Being a newbie in the field of online selling, I only rely on LBC and JRS express because of their proven reliability and location. Those are the only services with outlets near my area (Quiapo, Manila) and considering also the fact that I could not book home pickups because of my schedule in school.
Having the free time, I decided to try Xend Business Solutions Inc.
Most of online shops in facebook and instagram rely on Xend for their shipping needs. Xend has been around 10 years now and both offers domestic and international shipping for less.
Why Xend?
~ first, Affordable. Compared to other leading commercial couriers out there, Xend services are cheaper by almost 50%.
~ they offer FREE PICKUP SERVICES. These are good for those who are usually home-based and dislikes going to malls of branches of courier services.
~ most of transactions are based ONLINE. Whether it is scheduling for a pickup, printing waybills or auto-emails. Good for those busy sellers who values time.
Why not?
~ Known to offer shipping services for less, many people choose Xend. Therefore, More costumers to serve, that sometimes they could not accommodate numbers causing delays. (Waiting is an option. Especially if you are thrifty and wants to save cash)
~ There have been many complaints about their services. Missing, delayed, damaged. But based on some current reviews, Xend is now performing better than before. (Di namn kasi tatagal nang more than 10 years yung company if they perform badly right?)
So today, I tried to sign up for a Xend account. It was easy...Just provide an email, name, contact number and complete address they would use to go to you upon scheduling a pickup.
I also printed three waybills for three different items I want to ship:
(my location is Quiapo, Metro Manila)
- Greeting cards for my relatives in Arkansas, U.S.A. (Php 249) Postal 7-15days
- A letter and a gift for my bestfriend in Santa Rosa, Laguna (Php 99) UnlipakL provincial 2-3 days
- Another letter for a friend in Quezon City (Php 59) UnlipakL metro manila 1-2 days
For the rates of each, I refered to their site. www.xend.com.ph
I scheduled a pickup for (did it online at 4am) - Saturday (Jan16,2016) and expecting a good service by today. Will post updates soon.
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UPDATE:
1:15pm today, Xend representative came to pick up my items. I told him that it is my first time with Xend and i don't have Unlipack pouches.
He generously game me 30pcs L and 8pcs XL pouches and a notebook of blank waybills.
The guys also told me that of representatives doesn't shop up at around 3pm, we may drop off our unlipaks at 7-eleven stores. (Something that is also convenient for a student like me with a busy schedule)
I informed him about the items I would ship. The provincial and metro are okay but we had problems in the pricing of my item that should be shipped internationally.
I was quoted 1,590 for the U.S.A. item dahil EMS lang daw. (1week shipping only). I informed him i'd back out because of insufficient funds.. Those are just greeting cards, spending that amount would be... Hmm.. Not that wise. STILL, I was impressed by how these Xend people are giving effort because he quickly asked his co-workers if there is any other way-Postal... Two thumbs up for that ;)
So, we packed up the remaining two items and he informed me that I should sign in the "Shippers signature part of the waybill" ahead and write down the tracking number in the pouch ahead for faster transactions next time.
I payed total of Php 158.00 (Php 59 for Metro manila & 99 for provincial)
*Additional 1peso would be added the next time I use the waybills in the notebook. No additional fees if you print your waybills from their site.
In general, the experience was Good. Though there was no specific time of pick-up, the representative arrived within the day.
What I didn't like is the issue with regards to the amount quoted on my international shipment (Postal 7-15days) because it was different from the one showed on their site.
I like the effort 'kuya' did to solve the postal issue, The tips he gave me for my next transactions, the generous amounts of unlipak pouches (ang bait ni kuya) and most importantly, the fast service with Xend.
...
UPDATE(2017):
I have been using Xend in the first few months as my courrier for my online shop. And It works pretty fine. I discovered about 7-eleven drop-off branches making it easier for me to send parcels.
My Experience:
- It is easier for me to just drop the package at 7-eleven stores so you won't have to wait for the driver to pick your items. Don't worry about the pouch and waybill because the 7-eleven branch would provide them for you. Just approach the cashier and pay the fee. You could leave your parcel 24/7. Usually, the rider schedules the pick up at 7-eleven at 5pm so it would be delivered the next day. Click here for the list of 7-eleven Drop-off areas.
- Tracking numbers for waybill created online: Tracking these items are much easier. But most of the tracking are not updated real time. It just says here that the package is "On-route" or "For delivery" or "transferred to LBC". Once Provincial items are transferred to LBC, you cannot track them anymore.
- For manual waybills, I find it difficult to track these items. It takes usually a day before we could track the items online.
- How long will the packages arrive? (My experience)
- Metro Manila to Metro Manila = 1-2 days
- Metro Manila to Provincial (Luzon) = 2-3 days
- Metro Manila to Provincial (Vis & Min) = 5days
- Provincial (Luzon) to Metro Manila = 2-4 days
- Provincial (Luzon) to Provincial (Luz,Vis & Min = 5-7 days
VERDICT: It is advisable to use Xend only in Metro Manila.
I went back to Laguna for good and I found it difficult to send items via Xend in our area because the drop-off branch is far plus the provincial rate is not budget-friendly. I shifted to Fastrack for this reason. But if I were to continue my business in Manila, I could continue to use Xend as my main courrier :)
