A little background may be interesting and help you understand how the PV Bulk Buy started. People read or heard about the PV Bulk Buy and wrote to Joel Davidson for information. Everyone was encouraged to tell their friends and neighbors about the Bulk Buy. Notices were posted in local co-ops and other public places. The Bulk Buy idea is simple and appealing.
More individual orders means higher volume which means lower prices.
When at least 100 people were ready to buy, Joel would confirm prices from the suppliers and notify everyone by mail. Since suppliers had quoted cash terms, no credit card or COD orders were accepted. The basic idea for the PV Bulk Buy has not changed. Increased volume gets lower prices. Today spreading the word about the Bulk Buy is simpler thanks to internet.