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Mon July 1 2013 11:14:20

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

By: Julia Wilkinson

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Google is working on a new product called "Google Mine," which will apparently be a way to catalog/keep track of the items you own or you'd like to have and share some of them with your Google Plus circles, according to a post on the Google Operating System blog.

"Google Mine lets you share your belongings with your friends and keep up to date with what your friends are sharing. It enables you to control which of your Google+ Circles you share an item with. It also lets you rate and review the items, upload photos of them and share updates on the Google+ Stream where your friends get to see and comment on them," reports the blog.

"Did Google Just Decide to Kill Craigslist and eBay?" asked Tim Beyers of The Motley Fool, in an article that speculated on the impact the still-in-testing service might have. "Not only could you share notes about your collections, or document valuables for insurance purposes, but you could also Imagine a barter system whereby you sell or trade via Google+, with any money exchanged via Google Wallet," speculated Beyers. And "a tailored credit or debit card might not be far behind," Beyers says in a video embedded on the article page.

He says in the video that he could, for example, post his entire comic book collection on Google Plus. "And if someone wants to make me an offer on some of my comics, they can do that," he says. The thought is this could lead to either a lot of online bartering or maybe a market where Google Wallet is the payment method of choice.

A lot is still up in the air, of course. But I have often wondered if there was some fast, easy way of listing a lot of what you own quickly, and have that open up to the global marketplace. Let's say you could list the entire contents of your closet with just a Twitter-like one-liner description for each item, all in one text post. Don't even bother adding photos unless someone asks for them.

All this remains to be seen. And Google Plus, some say, has a long way to go before it infiltrates our daily lives the way Facebook has for so many. But people aren't exactly buying and selling like wildfire on Facebook, either.

All Google will say, of course, is it is always working on new things.

What are your thoughts on this potential new way of trading goods online? Could this disrupt eBay, Craigslist, and other online marketplaces? Post a comment here!

Comments (13) | Permalink

Readers Comments

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Ina

Mon Jul 1 12:19:51 2013

"catalog/keep track of the items you own or you'd like to have" - not the first time this has been tried, it has not been met with great success, so no, I don't think it is a threat to marketplaces.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Rexford

Mon Jul 1 14:32:26 2013

I think if Google want to make it work, that they can. No other company has quite the resources that Google have, and if they use Google Search to be the wind beneath this product's wings it could be a huge success. Will be watching this develop.

As fed up with eBay as so many sellers are, this could be a threat to eBay. Sellers are chomping at the bit for something new, and not just another marketplace who think "if we build it they will come".

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Ming the Merciless

Mon Jul 1 20:17:01 2013

You are cordially invited to burglarize my home.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: juliawww

Mon Jul 1 22:05:32 2013

I will be watching this with great interest, too.

We have seen a lot of eBay wannabes come and go (and a few that stuck), but I agree w/ Rex that if anyone has a shot at this, it's Google. Stay tuned.. ;)

I don't know about the whole catalog model, but just because some other co's haven't quite made the listing-your-possessions thing catch on like wildfire, doesn't necessarily mean Google won't.

They could also tweak it and take it in a different direction, depending on how and if people use it.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Sierra

Tue Jul 2 00:13:33 2013

Is this G's attempt at a Pinterest-type site?

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Ming the Merciless

Tue Jul 2 01:16:57 2013

I'm reminded of that old Beatles songs with the lyric "I, me, mine" that repeats over and over again.

Says it all about the mindset of many of today's online ever so special online buyers.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: FREDDY

Tue Jul 2 01:36:16 2013

Do not want a social site for selling or buying. For some reason way too many people use the word ''friend'' without knowing the meaning. The meaning of ''friend'' has changed since the start of social sites like facebook etc. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: nobody

Tue Jul 2 02:06:42 2013

Google (data) Mine

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Tula

Tue Jul 2 02:12:49 2013

LOL, Ming. I think you have a very valid point there. If all people use it for is bragging about their possessions, then there definite risk in unsavory interest being taken. I think the only real way this could take off as an ecommerce platform is if they hook it directly into search, otherwise, it's just another variant on Pinterest, only with the focus on your own stuff. Like Ming says, this may be a popular enough mindset among a certain crowd that loves showing off their material goods to have a decent showing. It certainly adds another level to keeping up with the Joneses.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: Basset

Tue Jul 2 08:08:29 2013

Can't imagine an arena in which I'd want to show off my possessions. Not to mention a sad commentary on a our societal values in some cases - where people's value can seem to be the sum of their possessions.

Like large metro area ''who's who'' magazines that show off the wealthy, their homes & possessions in a ''Don't you wish you were me'' kinda way. Ostentatious johnson measuring.

Not to mention security issues. Privacy settings have a way of going up in a puff of smoke. And my very first thought was like Ming's.

Sounds a bit like Pinterest, which is a way to organize bookmarks. (Recipes, for example) But I would not likely buy anything there.

It still is kind of strange to me that I have ''followers'' - didn't ask anyone to follow me, have never met these ''followers'', yet now I feel a twinge of responsibility about what I pin, knowing a small flock of ''followers'' are out there.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: iheartjacksparrow

Tue Jul 2 09:40:39 2013

"The thought is this could lead to either a lot of online bartering or maybe a market where Google Wallet is the payment method of choice."

I guess Tim hasn't been keeping up on current events because Google Wallet will cease accepting payments for physical goods after November 20th.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: TFG

Tue Jul 2 10:56:30 2013

Yeah, sure. I would TOTALLY want Google to know the entire contents of my home. Sounds like a great way to end up getting robbed.

Could Google Mine Be the New Big Thing in Selling?

by: sundance

Tue Jul 2 13:54:33 2013

I put things up on sites to sell. Not brag about. So, NO I don't see this as much of a threat to selling sites and probably won't use it.

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