3 On Your Side: Try It Before You Buy It
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- We've probably all purchased something in the past that didn't live up to our expectations, but what if there was a way to try out items first and prevent buyer's remorse? A new website called YBuy.com lets you try out gadgets and appliances before you pay for them, but this kind of membership service comes with a price and limitations.
For a $50 registration fee, and $25 a month, curious consumers like Paul Owusu can get their hands on an appliance or gadget before buying it.
"I can try a product for 30 days. If I want it, I can purchase it, and if I don't, I ship it back, no questions asked," says Owusu.
According to Steve Svajian, Co-Founder and CEO of YBuy, "We can actually bring the showroom into peoples' living rooms."
YBuy offers consumers only about three dozen products to choose from that have been selected by YBuy's staff.
"Amazon provides a service where it's an open shopping mall. But I think people are fed up with seeing ten thousand espresso machines. They want to see ones that are created specifically for them and their lifestyle," Svajian explains.
Owusu says he's tried some cameras and speakers over the past few months, but has returned most of them. He says, "To sort of, try it for a month and put it back together and ship it back, it can be somewhat of a headache at times, and I think that's maybe a little bit of a disadvantage to them. But the packaging and the shipping and things like that, it's a smooth process."
It's an interesting business concept that people seem to be welcoming. Since launching in October of last year, YBuy has signed up more than 30,000 members.
For more, visit the website.
