The first kind-of operator, Groupon (Group Coupon) was launched in November 2008, and the first market for Groupon was in USA, followed soon thereafter by Europe and even in Asia.

This is a simply amazing internet business and also benefits to all the consumers alike. Let’s find out our local group-discount operators in Malaysia where you can enjoy discount with:

> Groupon Malaysia

> Milk A Deal

> Deal Mates

> We Buy and some other 15 overs groupon companies*

Interestingly, there is one of its type offering all Groupon Companies in Malaysia by just browsing a website in one glance! Moreover, you can filter the offers by location, or just show the latest deal from your favourite groupon company.  Check out All Groupon Deals!

*as of Dec 2011.

Drop shipping is another business method in which the retailer does not keep goods in stock, but instead transfers customer orders to either the manufacturer or a wholesaler, who then ships the goods directly to the customer. As in retail businesses, the majority of retailers make their profit on the difference between the wholesale and retail price but some retailers earn an agreed percentage of the sales in commission, paid by the wholesaler to the retailer.

Didn’t get what I mean? View the picture instead.

Edited from Wikipedia.

Wondering which of the courier service company in Malaysia to choose from? You may thinking of their service, company profile and so on before making any decision. But till end of the day, you will still come back to the price factor if you’re not able find what is the significant different, isn’t it?

Last month we have a packet to send to UK, England. Hence we have check out the market price, for your reference too

1kg to UK, England (charges in Ringgit Malaysia)*
- DHL                 @ 444.46
- OCS                 @ 139.20
- Citylink @ 231.25
- ABX                @ 218.36
- Kangaroo     @ 287.40
- Nationwide @ 281.25
- Pos Laju        @ 65.30

*Prices are accurate as of the date of posting.

How to select Payment Gateway?

* What’s your targeted market? (people, age group, country etc)
* The currency type of your targeted market? Does it support multiple currencies? (USD? AUD? EUR? GBP? MYR? SGD?)
* Is the payment gateway service provider well known and trust-worthy in your targeted market? And in your country?
* How soon can you get back the money and will it affect your cashflow?

Let’s check out this comparison chart before you make any decision.

Below are some of the significant different on how ePaper works better than RVSite Builder (RV).

1) Installation
RV: Bulk Installation – installed in server only once and everybody sharing the same application files.
ePaper: Individual Installation – installed on individual domain (more privacy and security)

2) Map
RV: No map allowed
ePaper: Powered with Google Map

3) Advance Scripting
RV: Support direct Javascript and PHP – assume most users are expert
ePaper: Support indirect Javascript – assume most users are non-expert

4) Favicon
RV: Indirect, only expert can change in htaccess
ePaper: Easy to upload and change

5) Template
RV: Pre-set on server and often updated. User has no control to modify or create their own template
ePaper: Each template are individual files that can be created and downloaded by users themselves

6) Photo Gallery
RV: You have to create your own page and upload your pictures
ePaper: Photo gallery is module by itself which will automatically scale your photos and organized in Albums

There are many more differences to be compared but we just highlight some important ones ;>   Let’s check out more about ePaper.

All can be done with ePaper. It’s a program that allow any individual (even without IT knowledge) to own a professional website in 4-5 days time. Yes, no surprise and it can be completed in 4-5 days time!

While normal website programmer charge you for building up your website, hold responsible on the monthly/ yearly maintenance and of course charge you for most of the things he does for you, you can now save all this monies by owning an ePaper.

Features: Easy to handle, DIY menu, SEO tools, Photo Gallery, Video Gallery and all others features shown in above image.

Does not require: Programming knowledge, expensive programmer/ website designer or monthly maintenance fees. It’s just hassle free!

How to own ePaper?

Step 1) Check out the showcase and confirm the preferred theme.

Step 2) Input default content such as company information, product pictures, pricing and necessary information.

Step 3) Get your Professional website LIVE within days!

First of all, you need to understand what they expect from their work or efforts.

Below show video clips from 5min.com showing about what you need or able to learn ”How to coach Employees” under Business segment:

For more How-to videos covering business, arts, fashion, fitness, technology and many other interesting topics, check out from now!

Besides viewing videos from 5min.com, you can also promote your products and services such as seminar by uploading some free lessons as marketing promotion. Get started.

You can either enjoy special discount facial treatment of 60mins for yourself (at only RM29.90), or introduce to your friends or colleagues and make extra income.

Due to the facial center is located at Sri Hartamas, hence it may be restricted to those who staying or work in Klang Valley.

Find out How it works.

12) MJ-Life - This Company boost of a very big background with many many years of history which is NOT true. Their people or associates may be long in business but nothing to do with their MLM launched recently. Why do I consider it a scam or bad ? New members are told to pay a sum of money (up to RM1000) and you get NOTHING for it. You only get a membership can entitle you to enjoy all sorts of special price and discounts when you have medical check-ups in their centres. They will
claim all those check-ups cost more if done elsewhere. It’s not true. Only the naive and those new to medical check-ups will fall victims to them. Most members who paid the money ended up with nothing.

13) Seaweed Venture scams – One such Company is located in Taman Maluri, Cheras. They will ask you to invest a few thousands ringgits for their venture of growing seaweeds in East Malaysia and you are guaranteed returns. To gain your confidence further, they will tell you your investment money is secured by “insurance” or “unit trusts” & “trustees”. When you ask for further documents to prove, they will give all sorts of excuses or just ignore you because they know they cannot get you. These Seaweed scam is one of the hottest now, warn all your friends about it before they are victimised.

