Qoo10 Review - Pretty Good, But Some Serious Drawbacks

This Qoo10 Review will highlight the pros and cons of both buying and selling on this popular marketplace, and whether it is a scam or legi...

This Qoo10 Review will highlight the pros and cons of both buying and selling on this popular marketplace, and whether it is a scam or legit site.

I will also explain why you have to sell on your own website in addition to selling on any of the marketplaces. This is my unbiased view of the program.

NOTE: This article was originally published at startingnewonline.blogspot.com

Qoo10 Malaysia

Online Shopping in Malaysia is slowly gaining traction (currently at a meager 2%) but has already poised problems with consumer protection. As of last year, 1,500 fraud cases were reported and it is more with the unreported cases. Hence, the amendments to the Protection Act 1999 (CPA). So, is Qoo10 a scam site? This Qoo10 review is on Qoo10 Malaysia, although most of what will be written here also apply to Qoo10's other Asian sites.

This review is from the seller's perspective. But I will also include issues relating to buyer's experience and whether it is safe to buy on Qoo10. 

Product Name: Qoo10
Product Type: Online Seller & Buyer Marketplace Similar to eBay
Website: www.Qoo10
Price: Free to join
Proprietor: Giosis Pte. Ltd. (JV with eBay & Yahoo)
Overall Rank: 80 out of 100
Who it’s for: Anyone

What is Qoo10?

Qoo10 is an online e-commerce marketplace similar to eBay and target mainly the Pan-Asian market.

It is owned by Giosis Pte Ltd; a joint venture company with eBay. It also has a partnership with Yahoo on some of their sales program. Based in Singapore and currently has seven online marketplaces in Singapore (qoo10 Singapore), Japan (qoo10 Japan), Indonesia (qoo10 Indonesia), Malaysia (qoo10 Malaysia), Hong Kong (qoo10 HK), China (qoo10 China) and Qoo10 Global (shipping to limited countries based on seller's shipping policy)

As of mid-2015, it claimed to have over 17.6 million registered users who are mainly from the Asian region. Currently, Qoo10 Singapore is the top performer in terms of Gross Market Value (value of merchandise sold over a certain period of time).

To tap into its vast customer base, a retired person, housewife, students or even brick and mortar shop can earn extra money selling on Qoo10. 

Is it Safe to Buy on Qoo10?

I joined Qoo10 in 2015 and made several purchases. I actually love Qoo10 because of the discount coupons, time sale, today's hottest deal and group sales promotions that make the item far cheaper than on normal days. I am a member of Jeunesse (Malaysia) a multi-level marketing company (Jeunesse Global is now the target of a deceptive advertising complaint, filed in October 2015 with the FTC and the Florida Attorney General. Among the charges are the deceptive income claims). But because of my membership level at Jeunesse, I have to pay a higher price for any of their products. My favorite is Jeunesse Reserve. At Qoo10, it is sold at a lower price. So, all my Jeunesse Reserve are bought on Qoo10.

Unfortunately, not all of my purchases were smooth sailing. Fortunately, the sellers for Jeunesse Reserve are capable and understand online shopping ethic. The purchases that I made for a garden hose, power saving device, face cream (for my wife!) and clothing items had either wrong number of item send, missing parts, late delivery, incorrect address or poor response to the complaint. If you go to the forum site, you will find more similar complaints.

Qoo10, just like eBay has its fair share of bad, inexperienced and unethical sellers. As a marketplace platform, Qoo10 is a safe place to buy. With eBay and Yahoo as its partner, it should not be an issue.

If you find an item on Qoo10 attractively priced and you want to buy, do the followings before pushing the buy button:

1. Check if the seller has any bad feedbacks, what is the rating status and is the seller a power seller? I rather pay slightly more from a seller with no bad feedbacks, even if he is not a power seller or with high ratings (he may be a new seller, just starting to do his online business - remember, one day you might be just like him)


2. Do not pay directly to the seller. Pay with PayPal. If you are not a member, sign up now. You can get PayPal to assist if something goes wrong with your purchase.


3. If no PayPal account, then use your credit card.

At Qoo10, you get additional protection as payment is paid through Giosis Pte. Ltd. Once you confirmed the item has arrived and you have no complaints, Giosis will then release payment to the seller (less Giosis's admin charges). This is important as once you confirm OK, it will be difficult to retract. Please leave feedback on your transaction. Try to settle any issues directly with the seller before you write any negative feedback. You might be a seller in the future and a good buyer's ethics will indirectly result in a better seller's ethics.

Selling on Qoo10 - Easy?

Qoo10 is widely recognized across the Pan-Asian region and with almost 18 million registered users, your chances of success can be good. If you are keen to be a seller, take note of the followings:

• You have to be a Qoo10 member before you can sell. If your membership is with Qoo10 Malaysia, you cannot sell at Qoo10's other marketplaces such as Qoo10 Singapore. Likewise, for members of other marketplaces i.e. a member of Qoo10 Singapore cannot sell in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong etc. (This also applies to buyers. You can only buy from your Qoo10 membership site). You need to register again at other sites if you want to buy or sell there. Registration is FREE!


• On Qoo10 website, scroll down to the end of the page. Under menu "Sell on Qoo10" click "Seller Register" You will be taken to the registration page. Fill in your particulars. You can then list and sell your item.


• Be a responsible seller and sell only genuine items. Advertise truthfully. If you are selling a pre-owned product, mention this in the listing. Don't forget to spend your time to respond to buyers’ queries or complaint.

