices on jewerly items, so I didn’t really know whether I was getting any discount or not. But today I got a letter from them saying that I have saved $1,558.00 off MSRP since 10/28/2010!!! I didn’t know that all jewerly items I bought were sold at a discount of at least 80%:

DiamondShark (SharkStores) discount jewerly: Saved a total of $1,558.00 off MSR since 10/28/2010

 

Note that I was buying jewerly items on DiamondShark (SharkStores) from outside the USA.

Want to buy jewerly from SharkStores deal a day site? Check out the SharkStores coupon codes:
www.SharkStores.com: Coupon codes for SharkStores

Fedex vs. USPS: Fedex is about service and USPS is about lost and damaged packages?

My post about Comparison of Shipito and BundleBox had an immediate reaction from Nicola M.:

If you are a user that is likely to ship expensive pieces of apparel, shoes, hightech, gear/equipment – you might want to try BundleBox.

USPS is NOT comparable to FedEx. FedEx is the most cost-efficient. It provides a much better service than USPS. USPS is a lot cheaper but there are a lot of issues with packages being lost, broken, etc – Not to mention the fact that USPS offer a very poor customer service, compared to FedEx.

The level of service is key to explaining the different shipping rates.
…
If I may object to the way you conducted your comparison, I am not sure you are comparing apples with apples.

I do recognize that I wasn’t able to compare shipping rates of Fedex when sending via BundleBox and Shipito. The reason for that is that the Shipito calculator didn’t show me any rates for Fedex.

Another reason for me not to use Fedex is because they don’t seem to have a customs broker in Russia at all (!). So unless I want to risk my package to be returned, there is no reason to use it (Note that you will need to pay the return fee in case of return). One can try to send the following package to Russia:

1. Declared value up to 200 EUR
2. Weight up to 20 Kg.
3. Up to five identical pieces in one parcel. (Can be 5 pieces of “A” and 4 pieces of “B” = 9, but not 6 pieces of “A”)

But even Nicola has mentioned that Fedex is for expensive pieces of apparel, shoes, hightech, gear/equipment, so Fedex is clearly not an option for Russia. Now let’s leave Russia alone.

As for Fedex in general, Shipito offers “huge discounts negotiated” on behalf of their customers. And it has a warehouses in Portland, Oregon. Any purchase shipped to Oregon is not charged sales tax.

Is Fedex about service and USPS about lost and damaged packages?

I must admit that USPS is not ideal. But none of my packages arrived damaged and none of them were lost. I really had some problems with the Russian post, and I couldn’t get any reply about package I filed a claim about for more than a month. But this has nothing to do with USPS.

During the last 6 months I received 39 packages that were sent mainly by USPS and UPS to my Shipito mailbox. And I sent all my consolidated packages to Russia via USPS Priority Mail and USPS Express Mail. Plus I got more than 10 packages from US sellers, who sent them to me directly via USPS and UPS. Nothing was damaged or lost (not my HP Envy laptop, not my Panasonic TM700 Camcorder, not 3 my Kindle book readers, not my pretty expensive clothing from private shopping clubs like Ideeli.

Shipito: 39 packages received, 9 packages sent

 

I didn’t have any problem with Fedex as well. But I was really disappointed when they left a couple of my packages at the entrance of an apartment house in San Francisco. They didn’t even try to call me. This was the time I decided to avoid them, since I didn’t see any reason to pay higher fees for such a service.

Even if you don’t like USPS, you can try to use UPS instead. There might be more risk to use USPS instead of UPS, Fedex or DHL, and the USPS service might be worse than what alternative companies offer, but at least your USPS packages can be insured and have tracking numbers.

Share your experience with USPS, UPS, Fedex, DHL,…

Do you have a different experience with USPS, UPS, Fedex, DHL? Do you use any alternative services like Shipito Air Mail? Please share your thoughts.

Shipito.com alternatives. Part 1: BundleBox.com review and comparison with Shipito

BundleBox provides you with your personal USA parcel forwarding address. Registration takes a minute, and your address is available immediately. BundleBox has no registration or subscription fee. With your BundleBox address, now you can shop at any USA website, using your BundleBox address as your delivery address.
Once your purchases arrive at your BundleBox, we will notify you via email. When you are ready, and received all your purchases, you can book the shipment of your purchases to final destination.

