Group Buys-Tips to make it easier on the organizer

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MesquiteMan

MesquiteMan

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Folks,

As some know I am just winding down a small CSUSA group buy and I have a few suggestions that we all need to do to make it easier for the organizer since they are doing all of us a favor by doing the work. Here are some of my thoughts collected during this group buy:

  • Please, be sure your paypal account has your shipping address. Two of the participants in my group buy had no address included. I would venture to guess that most GB organizers use the Paypal shipping to make things easier. I know I certainly do. If your address is not included then the organizer has to contact you for the address and then they have to manually write it out and go that route or go to USPS website and manually enter the info and pay by credit card. This really does add quite a bit of work.
  • Please be sure that when you send a paypal payment you also include your IAP username in the message section. Many of us use a handle and not everyone knows your real name. It can be quite difficult to figure out, for example, that MesquiteMan is Curtis Seebeck! Sure, in many cases you can simply go to the profile and find the info but remember, the organizer is donating their time so we should try to make it as simple as possible for them!
  • Even better yet, it would be nice if, when you place your order, you include your name as shown on your paypal account. Then the organizer can use that name instead of your IAP handle for their records and it would make reconciling thing MUCH easier.

Anyway, please don't think I am complaining, that is certainly not my intention. I just thought I would share some of my thoughts to help make the group buy process better for all involved. This info is shared only in the spirit of making things better/easier.

If you have hosted a group buy and have other ideas/suggestions, please post them here and I will compile everything and make a sticky post in the group buy section with tips for buyers.
 
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Thanks for the reminders. Anything I can do to make it easier on the people running the group buys, i'll try and do. I relly appreciate the time and effort you people expend on the buys. Thanks to all of you.
 
Originally posted by MesquiteMan
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Anyway, please don't think I am complaining, that is certainly not my intention.
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I don't see it as a complaint. You are giving some very good advice on how to make a group buy go smoothly. I think that if your advice is followed we would have more group buys because it would be easier for the person running the buy.
 
The only thing I would add is if you use a separate email account for your Paypal, monitor it for replies and lower the spam alert. Many time I get an order through PayPal and when I reply to the email given, I get no reply or even that it is undeliverable.
 
The only thing I have had happen is that the address in Paypal was out of date. Fortunately the recipient said return to sender and I was able to resend it for additional postage, a trip to the post office, etc.
 
Thanks to everyone that has kept the group purchases alive and kicking. regardless of all the complications. Curtis I take your suggestions as welcome information, not complaining.
Pay Pal really can do most of the time consuming work when it works right.
 
I have a new one to add:

If an item is backordered, it should be the policy of the group buy organizer to cancel that item rather than wait for it to come in and ship.

I recently did a CSUSA group buy and had a number of backordered items. I gave the option of canceling the items or keeping them open until the backorderd items arrived. Most choose to cancel but a few choose to keep them open. I did not have the time to constantly follow up with CSUSA to check the status and was not able to give good updates on their arrival. I figured that they would get here when they got here. I did receive numerous questions from the guys with backordered items (and rightfully so) and did not have answers for them and frankly, did not have time to call CSUSA. I made myself feel like I dropped the ball somehow even though it was beyond my control. I suggest that all backorders in the future be automatically cancelled to prevent this situation.

For the fellows that did contact me or that had backordered items, please don't think I am upset or anything. I certainly understand and would have done the same thing in your shoes. It is just that when there are 4 or 5 people that all have the same situation, it becomes a pain in the butt.
 
The advice for participants is great. I think maybe some advice for the organizers would be good also.
things like.
backorders are pests that deserved to be killed.

setting dates means meeting deadlines. Unless you like pressure avoid them.

anything that can go wrong will. and a few will get invented along the way. Be prepaired.

When you get the e-mail three days after getting the order, wondering where it is. Be polite.

When you set up your order tracking system, make sure it can handle changes. Nobody gets there order right the first time.

set an all in one price for the items, trying to explain shipping, postage, pay pal transaction fees, and other assorted costs is frustrating and nobody is listening anyway.

and the best one, ask advice from those that have done one before. Allow there pain and suffering to count for something.[}:)]
 
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