Stop Before You Shop

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

http://sn.im/nsvwg

Hello Readers! Here's the result of our final poll on this blog, and perhaps everyone was very busy, because we've got only 2 voters! Our question was "Where would you prefer to sell/auction your goods?" , meaning would you rather sell your stuff in a real shop that people can visit physically, or would you prefer to sell it on your blog/site.

And the votes were split evenly, with one voter preferring to set up a real shop, and the other voter preferring to do it online!

What are my thoughts on this? Well then, it would really depend on what kind of product you're selling. Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), like fruits for example, really cannot be sold online as it would spoil real quick, while other more durable items like books and clothes can be sold online.

Many factors chalk up to making that decision between setting up shop or setting up website. It could be preference, target audience (you going international or local?), type of product, the technological situation surrounding the seller and so on.

But I fear I might be repeating myself should I expound on all the above factors.

So, in grand summary (as this is our final post here!), we've learned that on the whole, online shopping in Malaysia is still very much at a fledgling stage. There's plenty more room to grow, plenty more room for awareness, and plenty more room for computer literacy skills and brilliant minds willing to take the risk and revolutionize the Malaysian shopping scene!

But we also learned that Malaysian shoppers are also very wise and streetsmart - they know not to simply click away their bank accounts! On the whole, we're all very careful people when it comes to money. Is it safe? Are you sure? Where's the catch? What if? What if? What if?

As a result, I really believe that this admirable attitude of being careful and great financial management skills will definitely result in a safer future of online shopping here. Malaysian e-shoppers certainly won't be too quick to be deceived, nor lured blindly into fraud, nor squander our money like a headless chicken too easily.

In closing, we the bloggers have learnt much from this experience, and we hope we have helped you readers to know a little bit more about online shopping in Malaysia. So, readers... next time you see that product picture with the "buy now" button next to it...

STOP BEFORE YOU SHOP!!!

And remember all we've taught you.

Happy Shopping! Bye!

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Podcast [Poll Analysis Week 8]

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:05:00 +0000

http://sn.im/nsvnr

Today will also be another podcast post but its from one of our previous poll analysis titled
'Do you think online shops offer items/fashion you can't find in reality shopping?'

BYB-Malay.mp3

This podcast is much more special because it is in a Bahasa Melayu version. We basically talks about the week's analysis and what our voters voted.
To summarize, all of our voters voted a 'Yes' to our question and we, pretty much agree with them.
So enjoy this podcast on our views towards this week 8's poll analysis.
To see more on our analysis, click on the reference link below. :)

--> Poll Analysis Week 8

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Podcast [When Things Go Wrong]

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:48:00 +0000

http://sn.im/nsvgw

Hello, today's post will be a podcast from one of our previous post entitled
'When things go wrong'.
You may download it and feel free to listen to one of our works!

BYB-whenthingsgowrong.mp3

This podcast will be talking about what you can do in case any of these goes wrong when you do online shopping. It may be when your items arrive broken or destroy, your item doesn't arrive at all or maybe the wrong item was sent to you.
This post is posted on Thursday, 9th of July 2009.
For any written text, click on the reference link to the previous post.

--> When Things Go Wrong

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Advertise here!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:24:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ndy0k

Hello readers! You can now ADVERTISE right here on Stop Before You Shop!

Yes, we're offering you advertising space right here! We charge according to ad size and duration (how long do you want us to advertise for you), and we'll even make the ad for you at an extra cost. We do advertisements using programs like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator for non-animated ads, and Adobe Flash and Adobe Director for animated ads! Just send in your details and we'll get cracking.

Your ad will be placed on either of our columns, next to our widgets. And on request, we can even dedicate a post to reviewing and promoting your site!

As prices are based on the above requirements, please feel free to enquire within for more information!

You can contact us anytime at byb@mailinator.com

Hope to hear from you soon!

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What about them?

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:40:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ndy4z

Good day readers! In our previous post we talked about some of the dilemmas that the online shopper faces. Now, what about the e-shop owner? Surely they have dealt with a couple of problematic customers along the way.

After having spoken with e-shop owners Samantha of Peaches & Pixies and The Peach Puff's Sabrina, here's a list of some of the problems faced by your local e-shop owners.

