franchiseshop started this topic @ 21:58 on 18/03/2009
I am fairly new to this forum although have known about it for some time
As I am always playing around with ideas I thought I would bounce one off you and see what you think.
I spent around 2 years developing a bartering site which was inclusive of a website and software application to facilitate trading/bartering. However with other areas of my work taking over I never did launch it fully. I am considering re-opening the idea but having scouted out what is already on the web as well as knowing many have tried before me and failed, I am unsure whether there is any future in it as a full scale operation.
With the web we have some great services which are used by the masses, youtube, eBay, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Amazon....etc...but bartering has either been largely ignored or tried and failed to make it into the big time. For me it seems that an important trading system is not in use and there is a hole there waiting to be filled if the right system can be made.
Question: Do you think there is a market for it?
Question: Could it be that a unique angle has not been found?
Question: Perhaps it is just unworkable?!!
I have played around with a few ideas, taking it from a bartering site which is inclusive of all products and services to a site which is based around internet services or some other small encompassing group.
Example: Trading articles, coding, weblinks, logos, design within a web based community of site owners/site coders/designers/seo experts
This would mean it was a niche market but with the right markets it could prove a hit within certain circles.
Question: What other niche markets do you think a bartering system could work for?
Well - there's a little idea for you, hope you can make sense of it and be good to see what input you might have : - )
Revised on 18/03/2009 22:55
Edit: Well it is an ideas thread after all so here is a thought. What if like squidoo, we had a bartering site where "lenses" could be created (bartering circles). Niche markets could be created as a group and items traded within those groups.
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Matthew Anderson
UK
business franchises for sale and
franchise information resource
RE: Bartering
JumpStartforBusiness | 19/03/2009 02:58 PM
Could you license the bartering technology as an add on to existing sites. So where retailers are looking for a competitive edge they could license your software and embed it in their website purchasing process.
Don't know just an idea - otherwise your trying to do everything at once by creating a website to sell something to be determined - you need to get traffic to your site in sufficient volumes but I think the licensing route could provide a quicker route to market.
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Find out more about our business-in-a-box for pre-starts and get office space to boot - www.jumpstartforbusiness.co.uk
RE: Bartering
franchiseshop | 19/03/2009 03:35 PM
Hmmmm yes I like that idea and it has given me the some good food for thought. We could make a barter widget perhaps which matches peoples wants for needs and can be displayed and integrated into other sites.
You are right about traffic, obviously if we could get 10,000 people and companies with items to trade then it would prove an overnight success but joe blogs joining the site is likely to leave fast when he realises there is nothing there for him. Getting the ball rolling is always difficult indeed.
Widgets - I like it. Thanks
Revised on 19/03/2009 03:39
EDIT: Back to Joe blogs and "something to be determined" This is where "lenses" would come in useful, small niche markets could be set up so that we can attract specific groups of people. This makes marketing a whole lot easier.
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Matthew Anderson
UK
business franchises for sale and
franchise information resource
RE: Bartering
mikeybrum | 27/05/2009 06:58 PM
forget he bartering and auctioning, its getting poutdated. People just want to buy things now.
ebay is dying becaus epeopel dont want to wait until next wednesday, to see if theyve won an item (and if they havent, they have to start agian).
and the fees are rising so much, that sellers on ebay cant comepete with the rest of us now.
I can sell the same price as ebay, and mae more money ! No fees !
You could still allow people to list items, but only as "buy now". That can be yor angle, actually - allbuynow.com !! Yay ! You owe me billions !
And a simple 5% of all sales, would ensure that all peopel advertsising on your site, can sell cheaper than ebay !!
my email is mike983@btinternet.com, if you would liek achat.
In the "subject" bar please put something like START UP so i know its not spam !
Cheers, mike