Hey guys. I've been thinking about options for the Swap Shop type section for this site and I'd like to hear from you all.
Here are a few things that I think make community based sales different/better:
- Deals - Better prices than online stores or auctions (although less selection)
- Security - Since sellers are community members, lower odds of getting ripped off
- Haggling - Buyers have the ability to make an offer or negotiate (or even trade)
- Browsing - As hobbyists, sometimes we aren't looking for anything in particular but like to browse
Based on those fundamental concepts, I've been thinking about ways to highlight these benefits. Here are some things I'm thinking about:
- Dedicated site for deals (like http://www.swappa.com is for cell phones). While it pulls the listings out of the forum, it could provide a lot better functionality like searching and sorting. It could still be integrated back into this site via a menu tab or something.
- A quick approval process for listings to ensure they are legit
- PayPal integration to handle the transactions
- Detailed seller profiles - attach your FB and multiple forum profiles in order to prove you are legit
- Buyer/seller stats and feedback
That's my brain dump and I'd love to hear what you like and don't like about these ideas and other sites you've used. Also would love to hear if you've had any particularly bad experiences in the past that could have been avoided.
Thanks!