BundleBox offers an Fedex express delivery service of 2-3 days and a Fedex regular delivery service of 4-5 days. The more items you bundle, the better our international shipping rates get.

Additional services

• Buy For Me personal shopper service: If the USA website does not accept your credit card, we can purchase the item on your behalf. Just let us know what you want and we’ll buy it for you.
• Suite Insurance: You can insure your purchases while they are in your BundleBox against damage or loss up to a value of $10,000.
• Repack & consolidation service: BundleBox offers a repacking and consolidaton service to save on shipping cost and to ensure that your purchases are extra protected.

Comparing BundleBox and Shipito shipping rates

Unlike Shipito, BundleBox offers shipping via Fedex only. It might be the most reliable shipping method, but it is the most expensive one:

BundleBox Shipping rates for Canada destinations

Weight, kg	Example	Delivery service
		Express	Regular
0.25	CD, DVD, Necklace	BundleEnvelope – CA$26.00	CA$33.71
0.5	Adidas tank top, Tshirt, Watch, Xbox Game	BundlePack – CA$33.98	CA$35.78
0.9	Camera, Baby fleece jacket, Cosmetics, Track Suit	BundlePack – CA$33.98	CA$35.78
2.5	Laptop, Set of kitchen knives, 2 pairs of Jeans, Jumper, Pajamas, iPad, eBook reader, Coat	CA$49.70	CA$48.26
5	Boots, Baby doll, Ugg Boots	CA$60.09	CA$59.33
10	Cowboy Hat, Power tools, Home Server, Steering wheel cover, 3 pairs of shoes	CA$90.59	CA$79.86
25	Electric guitar, TV	CA$158.61	CA$140.45
50	Kitchen chair	CA$250.55	CA$213.59
100	Lounge chair	CA$507.41	CA$456.67

BundleBox Shipping rates for the U.K. destinations

Weight, kg	Example	Delivery service
		Express	Regular
0.25	CD, DVD, Necklace	BundleEnvelope – £18.94	£28.25
0.5	Adidas tank top, Tshirt, Watch, Xbox Game	BundlePack – £25.37	£30.51
0.9	Camera, Baby fleece jacket, Cosmetics, Track Suit	BundlePack – £25.37	£30.51
2.5	Laptop, Set of kitchen knives, 2 pairs of Jeans, Jumper, Pajamas, iPad, eBook reader, Coat	£48.04	£41.78
5	Boots, Baby doll, Ugg Boots	£61.08	£54.72
10	Cowboy Hat, Power tools, Home Server, Steering wheel cover, 3 pairs of shoes	£90.42	£74.00
25	Electric guitar, TV	£168.45	£115.67
50	Kitchen chair	£307.42	£177.16
100	Lounge chair	£549.60	£316.89

BundleBox Shipping rates for Australia destinations

Weight, kg	Example	Delivery service
		Express	Regular
0.25	CD, DVD, Necklace	BundleEnvelope – AU$30.75	AU$42.39
0.5	Adidas tank top, Tshirt, Watch, Xbox Game	BundlePack – AU$37.83	AU$49.28
0.9	Camera, Baby fleece jacket, Cosmetics, Track Suit	BundlePack – AU$37.83	AU$49.28
2.5	Laptop, Set of kitchen knives, 2 pairs of Jeans, Jumper, Pajamas, iPad, eBook reader, Coat	AU$79.53	AU$81.21
5	Boots, Baby doll, Ugg Boots	AU$112.66	AU$116.66
10	Cowboy Hat, Power tools, Home Server, Steering wheel cover, 3 pairs of shoes	AU$182.65	AU$184.48
25	Electric guitar, TV	AU$345.97	AU$317.85
50	Kitchen chair	AU$651.61	AU$435.08
100	Lounge chair	AU$1146.11	AU$765.35

