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Group Offers FAQ
- What is a group offer?
- What is the purpose of a group offer?
- How much does it cost to create and complete a group offer?
- How do I start using group offers?
- How do you include shipping charges when creating a group offer?
- How can I increase my chances of completing a group offer?
- What are the advantages of group offers?
- How do I manage my group offers?
- How will I know if a group offer was accepted?
- What happens to the remaining offers once a group offer is accepted?
- What are some common mistakes associated with group offers?
What is a group offer?
A group offer lets buyers send one single offer to multiple sellers on matching or similar items. The first seller to accept the offer wins the buyer’s business.
A group offer is one offer, for one item, for one transaction.
A group offer is NOT:
- buying multiple items from the same seller or multiple sellers.
- buying multiple items with one invoice.
What is the purpose of a group offer?
Group offers give buyers more options and quicker seller responses.
A buyer finds similar items from multiple sellers. Creating a group offer gives the buyer the ability to set the price they’re willing to pay for the item. The first seller to accept the buyer’s offer wins the buyer’s business.
How much does it cost to create and complete a group offer?
Group offers are FREE, so create more group offers to get what you want!
How do I start using group offers?
There are three different ways for buyers to initiate a group offer.
- Make an offer on a single item. You will have the option to convert the offer into a group offer.
- Browse similar items and mark the checkboxes to the left of each item listing to create a group offer.
- Add similar items to your shopping cart. In your shopping cart, mark the checkboxes to the left of each item listing to create a group offer.
Sellers do not need to do anything different to use group offers. When you receive an offer, the offer will be stated as being part of a group offer. If you are satisfied with the offer, accept the offer right away or risk losing it to another seller.
How do you include shipping charges when creating a group offer?
Shipping charge is included in the total group offer price, so take into consideration the additional amount needed for shipping before submitting your total group offer price for the item.
How can I increase my chances of completing a group offer?
Buyers:
Add more items to your group offer to increase your chances. The likelihood of a seller accepting the group offer increases when the offer is sent to more sellers.
Sellers:
Update your notification settings to receive message alerts from your cell phone and instant messengers (AIM, MSN). You will be notified immediately when a group offer is made. Update your notification settings now.
What are the advantages of group offers?
- Buyers receive a faster response to their offers.
- Buyers have a better chance of getting the desired item(s).
- Buyers save time and effort by waiting for one accepted offer instead of keeping track of multiple ones.
- Sellers gain more offers from buyers.
- Sellers become more responsive to sell their item(s).
It is FREE to create or accept a group offer, so give it a try!
How do I manage my group offers?
Manage your group offers in the "Open Negotiations" page in "My iOffer" under either the "Buying" or "Selling" tab, just like you would with any other offers.
How will I know if a group offer was accepted?
To prevent multiple sellers from accepting the same group offer, only the first seller will be able to accept the group offer.
The other sellers will be notified of an accepted group offer and they will not be able to accept the same offer.
What happens to the remaining offers once a group offer is accepted?
Once a group offer is accepted, the remaining offers will be automatically retracted from the group offer.
Buyers and sellers DO NOT need to perform any additional tasks to cancel the group offer.
What are some common mistakes associated with group offers?
- Making a combined offer price on all the items in a group offer rather than a single item.
Remember, making a group offer is making one offer for one similar/matching item from multiple sellers to let them compete for your business so you can get the best possible deal on one item. - Making a combined offer on multiple items to receive one invoice for all the items rather than multiple invoices.
Remember, a group offer lets you make one offer to multiple sellers for one item. Each seller has different selling preferences so it is not possible to create one buyer invoice from multiple sellers for payment.
One way to avoid these common mistakes is to add items to your shopping cart before creating a group offer:
- Checking the boxes to the left of each item listing lets you create a group offer.
- Clicking "Buy Now" or "Make an Offer" lets you purchase all the items in that particular cart from one seller, which is different from a group offer.
