By student journalist Chow Hong Wei

Two years ago, when Leow was 22, she decided not to get her daily hot chocolate at the same place, same time, every single day.

Deep in her mind, she knew what would come next.

Leow quit her full-time job as a purchasing officer and became fully committed to her unusual business.

As an overseas purchasing agent, she travels and shops in foreign countries and brings them back to Malaysia to sell directly to local customers.

Due to the nature of her job, she prefers to remain anonymous.

With more than 5,000 followers on her Facebook page and 1,000 members in her WeChat group, she takes orders on what they want, from food and beauty products to items like handbags.

“The satisfaction I gain with this online venture is much more enjoyable than working for others,” she said.

In January 2017, a survey by Hootsuite found that Malaysia has reached more than 22 million social media users, which comprises about 71 per cent of the total population.

This has given rise to the number of purchasing agents who tap into the social media market to reach potential customers.

Leow is always found glued to her iPhone, replying her customers with a deft motion of her nimble fingers, who constantly bombard her with dozens of messages to inquire about overseas goods.                                                             

“Some people think I have an easy job because I get to go on holidays frequently and have flexible working hours,” she said.

But, they are wrong.

A tricky business

Often, there are a lot of problems that arise from purchasing goods overseas.

During Leow’s first purchasing trip to Bangkok, she came back to Penang and was questioned by the Malaysian customs officers when they found large quantities of handbags on her.

The Riya bags, one of the most famous brands in Thailand, raised the officers’ suspicion after they noticed Leow dragging her bulky luggage.

“I always try to keep calm and wish for good luck when crossing the customs check points,” she said.

“Sometimes the officer will selectively question me if they suspect I am trying to evade the custom charges.”

At times, the officers will not check on the agents, especially during late nights or when there are only a few travellers. But this only happens very rarely.

On a successful trip, Leow makes decent money.

When pressed further, she refuses to disclose how much she makes.

Local overseas agents usually charge a commission of 5 to 10 per cent for each commodity they sell.

Social media for business

In terms of branding her business, Leow prefers to use Facebook and WeChat to interact with her customers.

She would post lots of photos on various brands of goods with product details and prices so that consumers can see what to buy and put in orders with her personally.               

“If my next trip is to Japan, I would promote the best-selling products there and identify goods that we cannot purchase easily here; like the apparels and collectibles of Disney,” she said.

To attract more customers and compete with other agents, Leow devotes extra time and energy to conduct her research before buying the flight tickets to her next destination.

“My target customers are females aged 17 to 45 and I have to be attentive to the latest trends and pricing of goods.

“For example, skincare products like Laneige from Korea is one of the all-time favourites,” she said.

“Consumers are smart and they often make comparisons from a few agents, so I need to survey the price of the same product offered by other agents to ensure I can give the best price to my loyal customers.

“For instance, some agents charge RM35 for the famous Scentio Milk Plus facial foam from Bangkok while I only sell for RM25,” she said.

Some of Leow’s purchase from Hat Yai which cannot be easily found in Malaysia; skin care products like Beauty Buffet and Siam Botanicals, Zebra cookware and French coffee

Buyers beware

Ravinder Singh, the head of the complaints section in the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) explains about the business legalities with the rise of overseas purchasing agents.

“It is not illegal, but it is a grey market,” Ravinder said.

“However, consumers should report to CAP’s authorities if they have been scammed into buying fake overseas goods from agents.”

A grey market, also known as the parallel market, is a market where people sell goods without the manufacturer’s authorised trading channels.

The goods sold are not actually illegal, but they are not imported legally.

A frequent buyer

Angeline is one of the frequent customers of Leow.

She is satisfied with Leow’s offered services as it saves her time and travel expenses.

She does not need to travel overseas to purchase her favourite cosmetics like Nature Republic in Korea, which normally costs much more in local retailer shops.

“Leow is a reliable agent as she would advise and suggest the most suitable products before I make a decision,” Angeline said.

The support and praises from customers are her motivation to work harder for herself and her customers.                    

Meanwhile, Leow is expanding her businesses by recruiting more helpers to cater to the growing number of customers in her social media groups.

In the next five years, Leow’s goal is to target the local upper-class consumers and help them purchase luxury fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Chanel in European countries.

“It takes time to succeed, but I am on my way,” Leow said.

Chow Hong Wei is a student journalist and is pursuing his 3+0 Bachelor of Communication from University of Southern Queensland Australia at Han Chiang College.