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Facebook Page or Group? Alin sa dalawa?

December 08, 2017

Most of the online sellers are confused whether to use a page or a group for their business. Alin nga ba ang best for the business? Well, before we go on, i-differentiate natin ang isang Facebook group sa isang Facebook page.

the Page

Ang Facebook PAGE ay isang Facebook profile - commonly used by a business, a brand, a celebrity, all sorts of causes, a local community or club and many other organizations. Kung sa personal profile, may friends; sa Facebook pages, may "fans". Ito yung mga taong nag "LIKE" ng page. Sila ay nagfofollow or LIKE sa pages para makatanggap ng notifications or mag appear ang updates ng isang page sa mismong newsfeed nila.

Bilang sample, gagamitin natin yung page ng Preloved Clothes Manila. Ganito ang hitsura nya kung naka-desktop or laptop ang viewer:


Before we fully differentiate the two, tignan naman natin ang Facebook group.

the Group

Ang Facebook GROUP ay parang lugar kung saan pwede mag-usap usap ang mga grupo ng mga tao na may similar interest or topic. Dito, imbis na "fans" ang tawag sa mga tao, "members" ang term na ginagamit. Either sila ay kusang nag join or may nag imbita sa kanila na existing member.

Bilang sample ulit, ito naman ang hitsura ng Preloved Clothes Manila Facebook group:


the Difference of the Two

Page:
  • a public online presence; some even consider it like "the website of small businesses"
  • facebook users can contact the page if the messaging is enabled while the identity of the administrators of the page are hidden
  • pages can be easily searched via facebook search of even google search
  • all sorts of posts can be posted in a page, you as administrator has full control what to post or who will post
  • since pages are a public post, some of the posts can also be easily search across google or facebook searches


Group:
  • a venue for like-minded individuals
  • facebook users can contact the admins & moderators but directly to their personal profiles/ messenger, their identities are shown as admins & moderators in the member's list
  • public groups are easier to search if the name is unique, however, if the name is generic, it needs thousands of members to appear on the top list of searches
  • all sorts of posts can be posted in a group however, you need to set the privacy so you can control who can post it in the group's wall
  • posts in a group are not searchable via Facebook search box unless the group's setting is set to public. if it's a closed group, the only posts that will appear in the searches are posts in groups you are a member in

I think ideally, pages are used as the official online presence; para nga syang website of the brand, company, organization, club or cause, etc. Dito makikita yung products or services or what your organization/association is all about or the kind of cause you are advocating. While groups are intended for discussions, a communication, parang online forum or a special, private venue for people in your niche.

If you have an online business selling fashionable items, I would recommend that you create a page for your online store or join groups where you can promote or sell your items. Creating a group isn't that ideal for online stores.

If you have a restaurant or a local business (physical store), definitely, you need an official page. You can maybe create a group for your staff/team member discussions or an exclusive group for your loyal customers.

If you are a supplier of any item, it is way better to have a page than a group. A page will make you look more credible than a Facebook group. As a supplier, groups are not ideal because a competitor can easily disguise as your interested member/buyer & privately speak to or steal your existing customers because the member's list in groups are visible.

If you are a club or a group of individuals who have a common interest, it's best to create a group. But if you will have some sort of events especially outreach programs, fundraising events or some sort, you need to create a separate page for your group. This is to keep your Facebook group exclusive for your existing club members & the page for people who are not yet a part of your association. Sa page titingin yung mga di nyo pa members regarding membership, rules & regulations, etc.

Same goes for causes, advocacies or charitable organizations. Anything na involved ang pera, kailangan may CLOSED (even private) Facebook group for trusted individuals (like team members, donors, etc) then a public page kung saan nakalagay yung mga basic information na kailangan o maaaring gustong malaman ng ibang tao. Kailangan kasi na may official page para yun ang alam ng mga tao; hindi basta magagamit yung organization nyo ng ibang tao para makapang solicit sa iba. 

