# Massdrop



## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Anybody used this site?

It basically organizes group buys for internet communities. Car/motorbike forums commonly organized group buys for the cult favourite brands that are usually hard to get locally (big box stores typically sell high margin items not the good stuff, and the niche store with the good stuff charge a fortune because there's no local competition etc) Before this was organized by forum members but I'm sure it was a lot of work/headache for that person before Massdrop existed

Take headphones as an example. The typical consumer would think Beats by Dr Dre. Yet some quick internet research finds they are basically the laughing stock of audio fanatics. You can basically buy professional studio quality Sennheisers or Beyerdynamics for less they just don't spend a fortune on marketing like Bose and Dr Dre Beats do. Massdrop sells xx models of the cult favourite headphones for extremely good value compared to Beats

I signed up for Massdrop awhile ago because I wanted a specific item that was only available at reasonable price there. I've since realized they have some great deals generally on niche items that are popular online rather than by marketing hype. The downside is you wait a long time for shipping, and Massdrop made items may be different quality etc. The items I ordered anyways are confirmed genuine from the company and were great value

Like anything, not everything on Massdrop is a great deal. Some things I noticed are available nearly the same price on amazon with quicker shipping etc


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Also if you're invested in retail I would strongly consider what is happening here

I try to buy most of my major purchases direct from the company now online. I find I get far better customer support this way and I've even discovered that some high end brands have a special login and customer support for professional customers (we sell their products by using them, far better than any ad..) Some new companies won't even sell to distributors anymore, because they know people can just find them with google and this cuts out the middle men who add little but costs and a clueless young salesperson to the mix.

With amazon, aliexpress, massdrop group buys, direct sales.. who is shopping retail anymore? Teens and seniors?


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

Interesting, had not heard of them. 
I couldn't really find out much about the site without logging in unfortunately.
Seems like they may have some work to do on customer satisfaction although I know nothing about this review site, and realize 55 reviews is practically nothing.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

That's too bad. I like the concept of group orders and see efficiencies especially for small companies and niche products

I never heard of trustpilot though so I searched some of my favourite companies and the reviews did not jive with communities that I know well. I did a quick search of trustpilot and found this on wikipedia with the original sources there



> Independent investigations have revealed that review websites such as Trustpilot have fake reviews on an almost industrial scale. There is controversy about the legitimacy of some of Trustpilot's and other consumer review websites' reviews and the way that it deals with complaints about them, although Trustpilot insists that it strives to only include genuine reviews. The firm allows businesses to selectively display reviews about them, which may violate certain laws or regulations. Trustpilot featured fake reviews for Bizzyloans, one of which depicted a picture of a woman who had died. The fake reviewers often steal the identities of real people to falsely build up reviewed companies' reputations. Most of Trustpilot's Bizzyloans reviews were fake, but Trustpilot deleted them after they were brought to light by KwikChex, an online investigations company. Trustpilot denies that it permits any known fraudulent reviews on its site.On 14 September 2017, Trustpilot issued an open letter clarifying its review policy following allegations concerning the 'validity of reviews of online estate agent, Purplebricks, by customers'.
> 
> Trustpilot's Facebook plugin for "Pro" and "Enterprise" customers (*costing upwards of $549 per month*) allows a business to show selected Trustpilot reviews embedded within the business's Facebook page. The plugin supports filtering reviews to show only those with a minimum star rating, yet no indication is given to Facebook users that the reviews they are reading are filtered. This allows the business to censor their negative reviews since they are more difficult to find (being visible solely on the Trustpilot website) than the positive ones (visible on the Trustpilot website and the Facebook page). *Businesses using Trustpilot's free tools do not have access to the Facebook plugin** so are therefore unable to benefit from the review censorship that being a paying Trustpilot customer facilitates.*


My take away from that is that massdrop maybe hasn't paid the trustpilot "fees" to be able to censor what reviews they display? I don't claim to be that familiar with trustpilot or massdrop myself to say what exactly is going on here

The typical complaints I've seen in the online communities I follow is shipping delays (understandable imo) and that "massdrop made" items are not always the exact same as the original item (which is pretty obvious imo)


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## OnlyMyOpinion (Sep 1, 2013)

OK, thanks for that followup. I hadn't taken that extra steps of looking into trustpilot. One does have to be leery of reviews, even at valid sites where those with complaints tend to show up, and satisfied customers less so.
I wasn't trying to dis massdrop. I like group/member/co-op models for purchasing power. Should maybe suggest it for a national pharmacare program :subdued:


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

I just hate any site that won't let you see their wares without creating an account. Such a strange business practice. I also don't shop at wish.com for the same reason.


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## Beaver101 (Nov 14, 2011)

m3s said:


> Also if you're invested in retail I would strongly consider what is happening here
> 
> I try to buy most of my major purchases direct from the company now online. I find I get far better customer support this way and I've even discovered that some high end brands have a special login and customer support for professional customers (we sell their products by using them, far better than any ad..) Some new companies won't even sell to distributors anymore, because they know people can just find them with google and this cuts out the middle men who add little but costs and a clueless young salesperson to the mix.
> 
> With amazon, aliexpress, massdrop group buys, direct sales.. *who is shopping retail anymore? Teens and seniors?*


 ... doesn't appear to be .. more like millenials and/or GENX who are trying to be "frugal" with online shopping, not retail. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

m3s said:


> Anybody used this site?
> 
> It basically organizes group buys for internet communities. Car/motorbike forums commonly organized group buys for the cult favourite brands that are usually hard to get locally (big box stores typically sell high margin items not the good stuff, and the niche store with the good stuff charge a fortune because there's no local competition etc) Before this was organized by forum members but I'm sure it was a lot of work/headache for that person before Massdrop existed
> 
> ...


I've considered it, but I have usually found the value proposition lacking. I could usually buy an equivalent item on amazon or local shops at lower cost and low/no wait. It's probably more compelling for Americans or those with more niche hobbies/interests.


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## GeoNomad (Aug 24, 2017)

m3s said:


> Anybody used this site?


I have used it and got a great deal on a niche market product (saved about 30%). 

No problems with the transaction or receiving the goods shipped directly from Hong Kong in this case.

So I was happy.

I get their emails and occasionally check on items that interest me. Often items are available for less on Amazon, Banggood, Aliexpress, etc. But it is worth monitoring because the price can drop if a lot of punters come on board. That tends to happen when a forum discussion rounds up a bunch of customers waiting for a good deal.

If you aren't in a hurry, Black Friday is coming...


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

Yea this is pretty much what I have found as well

Niche products with a strong internet community praise can be great deals and great products. I notice some of these internet communities have a lot of fanatics who "collect" so many of the same item and come to general consensus on the top models. Me I just want 1 high quality/value item that will last a long time and find these discussions will researching.

The majority of mass produced products are not much cheaper than regular amazon prices and take longer to ship



Spudd said:


> I just hate any site that won't let you see their wares without creating an account. Such a strange business practice. I also don't shop at wish.com for the same reason.


This is probably because retail stores are all in cahoots especially the nowadays with "price matching" The big box stores seem to make legal contracts that don't allow others to list publicly lower prices..

It takes an email account (free) and minimal effort (few clicks) to sign up if you want to see the "exclusive" prices


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