Why Marketplace Fails: Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist fail when an item is big, costly, and you cannot inspect it. Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System with Vincent Turner.
On Shape the System, a podcast about people changing systems for the better, host Vincent Turner asked Commonplace founder and CEO Ari Kimmelfeld why buying and selling big secondhand items is still so hard, and what it takes to make a used fridge or hot tub as easy to buy as a new one.
Watch the episode: Ari Kimmelfeld - Commonplace, Shape the System with Vincent Turner, aired October 16, 2026. Listen on Shape the System.
The episode is also on YouTube and Simplecast.
Key takeaways
- Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace work best in big cities. Shipping marketplaces work for small items. Both break down over long distances, with very large items, and when an item is expensive but cannot be inspected first.
- When a big item does not sell, its owner usually pays to have it hauled away, even when it has plenty of life left.
- Buying new comes with delivery, installation, a working product, financing, and a warranty. Commonplace adds those layers to secondhand so the choice is apples to apples.
- A $1 hold reserves any item. It is inspected before pickup, and on orders under $8,000 you pay the rest on delivery.
- Sellers can skip the messages: listings can be promoted on other marketplaces, with inquiries routed back to Commonplace.
- The name is the goal: secondhand as a real shopping channel, as ordinary as ordering online.
Where Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace fall short
Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace work in big cities and for small items that can ship. They fall apart when the drive is long, the item is huge, or the price is high and nobody has inspected it. That is the gap a managed marketplace has to close before secondhand can compete with buying new.
Vincent asked where the big marketplaces work well and where they fall over.
With Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, those are very local marketplaces. So if you're in a big city, if you're in a major city, let's say New York City, there's a lot of inventory... If you're further from a city, the inventory is not as good, and you have to drive significant distances.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 10:40
It really breaks down, I think, when there are long distances involved and when the items are very large. And then the third thing is when the value is high relative to the lack of proof or inspection of what it is... You really want to inspect it before you spend thousands of dollars. You want that trust, that assurance, and then you also want help delivering it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 12:01
More in how Commonplace compares to Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and OfferUp.
Facebook Marketplace alternative
Everyone has a Facebook Marketplace horror story
Almost everyone who has sold or bought on Facebook Marketplace has a story about a no-show, a strange payment request, or a meetup that felt unsafe. Commonplace started by collecting those stories, because the trust problem is the reason big items do not move. A managed handoff takes that risk off both people.
Vincent had "horror stories" written in his notes. Commonplace has it on a sign.
Somewhere in the office, we have this sign: tell us your best Facebook Marketplace horror story. And so we literally stand on the street asking people to talk to us about their Facebook Marketplace horror story, because everybody has one.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 13:42
For a lot of people, it's a great place to find good deals, but you never know who you're dealing with, and there's that safety component that you can't really get perfectly right as a marketplace.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 14:09
Facebook Marketplace alternative
What happens to big things nobody buys
When a fridge, hot tub, or sofa never finds a buyer, the owner usually pays a hauler to take it, even when it still works. Buying new includes delivery, installation, and a warranty. Used only wins when the buyer gets those same things instead of a cash meetup and a hope that it runs.
Vincent had a real example: a fridge in his workshop, about to be given away because he was moving and could not be bothered dealing with it.
If they don't find a new home, you have to go through the hassle of getting rid of it, which usually means you have to pay a junk removal company or a moving company to get rid of it... So it's not easy and it's not simple and it's expensive, especially for the big things.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 15:50
The people that are buying something brand new would love to use it, right? And it's really not apples to apples for them to make a decision of should I buy this new or should I go find the fridge in your basement... They'll have to find you on some secondhand marketplace. They'll have to schedule a pickup with you. They'll have to get movers to come and pick it up. They'll have to make sure it's working. There's no warranty that comes with it because you're not a retailer. They can't put it on a credit card. They'll have to show up with cash.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 16:33
For what usually happens to these items, read what happens to old hot tubs, appliances, and furniture.
Making used as easy as new
A used fridge or hot tub is worth buying when it comes with an inspection, delivery, installation, a normal way to pay, and a warranty. Commonplace builds each category by listing the reasons a buyer would still choose new, then adding those pieces to the used sale so the comparison is fair.
Ari walked through Vincent's fridge from the buyer's side.
