Websites Let Users Resell Group Buying Deals
CHICAGO (CBS) - Group buying sites like Groupon are more popular than ever. They offer incredible deals for everything from restaurants to spas.
However, sometimes those impulse buys leave people with salsa lessons they'll never use. CBS 2's Susan Carlson found a solution for those people that could lead to even deeper discounts for daily deal fanatics.
Kelly Chronley and Abigail Vallicelli love daily deals.
"It helps me enjoy life on a limited budget," Chronley said.
"I probably buy about two a month," Vallicelli said.
Each recently snagged one they couldn't live without. Chronley bought a Groupon for a yoga studio in the area, and Vallicelli bought a Groupon to a restaurant.
Then they wound up with the same problem.
"I was just too busy to use it," Chronley said.
"It was becoming just too hard to fit into the schedule," Vallicelli said.
It's estimated that 20 to 40-percent of daily deals bought on sites like Groupon, Living Social, and Buy With Me are never used.
"You're out the money on day one," said Kris Petersen, founder of DealsGoRound.
Petersen never got around to enjoying a $160 segway tour of Chicago, so he created the resale website called DealsGoRound.
It's a place where people can sell their unused daily deals, and buyers get another shot at a great deal they may have missed.
"We have roughly 10,000 unique visitors a week on our site," Petersen said.
Over the past year, similar sites have sprung up including Lifesta and CoupRecoup.
Most people sell their deals for the same price they paid.
However, some charge more than the original offer, often to cover transaction fees on the sites.
For instance, CBS 2 recently found someone selling a $7 Groupon for $15 dollars worth of food at Jefferson Tap and Grille in the West Loop for $10.
But, buyers can also find a steal, like a $350 keratin smoothing treatment at Trio Salon in Streeterville for $100. The Groupon price was $175.
Other bargains CBS 2 found:
An $80 manicure/pedicure at Chic Nail Bar and Spa that originally sold for $30, selling for $5 less.
A $220 hot stone massage at Spellbound Body Work originally priced at $55, now $10 cheaper.
And, four one-hour tennis lessons worth $106 were being sold for $20. That is more than half-off the original Groupon price of $41.
Chronley sold her unused daily deal within a week. It took Vallicelli just a day.
