Marketplace Brainstorm - 30 day challenge

[MrG]

Hi there,

Today I saw an offer of a marketplace platform offering a 30 day trial. Which made me think... what if there was a sweetspot for a marketplace which in 30 days and some paid ads/biz dev demand and supply would start to grow organically. Fantastic opportunity to try and fail fast.

First of, the marketplace monetization: fee on rental, fee on purchase, fee on advertisment

And audience: b2b, b2c, c2c

Competition: something niche or high-ticket for which ebay/craiglists do not have enough filters or do not make you feel comfortable

Some wild-thoughts of stuff nice enough that could work:

• Sale: DIY/Workshop tools
• Sale: Second-hand wedding dresses
• Rent: Rehearsal Spaces
• Rent: Swimming Pools
• Rent: Trailers
• Rent: BBQ / garden
• Sale: Second-hand machinery (B2B)
• Sale: scrap/overflow (paper, wood, chemicals...)

Stuff that's already done by big companies in many countries:

• Rent: parking space
• Rent: personal car
• Rent: storage space
• Rent: meeting rooms
• Sale: online courses

What can you come up with? I am from Spain and most things haven't been tried here yet. I don't like the rental stuff because you have to deal with insurances though. But a guy did a very basic airplane portal, where sellers paid 10€ for placing an ad and his competitive advantage was basically a much nicer interface. He started by just hitting up the people advertising in competitor's websites and moving them to his portal for free.

 

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[Kasimir]

Good idea. But not perfect timing with corona I think, but still possible.
Surely somebody tried that and didn't succeed, but still possible.

I'd focus also on bigger tools on a b2b level. If somebody needs a digger or whatever. I'd do a normal marketplace but also a possibility that you'll find something they need, for a big fee. If you focus on rather high ticket opportunities and may even on just local things I'd see a need for it. A big need.
Don't know about Spain, but in Portugal, a lot of people build their own houses, or isn't that true? Maybe rent some tools out to them. You could have big margins without owning any tools.

I think you can't focus on everything in the beginning. Remember Amazon started with books.
And if you do everything eBay can easily copy you. But if you master one niche it's hard to copy you. I'd focus on tools, from small to big, everything. Ask big companies, they have a big need for that, if they don't use their big tools and ask private persons for the small tools and list everything.

Really think that could work. Hope I could help a little.

 

[MrG]

Good idea. But not perfect timing with corona I think, but still possible.
Surely somebody tried that and didn't succeed, but still possible.

I'd focus also on bigger tools on a b2b level. If somebody needs a digger or whatever. I'd do a normal marketplace but also a possibility that you'll find something they need, for a big fee. If you focus on rather high ticket opportunities and may even on just local things I'd see a need for it. A big need.
Don't know about Spain, but in Portugal, a lot of people build their own houses, or isn't that true? Maybe rent some tools out to them. You could have big margins without owning any tools.

I think you can't focus on everything in the beginning. Remember Amazon started with books.
And if you do everything eBay can easily copy you. But if you master one niche it's hard to copy you. I'd focus on tools, from small to big, everything. Ask big companies, they have a big need for that, if they don't use their big tools and ask private persons for the small tools and list everything.

Really think that could work. Hope I could help a little.

I see the tools niche, totally. Thing is that it requires quite a lot of business development with construction/industrial companies and insurances. I have other ventures going on at the moment but I was wondering if there may be a niche that just with posting on a facebook group, basically demand and supply would meet eachother.

I am on a group of skaters, which continually trade their material, but they really seem to like the facebook environment despite the fact that it lacks payment options, seller reviews etc.

I was also thinking sales marketplace for car parts, for example "miata parts" or climbers "climbing gear" or camper van stuff.

 

[Kasimir]

Don't know if there is a need to create something like this for car parts. Not my region of expertise.

Something like skateboard parts could work. It's small. Could be sent through the mail. Great. But if you focus on such a small market and rather cheap products you have to scale it big. You can't just do it in your town. Do you know the reason why they are on Facebook rather than eBay?

The most important thing is that you know which value you provide that Facebook or eBay don't.

 

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[MrG]

Don't know if there is a need to create something like this for car parts. Not my region of expertise.

Something like skateboard parts could work. It's small. Could be sent through the mail. Great. But if you focus on such a small market and rather cheap products you have to scale it big. You can't just do it in your town. Do you know the reason why they are on Facebook rather than eBay?

The most important thing is that you know which value you provide that Facebook or eBay don't.

Indeed, typically it's about filtering junk "kid skateboards" from gold "rare skateboard, almost never used, that a guy won at a championship" or "brand new skateboard deck from the 90s" type of stuff. That's difficult to filter for on ebay.

And facebook groups typically lack the reach (limited to a city) or sense of security (payments, seller reputation etc.)

Now I agree with you, skateboard market sounds rather small to me.

 

[Kasimir]

Now I agree with you, skateboard market sounds rather small to me.

What about you expand to all sports equipment, not only skateboards? Could work.