We get some version of this question almost every week: “Can I slip a card into my Shopee parcels that says ‘order on WhatsApp, it’s cheaper’? Is that okay?”
Our answer is no. But you can still move marketplace buyers to WhatsApp legitimately, and get most of what that card was after. On a marketplace, the buyer belongs to the platform. You can’t say hello to them next month, you can’t tell them about a new flavor, and every order comes with fees taken off the top. Of course you want a customer list that’s yours.
The catch is that all three big marketplaces in Indonesia have written rules on this, and it’s exactly where new sellers tend to get penalized. You can start today with your phone and under Rp 100,000 for a 100-card test run; the full setup in the example below runs about Rp 250,000 to Rp 400,000.
Quick Summary
- Clearly not allowed: inviting buyers to transact off-platform through chat, putting contact details or links on product pages, and using a buyer’s phone number from the order data for promotions.
- TikTok Shop (including TikTok Shop by Tokopedia) is the strictest: notes inside packages are covered, and QR codes and instant messaging accounts are on the banned list.
- Shopee: the ban on off-platform transactions is explicit. For what goes on a card inside the parcel, check the current policy, and leave your WhatsApp number off.
- The lowest-risk option: a package card with no contact details, only a brand name people can search for. It is still a grey area on Shopee, so check the current policy on each platform.
- Print two cards: Card A for marketplace parcels (for TikTok Shop and Tokopedia, swap the search-our-name line for a follow-the-shop line), and Card B (a WhatsApp QR is fine here) for orders that came through your own channels.
The One Line Every Marketplace Draws
Short answer: don’t put a WhatsApp number, link or QR code in Shopee, Tokopedia or TikTok Shop parcels. The lowest-risk option is a card with a searchable brand name (on TikTok Shop and Tokopedia, just a follow-the-shop invitation), and you should still check the current policy on each platform.
Every marketplace rule on this topic comes back to one line. You are allowed to become a brand people remember, but you are not allowed to pull the transaction off the platform.
Shopee spells it out. Sellers may not direct buyers to transact on other platforms, social media included, and doing so earns 2 penalty points. Listings can also be taken down if the product name, description, photos or video show contact details, social media accounts, an address or a link to another site.1
Tokopedia has two layers. Sellers may not invite buyers to transact through private channels, and buyer data such as addresses or phone numbers may only be used for delivery.2 Since Tokopedia and TikTok Shop merged, Tokopedia sellers work under the TikTok Shop by Tokopedia guidelines, which ban sending customers “unauthorized third-party information”: links, QR codes, other instant messaging accounts, email, offline store addresses and contact details.3
At a global level, TikTok Shop states that its communication policy also applies to “physical notes left in packages”, and not only to chat.4 We haven’t found an Indonesian page that names package notes explicitly, but assume a card in a TikTok Shop or Tokopedia parcel is judged like a chat message.
So the goal shifts a little. Make sure buyers remember your brand name, then have a place you own that is easy to find when they search for it.
Moving Marketplace Buyers to WhatsApp: Allowed and Not Allowed by Platform
We built this table from official policy pages that we could verify as of late September 2026. Where a cell says “check the current policy”, we couldn’t find a specific written rule, so please don’t read that as a green light.
| Action | Shopee | Tokopedia | TikTok Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inviting buyers to order via WhatsApp/Instagram in chat | Not allowed, penalty points1 | Not allowed2 | Not allowed3 |
| Phone number, social handle or link in the product name, description, photos or video | Not allowed, listing can be removed1 | Check the current policy; our advice: don’t | Not allowed under the global policy5; check your Indonesian Seller Center |
| Chatting or calling buyers using the number from the order data | Don’t (it also conflicts with the PDP Law)6 | Not allowed, data is for delivery only2 | Not allowed without explicit prior consent3 |
| WhatsApp number or QR code on a card inside the parcel | Check the current policy; our advice: don’t | Treat as not allowed (TikTok Shop rules apply)34 | Not allowed, package notes are covered4 |
| Thank-you card with usage tips only | Fine, we found no ban | Fine without link, QR or contact (Card A, TikTok version) | Fine without link, QR or contact (Card A, TikTok version) |
| Card that names your brand and invites buyers to search for your account (no number, link or QR) | No written rule on package contents that we found; grey area, check the current policy | Don’t; invite them to follow the shop instead34 | Don’t; invite them to follow the shop instead4 |
| Asking buyers to follow the shop or use a shop voucher in the app | Fine (official feature) | Fine (official feature) | Fine (official feature) |
| Asking for 5-star reviews in exchange for a reward | Don’t; check the current policy (this usually falls under Shopee’s rules against review manipulation) | Not allowed3 | Not allowed3 |
| Returns or refunds by bank transfer outside the app | Don’t; outside the app the buyer loses platform protection, check the current policy | Not allowed3 | Not allowed3 |
| A buyer finds your own Instagram or website and messages you there | Your own channel, no restrictions | Your own channel, no restrictions | Your own channel, no restrictions |
The Package Insert Card Template
Print each kind of card in a different color. The day someone grabs the wrong stack while packing, a WhatsApp QR ends up in a TikTok Shop parcel.
