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http://www.iras.gov....e04.aspx?id=824 GST registered business must show GST-inclusive prices on all price displays (e.g. price tags, price lists, advertisements, publicity brochures, website). Prices that are quoted, whether written or verbal, must also be GST-inclusive. Failure to do so is an offence and offenders may be fined for up to $5000. It is important for the public to know upfront the final price of goods and services that they have to pay. The following illustration shows the acceptable and non-acceptable price display format: Price Display Format Acceptable? $107 Yes $107 (inclusive of GST) Yes $100 + No $100 + GST No $100 + 7% GST No $100 + $7 GST No $100 ($107 w/GST) No If two prices (i.e. both GST-inclusive and GST-exclusive price) are displayed, the GST-inclusive price must be prominently displayed. Quoting the following clauses but not the GST-inclusive prices is not acceptable: "Prices stated are subject to GST""Prices stated are exclusive of GST""Prices stated are before GST" Where a GST-registered business intends to give a discount equal to the GST amount to the consumer, it is incorrect to advertise that there is 'no GST' for the goods or services. Such advertising is misleading as there is a GST element in all the goods and services supplied by a GST-registered business. Exception An exception is made for businesses in the hotel and food & beverage (F & B) industries only. Due to the imposition of service charge, these businesses may have operational difficulties in displaying GST-inclusive prices. Therefore, they may display GST-exclusive prices for goods and services that are subject to service charge. However, a statement informing customers that prices displayed are subject to GST and service charge must be prominently shown.

Hi, I m going to marry soon. Any idea on where to go for Honey Moon? I want a romatic memory for me & my bride. Feel free to share your own experience. thanks all

Hey hey I am finally starting a T-blog of my own! Have been an avid follower of this forum for a short while... Since October 2013? But this forum has really helped my fiance & I alot & we managed to learn alot about house renovation from here.. the basic technical knowledge.. like the difference betweeen laminate & veneer... quartz counter top better or solid surface better... etc etc.. So new home owners don't fret!! This forum will be your best friend with all the helpful people around! Heh heh... Well my fiance & I are just a simple young couple trying to make a life together in our small red dot... getting married soon, so we wish that HDB will quickly hand our keys over to us!! Ok disclaimer: I hope I will find the time and strength to continue to update as often as I can… ahhh nowadays quite busy.. So, here I am! Just for this space to be a record of our renovation journey & appreciate all advice given by all you renotalkers.. Thanks in advance lei.. hahaha...

Hello renotalkers! I have benefited from this forum immensely and it's about time for me to pay it forward. I bought a resale apartment and obtained the keys only in late July. It's a 1 BR, only 52 sq metres (560 sq ft) in size. I was drawn to this space as it was relatively square-ish, not many bay-windows, no balcony, 2.9m ceiling height and floor to ceiling windows in the living room. Knowing that size was a limitation, my challenge is to make the space feel bigger than it is. The original floor plan (ignore the PES - the apartment does not have any PES) This was how I envisioned the new layout Red lines indicate the walls which I wanted to knock-down Blue line is where I would like the new wall to be erected Yellow lines is where I envisioned a concrete plaster appearance Besides the challenge of opening up the space, I wanted to keep the budget low and time-line relatively short, yet achieve a specific industrial look. I'll be dedicating quite a bit of my blog on how I kept costs low while maintaining decent quality. That means I will describe my thought process for contractor selection, material selection, purchasing from taobao etc Hope new home owners that plan to renovate will benefit from my blog. I shall post the before pics soon and some interim pics as reno is currently on-going. Happy reno-talking! EDIT: I realise that it is very cumbersome to go through an entire thread without a contents page. So I have compiled the links here 1. My thoughts on ID vs contractor. All home owners struggle with this question and meeting IDs/contractors can consume a lot of time and effort. 2. How I shortlisted and chose a contractor. The key considerations which led me to chose among the shortlisted contractors. 3. My taobao shopping list. With all the links from taobao sellers which I bought from. 4. My before pics. Demolition pics if you're into that sort of thing. 5. General Info on shipment of bulky taobao items to Singapore. 6. Since it's very difficult to estimate how many cubic metres each item is and the shipping charge is based on cubic metre, I came up with a way to estimate total cost of the bulky taobao item based on my first shipment when I purchase through peeka. 7. Some chinese keywords for shopping on taobao. Although taobao is cheap and therefore tempting, there may be instances of dissatisfaction. To provide a balanced view, Another poster's negative experience with taobao items. How I minimize risk of purchasing low quality items on taobao. 8. Info on the fibreglass concrete panels in my living room. 9. A guide on choosing paint colours for your wall. 10. Kompactop final pics 11. Info on artificial turf for balconies/planter/baywindows 12. Final pics - after 6 months of living in my place, this is more or less the final look of my place, though it tends to evolve with time (and clutter). To be included at some point.

I saw a L shape fabric sofa from Nova at the Home Show which I'm interested to buy. It is reasonably cheap. Could anyone please share his experience with Nova on fabric sofa?

