Almost everyone has heard of group purchases on various sites, but not everyone knows for sure what they are. On AliExpress, there are 2 types of joint purchases, which are strikingly different from each other.

Features of group purchases organized by AliExpress

In fact, this is the purchase of goods at a discount. For the buyer, group purchases are practically no different from the usual checkout. Such promotions are a marketing ploy to attract the attention of buyers. The seller thus sells in a short time a large number of goods and earns a high rating. To see such offers, you need to go to the "Hot Products" section.

On each offer, you can see the discount amount, the number of units sold and the time left until the end of the promotion.

As a rule, a limited amount of goods is displayed, it can end quickly, so you should not delay. When buying burning goods, it is important to pay attention to a number of points.

Read the description carefully, as often the discount is only available when placing an order for a certain amount. That is, in addition to the necessary things, you will have to buy something else.

Before clicking "Buy Now", it's worth checking out similar offers without a discount. Sometimes they are much more profitable than promotional ones.

It is important to keep an eye on the payment deadline, as your order will be canceled automatically when it expires. Unscrupulous sellers can raise the price during the promotion. In this case, the cost of items that have been added to the cart but not yet paid for will also change.

Group purchases from AliExpress give you the opportunity to purchase the goods you need at the lowest price. To get the maximum benefit, you need to follow the updates of offers, monitor prices and immediately pay for the purchase.

Joint purchases organized by site users

This type of group purchases is quite widespread. As a rule, the organizer exhibits one or more products in in social networks and collects those who want to buy them.

When a sufficient number of participants has been collected, the organizer places a wholesale order on AliExpress and pays for it. After receiving the parcel, its contents are distributed among end customers. If they all live in one locality goods are passed from hand to hand. Otherwise, they are sent around the country. When collecting subscribers, the organizer indicates the cost, which includes his services (usually the markup is 10 - 15%).

“Joint purchases (SP)” for various groups of goods are gaining more and more popularity - from nuts to plastic windows. The mechanism of "Joint purchases" is as follows:

- The wholesale company has a minimum order amount, for example, 20 thousand rubles. The organizers of "Joint purchases" unite retail buyers and organize the purchase from a wholesale supplier for a minimum amount, then transfer the ordered goods to the participants of the "Joint Purchase".

The advantages of "Joint purchases" are obvious:

The wholesale company sold products in the minimum possible volume at the base wholesale price;

The organizer of the JV has earned interest for his work as the coordinator of the "Cooperative Purchase";

Participants purchased the item of interest at the wholesale price and a small percentage of the "Joint Purchase" Organizer;

There are, of course, unscrupulous wholesale companies that create several sites: one basic site for wholesale buyers who buy goods and then sell them in their offline and online retail stores.

The second site is for the organizers of "Joint purchases". Prices on this site are close to retail prices. Considering that the participants of the "Joint purchases" in addition to the wholesale price for the goods, pay the delivery and the percentage to the organizer, the total cost is equal to the retail price, and sometimes even higher for this product.

In the retail market of "Joint purchases" (B2C), everything is clear and transparent enough.

Many companies began to appear that organize "Joint wholesale purchases from China" for business (b2b), i.e. for owners of online and offline stores in Russia.

Using the example of one company that decided to conduct "Joint wholesale purchases from China" (let's call it company "N"), let's consider the mechanism for conducting these "Joint purchases" and how beneficial it is for participants, i.e. for shop owners in Russia.

Company "N" positions itself as a wholesale company, works with stores that buy its products in bulk for further resale to retail customers.

Company N decides that it no longer wants to invest its money in buying goods from China in order to resell them in bulk in Russia. Company N's motivation is understandable:

Delivery of goods from China takes a long time - an average of 1.5-2 months, provided that the products are imported to Russia, passing the procedures established by law: customs clearance, product certification and much more. The funds invested in the purchase of goods are actually frozen for this period and do not bring income to the Wholesale Company - importer.

Company "N" informs its Clients about the "individual" and "unique" opportunity to participate in the "Joint wholesale purchase of goods from China".