Card A: for Shopee parcels
A6 size (10.5 x 14.8 cm), printed on both sides. 260 gsm art carton is enough to feel premium in the hand. Print it in Bahasa Indonesia; the English here shows what each line does.
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FRONT │
│ │
│ [LOGO] SAMBAL ROA OMA LIN │
│ (brand name, large letters) │
│ │
│ Thank you for choosing us, │
│ Kak ______. (handwritten) │
│ │
│ We cook in batches of 20 jars, so │
│ yours is fresh. │
│ │
│ Something not quite right? Message │
│ us through the chat in the app you │
│ ordered from. We reply the same day. │
│ │
│ Warmly, Mira │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ BACK │
│ │
│ 3 WAYS TO KEEP YOUR SAMBAL FRESH │
│ 1. Refrigerate after opening. │
│ 2. Always use a dry spoon. │
│ 3. Finish within 3 weeks. │
│ │
│ Tap "Follow" on our shop. There's a │
│ voucher waiting for your next order. │
│ │
│ Oma's nasi goreng roa recipe is on │
│ our Instagram. Just search: │
│ "Sambal Roa Oma Lin" │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘This card deliberately has no number, QR code, @handle or “cheaper on WA” line. It carries just the brand name and one reason to search for it: the recipe. Curious buyers will type that name into Instagram or Google.
Some risk remains, especially on Shopee, where the rules on package contents aren’t clearly written. Naming Instagram is the greyest part. If you want zero risk, use the in-app version below for Shopee as well.
Card A, TikTok Shop and Tokopedia version
TikTok’s rules have the widest reach, and since Tokopedia sellers now work under the TikTok Shop by Tokopedia guidelines, that reach covers Tokopedia parcels too. So for both platforms the invitation stays inside the app. The front stays the same. Just replace the last two blocks on the back:
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Oma's nasi goreng roa recipe video │
│ is on our shop page. Open the shop │
│ you ordered from, tap "Follow" and │
│ grab the voucher for your next │
│ order. │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘For that line to be true, post the recipe as a shop video or product video inside the app, not only on your personal TikTok. Video features differ by platform, so check what your Seller Center offers.
Handwriting the buyer’s first name is a normal part of processing the order. Don’t save their name and number to your phone contacts.
Card B: for orders that came through your own channels
This card only goes into parcels from WhatsApp, Instagram, website or bazaar orders. Here you’re free to include contact details.
┌───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ [LOGO] SAMBAL ROA OMA LIN │
│ │
│ Thank you for ordering direct, │
│ Kak ______. │
│ │
│ Ordering again? Scan this, then │
│ hit send. │
│ We'll take Rp 5,000 off. │
│ │
│ [QR to wa.me/62812xxxxxxx │
│ ?text=Halo Oma Lin, saya mau │
│ order lagi (kode ORDERLAGI)] │
│ │
│ Full catalog: yourbrand.id │
│ Valid until 31 December 2026. │
└───────────────────────────────────────┘The full link, ready to paste into a QR generator:
https://wa.me/62812xxxxxxx?text=Halo%20Oma%20Lin%2C%20saya%20mau%20order%20lagi%20(kode%20ORDERLAGI)That link uses WhatsApp’s official “click to chat” feature: https://wa.me/ followed by your number in international format with no leading zero, plus an optional ?text= so the opening message is already filled in.7 Turn it into a QR code with any free QR generator, then scan it with your phone camera before you print.
Build Your Own Channel Before You Print
Card A only works if a buyer who types your brand name actually finds you. Have these three ready before the cards go to print:
- An Instagram account with exactly the name printed on the card, and a WhatsApp link with an opening message in the bio.
- One simple web page with product photos, prices and a WhatsApp button. We explain why that’s enough in when a one-page website is enough.
