Website of the Month: BuyaPowa

Over the last couple of months, there has been one website that I have purchased from more regularly than any others - Buyapowa. Before I start, I just want to make it clear that I have not been asked to write this post by BuyaPowa, I am just really pleased with the service I have received from them!

You will be familiar with Groupon, itison and all of the other hundreds of group buying sites available out there, and BuyaPowa is just the next incarnation of this. The main premise is that products are available in limited quantities for a short period of time at a greatly reduced price.

Products can be requested by users and it is predominantly beauty products, mostly from mid – high end brands such as Mac, Bobbi Brown, Benefit and Chanel! The way it works is that you register your interest on the forthcoming co-buys area which lists the products coming up for the next week or so and when the buy goes live, BuyaPowa email you to let you know the product is available for purchase. Initially there will only be a couple of pounds discount but the more people that purchase, the bigger the discount, and it is usually £7-10 off, even when you include the postage which is a very reasonable £1-1.50 depending on the size of the product.

You enter your payment details when you commit to purchasing, and BuyaPowa email you at every step of the co-buy with alerts as the price is driven down. So far, I have never bought anything which didn’t sell out or go for the lowest possible price, however as there are fairly limited stocks of the products, they are snapped up very quickly so you need to be on the ball if you want to snaffle one of the most wanted items such as the Urban Decay Naked Palette, which sold out in just over an hour last time, although if an item sells well, it will usually come up in another co-buy a few weeks later.

Postage and packaging is, as I mentioned earlier, very reasonable and in general is fairly quick. When I have had to change my postage address at the last minute, I sent them an email and received a prompt reply advising me that it had been changed and indeed it was. Another thing I like is that when I have purchased Chanel items they also always come wrapped up in gorgeous Chanel gift wrap,  and in a cute Chanel bag which you would get if purchasing direct from a counter, so it is perfect for a gift either for others or yourself, and you still feel like you are having a luxury shopping experience!

Verdict

I cannot praise BuyaPowa enough and I have been really pleased with their customer service. My only slight grumbles are that I wish there was a facility to log in using something other than Facebook so I didn’t have to type in my address details every time. I also can’t login to websites using Facebook at my work when doing some lunchtime online shopping, so this isn’t an option for me. The other factor that bothers me ever so slightly is the name, but that is just because I am a stickler for correct spelling!! Still, I would urge those of you who haven’t had a look at the website to investigate as there are more products made available daily, so there is bound to be something you are interested in. If there isn’t you can always request a co-buy and if enough people request it, it will become reality!