They say everything can now be bought online (almost). Just recently, the controller of my VR headset broke down and there is no authorized service center locally. My only option is to send the unit back to its manufacturer or buy a new one. Weighing in on the cost of shipping the device back to the United States and claim warranty, I opted to just buy a new one (just the controller) for just US$25.
Before hitting the confirmation button of this online transaction, I checked with different courier services on how much will I spend for this device to be shipped here in Metro Manila – and the average cost is more than twice the actual price of the unit. I need to take another route – consolidation.
But, my go-to consolidator for items originating from the United States (to the Philippines) has been experiencing quite a significant delay on transactions since this community quarantine started in the Philippines. I saw a couple of rants from my friends about this consolidator, so I opted to find another one.
Then, I stumble upon Airspeed’s latest service called UnboxMe , which includes consolidation, storage, and shipping. Airspeed has been around the logistics industry for more than 35 years now.
According to its website, this service is initially available to serve NCR, Clark, Cebu, Davao, and Cagayan de Oro. I tried the service, and it’s quite easy and straight forward:
- I created an UnboxMe account for free via https://www.unboxmeph.com/.
- Upon checkout on the website of my device manufacturer, I used the US address (Los Angeles, California) provided by UnboxMe.
- Once my item reached Airspeed’s LA warehouse, I need to pay the fees.
UnboxMe promises to have the item delivered between 8-12 days (in Metro Manila, while for Clark, Cebu, Davao, and CDO, the delivery lead time is between 12-15 days).
I’m quite confident that my item will arrive on time. I will update you on this consolidated shipping experience soon.