Update: Treat Me officially went live this morning with a $1 BurgerFuel offer.

You'd needed to get in quick though, as around 20,000 $1 burgers went in just a few hours. The deal is now no longer available.

The Treat Me community website is brimming with comments like this one: "Would have been GREAT to get this deal... Got the e-mail @ 8.30am this morning and was not available...."

Original story below:

Trade Me has launched Treat Me, which it describes as a stand-alone group-buying site that will "initially” offer discounted deals in Auckland and Wellington.

The site is a response to the growing popularity of other group-buying sites such as Groupy and Spreets. It’s a market Trade Me wants a piece of.

Trade Me CEO Jon Macdonald said, "In New Zealand, several sites have sprung up seeking to capitalise on this social eCommerce. With the market still in its infancy we’re confident Treat Me will appeal to Kiwi advertisers and buyers as a place to find a great deal.”

This new branch of Trade Me will operate as a separate business unit and look to capitalise on the site’s reputation and member base.

Treat Me says it negotiates deals that are only activated when a certain number of customers sign up to get the offer. Buyers only pay once the deal goes live.

Deals currently in the pipeline are from restaurants, bars, cinemas, pools, zoos, accommodation and travel providers, day spas and a "bunch of other businesses”.

There are plans to expand into other regions across New Zealand in the coming months.

Hit this link and sign up for Treat Me.