- A WhatsApp Business profile with the details and catalog filled in. Labels and follow-ups are covered in our WhatsApp Business CRM guide.
When a buyer messages you for the first time, ask before adding them to a broadcast list: “Can I let you know when we have new flavors, Kak? If not, just reply STOP.” That one line keeps your list clean and in step with the spirit of the Personal Data Protection Law.6
Post-Purchase Offers That Stay Within the Rules
For marketplace buyers, a second-purchase offer often works better inside the app: the buyer feels safe under the platform’s protection, and you take no risk.
- Shop vouchers and bundles. All three platforms have a voucher feature in the seller dashboard (Seller Centre on Shopee, Seller Center on TikTok Shop and Tokopedia). Create a small voucher that lasts 30 days, ideally for shop followers only if that option exists, so the “Follow” ask on the card comes with a reward. Add a slightly cheaper 2-jar pack on the product page. Menu names differ by platform and change often, so check the current menus.
- The follow-shop button. Shop followers see your new products inside the app. For a first-time seller, this is a free customer list that a lot of people overlook.
More offer ideas (and why the second purchase is the turning point) are in our repeat order strategy.
Worked Example: Sambal Roa Oma Lin in Bekasi
To make this concrete, picture Mira, an example seller who stands in for many of the people who ask us this. She has an office job and sells her grandmother’s sambal roa on weekends, at Rp 55,000 a jar. Around 150 orders a month: 90 from Shopee, 60 from TikTok Shop. Not one of those customers is someone she knows by name.
What she did in one weekend:
| Step | Cost |
|---|---|
| Rename Instagram to “Sambal Roa Oma Lin”, add bio and WhatsApp link | Rp 0 |
| One web page with a WhatsApp button (free template) | Rp 0 to about Rp 150,000 a year for a domain name |
| Print 500 copies of Card A (A6, double-sided, TikTok Shop and Tokopedia version included) at a local digital print shop | about Rp 200,000 (prices vary by shop) |
| Print 100 copies of Card B | about Rp 50,000 |
| Rp 5,000 shop voucher for the next purchase | paid only when used |
| Total | about Rp 250,000 to Rp 400,000 |
Printing works out to roughly Rp 400 per card (Rp 250,000 for 600 cards). At 150 parcels a month, 500 copies of Card A last about three months, so budget about Rp 60,000 a month for reprints.
These numbers are our estimate. Say that over two months, 10 people find Mira’s Instagram through the name on the card, message her on WhatsApp, and each orders 1 jar a month. That’s Rp 550,000 a month through a channel Mira owns.
Say her marketplace fees are about Rp 8,000 per order (check your own order breakdown; every shop and category differs). 10 direct orders x Rp 8,000 = Rp 80,000 in fees she doesn’t pay. After the Rp 5,000 ORDERLAGI discount on each, she keeps about Rp 30,000 a month, before her own time booking couriers and checking transfers. That discount also matters because marketplace buyers often get free shipping, while direct orders usually pay the full courier fee.
To be honest, on fee savings alone this doesn’t pay for itself. Reprinting cards costs about Rp 60,000 a month, more than the Rp 30,000 saved. The fee savings only cover reprints once she has around 20 direct regulars (20 x Rp 3,000 = Rp 60,000). The real value is ten people she can now reach directly, who won’t vanish if the marketplace algorithm changes. Why that matters over time is covered in our piece on customer retention and lifetime value.
When This Won’t Work
The most common failure is a generic brand name. “Tasty Sambal Bekasi” can’t be searched; you’ll get hundreds of other shops. Fix the name before you print anything. A few other cases to weigh:
- Products people buy only once, like a phone case for one model or a wedding gift, rarely get bought twice. Focus on reviews and referrals instead.
- If 90% of your orders come from TikTok Shop, results will be much slower, because the card can’t point to any account outside the app.
- You’re not ready to handle direct orders yourself: checking transfers, booking couriers and dealing with complaints without platform protection. Some buyers prefer the marketplace for exactly that reason, and that’s fair.
Marketplaces still matter for getting found by new people. More on that mindset in the danger of building on rented land.
What to Do Today
- Search your brand name on Instagram and Google. If what shows up isn’t you, fix your account name and bio first.
- Copy the Card A template and swap in usage tips for your own product. Make the TikTok Shop and Tokopedia version too.
- Print 100 cards as a test. If you like the result, print more.
- Stick a note on your packing table: “Card A for Shopee. Card A TikTok version for TikTok Shop and Tokopedia. Card B only for direct orders.”
