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Posted by Felix Okoli on Monday January 5, 2015 at 17:10:40:
I recently tried buying things on Aliexpress from Nigeria using a Naira Mastercard issued from First Bank of Nigeria and it was successful. It seems more and more Nigeria issued cards now work seamlessly on global shopping websites like Aliexpress and Amazon.Aliexpress is a shopping website that allows people from the world over buy products mostly made in China and they offer worldwide delivery to many countries including Nigeria using postal mail and this helps shoppers save money on international shipping.Shopping internationally
I'm used to buying things on Amazon from time to time but I seem to also have a growing love for Aliexpress. Although their delivery system seems a bit slow using postal mail, it's really an attractive place to buy things online especially now that most of the world's products are made in China.First bank's Naira Mastercard works globally
There are many banks in Nigeria but there is only one bank that was First - First bank of Nigeria. I got their Naira Mastercard by opening a savings account with them and I was given a card that first served as an ATM or debit card and now also works as an online payment card. I had successfully linked my First bank Naira Mastercard to my Paypal Nigeria account and wanted to also see if it's going to be working on sites like Aliexpress and Amazon. It worked! There's no longer any need for me to buy US dollars at the black market to fund my USD prepaid Visa card since I can now pay in Naira and shop worldwide.Amazon vs Aliexpress exchange rate
One problem I noticed about shopping on Aliexpress with a Naira Mastercard is that you don't realy get to know the exchange rate used before buying your stuff as it's not displayed on their website as they do on Amazon. But the advantage shopping on Aliexpress has over shopping on Amazon with a Naira Mastercard is that the exchange rates used are lower. I bought stuff on a particular day and the exchange rate charged me was just N187 but for Amazon, it was pegged at N192. You may not be able to preview the exchange rate when shopping on Aliexpress but by the time you get an sms debit alert the next day on your phone, you can divide that figure by the dollar figure to see that the exchange rate was a bit reasonable.What I purchased on Aliexpress
There are many things one can buy on Aliexpress and what I bought was a black Nike Air Max 90 running shoe I saw listed for just $47.5. I added it to my cart and chose to checkout. I was taken to the payment page where I included my Naira Mastercard details such as the card number, expiry date, CVV code and cardholder's Name. I chose to make the payment and it was successful. I also received a notification email from ALiexpress indicating my payment was accepted. My First bank account was not debited immediately but only after about 24hrs when I got an sms alert indicating that the sum of N8919 was deducted from my account. I divided that figure by the dollar amount and got to know it was N187 per dollar. I didn't feel bad knowing that footwear like those ones cost as much as N15k in the Nigerian market. N8k or N9k is not a bad deal and I don't mind waiting for 30 days.Getting my package delivered to NigeriaI've not yet received my Nike Air Max shoes in Nigeria since I just purchased it. The shipping details in the offer show that I have up to 45 days at most to receive it but given that this is not the first time I'm buying things from Aliexpress, I know that it takes about 3 weeks to get to me in Nigeria through my close NIPOST office. Also, the buyer protection period is active and would cover the shipment period. If I don't receive it before the time elapses, I can always raise a dispute and get my money refunded but that rarely happens based on my experience. Once the seller has sent the items and I also get the tracking number, I will be able to use it to track my item till it gets to Nigeria using the website of the postal agency as well as NIPOST.Shop on Aliexpress
Comments:
Re: Shopping on Aliexpress with a First bank of Nigeria Naira Mastercard Posted by Sam on Tuesday January 6, 2015 at 5:56:29: Do you know about Aliexpress Affiliate program? I am thinking about opening my own affiliate webstore and was interested to know whether it is profitable in Nigeria. What do you think?
Re: Shopping on Aliexpress with a First bank of Nigeria Naira Mastercard Posted by Felix Okoli on Tuesday January 6, 2015 at 5:56:29: Yes I know about their affiliate program and I'm using it too.
Re: Shopping on Aliexpress with a First bank of Nigeria Naira Mastercard Posted by Chi on Friday September 4, 2015 at 5:45:34: Thanks, your information has helped me a lot, I just bought goods on Aliexpress and have received the one I shipped via FedEx, still waiting for the one I shipped via Hong Kong post air mail but is like the First Bank exchange rate is too high