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Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

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Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#41

Post by Freak_NL »

EricRiese wrote: post #18

I've thought about something like this. In my mind it all comes down to receipts. We need a system of ubiquitous standardized itemized and cryptographically signed digital receipts. That way everything you buy aggregates into your personal inventory app. Then making a posting is a matter of one click and one photo. The UPC in receipt means a full product listing can be generated automatically. This is crucial since m…

The market price for two used hypothetical coffee makers¹ (same manufacturer/type/age) is rarely the same. One has scratches, stood in direct sunlight for years, and has a few parts in need of replacing soon, the other was used twice and has sat in a cupboard ever since. Both work.

Besides, who keeps receipts for anything but expensive items that might need warrantee? Most people don't. Sometimes you acquire something through different means: presents, inheriting, thrift shop, etc.

And that's avoiding the huge privacy matter of buying something with a unique tracking number attached and linked to you.

1: I'll take mine without hypothetical sugar please.

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#42

Post by WillAdams »

coev wrote: post #34
mg wrote: post #29

I wish there was something like a second hand store where you can just drop your stuff for 10% of its price on eBay. I don't want to deal with anything. Not wait for someone to pick it up. Not wrap it in a parcel and bring it to the post office. Not sign up for some service. Nothing. Just drop my stuff, get a little bit of money and am done with it.

Pawn shops exist and will give you about that percentage for your stuff.

For that small subset of "stuff" which is likely to sell quickly at a suitable profit in the local market as understood by the pawnbroker.

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#44

Post by withinboredom »

EricRiese wrote: post #18

I've thought about something like this. In my mind it all comes down to receipts. We need a system of ubiquitous standardized itemized and cryptographically signed digital receipts. That way everything you buy aggregates into your personal inventory app. Then making a posting is a matter of one click and one photo. The UPC in receipt means a full product listing can be generated automatically. This is crucial since m…

Why do you need the cryptographic signature? Who needs to know that I was the original owner of a tea kettle 7 years ago that has been sold in a yard sale twice?

Absolutely nobody.

Having an actual UPC (which coincidentally stands for "Universal Product Code") that is globally unique would be extremely useful. Further if all the parts were listed in the UPC (so it could be easily sold for parts, or even if I was looking for part abc123, I could find what products it is in), would be far more useful than caring who owns it.

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#46

Post by Freak_NL »

doomroot wrote: post #28
criddell wrote: post #16

Selling is hard, but even giving things away is more difficult than it should be. When you list something for free you soon find out how bad people are at communicating and how unreliable they are at showing up when they say they will show up.

If you live in a semi-dense population, put it on the curb then post about it on your local facebook group and it will disappear in minutes.

That's heavily locale dependent advice. This is not something you can do without it getting reported and treated as trash everywhere, and in many places you'll just anger your neighbours and inconvenience the municipal trash department.

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#47

Post by EricRiese »

adampk wrote: post #26
EricRiese wrote: post #18

I've thought about something like this. In my mind it all comes down to receipts. We need a system of ubiquitous standardized itemized and cryptographically signed digital receipts. That way everything you buy aggregates into your personal inventory app. Then making a posting is a matter of one click and one photo. The UPC in receipt means a full product listing can be generated automatically. This is crucial since m…

What is the "killer app" for something that would take this enormous level of effort?

I just listed several as far as I'm concerned. I don't see it happening as a Y Combinator Silicon Valley ad supported startup. The best I can imagine right now is to pitch the vision and have standards bodies and industry groups collaborate on the standard and then maybe find some place where the government can dictate "if you do business with us, you have to use this tech". For instance using the receipts for tax deductions. Give a preferential rate for digitally signed receipts to pass back the cost savings of not dealing with paper. And then hopefully it grows from there.

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#48

Post by Freak_NL »

WillAdams wrote: post #42
coev wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pawn shops exist and will give you about that percentage for your stuff.

For that small subset of "stuff" which is likely to sell quickly at a suitable profit in the local market as understood by the pawnbroker.

That is exactly the economic reason this idea doesn't work. Pawnbrokers know the value of things and how much effort they can invest in any one item. Selling anything they won't take yourself usually means that you'll have to invest a fair bit of your time to sell it. Anyone doing this commercially can't afford that labour unless the item is worth at least something like €100!

Re: Startup Idea: Reverse Amazon

#49

Post by RetroTechie »

advael wrote: post #4

I'm currently trying to help a relative who's a hoarder, and I have to say, reducing the friction of getting rid of things without just mass-dumpstering them would be a godsend I think this is one of those ideas that needs scale to work well, like craigslist or ebay pretty much got rid of all the friction you can without propping up a fulfillment network and appraisers etc., but if anyone's got a good way to make it…

> and I have to say, reducing the friction of getting rid of things without just mass-dumpstering them would be a godsend

Yeah, that's a big problem with modern consumerism: with money to spend, buying stuff is too easy compared to the effort to part with it later.

Although if you 'have' to move fast, there's companies that specialize in house clearing (as another poster noted). Some thrift stores also do this, provided the resale trash ratio is acceptable to them.

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