“Online shopping undoubtedly provides consumers convenient access to essential household items, even non-essential goods,” said a Shopee representative to Upgrade Magazine, as it stressed that it is “committed to ensuring that these items remain available and accessible to our consumers during this period and beyond Covid-19.”
Shopee – the online shopping platform – announced to Upgrade Magazine that all its return activities will resume from June 15 onwards.
This is in response to queries about the companies existing Covid-19-related efforts, particularly since the government-imposed lockdowns meant that many facilities that the company used to tap (e.g. M Lhuillier, where the goods to be returned are to be dropped) are still not fully functional.
As such, a company representative stated that “shoppers who received parcels before June 15 and want to return them… may ship them back and upload the airway bill before June 15 to avoid cancellation.”
For further clarifications, the company’s 24/7 customer service is (02) 880 5200.
According to the same representative, the company actually did not fully close even during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ).
“During the ECQ, Shopee continued to service our users with essential goods in line with the government directives,” he stated. These include health and personal hygiene products, as well as groceries.
Under the revised guidelines by the government, “we were able to resume full operations last April 30 to cover non-essential goods, such as beauty products, fashion items, and gadgets.”
But Covid-19 has also affected Shopee – e.g. some goods are still not available via COD (cash on delivery).
But according to Shopee’s spokesman, “there are several factors why COD payment is unavailable for some buyers, such as sellers not offering a COD option for shoppers.”
FAQ on this is available here.
Still, “other than COD payment options, Shopee offers a blend of payment options in the Philippines to deliver a convenient and secure experience catered to local needs. Shoppers can choose from a variety of payment options such as Credit Cards, ATM, Online Banking, and ShopeePay. ShopeePay is Shopee’s integrated e-wallet and payment feature that allows users to store funds and pay for purchases with e-money on Shopee seamlessly, conveniently, and securely.”
As the lockdowns are being lifted, the company is “continuously exploring ways to improve our delivery speed and quality for our shoppers. We are working closely with our logistics partners to ensure that our deliveries run as smoothly as possible amid the modified enhanced community quarantine and regulations implemented by different local government units. We are also working closely with the government in adhering to the set rules to ensure smooth operations and delivery of essential goods for our customers during this period.”
In the end, however, as things are starting to enter the new normal, he said that “we see more Filipinos turning to online platforms to purchase their daily essentials during this period and we do foresee that this trend will continue even after the ECQ as Filipinos continue to adhere and practice social distancing.”