Company "N" organizes this "Joint Purchase" with important nuances:

• The wholesale price of goods for organized "Joint purchases" of this company "N" in 90% of cases is equal to the standard wholesale price of this product in Russia from others Wholesale Companies and in most cases even higher.
• The delivery time of the goods to the "Joint Purchase" participant is not clearly defined or the actual delivery time does not correspond to the one declared by Company "N";
• Company "N" does not provide a Declaration of Conformity and a set of closing documents, which violates the law Russian Federation, and makes the participants of the "Joint purchase in bulk from China" in violation of the Law;

Company "N" found an "interesting" solution for ITSELF not to "freeze" its cash for the purchase of products from China for 1.5-2 months, and take these funds from their Clients as an advance payment, while maintaining the wholesale prices for the presented products, standard for Russia, and thus the level of their income. At the same time, the company "N" disclaimed responsibility for the timing of delivery and the quality of the products supplied.

Let's call a spade a spade: Joint Purchases from China (b2b) data is misleading and adversely affects the business of participants in the Joint Purchase. In addition to the risks associated with violation of the Legislation, Participants receive products at a standard wholesale price, or even higher, while “freezing” their funds for 2 months. As you know, money should "work" for your business, and not develop and reduce the costs of PSEUDO organizers of "Joint wholesale purchases from China", like Company "N".

Before participating in such "Business China Bulk Buy" for business, we strongly recommend that you study the following questions:

• Analyze the prices for the products presented in the "Joint Purchase" from other Wholesale Companies whose warehouses and products are located in Russia;
• Check with the organizers for the availability of Declarations and Certificates of conformity of products to Russian legislation, as well as customs declarations and a complete set of closing documents (waybill, invoice, UPD). In Russia, supervision over the fulfillment of the requirements stipulated by the Law for the sale of imported products to a retail buyer is tightened every day;
• Fix the exact terms of delivery of goods to your warehouse in the contract;

The questions listed above are standard and if the Organizer of the "Joint wholesale purchase from China" is a professional and responsible company, then you will be provided with this information in full.

our employees IS FREE will advise on the import of products from China or participation in the "Joint wholesale purchases from China", including if you are not a Client of our wholesale Company.

Check so check! In a few days, I ordered a whole bunch of junk of the right things from China:

• smartphone,
• case for old smartphone,
• sleep masks (2 pieces),
• glasses,
• clicker (about what it is - below).

Free shipping

When people find out about free shipping they don't believe. What is the “maz” to deliver a case for a smartphone worth 50 rubles for free? Isn't that profitable?

Unprofitable. But the thing is that the Chinese government subsidizes its manufacturers and takes care of the shipping costs.

All of my items have free shipping. Although there are exceptions. Carefully study the goods:

Delivery speed

Let's start with the fact that everything has come. And evaluate the speed yourself:

• smartphone - 13 days,
• clicker - 19 days,
• other goods - 23–28 days.

The speed with which the smartphone arrived was simply amazing. Knowledgeable people said, however, that we were a little lucky. Usually you have to wait longer. Well, so be it.

In general, all goods, without exception, met the deadlines specified by the seller. I must say that AliExpress has a delivery time forecast, as well as a period after which, if the package has not arrived, you can demand compensation.

By the way, all these terms ...

…can be tracked online!

For more or less large purchases, you will receive a special tracking code.

Using it, you can watch how your package travels. Do not laugh, but the most convenient application for tracking parcels is from Russian Post. I even did a review on it.

The tracking code must be requested from the seller in personal correspondence.

What I ordered and what came

The most important product - the smartphone - arrived in good condition. My wife has been using it for a month now and is happy as an elephant. Here is the smartphone itself:

I ordered a couple of cheap sleep masks. I want to try. Seems like anatomical

Silicone case for my LG G2 sat like a native. Good buy for 80 cents.

Friend Dima got a cool clicker:

More about what it is below.

And finally, the problematic product - glasses. This purchase has its own history. A year and a half ago, I wintered in Thailand and bought these glasses there for 280 rubles.

I really liked them and they still serve. You won't find glasses cheaper than a couple of thousand in our opticians. Plus, it's all so dull and boring.

I thought: “Where are the glasses from in Thailand? Probably from China! After some searching, I came across this product:

Stylish. Fashionable. Youth. And only $1.21. Wrap it up!