If you're a celebrity, a politician, or a public figure, a page is what you need to have; never a group unless it's for a politica campaign or an official fans club.

Actually, there's so much more to discuss about the difference of a Facebook group & a page but for now, ito nalang muna. We'll just make a part two for this post soon discussing the different features.



Kung may tanong ka o gusto linawin, feel free to comment below.
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Galawang Scammer

October 09, 2017

As the saying goes, "May naloloko kasi may nagpapaloko." Be a wise buyer online and you will not be easily scammed. Kaya naisipan namin i-put together yung mga modus ng mga scammers para sa kaalaman nyo. Para in case na ma-encounter nyo ang ganitong acts ng seller, may alert sign na kukulbit sayo para sabihing, "Beshie or Mamshie, ingat ka dyan. May pagka-galawang scammer oh."

Let's begin...

1. Inconsistent photos.

There are sellers online who uses the same photographs from their suppliers. That's for brand new items. But for preloved items, pag iba iba yung background ng pictures especially if paiba iba din ang quality ng photos, medyo magduda ka kasi baka grabbed lang ng seller yung pictures nya from other sellers too. Do not easily trust those sellers who post their items na halatang "screen shot" lang.

Yung ibang scammers kasi, sasali sa mga selling groups to grab photos and claim it as theirs. Kaya we encourage our sellers to put watermarks on their photos para di basta ma-grab ng mga scammers.

What you can do: Ask the seller if she can provide a when worn photos. Yung iba, baka di makapag provide kasi di na kasya sa kanila. So siguro, request a photograph ng specific part of the item para makasiguro ka na kanya nga yung item.

Examples: "Sis, pwede pa-picture naman nung underarm part."  * "Sis, pwede pa-picture naman close-up nung fabric." * "Sis, pwede pa-picture naman with measuring tape across the chest para makita ko if kakasya sa akin. Thanks!"

2. Confusing identity.

As mentioned as previous post namin, medyo mag duda ka na kung iba iba  yung name na nag a-appear sa URL, sa Facebook profile, name na binigay sayo para sa payment at name na naga-appear sa mga proof of transactions nya.

SAMPLE 1

     Name sa URL: https://www.facebook.com/frances.mangao
     Name sa Profile: Riza Malaya Castillote
     Name na binigay para sa payment: Jaylene Tiana Sariua
     Name na nakalagay sa proof of transactions: Russell Cayetano

What you can do: Ask the seller for bakit magkaiba yung name sa Facebook nya at sa name na gagamitin mo para mag bayad. You can also request for proof of transactions na makikita yung name nya to confirm if ano ba talaga identity nya as seller. Dapat consistent. Ask nicely para di rin naman offensive ang dating.

DO NOT REQUEST FOR THEIR ID. AND DO NOT EASILY GIVE YOUR ID TO ANYONE. AVOID IDENTITY THEFT.

3. Overly defensive.

If the seller became overly defensive nung nag request ka ng proof or question regarding sa confusing identity nya, then medyo back off ka na sa deal. A legit seller would not be too defensive kasi maiintindihan nya why the buyer is somewhat doubting.

If the seller begins saying something like, "Kung ayaw mo maniwala, edi wag na tayo mag deal." Then that's a sign na baka nga scammer yang katransact mo. Why did we say so? Kasi, ang magsasabi lang nyan, yung mga taong wala naman mawawala sa kanila kasi scammers nga. For a legit seller, they wouldn't say such kasi 1) they do not want to lose any customer 2) kasiraan nila yan as seller.

What you can do: Explain mo sa kanya ng maayos kung bakit ka medyo nag duda. Gaya ng sabi namin, ang matinong seller, maiintindihan ka. Mag bibigay sila ng proof para makampante ka. Ang scammer, ibloblock ka nalang siguro kasi parang na-corner mo na sya.

