B
bigtom
New member
Stop It!!!!.................My head hurts
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WhiteStrat
Don't stare at the eye.
100. Realistically, it's not likely to be an issue.
We currently have 26.77% of orders paid.
The 73 is at 165 paid, so it is safe.
The 81 is at 91 paid.
The 84 is at 75 paid.
We can assume that additional orders will probably increase these numbers proportionally. As a quick check, 26.77% of the values would be 143, 100, and 80. So we're pretty much in the ballpark on all three, with the 73 a bit overly represented in the current set of purchases and the others slightly underrepresented.
So based on that, the 81 will be paid up after another 16 people pay, and the 84 will be paid up after another 48 people pay, give or take. That's 4% and 11% of the people who haven't paid. I'd be amazed if 89% of the people who haven't paid yet bail.
Of course, these are only approximate, but....
Dude, you make numbers almost sexy...
Almost!
Zetajazz44
New member
Payment Gateway Maintenance
Hi All:
Just wanted to let you know that on May 13, 2008 at 1:00am EDT, the provider of the payment gateway will be performing scheduled maintenance.
If you attempt payment during these times, you may get an error.
Thanks,
Randy
Zetajazz44
Hi All:
Just wanted to let you know that on May 13, 2008 at 1:00am EDT, the provider of the payment gateway will be performing scheduled maintenance.
If you attempt payment during these times, you may get an error.
Thanks,
Randy
Zetajazz44
Zetajazz44
New member
Group Buy Chat
Hi All:
I installed a simple, free chat client on the Group Buy site... Just thought that it might come in handy from time to time... Feel free to drop in.
Here's the link to it: Go to Group Buy Chat
Thanks,
Randy
Zetajazz44
Hi All:
I installed a simple, free chat client on the Group Buy site... Just thought that it might come in handy from time to time... Feel free to drop in.
Here's the link to it: Go to Group Buy Chat
Thanks,
Randy
Zetajazz44
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
Dude, you make numbers almost sexy...
Almost!
Heh. Well, when I was in high school, I once spent a few minutes teaching a bit of the basics of calculus to an 8th grader. She followed it pretty well. And I once taught computer programming (in BASIC) to a girl in about three hours sufficient for her to place in the local science olympiad (I don't remember which place). Guess I'm just good at making this stuff seem palatable.
Of course, when it gets into trig, that's when people start to run away in terror. Nobody can make trig fun.
B
build
New member
Is there no paypal to pay for the mics? Curious as to why when you take paypal for donations but not for purchases? I only use paypal for online purchases so I'll be covered if there's a problem. Thanks, please let me know.
W
wreckd504
New member
ummm...you must have missed the "paypal saga"
go back about maybe 100 or so posts and read forward from there
go back about maybe 100 or so posts and read forward from there
Zetajazz44
New member
Nope.. No PayPal for purchases. Some of the guys here asked if they could make donations to me directly, since I build and maintain the Group Buy User Console and Registration portal... I put that PayPal donation page up, it's mine, personal. This group buy is not "mine"... It belongs to all of us, and PayPal chooses not to process the funds for this group buy...mostly because some clown complained that he didn't receive a receipt after he made payment... Please back up about 100 pages in this thread and read up until this page and you will get a clear picture of how all of this works...and why we're not using PayPal... You need to read at least this much anyways, if you are considering joining this group buy, in order to educate yourself on how it works, how long it takes...etc, so that there is no misunderstanding down the road.
If you are paying with a credit card, you're covered anyways... PayPal doesn't "cover" anyone... They just extend the "guarantee" that MasterCard and Visa already have available.
Speaking of all of this type of stuff. BE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND that before you enter into this group buy, that this has a long term turn-around... Possibly 4 months. This is the 4th group buy of this kind here, and all have went smoothly in the past... You can get good gear, cheap...the trade-off is the lenghy time of turn-around. Again, please back up about 100 pages in this thread and read up until this page and you will get a clear picture of how all of this works...and why we're not using PayPal...
And after reading this thread from 100 pages back, you still think you're covered by PayPal, enjoy this reading: Good Reading
Randy
Zetajazz44
Last edited:
zbert
In the swamps of Jersey
OK, I'm paid up. Let's rock!
G
Gilliland
New member
I think that this would be a good time for me to post my usual warning to the new folks. (I've done this with each of the group buys so far.) So here it is:
Every participant in this process should treat this project as a gamble. There is risk here, and YOU are the one taking it. Don't put more money into this purchase than you can afford to lose.
Frankly, I think it's a pretty good risk. Chance has already proven himself to be an upstanding, trustworthy, and generous individual in past group buys. Nonetheless, he could get hit by a bus next month. Randy is newer to this process. I think the odds are very, VERY good that he is just as trustworthy as Chance, but we don't have any history with him. It's possible (though extremely unlikely) that he'll take all of this money and vanish to the Cayman Islands. <g>
(Chance and Randy, I'm not picking on you. I have complete trust in you, and from my perspective, you've earned that trust. I'm just trying to make sure that the new folks here clearly understand that the risks are their own.)
When you buy something from an established vendor in your own country, there are laws governing that trade that protect you. The vendor takes on most of the risk. In return, the vendor makes a profit.
But there is no profit to Chance or Randy in this process. So, clearly, the risk falls to the purchaser. If you get a defective product, I'm sure that Chance and the manufacturer will try to resolve it. Nonetheless, the risk is yours.
If the manufacturer takes our money and then goes out of business, guess what? We all lose. Neither Chance nor Randy are going to go to China, hire a law firm, and spend months pursuing a refund. Is this likely? No, not at all. But it's possible.
