geekhack
geekhack Marketplace => Group Buys and Preorders => Topic started by: HoffmanMyster on Fri, 20 November 2015, 18:13:54
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What is a Group Buy?
A group buy is a process through which we, as a community, can use our collective buying power to purchase goods at a reduced price or at all. Some Group Buys take advantage of price breaks to offer products to the community at a more desirable price, often at the cost of the GB organizer's time/efforts. Others simply give us the ability to make something happen that otherwise would have too much cost/risk associated with it for a vendor to buy into it and bring it to market themselves.
Should I join this Group Buy?
Assuming the product in question appeals to you, the answer is "it depends".
Group Buys are risky endeavors!
The fact of the matter is that there is a lot of risk inherent to every single Group Buy, even the most reliable. You are giving your money to a stranger on the other side of the world and hoping that they will give you the product in exchange. And it takes months, sometimes a year+ for group buys to complete. Be prepared to wait. If you're in a group buy to save a little bit of money, maybe you'd rather not take on the risk and just pay a higher price.
Who do I trust?
However, many group buys, as mentioned above, are for items that are not otherwise available so you face a decision - should I trust this organizer? The moderation team has recently started to screen Group Buys in hopes of cutting back on ill-prepared members running group buys and falling short. I'd say the GB landscape is better in that sense than it was a couple years ago, but it's still far from perfect. Determining someone's aptitude at running a complex operation such as a group buy is incredibly hard to judge unless you have past experience to go by - but at that point, they're not new to the process. I urge you to use your own best judgement in every case. As always, Caveat Emptor (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36773.0), but don't be afraid to ask questions about logistics/pricing/shipping/time commitment. You are fronting your hard-earned money, after all, and I think we all deserve to know these details if the buy in question is the organizer's first. Don't be a jerk about it and threadcrap, but clarifying questions are okay - you're probably not the only one wondering.
What if a Group Buy goes south?
As mentioned previously, Caveat Emptor (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=36773.0). However, the mod team is far from apathetic; we are also members here, after all, and participate in group buys just as everyone else does. As I said above, there is some degree of pre-screening before a group buy thread is approved, but once money changes hands there is very little the mod team can do. Remember that we are all just humans sitting in front of computer screens, and no matter how much we try we cannot force someone in another country/state to get in their car and drive to the post office. It's an unfortunate truth, but one that seems to be overlooked from time to time. Again, this is not to say that we don't care about the outcome of group buys (we do), but rather to reiterate the reality of the situation.
I want to contact a GB organizer. What's the best way?
BunnyLake made a very thorough post about this subject (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=70569.0) a few months ago. I highly recommend reading it if you are new to Group Buys.
I'd like for this thread to be a centralized location for FAQs about Group Buys, any other helpful tips/guidelines for people new to the process, and any other relevant discussions about GBs. I will be adding content as I see fit, and welcome anyone else to contribute as they desire. :thumb:
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Reserved because why not
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Very good information here. Thanks for the post.
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Hoff is the man! Much thanks... :thumb:
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These rules are mainly for groupbuy participants.
Should there be at least some certain guidelines for Groupbuy organizers to adhere to?
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These rules are mainly for groupbuy participants.
Should there be at least some certain guidelines for Groupbuy organizers to adhere to?
1. Don't be a ****.
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These rules are mainly for groupbuy participants.
Should there be at least some certain guidelines for Groupbuy organizers to adhere to?
1. Don't be a ****.
2. Clear communication methods for support. If you want only PM's fine - if you want only a support form, fine - if you do either make sure you set aside time on a regular basis to go through it. So much confusion across PMs and whatnot - forms are nice since you can require a subject line - too many people PM GB leaders w/no subject with "where the **** is my ****?!". GB leaders must make clear on how to address issues in the OP.
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2. Clear communication methods for support. If you want only PM's fine - if you want only a support form, fine - if you do either make sure you set aside time on a regular basis to go through it. So much confusion across PMs and whatnot - forms are nice since you can require a subject line - too many people PM GB leaders w/no subject with "where the **** is my ****?!". GB leaders must make clear on how to address issues in the OP.
to be honest, geekhack's PM system isn't suitable for mass PMs. the first page/post is important for the organizer to update info there so that people don't have to browse through every post to get what they want to know. doing this will reduce subjectless PMs and i guess will definitely reduce the headaches for both the organizer and participants ;D
so maybe my suggestions would be;
3) keep first page/post updated with progress logs and information. being quiet doesn't help to ease off participants with lower stress tolerance.
and how about this?
