The Idea of Consumer to Consumer

In class we have so far looked at the types of e-commerce that the Internet provides and how it is making businesses grow.  One idea we looked at was how consumer to consumer business works and why it creates great profits.  This type of website is one in which a consumer interacts with another consumer who are wanting to buy things of similar value.  One of the best examples of this is Ebay.  Here a consumer will auction out items they want to sell in order to gain profit on items they no longer want.  Another consumer, who is interested in the item, will place bids on the item until the auction day ends (determined by the seller).  This creates opportunity for both in that the seller can make money and the buyer can get items at a lower prices.  For Ebay, they can continuously work their business by having others auction while they host the website and obtain money from each sale on each transaction.  All transactions that take place will help Ebay continue to grow based on transaction or commission fees on every sale.  In another way  they are a business to consumer model because they are allowing consumers to use this type of auction in the first place.  It benefits all parties involved which is why it is a success.  This type of e-commerce, in my opinion, is the best model because it allows for better growth for the company and for its consumers as buyers and sellers.  I believe that in the future more companies will have this type of model because it cuts down on costs of dealing with other companies, focusing on consumers themselves.

The Online Dating Game

As most people know, almost 1 out of 5 relationships start online and as the Internet continues to revolutionize the way we live our lives it will only increase.  Some may ask why this is occurring or why it is becoming so popular.  I believe this has to do with the way Internet is always available.  You can access it anytime and can search everything imaginable.  I was curious about what exactly is available as far as Internet dating sites are concerned so I did a quick search in Google.  I saw the main ones most know in EHarmony, Match.com, and Zoosk.  I found that a lot of them are now are more categorized to deal with specific interests people really enjoy.  One site I just visited was about looking for singles older and more mature type ages.  It offers a list where you can tell your age, your income, and then provide an example of matches available to you.  However, you must sign up to see better matches and add information to your profile for others to view you.  In some ways I believe there is a risk that you may meet some people that are nothing like their profile indicates.  Mostly though people have had success in finding great connections and true love.  It is amazing to me to see how just 10 or so years ago it would have been weird to meet online but now meeting online is regular and seen as ordinary. In the years to come this trend will only continue to grow and it does seem that at some point almost half of relationships will be started by online dating websites.