FAQs

Buyer's Frequently Asked Questions

Payment

What Payment Methods are accepted?

The Collective offers Two Methods of In-app payment. Debit or credit card, including Visa and Mastercard* You can add/remove/edit your cards by, 1. Navigate to your profile "You" 2. Select My Payment methods 3. Select Add Credit/Debit Cards or Click "Edit" to edit an existing card 4. Tap Save to finalise the changes *3.5% payment processing fee for credit card transactions PayNow (Our Recommendation!) Enjoy lower payment processing fees by paying through PayNow. You can remove or edit your saved PayNow information by, 1. Navigate to your profile "You" 2. Select My Payment methods 3. Select PayNow 4. Enter your mobile number and click Connect with PayNow! *1% payment processing fee for PayNow transactions



Purchase

How do I get help before placing an order?

For any queries regarding items or shipping, please contact the seller by, 1. On the seller listing page, click Message Seller on the right of the listing title.
2. Type your question into the textbox.
3. Click Send. The seller will be notified of the new Conversation and can respond.



How do I request for a personalised or custom-made item?

According to the shop’s policies, customized items may come with an added cost. Follow the steps below to complete a customized order

1. Contact the seller via our in-app messenger to determine if your customization can be delivered.
2. Add the original item that you would like to be customize into your cart.
3. Add the item with the title “Item Customization” on the store’s listings into your cart.
4. Checkout your items and wait for your customized order!



Order Information

How do I check the status of my order?

To check the status of your order, 1. Open The Collective app.
2. Tap the You icon on the main menu
3. Tap select My Orders
4. Select the order that you are interested in.
5. The order status used are: Order Confirmed
The order is confirmed, and items are to be made and delivered.
Order Cancelled
The seller has cancelled the order Order Completed
Items have been delivered and the order is completed



Can I cancel an order that have been placed?

Unfortunately you will not be able to cancel your order in our App onced it has been placed and confirmed. Each sellers have their own cancellation policies and you can directly contact the seller to request for a cancellation by, 1. Tap the You icon on the main menu
2. Select My Orders
3. Click Message Seller for the order that you want to cancel
4. In the textbox, send a message to the seller requesting for an order cancellation.
5. The seller will cancel the order from their end and process the refund accordingly. Important* Do note that any amount paid for delivery is non-refundable for orders that are cancelled. Any refund made to you are subjected to the individual shop policies.



How can I report a problem with an order?

If you would like to report a problem with an order

1. Open The Collective app.
2. Tap the You icon on the main menu
3. Select My Orders
4. Click Message Seller on the order you are interested in
5. In the textbox that appears, let the seller know of your problem
6. The seller will be notified of the new message and can respond.



Where do I check the location to collect my item (for self-collection orders) ?

To check order details with collection location and time, 1. Open The Collective app.
2. Tap the You icon on the main menu
3. Select My Orders
4. Tap on the order that you are interested in.
5. All collection details including date, time, and collection venue will be shown in the order receipt.



Shop Policies

What are the shop policies?

Each seller on The Collective is responsible for their own policies regarding refunds, exchanges, and returns. Policies vary from specific store to store, therefore, any questions regarding a shop’s policies are best answered by the seller. Kindly contact the shop if you have any questions about their policies.



Promotions

(Launch Promo Discount) How do I receive the $5 discount as advertised in the launch promotion?

To receive your $5 early-bird sign-up discount, 1. Launch our website on your web browser
2. Click Sign up on the navigation menu
3. An email containing the $5 off promotion code will be sent to your email address
4. Download our mobile Application on launch day
5. Enter the promotion code* on the checkout page to apply the $5 discount. *The promotion code is only valid for the first 100 completed purchases. So fastest fingers first!



Buyer's Frequently Asked Questions

Food Safety and Cleanliness

What are the food safety standards and guidelines?

Food safety and hygiene is of the utmost importance to us. Please adhere to the food safety guidelines under the Home-based Small-Scale Business Scheme to ensure that customers have a safe eating experience. The food safety guidelines can be found here:
https://www.sfa.gov.sg/docs/default-source/food-retailing/sfa-good-food-hygiene-tips-for-residents-preparing-food-under-hdb-ura-guidelines.pdf



Listing

How to list an item?

To list an item 1. Tap Sell icon on the main menu
2. Fill in all the required info and tap List it!



How to edit a listing?

To edit a listing

1. Tap the Shop button on the main menu
2. Tap the "Pencil" icon on the top-right of the listing that you want to edit
3. Tap Edit Listing on the Pop-up
4. Edit your listing and tap Save Changes
5. Your changes will be reflected on your listing



How to delete a listing?

