apologies in advance if this info isn't helpful...
when i organize group buys on forums etc, what i do is have people fill out a google form (no google account needed).
i collect all the participants' contact and shipping info, product selection, etc. then at the end, i optionally direct them to paypal or whatever.
one thing that's nice about using a form is data validation. if they don't enter something that looks like a valid zip code for example or don't read the directions, errors in data entry can be automatically caught. with strong validation, you can mostly "idiot proof" the data collection process for people who don't read.
optional feature: they can also update their info later via a link that gets emailed to them. say if their shipping address changes. there is also flow logic where the downstream form options change depending on options they pick earlier. say USA vs EU participants may get some different questions. easy to do that.
i have this form info automatically go into google sheets (their web-based version of excel). makes it easy to grab lists for sending emails, drawing raffles if demand exceeds supply, financial accounting, and so on.
for accounting, i manually import CSV from paypal usually. then i key the transactions to the form data via the email address column and do a pivot table for insights. even if there are multiple transactions for some users, it makes it easy to see that everyone's at zero-balance at the end of the event.
when it comes time to ship to participants, it's possible to export the shipping info and put that into your shipping service of choice. in my case, i buy discounted (commercial base rate) USPS shipping labels online and don't have to manually enter the addresses. i just buy and print them in a batch.
if the organizers are curious, i can share past example(s) for consideration in a future event. i think this kind of approach makes organization a lot easier.
when i organize group buys on forums etc, what i do is have people fill out a google form (no google account needed).
i collect all the participants' contact and shipping info, product selection, etc. then at the end, i optionally direct them to paypal or whatever.
one thing that's nice about using a form is data validation. if they don't enter something that looks like a valid zip code for example or don't read the directions, errors in data entry can be automatically caught. with strong validation, you can mostly "idiot proof" the data collection process for people who don't read.
optional feature: they can also update their info later via a link that gets emailed to them. say if their shipping address changes. there is also flow logic where the downstream form options change depending on options they pick earlier. say USA vs EU participants may get some different questions. easy to do that.i have this form info automatically go into google sheets (their web-based version of excel). makes it easy to grab lists for sending emails, drawing raffles if demand exceeds supply, financial accounting, and so on.
for accounting, i manually import CSV from paypal usually. then i key the transactions to the form data via the email address column and do a pivot table for insights. even if there are multiple transactions for some users, it makes it easy to see that everyone's at zero-balance at the end of the event.
when it comes time to ship to participants, it's possible to export the shipping info and put that into your shipping service of choice. in my case, i buy discounted (commercial base rate) USPS shipping labels online and don't have to manually enter the addresses. i just buy and print them in a batch.
if the organizers are curious, i can share past example(s) for consideration in a future event. i think this kind of approach makes organization a lot easier.
Last edited:
