Sulit.com.ph changes Phl buy-and-sell landscape

MANILA, Philippines - Where do ordinary Filipinos shop and sell their pre-loved items these days?

Time was when used clothes, appliances, knick-knacks and what-have-yous were sold in garage sales where buyers could find these pre-loved items at a lower price. Then came second-hand shops, followed by free buy-and-sell newspaper-type publications where people post line ads of items they were selling, and after several days, buyers contacted sellers and a business deal was sealed.

Today, the game has changed for Filipino sellers and buyers, thanks to a groundbreaking Filipino website whose phenomenal growth has revolutionized the way Pinoys buy and sell items.

Sulit.com.ph, founded by Filipino couple RJ and Arianne David in 2006, offers a free platform for posting classified ads on a wide range of categories, from clothing and accessories, to tools and gadgets, furniture and appliances, and many more.

The average Sulit.com.ph user, according to David, is 18 to 35 years old. Fifty-seven percent are male, and 43 percent are female, with the cars and the real estate categories being the most dominant. Moreover, most of the website’s members are from Metro Manila (85 percent), followed by Cebu, Rizal, Bulacan and Davao.

But the Sulit.com.ph demographic and scope is expected to widen, with more and more Filipinos finding access to the net especially through mobile devices, and becoming accustomed to online shopping.

Now, with David at the helm as managing director, Sulit.com.ph takes pride in having two million registered users, two billion pageviews last year, and an average of 10 million daily pageviews and 700,000 daily unique visitors.

Its mobile pageviews and visitors are also showing remarkable strength, receiving an average of 1.8 million daily pageviews and 112,000 daily unique visitors.

Moreover, from a two-man team with a capital of P2,400 working from home, Sulit.com.ph has evolved into a corporation called Netrepreneur Connections Enterprises Inc., and now has 90 employees reporting to its plush two-floor office space in Ortigas. Sulit.com.ph also finds a major boost from its partnership with Myriad Investment Holdings forged in August 2009.

Amid today’s fast-changing online business landscape, Sulit.com.ph keeps its services grounded by regularly seeking the feedback of its users, aka Sulitizens, and also embracing the Filipinos’ concerns about online shopping. For instance, its campaign goes with the tagline “Post. Usap. Deal.,” pointing to the usual meet-up of buyer and the seller for a transaction.

Membership remains free, but sellers can also opt for additional exposure through paid service using the website’s virtual currency Sulit Gold. David points to this service as a good way to weed out fraudsters, thus helping protect the potential buyers. Furthermore, Sulit has a feedback system for every seller, and a Sulit Check optional authentication service that requires members to submit documents to prove legitimacy.

With these mechanisms, it comes as no surprise that Sulit.com.ph takes up the lion’s share of the market, which is why, David says, it is the best place for netrepreneurs — a play on the words Internet and entrepreneur — to sell their pre-loved items.

“Ang hindi na ginagamit, ibenta mo na!” goes the website’s latest campaign, in its effort to bring the tradition of garage sale online.

“We hope that our latest campaign will resonate with many Filipinos who have a penchant for keeping things that are no longer being used. Instead of just taking up huge space in their house, these items can be sold to fetch earnings for the family,” David said.

But unlike the typical garage sale where the seller needs to scour the house and gather multiple pre-loved items to draw people, one can post an ad even for just one or two on Sulit.com.ph. In addition, the site links sellers with buyers from anywhere in the country, and not just the neighbors and the people in the vicinity.

“In the Sulit.com.ph’s version of garage sale, selling is convenient, and covers a wider market. Even better, you might just be able to help someone in need of the item that is just gathering dust in your home,” David said.