It is no mystery that Proffery is a different kind of marketplace. Look around, not a price tag in sight. So what kind of items exactly make sense to sell on Proffery?
It might actually be easier when defining the appropriate items for listing on Proffery, to begin by defining what Proffery is not useful for. Proffery is not the place to sell items with a UPC barcode on them, that you can find on any marketplace like Amazon or eBay. Those are items which have a well-defined market value, and it would be ludicrous to pretend that you should post a pair of shoes available at Amazon, Target, and Walmart and pretend that taking offers on them with no pricing direction makes sense.
But what if the pair of shoes is a one-of-a-kind, signed by the artist, used pair of vintage sneakers? Is there a 'price tag' kind of a price? There isn't. And generally in collectible stores, there will be an asking price, but even then it is only the beginning of a price negotiation. The final price is a number that both the buyer and the seller agree to and in some form or other shake on.
Our perspective at Proffery, and the essential premise of the marketplace, is that the seller ought not be forced to begin the negotiation. There is nowhere for the price to go but down, once the seller has priced an item. A serious buyer is aware of what the value of the item is to them, and in the case of items without close alternatives, they should make the opening offer.
So imagine a buyer has come to Proffery because it is (and this is the intent) the only marketplace where a particular, unique, item can be found. A simple example of this is a domain name. They are by definition unique, and while replacing a domain name with another comparable name is straightforward, the ideal domain name is uniquely valuable to the person with plans for it and the means to acquire it.
If you purchase domains regularly, you will see exactly that, the domain name sales page will allow you to make an offer, maybe with some minimum offer before you even submit, and the seller on the other side witll decide if it's worth engaging with you. This really sorts out the looky-loos and lowballers quickly, and when catering to people who actually have unique items to sell, we need to be especially conscientious of their time and attention.
Another, less visible reason for letting the buyer offer first, is that the seller may or may not be 100% ready to sell. Say you own a rare or historical vintage automobile that you actively show and drive periodically. Refraining from just putting a pricetag on it allows the seller to feel out the situation and retain control of whether they sell. And it can allow more people with more interesting items to list them while still determining what happens to their valuable collectible.
So now we come to it, what should you list on Proffery? In all likelihood, you actually do have an item or two that would fit our market. Some assorted examples that many people may have sitting around.
- Domains, specifically single word or short .com names
- Unique book editions, specifically signed copies
- Automobiles with either notbale owners or histories
- One-off or prototype computers and electronics
- Original artworks or signed numbered prints
- One-of-a-kind or historically significant jewelry creations
- Notable antique timepieces
- Real estate properties in supported jurisdictions