4. Private offers.

Wag na wag kang tatanggap ng mga offers done privately. Kung nag post ka ng "looking for" sa isang group, require them to post in the comment box of your post. Do not entertain offers don via private chat. Kasi ang legit sellers, they will offer their items publicly para makita rin ng iba. Para in case mag pass yung buyer, makita pa ng ibang buyers na maaring maging intersado sa item nya.

It's no different with "under the table" transactions. So be careful.

What you can do: Tell the seller to offer her items in the post or ask kung saan pa sya posted para makita mo iba pa nyang items. Then gawin mo yung number 1 as list na ito.

5. Too Generous.

Alam nyo naman siguro din yung kasabihan na, "too good to be true". Kung masyadong mababa ang presyo for a particular item or that sobrang galante na ng seller sa pag bibigay sayo ng discounts & freebies, medyo back-off ka ng saglit.

May mga sellers talaga na generous because it is part of their marketing strategy. Pero kung "too good to be true" nga, wag agad agad magpadala. Minsan kasi, ginagamit yang ng scammers para ma-convince ka ng husto.

What you can do: Be wise. Wag masyado magpadala sa mga freebies or mga malalakihang discounts or bargains. Wag masyado magpadala sa mga "marketing strategy" nila kasi they are only attracting you.

6. Smart Padala.

Hindi lahat ng gumagamit ng Smart Padala as their mode of payment ay scammer. Maganda din sanang service ang Smart Padala kung ginagamit sana sa tama. May iba kasing Smart Padala outlets na di nagrerequire ng ID para mag claim ng pera. Kaya malakas ang loob ng mga scammer kasi hindi sila traceable through this outlet.

What you can do: Ask for another payment option. Suggest via Palawan or Cebuana nalang kamo. Pag insist ni seller na Smart Padala lang talaga ang MOP nya, medyo mag duda ka na.

Though there are really sellers using this service kasi wala silang ID to claim payments done via remittance centers. Kaya naman under husband's name ang ginagamit ng iba. Kaya pag ganun, ask for some sort of proof lang kamo para makampante ka as the buyer.

7. Rushing payments.

There are legit sellers who rush payments simply because they have a cut-off time or dahil they strictly implement their reservation periods. But for some sellers whose shopping policies are not well indicated, medyo magduda ka kung inaagad ka sa payment. Tipong every 5-10 minutes nalang, tinatanong kung nakapag bayad ka na.

What you can do: Wag ka na muna mag bayad. Do your own research or legit checking. Follow the steps in this post to guide you.

8. No waybill.

Pag nag bayad ka na sa seller at sinabing napaship na nya pero wala sya maipakitang waybill no matter how many times ka nag request sa kanya, either burara yung seller or scammer sya.

Make sure na yung waybill, kung may naipakita sya, yung signed copy ng mismong rider. Hindi pwede yung kabago-bagong fill up lang ng seller ng waybill.

What you can do: Ang magagawa mo lang talaga is kulitin ang seller to provide you a waybill para matrack mo yung parcel na sinasabi nyang pinaship na nya. Kung sa isang Facebook group mo sya katransact, like for example with Preloved Clothes Manila, if di makipag cooperate sayo ang seller, you can contact the admins to help you.

9. Blocking Act.

Pag after payment, bigla ka nalang binolock, 'matic na yan. Scammer yan! Walang matinong seller na matapos magbayad ng buyer eh ibloblock. Nuff said.

What you can do: Ask a family or friend or another account to check if the account blocked you or was deactivated. If your finding is that the seller only blocked you (the seller's profile is available in other accounts), use that account to message the seller. Pag pati yung account na yan, binolock, scammer na nga yan. Post mo na para maging aware iba. Make sure na public ang post mo para madali makita ng iba.

10. Account Deactivation.

Unlike number 7, pag after ng payment, bigla mo nalang di mahagilap yung seller, try mo sya i-contact sa binigay nyang mobile number sayo. Baka naman kasi mismong Facebook ang nag down ng profile nya. Nangyayari kasi yan sa mga sellers na very active ang postings sa group. Akala kasi ni Facebook, spammer or nagflo-flood ng posts. 

