Shop details for Fastcardtech
Fastcardtech is probably one of the oldest and most established Chinese online shops. Founded in 2003, it is already more than a decade old and has a lot of returning customers nowadays. Fastcardtech specializes on consumer electronics with a definite focus on cell phones. Besides android smartphones (name brands such as Xiaomi, Elephone and more) you can also find tablets, smartwear items, action cams and more gadgets in this shop.
The homepage of Fastcardtech
Experience with Fastcardtech
Fastcardtech has been online and actively selling for a couple of years, so we've already tested their site a bit. Choosing free shipping, the delivery usually arrives within a month of ordering - smartphones even arrived quicker than that. These last months, the customer service improved a bit more, so that we always got answers to our problems and questions within a day.
If you're planning to order a cell phone, choose the accessories carefully: the adapter is by default a US adapter, so if you're looking for a UK or EU adapter, please don't forget to change the selection in that choice box - click on the box, and choose the right adapter in the drop down menu.
Pros
Cons
Payment
You can pay via PayPal or Credit Card. Other payment methods like Bank Wire Transfer are also available, but we don't recommend them because of the possibly high extra fees. It's easiest and quickest to just pay with PayPal - if you encounter any problems with the delivery, product quality or returns, you can just use the buyer's protection and open a PayPal case within 180 days of ordering.
The fastest way to finish ordering? Click on "Check out with PayPal" in the shopping cart.
Supported payment methods
| PayPal |  | Our favorite. Quick, easy and offers a great buyer's protection. |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card |
| Just enter your credit card information as usual and finish your order. But you won't be as well protected as via PayPal. |
Shipping costs and delivery time
Fastcardtech offer free standard shipping - in this case your order will arrive, depending on the month, order volume and target country, within a month or two. Our orders took at the most 6 weeks so far, but usually they arrived within 3-4 weeks.
The free standard delivery is selected from the very beginning - so if you don't want to choose on of the express shipping options, don't select anything else in the section "Shipping Method". If you're in a hurry, you can choose either DHL or EMS shipping for an express delivery. Check out the comparably high shipping fees and think about it twice, as a delivery from China can still take - depending on the processing time - about two weeks via an express shipping company.
Helpful: you can choose between different DHL transport companies to avoid customs problems. Here you can choose Hong Kong DHL instead of China DHL, but this will post an additional fee:
Useful extra feature: if you're worried about the safety of your order, you can choose the packaging yourself. You'd like a paper box or a thick foam box? No problem, but it costs an extra fee of between $1 and $3,50.
Fastcardtech and Customs
Fastcardtech knows what it's doing and declares the deliveries sufficiently. Still, a delivery can get stopped by customs when entering your country, so it's always worthwhile to read up on the rules, regulations and standard charges that can come even from random customs checks.
For shipments entering the US, extra taxes and fees on your product are always a possibilty when ordering internationally. Not all items are taxed when entering the country, and most of them will only be charged with a nominal processing fee of about $2 - $9. The amount to be paid, however, can vary widely depending on the product and how it’s sent. If you are concerned about your item, or are planning to order goods in excess of $500, it is worth it to check with the Customs Office at the port of entry to confirm any extra fees.
Return policy
Very important before you place an order: be sure that you want the chosen products. Fastcardtech doesn't accept returns without a good reason. You don't like the color or the smartphone is a bit too big? Not an acceptable reason. If you insist to return the phone and exchange it for a different phone, they will charge you a "Re-stocking Fee" of 30% - and you will have to pay for return shipping yourself as well. If you don't want to exchange but simply return an item, they will charge you an even higher "Re-stocking Fee" of 50%: meaning you have to pay for return shipping and will only get half of the money you paid back. Only in case of a faulty item (which was DOA (dead on arrival)), you will get your money completely back.
Fastcardtech is offering a warranty for a year: if your electronic items (chargers excluded, they only have two weeks of guarantee) show any kind of problem within a year of purchase, you can send them in to Fastcardtech and get them repaired or replaced.
Conclusion
The online shop Fastcardtech is very interesting for online shopping fans because of the large range of smartphones, the free shipping option and the helpful and friendly customer service. The website design is still a bit too bright and colorful and a bit confusing at first, but the prices are very good and other shops could definitely try to be as supportive and quick as the customer support at Fastcard is.
Alternatives
| Alternative 1: |  Geekbuying | has great prices, like Fastcardtech specialized on tech |
|---|---|---|
| Alternative 2: |  Gearbest | often best prices, similar product range - but more extensive; free shipping |
Fastcardtech Coupons
Fastcardtech isn't only well known for its long history, but also for their frequent promotions and discounts. You want to be kept up to date regarding their deals? Keep on visiting PandaCheck to get the newest coupon codes and details.
By the way: you can enter the coupon codes during the ordering process on the bottom of the page, right below the "Change Packaging" option. So in contrast to other shops, you cannot test the various coupons directly in your shopping cart.