Guide to WeChat

Since there are lots of newbies struggling with getting started with WeChat, I invite you beautiful RepLadies to share what has worked for you in terms of getting started, staying active, staying unblocked, and even getting verified/unblocked when necessary. At what rate did you add sellers? Did you add any RepLadies? Post in your moments? Find a WeChat group? What worked for you?

It’s also pretty confusing to figure out when and why one needs to get verified, and other details. So let’s get into it. This is what I have figured out is the most current information on this topic.

There are different reasons why you are not able to access your account. See WeChat’s own guide for more info and guidance per type. TLDR on the relevant ones here: new user, account block (temporary or permanent). NB: there is a guide in the wiki which suggests getting a Google Voice number. WeChat says it is blocking virtual numbers, so this seems to be outdated advice.

Each reason has its own method and rules for getting a friend’s help. So before posting for help in this sub, you’ll want to be specific about which type of help you need. I would propose that WeChat requests on the sub follow a format, such as: I need to be [new user verified/account unblocked], I’m in [Country/Region], and I can [send a QR code/need a phone number verification/other]. Here’s why:

• New user verification. From what I have seen, it is only possible to verify your account if prompted to do so. I have never friend-verified my account and have never been prompted to do it. Please don’t ask in the WeChat verification threads to be verified if you are not prompted for verification – it makes it harder for people on the sub to help people who really need it. For users not based in China, it seems that you are able to help someone get unlocked if you have had your account for at least 1 month and haven’t helped someone in the last month. You might have the best luck getting verified if you find someone from your same country/region. WeChat seems to change these rules from time to time, check the instructions on the QR code or elsewhere before asking for help. I have personally seen two methods for new user verification recently:

1. The QR code method. The QR code expires very quickly. It has worked well for me to book a time to meet online to exchange and scan the code. For this to work, it’s helpful to be in a similar timezone.

2. The method where the new user inputs the phone number of a WeChat user who has offered to help. This also expires fairly quickly. For the friend to follow up on this, you go to Contacts > Search “WeChat Team” > Tap Account > Help Friend Log In, and follow the instructions to complete verification.

3. Have you used another method recently? Let me know and I will update.

• Account blocked: This is trickier. Check the WeChat guide to see if any of these situations apply to you. The rules to help a friend get unblocked are stricter: have had an account for 6 months, can unblock 1 account per month, 2 per six months, 3 total within 1 year. I have no evidence of this, but it probably helps to find someone from your same region, i.e. North America/Europe/Asia etc. I have not successfully helped anyone with this. If you have, I’d be glad to update this section. Some people have had success on Fiverr, for example. Tell us who and how much.

If nothing works, it is possible to contact WeChat directly for help. YMMV. Make sure to select “Email” at “Prefer Being Contacted by” section. Sources elsewhere on the internet suggest to be very descriptive while you are telling your problem with the application, and to write in Chinese for fastest service. The trick of translating into Chinese and then back into English to see if the words still make sense is probably the best approach for non-Chinese speakers.

WeChat Tips and Tricks

The video covers how to Search Moments, translate your findings and how to add them to your favourites…. enticing right! 😂😂😂

So I’m going to begin by saying there some excellent guides, which can be found here too, that can help answer some of your WeChat questions.

📱 The setup 📱

My biggest tip for WeChat is as soon as you set up an account, navigate to Me and select your > WeChat ID and rename your account. It usually defaults to a lot letters and numbers to begin with, so change it and your name as soon as possible.

I would also recommend changing your password, you can do this by going to your Me page, select Account Security and set a Password.

🔎Searching 🔍

When searching moments, you can use Google Translate to help.

So for example if you’re looking for a hat use google translate and then paste it into your search function. ( don’t worry I show you this, in the video)

I also URGE you to look at this post and this post by u/lamebbqduck as it contains most of the words I use on Taobao and WeChat. I’d recommend you save these posts too, as they always come in hand.

❤️Adding to Favourites ❤️

So I covered adding to favourites, as I do it daily and it’s a great way to not forget the items you like and may want to purchase at a later date. It also helps me tally costs of items from various sellers.

📘Translate📘

Many know how to translate, but thought I’d add it to the video regardless. Because even if it helps just one person it’s worth it for me.

Translation even works if your seller responds to you in Chinese, you can still hold your finger down onto the words and translate should appear.