Fake buys/orders
Believe it or not, there still are people who are childish enough to pull this sort of stunts. The faker usually fills out the order forms place in the e-shop with details such as..( items that do not exist, fake names, fake addresses, contact numbers and etc..) which brings headache to the e-shop owner because he/she has many other order forms to sort out.
Backouts
Sometimes the buyer decides at the last minute that they do now want to buy the product after placing an order which highly complicates things for the e-shop owner.
No shows
For those who opt to pay and receive their products through COD, we all know that you set up a time, date and place to meet up with the e-shop owner to pay and collect your item. However, some e-shop owners prefer not to include COD in their methods of payment for some customers who decide not to purchase the product just do not show up and leave the poor e-shop owner waiting.
Wrong info
Sometimes the e-shop owner and the customers do get mixed up with locations or have got the wrong info on place, time and date. For example, if you said you want to meet with your e-shop owner at McDonalds, be sure to state which one specifically and get a confirmation because, who knows?! there may be 3 McD's in the same area.

Well, here are some of the common problems faced by e-shop owners. Now you know, its not only you who faces problems e-shopping, the people behind the e-shop does too.

Do you think it's easy being and e-shop/boutique owner?

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:46:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ndy8g

From the above chart, 5 voters (83%) agreed on addiction to online shopping
while 1 voter (17%) did not.

Why do you think there's a no to addiction and this trend is gaining popularity??

Well some people tend to get addicted to online shopping mainly due to price and time concerns, so that's why its getting popular among youngsters and working people. They think its a hip to be part of the online shoppers.
Some find it cheap and there's no fuss of going somewhere to buy something while some think otherwise. There are people who knows the danger that lurks behind this new trend that is gaining popularity thus did not get too involved with it.
Thou the prices are alluring but not everybody will be fished by them. Some of those who are smart and wise will think twice before making any purchase decision depending on their instincts towards the certain website.
For example, some sites looked phony and doesn't seem to attract and create the buying environment with lousy pictures and descriptions, and what's more, when guarantee is not stated whether the goods will reach or if the site can be trusted. But still, majority of them agrees on online shopping being addictive.

What's your opinion? Will you jump straight to buying conclusion without thinking twice?

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When things go wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:33:00 +0000

http://sn.im/mgud5

What do we mean when we said ' when things go wrong?' Although there are many pros to shopping online, there's bound to be some cons to it, right?

These are some of the things that CAN possibly go wrong.

ONE: Your items arrives destroyed/ broken.
This is bound to happen if you bought an item which is fragile and the merchandiser didn't bother to package it well to prevent spoilage. To avoid such incidents, refrain from purchasing items online which you know are fragile and are prone to breaking during its journey to your home.

TWO: Your item doesn't arrive at all.
This has happened to many where the merchandiser accepts the customer's money and then disappears without a trace. This is the reason why you should check the e-shop's comments column and/or c-box to be sure that you are dealing with a real/ responsible merchandiser.

THREE: The wrong item was sent.
This too has happened many a time where the merchandiser accidentally sent you the wrong item. If you are able to contact your ,merchandiser and explain that there has been a mix up, you should be able to get the right item if the merchandiser is cooperative.

There are more things that can go wrong when purchasing items online. Let's just hope for the best that your item arrives at your doorstep in one piece. For more tips and articles keep checking out our site. ;)

Have any of these incidents mentioned above happened to you?

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:46:00 +0000

http://sn.im/mft1l

As from the above graph, there are a total of 6 votes (100%) agreeing that online shopping is cheaper than reality shopping.

To describe in terms of marketing, online shopping is obviously cheaper because the goods shipped in doesn't have to go through distributors such as wholesalers and retailers thus minimizing the cost and the price will not be marked up in each level.

Furthermore, there's no need for promoters and staffs to sell off the items so their salaries are not counted in.

Other than that, there's no need to pay fixed cost such as shop rentals, electricity and water bills, and others.

So readers, do you agree that items going through intermediaries to be sold will have their prices marked up and sometimes to really unreasonable ones?

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Symptoms and Effects of Online-Shopping Addiction

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 02:04:00 +0000

http://sn.im/mel4a

Hello readers!

