There are many reasons that you might want to increase credit card spending. You may need to meet minimum spend requirements on new credit cards in order to earn big welcome offers. Perhaps you want to earn high-level elite status or other big spend bonuses, as Greg did with Delta. Maybe you simply want to get extra rewards using cards with big category bonuses, or rewards for everyday spend.
Merchandise and gift card buying groups can be very useful tools to increase your credit card spending capacity. Additionally, selling to buying groups serves as a small business, which allows access to the very attractive world of business credit cards for those who don’t already have them.
In this post, we’ll discuss what buying groups are, how they work, the benefits and risks of using them, and provide a non-exhaustive list of buying groups we’ve worked with. It has been updated to reflect changes in the landscape over the last couple of years, as well as additional opportunities that have gained in popularity.
What are Buying Groups?
Buying and selling 3rd-party gift cards and merchandise can be done directly via online marketplaces like eBay or through buyer groups that buy the products/card (or, more accurately, card numbers) directly from you and then resell them to another party. Discounted merchandise and gift cards often have individual or household limits that prevent one person from buying more than a few at a time. Buying groups get around that limitation by harnessing the purchasing power of large groups of people, enabling them to buy large quantities of discounted items (that they then resell).
The rates you get from buying groups will rarely be as good as reselling directly, but it’s much less hassle and carries a lower risk of selling to a flaky buyer. Buyer’s groups will also find deals and present them to you, rather than you having to search them out directly and know the current resale rates.
That said, it requires a fair bit of trust, as you are sending merchandise/gift cards to the group’s warehouse before getting paid, and you’re covering the purchase cost for some period of time (usually 2-3 weeks) before getting the money back. While relatively low, there’s always some risk of non-payment when selling directly through an online marketplace or to buying clubs. It only takes a few non-payments or lost shipments to erase significant profit.
Manufacturing spend through selling to buying groups can be a bit of a grind, but it can also be very rewarding. In some cases, people have started reselling to generate credit card spend but eventually found it’s a good way to earn money overall. Some have even created their own group. That said, it does take effort and organization to be successful. So, let’s dive into how buying groups work in a little more detail.
How do Buying Groups work?
Below is the general workflow for selling to buying groups. Because gift card buyers usually don’t require a physical card shipment, all of the shipping/tracking/receiving steps primarily apply to merchandise.
- Sign Up – All buying groups require that you open an account with them. This will usually involve name, e-mail, phone number, payment details, etc. Most of the groups listed in this post are open to anyone, but a couple will need to approve you, and that process may include a short interview to assess your experience and ensure their group is a good fit.
- Watch for deals – Once you’re signed up, you’ll keep an eye out for deals on whatever cards/products the buying group is purchasing. Each group has its own preferred method for disseminating deal opportunities. The most common are email, WhatsApp, and Telegram (though some use Slack, Discord, or other chat platforms).
- Commit to purchase – Almost all buying groups require you to commit to an item before you buy or send it. This is primarily to avoid over- or underbuying and to have a fairly precise estimate of the quantity they expect to receive. Groups vary in how you commit. Those with websites usually have a button that you can click; others will use Google Forms, shared spreadsheets, or even direct messaging. You can almost always modify your commitment if you aren’t able to purchase an item.
- Ship item to buying group – Every buying group has one or more delivery addresses, primarily in sales tax-exempt states. Some will also accept drop-offs for local clients. The most common shipping method is “drop-ship,” which means you have the retailer ship directly to the receiving address (thus avoiding sales tax). However, some retailers require you to ship an item to your home for the order to be fulfilled. In those cases, the buying group will usually send you a prepaid shipping label once you receive the item. It’s good practice to include your buying group ID number in the shipping address; some groups require it. All gift card buyers have some method of online submission (website, Google Form, spreadsheet, etc.).
- Tracking – When the items ship, the retailer will provide a tracking number. Almost all groups want you to pair that tracking number with your commitment, either by using a tab in your online account or by using a spreadsheet/Google Form. This makes receiving more efficient on their end and provides a second way to attach that item to you. It’s usually not the end of the world if you forget to add the tracking number, but repeatedly forgetting to do so can result in an account suspension, simply because it creates more work for them. No one wants anything to get lost.