It came, however, not quite what I expected:

First, the glasses are black, not black and blue, as in the picture. Secondly, the quality of the painting is poor: somewhere uneven, somewhere a hair got into it. To be honest, I don't pay that much attention.

But the third point is the distortion of the picture. Especially in the corners. Basically you can't wear it.

In short, I asked for a refund.

Return of money or goods

When it comes to penny goods, Chinese sellers easily return money or send new product. You just need to attach a photo and explain the reason. First, of course, you need to click on "Open a dispute".

I got my money back in a couple of days. By the way, the dispute moderator is AliExpress itself. Your money after payment is stored with him and will get to the seller only when you click the "Confirm receipt of goods" button.

And what to do with expensive goods?

As my more experienced friends told me, I will have to send the goods back at my own expense. And only after getting acquainted with the breakdown, they will either send you a new smartphone, for example, or return the money.

However, a refund is a last resort. You may never run into him if you choose a good seller ...

How to choose a reliable seller

There is another sign: the greater the sales volume of the seller, the faster he will send your order. So look also at the volumes.

If you buy electronics, then keep a life hack: buy it through joint purchase sites.

How collaborative shopping sites work

going to large group people and jointly submits applications for the purchase of a device. A large group gives us a discount. For example, when I bought a smartphone, I saved $26, or 14%.

The main plus is that only checked goods are on the purchase list. For example, smartphones that operate on our frequencies and connect to our 4G internet. That is, the risk of running into the “wrong” is much less!

In case of a problem, you can always contact the moderator of the group, who is already resolving the issue with the seller. In addition, in the topic of each purchase, you can ask other buyers about prices, consult if there is a problem, and get a fairly quick response.

Here is a list of joint buying sites that I could find:

You register on such a site, select a product and receive a special code that you will already indicate on the AliExpress website. That is, you have no money dealings with the procurement site.

For me, these sites are a guarantee that I will not buy some garbage without understanding. Because at the same time with me, hundreds of geeks and resellers buy goods, past which the mouse will not slip. :)

How else to save

Here are quotes from two of my friends, experienced buyers.

1. Pay attention to third-tier manufacturers such as Elephone and so on. Only there you can still capture the really big benefits. There is no cheating for the brand, the hardware is, in general, the same, but the quality has already been improved.

2. Follow the promotions on the main page.

So how much did I save?

If we talk about penny goods, then probably hundreds of percent. But to be honest, I don't even want to count.

Let's calculate the real savings when buying a smartphone. Our smartphone cost 8,200 rubles.

The model we chose - Xiaomi Red Rice - differs from the standard one by having 2 GB of memory. I searched for a similar device in Russian online stores and found only one offer - 9,486 rubles for a smartphone and 590 rubles for delivery. Total: 10,076 rubles.

Savings at this stage - 1,876 rubles, or 19%.

Now let's compare with offers in local computer stores. I took a screenshot of the website of the Ufa store on the day the package arrived. I set the characteristics that interested me: 4G, RAM, camera and others. And this is what the search engine suggested to me:

As you can see, there are many options. The prices are outrageous. When compared with the cheapest "Chinese" (12,990 rubles), the savings are already 4,790 rubles, or 37%.

Although, of course, in this case, the comparison is not entirely correct.

How to register on AliExpress

I will not write about it. It's so simple: register, add a credit card, address, select a product and click "Buy". Nothing complicated and no different from registering in any other online store.

"Heshelme beshelme, the nayalnik"

Many are afraid not so much of Chinese goods as of hieroglyphs. And it has a basis.

For example, our smartphone came entirely in Chinese. However, it was easy to translate into Russian. Literally in three minutes. Plus, it took another 20 minutes to set up letter spacing. I found the solution on one of the thematic forums dedicated to the device.

And another problem is correspondence with support. Here, for example, is a fascinating dialogue about the return of money for points.

The third problem is the description of the goods in Russian. But all this is solved by clicking on "View title in English".

In English, the description is no longer so funny.

Time saving

Chinese goods - the whole "maza" in the money? No, saving time is often more important.

I'll tell you a little story. My friend Dima received a task from the management: in connection with the opening of a new cafe, it is necessary to measure the passability (how many people pass by this or that place).

