Excellent idea - okay, who's going to write the CF version. ;)
On Thu, 17 Mar 2005 18:14:40 -0700, Dana <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/03/17/1110913726676.html?oneclick=true > > German firm goes one better than eBay > Hanover, Germany > March 18, 2005 > > Page Tools > Email to a friend Printer format > Need a grill for a weekend cookout, a bike rack for a vacation or just > a little renewed faith in human nature? A German firm has started what > it calls the world's first online borrowing exchange and been startled > by the results. > > Die Borger (German for lenders or borrowers) was inspired by the > runaway success of global internet auctions empire eBay, but instead > of allowing users to buy and sell products and services, it helps > offer them free. > > Andreas Kahnert, 41, and Thomas Pfuetzner, 38, were university friends > and later colleagues in the IT industry when they came up with the > idea. > > "We had set up a DVD trading service for our sports club and then over > Christmas we asked ourselves why we couldn't extend the idea to all > kinds of products for all kinds of people," Kahnert said in an > interview at the CeBIT tech fair which was held in the northern city > of Hanover. > > In the year since www.DieBorger.de went online, what began as a lark > has become something of a phenomenon with sites in Austria and > Switzerland and more than 4000 users who have registered nearly 9000 > objects. > > Advertisement > AdvertisementBorger are now trading a seemingly endless list of items > for limited periods of time including bobsleds, fondue pots, > camcorders, electric saws, scuba flippers, digital cameras, gardening > tools and Lord of the Rings DVD box sets. > > The system allows those seeking an item to search for it based on > postal codes and get a proximity ranking. Those in urban areas rarely > have far to look. > > Based on the principle of give-and-take, the site requires users to > sign up at least three items they are willing to lend before they can > begin borrowing. > > "We were surprised ourselves how well things have gone," Pfuetzner > said, insisting that the site had yet to hear a horror story from a > customer. > > "There may be trouble down the road when we get bigger but for now > things are running smoothly." > > Although both the entrepreneurs describe themselves as optimists, they > have built in three security guarantees to help inspire customer > confidence. > > Like eBay, lenders, borrowers and the objects are evaluated on a user > ratings system so cheats and fussbudgets quickly earn a bad reputation > that is publicised on the site. > > Die Borger also provides a draft contract that both parties sign > outlining their legal obligations. And borrowers leave a deposit based > on the lenders' estimate of the new value of their property. > > The site charges a nominal fee for borrowing, half of which goes to > the lender. But those who lend often win enough "credit" on the site > to borrow for free. > > Kahnert and Pfuetzner, who are both active Borger, said that people > who had initially just been hunting for a bargain were surprised to > have found a growing community. > > "You meet lots of people who share the same interests and are on the > same wavelength, sometimes even soul mates," Kahnert said. > > Kahnert, who had just lost his job when he started the company, said > he and Pfuetzner would like to expand throughout Europe and into the > United States and were looking for potential partners. > > But Kahnert said they had learned from experience when the internet > bubble burst in 2000 that no online start-up can survive on just a > clever idea. > > Pfuetzner said that if users begin to clock up an average of €5 per > year in mediator fees on the site, it would put the company in the > black. > > "There are 36 million internet users in Germany, around six million in > Austria and about eight million in Switzerland. If we get even a > fraction of that number, we'll be doing well," Kahnert said. > > "We just need to reach critical mass," Pfuetzner added. > > AFP > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Find out how CFTicket can increase your company's customer support efficiency by 100% http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=49 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:150848 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
