Documenting a Defect: How I Processed My Shopee Return/Refund
Below is a step-by-step guide (and lived experience) of how I successfully secured my refund for a defective Shopee item.
It started on April 26—our dorm’s electric fan finally broke down. Naturally, surviving without a stand fan is incredibly difficult considering the intense heat in the Philippines.
For context, we have a stand fan in the living room (where I study), but we also have a dedicated one in the bedroom. The bedroom fan is shared between my dormmate and me, which means it constantly oscillates rather than being focused in a single direction (nakatutok, if you call it in Tagalog). We had been relying on that electric fan for almost three years, so I suppose it had lived a good, full life before its demise.
However, its breakdown meant we needed an immediate replacement. Since my dormmate was also suffering from the heat, we planned a trip to Divisoria on April 27th to canvass prices and hopefully bring home a new fan.
We spent the day roaming the different appliance stalls in the streets and malls, carefully jotting down the prices and offers. Just to give you an idea of the physical market, here is the actual list we compiled:
Near Cesang: Kyowa (₱1,200) | Standard (₱1,500)
Everlight: Golden Eagle (₱750) | Orofan (₱850) | Promac (₱950) | Hanabishi (₱1,250) | Camel (₱1,350 - ₱1,450)
Next to Everlight: Mitsutech (₱800) | Eureka 16-inch (₱1,100 - ₱1,150)
Divisoria Mall (Ground Floor): Golden Eagle (₱800) | KTS (₱1,050 - ₱1,250)
By the time we finished canvassing, it was already around 4:00 PM. Exhausted from the afternoon walk, we headed to the third floor of Divisoria Mall to grab some calamansi juice with honey, which cost ₱70, IIRC. I was battling a sore throat at the time (which I still have as I write this), and I hoped the drink would soothe it… Unfortunately, it didn’t do much.
Took a quick video of the stall where we bought the calamansi juice drink
While we were resting and drinking our calamansi juice, we weighed our options. We ruminated on whether to just buy the cheapest fan (i.e., the Mitsutech brand) from our physical canvassing list, or if we should order the GoldStar 16-Inch Stand Fan online instead.
The Shopee listing offered a “Buy 1 Take 1” deal, which meant we would save almost ₱100 and, more importantly, get two fans instead of one, so we wouldn’t have to share anymore.
Ultimately, the allure of e-commerce won out. I placed the order on Shopee that same day we were drinking, and we eagerly waited until the parcel finally arrived on April 30th, around 12:00 PM.
Purchasing appliances online offers undeniable convenience, BUT (with a big but) it also carries the inherent risk of items sustaining damage during transit OR baka nga damaged na ung item before pa mai-transit.
Navigating the Shopee dispute process after receiving my defective GoldStar order was another learning experience. “Another,” since this wasn’t the first time I’ve had to return/refund a Shopee product over the years I’ve been a Shopee user. But this time, it was a unique learning experience because it was my first time doing the Return/Refund option without ever chatting with the seller or Shopee’s customer/chat support.
Of course, it also follows that securing a refund requires undeniable proof and knowing exactly how to use the platform’s dispute system. This post outlines the steps I took to successfully file a Return/Refund claim, and I hope it helps you readers have it as a practical guide for protecting yourself as a consumer.
Capturing the Evidence
Before officially starting the Shopee return process, I made sure everything was documented. I captured photos of the parcel’s waybill and took a continuous video of the entire unboxing and assembly of the electric fan.
It was during this unboxing that we found the detached chunk of the electric fan blade and the deep cracks starting to form on its other parts. Still, we tried to finish assembling the unit just to check if it was at least functional. But when we turned it on, it was violently wobbling and making a loud noise that definitely didn’t seem normal. That was the exact moment I said I was going to file a Return/Refund for this product. Clearly, it wasn’t in a good state to begin with.
For documentary purposes, I will attach here the actual time-lapse link of the video unboxing:
Below are the videos showing exactly how the assembled fan worked in its condition. The first clip shows the violent wobbling and noise when turned on, and the second clip highlights the chunked-off blade and the severe cracks I found on the other parts.
The Return/Refund Process
Here is the actual kwento of how I navigated the return/refund process on the Shopee app.
To start, I navigated to my “My Purchases” tab in the Shopee App, selected the specific order (at the “To Receive” tab), and clicked the “Return/Refund” button at the bottom of the screen.