Previously, we discussed the reason why online shopping addiction might occur. This is a relatively new kind of addiction, but one that is quickly growing.

Just a quick recap - people tend to get hooked onto online shopping because it's so convenient - everything can be done within a number of clicks. It's also quite fun to auction in real-time against other online-shoppers from around the world and to wait for that specific hour when the items go on sale (a promotion limited to online shops), and finally, it just eliminates the hassle of queuing up to pay for your goods.

But right now we want to discuss the symptoms of online addiction as well as its effects.

SYMPTOMS, meaning the characteristics of an online-shopping addict is:

You must grab hold of every sale available
You can't stand a day without the Internet and visiting your online shopping sites. Several times a day to check for the latest updates.
You enter the shopping site originally to buy just one item, but end up buying more than what you need.
Your credit card bill is sky high, and your bank account is almost six feet under before the month is through.

If you can identify yourself with any of the above, you might need to start taking steps to curb your issue before it becomes an all-out crisis. It is important to address the issue at once and not wait till it worsens, as an addiction to online shopping can cause -

Depression - You hate it when you don't get what you want. You can't forgive yourself for not being able to get that thing before it got sold out. You just can't get e-shopping out of your mind because you don't feel good if you don't have those things.
Debt - You buy, buy, buy and buy, until your income doesn't even cover all your expenses. And credit cards have that devious way of assuring you that "You can spend now, and pay me back later!", but a lot of us forget that, and before long, you have a frightening mountain of debt to pay, and you're lost.
Powerlessness - It's gone out of control, and you can't stop! You have more than enough stuff, you don't even remember that you have so many, but you just can't help it! Those deals are too attractive to pass up! As a result, you feel like you have no control over yourself.
Low Self-Esteem and Relationship problems - You can't pay your bills, you're in a horrible mood that you can't afford that fantastic item online, and what's worse - even though you can't afford it, you're still buying more things! You feel helpless, and such a failure, which lowers your self-esteem. This then directly affects your relationships, where you withdraw from your friends to mope about your problems. And like a problem that snowballs, your friends will notice that you have withdrawn, and finding you rather unfriendly, they too will withdraw from you, and the cycle of pain goes on.

As you can see, it's a very dangerous thing to be caught in addiction. However, there is always a way out of it! We'll be talking about how to break the habit soon, but until then, here's a question for you readers - What are problems can be associated with online shopping addiction?

Reference -

Untwist Your Thinking, What is a Shopping Addiction, untwist-your-thinking.com [online], retrieved 7th July 2009.
URL: http://www.untwist-your-thinking.com/shopping-addiction.html

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Profile Page!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:47:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ln5zo

Great news! We've just launched our PROFILE PAGE, and you can view it here!

Enjoy!

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Poll Analysis - Week 8

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:49:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ln0ew

Hello readers! Last week's poll question was "Do you think online shops offer items/fashion that you can't find in reality shopping?".

In other words: Do you think that online shops offer stuff that is not sold in local shops? Like Korean clothes and iPhones that have not been released in Malaysia... Or something like that.

And the poll has shown that ALL 8 voters have said "YES", whilst no one has said "NO".

Yes, I think it is true that you can get more things through online shops, as then your shopping mall is not limited to Malaysia, but to the entire world. Because even if the online shop is Malaysian-based, but they may be importing their goods from anywhere in the world!

I think a majority of users who purchase electronic gadgets (such as laptops, handphones) as well as imported fashion (from Korea, Japan etc.) all will agree that you can get better deals for so-called "rarer" items this way, as you don't have to travel overseas to get it or wait for it to be sold in retail stores in Malaysia to get it.

But if that is the case, and voters have unanimously agreed on this benefit of e-shopping, why is it that consumers are still reluctant to engage in e-shopping in Malaysia?
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E shop GOOD? or E shop BAD!?

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:32:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ln0bo

So, how do you know whether that e-shop is GOOD? or is it BAD?

I mean good or bad as in, can the e-shop owner be trusted? Does he/she send the goods on time? Are the products in good shape or damaged every time they are delivered? and etc.

Well readers, I've got a few tips for ya! And here they are! YAY!! *applause*

First, you should check if the shop is regularly updated. If it IS regularly updated, it should mean that the e-shop has purchasers. Which means that the blog is popular for their items as well as service which should be satisfactory, therefore the e-shop is trust worthy and is a good one.

