I just want to be sure that I understand what it is. One person "hosts" the co-op effectivley becoming the middle man right? Then the hostes fee paid is to cover any costs incurred by the host in the planning of the co-op. The purpose is to buy in bulk then pass those savings on right? I have seen these on a few websites, but most of them have qualifications to meet even before I could find out what they were. They sound like a great idea, but what about those of us who are only soaping for a few people?
Question about Co-ops...
- Thread starter pjb31apb
- Start date
Help Support Soapmaking Forum:
pjb31apb said:
You pretty much have it right. But coops are also great when you want that price break for buying larger quantities but can't buy or don't need to buy that amount. If a company's minimum is 25lb of something, you can still buy a smaller amount, and others will buy some to get to that 25lb minimum. The hostess will break these larger amounts down, repackage in the individual amounts ordered by the coop participants, and ship to you. So you can still buy smaller amounts and take advantage of that large quantity price break.
Be careful though because not all coops will save you money and can take some time to get your stuff. I've seen coops where it actually cost you more than if you bought directly from the supplier. I've also seen coops where the hostess collects the money, and then disappears. Know who you are entering into a coop with, check prices and make sure you are not in dire need of that item.
Similar threads
