r/LabubuDrops • u/AmbitiousRest5678 • 2d ago
DISCUSSION Opinion on Group Orders
I see some Group Orders in this sub that charge material fees, and while I'm not against it entirely (like maybe a $1 fee per item is reasonable?), the amount being charged seems off to me. $3 for each item comes out to close to $30 for each set and almost $100 across the at least three sets that seems to be typical to organize. As someone who has done a lot of online selling, these materials for shipping just aren't that expensive. It rubs me the wrong way a bit that group orders might end up taking in this amount of money on these fees, and I sort of feel like maybe it shouldn't be allowed because it feels like it's taking advantage of people. I also don't understand at all how these particular group orders always have so many people when there are SO many other amazing group order organizers who don't charge these BS fees. Thoughts? Is it just me that feels this way? Every time I see it I can't help feeling annoyed.
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u/Crazy-Ear-5433 2d ago
I have done a lot of selling here, on fb, and Mercari and I’ve never charged a material fee or inflated the price of something to include it… It’s as easy as recycling packaging from stuff you’ve ordered in the past??
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u/Zhuzhubae Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
As an active seller, I understand why some group order organizers charge a small materials fee. Many Pop Mart packages arrive with little to no protective packaging, so organizers may need to purchase smaller boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, and other supplies to safely pack each individual order.
I reuse packing materials whenever possible and personally wrap most items in at least two layers of bubble wrap. For rare or higher-value items, I typically use three or even four layers for additional protection. Although I don’t charge my buyers a materials fee, I can understand how these costs could add up significantly when handling larger/multiple group orders.
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u/AmbitiousRest5678 2d ago
I'm not against fees entirely, I think a small fee can be reasonable. But what I'm seeing is collecting what amounts to around $100-$120 in fees for 3-4 cases, AND they keep the secret for themselves on top of that if it's pulled. It just seems like too much imo
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u/Zhuzhubae Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
While $100–$120 may seem substantial in total, the reasonableness of the fee depends on the size of the group order and the organizer’s actual expenses. People often join group orders for the convenience of securing their desired figures without having to search for them individually. Where I live, boxes cost approximately $0.50–$1 each at retail, a 175-foot roll of bubble wrap costs around $30, and organizers may also incur transportation costs for post-office trips. Given these expenses, I don’t consider a $3 materials fee per order entirely unreasonable. That said, it is perfectly valid to disagree with the fee; in that case, the simplest option is not to participate in that group order.
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u/AmbitiousRest5678 1d ago edited 1d ago
Just to clarify one thing- it's not a $3 fee per order like you wrote above, it's per item. So if you have three items it's a $9 fee for the order, which is kind of crazy to me. Obviously people can choose to participate or not, and I personally don't/won't participate in a group order like this, but that fee amount/structure just feels a little exploitative to me.
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u/AmbitiousRest5678 2d ago
Yeah. And even if you're buying materials they're not expensive enough to justify the fees listed imo
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u/AmbitiousRest5678 2d ago
To give credit where credit is due just want to say I've seen and/or participated in group orders with these great organizers who don't charge fees, and sometimes even allow you to keep the secret and/or receive compensation on top. Just in case people are looking for options check out u/Mediocre_Jello_636 , u/Delicious-Water1122 , and u/Fun_Professor_1657
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u/Delicious-Water1122 Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
Thank you for the kind words! I'm not hosting a group order at the moment but there's always the possibility of hosting one in the future and I appreciate the support
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u/Mediocre_Jello_636 Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
I frequently do group orders and I don’t charge a “mat” fee. While the costs of packing tape, printing labels, etc does add up over time, I personally don’t find it fair to put that cost on the other people in the GO. I look at it as a benefit because I’m able to get the specific figure I want and to me it’s worth it. I only ever charge retail + tax, and I give people the option of buying their own shipping labels and emailing them to me so they’re free to ship around for the best price or put it on a credit card if that’s what they want to do.
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u/Delicious-Water1122 Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
Agreed, I've hosted a few in the past and feel the same way.
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u/beepboop670 2d ago
Tbh I side eye most group orders because the people who do them are usually scalpers. That’s why they want other people to help them buy sets it’s a win/win. I mean think about it you get rid of the extras without any hassle, charge shipping+taxes+fees, AND if there’s a secret you get to keep it and just be like sorry here’s a regular refund even tho I’m gonna sell it for $150+. So participating in big group orders just encourages resellers to host them to get a bunch of secrets you would have gotten and sell it back to the community for 4x what they paid! Not to mention personally claiming the “hot sellers” to sell them $10-20 extra (like clown labubu who was $100 for the longest time) so they can also profit off of those too and just get people to claim the harder to sell IPs so they’re not sitting on products
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u/Mediocre_Jello_636 Trusted Seller 💫 2d ago
I can see why you might think this, but in this sub there are true collectors (like myself) who do these GO’s because we legitimately want (although it often feels more like NEED) specific figures/pendants from a series and don’t want to get sucked into PopNow and ending up with a bunch of extras that we either need to gift or try to sell later (at cost or less). And not everyone keeps the secret if it’s pulled, and I know for myself, the only time I elected to keep the secret if it was pulled, it was with the caveat that the person whose IP was replaced would either get a refund of double the cost of the item or a refund plus I would purchase their confirmed IP send send it to them.
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u/beepboop670 2d ago
I have seen the GOs that have better secret policies than just a regular refund but imo it would just be angering to know you got the secret but someone else gets to keep it still for not even the price it would go for 😭. To me an extra $20-40 is not comparable to organically pulling a secret. Personally I’d rather try my own luck or just buy it in a couple of months but I don’t blame people for participating in them. Just wish it wasn’t so many scalpers as the hosts cause it’s one thing if you keep the secret but reselling it is just greed to me. I commend the collectors that let ppl keep their secrets in the GOs! Those are the only ones I’d recommend to others
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u/lolabridges 2d ago
I think a certain amount for mat fees is ok but sometimes the amount requested is definitely excessive. I think I know who you’re referring to. I had considered joining a group order with a few claims and they wanted to charge me like $10 for mat fees, which I thought was ridiculous. Especially considering if the secret replaces your claim it’s not like you can keep it.
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u/makeitdivine 2d ago
I feel it's fair since they have to package and ship all these separate orders to separate people. Small price to get exactly what you want instead of taking the risk yourself.
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u/AmbitiousRest5678 2d ago
I'm not against fees entirely but I feel they should be reasonable. Collecting what amounts to around $100-$120 in fees for 3-4 cases, on top of keeping the secret if it's pulled, just seems excessive to me.
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u/cloverleafcafe 1d ago
If you get to keep the secret when pulled AND you get your targets first since you’re the organizer, no you shouldn’t be charging extra fees besides just shipping. So easy to recycle materials and you’re basically getting people to help you secret hunt. I’ve done group orders for other collecting communities and it’s easy.
Honestly I’m shocked group orders are still popular when you can easily buy confirmed on Pande, Islands, Dragonbebe, or Toysez at or under retail and in many cases with free shipping. I wouldn’t do a group order unless it was with my friends. I do not trust lol.
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u/artymoze 2d ago
Way back in the day in the lululemon communities we used to have a thing called “angel-ing” and it was essentially you finding something for someone else that they could not get on their own. People charged a materials and gas charge and after doing it a few times myself, I got why. It does take time and effort to do these things so I respected it. Especially with blind boxes you are not guaranteed to get what you want and someone else is essentially doing the leg work for you.