"Mercari" App Competes with eBay to Create Safe Space to Buy & Sell Goods
Mercari is an app that allows consumers to buy and sell good
through your smartphone. It's basically an alternative to eBay, creating a safe and reliable platform for people to sell stuff they don't need anymore. Mercari's CMO Scott Levitan sits down with Alyssa Julya Smith in Los Angeles to talk about how the app is setting itself apart from all the competition.
Levitan says the company has created a safe space that makes sure purchases are paid before they are sent out to help minimize fraud on the site. In December, Mercari surpassed 100 million downloads worldwide and the app is pushing its expansion even further into the US, after the Asian company has dominated much of that market.
The app also eliminates the need to meet face-to-face and creates a safe space to buy/sell, making it a safer choice than sites like Craigslist. Buyers simply search, swipe and tap to purchase, and sellers can post their listing in under a minute.
U.S. states could face some hurdles as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in part due to fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars.
Amid peak summer travel, thousands of air travelers faced flight cancellations and delays this weekend as thunderstorms rolled in across the U.S. East Coast and Midwest.
