Ebay- Without the Hassle

Second Rotation will be the biggest thing to online consumerism since Ebay. That's my thought for the day. Why?

First, what is Second Rotation? Well, this Cnet/Webware article is a pretty good briefing on the new site. Basically, these guys will buy your old tech shat- so far, cell phones, digital camcorders, MP3 players, and GPS devices. They'll give you a fair, but under-market, price for your junk and in turn go sell it Ebay-style. No hassle for you with Ebay or listing auctions. Just take the price they give you (or don't take it). That's it. Get a check or Paypal payment in return. They even pay for shipping (DHL service). How cool is that?!!!!

Now, why is this big- nay- HUGE? Well, in marketing there is a principle that (without getting too detailed) filters consumers into groups like "Innovators" (the first consumers of a new product), "Early Adopters" (consumers who buy new products soon after release), "Late Adopters", "Laggards", etc.

The Second Rotation idea is perfect for the Innovators and Early Adopters because the vast majority of consumers are Middle/Late Adopters. Especially with technology/gadgets- Second Rotation's focus. Those consumer segments at the front of the purchasing curve are going to make bank off this service. Your 6-month old cell phone that you now consider a relic is the cutting edge for the majority of consumers. You just salvaged probably 50% or more of the original price you paid for it- quite the score to help fund the new phone you want. What about all those cell phones that are bought upon a new 2-year service agreement with a cell-phone service provider that people are getting for next to nothing? Well, now that phone has more value than it cost the person at sign up. Ridiculous!

Granted, I am somewhat brainstorming here and have not done a whole lot of quantitative analysis of the product segments, pricing and such that Second Rotation is promoting, but a quick glance at their site tells me this much is true- consumers early to the buying game will be at an advantage and make money off of this. But if you have older products? Well, consider your "old junk" money well spent and this is a way to: a) get rid of it and b) get a little something for it.

Now, take me. I do a lot of surfing/reviewing of tech products that I am interested in and sometimes, likely to or will purchase. Many times I do not, but my product sleuthing leads me to garner information about product popularity, quality, and most importantly, price, that many others (see: the "Late Adopters and Laggards") do not ever imbibe. Well, now I have a way to take my knowledge, find the best price out there for some of these gadgets and maybe, just maybe, buy and sell items to Second Rotation simply because I know I can get more than I paid for it. Genius! Certainly, you have to be diligent and strike while the iron is hot to take advantage of one site's deal to go to Second Rotation armed and ready. But like the saying goes, "no pain, no gain".

So, I am going to try this service out, probably both with junk I have at home, but certainly with deals I know exist to take advantage of Second Rotation's buyback. More to come as I experience this brave new world.

UPDATE: I've tested the "estimate calculator" mutliple times across categories, and my observation is that, except for one gadget, I have not been able to find any product that would get nearly equal value (heck even 75% value) versus its CMV (current market value), let alone any off of which you could make money. Tracking...