I've been going around a fair bit, visiting camera shops looking for additional gear and accessories to get for my camera. Unfortunately, there aren't many that is located near to where I live and work. There are a few, but not many. And the selection of goods they carry is rather limited.
Well, recently, I came across ShaShinKi.com. Its an online camera store, and I believe the first of its kind, in Malaysia. I found out about it via the forums at PhotoMalaysia.com. I liken them to a paradise for photography junkies as you can get a wide range of gear - from camera bodies to lenses (yes even the ones that cost RM 80,000) to filters to cleaning kits to tripods to studio lights to... well, you get the idea. I could spend hours just browsing through their online catalogue. And from the start, I was intrigued by the store, and curious to find out what the experience would be like shopping with them. So I decided to give it a try. This would not be the first time I shopped online, but the first time from a Malaysian operation.
So what was the experience like? In a word, excellent. I was apprehensive at first as I wasn't sure if the goods would take 1 day or 1 month to arrive. So I decided to try with a small purchase to get a taste of their service. I thought, if their service is good, I'll definitely continue to buy from ShaShinKi.com. So I placed an order for a lens hood for my new EF 50 mm f/1.8 II lens. I thought it was a small enough amount to take a risk with, in case I don't ever see my purchase or get my money back.
The ordering was quick and painless. Of course, you have to register yourself first, but that's only a one time process. The order itself took less than a few minutes. It is typical of any online shopping sites. You select your items and you check them out. Which leads to the payment part. You can pay via Paypal or via any of the local banks by doing a funds transfer. I payed for my purchase through Maybank2u. It was quick and simple. This was yesterday afternoon. I intentionally put in my order in the afternoon and just as the weekend approached to see how they would handle the delivery. Well, it went rather well. My lens hood arrived today, before 10 am. They've exceeded my expectation (I was expecting to get the goods next Tuesday as it was close to the weekend and Monday is a public holiday) and I'm a happy camper. I would definitely shop at ShaShinKi.com again. In fact, my next order is already in accumulating in the cart.
ShaShinki.com has done well in some areas, and I'd like to point them out.
1. The main compliment I have is the shopping experience they provide. It is quick, easy, secure, and especially reassuring. At every step of the way, you are notified of the transaction status, from the time you load the order, to when they receive your payment, to when you order is shipped, to when it is collected by the courier, to when they start their delivery run to your address. And you get the items fast - as in next day. Of course, they must have it in stock - else its a 2 week wait.
2. Reward Point Program. You get reward points for every purchase, which you can then covert to cash towards a future purchase.
3. Return of goods. You can return goods that you bought for a refund. This is a big deal in Malaysia as there are perhaps only one or two other establishments I know of that does this. There are caveats though. You have to return within 7 days. You bear the return shipping costs and there is a re-stocking fee. But still, I commend them for providing an avenue to their customers to return a purchase that they changed their mind on.
4. The items they send you are insured and they guarantee a replacement if it is damaged on arrival. Touch wood, I do not want to experience this first hand, but it is great that they provide this service.
There are some areas that they can improve on. First and foremost is price. Their prices are expensive and you cannot bargain. An example is the EF-S 55-250 IS I purchased last week from a nearby store. I bought it for RM 890. ShaShinKi.com sells it for RM 1,150. That's RM 260 (or approximately USD 72) more. That's 29% more. If they can reduce that gap to 5%, I think it would be more palatable. Because of this huge gap, I'll limit my ShaShinKi.com purchases to merchandise that I cannot get elsewhere.
Second is that they should introduce a proactive service to guarantee satisfaction. I've had the unfortunate experience of buying two lenses that have focus accuracy problems. Because of this experience, I'm reluctant to buy any precision equipment without testing it first hand. For a small fee, maybe RM15, they can test it for me. And they can be specific about the test for lenses - just focus accuracy and that the lens is generally in good working order. So as a result of this test, I am guaranteed to get a lens that is properly calibrated and has no front or back focus issues. Now, if they test it and for some reason they accidentally send out a copy of a lens with focus problem, then I should be entitled to a free exchange - no questions asked - for another copy of the same lens, and no additional shipping cost as well - because I've paid the RM 15 for them to do this.
I believe if they improve in these two areas, the customer experience would be sooooo much better. Not that it currently isn't. It would just make the customer experience a better one.
Anyway, go have a look. Try them out. Buy something.
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