Second, check out the chat box! Usually there will be a chat box/c-box/shout box located either on the left hand side or right hand side of the web page. Normally, previous buyers will write a small testimonial about the service and most of the time thanking the e-shop owner. Common sense would tell you, if there are a lot of good comments, the e-shop is good, and if there are a lot of bad ones, you know what it means.

Third, check out the comments. Comments posted by happy or angry buyers can be seen in the comment box provided by the e-shop. Just like the chat box, if there are a lot of good comments, the e-shop is A-OKAY, if not, you should really think twice, NO, think at least 10 times before purchasing from that particular e-shop.

Fourth, awards! Some of the best e-shops have been awarded recognitions or awards stating that they are one of the top e-shops. With these awards viewable on the right or left hand side of the web page, you are ensured that the e-shop is a efficient and reputable for its services.

These are some of the tips that we know of that will help you recognize whether the e-shop you are viewing can be trusted. But please do be careful, what we have provided in this post is not 100% a sure fire guarantee. Therefore, you should still take caution when purchasing from e-shops.

Thanks for reading and happy e-shopping! (:

What other suggestions would you suggest to tell if an e-shop is a good or bad one?

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Interview Session With E-Shopper

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:21:00 +0000

http://sn.im/ln07n

Well hello! Today we will have someone to share her experience of shopping online with us! Hopefully there's an abundant of information for e-shoppers out there to research on. :)

E-Shopper: Amy
Interviewer: Janice

Janice: How are you exposed to shopping online?
Amy: Through internet

Janice:Do you prefer online shopping or reality shopping? And why is that so?
Amy: I prefer reality shopping now because of the fear of getting different products than ordered.

Janice: Based on your experiences, do the sellers did what they said online?
(For example, delivered on time, discounts given, etc)
Amy: Yes. Most of them do.

Janice: What do you usually shop for online?
Amy: Clothes.

Janice: What will be your main concerns when it comes to shopping online?
Amy: Afraid the seller will not deliver the items because money has already transactioned.

Janice: In your opinion, does online shopping bring more good than harm, or vice versa?
Amy: I think harm will bring more than good.

Janice: Will you buy branded goods sold at cheaper price online?
(For example, cosmetics, bags, clothes, contact lenses, etc)
Amy: I will not buy because they might give fake goods.

Janice: Is there anything you would like to comment regarding online shopping?
Amy: Online shopping will get you addicted but beware of the harms it might bring.

So as we can see, it indeed is an eye opener for new shoppers so make use of this information and don't get carried away by the Red Hot Deals!

Do you agree with the interviewee or otherwise?
Please feel free to drop us your comments/opinions and if there's any question you would like to ask, please do and we will get back to you as soon as possible. :)

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Addiction - Why it happens.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:11:00 +0000

http://sn.im/kv3a0

Hello readers!

So far, we've observed that online shopping in Malaysia has yet to blossom to it's full potential, though it is generally agreed that the future of retail therapy is turning more and more towards the Internet.

So, before e-shopping mania hits our Malaysian shores, here's the lowdown on Online Shopping addiction (when retail therapy turns ugly), a new but infectious disease that is spreading across developed countries such as the United States and Europe.

First of all, how do people get into this craze ANYWAY? Here's a quick recap on why Online Shopping is so addictive (don't laugh - you might be next.)

1) CONVENIENCE - No more having to wait in line at the cashier! No more spending hours hiking the malls for that silly shoe you want. No more parking problems! You don't even need to pay petrol prices, tolls, and parking fees! No hassle, no crowds, no having to wait forever to get to the changing room/ find a salesgirl. SWEET!

2) DO MORE, FASTER - You don't have to flag down that slowpoke sales assistant to get you that shoe in that size and that color, and hover around waiting forever while she digs it out from the storeroom. You can just click, click and DONE. With only mouse-clicks, you can easily get everything you want, in whatever color and size you want, and be done with it.

3) FUN - There's a real satisfaction when you start auctioning for something, or hitting the exclusive online sales the second it opens, or even swapping helpful and exciting information on the best sites on the 'Net to get stuff over forums. It's like a game, and it makes you feel good that other people are giving you reliable advice and appreciating your input too.

