In short
- A group buy has a target and a deadline. You join on a partner's own site, and the group fills until it reaches the target or the deadline passes. Group buying is a pilot: what is offered, and where, can change.
- Your payment stays locked on the Stellar network until the buyer's claim opens or it is released to the organiser. The claim opens at least three days after the deadline, and months later when the seller declared a long delivery period.
- The partner runs its own site, with Kudu's group-buy engine behind it. Kudu does not sell the goods and does not ship them.
- The Kudu app lists your group buys and links back to the partner's site. You cannot create or join one inside Kudu.
The idea
Some suppliers sell only above a minimum order. One buyer alone may not reach it. A group buy lets several buyers reach it together: the group has a target amount to collect, and a deadline.
Who does what
- The partner runs its own site and presents the goods.
- Kudu's group-buy engine runs behind the partner's site. Kudu's app shows you the group buys you joined, and links back to the partner's site.
- You join and buy on the partner's site.
- The organiser runs the group buy: sets its target and deadline, and receives the payment when it is released.
- The Stellar network holds each payment as a claimable balance.
Kudu does not sell the goods and does not ship them. The seller is responsible for delivery. The seller is the company or person that sells the goods on the partner's site.
A buyer's path
- Join on the partner's site. You choose what you want to buy and the quantity.
- Your payment is locked on the Stellar network. It stays locked until the buyer's claim opens or it is released to the organiser.
- The group fills. The Kudu app shows the progress as a bar, with either an amount collected out of the target or the number of members out of the target, and the time left.
- The target is reached, or the deadline passes. If the target is reached, the organiser can go ahead with the order. If the deadline passes without it, each buyer can claim their payment back. The claim opens at least three days after the deadline, and months later when the seller declared a long delivery period. Until then the payment stays locked.
- The goods are delivered, and delivery is confirmed. A waiting period follows. The payment can then be released to the organiser.
Camille R. is a buyer in Lyon. A group of 15 buyers needs to reach a supplier's minimum order before a set deadline. Camille joins on the partner's site and pays for 4 bottles of olive oil: 120 USDC. In her Kudu app, the group buy shows as "Forming", with 9 of 15 members and the days left. Her stake of 120 USDC is listed with it.
What the Kudu app shows
For each group buy you joined, the app shows its name and the partner it comes from, a status such as Forming or Completed, a progress bar, your stake in USDC and in your display currency, the date you joined, and the time left. A row opens the partner's site. The app has no screen to create, join or manage a group buy: that happens on the partner's site.
The deadline rule
Each group-buy payment is a claimable balance, a feature of the Stellar network. It is not a smart contract. Only the accounts named in a claimable balance can collect it, each only at the time set for it. The payment stays locked until the buyer's claim opens or it is released to the organiser. The claim opens at least three days after the deadline, and months later when the seller declared a long delivery period. The Kudu app lists your group buys and has no screen for this claim. Before you join, ask the partner or the organiser how to claim your payment back.
Pickup points
Mondial Relay and Colissimo have pickup points in France. Where a partner offers it, a group-buy order can be delivered to one of them. The seller arranges delivery with the carrier.
What Kudu does not do
Kudu does not sell the goods. Kudu does not ship them. The partner and the organiser set the price, the target and the deadline of a group buy.
Questions
Can I start a group buy in Kudu?
No. Kudu's app lists the group buys you joined, and links to the partner's site. The group buy itself runs on the partner's site.
What if the target is not reached?
When the deadline passes without it, each buyer can claim their payment back. The claim opens at least three days after the deadline, and months later when the seller declared a long delivery period.
Who delivers?
The seller is responsible for delivery. The seller is the company or person that sells the goods on the partner's site. Kudu does not ship the goods.
Where do I see the group buys I joined?
In the Kudu app. When you join one through a partner, it appears in your list.
What Kudu does for you here
- It lists your group buys with their status, progress and your stake.
- It links each row to the partner's site.
