October 2011 meet-ups

Hear ye, hear ye! 

Dear valued customers,

Thanks for bearing with us last month as we had a downtime with our meet-up schedule.

We're happy to tell you that everything will be back to normal beginning mid-October. Check with us if you require a face-to-face transaction prior to such date, and we might just be able to bend the rules a bit for you.

With the Yuletide Season fast approaching, we encourage you to browse through our online shopping guide to keep your transactions scam-free and secure. 

• how to check if the seller is still actively selling
• can you trust the seller
• buying online? manage your expectations 
• shopping online? check if you're protected
• full deposit on a bank account - should you be worried?
• buyer beware - practices that can void your PayPal buyer protection coverage

Happy reading and stay safe!

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a bucket list of smart shopping techniques

Without much fanfare, we'll give you some tips on how you can shop wisely online. Your goal is to find the best deal without compromising on the quality of the stuff and on your buyer protection rights.

1. Wait for clearance sales. During these times, merchandise you love will often cost only half of the regular price tag. Do not mistake clearance stocks for salvaged items, because the two are not one and the same.
   
   
2. Choose trusted vendors. Sellers who have established their online presence are less likely to scam you and are more careful about protecting their reputation. Be sure to read whatever reviews you can find.
   
   
3. Look beyond the price tag. A number of cunning merchants use all sorts of fees to balloon the final cost of your purchase. Avoid nasty surprises by prioritizing prices indicated as "nett," "all-in" or "clean." Ideally, the price should include free shipping. If not, then check if the shipping fee calculations are reasonable.
   
   
4. Check the available payment options. PayPal is by far the one of the few payment processors that offer buyer protection. To avoid disappointment, steer clear of sellers who accept payments only via Western Union, G-Cash or other methods that will make tracking the merchant and asking for a refund difficult, if not impossible. 

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how to check if the seller is still actively selling

One of the ways that you can avoid disappointments when shopping online is to check if the seller is still actively selling before you press the "Add to Cart" button. Seller activity is a strong indication that listings are still active and stocks are still available. 

Smart Tips for the Seriously Interested Buyers

1. Check when the merchant updated the web store. For traditional e-commerce sites, this info is usually found along with the copyright details.
   
   
2. In cases where the copyright year has not been updated, see if the site has a blog. The blog shop should have freshly updated posts. Little to no activity usually means that the seller is away from the computer and might not be able to commit to any transactions.   
   
   
3. Ask questions. Send an e-mail or text inquiry but make it intelligent. Chances are you will get a response immediately from active sellers. Caveat: Read first before asking. Busy merchants tend to ignore questions that have already been explicitly addressed on site.
   
   
4. Do a rain check - or as others put it, place a missed call. Try to dial the posted contact numbers before sending a text message. A working phone number is a healthy sign that the seller is reachable and still in business.    
   
   
5. Check for stocks updates (if any). Do not order things head on without making sure that the product you like is indeed available. The Shopping Bug has its own availability chart which gives you an idea on which items are  on-hand or not. The chart is revised weekly and is due for another update tomorrow, so stay tuned!

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Should you trust the seller?

Over the past few years, we have seen the rise of online shops, online traders and yes... people like you... online shoppers. However, we have also noted the proliferation of scammers.

Trust is a very important ingredient for successful businesses. When shopping online, how do you know which seller to trust? Seasoned buyers rely on their guts and  a bit of research. If you're new to online trading, then feel free to use our bucket list.

Go with sellers who have established an online presence. People with a reputation to protect won't resort to doing anything stupid that will tarnish their good name. Admit it... Won't you feel more secure knowing that the seller is on Facebook and actually shows up in search engine results? Slightly famous people are trust-worthier than complete strangers.

Snoop on a seller's testimonials. However, don't believe in all positive feedback -- especially when all of them are posted on the owner's site. Remember that feedback can be easily fabricated. Instead, google the seller's name or shop, and see if either one is associated with any scam or buyer complaints. Dig deep and check up to 5 to 8 pages of the search results to make sure you don't miss anything.

Check the seller's payment terms. Does the seller accept only cash on delivery? Be wary of payment methods that are hard to track. Your best bet would be to select sellers who offer traceable payment methods such as bank deposits or PayPal (which has an integrated buyer protection program). Western Union transfers, mobile payments and similar types of money transfers help cloak the seller's identity and may compromise your buyer protection rights.

