It was only a matter of time before someone came up with a Bitcoin based alternative to eBay and Craigslist. Seeing as though these two auction and classified sites don’t sanction Bitcoin or any altcoin, then that space was always open.
And that space (or, at least some of it), has been taken by a New York start up – .
Currently in beta, Corkket is geared towards local dealings only, so people will be able to trade with others in their own area, hence it’s more akin to Craigslist than eBay. The start-up, founded by three Yale graduates, want to,
“Make a better way to buy and sell locally.”
And claim they are,
“more local than eBay, more trustworthy than Craigslist”
The trust factor is further strengthened by their escrow service. Escrows are usually used for online digital transactions more than physical goods, but the concept is the same – i.e. the when the buyer pays via escrow, it is held by a third party, in this case Corkett who, once the buyer receives their item, shall then release the funds to the seller. However, the transactions shall be performed in a unique manner, by using QR codes. The buyer prints a QR code provided by Corkket, exchanging this for the item with the seller. Upon scanning, the seller receives the money. As Corkket mention on their site:
“Corkket will be there for every step of the process from listing the item to the exchange. Since payment is handled through the site, just exchange a QR code for the item, shake hands and you’re done.”
Corkket are hosting a “Bitcoin Picnic” on Saturday, the 26th of April, at New York City’s Union Square, where guests shall have the chance to obtain some free bitcoins.
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