- Receiving – The buyer’s group will check in the item upon arrival at their warehouse. Some groups will email/message you to let you know it’s arrived; for others, you’ll need to check yourself. How quickly an item is checked in after receipt varies by group. It tends to be slower during busy times, such as the holidays or Prime Day, and faster during slower periods with fewer deals. On average, it will usually take 3-5 days. After check-in, that purchase price will be added to your account as payable cash.
- Payment – Buying groups vary in how they handle payments. Many merchandise clubs will require you to manually request an ACH payment or an e-check. GC buyers will usually specify the payment speed in the deal and then make an ACH transfer on that date. Others have a set day when they send out payments each week, and you’ll be able to see in advance how much you’ll be paid when that date arrives.
Tips for using Buying Groups
- Start small, with known groups that have references.
- Organization is very important. Make sure you can keep track of the necessary cards, numbers, payout amounts, shipments, etc. Don’t let your buying outpace your organizational ability.
- Diversify. Use a few different groups so you can comparison-shop for the best rates and avoid having any one group owe you a large amount of money.
- Be very careful about the rate you sell to buyer’s clubs at. Many of them do a fair amount of below-cost deals, when they pay you less than you are paying for the merchandise. Be sure the rewards you’re earning justify the time and money you’re spending to participate in below-cost deals.
- If shipping merchandise to your home, factor in taxes and any shipping costs when assessing the deal’s profitability.
- If shipping directly to a group (drop-shipping), be aware that many large retailers block addresses for common buyer groups and will auto-cancel orders placed to those addresses. Sometimes this can be remedied by “jigging” their address (adding additional characters, spaces, etc), but sometimes it’s necessary to ship to your own address to get the order through. In those cases, additional shipping costs will usually be incurred.
- Many stores block the ability to buy 3rd party gift cards with Visa/MC gift cards. It’s easiest for both GC and merchandise to pay using credit cards.
Risks of Using Buying Groups
- Risk of non-payment is real, both in merchandise and gift card buying groups. Like all companies, buying groups sometimes go out of business. In those cases, there are often customers left holding the bag. In one of the most notorious cases, a gift card group went out of business, and one unfortunate gal was owed over $100K. This is one of the reasons why it's wise to diversify as a general rule.
- Some retailers, such as Target, Best Buy, eBay, and Dell, may block accounts they suspect are reselling items ordered through their sites. Dell operates on a hair-trigger. Shutdowns happen. Most folks reading this will probably not be buying from these retailers at a clip that draws their ire (outside of Dell), but go in with eyes open.
- Amazon.com is also one of the easiest retailers to drop-ship from. Shutdowns do happen, though. It pays to start small, ramp up slowly, and pay as much as you can for buying group products with credit cards instead of Amazon gift cards.
A word about reselling precious metals
Precious metal reselling has become very popular since Costco began selling it widely a couple of years ago, and has been helped along by an astonishing, sustained increase in gold and silver prices. Costco members can put precious metal purchases on credit cards, and even the 2% Executive Membership rebate is applied.
Most groups that specialize in gold resell it to large, nationwide dealers such as Kitco, APMEX, and others. However, because of the volume that they buy and sell, insured express shipping is either included in the sale price or available for a small additional charge.
All this can make buying gold from Costco and reselling it very appealing. However, more than with other merchandise, it’s extremely important to understand the risks and procedures involved in buying and selling gold and silver, as even a single ounce of gold is now worth $4,000 to $5,000.
- It’s essential to understand the shipment procedures for the group that you’re selling to. Not following shipment procedures can void insurance, and if something happens enroute, you could be out a substantial sum of money.
- Equally important is understanding the rules for locking in a price. Some buyers are fine with doing it once you’ve received a confirmation email from Costco; others might require you to have the product in hand. Make sure you clearly understand the timeframe you’re expected to ship within and what happens if you’re late or can’t fulfill your commitment for any reason. Don’t jerk buyers around.
- Precious metal pricing can be extremely volatile. Recently, we’ve seen prices fluctuate by over 10% in a single day. It’s important to distinguish between reselling for credit card spend, where minimizing risk and quick resale are paramount, and speculation, where metals are held in hopes that prices will rise. The latter carries much more risk.
- Sometimes, you may be able to turn a profit on a precious metals sale. More commonly, you’ll sell it at a small loss, which may be worth it depending on the rewards you’re earning from the purchase (or not). Decide what your margin threshold is, don’t go beyond it, and make sure what you’re earning is worth the risk you’re taking.
