Group buying sites

This relatively new generation of commercial enterprise is heaven-sent for budget-conscious people like me. However, even angelic offers can be misleading; these are, after all, still profit-oriented businesses. Before you click that “Buy” button, take caution when finding deals and carefully evaluate offers. The following are some lessons I have learned so far in my love affair with group buying sites.

1. Go through all the details posted in the web site. After all, it is there for you to read. You have to know all the inclusions/specifications. For example, a 100-peso USB flash drive can seem to be a good steal but only until you learn that it only has 100MB memory. There’s nothing more disappointing than knowing that what you thought saved you some pesos was actually worth much less than what you paid.

2. Go through the details not posted in the web site. Always research about the product/service being offered. Look for the original price from merchants’ web sites or online stores. While you’re already on the Internet, maximize your surfing and look for product/service reviews and check the quality of what you’re going to purchase. Compare if you really save. For instance, accommodation at a pretty hotel can seem very cheap only until you realize that it is very far from the airport/city proper, which can waste your time and money on transportation.

3. Keep a record of what you paid for. Save a copy of the online page, especially for deals whose validity spans six months to one year. Some group buying web sites take down pages of past deals and the inclusions are not usually listed completely in vouchers. It can also be hard to get a cached version of online deals. Saving a printed copy can help protect you as a consumer. During our stay in a hotel in Cebu, for example, I had to remind an irritated staff that our accommodation package includes free souvenir shirts for two persons. Had we not meticulously read and insisted on it, we would have wasted that little ‘freebie’ that’s part of what we paid for. 

4. There is very little chance that you will really save on travel deals if they come from travel agencies because you pay them a premium on top of what you would spend if you travel on your own. Travel agencies, of course, make profit and they do from people who are either rich enough to want other people to earn or foolish enough to be unable to discover places by themselves. 

5. Read the fine print.

6. Know your rights and be assertive about them when appropriate.

If, for some reason, you are new to group-buying and do not know any site, here are some that I've subscribed to: Buyanihan, Cash Cash Pinoy, Deal Grocer, Ensogo, Groupon Philippines, Metro Deal