Kango Express Forwarding Service Review

Right after the Kango Express launch in October, I got so excited to give the company a try I ended up buying a handful of items for myself and my family. What an early holiday treat! My experience in the past with US-based personal shoppers had been like this: All US prices and shipping rates are converted to Philippine peso at a different rate to compensate for shipping and handling, excluding local rates for local shipment. Usually these shoppers charge Php50-70 per US dollar depending on item size and weight. Items arrive on my doorstep in 3-6 weeks. A cheaper alternative had been to just send my online purchases to my relatives in the US, but they seldom ship items to the Philippines or come here on vacation. (And I don't have the guts to pester them about my personal stuff, even though they ARE my relatives.) With Kango Express now available in the Philippines, I won't have to worry about the lengthy shipment times and personal shopper rates! I went crazy and purchased a bunch of items on Amazon and Aeropostale. Since Kango Express offered consolidation service for shipments I figured I could order multiple items from different shops online! And boy, was I excited to get my hands on new bedding (Aeropostale Hibiscus in a Bag Set), tooth remineralizing gel (3M ESPE OMNI Gel), hair protectant (Half Time Blow Dry Miracle), vitamins (Doctor's Best Vitamin D3 180 soft gels and Doctor's Best CoQ10 120 soft gels), clarifying shampoo (ICE Spiker Eraser Wipe Out Shampoo) and a new set of underwear (Fruit of the Loom Women's Microfiber 5-pack). Here's a breakdown of my purchases along with local prices of their counterparts:

• Aeropostale Hibiscus in a Bag Set - $23.99 (~ Php3,000 for a 6-piece bedding set)
• 3M ESPE OMNI Gel - $8.13 (~ Php 700 for single flouride application at the dentist)
• Half Time Blow Dry Miracle - $12 (Php 1,200 for its equivalent)
• Doctor's Best Vitamin D3 180 soft gels - $3.29 (Php 6.50 per 800IU soft gel)
• Doctor's Best CoQ10 120 soft gels - $13.99 (Php 720 for a different brand available online)
• ICE Spiker Eraser Wipe Out Shampoo - $5.50 (~Php 300 for organic clarifying shampoo)
• Fruit of the Loom Women's 5-pack - $10.49 (~ Php 600 for 3-pack mid-range microfiber undies)

Items were sent from three different locations, so all in all my October 30 shopping splurge cost me $93.40 (including taxes and shipping).

Pictured: Bottles of vitamins for healthy heart and bones, a tube of fluoride gel and a bottle of blow-dry spray that cuts blow dry time in half!

The three different packages arrived at the Kango Express US warehouse on different dates in November after the purchase. I'm happy to note that the Amazon seller who sold the ICE Spiker Eraser sent out the shampoo almost immediately. Although the first package arrived at the warehouse on November 4, the last one reached the warehouse on the evening of November 6 due to some delay. Since Kango Express only ships out consolidated items to the Philippines on Friday mornings, and I wanted to receive all my items at once, I had to schedule the shipment for the following week (November 13). I thought APEC week (November 16-20) would affect shipment of my items, but lo and behold--

My package arrived in the middle of APEC week without a problem!

For this shipment originally the three packages were going to be shipped individually and the shipping fee would be around $101 and some change. MyLinda of KangoExpress was gracious enough to accommodate my request to combine all my packages in one box, which she even reduced size from 21 x 18 x 14 inches to 21 x 18 x 10. She also advised me to use the 20% discount code for first time users to help me save on costs. Shipping fee was reduced to just $77.23, and I have a few items on their way to the warehouse again!

VERDICT

Granted I can purchase most of the items I bought online right here in the PH. With shipping and taxes included, my online purchases total Php8016.62, while the equivalent items here in the Philippines can cost me almost the same. Online shopping and shipping affords me more time to do other stuff, though, since I won't have to walk around the mall or contact local sellers and deposit payments at different banks anymore. PROS 5-day shipping transit time Free hold service Top notch customer service Immediate email notification regarding packages Free package resizing available Reliable shipment tracking CONS Consolidated packages leave the warehouse on Fridays only. Kango Express is highly recommended!