To cope with this task, Dima needed a special device - a clicker. Its essence is simple: a person passes, Dima presses the clicker button, and the number on the counter increases by one. All this is good in theory, but in practice the clicker turned out to be very difficult to get. Dima unsuccessfully traveled half of Ufa.

As you might guess, the clicker was easily found in China. Attendance has been measured.

How much time could Dima save if he made an order in China right away? Lots!

Total

I always thought that shopping in China was for geeks. Only they, it seemed to me, were able to separate the wheat from the chaff and find good things among the heaps of garbage.

But, to my surprise, this was not the case. China is simple, fast and ... cheap, of course. We just need to figure it out a little.

Have you had a "Chinese" experience? Were you satisfied?

In almost all social networks in our time there is such a thing as group purchases on aliexpress. Entrepreneurial people, wanting to make money, create accounts dedicated specifically to the sale of Chinese goods and then look for naive buyers in the same social network. At the same time, the intermediary himself winds up the price by 2-2.5 times. However, there are always those who want to buy something from him, because even with such a price it is more profitable than in stores in any city. And the goods here are more original and interesting.

What is the confusion of buyers?

Why are people happy to order goods from intermediaries and cannot do it directly on the site? It should be clarified that we are not talking about those people who do not know how to use online stores at all. In this case, the answer to the question is clear. But there are those who could place an order themselves, but continue to communicate with intermediaries on social networks.

The problem lies in the incorrect wording of the definition of "group purchases". An ordinary user believes that these are rather wholesale purchases, rather than retail ones, and it is for wholesale purchases that the discount applies. Therefore, he does not have the ability and desire to order many units of the same product, which then will have nowhere to put it. Intermediaries also try not to refute such a delusion of their buyers. They say that thanks to the wholesale purchase, the goods are cheaper, and this is beneficial for both customers and the intermediary. What if you buy this product not wholesale, but at retail, the price will be much higher, etc. They even deceive people, saying that they have no benefit at all, because, taking advantage of the opportunity, they simultaneously make cheaper purchases for their family.

Actually it is not. On Aliexpress, you can buy goods at a big discount, even at retail. These products are in the group purchases section, and the very definition of the category name implies that one person can buy from one to several units of the selected product at a reduced price. How much to let go of the goods in one hand, the seller himself indicates. The products sold in the section are constantly updated, and each of them has a discount for a certain time, after which Joint purchases for this product become impossible, it disappears from this category, moving to the one that was previously assigned to it, and its price also becomes the original one.

Beginners should learn more about the scheme for making such purchases.

Group purchase instructions

From the main page of the site, you can go to the group purchases section in two ways:

1. Click on the corresponding link in the upper left (it is located immediately after the store logo in the upper left corner).
2. Follow the link on the right, where a few of the products currently in the category are randomly displayed.

The location of these links can be seen in the screenshot:

After the transition, the user enters the section where all the goods are collected, which are now subject to the promotion of joint purchases. There is also a handy option to select sub-categories, such as homewares, electronics, clothing, etc. This makes the search more convenient and faster. But, since there are usually not so many products in this section, it is easy to view them without subcategories, just by moving from one page of group purchases to another.

However, you shouldn't get too carried away. Many sellers simply inflate the original price of their product, and then, with the help of a discount, create the appearance of cheapness and thereby force a naive and greedy “freebie” buyer to purchase this product. In fact, it will be bought at a real price, only an inexperienced user does not even suspect about it. To make sure that the price is really low, you should search the general catalog (and not group purchases) for the same products and see their prices. If the cost of a promotional product is much lower than the same, but without a promotion, then such a discount makes sense, otherwise you should not rush and help the cunning seller with your actions.

What is the difference between placing a regular order and a joint order? Firstly, on the page of each of the products in this category there is a timer indicating how long the promotion will end. Secondly, when buying, you can specify the number of units of goods from 1 to the limit set by the seller. Both of these items are underlined in the screenshot with red lines:

In this example, you can see that the promotion will last another 12 hours and 42 minutes, and from one account you can order from 1 to 10 units of goods. This is what is beneficial for intermediaries, as they try to collect more orders for one product, save on its purchase and get double or even triple profits. However, it is not so easy in a short time to find those who would need exactly the selected product. And a user who is not engaged in resale and places an order only for his own needs, all the more, does not need to buy everything in bulk, if only it would be cheaper. But since it is possible to make bargain shopping at retail, so why not take advantage of the chance to save money?

