So with all of the CD talk and everyone being at the point where we're buying things for our babies, I wanted to make a post about these Facebook Co-ops that usually get mentioned in the CD posts sooner or later. This is kind of a warning but not overly horrible or dire. I've just seen it mentioned at least 4 times in recent weeks and wanted to write something as a person who shops co-ops a lot.
Facebook Co-ops are groups on FB where a Host opens up a buy for an item that they can order in bulk and get a discount price. For instance, let's say you want to buy some cloth diapers and if you buy 200 of them you get them for $4.00 each, but otherwise they are $8.00 if you buy just a few. Obviously that's a great savings, but who wants to buy 200 diapers? So you come together as a group and buy the 200 diapers, with each buyer purchasing however many they need without needing to buy all 200. It's a really great way to get some great items at a very nice discounted price.
Typically the Host opens a buy, you submit in an order, then wait to be invoiced by the Host. Once you get the invoice you pay and then wait for everyone else to pay so the Host can submit the order to the company. Then the company fills the order and ships it to the Host, who then splits up the orders among the buyers and packages them up for shipping. You will then get a shipping invoice, which once paid typically means the Host ships out your items. So it can take a while, but I regularly shop co-ops and love them. However...
Here are some warnings:
1) Co-op hosts are generally moms or moms-to-be just like all of us. Some have business backgrounds, but most do not. As a result it's easy for some to get in way over their head, especially if they are new and don't now the ins and outs of working with vendors, managing money and time, shipping at the cheapest rate possible, etc. There have been MANY who have gotten in over their heads and then just stopped replying to members and taken off with money and merchandise. In fact it feels like there's at least one a month who disappears with hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars and merchandise which the buyer will never see. So as the buyer you need to keep track of your orders and know how PayPal and credit card protection works and the time limit you have to communicate with the Host about re-invoicing or dispute the charge if the Host isn't responding. Otherwise you could be out a lot of money. Luckily there are protections, you just need to learn what they are.
2) The process can take a loooooooooooooong time! Many items are coming from overseas and shipping alone can take 30 days or more. Plus if the Host is busy she may have to take some extra time to sort and package, especially if multiple buys arrive at the same time. So, for instance, if you wanted to buy Christmas gifts for your family through co-ops you would have wanted to order in September or October in order to get them by Christmas. Want to order NB cloth diapers? You'll want to order in December or January to ensure they get to you by March. But I've even seen buys take 4-5 months because of vendor errors. If you need something right away, go to the store.
3) I'd say about 90% of items you order are coming from China and are knock-offs of other products. A lot of cloth diapers, for example, infringe upon some Copyrights. There's a ton of Frozen dolls and clothing right now in co-ops and they are all trademark infringements and therefor illegal to import. Now, they rarely get caught but occasionally customs will seize and destroy a package. This means you won't get your items unless the Host can work out with the vendor to re-send it and hope that once doesn't get caught. There has been a few instances of the FBI knocking on Host's doors because of illegal imports, too. You also need to be OK with buying what is likely an illegal sub-par knock-off in order to get that nice discount. Things like Ugg Boots might be only $50, but the quality is going to be less. However, there are a lot of US-based and WAHM companies that work with co-ops so if you are opposed to purchasing China-made items there are still opportunities to save and get US-made items. You just have to search those things out a little more. And not all China-made items are knock-offs or illegal, either.
So there are things that can and do go bad in co-ops, but I've been buying from some great, reputable co-ops for a couple of years now and have never personally had anyone not send me my items and have generally been happy with the quality, especially when it comes to cloth diapers. And I've gotten things like wooden US-made toys, stuffed animals, a WAHM-made car seat poncho, baby shoes, etc. that I love and saved a ton of money on. So I'm no poo-pooing co-ops, just warning!
And if you want to find a good one check out the groups Co-op Deals and Reviews, Co-op Discussion Forum, and Free-Speech Co-op Discussion Forum. Those will have a ton of "Which is your favorite Co-op?" posts that will help you decide what co-ops are reliable. Pay attention to how long a co-op has been open and how long the hosts have been hosting. A new host isn't necessarily bad, but I wouldn't place a huge order with someone who's doing their first buy, personally. And always buy at your own risk knowing something might go wrong. Also be wary of your personal information!!!!!!
If I'm forgetting anything please feel free to add!!!
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.
Re: Facebook Co-ops
B born 7/15/13, C born 3/2/15, #3 on the way May '17
I’m a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is anatomically and ecologically incorrect. I’ve been up linked and downloaded, I’ve been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I know the downside of upgrading. I’m a high-tech low-life. A cutting edge, state-of-the-art bi-coastal multi-tasker and I can give you a gigabyte in a nanosecond! I’m new wave, but I’m old school and my inner child is outward bound. I’m a hot-wired, heat seeking, warm-hearted cool customer, voice activated and bio-degradable. I interface with my database, my database is in cyberspace, so I’m interactive, I’m hyperactive and from time to time I’m radioactive.