(Ecns.cn)--Recently, many of China's group buying fans have been struck by scalpers, who were sold fake or out-of-date coupons.
Ms Guo in Beijing was a recent victim. She bought two hot pot coupons on Taobao.com several days ago, only to find these coupons had already been used when she went to the restaurant.
Though the seller eventually re-sent her two new coupons, Guo was still annoyed at the interruption of a would-be pleasant dinner.
"When I told the seller what happened, the seller said he made a mistake and later sent me two new ones. Though the problem was finally solved, it took me about two hours and messed up my dinner," complained Guo.
Experts pointed out that since goods on the group buying websites can only be purchased during limited periods, many consumers cannot catch the opportunities. As a result, the scalpers arise, who rush to purchase various coupons and resell them for a higher price after they are off sale on the websites.
"I pay attention to the new arrivals on the group buying websites every day and snap up as many good ones as possible and then sell them when they are off sale. The business is going pretty well," revealed a seller.
Another seller said that he also took advantage of the rebate promotions, as some group-buying websites will rebate each consumer 5-10 yuan if he/she invites one friend to buy goods on their websites. "I registered several accounts and got rebates by inviting each other. In this way, the actual cost will be lower even than the discount price."
The resale, though it meets consumers' needs sometimes, are quite risky, warned experts. "The scalpers can sell the same coupon to more than one buyer. The consumers should be cautious since they can only verify the coupons when they go to the store itself."