4) finish 1 groupbuy first before doing another, unless you are Massdrop or PMK.
couple of reasons for this.
a) this is to minimise the damage in case if a groupbuy organizer decides to go rogue. take drugger for example, what if he is running a few groupbuy in one go?
b) this is so that the organizer can focus on the groupbuy and hence reducing the likelihood of delay or confusion or mixed up order (just imagine a tsunami of PMs), unless you are Massdrop or PMK.
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Nicely done Hoff. Well done piece.
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Hello,I am a new comer ,If I want to star a group buy.What should I do,Or what preparations should I do?
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Hello,I am a new comer ,If I want to star a group buy.What should I do,Or what preparations should I do?
Depends what it is and what its for. If you want to PM me I can help.
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Very useful info, thanks :thumb:
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A little late, but thanks for this, Hoff.
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This information is very useful to new members like me, thank you :thumb:
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How do I join a group buy?
All of the GB threads seem to be just updates of group buys that have come and gone.
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How do I join a group buy?
All of the GB threads seem to be just updates of group buys that have come and gone.
Read the op on the threads. All relevant info should be on there and updated by runner periodically. Keyset buys usually have links to multiple proxies for corresponding world regions. Keyboard kits are usually google docs you need to fill in with your info as a buyer.
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Is there a list of like keyboard drops? I can't find anything that is not sold-out or long since past. I see there is a link that shows latest drops but that does not seem to have been updated in a while.
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I don't know of any consolidated list of current GBs that's been updated. You might have to do your own digging for info if you want to find kits. ICs are a good place to look for upcoming runs and also the mk discord could be a place you can go ask as well. There are some YouTube channels highlighting weekly news on GBs as well as some keyboard designers having mailing lists for their future drops.
Another thing is you could try and buy someone's spot in a buy if you find a gb past entry deadline and you really want that particular kit.
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Reserved because why not
What does reserved mean?
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Reserved because why not
What does reserved mean?
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It means change your profile pic. :-X
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Reserved because why not
What does reserved mean?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It means change your profile pic. :-X
How about nah
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Reserved because why not
What does reserved mean?
It means change your profile pic. :-X
How about nah
How about yah. I changed it for you. :thumb:
Reserved means the post is reserved for future updates if necessary.
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What!!! Why no pretty girl man...
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What!!! Why no pretty girl man...
You may want to review the Site TOS (https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=39249.0).
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Hello! I have a question about purchasing a group-buy keyboard. I'm fairly new and just was curious, do most people buy multiple PCBs for their custom keyboard, just in the odd case that one might fail? Or do the manufacturers do well in making sure you have a fully functioning PCB? Any advice is welcomed. Thanks!
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Hello! I have a question about purchasing a group-buy keyboard. I'm fairly new and just was curious, do most people buy multiple PCBs for their custom keyboard, just in the odd case that one might fail? Or do the manufacturers do well in making sure you have a fully functioning PCB? Any advice is welcomed. Thanks!
Welcome! :)
In most cases, the group buy organizer or manufacturer will purchase a few extras for replacements in case of dead-on-arrival boards, so I wouldn't be too concerned about that issue.
However, it's not a terrible idea to get a spare if the case/board in question uses a very custom PCB layout or design. You never know if you might botch the board while desoldering or modifying things down the road, so having a bit of a safety net there is helpful. That said, it's also not cheap to have extra PCBs for multiple boards, so it will be something to think about.
These days, it seems like more and more designers are using "standard" or swappable PCBs, so this issue is hopefully becoming less of a problem. Doesn't hurt to ask about spares/replacements if you're considering it. :thumb:
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If a groupbuy doesn't hit the MOQ, do I get the money back from the vendor?
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If a groupbuy doesn't hit the MOQ, do I get the money back from the vendor?
With a good runner yes.
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These rules are mainly for groupbuy participants.
Should there be at least some certain guidelines for Groupbuy organizers to adhere to?
1. Don't be a ****.
this.
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Excuse me, why can't I post
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Excuse me, why can't I post
If you are asking why you can't start a Group Buy thread, it's because you need to make a minimum of 25 posts first. The full rules are here - https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=115197.0
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Thanks for the post. :D