u/CuriousCat526

saw a thread here recently about ShopBack rejecting Shopee cashback. it comes up a lot, so i wanted to explain why it happens, most of the time it's the same small mistake, not the app cheating you.

cashback apps earn a commission when you go to a store through their link, and they pass part of it back to you. but it only counts if going through the app is the last thing you click before you pay. so the usual reasons it fails:

- you add stuff to cart earlier, then check out later without going back through the app
- the "open in app" popup throws you into the Shopee app and the tracking drops
- an adblocker or a different voucher grabs the credit instead
- you click on that mini video window in the product cart (Shopee stragically places this)

the fix is simple: go through the cashback app right before you pay, and finish checkout in the same session. don't do it hours before. Don't click any live or video content before checkout.

disclosure: i work on Cashiu, one of the newer cashback apps here, so i've spent way too much time on this tracking stuff. happy to help with tracking questions no matter which app you use, TNG Shop & Earn, ShopBack, etc.. whatever suits you. not trying to sell anything, this just trips up too many people and it's actually easy to fix.

Saw the shopee seller threatening someone over a cancellation, and the telegram seller thread below it, and it reminded me how much of this is avoidable if u know what the platforms actually protect u from. i work on the affiliate/e-commerce side (disclosure at the bottom) so i see a fair bit of how this operates. figured it's worth writing down.

the biggest single one: never let them move u off the platform

if a seller on Shopee, Lazada tries to get u to pay by bank transfer, DuitNow to a personal account, or "just whatsapp me i give u cheaper", that's the whole scam in one move. the platform's escrow is the only thing standing between u and losing the money, and a transfer to a personal account has close to no recourse. whatever discount they're dangling is worth less than what u're giving up.

spotting a fake seller before u pay

- rating count matters more than the rating. a 5.0 from 3 reviews means nothing, a 4.6 from 8000 means a lot.
- price far below everyone else isn't a deal, it's a signal. especially electronics and branded skincare.
- Shopee Mall / LazMall sellers are vetted and u get better recourse. worth the few ringgit extra on anything expensive.
- "pre-order, price TBC" with a non-refundable deposit. someone posted about exactly this recently, paid a rm100 deposit with no final price disclosed and got asked for over rm1.3k later. don't put a deposit on a number u haven't seen.
- look at the shop's other listings. real shops have a coherent range, scam shops have iphones next to slimming tea.

if u already got burned, this is the part most people don't know

in order:

1. don't click "order received", and don't let the return window lapse. once u confirm receipt u lose most of your leverage. for anything expensive record the unboxing, sounds paranoid until u need it.
2. open the return/refund request on the platform, with photos. platforms mostly side with buyers if u're inside the window and have evidence.
3. if the platform rejects u, escalate to KPDN through their e-aduan system. it's free and it does make companies actually respond, bcs it's the ministry asking, not u.
4. if u're still stuck, file at TTPM (Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna). this is the one almost nobody uses and it's the real answer. handles consumer claims up to rm50,000, small filing fee, no lawyer needed. u don't need the platform's permission to go after the seller.

most people stop at step 2, get a "we are unable to assist further" email, and give up. step 4 exists exactly for that situation.

one insider thing while i'm here

be careful with random "coupon" and "cashback" browser extensions. the sketchy ones quietly inject their own referral code at checkout, sometimes without u clicking anything. it doesn't cost u money directly, but it tells u what they're doing with your browsing session, and some of them read a lot more than they need to. stick to ones from a company u can actually identify, and don't run five at once.

anyway, the pattern in nearly every one of these threads is the same. someone moved off-platform, or confirmed receipt too early, or paid a deposit on a price that didn't exist yet. avoid those three and u avoid most of it.

Disclosure: i work on Cashiu, a malaysian cashback app, so i'm in this industry and obviously biased about it. not linking it, and this post isn't about it. ShopBack and TNG Shop & Earn are the other ones people use more often. just wanted to write the scam stuff down since it keeps coming up here.

Hi I'm new here, want to know which way that help you guys to grow your Karma points. I want to gain more point to be able to do post in some larger community. Appreciate the advice!