To delete a listing 1. Tap the Shop button on the main menu
2. Tap the "Pencil" icon on the top-right of the listing that you want to delete
3. Select Delete Listing on the Pop-up menu
4. Tap Confirm. *Important! A listing can only be deleted from your store if there are no active orders. However, if there are active orders under the listing, you have to contact the individual buyers and cancel their order*. Please note that you will be held full responsibility for refunding the full amount for any order cancellations as a seller. This is because payment has been processed through our third-party payment gateway** and delivery has already been scheduled***. As such, we strongly discourage cancelling any orders that have been placed. *Please view the FAQ for "How to cancel an order?" **1% for PayNow transactions, 3.5% for credit card transactions ***For purchases that have opted for Island-wide delivery method ($8 delivery fee)



How to cancel an order?

To cancel an order
1. Tap "You" on the main menu
2. Select "Manage Orders"
3. Search and select the order that you want to cancel
4. Tap Cancel Order If a buyer wants to cancel an order, he/she will have to contact you directly. Important! Do note that since payment has been processed through our third-party gateway* and delivery has been scheduled**, your store should have its own cancellation policies in place for buyers who want to cancel their orders. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to design your cancellation policy with this in mind. *1% for PayNow transactions, 3.5% for credit card transactions **For purchases that have opted for Island-wide delivery method ($8 delivery fee)



How to re-list an expired item listing?

To re-list an expired item listing 1. Tap the Shop button on the main menu
2. Tap the expired listing that you want to relist that will be found at the bottom of the listings
3. All fields except for the Availability field will be automatically filled 4. Re-enter your new Availability dates
4. Tap re-list to list the item



How should I list/charge for a customized order?

It is up to you if you want to charge extra for a customized order. If you intend to charge for customization, place a dummy listing for customization. Under our buyer FAQ, buyers should first approach you if the order can be customized according to their specifications. To make a dummy listing for customizations

1. Tap the Sell icon on the main menu
2. Upload an image in the photos field
3. Enter "Item Customization" in the title field
4. Choose Item Customization in the Category field
5. Fill in the price you want to charge for Item Customization in the Price field
6. Fill in the date that you want to end the customized listing in the Availability field
7. Provide details of your Item customization such as which items the customization applies to in the Item Description field
8. Select Self Collection Only in the Delivery Information Section
9. Fill a dash in the other fields (Ingredients, Halal, Dimensions and Tags)



Self-Collection/Delivery

What are the different ways I can get my items to my customers?

There are two different ways. Self collection by customers or Door-step delivery. For Self-Collection By Customers To schedule self-collection for your listings,
1. Tap Sell icon on the main menu.
2. On the bottom of the listing page under Delivery Information, select Self Collection only or Self Collection & Delivery.
3. Enter the address/location in the "Collection Point" field and select the available Time Slot for Self-Collection that you provide. 4. Add more if you offer more than one timing. For Same-Day Door Step Delivery The Collective offers a competitive $8 flat rate island-wide delivery for your customers. To use our in-app delivery, 1. Tap the Sell icon on the main menu
2. On the bottom of the listing page under Delivery Information, select Delivery only or Self-Collection & Delivery.
3. Enter the address in the "Collection Point" field and select the Time Slot for Delivery Pick-up for the delivery personnel to collect the item. There are 2 delivery time-slots (between 9am-1pm or 1pm-5pm) available daily for you to choose from.



How are my items delivered?

We offer a competitive $8 flat rate island-wide delivery for your customers. Based on the availability at that time of delivery, the mode of transport is either car or a motorbike.



Money Matters

How are sales transferred to me?

When you make a sale through “The Collective”, the funds are first reflected on the Total Sales Revenue Banner found in your profile page (You) page. We have a fund transfer schedule that gives payouts to all merchants to the bank account as provided. Payouts are done every Monday, on a bi-weekly basis for the entire week's sales. Depending on your bank, once a payout has been sent, funds may take up to 1-2 business days to appear in your bank account. If the Monday falls on a holiday, available funds will be sent to your bank account on the next business day. If you do not see your funds after 5 business days, reach out to your bank for assistance.



Is there any sign-up or subscription fee to be a seller?

There is no sign-up or subscription fee to be a seller (yay!) However, The Collective charges a 15% commission fee to sellers for the total transacted amount*. This fee will be deducted from the Total Sales Revenue* before it is paid out to your bank account that is provided every Monday. *This is to cover our operating cost and allows us to continuously improve on making "The Collective" the go-to for all home-based businesses. **Total sales revenue can be found at the top of your profile page (You)



Can I change my bank account details for the payout deposits?

Sellers must first have a valid bank account on file in our App. Whenever you update your bank details, a 5-day hold will apply on funds in your Payment account. Once the hold lifts, funds will be sent to your bank account in accordance with our deposit schedule.



General FAQ

Who can sign up as a seller?

We encourage anyone who runs a home-based business (F&B, Crafts & Services*) to join TheCollective. We make the selling process easy for you and provide you with the tools you need to increase online visibility and reach out to a greater audience. We want YOU to succeed! Reach out to us if you have any queries and we'd be happy to help! We look forward to having you join TheCollective family :) *Crafts & Services section will be coming soon! Stay tuned!



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