- Open your seller dashboard, find the voucher menu, and create one shop voucher for the next purchase.
How Eranya Digital Can Help
Most of this article you can do yourself from your phone. The part that usually makes first-time sellers hesitate is the web page: worried it’ll be expensive, worried it’ll look amateur.
If you’d like one simple page that looks professional, with a WhatsApp button and a tidy catalog, our team can put it together to fit the size of your business. You’re welcome to just talk it through first, no strings attached. Book a free consultation.
References
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</script>Footnotes
-
Shopee Indonesia. Hindari Transaksi di Luar Shopee (Avoid Transactions Outside Shopee). Seller Education Hub. seller.shopee.co.id/edu/article/5640. Ban on directing buyers to other platforms, 2 penalty points, and removal of listings that show contact details, social media or links. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
Tokopedia. Penerapan Kebijakan Pelindungan Data Pribadi Pembeli (Buyer Personal Data Protection Policy). Seller Education Center. seller.tokopedia.com/edu/kebijakan-data-pembeli. Buyer data is for delivery only; see also Penyebab Toko Dimoderasi on the ban on inviting off-Tokopedia transactions. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
TikTok Shop by Tokopedia. Pedoman Layanan Pelanggan untuk Penjual TikTok Shop by Tokopedia (Customer Service Guidelines for TikTok Shop by Tokopedia Sellers). seller-id.tokopedia.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=6837729296336642. Ban on sending links, QR codes, instant messaging accounts, offline store addresses and contacts; customer data may only be used to process and fulfil the order unless the customer has given explicit prior consent; customer-service chat may not be used for any marketing or promotion; ban on rewards for reviews and off-platform refunds. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9
-
TikTok Shop. Customer Communication Policy. Seller University. seller-vn.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=8692722068424464. The policy applies to chat, review replies and physical notes inside packages. (Non-Indonesian regional Seller University page; check your Indonesian Seller Center.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
-
TikTok Shop. Avoid Redirecting Traffic. Seller University. seller-us.tiktok.com/university/essay?knowledge_id=4588077398099713. Ban on showing contact details, external links, social media and QR codes to redirect purchases off the platform. (Non-Indonesian regional Seller University page; check your Indonesian Seller Center.) ↩
-
Republic of Indonesia. Undang-Undang Nomor 27 Tahun 2022 tentang Pelindungan Data Pribadi (Law No. 27 of 2022 on Personal Data Protection). peraturan.bpk.go.id/Details/229798/uu-no-27-tahun-2022. Legal basis for processing personal data, including consent and purpose limitation. ↩ ↩2
-
WhatsApp. How to use click to chat. WhatsApp Help Center. faq.whatsapp.com/452366545421244. The wa.me link format and pre-filled messages. ↩
Moving Marketplace Buyers to WhatsApp: Common Questions
Can I put my WhatsApp number on a card inside a Shopee package?
Better not. Shopee's written policy bans sellers from directing buyers to transact outside Shopee and applies penalty points for it. Shopee's seller education policy covers chat and product pages but does not mention package contents specifically, so check the current policy in Shopee's Seller Education Hub. The safer route is a card with no number, just a brand name that is easy to search on Instagram or Google.
Can I put a QR code in a TikTok Shop package?
Better not. TikTok Shop's customer communication policy names physical notes inside packages as a channel it covers and bans directing buyers off the platform. The seller guidelines for TikTok Shop by Tokopedia in Indonesia specifically ban sending links, QR codes, instant messaging accounts, offline store addresses and contact details.
Can I message a buyer using the phone number on the shipping label or order details?
No. Tokopedia states that buyer data such as phone numbers and addresses may only be used for delivery. The TikTok Shop by Tokopedia guidelines only allow customer data to be used to fulfil the order unless the customer has given explicit prior consent, and ban using customer-service chat for any marketing or promotion. Beyond the risk of marketplace sanctions (check the current policy), it also clashes with Indonesia's Personal Data Protection Law (UU No. 27 of 2022), because the buyer gave you that number to receive a parcel, not to receive promotions.
So what is the legitimate way to turn marketplace buyers into repeat WhatsApp customers?
Let buyers come to you. Use a distinctive brand name printed clearly on your packaging and card, set up an Instagram account and a simple web page that carry your WhatsApp link, then give people a reason to look you up, such as a recipe or usage tips. A buyer who contacts you through Instagram or Google is already in a channel you own. Inside the marketplace, use the official tools: shop vouchers and the follow-shop button.