A WhatsApp AI agent for Shopee and Lazada sellers: answer product questions, take repeat and wholesale orders, and handle after-sales on WhatsApp without breaking marketplace rules
A marketplace seller's WhatsApp is where the other half of the business happens: the Instagram follower who wants the colour not listed, the regular who reorders monthly and does not want to search the app, the bulk buyer who wants 50 units, the customer whose parcel is late and found your number on the packaging. None of these fit the marketplace chat, and all of them arrive while you are packing.
Quick answer
Give a WhatsApp AI agent your product catalogue with prices, variants and stock notes, your delivery and warranty rules, your wholesale terms and your payment methods, and it answers product questions in seconds, takes direct repeat and wholesale orders with the details captured, handles delivery and warranty questions from your policy, and builds a customer list you own. Keep orders that started on Shopee or Lazada inside that marketplace, since their terms require it; the agent can be told to say so. ReplyKit runs this from $29 a month.
What belongs on WhatsApp, and what does not
| Enquiry | Where it belongs | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Order placed on Shopee or Lazada, any question about it | Marketplace chat | Their terms require transactions and disputes for marketplace orders to stay on the platform |
| Product question from Instagram, TikTok or a friend's referral | It did not come from the marketplace; you may sell direct | |
| Regular who reorders monthly | Direct order, no commission, your relationship | |
| Wholesale, bulk, corporate gifts | Needs a quote and invoice, not a listing | |
| Warranty claim on a product bought direct | Your policy applies | |
| Warranty claim on a marketplace order | Marketplace chat | Platform process and buyer protection |
Put the first rule into the agent's instructions: if the customer mentions a Shopee or Lazada order number, direct them to the marketplace chat politely. Check the current seller rules in the Shopee Seller Centre, since they change.
The catalogue the agent sells from
- Export your listings as a simple table: product, variant (size, colour), price, pack size, and a stock note. Paste or upload it; the product descriptions guide shows the format that converts well.
- Add direct-order pricing if it differs from marketplace pricing, and wholesale tiers ("50 to 99 units: 15% off; 100 and above: 22% off").
- Delivery: areas, courier, cost, cut-off for same-day dispatch, and tracking rules.
- Payment: DuitNow, bank transfer, payment link; see taking payments on WhatsApp.
- Warranty and returns for direct orders, in exact words.
Repeat orders, wholesale and after-sales
- Repeat orders. The agent takes product, variant, quantity and address, repeats the order with the total, quotes the payment method, and records it in the leads list. Regulars stop needing the app.
- Wholesale. The agent answers tier pricing from your table, collects quantity, company and delivery details, and hands over for the invoice.
- Delivery questions. Answered from your dispatch and courier rules; the delivery update templates give the wording.
- Warranty on direct orders. Policy quoted, photos collected, handed over for the decision.
- Stock. A note you update; the agent says "restocking Thursday" instead of guessing.
One honest note before the setup. ReplyKit connects to your number by QR pairing, the same linked-device mechanism as WhatsApp Web. It is live in minutes and needs no Meta approval, but Meta does not sanction automation this way, so a number can be restricted. We enforce limits of 30 replies an hour and 200 a day per number with a warm-up ramp for new numbers, reply to inbound messages only, and recommend a dedicated number rather than your main line. The full picture is in our ban guide.
Owning the customer list
The quiet benefit is the leads list. Every WhatsApp customer, with what they bought and when, sits in a CRM you own, exportable as CSV, which no marketplace gives you. The agent never sends campaigns, which keeps the number safe and keeps you inside WhatsApp's policy, but a regular who messaged last month can be followed up by a person, and on the Growth plan the agent nudges leads who asked and went quiet. Over a year that list is the asset the marketplace fee was buying for someone else.
Starter at $29 a month covers one number, one agent and 1,000 replies; Growth at $49 adds two more numbers, five agents and follow-up nudges; the 7-day free trial needs no card. Replies you receive and messages you send yourself are free; only the agent's own messages count. What it costs in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use WhatsApp for my Shopee orders?
Keep questions about marketplace orders inside the marketplace chat, as their terms require. Use WhatsApp for enquiries that did not come from the marketplace, repeat orders and wholesale.
Can the agent take direct orders?
Yes. It collects product, variant, quantity and address, repeats the order with the total, and records it in your leads list.
Does it quote wholesale tiers?
Yes, from a tier table you provide, then hands over for the invoice.
Can it answer delivery questions?
From your dispatch, courier and tracking rules. It does not have live tracking unless you put the status in a note.
Does it send promotions to my list?
No. It replies to people who message you and sends reminders and follow-ups only. Campaigns are not offered, which keeps your number safe.
Answer the other half of your business
Product questions, repeat orders, wholesale and after-sales on WhatsApp, with a customer list you own. 7-day free trial, no card.
Sources and further reading
- Shopee Seller Centre Malaysia
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy · opt-in, opt-out and prohibited-use rules every business must follow
- ReplyKit, Will WhatsApp ban my number for automation? · our own account of the risk and the limits we enforce
ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. This article is general guidance for running a small business, not legal, financial or regulatory advice.