Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works.

Imagine having your own out­door sports attire and equipment store, continuous online traffic, free ad­ver­tis­ing and marketing, transportation that doesn’t need to be man­aged, and con­ve­nient pay­ment tools.  I bet you’d agree that these helpful re­sources and tools, once used as leverage, can help busi­nesses save time and money while grow­ing their clientele base and ex­pand­ing their reach outside the Philippines.

Sounds too good to be true? What if I tell you that there is such a business that offers all of the traits mentioned above? This kind of business is offered by Seataoo Philippines and so in this article, we’ll take a closer look at Seataoo dropshipping business and how it works. We’ll also answer the most common questions that’ll help you decide if this is something you should try out or not.

In this Seataoo Review, we’ll explain the following:

  • Seataoo Dropshipping: What is it?
  • Traditional e-commerce versus Seataoo Dropshipping
  • Is Seatoo legit? Seataoo legit or scam complaints
  • “Why do sellers need to fund the purchase when the customer’s payment has been received in the first place?
  • “Why does Seataoo need sellers to fund the customers’ orders? Can’t Seataoo just fund it by themselves?”
  • “Customer refuses to accept the product due to mishandling during shipment to the customer. Can I still retrieve my capital, then?”
  • “Why doesn’t Seataoo disclose the buyer’s information?”
  • “What if I choose to quit? Will I still get my money back?”

Disclaimer. This Seataoo Review is based on my evidence-based research and my one week of experience using the Seataoo App. The purpose of this article is to educate and inform, thus TTP and its writers are NOT ambassadors nor endorsers of Seataoo.

Seataoo Dropshipping: What is it?

Seataoo is an e-commerce platform with the concept of dropshipping. Etymologically speaking, the syllable “Sea” is short for “South East Asia” and “taoo” means “great finds”, as mentioned by Mr. Joseph Ty, one of Seataoo Philippines’ officers who gladly toured me around their BGC office.

Seataoo, then, can be done online and in whatever part of the world you are in since it incorporates the dropshipping business model. Now if you haven’t gotten a clue about what dropshipping is, I suggest that you read our dropshipping article later. But in a nutshell, dropshipping’s process starts from:

  • You, receiving an order
  • You, forwarding it to the supplier
  • The supplier fulfills the order by shipping it to the buyer/customer

Below is an infographic of how a traditional dropshipping business works:

In the usual dropshipping business that most of us know, the customer usually pays the seller and the seller uses that money to pay the supplier for the product and shipment to the customer.

For Seataoo dropshipping, it’s a little different. If you wish to become a Seataoo seller, you get to fund the customer’s orders. Once Seataoo has delivered the goods to the customer, the customer’s payment that has been *on hold* will then be released to you. You then can retrieve your capital plus your earnings from the sale.

Traditional E-commerce versus Seataoo Dropshipping (Seataoo Review)

I know it may be confusing at first so I created a table showing the similarities and differences between a traditional dropshipping and that of Seataoo. As of this writing, I have studied and navigated the Seataoo App for one week with my online shop accepting orders for about four days already. Here’s what I’ve gathered:

Traditional BusinessSeataoo Dropshipping
-the seller needs to buy products and keep inventory in a warehouse-the seller does not need to buy products and keep inventory in a warehouse
-the seller will need to pack and ship their
product to the buyers
-supplier (Seataoo’s smart warehouse) provides the products and ships them to the customer
-the buyer funds the order or sometimes it is paid upon delivery-the buyer pays for their order, but the sellers
would fund it first for it to be shipped
-Needs to do own marketing on the selling products and additional advertising cost is
shouldered by the seller.
-Seataoo does the marketing and advertising of the seller’s chosen products at no cost on the seller’s end

-free advertising and online traffic
-no support -Seataoo offers accounts specialists to support and guide sellers

Later on, I’ll share more of my experience with the Seataoo App and how I made my first sale. But first, let’s address the most common question that people who are in a purchasing frenzy would ask: Is Seataoo legit or a scam?

Is Seatoo legit? Seataoo legit or scam complaints

On May 2, 2023, I had a chance to personally visit their head office at Cocolight Building, BGC, Taguig. Everyone was very nice and welcoming, and Mr. Joseph Ty kindly ushered me into their recording room and meeting room.

Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works

So if you’ve been questioning their office’s existence, I can confidently say that it does exist based on the address reflected on their website, seataoo.ph. Of course, there are more items on your checklist that need to be ticked off to prove a company’s legitimacy. So let’s head on to their registrations and legal documents.

Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works
This is a photo I personally took with my phone. These documents are displayed and can be seen as you enter the office.

To know if Seataoo Philippines is legally registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, I checked through SEC’s website, and here’s what I found:

Seataoo Review: How it works and FAQs answered

Seataoo is indeed registered in the SEC with both the Articles of Incorporation and General Information Sheet having been submitted. You may check it out for yourself through this link: https://secexpress.ph/application-form.

“Ameena, if they’re located at BGC, then why does your photo show that their registration is in Quezon City?” Well, their former office was located in Quezon city and they have just recently moved to Taguig last April. I visited their office around May.

But what about Seataoo’s secondary license? Isn’t that needed to prove that they’re legitimate?”

To know what a secondary license is, one must first know how to determine if the company they’re dealing with is legitimate or has the necessary right means to do so.

In the SEC, there is a so-called primary registration with the SEC and a secondary license. As per research, if there is only a primary SEC registration and investments are requested without a secondary license, then a legal business entity that is registered with the SEC operates illegally.

This means that a primary SEC registration is not enough to support the fact that a company is allowed to sell investments and securities to the public. Similarly, if none of these registrations and licenses have been secured, then there is a big question of their legality.

So where does Seataoo Philippines stand?

According to Seataoo, they have not secured a secondary license simply because they do not ask nor solicit for investments. Seataoo then is registered as an online platform that is into e-commerce and opening shops online — in this case, a primary registration will suffice.

So is Seataoo legit, or not? That’s for you to decide.

Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works

So here’s how it works. You download the Seataoo App, register and apply as a seller. No subscription fees will be collected and it’s totally free of use.

Once your account is verified, you fund, or in Seataoo’s terminologies, you “recharge” your wallet as this will be used to fund the customer’s orders. Like I mentioned earlier, yes, it is the seller that funds the purchase while the customer’s payment is on hold. As seen below, I made an initial funding of Php 5,000.00 to test the waters.

Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works
My Php 5,000 wallet recharge was approved and became part of my wallet balance.

Now that your wallet balance is funded, you then choose the products you want to have listed on your shop. Seatoo’s products has a wide array of sportswear and equipment – rubber shoes, yoga equipment, men and women’s undergarments – all fit for different lifestyles.

One great service Seataoo offers that outstrips the services rendered by its competitors is the selling of the products you choose. You don’t have to do any marketing and advertising because Seataoo will take care of your online traffic, generating sales, as well as shipping the item to the customer’s address.

So once someone places an order in your shop, that’s where your money will be released from your virtual wallet. Once the buyer receives the item, around 2 to 3 weeks, your capital will be returned to you, along with the 8% commission.

My Php 5,000 was approved on May 24 but I finally made my first sale on the 27th. It took a few days for my shop to start receiving orders due to the following reasons:

  • I only listed below 11 products on my site which was why the algorithm wasn’t able to detect that my shop was up and running
  • I wasn’t able to type in 8% as my markup

Fortunately, an accounts specialist that was assigned to me, Leni, phoned me right away to guide me accordingly. Once I was able to apply what she instructed, my shop was finally accepting orders and this was what I earned on the first day:

Not bad for a first-timer, don’t you think?

Additionally, I’ve spoken several times with Leni, and her TL, to clarify a few FAQs that have been circulating online but are still left unanswered. Kudos to Leni though for answering my questions patiently and articulately. Here are some of the common questions I needed them to shed light on:

“Why do sellers need to fund the purchase when the customer’s payment has been received in the first place?”

The customers’ payments are *on hold* to give them assurance that the sellers will process their orders. In addition, it serves as an assurance to the sellers that what they paid in the warehouse will be returned to them because there is no COD in other countries.

“Why does Seataoo need sellers to fund the customers’ orders? Can’t Seataoo owners just fund it by themselves?”

