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Comment by downandout | Hacker News Reader

The problem they are trying to solve is real. Many people don't know or want to know how to market things they don't want anymore. They just want to sell them. This is the same reason that Google now offers assistance with Adwords campaigns - many businesses don't want to have to become Internet marketing experts, but need customers.

I think that without a local presence where items are screened, fraud/product misrepresentation/stolen items will be a significant issue - perhaps enough to sink them. They are essentially saying "hey, use our eBay account to sell stuff and we'll send you money". They have serious logistical issues to deal with, but I wish them luck because they are solving a real problem with potentially massive rewards if they can get it right.

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"The problem they are trying to solve is real."

It is absolutely real for me. I've got like two closets full of older but perfectly fine stuff (like the laptop I replaced with the laptop I bought this year) that I would feel bad throwing away but I don't want to bother selling through normal means (and none of my immediate friends is interested in having).

I would absolutely use this service to get rid of the stuff even if the offered price were marginal. In my case, I'd even be fine shipping the stuff out for free if the box shipping were pre-paid (but I may be an extreme case).

Having too much stuff is a first world problem, for sure, but sign me up.

A ship for free option where the proceeds go to charity could be a big win, but abuse could sink it.

The problem is real for me too. What is really crazy is that I may actually be too lazy to snap a picture and email it.

When I had more time and less money I would buy camera equipment from people on CL, and resell it for huge mark ups. Most people just wanted it gone and were willing to get a little cash.

I bet they do a lot more volume than people are giving them credit for. I also think a smart phone app that allows you to take a photo and immediately send it to the company would increase their potential merchandise.

They have an iPhone app which makes the whole process very slick, including taking pictures. I haven't tried selling with it yet, but it looks nice.

you could donate it.

I used the service and it was great. Had one hiccup (timer to ship out started on a Friday and no pickups til Monday), but reached out and support was on it lickety split. Great service.

Please find a charity you want to support and donate the laptop and other items in your closet. You'll get a tax write off which will give you the marginal return. You'll get two closets back. You'll support a cause you like. If it's a small charity, you could make a major impact. Do it before things depreciate more.

The non-profit will be very thankful and you won't have to keep wondering what to do with those closets.

But whats the point of having 2 closets if I cant fill it with all my crap!?

Seriously, this is totally a real problem and perhaps if they had an option to donate proceeds to charity people would tick that checkbox..

You don't need to box up anything or tick any boxes.

Call your local charity. They will come and pick up the stuff from your house. Of course, it's nice if you do box up the items but seriously, with many charities, you do not need to do anything more than make a phone call. They will schedule a time to come to your house with a truck and people to load it up.

Please help a non-profit cause you care about.

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