Further, group purchases are processed in the same way as regular purchases. The user specifies the number of items in the order, writes, if required, a comment for the seller regarding the color, size of the product, etc., and . All this is quite simple and can not cause any difficulties. There are only two disadvantages when making such purchases, namely:

1. Payment for the order is required within 24 hours after its registration, otherwise it will be canceled. There is nothing strange in this rule, because if you remove this restriction, many people will simply start placing orders for everything, and paying after a long time, when the promotion is already invalid, and the seller does not agree to send his goods at the price indicated in the invoice.
2. When paying, it is impossible to enter . This is also quite normal phenomenon, since users receive coupons quite often, so almost everyone can find a discount coupon. In this case, everyone would receive promotional goods for nothing at all, which is unprofitable for the Aliexpress administration itself.

After making the payment for the goods, it remains only to wait for its dispatch, and then the arrival.

conclusions

From all of the above, we can conclude that aliexpress joint purchases are quite convenient for both wholesalers and retail buyers. Any user can buy the item he likes much cheaper and, at the same time, if he needs to buy several items for gifts to friends or relatives, he is given the opportunity to save a significant amount of money. After all, many products are discounted in 50-60% , so buying two identical items will cost the price of one. Experienced buyers of the Aliexpress trading platform advise their friends who periodically use this trading platform, also regularly review the category of group purchases so as not to miss interesting and profitable offers.

There are two types of group purchases on aliexpress:

- organized various groups and websites on the Internet.

This type of group buying (also known as "joint buying") is organized to buy back goods sold in bulk on Aliexpress - for example, baby hats sold in a lot of 10 pieces. Group purchasing allows you to buy only the quantity of goods necessary for each participant in the purchase (for example, 3 pieces) and significantly save money by not overpaying for unnecessary units.

The essence of group purchases in this case is that the procurement organizer exposes the goods that he is going to purchase, potential buyers “sign up” for redemption and, when the required number of participants is recruited, redeems the lot to his address

When the order arrives, each participant in the ransom pays the amount in proportion to the quantity of the ordered goods. The cost of delivery (if any) is divided equally among all participants in the purchase. The organizer of the purchase charges org. fee (usually 10-15%) for the purchase and sorting of goods.

Such purchases are convenient for residents of one city. In case of participation in the redemption of buyers from different cities, the organizer sends the received goods to their country. Participants in the purchase also pay the cost of shipping within the country.

- organized by Aliexpress itself.

What are group purchases on aliexpress organized by the site itself? This is nothing more than a regular purchase of goods at a discount. The name “group purchases” in this case is a common marketing ploy to attract attention. This type of purchase has nothing to do with wholesale purchases, and “group” in this case means that a large group of people will buy the goods on display, which will allow the seller to short term earn a high rating (the rating is calculated, among other things, for the number of sales on the site). Actually, for this, promotions and sales are organized - for quick sale goods and increase the rating of participating sellers.

You can find the page with products for group purchases at:

The duration of such sales is limited in time and quantity of goods. When all the goods are sold out, the inscription "sold out" appears on the picture. Updates of the exhibited goods occur on average once a week - on Monday at 11:00 Moscow time (GMT + 4). However, if there are many sellers who want to participate in the promotion, updates may occur more often. The time is always the same - 11.00 Moscow time.

Also, sellers set limits on the number of goods in one hand - i.e. how many units of promotional goods can be ordered from one account (ID).

What to pay attention to?

To the description of the promotional item. big discount it beckons you to click on the “Buy Now” button, however, it happens that the seller sets the minimum order amount, which obliges you, in addition to the promotional product, to get something else from his store no less than the specified amount.

The period during which the purchase must be paid. At the end of this period, it becomes impossible to purchase goods at a promotional price and the order is automatically canceled. We recommend paying for promotional goods immediately, because. some sellers quietly raise the price (sometimes doubled) during the promotion, which also affects the products already added to the basket.

Thus, it is beneficial to participate in group purchases from Aliexpress if you track the prices of the desired product, see it in the promotional list in time and pay immediately after adding it to the cart.

We wish you happy shopping!