- DON’T OVEREXTEND YOURSELF. A single gold purchase can now be well over $20,000. If something goes wrong, you may not see that money for some time…or ever.
List of Buying Groups
Below is a (partial) list of buying groups. Except where noted, I’ve personally used all of them. Most of the groups below have websites, but I also included a few smaller groups that only operate via Telegram and/or WhatsApp. This list is for informational purposes, and a group’s appearance here shouldn’t be considered an endorsement by Frequent Miler. When WhatsApp/Telegram links are included, it’s with the group’s permission.
Reader reviews left in the comments are linked below each group. We’d love to hear both your positive and negative experiences and will periodically add them below.
Merchandise
- BuyForMeRetail (BFMR)
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Discord, Telegram
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: One of the bigger merchandise groups with a good online platform. In my experience, their rates are usually a touch below those of other groups, and they do a lot of below-cost deals. We’ve heard several complaints over the last couple of years that items are rejected for damage more frequently than with other groups.
- Reader Reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- BuyGetRewards (BGR)
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Telegram, WhatsApp
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: BGR seems to be up and running again. They don’t have as many deals as the bigger guys do, but sometimes offer better rates.
- DCB
- Primary Notification Channel: Slack, WhatsApp
- Submission method: Shared spreadsheet
- Notes: DCB is a smaller group that I started using a couple of years ago for US Mint coin deals. It has grown a ton since then and offers a tremendous (and creative) variety of items (merchandise, coins, gold, gift cards, fuel points, etc.). No website (WhatsApp sign-up linked above).
- Points4Days (P4D)
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: This is a new group for me, but one that’s been recommended by a couple of readers.
- Reader reviews: 1
- PFS
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: Primarily does US Mint deals, which have been very slow over the last year. PFS evidently got way over their skis on a deal last year on concert tickets. Poor organization and communication led to both the company and consumers losing significant money. They’ve primarily done coin deals in the past, and I’ve never heard of any issues with those. But, based on how they handled this deal (and the folks who did it with them), some caution is warranted. See more in this post.
- Reader Reviews: 1, 2, 3
- Pure (precious metals only)
- Primary Notification Channel: None; it’s the seller’s responsibility to check current pricing on the website if they want to sell something.
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: One of the primary precious metal buyers that is oriented towards individual sellers. Has a well-designed platform that updates pricing in real time and allows for instant price locking. Selling fees are reasonable, there are no minimums, and insured 2-day shipping labels are factored into the sale price. Check-in speed is usually 3-5 business days from shipment arrival, but can be slower during busy times. They have a tiered “status” system in which seller fees are reduced based on quarterly sales volume.
- The Buying Group
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Telegram
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: Formerly known as “The Deal Buyer,” this group was recently sold and renamed. They offer many deals (including quite a few below cost) and have an easy-to-use platform. I heard about some service complaints right before they were sold, but it seems those have improved with the ownership change. One reader has reported some bounced checks.
- Reader Review: 1
- USA
Gift Cards
- Aligned Incentives (AI)
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: In my opinion, one of the easiest-to-use GC sites for new folks. They offer a lot of deals, and their online platform is super slick and catches most submission mistakes before they’re made. Great communication. It’s worth noting that they will often edit deals with lower pricing when a given capacity is reached, and this sometimes happens fairly quickly after sending them out. Make sure to click through to the reservation page and confirm the current rate, rather than buying based on the email alone.
- Reader Reviews: 1
- CardCash
- Primary Notification Channel: Website
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: Another big site whose rates tend to be quite a bit lower than many other groups here. The one advantage to CardCash is that they let you sell them gift cards for random or uneven amounts, so it might be a good option if you have unwanted gift cards received as a gift, rather than reselling them as such. Unlike Raise, you can also sell to CardCash at a guaranteed (but usually quite poor) rate, as opposed to having to wait for it to sell.
- Card Center
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Slack
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: Another very easy-to-use GC site for new folks, with excellent rates. They offer many deals and have a fairly simple submission process on their website. Very good communication; payments are made 14 days from card submission. Unlike many groups, it displays the margin based on the card’s actual purchase price rather than its face value, making it easier to immediately know if you want the deal.
