GROUPON - so expensive!

pinkshoes

I love looking through the daily groupon email, but i decided to google some of the items just to see if they really were a bargain.

Today was a mini dehumidifier which they have "reduced" from £119.99 to £39.98, so a whooping 67% off.

A quick google shows you can buy it for under £30 from several stores.

And yet it says 61 people have bought it...

I cannot believe how many people don't do their research before buying.

Are there any genuine bargains on Groupon?

vikingaero

People assume that because it's on Amazon/eBay/Groupon/LivingSocial then it's a good deal. I use Amazon and eBay to compare prices with other retailers.

I'm signed up to Groupon and LS but never bought any deals - the risk of the SHTF is too great as witnessed by all the complaints on here.

browneyedbazzi

Yep - too much assuming taking the place of proper research. About a year ago I sold a used dvd box set on ebay and someone paid more for it than they would have paid buying a brand new one from amazon or play at the time. Whenever I see something advertised as a 'deal' I check at least two other sellers to see what a realistic price for it is.

JReacher1

You can get some good deals on Groupon. I've dined at many decent restaurants on a groupon voucher.

Never bought any of their goods though as like the OP says I don't think they are competively priced. Frankly I find it rare that Amazon aren't the cheapest place for anything!

elsien

I find Groupon better for activities and experiences than for goods. Had some good deals for things I may not have done otherwise, but were worth a shot at the lower price.

blobbydoodaah

always compare! simple...

balletshoes

elsien wrote: »

I find Groupon better for activities and experiences than for goods. Had some good deals for things I may not have done otherwise, but were worth a shot at the lower price.

i agree - i have friends at work who book their MOT through Groupon for a good saving (and so far, not with garages who rip them off with stuff that "needs" doing to get through an MOT).

I use Groupon for hair and beauty offers, I find these to be good value (ie a tenner for a salon Shellac, £12 for a city-centre hairdressers etc)

hollydays

I've not got into groupon .

I compare it to last minute.com

Every time ( often) I check out their hotels they are not cheap( for a badly located hotel) , and noticeably badly located.

londonTiger

Don't forget, the retailer has to pay groupon commission!!

That's another layer of overheads they have to pay which they otherwise wouldn't even they sold to you on their website (assuming you haven't got to their website using other advertised means).

This undoubetly increases their costs, hence price then would do otherwise.

A lot of services sector who have 80% gross margins do put out legitimate offers like massage, teeth whitening, tanning etc. (For them, they're just expanding their user base and hoping that 10% of the groupon customers will return back again - so good marketing). But for commodities and merchandise you cannot escape the fact that you make 20% margins typically, add groupon fees and expect 10%. So what do you do? increase your prices, and inflate your was price to make it seem like a good deal.

Twiggy_34

I once got a cinema ticket for £1 through Groupon but nothing before that or since. I spotted them promoting a local gig a couple of months ago at the special price of... the normal price! It is a shame the deals seem to have gone downhill since they've become more popular/well known.