I built Garage as a side-project and have finally realised it into production. I’m just a dude working full-time, renting in Caulfield and out of pocket for it. But I’d rather pay to host Garage than have Zuck sell me. Your support means a lot!
Mods: I realise rule 5 says no ads. If this breaks it, I’ll remove. I’m not really selling anything, just trying to give people a second option to Facebook.
I like the idea OP, and i hope you suceed, but i am curious how you hope to overcome the pitfalls of sites like this such as the flood of ‘new’ tat being sold from fake cheap products to local services and the crazy buy a lifestyle book/course?
Are you going to moderate everhing on your own? that’s a heck of a responsibility
Also i am a fan of local sales, and like you hate FB. The next best for me is Op shops, car boots and antique shops. I am finding issues with the existing market in.
Ebay , local search ability, say i wanna just look at furniture, i could previously select the catogory and then filter by closest, in the last few years it takes me to a sales like page and tries to narrow me down to a object such as a chair or a table. Searching furniture’ is quite specific. So either of those ways kinda makes it so i miss out on random items.
Gumtree: To slow and too full of other spam…want a jobs, buy your dogfood in bulk scammers etc
Vinted: Closest ideological but it seems to be tailored to clothing and smaller items. Selling items from 2106 (primark/kmart level stuff) and listing it as vintage or rare makes me close my computer in a rage.
There is defo a space in the market for your idea i just think you need to figure the niche and be objective about resources of management.