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An Old Idea or a Bad Idea? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I am working off not enough sleep, so this may already exist or be a bad idea, but this thread got me thinking and so I posted this idea on Mastodon:

What if there was an interoperability commerce-focused protocol (built like ActivityPub does for content) where sellers could connect their single listing/post/etc. to many websites without having to manage the item individually on each website and the websites made money by commissions through a sort of affiliate program if the purchase was made through them?

I'm not a tech/programmer person, I'm more of a systems person, so I'm a bit out of my element.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, we need something like that! There is less FOSS development on this side of things because a malfunction can quickly lose someone money and you end up in a lawsuit, but I really hope we compete with Amazon one day with this.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, @[email protected] raised some good points about potential problems. But it's no impossible in theory. Like you say, I'd love to see something from the FOSS world that could take on Amazon. Amazon is a bully and a design thief.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

But also, I think Amazon's website is just the visible part of their value. I have helped my wife set up shipping for a webshop, even just within Japan and it is a major pain. Automated interfacing with shipping, with customs (a pain of their own), owning warehouses, having a variety of payement options and litigation helps, all of that is part of the package.

If you are seriously going into this, first, I want to say good luck because I hope something like that exists, and second a recommendation: try Amazon as a seller, to see how it works on this side as well and have an idea of the experience to emulate.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Those are great points, too. I know a few sellers and have noticed their complaints about Amazon have increased in recent years at the same time my satisfaction with the platform as a buyer has been going down. You have all given me a lot ot think through. Greatly appreciated!