This is a good group testing group - very proactive and well managed:
https://t.me/+GTbECv1CWqszYjgx
t.me
I am not comfortable recommending any group buy links. As more experienced and knowledgeable (I.e., cynical, jaded and burned) Forum denizens can attest, group buys are often fronted by shills pimping for specific sales reps. Group buys touted directly by sales reps are just mass sales pitches. My naive understanding of a group buy is a private citizen researcher recruiting a group of like minded peers and then leading an effort to negotiate a favorable deal on a large quantity of product, either shipped directly to end user or reshipped from the vendor. Testing often part of the model as well. GOOD LUCK FINDING THAT AND HAVING IT WORK AS ADVERTISED. (I’m in the middle of one and it’s taking forever and the original test results are NA (new product being synthesized) and I don’t think we’re saving anything.)
This is my white-market experience buying from Chinese vendors (also from India, to a lesser extent).
The sales reps aren't paid a lot -- even with the subculture of using VPNs and other apps that are illegal in China to sell to the West. I've gotten to know a few of my reps quite well over the years, and consider them friends.
Where these reps
can make good money is with group buys. One 'secret' to a successful group buy is cracking a code that combines price points, appeal, and promotion to get the broadest reach. I've seen reps do well enough to have their own assistants. At least one has done so well that the sales managers have stepped in and said they were extremely grateful for our (meaning, the customer base as a whole) trust and patronage, but kindly asked if we could please spread our business around a bit more to their other talented reps. 😆
The group buys take much longer to ship, across the board. Many do not start processing the orders until the group buys have closed -- the ones that do, it still takes awhile.
There is less room for communication in the process. With some individual orders, I can often see the manufactured product before it is shipped to give my final OK. But with group buys, this is often not the case.
The savings are not substantial if you are buying in smaller quantities. Discounts tend to be 5-15%, with most being right around 10%. A $400 box of widgets get marked down to $360. Hey, I'll take 40 bucks -- but that $40 savings comes with the "cost" of losing my chance to OK the product before shipment, and waiting longer to receive the product.
Is it worth it?
But if I was large enough to order 30 boxes of widgets, that's a $12,000 case of widgets, marked down to $1080.
Is it worth it?
These same dynamics are in play in grey, too -- but the grey market can add or amplify a layer of unpleasantness.
I'm mentioning this to give folks a better picture of what goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps it may help someone to understand the business culture a bit more, or why some buyers might -- or might not -- participate. The better informed we are, the better our chances of reaching our goals.
