Group Buying Power
Written: Aug 13 '00
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| Full Review |
My first purchase from Mobshop was in February 2000, soon after they first got their site up and running. I entered into a buying frenzy after the first one as their prices were incredible:
The Sixth Sense DVD, Stuart Little DVD, Shawshank Redemption DVD, The Matrix DVD, and many more, all for just $9.95 including free UPS ground shipping! I purchased many of each and gave them away to friends. I was enthralled.
I continued to purchase items on Mobshop frequently as they really did have great prices. However, more recently, their prices have become less and less competitive. For example, to purchase Jerry McGuire DVD it is now $24.95. I can buy it for less at my local Borders store.
The reason behind this change in "attitude" is that they were losing too much money, and the rock-bottom prices were teasers to entice people to order from the site. Though the deals have disappeared in general, every now and then, they have a special on some item but it is rather annoying to try and check their website each day.
In terms of group buying, Mobshop's website is a vast improvement over Mercata's. Mobshop clearly shows how many people have placed orders, what each price tier is with the number of required buyers, and it even sends you an email to let you know when the price drops. You "save a place", the price tier at which you are willing to buy the item, and then Mobshop will automatically enter your order. Mercata, on the other hand, makes you guess and merely lets you know that the price "may" be lower than the price right now, but you must agree to buy it at this higher price anyway before placing an order.
The whole premise of these sites is that large groups of buyers can get a better deal through "negotiating" with manufacturers or suppliers. However, this premise falls apart on Mobshop as do 25 buyers really warrant a group purchase rate? Well, no, they don't. So what Mobshop must do is purchase a large quantity of each item or DVD, and then they merely list is for sale like every other retail ecommerce site. However, as more people buy from Mobshop, they decrease the price. So Mobshop is merely trying to fool people into thinking they are getting a "group purchase." There is no shame in their effort, but only that since their business plan did not really hold up, they no longer have excellent prices such as $9.95 DVDs.
Overall, I think Mobshop has a great site, and they still occassionally have a few great deals these days. And if you want to sweeten the deal a little bit, you can sign up for their affiliate program and get 7% back on each purchase. However, you need to rack up $50 before they will send you a check, which means you need to spend $750 on their website before that 7% means anything. But for big ticket items, 7% means a lot!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
gauldd01
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Manhasset, NY
Reviews written: 127
Trusted by: 106 members
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