how customer to customer c2c works
c2c represents a market environment where one customer purchases goods from another customer using a third party business or platform to facilitate the transaction c2c companies are a type of business model that emerged with ecommerce technology and the sharing economy customers benefit from the competition for products and often find items that are difficult to locate elsewhere also margins can be higher than traditional pricing methods for sellers because there are minimal costs due to the absence of retailers or wholesalers c2c sites are convenient because there is no need to visit a brick and mortar store sellers list their products online and the buyers come to them the amazon effect is named after the popular global online retailer and refers to the competitive gains that ecommerce businesses have made as more shoppers make purchases online instead of at brick and mortar stores types of customer to customer c2c businessescraigslist is an ecommerce platform that connects people advertising products services or situations craigslist not only provides a platform for buying selling and trading products but also posts monthly classified ads such as employment opportunities and property listings this platform requires the seller to deliver items directly to the buyer in person etsy allows company owners to create their custom website on which to market their products to consumers the c2c site offers guidance and tools for growing a business that ranges in price according to a company s stage of development 1 there s also an etsy seller app that helps to manage orders listings and customer queries efficiently 2ebay features two types of product listings fixed price items and auction items fixed price items can be purchased quickly by selecting the buy it now button auction items feature a place bid button for entering bids and show a current bid price these items are open to bids for a predetermined time and are declared sold to the highest bidder 3revenue and growth of the c2c marketc2c websites and similar platforms make money from fees charged to sellers for listing items for sale adding on promotional features and facilitating credit card transactions these c2c transactions typically involve used products sold through a classified or auction system the c2c market is projected to grow in the future because of its cost effectiveness the cost of using third parties is declining and the number of products for sale by consumers is steadily rising retailers consider it to be an essential business model because of the popularity of social media and other online channels these channels showcase specific products already owned by consumers and increase demand which drives increased online traffic to c2c platforms however c2c has problems such as a lack of quality control or payment guarantees in some cases there is little support for credit card transactions although the emergence of paypal and other such payment systems over the years has helped simplify payments on c2c platforms special considerationsthe c2c marketplace has increased over time as more companies have entered the space to facilitate c2c transactions many companies target niche markets and list specific products to attract unique consumers the c2c marketplace is increasing in popularity among sellers looking to maximize their sales potential by connecting with customers who they otherwise would not reach using traditional selling methods online platforms such as etsy ebay and craigslist appeal to customers who can locate almost any product or service at a price they are willing to pay however despite the increasing popularity of the c2c marketplace some companies have issues these include a lack of quality control and payment guarantees for example some c2c e commerce sellers have complained of being scammed by customers and craigslist is mostly unmoderated 