Since listing is free, you can list as many items as you like (subject to Qoo10 terms). Qoo10 will only charge a service fee if a sale is completed. See Table on the right, for the basic fee. In addition to this basic fee are fees for option item & shipping charge and other fees for marketing and promotion. To help you with the listing, promotion, inventories, and communication with your buyers, you will use their Qoo10 Sales Manager (QSM). These are, however, free!

To summarize, see the Pros and Cons of both buy and sell on Qoo10.

The Pros and Cons of Buying and Selling on Qoo10

What's So Great about Qoo10?

For Buyers:

• The frequent sales promotions (time sale, daily deal, group buy, today's hottest deal etc.) are attractive and the items are insanely priced!


• With its vast range of goods, you can find most things here.


• You can get Qoo10's voucher for discount deals.


• Buyer is protected from any fraudulent sales as Qoo10 will release payment to the seller after you confirmed delivery and goods arrived in satisfactory condition.


• If things go wrong with your sale, you can file your complaint, either for refund or exchange. Go to Help > Security & Resolution Center, and click on the relevant menu.


• If you visit the site frequently, go to member's section and record your attendance. You will be rewarded either with Q coupon, Q point or Card Coupon. You use these to get more discount on your future purchases.


• When you buy and submit a review of your sales transaction, you will be awarded a Qstamp. The more you buy and submit the review, the more Qstamp you will collect. Use this to exchange for cart or discount coupons, and use it for your future purchases.

For Sellers:

• Immediate exposure to millions of potential buyers. You don't have to wait for your sales site to grow its traffic and customer base.


• Will use Qoo10 Sales Manager (QSM) to assist with the listing, promotion, inventories and etc. This is at no extra cost to sellers.


• Listing is free and sellers are charged only when sales are transacted. Hence, you can do many listings.


• Qoo10 is a marketplace that sells almost anything. This is an advantage since buyers will not stick to one or two categories when they browse the marketplace.


• Good loyalty program.

What Are the Downside at Qoo10?

For Buyers:

• You get addicted and spent too much time on the site.


• Because it is cheap, you tend to buy things that you don't really need.


• There are some irresponsible sellers or sellers who don't fully understand the ethics of doing business online - you may encounter sales transaction problems.


• In some rare cases, goods received not as advertised.


• Cheap price does not necessarily equate to genuine and real stuff. So, check before buying items that are ridiculously priced.


• Cheap sale sometimes applies to only one item, say black colored shirt. But if you want blue color, it may be priced as blue+RM5. So look out for these cheap sale gimmicks to lure you to their page.

For Sellers:

• Like any other marketplace, Qoo10 also has sellers that are irresponsible and unethical. They give the site a bad reputation. You, as another seller at Qoo10, has to work harder to give confidence to your potential buyers.


• Not all buyers are ethical as well. You might encounter some of these buyers. So keep track and record all items packed and despatched, in the case of dispute.


• Qoo10 registration format for sellers can be confusing esp. on the requirement for Qtalk and Q-cash.


• Although I strongly suggest that buyer pays through PayPal, this method of payment can backfire the seller if an unethical buyer takes advantage of 'PayPal Chargeback Scam".


• Buyer tends to be favored and in some instances, money refunds back to the buyer without thorough investigation.


• Uploading products on Qoo10 site is not easy


• Transaction fees are higher compared to other marketplaces like Lelong.


• Your listing may not be on the first page. If a buyer doesn't scroll down, your listing will not be seen - then no sales!

Tools at Qoo10 - Difficult?

Qoo10 uses their QSM (Qoo10 Sales Manager), a program for sellers to manage their listings. However, some sellers had complained that it is not user-friendly. Communication between seller and buyer is through Qpost, which you download through QSM.

For a newbie, all these can be a bit overwhelming. Don't worry, after a while, you will get the hang of it.

Qoo10 Support and Service - Complaints

When the item that I paid for didn't arrive or informed of its shipment date, I complained to Customer Service via email (no phone support). It was handled promptly and I got my refund. However, the seller, being new to Qoo10 didn't know that she had to inform buyer and Qoo10 of the shipment date. She also wrote my address wrong. To cut the story short, the post office called me and asked for the correct address. I finally received my order, but I also got my refund. I wrote back to Qoo10 about this to seek guidance. It was not replied despite two reminders. I finally transfer cash directly to seller's bank account. I suspect customer service is either contracted out to third parties in some other countries, or staff in that department are inexperienced & junior level.

There are not many complaints about Qoo10 customer service, both for buyers and sellers for Qoo10 Malaysia, but there are loads of it for Qoo10 Singapore.

Do you have an awesome or bad experience on Qoo10, either as a seller or buyer? Share your experience in the comment section below. Thanks for sharing.

Price

Qoo10 is free for buyers and sellers. Sellers are charged only when sales are completed.

My Qoo10 Verdict

For buyers:

 This is a good marketplace to buy things that you WANT at a good price. However, follow my guidelines given earlier before confirming your order. This is to safeguard you from unscrupulous sellers or getting items not as advertised.

For sellers:

I suggest you sell both, on your own website and marketplace such as Qoo10.

Joining marketplace will reach you to ready traffic and customer base. It also gives you lower entry cost in your maiden online business. Qoo10 sells almost anything. Is this suited to your product branding?  You also don't have full control of your own online store.


Online shopping in Malaysia is fast gaining traction. Be there early to claim your esteemed position, not with a marketplace like Qoo10 but with your own website store. You have more control and easier to grow your brand. Your direct link with buyers gives you better flexibility to build a strong relationship with them.

Ready to take the challenge?