Shopee: How to find trustworthy sellers that won’t scam you of your money

There are over 11,000 sellers on Shopee’s platform and it is impossible for all of them to be trusting stores selling the same ‘authentic’ products. It is important to do thorough research on the store or seller you wish to purchase from.

This ensures the best chance of receiving a genuine product, keeping the heart at ease from money-eating scams.

Here are some points to look out for when shopping for electronic goods on Shopee to guarantee the best shopping experience.

1. Shopee Mall Listing

There is a ‘100% authentic’ guarantee for Shopee Mall products. This listing is only entitled to brand owners or authorised distributors.

This usually comprises of official stores selling their licensed products. Shopee Mall sellers receive an invitation from Shopee based on their brand recognition. This means not every store can be a Shopee Mall seller.

Shopee Mall sellers’ goods are licensed so it is highly unlikely that the goods are counterfeited.

2. Preferred seller verification tag

Shopee recognises sellers with excellent sales and customer service, thus rewarding them with this ‘Preferred Seller’ tag on their store.

The Shopee ‘100% Authentic Guarantee’ tag applies to the product listings.

The ‘Money Back Guarantee’ is a warranty where buyers are eligible for a 100% refund borne by the seller.

There are many cons for the seller if they are caught selling counterfeited products with this ‘Preferred Seller’ tag. Hence, it is safe to assume that shops listed as a preferred seller are credible.

3. Percentage of number of reviews to number of products sold: ~50%

Formula: ([number of reviews]/[number of products sold] x 100%)

Our research shows that the products listed under Shopee mall have a 50% average ratio of review to products sold.

This is an interesting point to note as some sellers may find a way to manipulate their numbers to make the product appear more attractive to customers.

Some products may not have a large number sold due to its price. If the number of reviews is about 50% of the number of products sold, it shows that real customers are leaving reviews on the product.

Example

A product on Shopee with 64 ratings and 897 products sold. The percentage after calculation is 7.13%. This is much lower than 50% hence there’s a possibility that this product is not genuine.

4. Images in reviews

An image attached in the review is proof of the product. This helps ensure the review is written by a legitimate customer, giving an unbiased and truthful review.

Additionally, images allow for further confirmation that the product is as advertised.

5. Unrealistically low price = product likely not real and genuine

On average, the increase in retail price from the wholesale product is 30-50%.

To properly gauge whether the price is considered unrealistically low, look up the retail price of the product and deduct it by 30-50%. See if this number matches with the price stated in the Shopee shop for that product.

If the price is unrealistically low, it could indicate that the product is either a counterfeit or being sold as a second-hand product.

A good practice would be to chat with the seller and ask the reasoning behind this low price; it provides a bit more insight on whether the product is genuine or not.

Summary

There are several internal Shopee authorisations for genuine products such as Shopee Mall, ‘100% authentic’ tag, etc. You can use these authorisations to ensure your chosen product is trustworthy.

Aside from that, you can also indulge in some simple math to calculate price differences and review percentages.