What you can do: Mabuting i-contact mo sya gamit yung number na binigay nya sayo. Ang matinong seller, magrereply sayo about it. Pag walang response pati sa mobile na binigay nya, baka nga scammer na yan. Post mo na agad para ma-aware ang iba. Pero do not label the person scammer agad, try to seek help na ma-reach sya. If may iba pa syang nabiktima, only then can you somewhat conclude na baka nga scammer ang katransact nyo.

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We will keep this post updated pag may na-encounter pa kami na bagong modus. If you know one na hindi nabanggit sa list na ito, please do comment below para maisama po namin. Maraming salamat.

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*We do not claim property to the graphics used in the over. It was grabbed from Google images and was put together for this post. Full credits to the owners of these graphics.
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Ff? Ww? Hm? Ano daw?

October 08, 2017

Kung ang internet, may jargons... ganun din sa online selling & buying community. Ito yung mga acronyms na madadaanan mo sa mga posts or sa mga comment boxes. Bihira ang nakakaalam at bihira din ang nagtatanong kasi medyo dyahe magtanong about dito. Ang hirap din naman mag search online kasi di naman sya talaga nadi-discuss.

So kami na mismo ang mag educate sayo sa kung ano nga ba ang talagang ibig sabihin ng bawat isa.


Meaning ng FF: following

Ginagamit ang FF na term para mag follow sa post. Following a post means gusto mo makatanggap ng notification kung sakali mag recent activity sa mismong post (ex: new photo upload, new comments, etc). Yung ibang Facebook app, merong "Turn On Notifications" button. For others na walang ganun dahil Facebook Lite or naka Free Data lang sila, nagcocomment nalang sila ng ff sa post.

So bakit dalawang F instead na dalawang L? Wag mo na tanungin. May mga bagay talagang di natin na dapat malaman. Haha! Joke! Di lang din talaga namin alam bakit nga ba doble F yun.


Meaning ng LP: last price

Ito ang ginagamit para malaman kung ano ang last price na kaya ibigay ni seller. In short, tawaran. Bargain, bargain, bargain! Lalo na sa group namin na preloved or used items ang inebenta.


Meaning ng WW: when worn

Usually, when they use this term, they mean when worn ng isang tao, not a mannequin para mas makita ng interested buyer ano histura pag suot yung damit, hence the phrase when worn. Pero may ibang sellers, mannequin nalang ang ibinibigay just to give the buyer an idea how how it looks kung nakasuot. Kesa naman naka-hanger lang diba?


Meaning ng SF: shipping fee

Ito yung rate ng courier na ginagamit ni seller. Minsan, ito narin yung term na ginagamit para sabihin anong courier ang gamit ni seller para maipadala ang item.


Meaning ng MOP: mode of payment

Ito yung mga available or preferred payment options ni seller or buyer. Kung ano lang ang indicated ni seller na MOP nya, dun lang dapat magbayad ang buyer.

Example: Kung ang indicated lang ay Palawan at Cebuana, ibig sabihin, hindi sya makakatanggap ng payments through other remittance centers like LBC, Western Union or MLhuillier. Common reasons are: walang branch na malapit kay seller, hindi nya naaabutang bukas, wala syang account doon (for banks or virtual wallets),  etc.


Meaning ng HM: how much

Kalimitan ginagamit o kino-comment para tanungin kung magkano yung nakapost.


Meaning ng LF: looking for

Ginagamit ng buyers pag nagpopost ng mga bagay na hinahanap o gusto nila bilhin.


Meaning ng HF: handling fee

This is the additional fee sellers require for the meet-ups. Of course, namamasahe rin ang sellers kaya nagkaron kayo ng additional fee. Ang lumabas kasi, personal delivered ni seller ang item sayo.


Meaning ng COD: cash on delivery

May ibang couriers na nag-o-offer nito pero may additional service charge sya.