After being a silent reader of many reno t-blogs and many PMs exchanges for ID contacts, I have finaly (and reluctantly) decided to start a t-blog to document our reno journey, learning process, and sourcing tips etc with fellow forumers and future readers. Have taken too much good info from this forum and this is our small way of giving back to this lovely and helpful community in Renotalk. First and foremost, like any other reno t-blog, our floor plan. Right from the start, I knew there's some design flaw (oh well, it's HDB BTO, either take it or leave it) 1. There's no way to hack the kitchen to create open concept, and my wife have to forget about any kitchen island. 2. Placement of dining table gonna be a challenge (I actually use this as one of my key selection criteria to determine if an ID is giving much thoughts about space planning, or they are quoting for the sake of quoting only). Some ideas/themes that my wife and I like, and inspired after reading many pages of t-blogs and other online sources ....

Hi~ here it is : http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.0.0.uPyIBn&id=17730554016

This is how the switch and 12-port patch panels are integrated into the study desk shelf. The bottom compartment of the study shelf has a door that opens downwards. Behind the door is a snap-on panel where the switch and patch panels are mounted. This design allows me to perform maintenance such as cleaning of the compartment from time to time. The rear of the compartment is actually hollow and is part of the box-up to conceal the surface trunking of the network cables on the recess wall. A cutout with a aluminium grill on the left allows for some ventilation.

Last but not least, a sneak preview of the network cables termination. This is how the 8-port patch panel is integrated into the TV console. Note that the bundling of the cables using masking tape is just a temporary measure as I did not bring along my bag of Velcro straps.

The plumbing items and fittings were all installed as well. Kitchen Sink Bathroom Vanity Cabinet Bathroom Fittings

Went up to check on the progress and were surprised the doors and glass works were installed a day ahead of schedule. Kitchen Door Study Glass Panel Main Bedroom and Bedroom 1 Veneer Door

I came accross this website to read more info on this great product: http://www.archiexpo.com/architecture-design-manufacturer/modular-shelf-1519.html

Hi Vuzu, it is not just the number of blades , the motor that turn the blades also affect performances. Newer dc motor are more energy efficient, quieter than older ac motor. The blade design will also contribute to the air propulsion. Some "air character" of fans are very narrow, some are wider. There are also other factors that you should take note, such as reliability , noise level, blade's length etc. Best to drop by a shop that display the model you are interested in to see, hear and feel for yourself. Hope this helps. PHYLUX

The sea freight forwarder is China goods resource pte ltd. they charge by cubic metre (1m x 1m x 1m) for SGD130. So whatever you can stuff into 1 cubic metre, you just have to pay SGD 130 (excluding custom taxes and GST). For this, usually i will list the goods value 40-60% lower so that taxes wont be so high.

i am renovating my unit in a few weeks time. Had bought lots of stuff on taobao and brought over via container shipping. Takes about 1 week to arrive. Here are some of the links: Bathroom fittings - http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37089306602 Digital Lock - http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=37145123637 Downlights - http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.57.ZM91lw&tradeID=552977048358438 Toilet / Kitchen Lights - http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.79.ZM91lw&tradeID=552950887018438 Electrical switches (touch sensor) - http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.130.GYJgO2&tradeID=579673473068438 Bathroom vanity table set - http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.9.ZM91lw&tradeID=554405288068438 http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.26.ZM91lw&tradeID=554329298768438 Ceiling fan / light (retractable) - http://trade.taobao.com/trade/detail/tradeSnap.htm?spm=a1z09.2.9.310.GYJgO2&tradeID=555971232658438 Note that all lightings are in LED Most of the stuff have arrived and I am quite happy with their quality. Will have to wait to install before knowing how they well they work. But for the retractable ceiling fan/light, its working perfectly! current mum's house is using it.

that is really a good deal. any ideas/pictures/3d samples of the place design?

Fortis Storage Solutions provides racking solutions for Residential, Commercial and Industrial customers. The Boltless Rack minimizes setup time and offers a vast selection of heavy to light racking system requirements. Easy and fast to install and dismantle, Boltless Rack can be applied to existing racking systems for increased cost savings in warehouse storage systems. We also have a range of other products that you can look at. HDB BOMB SHELTER "L" SHAPE Storage BOLTLESS SHELVING FOR OFFICE FILING SYSTEM For QUOTATION, Kindly follow the GUIDE below and Measure A,B,C in MM and SMS TO 9006 4164 ! (24 HOURS) For discounts, promotions and giveaways, like our Facebook page now! For enquiries, email us at enquiry@fortisstoragesolutions.com or SMS to 9006 4164 (24Hrs) We are located at No 1, Ubi View, Focus One #04-02 Singapore 408555. "When you realize Space is a premium.. Call us!!!"

