Cymerc Exchange Inc., which operates a Web site that provides a buying and selling point for used IT equipment, is expected next week to announce a certification program that verifies the quality and accuracy of product descriptions before transactions are completed.
The firm said the program is another step in offering the IT industry a front-end-to-back-end Web service for buying and selling used products. The cost of its services was not disclosed.
Cymerc, San Francisco, uses third-party vendors to offer fulfillment and logistics services for the pickup and delivery of used products. Sellers can offer to pay for the delivery service or can add shipping charges to the purchase.
Sergio Monsalve, senior director of business development, said the used IT equipment market is currently in disarray because it was not prepared for the diverse changes occurring in the business community. He said large firms are looking to sell older technology and smaller companies are looking to pick up used equipment more regularly because Internet technology continues to shift.
Monsalve predicted that a wide range of businesses, from e-commerce companies to law firms, would use the service at www.cymerc.com. He said his Web site eliminates equipment broker surcharges and classified ad expenses that are driving up the cost of buying and selling IT equipment.
“This is a grossly ineffective and fragmented market on both the buyers' side and the sellers' side,” he said. “It's a complete mess, to say the least. The current new IT equipment market is $400 billion dollars, and the used market is only $30 billion. The big gap represents the fact that there is no good supply chain to the buyers of this used technology.”
