is the middleman dead? Think again....

[andviv]

I read this article today:

Why I sold my used iPhone to Gazelle.com - CNN.com

Gazelle.com is, basically, acting as an online middle man.

So, if this model is working fine for them, where do you see other areas that could benefit from a similar business model?

I found a middleman to shield me from embarassment, keep my old iPhone out of the landfill and let me make some easy money all at the same time. I'm selling my old iPhone -- as is -- to Gazelle.com, a "reCommerce company" that says it provides "a practical, responsible, rewarding way for consumers to get value for used electronics."

In less than a minute Gazelle.com agreed to buy my old iPhone for $93. This week they're sending me a box to ship it to them, and after they've checked out the phone they'll PayPal me the money. (I'll report back if that part of the process doesn't work as promised.)

Admittedly, $93 is less than half of what people here in the Bay Area are asking today for an 8GB iPhone 3G on Craigslist (although that may not be the price they're actually getting). And it's toward the low end of the price range for what folks are asking for this phone on eBay today. So yes -- if I want to sell my old iPhone, I definitely could make more money elsewhere.

I don't care. My time is worth money. Avoiding hassle is worth money too.

 

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[Geek]

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