Internet Business: A Few Old School Points to Remember, Both for Sellers and Buyers.

I just talked with an online seller who will be shipping out my item tomorrow after I pay the balance of the purchase price tonight. She seems nice and accommodating but I still have to be on guard.

I've had several experiences on online shopping, but I mostly did meet-ups and COD due to lack of faith in postal services and lack of plastic cards. Though it entails more hassle, I thought it would be safer that way. I remember another Multiply seller who has Lomo cameras for sale. So I pre-ordered for a Holga and waited for almost 2 weeks. She made me go to Makati where she did most of her meet-ups. I took public transportation just to get there. We were supposed to meet at 7pm. Okay, I was an hour earlier. So I took out something to read. Then she started to send me an SMS.

Seller: Are you closer to Manila by any chance?
Me: Oh, I'm already in Glorietta.
S: I have to pick up your item from Manila pa kasi.
M: It's okay, I'm early anyway. And I can wait til around 7:30-8pm.
S: Super traffic!
M: Oh. Don't fret, you still have a lot of time.
S: It's not moving. As in deadlocked. San ka umuuwi? North?
M: East. Marikina.
S: I doubt I'd make it at 8:30 with this shithole. I'll ship the item nalang for free and I'll include 2 films!
M: Nah. I don't think shipping is a good idea.
S: Shipping is 100% safe naman. I had to park muna, I'm having dysmennorhea.
M: Sorry, I really don't trust the local postal services that's why I went here in Makati because I prefer meet-ups. I can wait until 7:30 but if you really can't make it, can we meet nalang in Marikina?
S: I'm from Paranñaque. We're from both ends. I hope you understand.
M: Yeah I do understand. I'm actually more concerned about the payment.
S: You can check the feedback on my page. And you can ask people from Lomomanila about me. How about if we meet on Monday?
M: Exams na so I wouldn't be able to make it on Monday anymore. (Meanwhile, I called up a friend who is into Lomos too ~ it turns out the seller was so unprofessional, delaying shipments of items, not replying to messages, being nice only to the male customers. What a B!)
M: I took your advice and called up someone from Lomomanila. Sorry but I will have to cancel our transaction.
S: Who did you call? You just accused me of being a fraud.
M: No, I didn't. I know you do ship and deliver the items but it just seems you don't value your clients very well as well as their time and effort. I don't have any other choice.
S: I offered to drive til 8:30, didn't I?
M: You said you DOUBT you can make it by 8:30. It doesn't sound much like an offer, does it?
S: I'm on the road still and gave you other options then bolted. Doesn't matter now, you made your choice. I hope this is not some game of retaliation.
M: I gave you an opportunity to push through with the transaction but as you've said we're in both ends. I understand the circumstances, being stuck in traffic and all. I know you may have tried your best but it's just not enough for the hassle I'm in right now.
S: Sorry, what hassle? You said you'd leave at 7:30, I had dysmennorhea attack, can't ignore it. So I parked. Tell me what I should have done. I somehow wish I could still make it up.

Argh! Everytime I remember it, it still pisses me off. I can't believe she still doesn't get it. She has no idea how much hassle she gave me! She's so arrogant and did not even apologize! She didn't think she did anything wrong. And all her excuses? So lame.

Lesson learned? Make sure you're dealing with a professional, who really values his/her customers well. A good businessperson would know that the customers should be treated nicely, even though they can be irate sometimes. Because public relations is very important in any business. A professional seller would be true to his/her words and would apologize if he/she caused any trouble. A professional seller would keep you informed of every stage of the transaction, would reply when you have queries, would accommodate you in any way possible.

I think, just like any other businesses, internet stores should likewise be regulated by the government. To protect the consumers! We should have something like Online Consumers Act. :)

I know this was just a few of the possibilities that could have happened that day. But yeah, it was my first horrible experience in dealing with a Multiply seller. However, I don't feel bad for cancelling my order (even though I was dying to get hold of a Holga then!) because I believe that seller doesn't deserve my money nor my respect at all.

e-payments on e-bay

I joined ebay.ph about 4 years ago mainly because I finally found some of my sought-after paperbacks being sold there by some closet cleaning pocketbook junkie. Luckily for me, my very first transaction was with a seller who was nice and accommodating. Unfortunately, she was based in Cebu. After I won the bidding, she informed me that her preferred mode of payment was through g-cash and that the books will be sent via air21. It did occur to me at that time that she may not send the books even after receiving the payment. But since the amount involved in the transaction was not life threatening, I still went ahead and paid her. Three days later, I received the books as promised.

Ebay sellers basically employ 4 modes of payment for online purchases. G-cash and other mobile phone payments is just one way of paying. Another mode is through bank deposit, which most people prefer because it is after all free. Remittance service is also an accepted venue for payment. Western union, Moneygram, Lbc, Yespinoy and Xoom are some of the more popular remittance services in the Philippines. I rarely use them though, not because I don't trust them but because they're quite expensive. Paying for the exorbitant remittance fee negates whatever savings you made from a bargain purchase. And of course, one can always pay using a credit card.

The most common concern people have in using e-commerce, whether through cell phone, computers, Internet, is the security of transactions online. There's always a certain degree of anxiety with regard to our privacy and security of business transactions. As the amount of transaction goes up, so does our paranoia that fraud might occur at one point during the transaction or even after it is complete. It is somewhat calming to note that our country's E-Commerce Law empowers each one of us the capability to prosecute those who harm us. It is basically up to us if we will fight for those rights whenever we become victims of these abuses. Last year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) released a data privacy guideline to further elaborate the law's applicability in those areas, guide businesses and consumers in handling or protecting personal data that passes through computer systems today. Data log retention guidelines, and consumer protection guidelines on e-banking, e-commerce, and telco-related services should be in the works as well. An allotment in the national budget for Cybercrime funding to both PNP and NBI to combat various forms of cybercrime from fraud, hacking, piracy, pornography, and the likes also goes a long way in alleviating some of these concerns.

As for me, I still use ebay when I'm looking for some quality bargain stuff. From houses to pet dogs to keyholders, everything that can be bought with cold hard cash is available there. Lately, new Philippine-based websites like sulit.com and auction.ph have popped up, hoping to make a dent in the market that ebay.ph has cornered for itself. According to ebay.ph, it has more than 3000 full-time sellers whose primary source of income is selling thru the website. Considering that the site generates 1.6 million unique visitors every month, that's not so hard to believe.