As the years go on, and technology integrates itself into our daily lives more and more, I think it is inevitable that soon all Malaysians will be exposed to online shopping. But while it may be fun, I think it is very important to never do anything in extreme. Online Shopping addiction can produce some very serious problems in our lives, and we'll be talking about those effects next.

In the meantime, what do you think can be done to cure online shopping addiction?

Reference:

Net Addiction, What is eBay addiction, compulsive online gambling, and other types of Internet addiction?, NetAddiction.net [online], Retrieved 25th June 2009
URL: http://www.netaddiction.com/net_compulsions.htm

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:37:00 +0000

http://sn.im/kv3fj

According to the poll above, we can conclude that none of the voters preferred online shopping while 100% (7 votes) preferred to shop in reality.

This might be due to the previous security and quality purposes and since online shopping is not a highly practiced trend in our country because the negative views and impacts are higher than positives ones. The prices for online purchases are almost the same as in reality shopping so customers thought why are they paying for worries? It's much more better to shop in shops and buy straight away with what they are satisfied with. Furthermore, it is not really safe yet in our country as there are many fraud cases. So reality shopping is so much more preferred than online shopping.

Do you think Malaysia will be able to practice online shopping and expand the market in the future with lesser negative impacts?

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Real deal? Rip off? How do I know??

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:19:00 +0000

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So guys, how do you know if that Louis Vuitton bag, Dior lip gloss or Chanel purse you have had yor eye on in the e-shop is the real deal or just another counterfeit produced in China. Fact is, you have no sure fire way of telling if it is a genuine or a faker hoping to pass itself off as the real thing.

What if the e-shop states that it is an original?

Many sites do claim that what they are selling original merchandise. However, you cannot be sure if that online merchant is being honest or not. Even if they state that they have proof that their product is the "real McCoy"and some may even produce certificates stating that the product is real, it is still inadvisable to purchase so called authentic branded goods from online stores because you cannot count on the item's authenticity. Some of these replicas may look and feel like the

If you do want to buy branded goods online and be 100% sure that what you are paying thousands for is the real deal, it is highly recommended that you purchase the branded goods at the brand's Official Online Store such as http://www.diorcouture.com/, http://www.louisvuitton.com/ and so on so forth. Now then you will know that you are not being fooled and you will then receive your 100% original product. And you can sleep well knowing that your money was well spent.

As a precaution, please make sure that the brand site that you are browsing is also the real site, as there are many mock up sites tailored to look as thought it is the real site.

That's all for today readers! Hope this nugget of information is useful for you. Anyways, thanks for reading and have a great day! (:

Would it be better to purchase a branded item at the official store or online, on its official website?

Safe online shopping tips from Gary Rosenzweig

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:52:00 +0000

http://snipurl.com/kez0a

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Where can I find E-shop sites?

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:59:00 +0000

http://snipurl.com/kez23

Hey readers!
Today, we're gonna tell you something you've been absolutely waiting for!!

WHERE TO FIND E-SHOPS!!

Yes, after the ample amount of information we have provided you guys so far, I'm sure you're dying to check out some E-shops yourself. So here it is!

For all you girls who want to know whats the latest update in the E-shops, you can visit http://shoppingclicks.blogspot.com/. This site has the latest updates on what is new in the local e-shops, as well as reviews on items ranging from shoes, bag, accessories, clothes and so much more!

If that's not enough you can also visit http://www.shoppy.com.my/ for more choices if what to shop such as home decor, gardening tools, kitchen ware and etc.

The next popular site frequented by online shoppers like you is http://shoppingroll.blogspot.com/. They provide product reviews, write ups and up to date posts on what's hot and whats not.

These are some of the e-shopping directories for today, just click the banners or the links that I've provided and you will be directed to the respecting sites and be prepared for a night without sleep, cause there's gonna be tons of e-shops to explore.

Happy shopping!

What do you think a good online shopping directory should consist of?

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:25:00 +0000

http://sn.im/kdj5e

The pie chart above shows that all 10 of the voters prefer payment on delivery, with no one in support of payment before delivery.

