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Re: Time For Something New

I was actually considering developing such a site, but I don't have the time or resources, so I might as well pass my ideas on to you since you seem invested in this venture.

$6 per ad is fine, although I think $5 or less reaches a wider audience. By my crude calculations of Audiogon's listed items, it appears the best price point is between $4 to $5. Their rate increase from $3 to $6 severely impacted the rate of new (and consequently total) listings. If I was selling physical goods, I'd aim for maximum profit margin at lower volume (risk management, cash flow, et al). But for online services, I'd do the exact opposite. Try to get as many users in the door, and let the user-base snowball.

Ideas to attract people (other then setting up a functional and attractive site): Offer people an initial discount on their first X amount of ads. Or offer a specific trial period. You should also set up a referral system. For example, if you refer a customer, you get 5 free ad credits. This model worked brilliantly for Paypal and other service sites.

As Ed suggests, it's vitally important to develop your membership from the start. Once you hit critical mass, people will naturally find and flock to your site without any effort on your part (and perhaps even despite your shortcomings, as Audiogon's staff clearly demonstrates).

A few simple suggestions about the site layout. Make searches sortable by end date, price, and location. Find a good balance for the number of meta-tags for a listed item without being a burden to the seller listing his/her item. For example, it would be really nice to look for speakers in a specific efficiency range or an amp of a particular design (SET vs. PP vs OTL, etc.). I would, however, leave these fields optional, but encourage members to fill them to optimize their selling potential. Email notifications about a particular search result are also a big plus. Besides, email notifications function as an automatic traffic generator.

Feel free to email me for more input. If you are serious about this venture, I will be happy to assist you to help it succeed.


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