Gliph Marketplace Uses In-App Messaging and Bitcoin to Compete with Craigslist
| Updatedby Polina Chernykh · 3 min read
Gliph introduced Gliph Marketplace, a new app for selling and buying items with the use of bitcoin.
Gliph has launched new app, entitled Gliph Marketplace, to allow users selling their items through direct communication with the buyers.
The company can now compete with Craigslist, a popular online service used for selling things online. Craigslist, however, doesn’t allow direct communication between traders and buyers, which instead use emails or text messages.
Gliph CEO, Rob Banagale, said: “The challenge with Craigslist…is that when you have an item you have multiple email threads going and it can be challenging to keep track of where the deal is or what’s the best deal.”
“Craigslist is trying to give you an ad listing and we’re actually trying to help you close the deal,” he added.
After selecting an item on Gliph Marketplace, the app users can pay with the use of digital currency by connecting to the Coinbase or Blockchain.info wallet. There is no requirement for the seller and buyer to have the same wallet app. The users are able to make in-person transactions using cash.
“The big improvement is that the payment is part of a continuous communication and ad listing and response workflow,” Banagle noted.
The app includes a rating and review system so users can get information about the seller’s reputation.
Gliph also projects to enable its users to make purchases through Apple Pay in the near future. Banagale said Apple Pay will be “much more of a killer payments app. That’s going to be way hotter in the U.S. than Bitcoin payments.”
“Investors really like to see the Bitcoin thing. That’s why we’re focused there right now,” he said.
Today, the mobile messaging apps are gaining more popularity, with WhatsApp, Skype, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger and Google Hangouts being used by millions of users.
Each new listing is reviewed by the Gliph Marketplace team before being published, what helps to ensure the safety of the service. Every new seller on the platform is approved by the team as well.
Although the company is focused on people in the New York City, Portland, San Francisco and Oregon areas, it is looking for new people, especially those using bitcoin, regardless of their location.
Gliph Marketplace is now available for users of both Apple and Android devices. The company is also planning to update the app for iOS 8 platform, enabling sellers to use push notifications to reply to buyer offers.
In order to improve the logistics of peer-to-peer transactions, Gliph is going to integrate with various transportation apps, including Uber.
