Hey there, Rockefeller. We know how fun it is to buy the latest, coolest and most entertaining games. We also know how expensive it can be. Glyde, a Web site that allows users to buy and sell used DVDs, CDs and books, is supposed to be easy, simple and cheap. We talk with Glyde CEO and former head of eBay motors Simon Rothman to see if the site lives up to its hype. But before you start, take a look at our Glyde impressions.
UGO: Part of
brick-and-mortar retailers' appeal is the speed. You want a cheap game for
tonight; you drive to the shop and buy it. How fast is Glyde? Do online's lower
prices counter the speed of brick-and-mortar?
Simon Rothman: We're making it easier
for gamers to make and keep a lot more of their money without leaving the house
- our users tell us it's worth the wait. Brick-and-mortar stores have huge
overhead costs they need to pass on to their customers. Glyde doesn't have
those costs and can pass along the savings.
Glyde was built from the
ground up to be simple and fair. We make selling a used game as easy as
throwing it away and sellers can earn twice as much money selling on Glyde as
they'd get for their trade-ins at GameStop. If they're willing to buy used
games instead of new, they'll save as much as 75%.
There's
a need for both services. If you want the item today, it's faster to drive to
the store, but if you're willing to wait a few days, you can save or make a lot
more money on Glyde.
UGO: Are you
concerned with the growth of the downloadable market?
SR: Platform games are becoming richer and have more content, but downloading
or streaming these games is still technically challenging. Until the technology
challenges are solved, people will continue to buy and sell what's available.
The average household has $3000 of used media (games, DVDs, books and CDs)
sitting on their shelves. Rather than let those things collect dust, people can
use Glyde and make a few extra bucks today.
UGO: What are
your feelings on first-purchaser content like Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network?
SR: You'll
save enough money by buying a used game on Glyde that you can pay for the
Cerberus Network and still have some leftover. We don't expect these networks
to eliminate the market for used games.
UGO: Where do you
go from here? Will Glyde expand into a community? Will it get editorial like
GameFly's network? Give us a look into the crystal ball.
SR: We will follow our users
into whatever they want - consoles, new game formats, a community, it's all
fair game. For example, many users wanted to sell games without cases, so we
added a "disk only" condition, which is unique to our marketplace. We
constantly listen to our users to make Glyde the easiest way to buy and sell
online.
UGO: Can we expect a trade with other user/barter option down the
line?
SR: We don't have any plans to include barter. Given a choice, most people would
rather have dollars than points. Money can be used to pay your bills or
buy things at any store. Also, you get more choice buying and selling to
everyone rather than trading with a subset of users for a subset of items. Commerce
is about getting what you want, not what others don't.
UGO: What inspired the inclusion of donations?
SR: We believe most people want to help others, but don't always have extra money
or time. By enabling people to donate proceeds from the sale of video games they
can turn stuff they don't need into cash others do. Just think - after saving
the world in Call of Duty you can sell it and donate the proceeds to the Red
Cross to save the world again.
UGO: Will more non-profits be added to the donation list? For
example, Operation Smile is missing. Will there be user feedback to expand the
list?
SR: Our goal is to eventually enable anyone to donate their stuff for the benefit
on any charity. We currently include nearly all 501(c) (3) charities with
annual revenues over $1 million, which covers all major and most non-major
charities. We will continue to expand the list.
UGO: Will the site eventually support ads, or do you believe the
profit off trades will be enough to sustain the company?
SR: We don't
expect to display ads on our site. It's a better
user experience to focus on the customers and products. Ads can be a
distraction.
