On the 10th of July, Universal Store opened its doors to the public at Kawana, QLD – celebrating the launch of its 24th store in the country (16th in the state) with 4 days of giveaways and competitions. However, due to the lack of stores in other states, many of us are still limited to shopping online. But it’s not all bad news, quite the contrary in fact. Besides being able to order anything you want from the comfort of your own home, there are plenty of other advantages to shopping online. These include online only promotions, promo code discounts and in the case of Universal Store, free standard shipping on all orders.

Universal Store retails over 160 brands from statement labels and street fashion brands to exclusive ranges from local and international designers such as Minkpink, Lee, One Teaspoon, Deus Ex Machina, All About Eve, Herschel, Ladakh, Paint It Red, Res Denim, Rolla’s, Stussy, Vans, Converse, etc.

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I recently called in at my phone shop to recharge my account. Whilst I was there the sales guy offered me a basic, entry level phone – it was an Alcatel or Nokia – for $5. Figuring it would be a handy spare to put in the drawer I said sure. He then put my account details in to the system to pay. He turned around and said “You don’t qualify for this, you don’t spend enough. I’m going to have to charge you $10 for it”.

I suggested to him that he might want to check terms and conditions like that before he goes ahead and makes an offer, which got what looked like an approving shrug. The point of mentioning it here for you is to illustrate that anything which seems beneficial for you that a business offers is done solely to make sure you give them more.

There is no business bigger than banks, and so their bonus offers tend to look quite big and beneficial. This is particularly true with credit card rewards. In the light of the cheap phone I didn’t really want being offered to me and taken away, it’s worth having a look to see if any of the reward programmes offered on credit cards in Australia stand out and make it worth either getting or switching your account for.    Read the rest of this entry »

A good t-shirt can make a killer style statement and really add a lot of personality and flavour to your look. There are load of sites selling printed t-shirts with kickass slogans and cool graphics right out of a pop art lovers dream. These tend to be pretty pricey however, so I’ve been looking into DIY clothing and custom designs as a way to save money and have something really special and unique. These one of a kind creations also make for excellent gifts for birthdays, graduations and even Christmas.

In this post I’ll show you guys and gals how to create your own fully customised t-shirts for under 15 bucks.

The Cost Of Logo/Design Printed Tees from Standard Retailers

To begin with though, let’s look at what the average cost of a logo printed tee is from some of the most competitive, well known retailers out there in order to establish a benchmark. Over at Boohoo you’d pay about $18 to $32 with free shipping for printed t-shirts with a wide range of designs from skulls to slogans. ASOS seems to be the most reasonable when it comes to pricing where you can find printed tees on sale for around $17.73 shipped.

Online T-shirt Custom Designs

Threadless makes t-shirts with fun slogans and graphics and these go for about $25 a pop plus extra for shipping. Don’t forget though that their popularity means you’ll probably run into like 5 other people wearing the exact same t-shirt if you live in a city with lots of people. For some slightly cooler, more funkier designs, RedBubble is a good destination where many talented artists sell their illustrations. You can browse through these and get them printed on clothing and accessories, however you’ll be looking at paying in the region of 30 odd bucks for a singlet or tee to be delivered.    Read the rest of this entry »

The sale at ASOS just keeps getting hotter and hotter! Not only have they added new items, they have also sweetened the deal by throwing in an extra 10% off for this weekend only! That gives you savings of up to a whopping 80% on selected items!! It almost criminal not to shop.

The added 10% off is applicable to selected sale items and the code will be valid  right until Monday 21^st 4pm AEST. You can pick up the code at the Vouchers page.

Better Prices Better Value 

I looked through some of the active ASOS deals here on Buckscoop and the prices on these have all gotten better thanks to the extra 10% off. This deal for 4 printed dresses will now come up to a total of $75.89 with free shipping.  The Motel floral dress with mesh insert (picture on the right) is still in stock but only for sizes AU12 and AU14.

The Vero Moda bodycon dress with key hole back (picture on the left) is available in sizes AU8 through to AU12. You can find details on the other two dresses in the post.

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Most gamers are aware of Steam, the PC gaming platform that allows you to buy and play games, but not all gamers are aware of the Steam market, and the trading of cards that are associated with the games you buy.

The Steam market is a place to buy and sell virtual items. Steam community members can use the funds in their Steam wallets to buy these items from other community members.