Bottom line: Don't be afraid to participate in this purchase, but don't put your life savings into it either. Don't commit more than you can afford to lose. You'll probably be well rewarded for your investment and your patience. But if for some reason it doesn't work out the way we've planned, be prepared to write off the loss.
So far, we've had several very successful group buys. I'm very happy with both the process and the products. But I still realize that there is a risk involved, and that the risk is mine.
P
P. Glaser
New member
apl
Stand Up Comity
Or maybe he could steal the money and buy a bunch of Chinese mics and split them with us.
R
rimmic
New member
All right, i´ve just paid for my order so Chance or Randy can leave with my money to Cayman!!!
Zetajazz44
New member
VERY WELL SAID!
This is why I posted earlier about "know what you are getting into before you get into it, then start to complain..."
Again, very well said...
Thanks!
Randy
C
chance
Well-known member
I second that. "Tomorrow is promised to no man" and I never know when my Maker will call me home. I will be taking measures on this subject with Randy and Terry
Zetajazz44
New member
I appreciate any trust that any of you have in me, but there is something that I want you know as well so that there is no confusion:
I only built the software that "manages" the group buy products and connects to the payment gateway for payment processing. I never have access to any funds that get paid... I can't even see your credit card numbers or banking information...frankly, don't want to... When you pay, that money is deposited directly into a bank account that Chance has purposely set up for this group buy. I don't have access to this account, and again, don't want access to it. Being the administrator of the system (User Console and Payment Gateway), I can see the funds as they come through, and see who's paid and who's not paid, and can help out should you have any troubles with the payment process or the User Console in general.
Other than this, I'm just "one of you in this group buy"... That's it.
This is how that I became involved to the point of where I am now:
I participated in the first group buy, and have "watched" the others up until now, but really didn't need any gear, so didn't buy... I've seen the tremendous amount of effort and work that is involved by Chance to make all of this happen, trying to manage it entirely by email. At the time that this group buy started, I was an "out of work software/web developer" with some time on my hands and offered to help Chance to building a system to help manage this for him...basically a compile a central location for "all things group buy"...thus was born the registration page and User Console... I also built an ADMIN section to all of this, where Chance can log in and manage all the participants, products, prices, news...etc.
I've enjoyed doing all of this, and have made many new friends during this process... I've also learned a lot of new things, especially during the PayPal fiasco...this was one aspect of this entire "project" that I didn't particularly enjoy, nor do I want to travel that path again... This is why that I stressed in an earlier post "Know what you are getting into with this group buy before you join"... Just don't want any whiners, that didn't want to read this thread and get a good understanding of how all of this works, to start complaining later about "it's been a month and still don't have my gear!!"... I also put a statement/Terms & Conditions on the checkout page, which you must agree to before paying for your products along these same lines...
Here is that statement, for anyone who's not joined yet, or hasn't read it yet:
By clicking/checking/selecting the checkbox below, you understand and agree to the following:
This group buy is being conducted by The Musician's Workshop. The items that you are now paying for, HAVE NOT YET BEEN MANUFACTURED. Making this payment insures manufacture of the items that you have selected. This payment DOES NOT include shipping of the items to your door. After these items have been manufactured and have arrived at The Musician's Workshop in Ontario, CA, shipping costs will then be calculated and you will be invoiced again for payment for shipping. The time frame of payment for items, shippment/arrival to The Musician's Workshop, from the factory, is an unknown, but has been estimated to be as long as four (4) months. Shipment from The Musician's Workshop to your door will add to the time from this payment until the products are delievered to your door. This process of a group buy is a long process whereby one can obtain recording gear at lower prices, with the trade-off being the lengthy wait time of arrival.
If you fully understand and agree to these terms & conditions of this group buy, please click/check/select the checkbox below. Otherwise, abort payment at this time by clicking the button at the bottom of this page labeled: "Return Home".
Thanks!
Randy
Zetajazz44
D
drBill
New member
I know I've said it before, but a big THANKS to Chance and Randy!!!! I've done some more reading and feel that my level of "risk" has reduced greatly with more knowledge and information. I'll be laying down some seriously large coin in the next day or so.
C
chance
Well-known member
Something I want to add. The last GB I thought was HUGE. I had no idea it could possibly get bigger. If I were to do it the way I did it before, I probably would have already collapsed by now. Randy seemed to have a 6th sense of what was needed and he brought a level of professionalism to this GB. It seems that if I just hint to him of something, he would reply "Oh I already built that" and I think to myself "huh". It's looking like I/(we) might just get my/our preamps for a live gig at the end of August. The manufacturer said around 10 weeks, because they are out-sourcing the xfrmrs.
dgatwood
is out. Leave a message.
Short answer: PayPal froze Chance's account when someone complained to them rather than to Chance or Randy for a minor problem (didn't receive an invoice). The person in question further claims to have never made the complaint in the first place, so there's some question about whether PayPal is lying through their teeth. Their story kept changing in a remarkably shifty fashion.
They've pulled this stunt with two group buys now (led by different people), so I've concluded that PayPal just plain can't be trusted and won't ever use their services as a seller again. Their buyer protection is pretty weak and limited. Their seller protection is nonexistent.
Oh, yeah, and because of the long lead time, the PayPal buyer protection period (45 days) will be long past before you get the mics. The last group buy was paid in July, IIRC, and we got the mics in November/December/January. Count on up to 6 months. PayPal would therefore offer you no protection at all. Also, because the payment is made in two parts (goods first, shipping after they arrive in the U.S. and are packaged up so the weight/size of the packages can be calculated), PayPal buyer protection wouldn't cover you even if they arrived in the first 45 days.
C
chance
Well-known member
I just had a PM from someone from Canada and thought I would create a question. In all the last group buys that I ship to Canada (even other places outside of the USA), How do you guys pay the duty? As far as I can see and track, the packages go from me directly to you.
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