Yung ibang sellers, they use this term as part of their MOP (mode of payment) which only means na pwede sila for MEETUP. Kaya nga po cash-on-delivery. Kaliwaan kumbaga. Hindi po ibig sabihin idedeliver sa inyo mismo ng seller tapos saka nyo babayaran, well unless through the COD service ng isang courier.


Meaning ng RFS: reason for selling

As you all know, we do not allow brand new items in the group. Kaya dapat, kung magbebenta ka ng brand new (example: wrong size), dapat i-state ang RFS mo or reason for selling mo.


Meaning ng CB: comment box

Yung ibang sellers (which we highly recommend other members to do the same), ina-upload nila yung mga items nila sa mismong comment box. Kaya minsan, may makikita ka sa caption ng post "Prices and items will be posted in the CB". Comment box ang ibig lang nilang sabihin dun beshie.


Meaning ng GC: group chat

May sellers na gumagawa ng group chat para mamonitor nila easily yung mga katransact nila. Dun na sila nagpapadala ng payment or shipping updates. So pag sinabihan ka ni seller na "paki check nalang inbox for GC", ibig nya lang sabihin ay group chat.

Usually, nasa message requests or filtered inbox yung group chats.


Meaning ng BN: brand new

Sa group namin, since Preloved Clothes Manila ang name, bawal ang BN. Bawal ang brand new! Nuff said.


Meaning ng MM: metro manila

Ginagamit minsan talaga, nakakatamad kaya i-type ng buo yung Metro Manila. Aminin.


Meaning ng PROV: provincial

Gaya ng MM, minsan nakakatamad lang talaga buoin yung provincial na word.


Meaning ng PM: private message

Pag may nagsabi sayo na PM, ibig lang sabihin ng kausap mo, mag usap nalang kayo privately. Kung sa Facebook, sa Messenger. Kung sa Instagram, sa Direct Message or Inbox. Same goes for Twitter.


Meaning ng LOC: location

"Loc mo?" Kalimitang tanong regarding sa location ng seller para ma-assess kung pwede meetup or magkano aabutin ng shipping.


Meaning ng EUC, VGUC at GUC: conditions of items

Acronyms para madescribe yung condition ng item. Very important ito lalo na sa group namin na preloved items ang binebenta at binibili. Click this line to read more about it.


Meaning ng PTPA: permission to post admin

Yung iba PTP lang. Wala lang, way of pag hingi lang permiso na ma-approve ang post nila.

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Sa ngayon, ito nalang muna. We will keep this post updated. Kung meron kang acronym na nadaanan online (na related sa online selling & buying), you may comment it below para macheck namin kung ano ibig sabihin at mailagay din dito sa list na ito.
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Paano malalaman kung legit ang online seller?

October 08, 2017

Sa panahon ngayon, marami na ang nagbebenta online. Marami ang sellers kasi dumarami na din ang mga buyers. At sa pag dami ng dalawa, dumadami rin ang mga online scammers. Sad truth.

So paano mo nga ba malalaman kung legit ang isang online seller?

1. Check the profile.

Isa sa pinaka madaling paraan para malaman kung lehitimo ang isang seller, check mo Facebook profile nya. Hindi dapat dummy account since most of the scammers online use a dummy or fake account. Ito yung mga accounts na gumagamit ng ibang pangalan, ng ibang pictures at usually, recently created accounts.

Medyo mahihirapan ka naman ma-determine ang legitimacy ng seller selling behind a business page. Hindi porke 1k+ likes ang page, masasabi mo nang legit seller na. Unless of course, meron sila presented proof of transactions, business permits, etc.

Things to check in a seller's profile:

Is their name in Facebook same as their name for the payment? Pag magkaiba, you should ask why. Karapatan mong itanong sino tatanggap ng perang ibabayad mo. Kung naging matapang o bastos at ayaw i-explain sayo bakit magkaiba ang pangalan, mag alala ka na. Kalimitan ng mga ganyan, scammer.

