Going in on a Group Gift is Finally Stress Free

By Marni Elyse Katz
December 13, 2010

I'm always up for chipping in on group gifts. (It means someone I care about will score a more substantial present, and quality over quantity has never been as relevant, with consumers like me concerned with both fiscal and environmental responsibility.) But just don't make me be the one to organize it. Finding the right present, getting buy-in from everyone, not to mention hounding people for their money—it's a headache I haven't usually been willing to take on. Until now.

eBay recently launched a new social commerce tool called Group Gifts, which is especially beneficial for the person tasked with collecting the cash (not to mention the recipient).

It's a simple process; ingenious really. The group gift organizer, let's say it's me, finds a gift on eBay using a gift guide based on the recipient's gender and the occasion. Once you find the perfect gift, you input the dollar amount you're contributing and the total number of participants who plan to chip in. Then you fill in your PayPal account info, and the contribution deadline. There's even an e-card for everyone to sign. Finally, you invite the gift giving participants either through Facebook or email. (Participants are allowed to invite others too.) Fellow gift-givers can contribute money via PayPal or with a credit or debit card. In addition to the emails you send, you can post the present pick with a link on Facebook, or Twitter, inviting others to pitch in. The money each person contributes is confidential to all but the eBay group gift organizer.

Introducing eBay Group Gifts (provided by YouTube)

Let's run through a typical example: As a class parent of your preschooler's classroom, you're in charge of buying the teacher's end-of-year present to show everyone's gratitude and appreciation. You go the group gifts site, enter in the teacher's name and choose the occasion (Christmas). Presented with categories include "Lady Gadget," "Eco-Minded," "Health Nut" and more, you choose "Fashionista" (how that woman chases after nursery schoolers in sky high stilettos, you'll never know). Browsing through handbags, shoes, sunglasses and more, you find a David Yurman sterling and gold heart charm bracelet for $595 (free shipping!). You fill in your share of $75 (the class parent always spends more, it's just the way it is), and the number of gift giving participants, in this case, 15, and email everyone a single note. (Be sure to check the box allowing participants to invite others, in case the person you emailed would like to send it to a spouse to take care of it.) You'll receive updates when parents make contributions, and can send out reminders too. If the personalized gift is not fully funded by the contribution deadline, you can make a larger payment and bug people for money at school drop-off (the old-fashioned way) or extend the deadline. If need be, you can swap out the gift for another (in this case, less expensive) option, or cancel it and issue refunds. (Hopefully that won't be necessary, as that teacher has the patience of a saint.)

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