Save Up to 50% Every Time You Shop at Amazon

Amazon Shopping

Yusho Liu, co-founder of CoinHako.com, dishes out the dirt on how to save money at the world’s largest online retail store.

Let’s get real. Amazon is a wonderland of everything I’ve ever wanted to buy — or didn’t know I needed until they suggested it. With a huge selection of goods being sold at competitive pricing — not to mention, their remarkable 2-day delivery — it was my go-to place for everything during my time in Silicon Valley — except for my sneakers.

So while I was in Silicon Valley attending Boost VC’s accelerator program, I chanced upon this dubious(initially) site that was offering 20% off Amazon — www.purse.io

Purse.io is a San Francisco based startup. Their investors include prominent members in the Bitcoin ecosystem, as well as several well known Silicon Valley funds.

As seen in the screenshot, Purse.io allows holders of Bitcoin to exchange Amazon credits with gift card owners through Purse’s escrow platform. I followed up with some due diligence to check the legitimacy of their platform and decided to give this a shot. I ordered a bottle of fish oil. Sure enough, I received my omega 3 caps and saved about a buck doing so.

Fast forward 3 months and I’m back in sunny Singapore settling down, where I’m busy getting operations started for my own startup — CoinHako. We make Bitcoin easy and accessible.

“Not having 2-day shipping stinks. I know. But maybe learning to save significantly on your Amazon purchases when in Singapore will make it stink less.”

1. Pick your items and place them in your wishlist

I’m sure you’ve been itching to get that latest book on pandas playing chess with gremlins right — because Amazon is Amazin.

2. Sign up for an account at Purse.io

It doesn’t take you more than 30 seconds for this step.

3. Import your Amazon Wishlist into Purse.io

Click on “Spend BTC” and import your wishlist by pasting the URL directly into the field. Click “Import” and a pop up box will appear as shown below. Follow the steps and click “Done”

4. Pick your discount and note down the total amount of Bitcoin (mBTC) required to make the purchase.

It seems like Purse has tiered the discounts based on total spending. This simply means that the more you order via Purse, the more discounts you get.. (UP TO 50%) This should be largely beneficial to people who conduct Mass Orders.

Remember to note down the amount of milli-Bitcoin you will have to purchase. In this case, 503 mBTC = 0.503 BTC

Do note that my receiving address is in Dayton, OH, which is my freight forwarder’s office. The major players in Singapore are Borderlinx, Vpost, Comgateway, 65daigou etc.

5. Create an account at your freight forwarder.

This will give you a local US address to ship to. If you are not too certain on how to use these services, there are instructions on their website.

6. Buy sufficient Bitcoin and place your order.

If you have a Singaporean bank account, head over to CoinHako.com and purchase just enough bitcoins for the purchase. I personally recommend buying a little more in case the price fluctuates. If you do not know how to purchase Bitcoin, please head over here.

Once the coins are in your wallet, send the coins out to YOUR designated wallet address.

My designated wallet address. Purse.io recommends 8% market buffer

7. Wait for transaction to be completed.

It will typically take about 30minutes for the transaction to be confirmed by the network. Once that is done, just wait till it arrives at your transit facility.

Now that you have completed your transaction for 0.503 BTC….

Let’s see how much money Purse & Bitcoin can save YOU.

 Assuming that freight charges leaving Borderlinx is constant, I did some math for regular checkout (via Mastercard), and Purse.io

1. Cost via Mastercard

Based on Amazon’s rates, the total for both items:

USD163 = SGD231.03

2. Cost via Bitcoin @ 20% discount

0.503 BTC @ CoinHako’s rates:

~SGD180

Smart Nation Shopping, this is.

Imagine saving up to $200 for a $1000 purchase.

 (Article contributed by Yusho Liu, founder of CoinHako)

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How And Why You Should Start An Online Business Now

Have you been wanting to start your own business but your intended capital would not suffice? Or maybe the thought of leaving your children at home prevents you? Well, that shipped has sailed when people from the Silicon Valley introduced the “Online Business”. Online business (OB) allow you to sell your product or service at the convenience of your own home and your own time.

Here are the other reasons why you should open your own OB now:

1. SPEND LOW COSTS ON THE START-UP

Once you settled the costs of the products or services that you are planning to sell, you can start opening an OB for S$15.48 or free! The S$15.48 only applies if you want your own website domain name. For example instead of having “myshopname.blogspot.com” you can have “myshopname.com” to appear more professional. Go Daddy sells the website’s domain name at S$15.48 for the first year.

