A group order is an order where one person, known as a group order manager, helps others get items for a cheaper cost based on the amount of people in the order. The more people the cheaper the cost for shipping .
Save Money: When a person orders something from a Korean website they offer international shipping but that shipping is very expensive. When you in a group order there are some orders with up to 3 helps payments. 1st is the price of the album, 2nd is the cost of the item being shipped from the host country to the Group Order Manager or GOM, 3rd is the cost of shipping from the GOM to you. This is a cheaper process than buying things yourself and GOMS do not make money from the orders they do, it's fully voluntary.
Incentives: Some GOMS may throw in reward points if you are a frequent buyer with those points you can get anything from a fan of one of your bias' to a free album. There are GOMs that will create a freebie for everyone in the Group Order. Some Freebies range from Korean candy to Fanmade Photocards of your bias.
Where can I find Group Orders?
You can find group orders on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook. There might be other places that have them as well but I mostly know of those 3.
I go through 3 GOMs on Twitter @ashleyepidemic, @kdkpop, and @yugbug. I specifically get albums for like GOT7, MONSTA X, BTS, and KARD through @ashleyepidemic . The way I sign up is through a google form that she posts in Facebook selling groups and also on her Twitter. You just need to fill out the form and there's a due date for when payment is due by in which she will send you an email showing you why it is that amount. Then there is @kdkpop ,who is a dear friend of mine. I order through her for GOT7 and Stray Kids, mostly fansite goods. She also has a form that has to be filled out ,but payment for the goods is due before you fill it out which is what most GOMs do when in comes to Group Orders because the shipping from the origin of the good to the GOM is based on the number of people this is to also not have any late payments or drop outs. The more people the less EMS the group has to pay. Then @yugbug I buy through for GOT7. I mostly order stuff that GOT7 does in Thailand or Japan from her. For example I ordered the Nestival DVD through her also JJ Projects Thailand Edition of Verse #2. There's also a form that has to be filled out and you will get an email about payment and when it is due. The form is basically based off of how the seller manages they're order not all GOMS are the same.
How does shipping work? Let's start with EMS.
EMS is the shipping from the website or fansite that the good is from. EMS is split in many different ways in group orders. Most of the time it is split between the number of items and divided. Example if I bought albums and EMS came out to $230 and there was 30 albums ordered that would be $7.68 per album. If a person only requested and paid for one album they would just pay the $7.68. But if the person ordered to they would pay double of the $7.68. That's how EMS works.
Domestic shipping is shipping from the GOM to you. Rates on shipping vary by where you are so I can't give you an exact of how much it'll be or anything. Most GOMs offer First Class Shipping, Media Mail Shipping, and Priority Shipping. They all come with tracking numbers so you can track where your order is. But you have the option to pick which shipping you want on the form. The domestic shipping will also include the cost of the supplies the GOM uses because shipping supplies are not free.
You can also ask the GOM if you live in the same area for a meet up to receive your goods that way to save some money. This is only if you live in the same area though sadly.
I have many friends that are GOMS for K-pop goods and I hear many stories about people who purchase goods from them. Just remember to be kind to the GOMS because the orders are entirely voluntary. Read the forms, follow the rules, and keep your cool. If you have any questions do not be afraid to talk to the GOM about it