Steven Frank on the need for a small, karma based internet community where stuff can be sold:
As a gadget hound, I accumulate tons of tech that I eventually need to get rid of to fund the purchase of newer tech. Tired of Craigslist and eBay, I put up a static HTML page with a few items, and asked people on Twitter to check it out and place bids if interested.
This was quite successful. I sold all my items at reasonable prices, with hardly any fuss. What a difference it makes having a group of people you can actually trust.
When you post an item on Craigslist or eBay, you’re exposing it to people with unknown or unreliable respectability (despite the systems already in place by those services) which can lead to messy transactions. With a controlled community, scammers and other unreputable people are barred from hijacking the system for their own needs. In short: with this setup, simple, reliable, and above all, trustworthy exchanges are guaranteed.