2. WORK ON THE PROJECTS YOU LOVE

Not only do you get to explore your interests and hobbies when thinking of a business idea, you also get to work on something you are really passionate about. This will motivate you to improve your business even more.

3. GET BROADER NETWORK OF POTENTIAL CLIENTS

Since you are setting up a business in the Internet where anyone from anywhere can have an access, you gain a wider scope of clients. This will allow you to transact and ship worldwide.

Sold by the idea of an OB? Here is how you can start yours:

1. DO RESEARCH

Know what is available on the market today. See something that interests you? Incorporate that and add something unique. This will be your niche. Also, research on marketing ideas and budget plans by asking your family, colleagues, friends, or even Google.

2. DEVISE YOUR BUSINESS TYPE AND GOALS

Choose the business you would like to start by tapping into your interests, time availability, and accessible funds. Set goals not just for the business but also for your budget plans.

3. FINALIZE YOUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES

There are a few products that you can sell at a low cost such as essence oils, Ebooks, and stationary. Given that you have sufficient knowledge of Web Designing, you can sell your services online and charge per project.

4. START OPENING YOUR STORE

If you want to set up an online store without spending a dollar, try selling your products and services on either tictail.com or carousell.com. Tictail.com, established in 2012, allows its users to run a nice online store in minutes. Carousell.com, on the otehr hand, allows its users to sell through its mobile App. Both are definitely free and easy to use! Say you are in need of new materials, you may save money by buying bargain items at these websites too.

5. PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

To promote your business, you will need to have visibility in various social media websites such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The good news is that it is totally free to open your accounts in these websites. Also, you can set up a newsletter or a mailing list so people can receive regular updates when promotions or new items are coming up.

Image Credits: springwools via Flickr

Image Credits: springwools via Flickr

As you can see, it is surprisingly cheap to set up your own online business! But, keeping it may take hard work. So, it is important to find a business that follows what your heart desires. 🙂

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4 Cheap And Awesome KTV Places in Singapore

One of the entertaining activities to do in Singapore is Karaoke. A Karaoke Television (KTV) is a musical machine that allows the people to sing along with the recorded music using a microphone and the lyrics flashed through the screen. Hence, KTV places are the perfect spots for friends and family who want to have fun while channeling their inner diva. Here are 4 of the best KTV places that offer cheap rates in Singapore…

1. TEN DOLLAR CLUB KTV

Dreaming of singing along popular KPop, Jpop, or MPop songs? Dream no more as Ten Dollar Club offers good Karaoke experience at affordable prices. A group of 3 or more people can enjoy singing for up to 5 hours by paying S$10 per person. This price is inclusive of free flowing drinks! Also, you can save a few more bucks, as you are free to bring and eat your own food inside the Karaoke room. Corporate events and birthday parties are welcome too.

Locations:

Aranda Country Club, 60 Pasir Ris Drive 3, Singapore 519497

35A Smith Street 3rd Floor Singapore 058945

Home Team NS-JOM, 31 Ah Hood Road Singapore 329979

2. PARTY WORLD KTV

Party World KTV, a brainchild of Eric Chan, consists of capacious and decorated rooms filled with quality audio equipments, speakers, and large LED screens. They offer wide array of songs enabling everyone to sing their hearts out. Students are able to enjoy their promotion of S$12 each on the weekdays and S$15 each on the weekend. This includes 3 hours of stay with 2 beverages each. All you have to do is to present your student card upon reception.

Location:

177 River Valley Road, Liang Court, Singapore 179030

3. TANG MUSIC BOX

What separate Tang Music Box from the rest are their contemporary interiors. Their rooms are suited with materials such as exotic tiles, exposed bricks, and untreated woods. You get a choice of whether you want to spend hours on the Mini (1-3 pax), Small (3-6 pax), Medium (6-10 pax), Large (11-18 pax), Premier (19-25 pax), and Club room (26-40 pax). The prices are as low as S$10 per person. Also, you can purchase food (e.g., liquor or snacks) at their store called “The Meeting Place”.

Location:

3B River Valley Road, #02-03/04, The Foundry, Singapore 179021

4. TEO HENG KTV STUDIO

Probably one of the well-known places for belting out your favorite Karaoke song is the Teo Heng KTV studio. Not only do they offer good quality KTV experience but they are also considered as one of the cheapest in the market today. This is because they charge by the room instead of by the number of person in it. Prices range from S$8-18 per hour. So, imagine having the maximum of 10 people in a room, that will equate to about S$2-5 per person for a 3-hour session. Now, you can sing freely for hours at a surprisingly good price!

Locations:

7 outlets islandwide, visit here for more details.