So exactly what are Steam Trading Cards? They are virtual cards that are earned by playing games on Steam. Players can then sell these cards to other Steam users on the Steam market, or alternatively you can collect sets of these cards that can then be turned into game badges and tradable Steam community items used to customise your profile (see the trading card FAQ here).    Read the rest of this entry »

At the beginning of the year, Audible – an Amazon company – launched its membership-based services in Australia (audible.com.au) offering the first month’s subscription for free with an ongoing monthly payment of $14.95 thereafter. This gives you one free downloadable audiobook of your choice each month along with access to discounted prices on a selection of digital titles and other members-only promotions often including free downloads.

Audible, which Amazon purchased back in 2008, is the number one provider of digital audiobooks for download offering over 150,000 titles, periodicals, radio and TV shows in the US. But let’s have a look at what the benefits and drawbacks of an Australian Audible account are with regards to the content and features available to members on this side of the globe.

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I recently purchased Google’s miniature wireless content streaming device, called the “Chromecast”, after seeing one in action at a friends house and realising its potential as a cheap yet powerful replacement for an ageing media server.

However, despite the incredibly easy setup of my new Chromecast device and having it streaming content in HD onto my TV in just a few minutes, I soon hit a snag. And a big one at that. See, the problem that I faced was that it failed to let me watch all the US based Netflix content which I had previously been able to do via my old media server.

If you’re looking to watch overseas video content for services like Netflix and Hulu then forget about trying to use Chromecast out of the box with a VPN. And I’m pretty sure I’m not the only person in this boat, so here’s one of the workarounds I’ve found after reading up online as to why this happened and what the possible solutions are.    Read the rest of this entry »

While not necessarily a bargain-orientated post, I thought this was still worth sharing with the Buckscoop community after recently going through an exercise of securing my private data across the various mobile devices that I use.

We’ve become pretty much inseparable from our mobile computing devices, from smartphones to laptops and even tablets. Most people carry at least one of these devices with them at any given time. They are a highly portable and efficient way to work, play and access the internet while on the go. We also tend to store a lot of stuff on mobile devices from personal information and email to photos and even restricted data for work.

More often that not though, all of this information and data is unprotected, meaning that it would be pretty easy for an unauthorized person to gain access to it, even if the device itself is not lost or stolen.
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Heads up gamers! This week’s hot list is stacked with gaming deals including the ever-popular Humble Bundle that allows you to pay what you want for a whole slew of great games. For the rest of you there are also some good deals on speakers and a fantastic offer from Bonds.

5) Thief PC download is $10.80 at Get Games Go

We kick off this weeks list at Get Games Go where you can buy the PC download of Thief for $10.80. This is for the latest installment in the series. Get Games Go also has the Master Edition available for $12.

4) Download deals from xbox.com.au- Get Crysis 3 for $8.98 & Bastion for $3.73

The next gaming deal is from xbox.com.au where you can get Crysis 3 and Bastion at significant discounts. Crysis is priced at $8.98 while Bastion is going for just $3.73. There are also a number of other games on sale so its worth checking out.    Read the rest of this entry »

LivingSocial Australia is generally known for being a daily deals site centred around purchasing as well as sharing the best activities happening in your city. This can include everything from weekend excursions to exclusive gourmet dinners.

However, as Buckscoop tends to have more of a focus on deals for physical products (rather than experience-based ones), we’ve decided to share our top bargain picks from LivingSocial during July so far. The one good thing about these physical product deals over experience orientated ones is that they’re not location dependent. So no matter where you are, you should have no problem placing an order online and having the order shipped to your doorstep.

Note, all of the following deals include shipping costs for a Sydney metro address. Therefore, your costs may vary depending on where you are located. Be sure to visit Buckscoop’s Vouchers page to check for any active Living Social promo codes prior to making a purchase, as these can often help in offsetting shipping costs.    Read the rest of this entry »

This weekend in Perth, The Good Food & Wine Show will be taking place (11-13 July) in the city’s Convention & Exhibition Centre offering a range of interactive culinary experiences. Theses include Riedel’s wine bar, wine theatre and glass tasting sessions for all those who like to indulge in wine and are interested in learning everything there is to know about premium reds/whites. It’s also a great event to pick up tips and tricks on how to maximise the enjoyment from consuming them.

You can purchase general entry admissions online at a discount with Good Food & Wine Show promotional codes. Although, be aware that many of the themed programs are an optional extra meaning that they carry additional costs.

Looking at the sessions on most wine related seminars this weekend, it seems as though plenty of focus is being placed on quality Rieslings, world famous Barossa Shiraz wines as well as the region of McLaren Vale. Don’t worry though if you’re unable to attend, as another alternative is to skip the bustling crowds and do a little private wine tasting within the comfort of your own home. Something you’re sure to enjoy even more once we show you where to get the best deals on some of the above mentioned top quality wines.    Read the rest of this entry »

ASOS is a perennial favourite among fashionistas thanks to their massive collection of clothes and accessories. It also doesn’t hurt that they always have a large number of items on sale, making it an affordable pick all year round. Right now they are offering some of their best discounts yet, with reductions of up to 70%. No ASOS Australia promo code needed!