From this week's poll, we can therefore safely conclude that Malaysian online shoppers are very much a careful and sensible group of people, who insist on seeing the real deal and checking it over for damages before paying for it. This is a very commendable thing to do, in my opinion, because why pay for damaged goods? If That would be like a rip-off, like being cheated.

It appears that the "prepaid" business transaction concept is applicable only to phone credit. But there are times when you do have to pay before you get the goods, as the products may take time to be shipped to your home, or the bill is already deducted from your bank account, if you pay via credit card, for example. Or you have to provide a non-refundable deposit on your product.

So what then? If to buy your much desired product means you have to pay beforehand, would you still buy it and take the risk, or would you just click away to another alternative that allows payment upon delivery. Which would you choose?

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Online Shopping vs Reality Shopping

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:53:00 +0000

http://sn.im/kdj1s

Hallo! So after the previous poll questions, let's review on the pros and cons of
online and reality shopping.

Online Shopping [Pros]
Saves time
Obviously it saves you time because you don't need to go through all the shops or get stuck in the traffic or bargain your way with the promoter.

A click away
All is done with just a click on the mouse and all you have to do is just PAY & WAIT.

Price
Some of the shops online sell bargain goods so you might want to opt for online shopping if you're on a tight budget and wanted new clothes desperately. *wink.

Online Shopping [Cons]
Quality
The product might not meet your expectations in quality wise and you may encounter dissonance and develop a negative perception towards online shopping.

Security
The factor that majority have them mingled in their head most of the time. Some sites may be a phishing site and its not safe when you reveal your address to where they have to deliver your goods to. So online shoppers have to be extra cautious.

Reality Shopping [Pros]
Quality
You get to touch, see and feel the quality of the product so you will not feel cheated. You know whether the price is worth the goods.

Satisfaction
You don't need to worry about your satisfactory level or worry how your product will turn out to be. Products chosen or bought with your own hands somehow will not disappoint you much.

Reality Shopping [Cons]
Unexpected expenditures
You might overspend on stuffs you like but of no use to you. Usually lightings and musics attract customers and increase their likeliness to buy something from their shops. This may end up you being a spendthrift and you will regret much after you bought it home.

Time
Much more time is indeed needed for reality shopping. You have to go shops to shops and if you're fussy enough, you might end up going to each and every store for a survey before you started buying. :D

So readers, do you agree on unexpected expenditures whenever you go to some nice and comfortable shops and just buy stuffs which are of not much use and it looks nice there but somehow it doesn't when you got home??

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Delivery Methods and Charges

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:54:00 +0000

http://sn.im/kdivw

Hello readers! Besides having to pay for the products you just purchased online, you might also have to pay for delivery charges.

This varies depending on the delivery methods. We'll be focusing on what usually occurs in Malaysia.

1. Delivery service. It can be UPS (for large quantities of products) or the company's own delivery trucks (like how Amway has their own fleet of delivery trucks). This can mean that there will be an extra charge for having the stuff delivered to your doorstep, and the amount of extra cost will defer from business to business. For example, Amway is a direct-selling company that very strongly utilizes the Internet as a means to order their products, and Amway provides free delivery if your order exceeds RM300. Others might charge you extra depending on the amount of products purchased and how far away you stay from the seller's location.

2. Snail Mail. For small-scale, imperishable online purchases, most sellers would opt for sending it by express mail (PosLaju). The extra cost for this method varies depending on the product's size and weight. Of course, by using this method, your stuff should arrive within the week, and not within a day or two. Snail Mail is Snail Mail, after all.

3. Cash On Delivery (COD). Another method, especially for small-scale online purchases, is where the seller meets up with the buyer and they exchange the goods for cash on the spot. They usually meet at a common location that is easily accessible to both parties, like the McDonald's at the nearest shopping mall or something similiar. This can also apply for buyers who order products like handphones through sellers/suppliers. In this case, the buyers would be notified of when the product reaches the seller's store, and then the buyers would go collect.

For example, if I were to order a handphone from a seller online through lowyat.net, the seller would then notify me when the handphone has arrived in their shop, and then I might have to go to their shop personally to pay for my handphone.

That about wraps it up this week. What do you think about the delivery methods in Malaysia? Are there any ways we can improve this aspect of online shopping in Malaysia?