After you click that, you will be directed to a page asking, “What happened to your order?” In my case, I chose “Received Damaged Item(s)” since it was glaringly obvious that a critical part of the electric fan was broken.
Next, you will need to select a specific reason from a dropdown list. For this situation, I chose “Product is defective or does not work.”
After that, you will be redirected to the final request form, where you need to fill out all the necessary info. You have to provide a written description of why you want to return/refund the product and upload your attachments. Even though these attachments might imply they are optional, I think it is always much better to provide overwhelming evidence when returning or refunding an item.
Please note that in my case (and as of this writing), Shopee has a strict video limit of max 200 MB. I had to compress my video to meet this requirement. Basically, my master video contained the 8-minute unboxing and assembling footage (which was time-lapsed), and I edited the final 20 seconds (those two videos I have shown earlier) to show a side-by-side view: the severe wobbling while operational right next to a close-up of the cracked components.
For the photos, I made sure to maximize the attachments by uploading exactly 6 photos just to provide plenty of evidence. I arranged them in a very specific, logical order so that Shopee could clearly see the progression of the damage:
Photo 1 showed the parcel as delivered, with the waybill clearly displayed.
Photo 2 contained the puncture hole on the outer cardboard box (yes, even the box itself contained a puncture hole!). You can see it below:
Yikes! Photo 3 showed the motor’s back sticker, capturing the exact model and serial number (GS2025SF-16T-05-00145).
See that?! Photo 4 showed the completely detached/broken piece of the fan blade.
Ouch! Photo 5 showed the main blade assembly, illustrating the exact location where the piece snapped off.
Photo 6 contained a macro shot detailing the deep crack at the base of another blade.
Note that whatever amount you paid (₱1,319 in my case) and the Mode of Payment (MoP) you used (my debit card), it will be refunded directly back to your MoP.
Technically, if you are going to think of it, the process of returning/refunding is easy. You just need to have proper documentation of evidence and take your time to craft your reasons. Then you just need to follow those steps for you to submit it properly.
It is a hassle, yes, but sayang naman diba if you’re not going to dispute it? Lugi ka rin kung ginago ka lang pala ng seller diba? In this unfair world and mahirap na buhay, we need to also fight for ourselves and our rights as online consumers. Problema na nga ang pagtaas ng bilihin, ito pa kaya?
The Pick-up Process
I forgot to tell you that right after you submit your request for return/refund, you will need to choose when your product should be picked up and what mode you prefer. I forgot to document the exact options screen, but as far as I remember, there were a few choices like drop-off and pick-up (and there was another one, but I forgot what that was).
Of course, I chose Pick-up. Aside from it being free from Shopee, it is the absolute most convenient. Kesa naman lumakad ka pa diba para lang i-drop off.
After selecting the mode, you will select the date you are going to give the parcel back. As far as I know, they give you three days to select from, starting the next day after you request the return. Since I requested it on April 30, the available dates for pick-up were May 1, 2, and 3. I chose May 1st since I am available at that time.
As of this writing (May 1), I just gave the parcel to the courier near our building here (the driver called me beforehand to coordinate). Of course, I disassembled the electric fan beforehand and placed it back in its box so I could hand it over properly.
On the Shopee app, the “Return Item” section will just show a QR code and some details. That QR code is needed by the courier. The moment I gave the parcel back, he scanned it, and we were all good.
When I went back to my unit, the “Return Item” step in the app was immediately done, and it proceeded to “Item Validation”. For that part, you just need to wait for Shopee to validate your item. It was actually fast… probably because it was automated. I presume once the rider/courier successfully processed the scanning, it automagically updated the progress.
A few hours after I checked my phone today, at around 4:00 PM, I noticed that the refund was already processing. I didn’t receive it back in my actual bank account yet, but it was already tagged as “pending credit.”
I just need to wait a few days, with the earliest estimated credit date being May 8. But yeah, the return/refund works.
I will update this blog when I have actually received the refund back in my bank. But all I can say is that it was fast from Shopee.
The overall process was good. It was matrabaho (tedious and time-consuming) to document everything perfectly, but the system itself was seamless in my experience.
Thank you, Shopee!
UPDATE: May 5, 2026
Just a quick update! Upon checking my Landbank account today (May 5th), I saw that I actually received the refund credit yesterday, May 4th. In fairness, it was way faster than the earliest estimated May 8th schedule they gave me!
END