Commuto: eBay Without The Money

You might call Commuto the poor man’s eBay. The new Web 2.0 startup has plenty of people’s products up for grabs — but no one’s expecting any money to ever exchange hands.

Instead, Commuto functions on a trade-based concept: You put up stuff you’re looking to get rid of, then swap it for someone else’s offerings. Once you create a profile and make entries for your things, you tell the site what kind of goods you’re looking to get. It then matches you with other users to make the trade happen.

When I logged on, the front page featured items such as DVDs, books, Xbox games, and even a fancy-looking coffee machine. The Toronto-based Commuto is currently under public beta testing, so there are still some kinks to be worked out. There’s definitely also a lot of community growth to be made — not a heck of a lot of items up for trade just yet — but the idea is a solid one that has potential, if it’s able to grow. A full launch and marketing campaign are scheduled to kick off later this year.

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