What's their URL or profile link? Kung matagal na ginawa ang account, automatic na nilalagay ni Facebook ang name na ginamit sa pag register. For new accounts, profile + numbers lang ang lalabas sa URL. Kung iba ang name na nag a-appear sa URL, iba ang name sa Facebook profile at iba rin ang name na binigay para sa payment, magtaka at matakot ka sa ka-transact mo.

May friends ba? Yung ibang sellers, private ang accounts; meaning hindi naka display publicly ang mga friends or photos nila which is okay for their security rin naman. Pero kung sakaling naka public ang friend's list, check mo kung ilan. Kung kakaunti ang friends at wala pa halos kamaganak sa friends list (same surnames), diba't nakakapagtaka?

May interaction ba sa public posts? Check mo comments. Pag ang comments, mula sa mga Facebook users na mula sa ibang bansa (obviously mga dummy accounts din), then the account may not be real, more likely dummy lang din. 

2. Do some researching.

Facebook has this search feature similar to Google kung saan pag tinatype mo sa search bar yung pangalan, either yung Facebook name nya or yung name na binigay nya sayo for payment, lalabas yung mga public posts na mentioned or tagged ang taong yun. So kung may na-scam na before yung seller, most probably, naka-post publicly yun sa groups or sa personal Facebook nung na-scam.

May ibang pages din or groups kung saan naka-post yung mga online scammers na na-encounter nila. For the list of pages or groups, click here.

3. Humbly ask for proof of transaction & affiliations.

Kung wala ka ma-search tungkol sa seller, you can directly ask the seller for her or his proof of transactions. Pero ask nicely para di din naman sila ma-offend.

Kung sa business page mo sila ka-transact, check mo lang kung may "reviews" section sya or "feedback" / "proof of legitimacy" albums. Dun usually nilalagay ng sellers ang mga successful transactions nila. Minsan kahit personal Facebook account ng seller, meron ng mga ito.

Tanungin mo din kung kasali sya sa isang certain selling group na makakatulong i-prove ang legitimacy nya. Meron groups, tulad ng Preloved Clothes Manila or Verified Sellers Philippines, na may verification process para ma-confirm ang identity ng mga sellers nila. Para kung sakali mang scam ang seller, madali sila mairereklamo sa mga pulis at maipapatawag sa korte.

4. Request a legit check.

It can be within the groups kung saan sya active na nagbebenta at kung saan member ka din or kahit sa mismong wall ng Facebook nya. Kailangan lang may mag testify ng legitimacy nya para ma-convince ka. Screen shot the comments para you know the people who claimed the seller is legit. So in case the seller scams you, kilala mo sino babalikan mo.

For those who doesn't know a legit check post, ito yung may screen shot ng Facebook profile ng seller. Tapos indicated sa caption yung name nya for payment & the request to ask for feedback sa mga taong naka-transact na sya. Make sure to check the authenticity of the profiles who left comments too. Make sure mo din na hindi dummy accounts lang.

5. When still in doubt, don't push it.

We're sure na narinig nyo na ang kasabihan na ito:
Trust your instincts. It's usually right.
If you're gut feel tells you something is wrong, baka nga meron. Kalimitan ng mga nasca-scam online can say that they felt it already; medyo naramdaman na nila na scammer pero still chose to trust. There's nothing wrong naman giving chances to people to prove they are worth the trust but... there's also nothing wrong with trusting your gut.

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Ilan lang ito sa mga tips kung paano mo mache-check on your own ang legitimacy ng isang online seller. We will keep updating this post once may bago kaming tips na matuklasan based on experience and based on the suggestions of other people.

Kung may alam ka pang ibang way para ma-check ng isang buyer kung legit ang seller na ka-transact nya, share it in the comment box below.

Share this post para makarating sa iba mong friends na addicted sa online shopping lalo na sa Facebook. Para di sila madaling mabiktima ng mga scammers.

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Credits to @rawpixel on Unsplash for the photo.
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