Diwali 2016: A semi-comprehensive guide to buying from abroad

By Videep Vijay Kumar /  18 Oct 2016 , 15:27

Buying stuff online? You’re already living in the right country. India’s e-commerce industry has exploded, allowing shoppers to get everything from stupidly large televisions to groceries and bubble top water cans online. Prices are largely competitive, and during times of festive sale, you’re likely to score better deals shopping on Amazon India and Flipkart than their equivalents in the United States, Europe, or even *gasp* China.

If there’s a downside, it’s that of availability. Not everything is available immediately, sellers are very conservative with their stocking, or India somehow skips a generation of products—electronics, for instance. And if you’re the sort who digs fashion (this writer merely knows how to spell the word, admittedly) or are an avid fan of all things trendy, online Indian marketplaces could be entire seasons behind. Yes, whole seasons!

But we have the internet, and world is at our feet. What follows is a list of obvious and not-so-obvious online shopping websites which will put stuff in a box and send it to you from exotic locations—as long you give them your credit card information.

Amazon.com

Let’s get the usual suspects out of the way first. While Amazon.in is fully capable of keeping Indian shoppers happy with its huge catalogue of products, inexpensive Amazon Prime subscription and one-day grocery delivery in some cities, there are going to be some unattainable products. This would be a good time to point out that Amazon.com ships a lot of products overseas (there are restrictions, of course). International shipping and duty charges (based on estimates) are applied at the time of

Amazon Global Store with limited catalogue is useless in its current state

Image Credits: REUTERS

By Rehan Hooda /  17 Oct 2016 , 15:47

Amazon India recently launched “Amazon Global Store” in India after China and Mexico. Amazon global store allows the users to buy products that are not available in India and are available on Amazon in other countries.

Global Store streamlines the process of purchasing goods through proper channels instead of relying on traditional methods as relatives or friends living in the country or passengers that are visiting the country to buy the goods and carry them on their way back.

Amazon Global Store

Issues with workarounds

Even though such methods work without any issue and are considered most reliable for people to procure the goods, there are a lot of limitations that come with such workarounds. These restrictions included the limit on the number of products that you can ask your relatives or passengers to get with them without raising any red flags with the customs department. Global Store provides a legitimate way for users to frequently buy things available on Amazon store outside India, without relying on

Diwali 2016: Here are some not-so-common but interesting gifts you can get this festive season

Image: Rushil Fernandes

By Videep Vijay Kumar /  17 Oct 2016 , 10:45

While it’s true that gifts come in all shapes and sizes (as well as in the form of intangible objects, and donations made in your name to charitable organisations), it’s easier to find something for someone when you understand the intended gift recipient. It’s even easier when you’re told exactly what to buy for someone. But if emotionally disconnected gifting (which is arguably one of the best ways to gift, of course) isn’t your thing, at least let us attempt to make you aware of things you probably didn’t know existed as gifting possibilities. A word of warning, though: most of this stuff will need to be plugged in somewhere.

Logitech Bluetooth Audio Receiver

Starting off with something on the wrong side of the “not so obvious” category is this nifty little piece of hardware from Logitech. While it’s true that everyone including Raju’s aunt has a stylish, cylindrical Bluetooth speaker these days, there are some of us (including yours truly), who simply forgot to invest in such advanced technology. The Logitech Bluetooth Audio Receiver is the perfect alternative.

Priced at a reasonable Rs 1,499 on Amazon India, this compact audio receiver unit plugs into any speaker system via Red-and-White RCA or 3.5mm cables. Multi-device Bluetooth pairing is another feature—easily stream audio from your

Best Audio deals you need to check out on Amazon and Flipkart

By Nikhil Rastogi /  03 Oct 2016 , 09:48

With the October sales upon us, it is indeed exciting and at the same nerve-racking as to what to pick up. Flipkart and Amazon are advertising their massive deals days and it can get a bit tiring to figure out where to head to, to get the best deals. Both sites always show something off but is it really a good deal? We looked through thousands of deals to bring you the best.

Amazon
Amazon has some amazing to good discounts on some products. The key here is that the following audio category products keep rotating on Lightning deals. So if you don’t see it right now, it shows up in “Upcoming Deals” in a few hours.

Single handedly, the BEST DEAL on Amazon is the Sennheiser 598 SE and 598 CS headphones (Amazon exclusive) at Rs 9,909 and Rs 6,999; both cost Rs 18,990 otherwise. Practically the same with supreme sound while the new 598 CS being a closed back design offers more bass and zero sound leakage, unlike the SE original.

Sennheiser 598CS and Sennheiser 598SE

If you are looking for a deal on good Bluetooth speakers, Logitech X50 speakers should suffice. They have good bass in a small package and attractive colours. You’ll see various colours go on

Amazon and Flipkart offer festive season deals to online shoppers

#E-COMMERCE

Image Credit: Amazon.in

By tech2 News Staff /  01 Oct 2016 , 20:12

E-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart have started offering deals to attract potential consumers. Amazon has launched “Great Indian Festival” where the company is offering discounts and additional cash back offers. The company is offering prizes worth Rs 4 crore for the consumers who will use Amazon mobile app for shopping.

Amazon is banking on exclusive deals to