Has Anyone Attempted A Group Discount?

[SHOWSOMECLASS]

Lets just say, you wanted to order from Eastman, Schott, panama hats or another vendor. Could we collectively get a group discount/rate?
Has anyone tried?
Sure it won't work because of price point.
What if one individual collected all the moneys and we became our own buyer?
In other words we bought 100 jackets at once.

[Gin&Tonics]

This is a very interesting idea, but the major objection that comes to my mind is the logistics of trying to ship the stuff to the far flung reaches of the Loungers' homes. We have members from all over Canada, the USA, UK, Europe and possibly elsewhere, so assuming we got a hundred Loungers to chip in on a group buy, how do we arrange to get everyone their stuff?

[Flat Foot Floey]

I think it's dangerous for the peace in the Forum. Imagine some get a good item and some do not. Would exchange be possible? Otherwise they could feel betrayed. Also the pre-financing would be not easy. The one individual who would collect the money would carry a heavy burden. I am not saying that he would run away with it but if something gets more expensive (taxes, customs) and people didn't want to pay?

Uh oh. Business can damage friendships. Digital ones for sure.

[IXL]

Several years ago I witnessed a group buy involving high-end optics. The person who had collected everyone's money died prior to paying the optical company. This persons family completely refused to return any monies and never forwarded the funds to the vender. It was an amount equal to many peoples annual incomes. Everyone got hosed on the deal, with the exception of the bereaved family.

[paololital]

Not exactly the same thing, but in a watch forum I am a member of, people got organized and asked for a specific watch (a WWII german pilot watch) to the company that originally made them. The company ended up producing a limited run of the watch for the forum members who pre-ordered them.

[ButteMT61]

I'd be willing, depending on the item. And there is the tough part - what would many people here want that's the same?

[1961MJS]

Hi

FL isn't the best place to do a group buy, unless you all want the exact same hat. In short, we COULD all buy a specially dyed Sky blue Stetson Temple IF we ordered at least 5 (or so) in each size we wanted. I don't see it. I ordered an A-2 from Wings and it wasn't heavy enough for me so I sent it back. They'd get upset at that on a group buy.

I've seen well run group buys on a yearly basis in other forums. These forums aren't at all artistic, and in the cases I've seen involved buying magazines for the 1911. They bought several hundred of the exact same type and then sent them out. They bought a few hundred magazines at about 50% off. I don't see anyone wanting to do this on the lounge, we don't all want the same hat, same shirt, or same shoes.

Just my $0.02 and worth every quarter...

[IXL]

Hi

FL isn't the best place to do a group buy, unless you all want the exact same hat. In short, we COULD all buy a specially dyed Sky blue Stetson Temple IF we ordered at least 5 (or so) in each size we wanted. I don't see it. I ordered an A-2 from Wings and it wasn't heavy enough for me so I sent it back. They'd get upset at that on a group buy.

I've seen well run group buys on a yearly basis in other forums. These forums aren't at all artistic, and in the cases I've seen involved buying magazines for the 1911. They bought several hundred of the exact same type and then sent them out. They bought a few hundred magazines at about 50% off. I don't see anyone wanting to do this on the lounge, we don't all want the same hat, same shirt, or same shoes.

Just my $0.02 and worth every quarter...

Was that a group buy of Checkmate magazines from the 1911 forum? If so, I was in on that one. I was one of the first few people who actually got their magazines before everything went to hell. I think the only reason the guy XXspinner sent me mine was because I sent him a PM asking how the whole thing works and stated that this was my first group buy.
After filling the first few orders, the excuses started: he was getting married, he worked for an airline and was in Asia (I guess no internet anywhere in Asia), the airline wouldn't let him get online if the topic contained "guns", his aunt had to have an operation (I kid you not), Checkmate was hopelessly back ordered (not true), his apartment had flooded, ad nauseum.
As I recall, Checkmate stepped in and processed, packed and shipped everyone's orders themselves, just to maintain their reputation even though they had done nothing wrong in this whole mess.

[1961MJS]

Hi

The one I heard about worked, but that was also say 3 years ago. Their order was from Metalform (probably) or Mec-gar (not the majority favorite.

I don't post there anymore because there are enough old farts around to answer newbie questions, they don't need me. I just go shoot now for practice. On that forum, I was in the get the facts for a couple of years and bail. I still read it once in a while though.

later