Most online sales in Sri Lanka happen in a chat. The buyer sends two words, "price?", and what you send back decides whether the chat continues. Below are short, friendly scripts for the moments that matter most. Change the words to sound like you, and always fill in the real price.
Four rules for every message
- Answer the question first. If they asked the price, the price is the first thing they see.
- Give the full total. Price plus delivery (usually around Rs 450). Surprises at the door cause returns.
- End with an easy question. "Which colour?" gets a reply. "Let me know" often doesn't.
- Keep it short. Three or four lines on a phone screen. No capital letters shouting, no pressure.
1. The "price?" reply
English: Hi! It's Rs [price] + delivery Rs [delivery], so Rs [total] in total. You pay cash when it arrives, island-wide. Which colour would you like?
සිංහල: හායි! ගාන රු. [ගාන] + ඩිලිවරි රු. [ඩිලිවරි], මුළු ගාන රු. [එකතුව]. බඩුව ගෙදරට ආවම සල්ලි දෙන්න පුළුවන්, දිවයින පුරා. ඔයාට කැමති කලර් එක මොකක්ද?
தமிழ்: வணக்கம்! விலை ரூ. [விலை] + டெலிவரி ரூ. [டெலிவரி], மொத்தம் ரூ. [மொத்தம்]. பொருள் கைக்கு வந்ததும் பணம் கட்டலாம், இலங்கை முழுவதும். உங்களுக்கு எந்த கலர் வேண்டும்?
2. "Is it good quality?"
Never say "100%" or "best". Describe it honestly and offer to show more.
English: Good question! It's made of [material] and comes with [what's in the box]. I can send you a short video so you can see it properly. Shall I?
සිංහල: හොඳ ප්රශ්නයක්! මේක හදලා තියෙන්නේ [මැටීරියල්] වලින්, එක්කම එනවා [පෙට්ටියේ තියෙන දේ]. හරියට බලන්න පොඩි වීඩියෝ එකක් එවන්නද?
தமிழ்: நல்ல கேள்வி! இது [மெட்டீரியல்]-ல் செய்யப்பட்டது, கூடவே [பெட்டியில் உள்ளவை] வரும். சரியாகப் பார்க்க ஒரு சின்ன வீடியோ அனுப்பட்டுமா?
3. "Too expensive"
Don't argue, and don't drop your price in a panic. Explain, then offer a choice.
English: I understand. The price includes island-wide delivery to your door, and you only pay when it arrives. If you'd like something lower in price, I also have [other product] for Rs [price]. Want to see it?
සිංහල: තේරෙනවා. මේ ගානට දිවයින පුරා ගෙදරටම ඩිලිවරි, සල්ලි දෙන්නේ බඩුව ආවට පස්සේ. ටිකක් අඩු ගානකට එකක් ඕන නම් [වෙන බඩුව] රු. [ගාන]ට තියෙනවා. බලන්නද?
தமிழ்: புரிகிறது. இந்த விலையில் இலங்கை முழுவதும் வீட்டுக்கே டெலிவரி, பொருள் வந்த பிறகுதான் பணம். கொஞ்சம் குறைந்த விலையில் வேண்டுமென்றால் [வேறு பொருள்] ரூ. [விலை]க்கு இருக்கு. பார்க்கிறீர்களா?
4. Asking for order details
Ask for everything in one message, so the order isn't stuck waiting. A clear address and a number they will answer are what get a parcel delivered.
English: Great, thank you! Please send: 1) your name, 2) full address with a nearby landmark, 3) a phone number you'll answer when the courier calls, 4) another number if you have one.
සිංහල: නියමයි, ස්තූතියි! මේ ටික එවන්න: 1) නම, 2) ළඟ තියෙන ලකුණක් එක්ක සම්පූර්ණ ලිපිනය, 3) කූරියර් කෝල් කරාම ආන්සර් කරන ෆෝන් නම්බර් එක, 4) තව නම්බර් එකක් තියෙනවා නම් ඒකත්.
தமிழ்: சூப்பர், நன்றி! இவற்றை அனுப்புங்கள்: 1) பெயர், 2) அருகில் உள்ள அடையாளத்துடன் முழு முகவரி, 3) கூரியர் கால் பண்ணும்போது ஆன்சர் பண்ணும் போன் நம்பர், 4) வேறு நம்பர் இருந்தால் அதுவும்.
5. One polite follow-up
If they asked but went quiet, send one reminder the next day. In real Sri Lankan online shops, 3 in 4 orders came within a day of the enquiry and almost none after 3 days, so don't wait a week, and don't send five reminders.
English: Hi! Just checking if you're still interested in the [product]. Happy to answer any questions. No problem if not!
සිංහල: හායි! [බඩුව] ගැන තාම කැමැත්තක් තියෙනවද කියලා බලන්න මැසේජ් කළේ. මොනවා හරි ප්රශ්න තියෙනවා නම් අහන්න. ඕන නැත්නම් කමක් නෑ!
தமிழ்: வணக்கம்! [பொருள்] பற்றி இன்னும் ஆர்வம் இருக்கிறதா என்று கேட்கத்தான். ஏதாவது கேள்வி இருந்தால் கேளுங்கள். வேண்டாமென்றால் பரவாயில்லை!
That last line matters. It takes the pressure off, and people often reply just to say "I'll take it next week".
What not to send
- Long voice notes to someone you don't know.
- Forwarded chain messages or "share with 10 friends" offers.
- Messages to people who never asked you, again and again.
- Anything asking the customer to send money to you. Customers pay MyKade only: cash on delivery, or a secure payment link MyKade texts to them.
Save them for speed
Copy these into your phone's notes, or use WhatsApp Business quick replies, so you can answer in seconds. In the MyKade app, the inbox can also suggest replies with AI; check the price and details before sending. Speed matters as much as words: read reply within an hour. Once they say yes, confirm the order before you place it.
Ready to send your first reply? Download the MyKade app and start with one product today.