I noticed that the tb seller on your link has 3 diamonds only. Might be worth finding one with at least 4 diamonds (5 preferrably or 1 crown)

Hey Vanessa, Keywords would be "loft" or "工业" "书桌" for study desk. You may wish to just use 桌 to capture more hits If you want more vintage-y or distressed types, can add in "复古"

Hi Eddo, here's a pic of the tracklights in action. I'm pretty sure you can replace them with Singapore ones. The other option is just to buy them from taobao and ship them via express. They aren't very big and quite light so freight cost is low. Hi sleepybeauty, This is a good question. I am using peeka as there has been a lot of positive feedback from renotalkers. I don't think they are that bulky as compared to e.g. TV console. In fact I bought two chairs which can be stacked but cannot be flat packed. In fact, peeka managed to pack more smaller boxes into the box with two chairs in it. Overall, I didn't even hit 1 cubic metre volume of purchases which I was very surprised. I think one of the big plus about peeka is that they will confirm with the seller the price and the China freight charges. Then they ask you whether you want to proceed with the purchase. For instance, some sellers will say the freight/shipping to Peeka China warehouse is RMB 450, which is almost a hundred bucks so peeka will ask whether you are ok with it. I have heard that some agents do not do this e.g. sgshop

Some taobao keywords to help those who have difficulty searching for taobao stuff 复古怀旧艺术 - retro vintage design 铁艺 - iron/metal. If you pair this with "loft" you will get lights/furniture with strong metal elements 吊灯灯 - chandelier/pendant type lighting 海报 - posters for the wall Some people ask why need to use an agent like peeka to buy stuff from taobao 1. You need a China credit card/bank account in order to purchase directly from taobao. Bank of China credit card issued from Singapore subsidiary does not count 2. You will need to arrange shipping from China to Singapore. A lot of hassle.

I'm really looking forward to unboxing my taobao purchases next week. Hopefully delivered on Monday. Some of my purchases were a bit more expensive as compared to other sellers on taobao But I wanted to only purchase from 1 crown or 4-5 diamond sellers or tmall sellers Tmall sellers are generally more trustworthy as they represent commercial shops Surfing the various sellers on taobao is quite time intensive as there is really a lot of rubbish out there For industrial type furniture, the key word is "loft", so put 家具 or 灯 behind it to get the respective hits for furniture and lighting I usually sort by "信用" to get the crown sellers I also bought track lights from taobao - the variety is huge. Key word is 轨道灯 Anyway here my my taobao purchase links to share. Some of them I didn't buy in the end because it was going to take too long to ship to the China shipping centre. Another reason to use Peeka because they will ask you whether you want to wait or cancel the order at no cost. Kitchen 1. Dornbracht kitchen mixer: 5802. Selena sink: 560 Toilet1. Kohler sink: 2102. HSK Rainshower: 13003. Sternberg floor drain: 1694. Dornbracht sink mixer: 168 Lighting1. RH loft grand cage sconce: 2202. Assortment of Edison light bulbs: 15-603. Industrial pipe wall light: 6304. Industrial octopus chandelier: 5505. Pendant lamp dining area: 3806. Bedroom centre lamp: 2057. Kitchen pendant lamps: 1188. Track lights (LED) 7W: 629. Tracks for track lights 1.5m: 2510. LED bulbs shop E14 and E27 Furniture1. Tolix chairs: 300

Hi Redder, which design did u choose? I think having the same design tile in the living/dining/kitchen area will be very nice cos it will appear like one big continuous space. I do notice some people prefer to "section" off the various spaces i.e. living room and kitchen have different tiles. I think that the transition can be quite visually "disruptive". Hi MonsterBeng - I use Peeka. I chose them because this is my first time doing bulky purchases on taobao and quite a few renotalkers have posted good experience with them. Pricing wise they are not the cheapest though. However, the advantage is that for shipping via sea the first 1 cubic metre is a fixed rate of $250 and the price is calculated on a pro-rated basis after that. Another option is Amcon Express. Their rate is 550 RMB per cubic metre - therefore shipping is obviously cheaper than peeka. Because of their pricing, you have to plan the volume more carefully. Because the price for 1.5 cubic metres is 2 cubic metres. Nonetheless, Amcon Express also has good reviews by renotalkers. However I opted for Peeka because this is my first bulky purchase on taobao. Amcon Express service does not seem very customer oriented because this is not their primary business. They send you an excel spreadsheet to enter the items you wish to purchase whereas Peeka has an online platform.

Hi, it sounds like you have a problem with moisture. You might want to leave the wooden planks in the sun to dry properly before you put them back in your bomb shelter. I would suggest you leave the door of the bomb shelter slightly open to improve the ventilation (reduce humidity) and close your toilet door. Also, do check that you are not keeping very moist stuff in the bomb shelter. If all fails, perhaps you can just change the planks? I think the root of the problem might be the planks. I'm using wooden planks in my store room, which is also close to the toilet and I don't have this problem. My friend had the same problem with moisture in his master bedroom and I later realised it's because he closes all his windows all the time and leaves his MBR toilet door open. After I suggested that he airs his room by leaving the windows open and get a good fan to ventilate his room, everything seems ok. Hope this works for you.

I went to Airland in IMM and saw this model name.

i just bought a backcare simmons mattress also wah... felt so comfy.. my hubby and i loved it.. plus that feature of the negative ions thing... seems so far only backcare 3 and 4 series has it we bought a king sized mattress. eventually we chose backcare 4 backcare 4 is firmer than backcare3 but it has an additional layer on its mattress... so it feels firm and plush at the same time.. dunno how to describe it also..but very comfy... 2 thumbs up