After my last not-very-travel-related post, I have another post: Tips and tricks for buying a Xiaomi phone during the sale.
Xiaomi is a Chinese company that makes cheap and alright smartphones. The most basic model available in Singapore, Redmi 1S, is S$169, including shipping charges. This makes it a good enough price point for a backup smartphone, an entry-level phone for people who don’t need that much functionality.
Xiaomi market their phones very cleverly. They don’t sell their products in stores but sell them online during flash sales. These flash sales end really fast because a lot of people want the phone.
I’m writing this Xiaomi phone-buying guide because I’m a self-proclaimed expert at buying them. 
Since March 2014, I’ve bought 13 sets of Xiaomi phones, including one Redmi Note just last week during its first round of sale. (I’ve failed during my first two times trying to buy the phones but afterwards it was smooth sailing.)
Here is the unofficial desperate person’s guide to buying a Xiaomi phone. (The official not-so-desperate buying guide is available on Xiaomi Singapore’s Facebook page.
Things to note about buying a Xiaomi phone:
- You can only buy one phone at a time.
- But you may be able to buy multiple accessories (earphones, power bank).
- Having the phone in your cart does not mean you have bought it, you still need to pay.
What to do a day before a Xiaomi sale
- Sign up for an account on mi.com.
- Link your credit card to your PayPal account.
- Save your Name, Address, Phone Number if your browser allows auto-fill in, even though there is a chance that this will not work.
- In case #3 doesn’t work, have your Name, Address, Phone Number typed out in Notepad so you can copy-and-paste fast.
What to do 30 minutes before a Xiaomi sale
- Sign in to your Xiaomi account half an hour before the sale starts. The login gets jammed nearer the sale.
- About 5 minutes before the sale start, open up TWO tabs of page of the phone you want to get. Example here is the Redmi Note page. Notice that the label says “Out of Stock” on the right.
- For the next 5 minutes, refresh the two tabs. Once the page is refreshed, refresh it again and again.
- When 11:59am comes, keep tabs on your tabs, the “Add to Cart” sign might appear. Then you’re off.
- Having your phone in the cart does not mean you have bought them. You’ll need to pay for it. Quickly pick the accessories you need.
- Fill up your details. Hopefully Google Autofill will do it for you or else you’ll need to copy-and-paste it.
- Next is the payment page, it’ll bring you to PayPal. Since you’ve linked a Credit Card (or anything), you’ll check out super fast.
- Voila, you’ve successfully purchased a Xiaomi.
- Do Step 1 to 7 again if there’s still stock and you need to buy another phone.
Voila, that’s how you buy a Xiaomi phone. The official guide is available on Xiaomi Singapore’s Facebook Page: 
YQtravelling 
Thank you for this guide! It’s super helpful :)
Can help to buy?
Thanks a lot! I managed to get 1 today!
Hi there, thanks for the great guide but can you assist me with a question of mine? As I am from the EU are these sales available for me (EU residents) i.e. is there cheap shipment to the EU? I know there is from the retail shop but I was wondering if I can use the Singapore site to get a better deal. thank you!
I’m not sure if the website is IP-restricted. But I know the Singapore site doesn’t send to addresses outside of Singapore.
Hi, just wondering if it’s possible to buy more than one powerbank without buying a phone?
It’ll depend on the promotions they’re having.
Hi, where’s the link to update your credit card/PayPal details? Can’t seem to find it.
I think it should be at Paypal.com. You login to Paypal to pay after putting the stuff in your shopping cart.
hey Yun Qing, thanks for this! very helpful.. haha just wondering are the phones good? Does it measure up to a Galaxy S3 for example? haha
They seem to have a pre-sale going on for the Redmi 1S.. looks very tempting…
Hello Phebe, I’m using the Redmi 1. It’s a very very very basic phone. I like it enough but don’t go around actively promoting it.
I’d recommend the Mi3 (or Mi4 if it comes out) if you’re looking for an S3-level phone.
Hope that helps!
Hey Yun Qing, thanks for sharing – it’s very helpful! I will go take a harder look at it then.. Thanks alot : )
Just wonder why XiaoMi does not increase the quantity available in order to remove the need to have this mad rush for their products. Or is it their strategy to promote a sense of competition amongst buyers to create an artificial demand. If the product is good and saleable, why not have enough to meet the demand. Just wondering. Price wise, Mi is OK. China mobile phone and accessories are on par with the best in the market. (My Huawei has served me for a long time satisfactorily.)
I bought xioami mi3 in singapore such phone apps will work in india?
I’m not sure if the phone frequency band of Singapore and India are the same. So you might not even be able to use 3G etc in India.
Hi,
Would you know if it is possible to buy a phone from the Malaysian site (they still have mi3 unlike Singapore) but pay using a Singapore-registered paypal? I can have it delivered to an address in Malaysia but of course, the address will differ from my paypal delivery address.
Thanks
Hi YQ,
The sale on the Xiaomi note will be weekly Tuesday 12pm?
Thanks!
Usually the sales are on Tuesday for Singapore. You can check out their Facebook page for updates on which phones they are selling.
thanks!
Noted, thanks!
Thanks for the guide,
just successfully got redmi note 4g :)
a little bit trouble on the payment through PayPal but finally it was successful
thanks for helpful guide
You’re welcome. What did you buy?
hello, can you help with the method to buy the new Mi Note?
I bought a Redmi Note two weeks ago without going through the flash sales.
It’d depend on whether stock is available for you to buy.
Hello, I would like to try to purchase the new Mi Note, do you know if the method is the same for China? i.e. flash sales, limited quantity
I believe it should be the same in China. But you’ll have a lot more people to compete with over the phone. Good luck!
Is the Xiaomi Redmi Note on sale or is it totally gone?
I have tried the website and there is no mention of it.
Are there any stores that sell it like CK Tang or trustworthy ones. I know of SL square :(
Which country are you based in? Singapore still has it http://www.mi.com/sg/note/ but it will probably only be available during their sale. You can check their Facebook page for more information.
hi…good evening..This is just for the official xiaomi sales in singapore…? How about purchasing a xiaomi phone from the mainland china…im frm malaysia…desperate for the mi note pro
This is only for Singapore. I won’t recommend getting Xiaomi phones from China if you’re in Malaysia. The 3G/4G might not be compatible.
I wish I could get it shipped to US!!. I want the Xiaomi Mi 4i