14) MXM (previously MGM) – This is a master scam among the younger group, very successful 2 or 3 years ago but since there moved to their big 10-storey office at Phileo Damansara and changed name to MXM, their business dropped. They collect members RM3,000 to RM4,000 with credit card monthly easy payment and in return you get a hospital benefits insurance from Pacific Insurance worth only a few hundred RMs together with some you-don’t-need medical check-ups from their associate Company Pathlab. Also talk about fitness, lifestyles bullshit that is all worthless.

15) Gano Excel – This company from the north, a copycat of DXN selling Lingzhi capsules created a new Company called Gano iTouch to cash-in on the internet like e-Cosway after their Company went down the drain since the last 2 years, selling Linzhi and some no-value energy pendants and alkaline water gadgets. They provide free transport every weekend from KL to visit their Alor Star office.

16) NuLife (HK) – This Company started by some HK people has been in Malaysia for more than 10 years but they have flopped in HK and Malaysia due to bad management and a product scam making use of a prosecuted American named Dr Jeffrey Bland, found guilty of false products claim. Since this case in the US leaked out and many Malaysians found out that the real boss in HK is a Steven Tang (he cheated many Malaysians in another scheme about 20 years ago) their business went down all the way. Now they claim Malaysian partners cheated them and start a new Company in Malaysia . Watch out, this new Company will come out with some investment scheme idea that will get many to lose their money.

17) Arowana Fish Breeding, Oora from Germany , Biofuel (Kompleks Maluri) etc – These are some newer scams. Arowana fish venture ask you to invest some money and give you fixed return. Biofuel will tell you their Indonesia connections (just like Sunshine Empire before using Taiwan) & Oora from Germany that market some bio-chips and a gadget that claims to give energy and therapeutic effects of accupunture, tai-chi, yoga, etc depending how you set the toy-like gadget, wear it on your body and you get the effect later. They could not explain or provide any demonstration to prove their effectiveness. Only doctors and papers claim that I will never trust. The health effect is actually PLACEBO, which I will elaborate in a different thread.

Lastly but not least, thank you for reading to the end and I hope you can come back for more details and updates or help to contribute for me to update. I hope to receive information of any scams so that I can share them here to protect others.

If you wish to send in any information confidentially, you may email to: stopscams007@ gmail.com

6) Perfumery products (eg. Lampe Berger & Bel Air). Lampe Berger is not so hot now in the neighbouring countries but there are still new victims every month in Malaysia . Must thanks to those who have contributed and kept the thread alive here in Kopitiam. Bel-Air have closed in Malaysia. LB is almost zero in Singapore. This perfumery product from France with over 100 years history is just bottles and fragrance (check the factory’s website) but the Company marketing them in Asia claimed “aromatheraphy” products. Hong Kong TVB aired a program that exposed their scam but their members claimed that HK’s TVB already apologised to them. Note that the biggest strength in a MLM Scam is their members will go all way out to lie in order to defend for their Company. The reason is simple- these members fear that they will not be able to make their money back if the Company collapsed. Knowing that the Lampe Berger products are moving slow, they add a line of skincare products named Estebel, also claimed to have over 100 years history in France (hardly anymore Chinese newcomers, they are now tapping the Malays in Malaysia).

7) Energy Products (eg. stone pendants, bracelets, mattress and pillows). They use all sorts of gimmicks and demonstration to make you into believing them.. They will do some tricks and demo to prove that these products really produce energy BUT is there any tricks in their demo? So what if there really produce energy; is it good or strong enough to help the body ? The effect is actually PLACEBO which I will elaborate in a new thread soon.

Hi-Tech products (names like bio-tech, nano-tech that claimed millions of dollars of research involved, eg Bio-Young and XKL few years ago). Most of these will claimed a professor behind them (even with name and picture of a person) or used words like “U.S.A. formula”, “German Technology” or “Nanotechnology” etc. If you ask for more details like the professor or factory’s address, the answer will be “trade secrets”.

9) Investment schemes – SWISSCASH is the King of all. Swisscash is nearly over now but there are many similar and smaller ones that are still on (now, it’s closed or stopped paying back members).

10) GoldQuest – This Company that claimed to be HK-based started with some non-value gold-plated coins that are sold for over RM2,000 have several names and changed products several times. QuestVacation, QuestNet, etc. They have several offices in Amcorp Mall, PJ and their key person (in fact, the owner), a Malaysian Indian was arrested last year in Indonesia for having involved in a very big scam in Phillipines. Most of their overseas offices are closed or inactive but their Malaysia business is still hot, with some “energy” products. (Can someone please provide a link which showed the news that their boss was involved in a big scam in Philippines and was arrested in last year ?)

11) Numerology & Fortune telling – A Company named Visible is using MLM to sell fortune telling classes using your birthday based on Numerology fortune telling. Prospects will be told that they need to buy a certain ”number” between 1 to 9 in the form of pendants or bracelets made of stainless steel and sold from RM600 to RM20,000. Customers, or rather victims are mostly females from rural areas. Very hot in Penang now and a number of spin-off Companies have started..