Originally Posted by concordian (Post 36819173)

I used to buy for Buyers for points but their payments are very slow(last payment took 4+ months) and I stopped doing Business with them last August after requesting last check. It took them forerver to send the check after multiple reminders.

Originally Posted by Jane316 (Post 36827147)

POINTSMAKER stiffed me by taking my money and items received first week of December 2024 and not posting as received until end of December to intentionally stall payouts. I requested money the end of the 3rd week of December 2024 when he posted items as received an he has not paid me out now nearly a month later. He owes me thousands of dollars. Hopefully he won't run flee the country without paying.

Originally Posted by concordian (Post 36819173)

I used to buy for Buyers for points but their payments are very slow(last payment took 4+ months) and I stopped doing Business with them last August after requesting last check. It took them forerver to send the check after multiple reminders.

Originally Posted by SailorJoe (Post 36889829)

Hey all. I've never used a BG before, and with all the DPs for lost packages, I'm still pretty nervous about it. However, I've got a lot of $$$ in Amazon GCs and it seems like BGs are the best way I have to turn that into cash short of selling them at a very deep discount.

So, I'm thinking about trying it out. I saw all the DPs that say Amazon will not allow a purchase with GC if the shipping address is known BG. So, I was thinking of using my Prime benefits to have items shipped same day to my own house, then shipping them myself to the BG address. I could buy my own insurance on the packages this way when I ship (cost at USPS is about 1%) and even if this is less than break even, it's still a lot better than the 80% or so I could get selling the Amazon GCs outright.

This is all just brainstorming right now, half baked. Wanted to get opinions of those of you who do BGs a lot. Is this idea feasible? Would having my own insurance eliminate the risk of lost packages?

Originally Posted by Julie17 (Post 36891266)

I'd like to get into BGs, but any items shipped to my home incur 9.75% sales tax. Assume you factored in sales tax, or live in a low tax area?

Originally Posted by SailorJoe (Post 36889829)

Would having my own insurance eliminate the risk of lost packages?

Originally Posted by Julie17 (Post 36891266)

I'd like to get into BGs, but any items shipped to my home incur 9.75% sales tax. Assume you factored in sales tax, or live in a low tax area?

Originally Posted by diburning (Post 36893633)

No. Shipping insurance is just like any other insurance where they try to weasel out of paying out by trying to leverage every technicality they can find. On top of this, most if not all shipping insurance does not cover loss after a package is marked/scanned as delivered. All "lost package" disputes with Buying Groups involve packages marked as delivered, but the buying group claims they can't find it. Whether the buying group lost it or whether the courier stole it, or if they got stolen by an opportunistic thief, your insurance will not cover you.



If you ship directly to the buying groups, their shipping addresses are conveniently in Delaware, New Hampshire, or Oregon where there is no sales tax. If you order to you and then reship, then yes, it would incur sales tax. Sometimes (although they are getting more and more rare) deals are lucrative enough to where if you deal with enough volume, you may still come out ahead for very high demand items such as US Mint collector's coins, camera bundles, new gaming consoles, etc.

Originally Posted by SailorJoe (Post 36889829)

Hey all. I've never used a BG before, and with all the DPs for lost packages, I'm still pretty nervous about it. However, I've got a lot of $$$ in Amazon GCs and it seems like BGs are the best way I have to turn that into cash short of selling them at a very deep discount.

So, I'm thinking about trying it out. I saw all the DPs that say Amazon will not allow a purchase with GC if the shipping address is known BG. So, I was thinking of using my Prime benefits to have items shipped same day to my own house, then shipping them myself to the BG address. I could buy my own insurance on the packages this way when I ship (cost at USPS is about 1%) and even if this is less than break even, it's still a lot better than the 80% or so I could get selling the Amazon GCs outright.

This is all just brainstorming right now, half baked. Wanted to get opinions of those of you who do BGs a lot. Is this idea feasible? Would having my own insurance eliminate the risk of lost packages?

Originally Posted by LukFilm (Post 36903176)

That Amazon GC thing is not true. I've shipped orders paid for with a gift card to a BG with no problem for years. I'm using PointsMaker and right now they have a deal for iPad where you lose $7 with each order but if you need to liquidate ASAP that's one option. Or wait for a break-even deal.

Originally Posted by LukFilm (Post 36903176)

That Amazon GC thing is not true. I've shipped orders paid for with a gift card to a BG with no problem for years. I'm using PointsMaker and right now they have a deal for iPad where you lose $7 with each order but if you need to liquidate ASAP that's one option. Or wait for a break-even deal.

Originally Posted by SailorJoe (Post 36903584)

Interesting. Do you use a P2 account, or do you purchase through your own personal Amazon account? I've had prime with them for many years now, and wondering if (a) my long relationship with them would help and/or (b) I'd be putting my account at risk of a shutdown I don't want.

I'm curious to try and figure out why you're getting away with it when qburke and LoungeLass had the experiences they reported above.