BundleBox Shipping rates for Russia destinations

Weight, kg	Example	Delivery service
		Express	Regular
0.25	CD, DVD, Necklace	BundleEnvelope – RUR1609.12	RUR2956.93
0.5	Adidas tank top, Tshirt, Watch, Xbox Game	BundlePack – RUR1954.98	RUR3013.19
0.9	Camera, Baby fleece jacket, Cosmetics, Track Suit	BundlePack – RUR1954.98	RUR3013.19
2.5	Laptop, Set of kitchen knives, 2 pairs of Jeans, Jumper, Pajamas, iPad, eBook reader, Coat	RUR4020.39	RUR3447.60
5	Boots, Baby doll, Ugg Boots	RUR5216.59	RUR5356.04
10	Cowboy Hat, Power tools, Home Server, Steering wheel cover, 3 pairs of shoes	RUR9384.70	RUR8189.01
25	Electric guitar, TV	RUR17289.12	RUR13956.70
50	Kitchen chair	RUR30041.36	RUR18517.86
100	Lounge chair	RUR59666.55	RUR36779.19

Bundlebox shipping rates: Canada

Bundlebox shipping rates: the UK

Bundlebox shipping rates: Australia

Bundlebox shipping rates: Russia

 

It costed me $121.89 to ship my last 12.30 lbs (5.58 kg) 17″×13″×10″ (44×34×26 cm) package to Russia via USPS Express Mail International. Compare with $290 for a 10.00 lbs package sent by Fedex Regular Mail via BundleBox. So even if you pay $50/year for the “VIRTUAL MAILBOX” plan on shipito (there are other options available as well), it will still be cheaper to use Shipito.

Shipito 12.30 lbs package sent via USPS Express Mail International

 

And even if you want to use Fedex only, Shipito offers FedEx, FedEx MPS, Fedex Freight. Plus you will be able to use other shipping methods in the future (USPS Express Mail, USPS Priority Mail, USPS Flat rate box and Flat rate envelope, UPS, Polonez Parcel, TNT, Shipito Air Mail and DHL).

Comparing additional features of BundleBox and Shipito

Like BundleBox, Shipito offers package consolidation and assisted purchases. BundleBox has no hidden charges, no checkout fees, no ongoing monthly fees. Shipito fee structure is slightly more difficult depending on whether you want to consolidate your packages or not, but still it is pretty simple.

Bottom line: Shipito is a clear winner

I prefer Shipito to BundleBox. Any idea why to use BundleBox?

www.shareasale.com review: Is ShareASale a scam? Why not to use ShareASale?

ShareASale: Scam & Fraud?

I’ve been a successful affiliate for more than 10 years. I’ve been promoting hundreds of advertisers through Commission Junction (CJ), Connect Commerce (Google Commerce), BeFree, Linkshare and other networks. The only fraud with affiliate networks having 100+ advertisers I had was with ShareASale (www.shareasale.com). As soon as I requested payment, they suspended my account.

I’ve tried to contact the ShareAsale (www.shareasale.com) support several times to no avail. They explained me that my web-site was using language other than English. My web-site was using several languages indeed, but all pages using ShareASale links were in English. ShareASale support didn’t care about this fact.

My main income wasn’t coming from ShareASale anyway due to the low quality of advertisers of the network. ShareASale has been using a small threshold which was attracting small companies. The latter companies often disappear from the network and are hardly worth advertising. Besides I managed to persuade all advertisers that I really needed to switch to other affiliate networks (CJ mainly).

Commission Junction (CJ) likes international advertisers and affiliates. It doesn’t like scams, fake leads, … but I’ve never been involved in anything like that, so I guess they have been happy to send me payment since 2001!

Commission Junction: Check

If you still plan to join ShareASale (www.shareasale.com) as an affiliate, make sure to read other users reporting suspended accounts for no reason.

ShareASale: Affiliate agreement

And if you plan to join ShareASale as an advertiser, make sure to use other affiliate networks if you need affiliates promoting your offers in different languages. ShareASale still has a draconian policy about non-English content (See ShareASale affiliate agreement)

Why would you need affiliates having pages in non-English? For example, ShareASale has several Chinese shops that ship worldwide; they could have much better promotion by allowing content in all possible languages. Or another example, some software vendors selling software worldwide use ShareASale; why wouldn’t they want to promote their software on web-sites using German, Japanese, French, Spanish and other languages? Or imagine that you have a Canadian web-site that has content in both English and French; you will be able to use ShareASale links on the English part only, not on the French one. Or may be your web-site is translated automatically, but again you can use ShareASale links on English pages only.

Other affiliate networks just allow offers when affiliates are paid for sending customers from select countries. And it is understandable especially when advertisers pay for leads. It prevents cheating indeed.

Hope you will have better luck with ShareASale, if you eventually decide to join it.