SMART SHOPPING TIPS FOR THE NIGERIAN FITNESS ENTHUSIAST

Hello Fitfam, a New Year is fast approaching and many of us would be rewriting our fitness goals for the year 2017. One question many of my clients ask is where to buy fitness equipment/accessories in Nigeria. I, like some of my clients, stock up on fitness gear when I travel overseas. Even when I do not travel, I would order from US or UK stores and have them shipped to me. It was not until when I was organizing my last years end of year fitness party and needed to urgently get some fitness items that I realized that I could buy quite a number of them in the comfort of my home using Konga. I was aware of a few stores in Surulere and Victoria Island but getting there was a hassle for me and sometimes I get there and do not even find what I need (wasted time and fuel!).
Since then, I have continued to purchase fitness items from Konga and I think I have somewhat become an expert. I not only have bought fitness items but other household items, I even got some baby gear like my daughter’s bouncer, car seat and bather. Now whenever I am looking to buy an item, I first of all search on Konga before stepping out to the stores or ordering from overseas. I also have surprisingly found items on Konga which I never imagined I would find. For example “infusion water bottles” I first saw these on Amazon and was going to make plans to order them and have them shipped. Another item, though unrelated to fitness, was my baby’s bather. I first saw them on Babies “R” Us and thought I’d never find them in Nigeria. I was ecstatic when I found them on Konga and purchased one immediately.

Before you start shopping however, here are a few tips to bear in mind:

1. Konga, like Amazon, is made up of several sellers. You can check how long each seller has been selling and how many sales the seller has made. Why does this matter? You can measure the seller’s integrity and efficiency by how many successful sales they’ve made. I have had some sellers send me goods different from what’s advertised. While some are not swift in shipping out items. The good thing is that I always choose pay on delivery so I can instantly return any item that falls below standard.
2. Do not be quick to add the first item you see to your basket. You need to patiently scroll down as I have discovered that sellers sell at different prices. You could find three sellers offer three different prices for the exact same product. Some prices may vary by a N50 to N100 difference, while some may vary for as much as N1000 difference.
3. I personally think Konga has favorable prices compared to other Nigerian online platforms. Except OLX of course. But OLX is a different kind of platform so you may not be assured of brand new products. I even discovered that the prices on Konga are sometimes more affordable than the stores/markets. Yes, when you are on a budget, you take note of every Naira.
4. We tend to think it is more affordable to shop from an overseas store  and ship down or ask a family/friend to bring along. I discovered this is not always the case. The only advantage I would say is you get more of a variety. If comparing prices for the exact same product you just might be paying the same amount by the time you do your conversions, add shipping costs, etc. 

So you’re thinking what kind of fitness items can you get on Konga? You can check that out here but I will mention a few: Large fitness equipment (treadmills, elliptical bikes, rowers, etc.) small fitness equipment (dumbbells, kettle-bells, exercise mats, medicine balls), fitness accessories (water bottles, pedometers, Fitbit, etc.), fitness DVDs and much more!

 Now you can stop making excuses and log onto Konga to buy those dumbbells and attend my toning class! *big smiles*