- Reader Reviews: 1
- Gift Card Arbitrage (Telegram Link)
- Primary Notification Channel: Telegram, WhatsApp
- Submission method: Shared Spreadsheet
- Notes: Run by Eugene Weinstein, GCA primarily buys gift cards at good rates but also buys fuel points, runs merchandise deals, and operates a mileage trading group. Very above-board and almost instantly communicative. No website (WhatsApp and Telegram sign-up links above).
- QCGC
- Primary Notification Channel: Website/Telegram
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: High-volume, Telegram-specific group that hits a nice sweet-spot of competitive rates and a good variety of brands.
- GCX/Raise
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Website
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: The biggest guys in the GC-reselling sphere. They usually don’t have the best rates, but they can be useful because of the wide variety of cards they sell and because they allow you to use odd denominations (unlike most buying groups, which require specific amounts). One potential disadvantage is that you have to list your card and wait for it to sell before getting any money.
- The Card Bay (TCB)
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Website
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: A very large bulk buyer/seller that’s been around forever. I rarely found them to have the best rates, but one reader who uses them often says that they are very competitive with the cards he sells. Like Raise, they buy many card brands that other groups don’t.
- Reader reviews: 1
Caution Warranted
- MaxOutDeals
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Telegram, WhatsApp
- Submission method: Website
- Notes:
- MaxOutDeals and its parent company, Wireless World, were the subject of a criminal complaint in the US District Court for conspiracy to commit money laundering. You can read more about the case here. A recent commentator says that “MOD was cleared of wrongdoing and is working on paying out all old payments, which is expected to be done in the next few weeks. After they have paid out, they are expected to start new deals again. As someone who was out 13k from MOD I will say they handled it the best way possible! Their owner was very communicative and always maintained that we would get paid.”
- Reader Reviews: 1
- MYS
- Primary Notification Channel: E-mail, Telegram, WhatsApp
- Submission method: Website
- Notes: A commenter posted that MYS appears to have gone bankrupt.
- 1, 2
- Pointsmaker
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Been with P4D for quite a while. Honestly buyer and has never let me down. Communication at 100% always and has an amazing turn around time when it comes to customer service. Couldn’t recommend a better BG than P4D! Have done 6 six figure this year and aiming towards 7 by EOY!
Should we check their discord to see for ourselves how awesome and fantastic they are?
I’ve been with points4days for about 8 months now and the experience has been amazing. There is clear cut communication, pretty fast payouts and really good customer service. Join the discord and just look for yourself as the deals are always very competitive. A very trustworthy group.
I’ve been using points4days for about 5 months and in those 5 months the company has show amazing customer service and round the clock customer service answering my questions and receiving shipment at 3am. The payouts are just as fast. So many different deals popping up so there’s no way you can miss out on anything. Join the discord and see for yourself. Definitely recommend p4d
points4days.com is very reliable and the person running is truly an honest person who pays out even if deliveries go missing. The payouts are quick as well. There’s a lot of vendors that can vouch for Points4Days on discord so check them out!
For people who MS, do you pay off the credit card bill before the statement closes to keep you utilization down
Only if I have near-term plans to apply for a new card. That’s certainly a good practice if you want to maximize your score at all times, but a lot of times I’m not really concerned if my utilization reports a little high. That’s partially because I have enough cards that if I max out a few, my overall utilization is still going to be below 30% most of the time.
Business cards are key here – during recent holiday buying I had a charge post on the closing date after-hours to a Citi card, so could not pre-pay it down. Dropped 50 points due to that – whereas the tens of thousands sitting on Amex Biz Plat/Gold didn’t drop me a point.
While I find this whole concept very interesting and useful for increasing spends, it is a hard pass for me. It doesn’t pass my moral rules.
Just wanted to leave a comment here for those who might feel left out (?) for being conservative. You’re not alone!
I am also morally opposed to buying things in order to sell them. This is why I refuse to buy from retail establishments.
I agree with Joan. Businesses may price items below fair market value to gain new customers for the future. Buying groups are bad for the public because they snatch up the good deals from the public; and bad for businesses because they don’tvreap tge benefits of running a sale. It’s why the airlines need to remain firm on no name changes on tickets. These operators would do exactly the same thing there if allowed to.
