My Galleon Philippines Experience and Review : How to Buy and Import Gadgets from US via GalleonPH
One of the things that I love doing in my free time is watching popular uploads by my fellow tech vloggers on Youtube.
A few weeks ago, I chanced upon a cool budget-laptop comparison video by TechSource and I got instantly smitten by one of the affordable notebooks that was featured.
Asus EeeBook X205TA costs only around $200, features a large keyboard for comfortable typing, has battery life of - get this - 12 hours on a full charge - thanks to its energy-efficient Intel Atom processor, and just weighs 2.2 lbs! Talk about the perfect on-the-road blogging companion, right? Not to mention, it also looks very sleek and eye-catching.
After seeing how this model easily trumped its main competitors (HP Stream 11 and Asus Transformer T100) in that tech comparison clip, I immediately included the 11.6-inch notebook in my wishlist and scouted for gadget stores that sell it locally.
Looking back, I believe I spent a whole week calling authorized Asus laptop retail outlets in Mega Manila and inquiring about the model -- but surprisingly, none of them carried it.
Apparently, the Philippines is one of the few key markets of the Taiwanese company that didn't officially get this amazing notebook.
I was close to giving up on the idea of acquiring the device when I remembered one Pinoy company that specializes in helping consumers get their hands on rare gadgets or devices that are only available abroad.
The company is called "Galleon".
With its name adapted from the Spanish trading ships called Manila Galleons, this cool and useful website gives consumers in the Philippines the ability to discover, share, and buy new products that are not available locally. All products are sourced directly from US suppliers and shipped to the buyer's doorstep. With Galleon.ph, users can buy products and pay the all-in price (that already covers shipping, customs, taxes and delivery) in Philippine currency (Php) via various payment channels, with no surprise charges.
I've previously heard and read lots of good things about it. And incidentally, I know Jeff Siy, one of its owners. So I decided to try it out and see if I could indeed buy and import my Asus EeeBook X205TA via their website.
Let me share with you the easy and convenient process that I went through with Galleon to get my hands on my new laptop.
1. I simply visited Galleon.ph and registered using my Facebook account.
2. I used the site's big search bar on top to look for the exact notebook model I was eyeing.
3. Asus EeeBook X205TA was released in the United States around mid-2015 and thankfully, many units were up for purchase at Galleon. I chose this one, in Gold:
4. I simply clicked the orange 'Buy Now!' button and proceeded to secured checkout.
5. In the Checkout page, I simply filled in the boxes for my full name, email, phone number, and my billing address.
6. Then, I chose my preferred delivery location, which is my billing address. Users may also pick up their purchased items at Galleon office, at an LBC brand, or their home or office address.
7. After which, I chose my preferred payment method, which is via BPI Deposit. Galleon also supports other payment channels including PayPal, DragonPay, and BDO Deposit.
8. And finally, Galleon prompted me to double check the details I input during Checkout and to confirm my order.
After I paid total of Php 23,819 for the unit via bank deposit, I received a series of emails from Galleon updating me about the status of my order.
The GalleonPH crew regularly sent me messages until my delivery finally arrived. There was no guessing game about the delivery schedule, which I really appreciated.
Overall, my GalleonPH experience was smooth and convenient -- and it's all thanks to the well-designed website and the wonderful staff who kept the communication lines open until I received what I ordered.
My package arrived at my delivery address ten (10) days after I confirmed my order.
My brand new Asus EeeBook X205TA unit came from the United States.
And it's everything that I imagined it to be.
It's now one of my favorite laptops to bring when I cover tech events and launches outside Manila or in other countries. It's so light and its battery life is incredible.
Without GalleonPH, I don't think I could have gotten my hands on this handsome machine.
So as sign of gratitude and as my way of recognizing their top-notch services, I'm recommending GalleonPH to all of you guys and girls who are thinking about buying any gadget or any product for that matter that's not yet available in the Philippine or wasn't officially launched here but is now out in the United States or China. Go ahead and visit their website, you might find something you like there.
