Tradepal is the latest entrant in the internet barter service foray. I have yet to review the site, but they released a video introducing their service. Integration with Facebook via Facebook Connect allows current Facebook users to sign up for Tradepal without creating a new login, and the platform accepts barter and cash transactions. Here’s the press release.
New York, NY (PRWEB) May 25, 2010 — Tradepal will be demonstrating a new approach to person-to-person web commerce based on buying, selling, and bartering with friends at this week’s TechCrunch Disrupt.News ImageTradepal introduces a “hybrid” online marketplace where members use money, items, or both, to trade with friends and friends of friends.Users list items on Tradepal (www.tradepal.com) that they are willing to sell or trade for. Other members who see an item they like can either issue a Buy Now order at the Friendly PriceTM (listed price) or make an offer for whatever they think the item is worth. Offers can be cash, barter, or a combination of the two. Rather than following the traditional auction model, Tradepal facilitates negotiations between members using an electronic trading system and a live chat between members.“Our goal is to expand the possibilities, by merging buying and selling with bartering, and all this in a fun and trustworthy online marketplace,” said Karim Guessous, Tradepal Co-Founder & CEO.Tradepal uses integration with Facebook Connect to let buyers give preference to items listed by people they know, or people connected to their friends. Members don’t need a separate username/password for Tradepal.com because they log in with their Facebook identity. That same close integration with Facebook Connect lets sellers maximize the possibilities of promoting their items for sale through their social network by sharing listings with friends.Tradepal offers a simplified fee structure. Listing and bartering are free of charge on Tradepal. Sellers will only have to pay a fee on the cash portion of a trade. “This hybrid trading model is going to disrupt the online marketplace in a way that will be very positive for buyers and sellers alike. We want to give a fair shake to online sellers by offering them a significantly reduced fee structure as compared to our competitors,” said Guessous.This week, Tradepal is introducing a “giveaway” option where members can list items they are willing to give away for free. Guessous said he hopes that will give people an excuse to try the service, just because all of us have something in their garage that they no longer want but would like to find a good home for. Environmentally conscious members will have access to a carbon calculator to help them keep score on how much carbon they have saved by reusing an item rather than letting it go to waste.As with barter transactions, Tradepal doesn’t charge for giveaways, but Guessous says that’s all right because his first goal is to make Tradepal useful to its members. “We know that once people discover our service, they will want to invite their friends.”