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online shopping etiquette

You've probably seen some online classifieds where the seller seems very hostile to potential buyers.

Though we do not condone harsh behavior, we understand as online sellers why some vendors lose their cool and why many resort to publishing a notorious blacklist of banned customers:  There are as many bogus buyers and joy reservers on the web as there are scammers.

Thankfully, we have not yet become bratzillas of virtual buying and selling. We know we won't if all buyers practice basic online shopping etiquette.

1. Contact the merchant first. Do not just leave a comment and ask the seller to call you. 
   
   
2. Allow the seller reasonable time to respond. A number of online sellers have day jobs.
   
   
3. Respect price listings. One of the questions that irks merchants the most is, "Last price?"
   
   
4. Haggle reasonably if the seller indicates that prices are negotiable.
   
   
5. Make reading a habit. Read the ad. Read what is required to place and confirm your order.
   
   
6. Follow the rules. Do not demand that the merchant bend them for you.
   
   
7. Ask questions nicely. Say "please" and "thank you." They're music to the ears.
   
   
8. Honor your word... and if you can't, then at least let the seller know.

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Buying online? Manage your expectations.

Online shopping is different from malling. 

In malls, you pay for the item that you like and you go home with it that very day. Instant gratification!

In online shops, you may see pictures of the product, but you don't know whether they are actual photos or not. You may be able to view items, but you can't touch, feel and inspect them... not until the courier delivers the package anyway. 

Our advice: Manage your expectations. Here's how:

1. Once you find an online ad that you like, read it thoroughly. Does it sound like a cut-and-paste job? Are there enough details to convince you that the merchant is serious about selling something? Or does the ad contain only one line? 
   
   
2. Find out as much as you can about the advertised item. Is the product brand-new or sold "as is"? Are there any defects which the seller declared? Look for specifics. Make it a habit to comb through any list of declared defects and find time to look at the photos.
   
   
3. Don't just limit yourself to the merchant's web store. Lurk in review sites as well. What do reviewers have to say about the merchandise or particular brand or gadget? What do actual users have to say? Nothing beats first-hand information.
   
   
4. Investigate the seller's background. Communicate with the vendor, and observe how s/he handles your questions. Can you trust the merchant? Is s/he approachable? Does the vendor have any attitude that makes you doubtful about transacting business with the person?
   
   
5. Compare prices. There's no harm in looking for the best and most reliable deal. Visit the merchant's site and other similar sites that sell the same product. Are there any add-on charges that the seller did not declare? What is a realistic price for the product?
   
   
6. Read, read and read. Make attentive reading a habit. Review the ad. Scrutinize the seller's policies, terms and conditions, as well as any published list of frequently asked questions. Never miss reading the fine print.
   
   
7. Leave room for reasonable doubt. No matter how well advertised a product is or how convincing the seller sounds, remind yourself that you are taking a calculated risk by shopping online and that it is possible for things to turn out not the way you expected. You'll cope better by not expecting too much. 

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Is online shopping for you?

According to Buy and Sell Philippines, 8 out of 10 people who browse web stores and online shops are already decided buyers. 

These individuals are highly likely to purchase an item and have the ready funds to do so once they have found the best merchant or the best bang for their buck.

The big question is: Is online shopping for you? Use our list to diagnose your shopping behavior. Online shopping may not be for you if you:

• Believe that cold, hard cash upon the actual delivery is the only way to pay. In fact, 90 percent of the web stores that we know follow a pre-paid buying arrangement. Credit card payments and other forms of online payments such as PayPal transfers render good-old cash-only transactions obsolete.
  
  
• Feel unsafe with electronic banking. From a handful of legitimate and secure payment sites, there are thousands of others that will engage in phishing attempts, identity theft and hacking. There is real reason to be wary of sites that offer to store and move your money.
  
  
• Value anonymity. Unless you pay by credit card, shopping in malls does not require you to divulge your full name or complete mailing address when you hand over your payment to the cashier. These pieces of information are vital in online shopping and item shipping.
  
  
• Fully agree to the saying, "To see is to believe." Online shopping requires some leap of faith and an extra large dose of precautions. If you are 99 percent convinced that all transactions are scammy and that all sellers are bogus, then it's best to stick to traditional shopping.
  
