A wishful idea..
Do you sometimes think that there should be a buy back machine or a buy back store.. which gives you good value of your good stuff.
It happens in garage sale a bit but not really that well..
Idea is actually inspired from ecoATM where you can put your old mobile/cellphone and get money or coupons. However, this is limited to mobile/cellphones and some other electronic devices.
What i am thinking about is a store which takes old unused items of whatever type – be it a machine, clothes, toys, electronics and provide you standard price.. This will help in recycling as well as would give people a habit of using things properly.
It could be old books, dvds or no. of other items. I am not talking about garbage but there are really good items sometimes which we either throw in garbage or it just keeps lying in one corner of our house occupying space.
I believe there could be an entire new genre of retail which can be developed from this as “used items” or “seconds shop”.
A Bigger Garage Sale..
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Additional Info on request of Andrew on Nov. 28, 2011
Here’s how i feel this can become a business model.
There are 2-3 ways depending on the type of investment:
1. A chain of stores can be opened, small sized stores where users can place their old items and get a token or a specific id. May be fill up a small form providing details about the item, expected price etc. Item is checked by a store executive and once approved, it is put up for sale. Anyone moving around can purchase the item and once purchased, payment [after deducting store fee] can be made to the seller. Also, another option is to place a small fee for placing your item there.. it sells then great, if it doesn’t sell then you loose.. An eBay type of fee structuring in real world.
2. Second option is that an alliance can be made with C-stores or fast food corners and a bag or a small bunk is placed where people can leave their item and get the id for the same.. Could be a self operating Kiosk which takes the item and gives ID no. with a form to fill up the details of product. Then items can be collected by a mega store within specific radius and put up for sales. Idea is to make it a brand ultimately where people can say.. it doesn’t look old and it is certified by this store so it is better than what we would get elsewhere and we are getting it for less than half the price.. why not.
3. Third option could be a virtual store i.e. e-store.. but the issues there are of shipping, people don’t want to pay for something which is lying ideal in the house. They ofcourse may want to get rid of it or just sell it and get some money still but shipping it somewhere.. its gonna cost. This model has to be very different where e-store can ask to send products pre-shipped after sending photos of product and details etc.. There are still good chances of loosing money as the product may not be as good as it is shown.
There are several other ways where users can get some exchange in return immediately, like get a free coffee or free cookie when you drop your item.. Other ideas could be to arrange for garage sale events in special community and sell things there itself or pick up items at one shot on every Sunday from a particular area.
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