The Computer Revolution/E commerce/C2C

Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C) Business Model

The consumer-to-consumer (C2C), or sometimes called person-to-person (P2P) business model is individuals selling directly to other individuals, something like an online garage sale. This is usually done via an intermediary web site such as eBay or Craigslist. eBay is an online auction site where individuals bid against other individuals for goods and services, and Craigslist is an online classified ad site where consumers can purchase items for sale by other consumers. One advantage of C2C is that sellers can reach a large group of consumers, and vice versa. One disadvantage of C2C is no quality control on what is sold.

From the mundane to the exotic, eBay, by far one of the largest online auction sites on the World Wide Web today, offers a wide array of products and services. For a small fee an online auctioneer can post his products with a detailed description and photographs. The consumer then bids on a product and agrees to buy that product if the bid is accepted at the end of a specified time. Payments are typically made electronically through Paypal.

Positive feedback is something that the seller wants to have and consumers must look for. It is a way of not only relating your shopping experience back to the seller but also to future consumers who may visit the seller’s other sites.

Even The Land of Oz can be found on eBay as evidenced by this newspaper advertisement from 1905

Reference: Morely, Deborah and Charles Parker. "Understanding Computers Today and Tomorrow" 13th Edition