WeChat Moments Search Terms

正品开版 / 正品开模 / 原版购入打版 / 正品起版 – Factory bought authentic to copy

拆解 – Dismantled, means factory bought and deconstructed auth to make reps

正品品质 – Authentic quality

进口 – Imported (if looking for high quality leathers etc.)

零误差 – Zero difference

专柜 – Retail

正品 – Authentic

一比一 – 1:1

定制 – Custom

原单 – ‘Yuan dan’. As explained before, could be auth that didn’t pass QC, or rep made with auth fabrics, or ‘stolen’ auths

原广 – Original factory (could be similar meaning as above, or parts of the item were from auth factory)

对比图 – Comparison photos (one of my faves!!! for size/color comparisons, auth vs. rep, high vs. low quality, etc.)

顶级版本 – Best version

原�?� – Original tags/branding

全套包装 – Full packaging

A guide to Chinese bag nicknames and useful search terms

chinese is a pictorial language, and i think this translates to mandarin-speakers having a penchant for coining nicknames which are sometimes literal, a little confusing, but always evocative (as long as you get the reference).

handbags are not exempt from this phenomenon. in fact, some assert that a bag is not a classic unless it has been nicknamed. the easiest way to inquire about/search for a popular style is therefore to use these colloquial names – this has the added benefit of making you look like a real pro in front of our TSs

without further ado and going from top to bottom of the chart linked above, here is a list of ‘classics’, their nicknames, and the origins of said nickname

**********

less interesting, but still useful to know. note that a lot of these are abbreviated to [first letter/character of brand name]家 e.g. Hermes is H家, Dior is 迪家; or 小[something] e.g. Chanel is 小香. entering these names into wechat search is a great way to narrow your options in a sea of moments, but it’s more common for factories/sellers to use the nicknames instead of formal ones so you might get more hits if you try the former.

I touched upon some of these in my guide, but for completeness:

The Intermediate (Advanced?) guide to chatting with Wechat sellers (in Chinese)

sometimes i like to ask sellers i’ve established a connection with for recommendations of bags in a certain style by telling them what i’m looking for, e.g. “a backpack with black hardware from [brand]”. if a bag is popular, i occasionally ask if they can send me actual photos of the product from past PSPs. this section is meant to cover those questions. of course, you can also search wechat moments with these terms to filter out stuff you are interested in.

i have included the romanised version of each phrase so if you add a chinese pinyin keyboard to your device, you can simply type it in to produce the characters. note that mandarin is a language with a tonne of homophones, so be sure to check you’re not inadvertently saying something else!

congrats! you bought something! you might feel embarrassed about the sheer number of questions the seller had to answer before you proceeded with the sale and therefore want to express your appreciation. this section covers miscellaneous terms of gratitude (+10 effectiveness if coupled with appropriate sticker) and some common queries about shipments.

self-explanatory. if you have noticed a legitimate flaw in/mistake with an item, you may use the below phrases to point it out to the seller. again, don’t be an asshole!!

Wechat album guide (微商相册)

Actual App VS Mini Program

Actual App: You can have more control over who you follow, set nicknames, unfollow albums. You can also upload photos and share albums, but that might be unnecessary as a buyer

Mini Program: No separate app, simple control, but you cannot unfollow people or set nicknames

Browsing WeChat album without downloading the app using Mini Program

1. Go to search
2. Click on “Official Accounts”
3. Type in “微商相册”
4. Click into the account (with two green triangles)
5. Click on “进入相册” (the left one out of the three, with a little “S” icon next to it)
6. Click on “微信登录” (the big green button)
7. Give permission
8. Tap on the top right corner (the two circles like target) to close
9. You will be back to your home page, with the message “Mini Program entrance has been enabled. Find and open previously used Mini Programs via Discover -> Mini Programs
10. When you slide down on the chat list, you will see it in recently used. It will also show up under the tap Discover -> Mini Programs

How to follow an album

1. Find a QR Code that looks like this, from a seller’s WeChat moment, or sent it to you by a seller
   *Alternatively, if you find a QR code somewhere else and not on WeChat (for example, someone posted it on RL), use the scan/camera function to scan the QR code if you have it pulled up on a computer, or have it saved/screenshotted on your phone and choose the QR code from your album (top right corner). If you do this, skip step 2 and 3.
2. Long press on the photo with a QR code on WeChat
3. Choose extract QR code
4. A message will pop up “Leaving WeChat and opening “App Store”, click cancel
5. Close the page by clicking on top left corner
6. It will look like nothing has happened, but when you go back to the mini program, you will see the person’s album on the bottom right tap (己关注)
   • This will show up if you already have the app downloaded

