Shopee and TikTok Shop are where many Malaysian sellers start, and for good reason. But as the shop grows, the question comes up: should you have your own online shop too?
What a marketplace is good at
- Buyers are already there. People search inside the app, so new buyers can find you without you paying for ads.
- Trust and payment are handled. Buyers know the checkout and the vouchers.
- Quick to start. List a product today, sell tomorrow.
What it costs you
- Fees on every order. Commission and transaction fees come off each sale, and the rates are set by the platform and can change.
- The customer is not really yours. You get limited contact details, so bringing a happy buyer back is hard.
- Your competitors sit next to your listing, often with a lower price.
- Their rules, their look. Your shop looks like every other shop, and a policy change can hit you overnight.
What your own shop gives you
Your own shop on your own address: your brand, your customer list, and no platform fee per order. Repeat buyers from Instagram, TikTok and WhatsApp can order directly. You can still take payment online through a payment gateway such as Billplz, toyyibPay or CHIP; you register with the gateway and pay its fees directly.
The catch: your own shop does not bring buyers by itself. You bring them, from your social media, WhatsApp, past customers and Google.
So: which one?
For most growing sellers, both. Use the marketplace to be found by new buyers, and your own shop for repeat buyers and your own followers, where you keep more of each sale. A good sign it is time: you already have regular customers who message you on WhatsApp to order again.
You can try a sample shop and its owner dashboard in our live demo.
Thinking about your own shop?
Tell us what you sell and where you sell now. We reply with a fixed price and a free preview of your shop.