Dresses Galore!

ASOS has an excellent range of dresses, with the basics being some of the best buys. You can get bodycon dresses like this Mini bodycon dress with shortsleeves (pictured on the right) for $13.73 in white or black and  for $17.65 in blue or mint.

ASOS also carries a number of fashion lines from premium picks like French Connection and Wild Fox to popular labels like Forever Unique and Vero Moda.  I spotted a Vero Moda bodycon dress with a key hole cut out back going at $19.61. It is a great printed dress with a funky design, something sure to turn heads when worn.

The range of printed dresses up for grabs is impressive, including this Motel floral dress with a mesh insert for $19.61. I actually put up a post detailing how you can get four printed dresses for $84.32 with free shipping (including the Vero Moda and the Motel floral dress) .

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I recently read an article in smh.com.au regarding a court ruling banning not just the sale, but all use of electronic cigarettes (or “e-cigs”) in Western Australia. For those who are unaware, e-cigs (or vaporisers) are devices which heat a flavoured liquid turning it into vapour and allowing the user to simulate the effects of smoking by inhaling and exhaling this vapour.

As a non-smoker, I don’t have much sympathy for smokers in general. However, after delving into the whole argument for and against e-cigarettes in general, I find there to be certain ironies that exist around the above ruling (one which has been dividing opinions). I’ll explain my reasoning in more detail below, but if there are two things surrounding e-cigs that I’m certainly in favour of that would be helping friends and family quit the filthy habit of smoking as well as showing them where to find the best value for money e-cig options online.

THE RESEARCH

There seems to be an ongoing debate on whether or not e-cigarettes have a good or a bad influence on people’s smoking habits. On one side of the fence there are those who look at it as a bit of a “cool gadget”, encouraging youngsters to take up smoking. From my investigations online though, it doesn’t appear as if any comprehensive e-cigarrette studies have been concluded to date which cover whether people are influenced by them or how their health is affected.

Also, there isn’t any conclusive evidence either to confirm whether or not they work any better than other nicotine replacements. And as long as Australia’s TGA (Therapeutic Goods Authority) agency doesn’t approve e-cigarettes as a cessation aid to stop smoking, they cannot be marketed for that purpose. This topic is scheduled for further discussion though at the World Health Organisation’s meeting on tobacco control, due to take place in Moscow this coming October.    Read the rest of this entry »

Online booze and wine sales seem to have taken a competitive leap forward this year, with a steady flow of weekly bargains surfacing online. To kick this week off, I have done a quick roundup of what’s happening in the online world of wine deals and which retailers your money is likely go furthest with right now.

FIRST CHOICE LIQUOR

There’s a First Choice Liquor voucher available here which gets you $10 off a 700ml bottle of Makers Mark bourbon. It’s priced at $45, although once you’ve printed off the voucher and presented it in-store, you’ll be able to get it for just $35.

The voucher is actually applicable at Liquorland too, although they’re charging $4 more for this bourbon. At other online stores it would appear as if First Choice’s original list price of $45 is the going rate on the market. This includes Dan Murphy’s, Vintage Cellars, Woolies and Vintage Direct.   Read the rest of this entry »

If you are on a diet, this weekend is the time to cheat because there are two sinful deals on mouthwatering treats. I’m talking sticky sweet (and downright heavenly) Krispie Kreme doughnuts and the creamy chocolaty goodness of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate. If you are not really much of a sweet tooth, don’t worry, there are three other deals that might interest you. Two out of the three are gaming deals so it’s a great time for indulgences all round.

5) Cadbury Dairy Milk Block(200g) is $2.49 at Coles

Coles is offering Cadbury Dairy Milk Blocks at $2.49 each. This is for a 200g block and it’s one of those items that ordinarily only goes on sale during the Christmas or Easter season, so this is a bit of a mid-year treat.

4) 16”X 16” Canvas prints are $28 at Harvey Norman PhotoCenter

This next deal was only put up on Friday and already it has earned itself a place on the hotlist.  The deal is for a 16”X 16” inch canvas print from the Harvey Norman PhotoCenter and it is going at a very affordable $28. It is a significant discount compared with what is being offered by some other sites. According to the post you can save the $9.95 delivery charges by simply opting to pick it up in-store.    Read the rest of this entry »