Navigating Mini Program

• Bottom left tab (相册动态) is like WeChat moment, it updates as there are new posts from people you follow
• Bottom right tab (己关注) is a list of people/album you are following
• Top right corner (the two circles like target) is close
• The one right next to top right corner (the three circles) is options, but there isn’t much you can control on there (It’s in English so self explanatory)
• When you are inside an album, the bottom left button (签与分类) can help you sort through brands really quick. (Note: not all sellers/albums are super organized and have this set up)

Navigating the App

• Bottom left tab (相册动态) is like WeChat moment, it updates as there are new posts from people you follow
• Bottom second to the left tab (己关注) is a list of people/album you are following
• The rest of them we probably won’t use, as they are mainly for uploading photos

Setting Nickname/Unfollowing albums on the App

1. In the bottom bar, go to the second to the left tab (己关注), you will see a list of people/albums you are already following
2. Click on any of the album you wish to edit
3. Click on the three dots on top right corner
4. Go to “Set Note Name” or “Cancel Attention”

!Bonus! Browsing WeChat album on web

www.szwego.com

Go to the website above, choose “微信登录” (the big green button), scan the QR code with your WeChat app (Discover->Scan; or click on the “+” on the top right corner under chat tab, then click scan).

WeChat album guide Part 2

How to save a post to your own album

• If you are in the home page, click on the green button in the bottom of the post, or;

• If you are in a seller’s individual page, click on the green button to the right of the post

• You will then come to this page, where you will be able to edit info, add text or label

• The factory blurb (red) is automatically included, but you can add or delete any text to help you find the post easier (eg, a brief english description of the item, item name, color, or model)

• Alternatively, you can add tags (blue) to classify the post (eg, brand, item type) *more on how to do this below

• *It is also a good idea to add seller’s name onto the post so you know where its originally from

• When you are done, click the big green button on the bottom to post

• After you successfully saved a post, the original post on the seller’s page will look like this. Notice it will say “already added” (yellow) so it’s easy to avoid having duplicated posts. The hyperlink on top (red) will take you to your own post

How to find your own page

• On the home page, click on your own photo/name

• On the second tab where you can see a list of people you follow, yours will be on top

How to add tags

• In your own page, bottom left, click on the tab that says “category”

• Then click on the green button to add new ones

• *If you already have one or more tabs set up, click on the “+” sign instead

• Click on the first tab

• Enter the desired name (red)

• If you already saved a few posts, use the bottom (blue) to select all the post you want under that tab all at once

• You can also add tags as you save a new post, the steps are pretty similar

• Alternatively, you can organize tags in settings, then click on tags management

Privacy

• You can set who can see each post as you save them

• When it says “all friends”, they have to follow your album to be able to see posts. You can check who follows you here

• You are probably safe because someone would need to scan your QR code to see your posts, same as how we need to scan seller’s QR code to see their stuff

• You can also go to settings and turn on follower request as well

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So, what about the mini program?

• You can still download photos, save posts and add/delete texts while you browse, but you cannot add tags or edit tags. Which is why the function of adding a bunch of post (in the app only) to a tag all at once would be useful.

• Saving posts is very similar to using the app. But you will click on the bottom left button to save. You can still save with the bottom right button, but it will ask if you also want to share it in other ways, and you need to click “no” and exit, which has extra steps.

• However, my favorite browsing mode is only available in mini program. You can pick which browsing mode you want, and I like the first and second the best, because it shows both text and a relatively large picture, so I can glance on the item and price really quickly.

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Ta-da! Searching for items would be much easier than scrolling thru a million screenshots. It’s also much easier to look at full size pictures without saving each individual photos!

• Use keywords in the search bar (you have to add those keywords while you save the post)

• Use tags (of course you have to set it up with instructions above)

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Bonus

• You can also save all the photos in a post with one click on the home page or on a seller’s page

• Using the three dots on the top right corner on a seller’s page, you can pin your favorite seller’s album! You will find them very easily on the second tab right under your own page

• You can also give them nicknames and put each seller’s album into different categories (eg. shoes, bags, clothes, etc)