(HAUL) Jolse Web Shop Overview

Jolse has been on my shopping radar for awhile. I've ordered a few times in the past year and have already made my first order of the year as well. Jolse is a web shop that has a lot of good reviews and I thought I'd share my thoughts too.

THE BACKGROUND: Jolse is a web shop that caters to overseas customers. For some brands the prices are a bit higher than retail but for other brands the prices are below retail. Jolse offers 68+ brands on their website. Brands range from well-known road shop brands and high end brands to new and recently discovered brands. I can find all the brands by browsing the site without difficulty. Jolse updates the site frequently with newly released products from Korea. Jolse is also constantly adding new brands so the list of brands available on the site keeps growing. Jolse only accepts paypal but more information is available if one doesn't have a paypal account. Jolse also has a review page that review products from the web shop to help customers shop. I placed my order on 1/06/17 and shows as 1/07/16 on Jolse while the site was running a sale. Jolse constantly has sales so keep an eye out or obviously check their email updates. My order wasn't dispatched until 1/12/17 which is only took 3 days and is understandable because of their sale. Even three days is a quick dispatch. I received my order on 1/16/17 which only took four days. I chose DHL, EMS & DHL is free for orders of $150. Jolse sends a confirmation email once the order goes through and an email when the order is shipped out. There were a ton of samples on top when I opened my package and a freebie that I chose, the Cookie Monster headband. The items were nicely packaged, everything that I ordered was there and nothing leaked. I will definitely continue to shop at Jolse especially because their high end brands are cheaper than other sites.

CONCLUSION: Great communication, Securely packaged, and tons of samples included. Lots and lots of brands available and even more brands added regularly. Prices are quite good especially for high end brands and all products come with free economy shipping which explains why products are a bit higher than retail price. It's definitely a web shop that I will continue to shop from and all my experiences with Jolse have been great. 

SITE LAYOUT: The web site is easy to navigate and isn't very clustered. The banner at the top of the web shop offers information of sales or recently added products. The tabs/links at the top are easy to see. Jolse also has a few tutorials on how to order and what shipping method to use. As well as an extensive FAQ with almost every question one can have answered. 

COMMUNICATION: I haven't had the opportunity to contact Jolse directly but every time I've ordered none of my items are out of stock, the standby is only a few days before the items are shipped out and tons of samples are included. I receive email updates for my order confirmation and when my order has been dispatched.

SHIPPING: Shipping is calculated into the prices only for economy shipping (no tracking). Jolse offers 4 types of shipping, more information is available on the site regarding shipping. The standard shipping is free for orders over $40 or only $2.50 if below that amount. DHL & EMS is based on weight and is free for orders over $150

PRODUCTS ORDERED: REVIEWS ARE COMING!

(HAUL) KoreanBuddy Shopping Service Overview

I'm quite certain that the KoreanBuddy Shopping Service has been reviewed extensively but I still want to share my experience. I've been obsessed with this shopping service and I hope they will continue to offer their services.

THE BACKGROUND: KoreanBuddy is a shopping service that I initially read about on Reddit. I've used prior shopping services but unfortunately those shopping services are no longer active. Koreanbuddy came at a much needed time for me so for that I'm thankful. I've only bought cosmetics through KoreanBuddy but they also take orders for tickets, clothing and accessories. Depending on sales they are able to purchase sale price items however, some sales don't last long enough so please keep that in mind. KoreanBuddy is essentially a great go-between to order hard to find products only available in Korea, and of course sale items. KB does charge very reasonable fees for their service. All information regarding fees is also available on their website. A 10% fee is charged if one provides the links for the product and a 20% fee if no link is provided. If by any chance one wants to order a product only available in-store a 20% fee is added to the product. There is a minimum commission fee is $9USD. There are two methods to order, the first one is filling out a form under the "PLACE AN ORDER" tab. The second method is to send a word document  by clicking on the third button titled, "SHOPPING LIST" located on the right hand side of the screen. After submitting the form one will receive a message that the "order has been received successfully" and that an invoice will be sent after. I've ordered countless times and I receive an invoice the day after I've submitted my order. The turnaround is really fast but may take a bit longer depending on the influx of orders they receive. Once they've processed the order an invoice sent and once the invoice is paid a payment confirmation email is sent shortly after. KB accepts paypal, bitcoin and credit cards. The program "vCita" they use to process and communicate is simple, easy to use and also convenient. This is just one recent timeline for an order I had, I sent my form with links on DEC.25 received an invoice on Dec.28. I made a few mistakes and added a few more items and they sent me a new and updated form on Dec.28. The products were ordered on Dec.29. The products arrived to KoreanBuddy's home on Jan.8 and the second invoice with the shipping fee and commission fee included was sent out on Jan.8 my package was sent out on Dec.18. There was a small wait time but that was because KB had a hectic week during Big Bang concert sales. I didn't mind the wait at all because I sent them a message and they quickly sent me an explanation and everything was okay and the products were ready to be send out. I received the products on Jan.12, I ordered EMS so I had the products in 4 days. All the items were well packaged, not too much bubble wrap just enough to protect the products. Nothing leaked and all the items inside were the items I had ordered. I really love that KoreanBuddy includes all the freebies and samples that offered when ordering from web shops.