  
• Don't mind paying extra for a sense of security. What makes online shopping attractive is the price tag. For a couple of bucks more, malls capitalize in providing you with a sense of security. You basically pay extra knowing that you will be issued official receipts, you can inspect and fit items before purchasing them, and you are covered by standard warranties.
  

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buyer's guide - buttons, logos and tags

It has recently come to our attention that some enterprising individuals have jacked up the prices of their Lacoste replicas in order to trick buyers into thinking that the shirts are Lacoste originals.

While the real thing is indeed expensive, the price should not be the only indicator that the merchandise is authentic. Just because something is expensive does not mean that it is genuine.

Here are more indicators to help you determine that the shirt you have is an original Lacoste classic polo shirt. Are you ready to perform an (ocular) inspection of the apparel?

Buttons

• The classic shirts have only two buttons. (For ladies, there is a 5-button variant).
• The old stocks still use mother of pearl, while new ones now use plastic. 
• There should only be one pair of button holes.
• The direction of the thread from one button hole to the next should be vertical, not horizontal.
• Both buttons are plain and should show neither the crocodile logo nor the word "Lacoste."

Crocodile Logo

• The crocodile logo appears twice: on the left hand part of your shirt and on the size tag.
• You will find a relatively lighter green crocodile on the size tag.
• On the shirt, the crocodile is dark green.
• The fangs and claws are very detailed for both crocodiles.
• The eye of the crocodile logo on the size tag is wide open. You can see the pupil or eyeball.
• The eye of the crocodile logo on the shirt does not show the pupil.  The croc appears asleep.
• The crocodile logo on the shirt is approximately 1.25 inches wide and 0.65 to 0.75 inch tall.

Crocodile Placement

• One of the best indicators of an authentic Lacoste shirt is the placement of the crocodile.
• By rule of thumb, the crocodile is never positioned lower than the edge of button placket.
• For men, the crocodile of authentic Lacoste shirts is without exception only found in between -- not aligned with -- the second button and the edge of the button placket.
• For women, the crocodile is positioned almost in close alignment with the edge of the button placket, but never below it.

Tags

• Check the inner portion of the shirt. There should be a Devanlay care tag complete with laundry and drying instructions.
• For tags in the neckline, the number depends on when the product was released. Old stocks sport double Euro tags while new stocks sport only a single tag. Today, while the use of only single tags has become commonplace in Asia and even UK, Lacoste shirts sold in the US continue to have two tags.
• The underlying Euro tag indicates where the shirt was designed and/or made. For instance: "Designed in France, Made in Peru" or "Designed in France, Made in Morocco" followed by a line that reads "RN87651-CA 16998." 
• On top of the design tag is the size tag, which shows the crocodile logo and indicates the size of your shirt. Note: Original Lacoste sizing only appears in numbers, and not in letters S, M, L or XL. The size is printed in RED and no other color.

We hope you found our guide useful. We have had a pretty busy week, but we'll be posting pictures soon in case you need help in visualizing our guide.

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full payment deposit on a bank account - should you be worried?

Since the first week that our shop went live, we have been receiving a couple of messages about the products we sell, so thanks very much for your interest! One of the concerns raised by our buyers is our full payment policy. This measure is to help us avoid joy reservations and bogus transactions.

You can rest assured that we are legit online sellers. You should be wary of sellers who offer too lenient terms or who seem to really "go out of their way" to please you. Anything that sounds too good to be true might very well turn out to be a scam. So, should you be worried about the full payment deposit? Don't be. Read on to find out why.

• Online behavior. You should be worried if a seller agrees to receive only a portion of the payment and then agrees to collect the balance after you receive the item. No legit seller would take the risk. Think about it. The move is not only bad for the business, but also bad for you. Losing a fraction of your money is going to hurt. What's going to hurt even more is the very idea that you've been played.
  
  
• Best assurance. All scammers keep their real identity hidden. Would you really buy something from someone who only goes by his username? Your best proof of assurance comes from real people who hold a valid bank account. By disclosing to you our ID and bank account details, we also lay our name and entire reputation on the line.
  
  
• Meet-ups. Blame it on Filipino time or the weather man, but meet-ups are way too much of a hassle. Ninety-nine percent of the time, either the buyer or the seller shows up late or does not show up at all. More importantly, when you agree to a meet-up schedule with a "nothing to lose" attitude, take note that you are missing one vital consideration: How sure are you that you are dealing with the legit seller or an impostor? 

We want to stay safe as much as we would like you to have a secure shopping experience.

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