A few weeks ago, I chanced upon a cool budget-laptop comparison video by TechSource and I got instantly smitten by one of the affordable notebooks that was featured.
Asus EeeBook X205TA costs only around $200, features a large keyboard for comfortable typing, has battery life of - get this - 12 hours on a full charge - thanks to its energy-efficient Intel Atom processor, and just weighs 2.2 lbs! Talk about the perfect on-the-road blogging companion, right? Not to mention, it also looks very sleek and eye-catching.
After seeing how this model easily trumped its main competitors (HP Stream 11 and Asus Transformer T100) in that tech comparison clip, I immediately included the 11.6-inch notebook in my wishlist and scouted for gadget stores that sell it locally.
Looking back, I believe I spent a whole week calling authorized Asus laptop retail outlets in Mega Manila and inquiring about the model -- but surprisingly, none of them carried it.
Apparently, the Philippines is one of the few key markets of the Taiwanese company that didn't officially get this amazing notebook.
I was close to giving up on the idea of acquiring the device when I remembered one Pinoy company that specializes in helping consumers get their hands on rare gadgets or devices that are only available abroad.
The company is called "Galleon".
With its name adapted from the Spanish trading ships called Manila Galleons, this cool and useful website gives consumers in the Philippines the ability to discover, share, and buy new products that are not available locally. All products are sourced directly from US suppliers and shipped to the buyer's doorstep. With Galleon.ph, users can buy products and pay the all-in price (that already covers shipping, customs, taxes and delivery) in Philippine currency (Php) via various payment channels, with no surprise charges.
I've previously heard and read lots of good things about it. And incidentally, I know Jeff Siy, one of its owners. So I decided to try it out and see if I could indeed buy and import my Asus EeeBook X205TA via their website.
Let me share with you the easy and convenient process that I went through with Galleon to get my hands on my new laptop.
1. I simply visited Galleon.ph and registered using my Facebook account.
2. I used the site's big search bar on top to look for the exact notebook model I was eyeing.
3. Asus EeeBook X205TA was released in the United States around mid-2015 and thankfully, many units were up for purchase at Galleon. I chose this one, in Gold:
4. I simply clicked the orange 'Buy Now!' button and proceeded to secured checkout.
5. In the Checkout page, I simply filled in the boxes for my full name, email, phone number, and my billing address.
6. Then, I chose my preferred delivery location, which is my billing address. Users may also pick up their purchased items at Galleon office, at an LBC brand, or their home or office address.
7. After which, I chose my preferred payment method, which is via BPI Deposit. Galleon also supports other payment channels including PayPal, DragonPay, and BDO Deposit.
8. And finally, Galleon prompted me to double check the details I input during Checkout and to confirm my order.
After I paid total of Php 23,819 for the unit via bank deposit, I received a series of emails from Galleon updating me about the status of my order.
The GalleonPH crew regularly sent me messages until my delivery finally arrived. There was no guessing game about the delivery schedule, which I really appreciated.
Overall, my GalleonPH experience was smooth and convenient -- and it's all thanks to the well-designed website and the wonderful staff who kept the communication lines open until I received what I ordered.
My package arrived at my delivery address ten (10) days after I confirmed my order.
My brand new Asus EeeBook X205TA unit came from the United States.
And it's everything that I imagined it to be.
It's now one of my favorite laptops to bring when I cover tech events and launches outside Manila or in other countries. It's so light and its battery life is incredible.
Without GalleonPH, I don't think I could have gotten my hands on this handsome machine.
So as sign of gratitude and as my way of recognizing their top-notch services, I'm recommending GalleonPH to all of you guys and girls who are thinking about buying any gadget or any product for that matter that's not yet available in the Philippine or wasn't officially launched here but is now out in the United States or China. Go ahead and visit their website, you might find something you like there.
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