CONCLUSION: Amazing communication, Fast response time, Securely packaged, and all samples/freebies offered by web shops are included. Ordering products directly from Korea may or may not be worth it. It depends on the buyer, if one wants to source harder to find products, newly released products, and occasionally cheaper products then a shopping service is a must and I definitely recommend it. However, I would first explore and calculate the difference in prices from Korean web shops that only cater to customers located in Korea and web shops that cater to overseas customers. Especially for products that are widely available. I've had countless transactions with KoreanBuddy and they've all been amazing. KB helps me order products for cheap and I'm always excited to make my next order.

SITE LAYOUT: The web site is clean and informative. The links and tabs are well displayed. Offers tons of information to help the buyer place an order and also the "shopping guide" offers tips from where to shop from. The recent hauls"allows readers to gain an idea on what to haul. Overall I find that KoreanBuddy really wants their customers to have a great experience using their service by offering tons of information to make it simpl and easy to place an order. KoreanBuddy dedicates a lot of their time to help ease the worry and confusion when ordering products from Korean webs shops. The shopping guide not only caters to places one can buy cosmetics from but also K-POP items and tickets as well as clothing. KoreanBuddy also has a "shopping glossary" that is a translation of important Korean terms to help the shopper decide what to buy exactly.

COMMUNICATION: Communication and a fast response time is very important when using online shopping services. I've had really amazing communication with Chris at KoreanBuddy, I'm updated constantly if the products are sold out, when the items have arrived and when the items will be sent out. KoreanBuddy always sends photos of the products when the items have arrived at KB's home. I have a bad habit of adding products after I've sent the form and KoreanBuddy is so understanding and patient and deals with my sudden requests. KoreanBuddy always replies in a timely manner. Their replies are always either on the same day I sent the message or the day after. KoreanBuddy always goes out of their way to satisfy customers inquires and requests. 

SHIPPING: Shipping is calculated by weight. KoreanBuddy has created a "shipping rates" page and is available on their website. KB displays four types of shipping methods. EMS, AIRMAIL, REGISTERED Regular MAIL, AND SURFACE MAIL, shipping rates are all available on the page. I usually order EMS and receive packages between 4-5 days and I did order airmail once and package came in 9-10 days. KB will send you a message between once the first invoice is paid or before the items arrive to ask what shipping type is preferred. 

PRODUCTS ORDERED: REVIEWS ARE COMING!

Where to shop

ONLINE SHOPPING GUIDE. RECOMMENDED WEB SHOPS. TIPS. 

I really wanted to compile this list of online shops for many people who want to purchase Korean brands especially products that aren't on ebay or are a bit harder to find. Most sites offer close to retail Korean cosmetics with some offering free shipping. I definitely recommend to visit the websites and read reviews to make it a very nice shopping experience. I initially wanted to review each site separately but found it easier to compile and leave a short feedback for each web shop, I might review the sites I have not order from soon and do a review then. If you have any questions let me know & I'll try to answer asap.

Online Shops

  Sites I've purchased from multiple times.
 (Excellent Service, Fast Shipping, Overall Good Prices)

BeautyBoxKorea
Jolse
RoseRoseShop
TesterKorea
En.KoreaDepart

Sites I've purchased from in the past.
(Great Service, Fast Shipping, Overall Good Prices)

TwoFacemall

IBuyBeauti

Cosmetic-Love

Wishtrend

Kpoptown

W2Beauty

Gmarket

Rakuten

Memebox

Imomoko

Sasa

Sites I have not yet purchased but have great reviews. 

AdamBeauty
BeautyNetKorea
VutyDesign
KollectionK
Viewtycos
Tenso

Online Shopping Service
(Excellent Service, Fast Shipping, Best Prices)

KoreanBuddy

BoyahShop

Avecko

Korea SS

  *Last Updated 1/1/2017

I will be updating this list frequently please check back.
Thank you for reading.