The Filipino's Guide to Selling Stuff

Ah Philippines.

"Give me ten thousand Filipinos and I will conquer the world."
-Sun Tzu, probably.

August 2021. When I started playing this game, I knew no one else playing it.
Back then, I play MTG: Arena everyday.

Then I started hearing about NFTs and how you can earn by playing games.
Prob's that, the gameplay of the most popular P2E NFT game in the Philippines at the time didn't appeal to me.

Is it taboo to mention it here? IDK. It rhymes with Foxy.

But I can't give up now!

I have to find an enjoyable NFT Card game that can earn me some cash on the side.

By exhausting all of my resources, I was finally able to find the PERFECT NFT GAME for me after an extensive two-minute google search!

Dun-dun-dun

Splinterlans logo credit to the Splinterlands website.

A week in.

I'm enjoying the game. For my first End-of-Season(EOS) reward, I was able to get to Bronze 2 and luckily pulled a 2000 Dark Energy Crystal(DEC) chest and a Legendary Almo Cambio.

I know what you're doing, game. You're hooking me in.
You think giving me these awesome rewards will work and make me wanna invest more of my personal money to play the game? YES! OF COURSE!

Like an excited kid who just learned how to use his parents' card to purchase stuff in the playstore, I transferred Php500 (US$10) to my G-Cash App (Leading E-Wallet in the Philippines) to fund my growing addiction. I WANT MOAAAR.

Next step, Facebook.

Facebook is the leading social media site in the Philippines. Whatever you're looking for, there's a group for it.

Cat Lovers Group. Check
Cock-Fighting Group. Check.
Splinterlands Group?

Splinterlands PH introduced me to the Splinterlands community in the Philippines.
Anything Splinterlands related, you can find it here.

Strats, yup.
Memes? sure.
Buy/Sell posts? Tons!

Of course, gullible as I am, I looked for the first thing I can buy with my Php500.
DEC was about PhP 0.28 per at the time.

I was gonna buy about 2000 DEC and use it to buy cards. Atleast, that was the plan.

We chat through Facebook Messenger.
They gave me their G-Cash account.
I gave them my Splinterlands IGN.

"cash first." They said..

"Of course, I know what I'm doing. This is not my first time buying from a person I have never met in person. Sheesh." I retorted confidently.

I opened my G-Cash App. Entered their number, 0915*******.

"Huh, weird. Name's different from their facebook account", I thought.
"Who uses their real name on facebook? DUH", I argued. With myself.
Which has been becoming a more common occurrence these days, TBH.

Money Sent.

Finally. My first deal is done. I'm officially an NFT trader.
All I need to do is wait. and wait. and wait I did.

Then I got blocked.

I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned here somewhere.
But that's not what I wanna talk about in this post. NOT TODAY!

What you just read is nothing but a long winded intro to..

HOW THE PHILIPPINES ELIMINATED SCAMMERS by using PICTURES and MEMES!

Hundreds if not thousands of transactions are happening in the Philippine Splinterlands Community everyday. Assets worth tens, sometimes even hundreds, of thousands of pesos are traded.

DEC, SPS, Cards, Vouchers, Packs etc. You name it, it happens. All P2P.
Gone were the days when scammers were rampant.

The well-modded Splinterlands PH FB page covers everything from holding special events, vouching sellers/buyers, a master list of known scammers and legit traders, FREE midman servies and every thing else in between.

One of my favorite aspects of this ever-expanding marketplace is how the traders evolved their tradeposts to entice interested parties into buying their offers.

Lemme show you how Creativity is driving the Filipino Splinterlands P2P Market.
3-2-1 Lets jam~

Sometimes, all you need is a photo to prove you're you.

An easily identifiable logo to market your wares, perhaps?

A large, well-placed billboard can sometimes do the trick.

Hire a Celebrity!

Or whatever this is.

There's so many ways you can flex you stuff. Even non-Splinterlands Assets.

Even if you're shy, you can use a digital banner..

..or a classic hand-made one.

Oh.. she's back. She must have big.. aspirations to be a legit seller!

Some employ a local flair. Sari-sari stores are widely popular in the streets of the Philippines, can it dominate the streets of Praetoria as well?

The Philippines has tons of gorgeous beaches. So, I guess this makes sense.

Plackards. Right.

Oh. Moving on..

An INTERNATIONAL CELEBRITY? WOAH?! Is this a sign that the next Fast and Furious movie is gon be shot in the Philippines?!

Another staple in the Philippine street market culture. A Filipino Steet vendor cart. You gotta love those hardworking kuyas pushing their carts of goods. Commonly used for corn cobs, buko juice and the occasional Chaos Legion singles.

And, of course, she's back.

I have tons of photos like these but if I post them all here, it might take ages for you to finish reading the article.

If you wanna experience Splinterlands, the Filipino Way, feel free to join the page.

Imma link it here:
Splinterlands PH
https://www.facebook.com/groups/4078593235550537

If there's one thing the Filipino is good at, its resiliency.

As the world's defense against the Pacific's natural disasters, the country endures no less than 20 typhoons a year. For so long, the Philippines has been marred with corrupt politicians and a mismanaged economy.

Yet, the Filipino survives, ready to endure another day.
No matter how hard life is, the Filipino will always find a way.

Wherever a coin could be made, a Filipino will be there to grab the opportunity.
Whether its an amateur boxing ring at a local karnabal, a singing contest at a perya
or a facebook marketplace for an NFT game.

The Filipino Splinterlands community, ever growing, has been finding ways to enjoy playing and earning through this game.

I don't see it slowing down any time soon.

-Chev/Furious Chicken
@quickdrawchev