Half.com - An Innovative Model for Buying & Selling Books, CDs,... By Ina Steiner AuctionBytes.com
March 04, 2000
Half.com is a site where you can sell your used, mass-produced items like books and CDs. Everything is at least 50% off. There are no listing fees, but sellers are charged a 15% commission upon the sale of their item; Half.com charges buyers shipping charges, but it appears that it only gives sellers a portion of that fee.
Here's how it works. Once you've placed an order for an item, Half.com notifies the seller of the item you've purchased. Then it emails you as soon as the seller has confirmed that the item will be shipped. After your item has been sent, Half.com charges your credit card. (No seller ever has access to buyers' credit cards.)
Half.com sends checks to sellers up to twice a month, depending on how much you sell. The check to sellers will be for the amount sold minus a 15% commission, plus an allowance to help cover your shipping costs. You can leave feedback for sellers (seller ratings). Half.com does take action in the event of fraud.
"Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets" hardcover book (list price $17.95) was available on Half.com for $8 on March 5. (I checked eBay, and there were multiple copies, one for $8 with no bids, and other copies with higher bids!)
If you've used Half.com, let us know what you think of it - go to http://www.auctionbytes.com and click on the General Feedback Message Forum button.
About the author:
Ina Steiner is Editor of AuctionBytes.com and author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). She has a background in marketing and research in the high-tech and publishing fields. If you have story ideas, comments or questions, send them to ina@auctionbytes.com.
