LOOKING FOR everyone’s favorite albums, photocards, and merchandise of their favorite K-pop artist used to be something that every K-pop stan adores?
Those were the good old times: when every parcel had to be unboxed in front of the camera, video calling your besties, and unpacking together, all because of the pandemic restrictions.
BNS TWT is a community on Twitter where you can use certain tags and labels if you’re searching or selling items of your favorites.
- ICYMI, here is some BNS slang you need to know before going on the platform:
- WTB – want to buy. If there’s anything you want to buy, use this tag so people from the community can see your wishlists.
- WTS – want to sell. If you would like to sell something from your collection, use this tag to search for what’s up for sale in the market.
- WTT – want to trade. This tag is for those who want to trade something they got for something they wish they had. Usually, this tag is for those who didn’t get their bias and put their item up for trade.
- DOP – deadline of payment. This is the latest time you can pay for your item if you ever have a transaction. Some also use the term “PAYO.”
- PAYO – pay as you order. It means upon receiving the order confirmation, payment shall be made within the day.
These are some of the slang or shortcuts that K-pop stans or collectors often used during the pandemic.
Eventually, though, several scammers joined the community by building online shops and selling unofficial products or deactivating their accounts after collecting the money.
Is the BNS community dying?
Trisha Laparan, a K-pop merch collector, shared her sentiments on the sudden appearance of scammers in the BNS community.
“Dati naman kasi, lahat ng nagsi-sell, verified,” she said.
“Hanggang sa dumami sila, yung iba sobrang mura. Too good to be true, pero yung iba totoo, yung iba tatakasan ka lang talaga.”
During the super active phase of BNS TWT, competitors tried lowering their item price compared to the original market price. Some put the items up on discounts or sales, but others would really just do this to scam people.
Sean Carlos, a former online shop owner, also shared his viewpoint on the issue.
He said: “I think it’s a factor na some shop owners are too young. Yes, too young to the point na minor na yung iba. Eh siyempre, without proper knowledge in managing business, mapunta talaga sa mali yung kinikita nila, worse is that their purpose wasn’t really business.”
True enough, not everyone’s purpose in BNS was to sell. Many have become victims of multiple scams, with some even coming from bigger shops, that remain unpaid and unsettled until today.
Now, the sad reality is that there are only a few sellers left as compared to four years ago. Due to existing traumas and scams, many people chose to let go of the entire collection just so they could redeem what they lost by being scammed.
“Umayaw nalang ako sa collection kasi nakaka-trauma,” shared Trisha.
“Yung iba pang nang-scam ay kaibigan mo, nakakadala talaga. Sa onsite shops nalang ako bumibili, maveverify ko pa.”
The BNS era is slowly fading, especially in the Twitter community. The lack of justice in this community eventually led to almost everyone quitting their collections, or with others just choosing to buy in physical stores.
In today’s generation, it should always be a reminder to stay vigilant in all your transactions. Some people, even your closest friends, can turn their back and be blinded by money.
Also, keep in mind that there are plenty of ways to support your idols, and you are not just limited to buying their merchandise.
With reports from Alexis Fei Caceres
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