Making group purchases of famous local products and cosmetics （化妆品） with co-workers has become a common habit for the nine-to-fivers．But if your impression of group buys is still a piece of paper being passed around the office，everyone writes their details down，or endless phone calls or faxes to the supplier，then I'm sorry to say you're behind the times．The popular way to make such purchases today is to get on line，form a special"group"and shop together．Not only can you save money by getting the best discounts，but it's also a great way to meet new people．

"You could cut off my clicking finger and I'd still keep shopping this way!"so goes a common comment left by customers of China's famous e-commerce website"Taobao"．Some even refer to group purchasing as a"path of no return"，saying that"Once you've tried it，you'll get hooked!"

The origins of this new trend can be found in China's well-known online consumers'BBS，55BBS，and the shopping boards．Since most BBS users are"white-collared workers and students who live in concentrated areas，buying clothes，food，and so on as a group saves on delivery costs as well as-if they meet the seller's criteria （标准）-earn gifts，discounts，and frequent shopper points．

Users of this online group shopping boards purchase a lot of different items，from Japanese and Korean style clothes and Ugg boots，through fake eyelashes （假睫毛），stockings，food seasonings （调味品），and kitchen knives，to cosmetic masks and online college courses．All kinds of things have people coming together in groups to buy them，and the pickups are often organized on college campuses or office buildings．

Internet observer Liu Chenxi points the purchasing behavior that these online groups'power creates a"team"effect．Unlike e-commerce sites driven by individuals'purchases，sites that create this team effect have users that come together to achieve a common goal．The Internet has mad