E-commerce Marketplace in India - Amazon

A product could be sold online (over the Internet) or offline (brick-and-mortar). If I am buying an item in a specific category, I can chose to visit several brick-and-mortar shops and even check-out individual e-commerce sites. I can make a buy decision based on attributes like best price, convenience, return policy or best post-sale service. But the time, effort and money that should be invested in this bargain-hunt is not trivial.

How about a service online, which can bring together details of about 1.2 crore products, sold both online and offline? Isn't it convenient (to the extreme!) to get comparison of so many products from multiple vendors in one place? Welcome to the jungle of products at http://www.junglee.com.

This service, from the renowned global e-commerce player Amazon, has been brought to Indians in the second phase of e-commerce boom (which started in 2007 and going strong this time around). It is interesting to note that no products (a link to global amazon exists though) of this company are directly sold on this site.  With Amazon getting a license to develop its own courier service in India, it's pure play in e-commerce domain in India is not far away.

10 years down the line, will anyone step out of their house for any shopping at all?

E-commerce Marketplace in India - eBay

Trade has been one of the activities, which triggered imperialism, revolution and creation of history in many parts of the world (East India Company?). Traditionally trade in brick-and-mortar world happen at market places. With easy access to Internet, a replication of similar model online was inevitable.

How can a person in Tumkur sell Pet Food to  people in Manipur or Ahmedabad? How can I buy mirrors in Kanchipuram or bean bags and nose pins in Jalandar online? How would I find the appropriate sellers in the first place?

Ebay (http://ebay.in) has pioneered the application of Internet-based technologies to bring buyers and sellers together in an online marketplace. The registered sellers and buyers meet each other here. Any individual or a business can sell their products on ebay. The primary mode of selling is through auction, but there is also an option to sell the products immediately for a fixed price. The good part is that one can sell their products for overseas customers as well. Once a product listed by a seller is bought, the seller takes the responsibility of packing and shipping the item to the buyer. One can find used, refurbished and brand new products on this site.

One would get a good perspective of what people would be buying in different corners of India, if insights are drawn from online marketplaces like ebay. I could not think of people buying fishing hooks, floaters and gas lighters online! Are you curious to know what folks from different parts of India are buying? You want to know which products are sold, bought, imported and exported from different hubs in India? Check out the e-census guide prepared by ebay India at http://shopping.ebay.in/census/eBay_Census_Guide_2011.pdf. If this guide does not bring smiles on your face, ping me :-)

eBay, which started in USA in 1995, marked their presence in India through acquisition of bazee.com.

E-Commerce India - Online Classifieds

If I want to sell my old furniture (want to buy new ones), books (finished reading all of them), baby products (cycle, stroller, toys) or even jewellery (got bored of them), where would I go and sell? Is it the prerogative of only the tradesmen to buy or sell goods? How would ordinary citizens like me sell my old or unwanted items (in good condition though) for a reasonable price?

In olden days, probably a physical marketplace would have addressed my issue. A similar marketplace - now present online - helps me buy or sell any items with a few clicks. http://olx.in is one such site in India, which offers the post-a-classified-ad service for free. I can buy or sell items ranging from CDs to books to Cars.  It brings together buyers and sellers for all sorts of classifieds - buy/sell, jobs, matrimony, etc. The site only brings the buyers and sellers together, the payment and delivery needs to be sorted out by the buyers and sellers themselves.

I should try to buy/sell something on this site and check-out the service. Can I find a buyer for my short-stories ? :-)