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Weekly Poll Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:57:00 +0000

The graph above shows why people DO NOT prefer to shop online based on security, quality, and both security and quality options. Out of the 6 votes, 2 votes (33%) goes to security purposes, none voted for quality and 4 votes (67%) goes to both security and quality.

Through this graph, we can conclude that most people are concerned on security and quality purposes rather than quality alone. If they are rest assured in terms of security and quality of products are satisfying, customers will eventually build more trust in online shopping, which proves to be a risky action especially to new online shoppers.
Security purposes are taken into consideration because some people feel that quality doesn't matter much as long as they are secured.
Quality is not something we can argue because we have to be mentally prepared to not get the product as we perceived on how they will be. Usually goods on cheaper price turned out not as they are, such as lower quality, different product, or something which is similar of function to ordered items.
Of course, majority will prefer to have both so they can benefit from online shopping.

Thus, what's your opinion? Do you think you will continue to shop online if the goods' quality is not guaranteed but security is?

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Payment methods

noreply@blogger.com (Jasmine) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:58:00 +0000

After spotting that ''perfect'' dress in the online shop you've just found and have decided that you're going to buy it, you must be wondering, " How do I pay for it?". Well, fear not! In this post, we will tell you the common methods of paying for your merchandise in Malaysia.

One of the few methods of paying for your merchandise is by a method called COD. COD stands for Cash on Delivery where you pay your online merchant when you and him/her meet to collect your merchandise.

PayPal is the most popular and safest online payment company [Online] , Retrieved 7th June 2009.
URL: http://www.chinahighlights.com/aboutus/member/paypal.htm

The next method of payment would be through PayPal. PayPal is a service that allows people to send money to whomever has an email address and then the fund are drawn from the consumer's credit card, debit card or checking account.

Online Payments: Balancing security and convenience by Mohit Joshi [Online] , Retrieved 7th June 2009.
URL: http://www.topnews.in/technology-update/computers?page=12

Lastly, the method of paying would be through cheque where the purchaser which is you, writes out a cheque and sends it to the merchant. After receiving your cheque, the merchant then sends the item to you.

Voila! These are the most common methods of payment used by online merchants in Malaysia. However, one should be careful not to release any important information to these online merchants.

Do you think it is safe using any of these methods of payment?

Referencing/ Further reading:

PayPal Website,[Online] Retrieved on 7th Jun 2009,
URL: https://www.paypal.com/

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구매 및 판매 도메인 이름 [Buying and Selling Domain Names]

noreply@blogger.com (JaNiCe*巧莹) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:55:00 +0000

According to a secondary source I've found, online shopping now even includes buying and selling of domain names at an outstanding price!
It is a Malaysian blog but it is in Hangul (Korean language) for the convenience of Koreans living in and out of our country to share and exchange information.
*Translated websites are not so up-to-date so the most recent with relevance to our topic is posted on February 2009.

Buying and Selling Domain Names [Online] , Retrieved 1st June 2009.
URL: http://imdavidlee.com/ko/buying-and-selling-domain-name/

According to the paragraph stated on the post, growth of domain names few years back has decreased the availability nowadays. This is because most of the names are used to be invested and sold, so 'quality domain names' [우수한 도메인 이름의] are now sold at higher prices.

Buying and Selling Domain Names [Online] , Retrieved 1st June 2009.
URL: http://imdavidlee.com/ko/buying-and-selling-domain-name/

For the last paragraph, "당신이 살 수있는 Domaining와 이익을 위해 판매하는 인터넷 기업이다" states that domaining is an Internet business which you can sell for profits. Another term for domain name is web address and they come in different extensions, having the most popular and common one is .com.
Other extensions can come with .biz, .org, .net, .mobi, etc.
You can update it annually, start a website with it, or maybe sell in on eBay. You may even park it somewhere in the web where you can profit from advertisements.
Hence, there are few ways you can eventually profit from being a domainer.

Based on the secondary source I obtained, do you start to think that shopping online can actually come in different ways and that such a simple click will profit you up to 5 or 6 figures??

Online Referencing/Further Reading:-
http://imdavidlee.com/ko/buying-and-selling-domain-name/
Translator:-
http://translate.google.com/translate