Image Credits: Savio Sebastian via Flickr

Image Credits: Savio Sebastian via Flickr

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5 Ways To Have Flawless Skin For Less

Skip Skin or Face Treatments that cost for more than S$300 by rejuvenating your skin with simple kitchen ingredients available at your own home. Isn’t it amazing that you can get flawless skin for less?

1. FIGHT BUG BITES, PIMPLES, AND RASHES

Aside from cleaning your teeth or fixing small holes in your walls, toothpaste can be used as a handy tool to remove bug bites, reduce pimples, and eliminate itchy skin rashes. All you have to do is apply an ample amount of plain white toothpaste on your bug bites or pimple and allow it to stay on your skin over night. Rinse it off immediately in the morning.

2. FRESHEN YOUR SKIN

Consisting of 95% water, it comes as no surprise that cucumbers help freshen and moisturize the skin. Also, cucumber pulp can help improve your skin’s complexion especially if you have redness or irritation. So, place at least two cucumber slices in a plastic bag and let it freeze in the fridge overnight. Remove it from the fridge the next morning and place two slices in your eyes for 10 minutes. Guaranteed instant freshness and less puffy eyes indeed!

3. EXFOLIATE YOUR SKIN

Coffee is not only delicious but also skin smoothening. Exfoliate your skin by mixing coffee grounds with your body lotion. Just dip a wet cloth into your leftover coffee grounds. Massage it from your neck down to your body to wash off the dead skin.

4. REDUCE ACNE, WRINKLES, AND AGE SPOTS

A natural antiseptic (i.e., prevents the growth of disease-causing microorganisms), sea salt helps to reduce acne, wrinkles, and age spots. What a powerful ingredient! Try it at home by adding one tablespoon of sea salt in a 16-ounce bottle of warm water. Spray the solution to a cloth then apply it on your skin. Buy the Origins organic sea salt (500g) for only S$2.80 at Natural.sg.

5. HELP MAKE SKIN LESS OILY

Lemon and sugar are the perfect duo to help make your skin less oily. Like sea salt, lemon is a natural antiseptic that is good for removing bacteria and dirt from the pores. While sugar acts as an active ingredient to open up the pores so that the lemon’s juice can seep in. Simply use half of the lemon and sprinkle sugar on top. Apply this on your face to help get rid of blackheads and acne – leaving you to look more radiant than ever before!

Image Credits: Heather via Flickr

Image Credits: Heather via Flickr

Sources: AllYou and Lifehack

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5 Free Apps For Fuss-Free Traveling

1. SEATGURU

Available on Android and iOS

If you are traveling with the little ones, you can minimize the stress of flying by picking the best seat in the plane through the SeatGuru by TripAdvisor App. This free app allows you to get information on airplane seating advice, aircraft amenities, and airline recommendations. Through the user reviews and photos, you can be equipped with the knowledge of seats that have extra legroom and of the seats where you are likely to be woken up by the staff. What’s more? You can real-time updates on flight status.

Image Credits: SeatGuru via iTunes

Image Credits: SeatGuru via iTunes

2. HOTELQUICKLY

Available on Android and iOS

Ever had spontaneous a trip with your friends that lasted longer than expected? Worry not about your emergency accommodation! HotelQuickly, as the name suggests, allows you to book last-minute discounted hotels within seconds. They bring you exclusive deals on Asia-Pacific’s top-rated hotels located in New Zealand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Laos, and Australia. Keep an eye with their featured accommodation to enjoy discounts up to 70%.

3. XE CURRENCY

Available on Android and iOS

Acclaimed by CNN, LA Times, BBC, and The Travel Channel, XE Currency App serves as one of the best travel companion. It is amazing that this free App allows you to convert every world currency wherever you are even without Internet access. You can even add the currency updates on your notifications center. Craving for more information? Check out their live currency rates and over 30,000 charts.

4. MUSEMENT

Available on Android and iOS

Available in English and Italian language, Musement App allows you to globally explore and book thousands of attractions, tours, museums, and so on. Let’s say you are going to Venice, all you have to do is to select your destination, refine your activities and date search, and instantly buy tickets through their secure payment system. You get the voucher flashed on your screen and the confirmation e-mail afterwards. Still not sold? This portable itinerary manager not only offers exclusive promotions and but also suggests activities on sale.

5. PACK THE BAG

Available on iOS

One of the main issues experienced by travelers is forgetting something important. That will never happen again with Pack The Bag App. This App will help you get ready for the holidays whether it is a day-trip to the beach or a month on Europe. Organize your list with about 650 baggage items in 26 categories. This way, you are given travel ideas for essentials you did not even know you needed.

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