Ahh… online shopping. We’ve all fallen into the black hole of online shopping with endless scrolling and searching. Of course, the ‘9.9’, ’10.10’, ‘11.11’ deals from Lazada and Shopee DO NOT help. There's no doubt that we all want the best deal possible. I mean, I have a grandmother who scouts major supermarkets and reports on which is the cheapest and where, so this is essentially no different! 

But, have you ever wondered which online shopping platform overrules the other in terms of delivery, user interface, returns/refunds, quality of items, and most importantly - price? So, here’s my comparison between Lazada and Shopee.

DELIVERY: "I need my stuff, nao!" 

The age of technology has made us extremely impatient. If your site takes more than 3-second to load - bye, Felicia! So, the same goes for delivery. It IS important. When we shop physically, we get items instantly. And because the kiamsiap-ness lives within us, we online shop and are conditioned to wait. But, for how long?! 2

WINNER: Shopee for efficiency, Lazada for the cheaper shipping fee.

USER INTERFACE: “Why so konpiusing, oi! I just want to buy a screwdriver!”

Of course, we want to browse at the most intuitive and the prettiest app. Plus, it annoys the living hell out of me when the apps are confusing and not responsive. Shopee started as a mobile platform whereas Lazada went desktop first.

Nowadays, more and more people these days prefer buying things online and according to The Malaysian Insight, 70% of online purchases in Malaysia made via mobile phones. So, which app has a better user interface and is more convenient?

Both app's UI has a lot of similarities in terms of the search bar on top, a moving banner which shows events/promotions/highlights, down to the subcategories (mall, bill payment, coins/vouchers), to other promotional banners, major sales, categories, and the whole shebang.

However, when it comes to the professionalism of the overall look and feel, Lazada presents itself with clean colours, easy to navigate the homepage and, to a certain extent - minimalistic - which makes it easier to navigate.

WINNER: Lazada

RETURNS/REFUNDS: “Boss, if got anything wrong can refund ah?”

That my friend is the question we ask especially when buying cheap electronics that have NO official warranty. So, how do we ensure we don’t have to stress about getting a nonfunctioning item? 

Shopee and Lazada both have a very similar refund policy stating that the refund will only be processed once the seller’s Return Warehouse has received the item and a quality check is complete and approved. Shopee says it takes 3 to 7 days whereas Lazada is between 7 to 14 days depending on the goods sold.

Having said that, a lot of shoppers, especially in the forums of Lowyat, has shown frustration towards Shopee for the lack of professionalism (you can refer above image).

Also, for non-Shopee Mall purchases, sellers are encouraged to settle any disputes personally with the buyers. Based on my experience, getting a refund from Shopee requires a little bit more sternness because sellers will often say, “I will give you a discount for your next purchase, dear” or “You can cancel the order, dear". Yes, they ALWAYS use “dear” coupled with a tonne of stickers.

WINNER: Lazada

QUALITY: Because... things like size matter here.

Of course, we would like our items to be authentic and at the lowest price possible, but how can we know if we don’t get to see the items in front of us? Fret not as I have just the tips for you!

PRO TIP: When buying any sort of items, especially the more expensive ones like gadgets, make sure to check the description and review as there are many new shops that miraculously pop up with really, REALLY cheap offers. They might sell a high-end laptop that’s usually priced at RM7000 for a mere RM1000!

Another thing to watch out for is that they'll say to deal outside of Lazada’s platform through WhatsApp which already makes it unsafe as any return/return policy is now void (refer below image).

Shopee is quite identical although the reviews are usually what gives it off. They’ll often put the original picture, with the original specifications and even the original price!

So look through the reviews as people will post pictures and comment about the authenticity of the product. In the end, it is still up to our due diligence when it comes to shopping online!

WINNER: Tie

PRICE: Value! Value! Value!

The mother of all decision-making. Before Shopee arrived on our planet, Lazada was people’s number one go-to. But, when Shopee emerged in 2015, competition ensued. It is exactly like Grab pushing out promos non-stop to fight Uber and Uber doing the same thing which makes us consumers super happy!  After all, we’re all pretty kiamsiap when it comes to buying things, right?

Because the prices are so competitive, they vary a lot between the two platforms. 

Let’s compare an audio accessory and the Xiaomi Mi 8 (6GB RAM/128GB ROM) Original Malaysia Set (whatever that means. Also, not paid post, so, compare old phone la!).

Example 1:

Example 2:

As you can see, Lazada is cheaper with the bigger electrical stuff, but when it comes to the smaller or more obscure stuff, Shopee wins. Perhaps this is because Shopee has wholesalers and not just resellers. 

WINNER: Shopee for smaller items. Lazada for bigger electronics and stuff.

ADDITIONAL COMPARISON: Because why not?

Here are more comparisons for your ease of mind:

So, camne? Shopee ke Lazada?

Although I feel like I have a personal bias towards Shopee, writing this article makes me want to buy a new phone from Lazada. Sure, both Shopee and Lazada have their pros and cons, but really, it comes down to what you want to buy, how kiam siap you are, and how long you’re willing to wait.

Note: Shopee and Lazada should make me an ambassador for this.

Happy shopping!

Credit this awesome article to Darian Skazar