Last week my friend Jenny popped up on Yahoo Messenger asking me to check out a link. Intrigued, I clicked on the link and was taken to her Alta Moda Rome Multiply website. Turns out, Jenny is something of an entrepreneur online. Not only does she sell bags and shoes off her Multiply website, but she also has an Ebay.ph store. The stuff varies from designer to unbranded, but they’re really bargains and since supply is limited they’re also sort of one-of-a-kind.
There’s a whole host of websites with this kind of business model. My friend Tiepee has a few good examples in her contacts list:
- Perfume Republic: scents
- Online Shopping Hive and BlingFinds: designer and designer-inspired apparel and accessories
- The Purchaser and Cherish: shoes
- Gumm Apparel: custom-designed shirts
The catch in doing business this way is that there’s a certain amount of trust you have to have in the seller — or if there have been previous customers, what those people say about the seller. Payment is done through Globe GCash or bank deposit and items are either shipped or picked up at a designated place, but aside from the seller’s word there isn’t a formal guarantee that you will get what you paid for.
Good thing I know Jenny personally, so when I saw this unbranded tan bag and I had to have it, I could rest assured that I would get it. And the best part is she even gave me a discount on it! (How much? That’s our secret.)
I’m a lazy shopper, and based on this one experience I liked the convenience of having my purchase delivered to my doorstep instead of me going out and buying it from a department store or boutique. I’m willing to try the other Multiply retailers at some point, but my wallet isn’t up to it yet. Maybe next payday. Ü
Tags: Multiply, Online Shopping
Follow
I’ve seen The Purchaser’s stuff before and they are gorgeous..i so wanna buy but my mom doesn’t trust online sellers. pfft.and it’s so fun to browse through these multiply stores.
That’s nice! I certainly hope that unsccrupulous people won’t take advantage of unsuspecting n00bs.
haven’t seen the multiply store, but amazon has a similar setup where you can sell/buy books and other things online. i just make sure the seller has had a few hundred votes with at least a 95% satisfaction rating from buyers. so far, so good. 🙂
hey I’m an “ebay entrepreneur” as well. I sell digital cameras and camcorders. I usually give girls very good discounts 😉
Alessandra: If you have a friend who’s already made a purchase through an online store, it’s much easier to persuade your mom to be more open-minded about this way of doing business. 🙂Ade: n00bs need to be careful and do their research first on the seller.Wil: Ebay already has some limited functionality in the Philippines. I hope Amazon follows suit.Jaywalker: Just for girls? You know how to make a girl feel special. 🙂
Jenny took her Multiply site down. 🙁