Seataoo is able to cater or pay the orders by themselves but doing so will take some time for the company’s money to come back. So Seataoo thought it would be a great business model/idea to partner with sellers wherein both Seataoo and the sellers make money. The seller buys the products from Seataoo and then sells the products to make a profit.

“What happens if my shop closes because I am unable to fund all of my customers’ orders? What will happen to my freezing money and wallet balance?

Answer: In the event that you are unable to recharge your wallet to fund orders (let’s say, you lost your cellphone or you had a financial emergency) you, as the seller, can still withdraw your money even if your shop has been closed PROVIDED that the freezing money has been transferred to the wallet balance. Sellers are still allowed to login even if the shop is closed, to check their wallet balance.

“Customer refuses to accept the product due to mishandling during shipment to the customer. Can I still retrieve my capital, then?”

If the customer requests for a refund, Seataoo will return the seller’s capital only for that specific product returned.

“What if the product has arrived at the customer’s address but the customer has permanently transferred and can never be contacted again? Can I still retrieve my capital, then?”

Since the buyer’s payment has been collected beforehand and is “on hold” during the shipment, Seataoo will still release the seller’s capital plus profit from the sale.

“Why doesn’t Seataoo disclose the buyer’s information?”

According to Ms. Leni, since this is a dropshipping business, you (as the seller) do not deliver the goods to the client hence there’s no need to gain access to the buyer’s information.

“Can I be a Seataoo seller even if I’m an OFW?”

Yes, since Seataoo is an online platform. A lot of our kababayans abroad have already started earning too.

“What if I choose to quit? Will I still get my money back?”

According to Seataoo, you can still retrieve your capital plus the earnings since they do not force their sellers to stay active if they choose to discontinue.

Is Seataoo legit or a scam?

So have you decided to try it out? Well, I’m not forcing you to believe what you don’t want to since the purpose of this Seataoo Review is to impart what I’ve truly experienced and how has it gone by.

As mentioned earlier, it has only been a week since I started learning the ins and outs of the app as well as how to confirm orders and make a sale. I have yet to experience the actual withdrawal of my earnings and use that to recharge my wallet but in the meantime, I hope this “Seataoo Review Philippines” has helped shed light on some gray areas and concerns you’ve had about Seatoo Philippines.

My best advice for this Seataoo Review, in case you’re having second thoughts, is to always anchor your decisions on thorough research. Conduct due diligence to determine the benefits and pitfalls before trying a new business. But remember, there’s also a saying that theoretical knowledge isn’t enough because sometimes, all you really need to do is try out something new and take the plunge!

Website: seataoo.ph
Platform: www.seataoo.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@seataoophilippines1092/videos
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeataooPhilippines
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@seataooph
Seataoo APP download link: https://qrco.de/Seataoo

Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works


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By Ameena Rey-Franc

Recognized as one of the Top Finance Blogs in the PH. Ameena Rey-Franc (founder of TTP) is a former Banker and BS Accountancy graduate turned Blogger, Keynote Speaker, and entrepreneur. Currently an RFP delegate, she is also the Author of a book about Financial Resilience and has held seminars for reputable companies like GrabFoodPH, Pru Life UK, VISA, JPMorgan Chase& Co., Paypal, Fundline, Moneymax, and many more. The Thrifty Pinay's mission is to empower women to LEARN, EARN, and be FINANCIALLY-INDEPENDENT no matter what life stage they are in.

5 thoughts on “Seataoo Review Philippines: How it really works”
  1. Hi Ms. Ameena, are you still using this today? If yes, what can you say about it? or did you stop already? Thank you.

  2. Hi Ms. Ameena. I’ve read your review and saw that your initial investment with Seataoo was PhP5000.00. Is this the lowest possible amount Seataoo requires? I’d like to test the waters first before going all in, so can I just put in around PhP500.00 initially? Thank you for your response.

    1. As of this writing, I don’t think they have a required minimum amount (please check as their guidelines may change) but honestly, P500.00 is not going to get you far enough. Some products are already worth P200 and above so my advice would be to add more so you have enough for the funding and the rollover.

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