
Pinduoduo and the Rise of Social E-Commerce - todsacerdoti
https://blog.ycombinator.com/pinduoduo-and-the-rise-of-social-e-commerce/
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weinzierl
I haven't read it all because it is long and I'm busy, but from skimming:
Pinduoduo looks a bit like Massdrop. I think there is a place for curated
group buys and this is in my opinion a niche that can quite possibly thrive
but I don't see it as an Amazon competitor.

This social group buy thing, of - let's be honest - mostly luxury goods is
certainly fun. Amazon is not about fun but convenience and there is the
problem, or should I say opportunity for a real Amazon contender.

What I want more than a social experience is ease, convenience and security.
No thought about product fraud, no worries if the seller will actually
deliver, no research work if they will send me a proper invoice including the
right VAT, no double checking shipping costs, no restrictions in what I can
buy without a subscription to this or that service, carefree and reliable
shipping.

Half of this is what Amazon used to be and if a new company can get half of it
right and manages to still be profitable then it has a real chance to usurp
Amazon from its throne.

