An Innovative Solution to Over-consumption

I recently came across a website called swap.com. This business uses an innovative approach to address a couple of key issues that plague consumers today: a falling economy and a disintegrating environment. Swap.com creatively connects consumers with the goods they need at a much lower cost while reducing the amount of waste we create each day. Reducing this overconsumption can positively impact our environement and increase the quality of life for all of us. To do this, the website maintains a database of millions of items that website users have posted. Items such as CD’s, books or video games that they are either willing to trade or are wanting to procure. The idea is to fulfill the consumers' needs without the exchange of money. Each person receives something of value to them while getting rid of something that was sitting on a shelf untouched. The consumer no longer has to pay retail value for an item that does not need to be new to be valuable, and instead, pays the cost of shipping (which is relatively low for media mail). As long as the item has value to someone using the site, the item can be traded or recycled indefinitely.

For swap.com, this “want to have” and “have it” information is key to running the business. They hold knowledge that otherwise would be unknown to consumers and can operate with a lower overhead than most businesses. They have no need for physical inventory or really even a building in which to operate. Swap.com’s most valuable asset is the information it contains, and its ability to efficiently maintain and redistribute that information.

Although the founders of the site have come up with a unique way to address a broad need both financial and environmental, they must strive to continue learning. This technology can be fairly easily mimicked and will probably have competition in the market very soon if not already. Swap.com will need to continue to improve its processes and foster a research and learning environment to remain on the forefront of this industry. Swap.com is providing a great value to our society, by allowing consumers that have been struck down by our economy to again consume while at the same time cutting down on the over-consumption for which American’s have become so well known.