Any experience with the GC consolidator ‘The Whales Club’? Just became aware of them today. They focus on Kroger GCs along with the 4x Fuel Points. Apparently, they buy your GCs of interest for 99% of value and you also give them the 4x Fuel points the GC sale generated. I have no idea how trusted they are or if others do the same service.
DCB is superb in that realm
wouldn’t that directly violate the kroger terms and conditions that you are explicitly agreeing to? sounds like a good way to get sued
Typically Kroger will freeze your Fuel Points account if they think the terms are being violated
right, until they’re tired of losing money and sue
I have been selling to The Whale’s Club for 2 years and they are the most trustworthy gift card buying club out there. Best Rates and most transparent and reliable payments. This discussion about Fuel Points (FPs) is not limited to The Whales’s Club only, EVERY Gift Card buying group listed in this article buys FPs. Check them out yourself, there is no cost to join their club and no obligation to sell them if you don’t like what you find out.
It seems that Kroger would be able to identify the selling of FPs since they would notice fuel being purchased far from the home address of who originally earned the FPs and with the multiple tanks getting filled around the same time but far way from eachother. This would make Kroger FP accounts being shutdown fairly common I would think and complicate this process. Am I off base here or if this does happen fairly often do people just create another Kroger FP account and carry-on?
Whale’s club does not have the best rates, by far. Their liability on FP is always 2+ weeks and they have rates less than cardcenter, alignedincentives, dcb, and about everyone else. In addition, the owner of The Whales Club recently went on a podcast publicly to say how to do FP programs step by step, which is a very short-sighted might in this field. He seems to prey on new people and shares way too much info that shouldn’t have been shared so publicly.
THE BEST FM CONTENT IMHO is written by TIM STEINKE!
Greg…..more Tim Please
I agree. Nick and Greg have basically become dead weight compared to tim and Stevie’s efforts.
Are there any buying groups that pay you cash on the spot if you show up in person? Say with gold from Costco?
Sounds like a great way to be robbed
The Plastic Merchant and a bunch of other similar guys could not be reached for comment.
I’m curious as to whether (or, if so, how many) existing MSers pick up any new information from this article. Just a question.
me and I have been doing this since the 80’s
American Airlines launched the AAdvantage program on May 1, 1981, as the first modern airline loyalty program.
no lol this is kindergarten level MS
your so cool Jim
Just an update to the submission method for QCGC, they’ve departed from their archaic ways and now have a portal similar to CardCenter and AI.
It’s not entirely correct that PointsMaker isn’t doing new deals. They have infrequently bought Trump Doral gift cards over the last few months; which is not something I’ve personally done or am interested in, but it can be a quick way to spend $1-$2k at relatively low risk. PointsMaker has indicated they intend to come back at some point in the next year or so, and I hope they do, because I personally greatly valued that they provided shipping labels for Dell orders shipped to home.
Hi Tim, I’m pretty sure Amazon removed the ability to buy 3rd party gift cards with Amazon credit. At least I can no longer do so myself.
yeah, Joe we’ve flagged you as a bit of a tool and decided you couldn’t do this. Just watch it in future, or I may have to cancel your account
Pointsmaker isn’t doing new deals. MOD was cleared of wrongdoing and is working on paying out all old payment which is expected to be done in the next few weeks. After they are done paying out, they are expected to start new deals again. As someone who was out 13k from MOD I will say they handled it the best way possible! Their owner was very communicative and always maintained that we would get paid. It was very scary but a good reminder that BG’s are not without risk.
Buying group is always consistent. BFMR recently got really behind but has caught back up. Their CS is slow though and can cause panic when something goes wrong and you can’t reach anyone. They also seem to frequently say items need to be returned to being “dented” or damaged. BFMR has long hidden behind a cloak to find out who the true company is or who owns it which is concerning for me and I try to limit the amount I have outstanding from them.
Very communicative? Really? MOD locked their discord and stopped responding to support tickets or WA messages right after the incident. I’m still short $12k for some Amazon packages that they never checked in, but are shown as delivered the day after the incident on the carrier website. Amazon refuses to refund these. Needless to say, I won’t do business with them again.
I signed up for Aligned Incentives and after a few weeks only a few $50 opportunities here and there at break-even or better, barely worth the effort. Anybody had better opportunities for volume?
Q1 is pretty slow for most GC groups