There needs to be an inspection, because like you said, you don't know if it works. The person buying it isn't a refrigerator expert, and you're not a retailer. There's no real trust that this refrigerator actually works... The same way, if I go to an appliance store, they're going to install it for me. They're going to give me a warranty. It's brand new.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 19:44
I get free delivery within 100 miles. I get the free warranty. I get it installed. I get it inspected. They don't have to pick it up if it doesn't work... And then I can really make a decision of, you know, it's apples to apples. Why not save? I get the same product at the end of the day.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 20:43
The same thinking shapes every category Commonplace takes on.
That's really how we built each category: thinking about it, if I'm a consumer looking to buy a hot tub, and a used hot tub, what are my hesitations? Why wouldn't I buy it used?... And so we kind of unpack that layer by layer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 26:27
If you go with a new hot tub, they have the electrician come set up the electrical. They have the plumber come set up the plumbing. They have a construction person to set up the concrete pad that goes under the hot tub. And all of those things, we kind of layered into the used hot tub transaction to really make that apples to apples, where you get the best price and you also get a retail-like experience.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 27:06
Eligible orders can also be financed, with terms up to 48 months. See financing options. For a closer look at the fridge question, read is it worth buying a used refrigerator.
How payments, inspection, and delivery work
Commonplace holds the money, inspects the item before it is picked up, and trains drivers for that category. A one dollar hold reserves it. On orders under $8,000 the buyer pays the rest at delivery. If the item does not match the listing, it stays put and the buyer is not charged.
We manage the payments and the delivery and inspection... If they're doing an appliance pickup and delivery, they know how to uninstall, inspect, do a full 30 to 50 point inspection report, which we provide, and they fill out. That gets sent over to the buyer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 22:02
For every single product category, we have different training courses, quizzes, and ways to make sure that the drivers know how to do that specific product, brand, category... And then drivers can basically unlock different categories.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 22:33
The seller gets paid by Commonplace. The buyer doesn't have to pay until it is delivered and installed in their home. So if something is not working, if something doesn't match the description, they don't have to pay.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 23:33
That applies to orders under $8,000. Over $8,000, the balance is wired at the pre-pickup inspection. Either way, the buyer approves the inspection first:
We have a pre-pickup inspection when the customer reserves the item for $1. And the seller basically takes all the photos, videos, and adds a new description, because a couple of days or weeks may have passed from when they listed it. That has to get approved by the buyer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 23:56
If something doesn't match the description or something is not working, we won't pick it up and nothing is charged to the customer. We'll help the customer find something else.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 24:30
We offer a free two-month parts warranty, which basically means that we're confident that if we inspected something, we think it'll operate for at least two months without any issues based on our inspection.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 24:58
Ari also mentioned the question buyers ask most. Read is Commonplace too good to be true, and how Commonplace delivery drivers are trained.
Selling without the part-time job
Keeping a listing alive on several sites can turn into a part-time job of messages and missed meetups. On Commonplace a seller can promote the same item out to those sites, and the questions come back to one listing. A one dollar reserve tells you the buyer is serious before anyone drives over.
For sellers, Ari described a few ways Commonplace takes work off their plate. The first is promoting a listing beyond Commonplace.
We also have a really cool feature where you can kind of offload the part-time job of managing secondhand marketplaces to us. And so when you list something on Commonplace, you have an option to promote your listing on all the other marketplaces. So I'm talking about Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Google Shopping...
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 31:01
And we manage all of these listings. So whenever there is an inquiry, it goes back to the Commonplace listing.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 31:36
Vincent called "is it still available?" the worst message on any marketplace. On Commonplace a buyer does not have to ask:
On Commonplace, it's literally $1 to reserve any product... And once you reserve it for $1, nobody else can buy it. So that's a signal that you're a serious buyer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 32:44
Ari also described asking sellers for a floor price when they list:
We also ask you, what's your floor price? What is the bottom dollar that you would accept and actually be happily selling this product?
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 33:34
And for people who are moving:
If you're moving, for example, and you have some premium products in your home, whether it's furniture, appliances, wellness equipment, gym equipment, that you don't just want to put into a storage unit with all your other boxes... our Store to Sell feature, basically, we pick it up, we photograph it, we take videos of it, we list it on Commonplace for you... And then when it sells, we deliver it to the customer on your behalf.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 30:10
More in how to list on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist at once and what to do when you are moving and cannot take your furniture. See Store to Sell.
Two buttons and a Peloton
Commonplace started after Ari bought a used Peloton in New York, hauled it down the stairs into a cab, and got it home broken. The first site had two buttons, buy a Peloton and sell a Peloton. Inspection and delivery were the whole product, and they still are, across more categories now.
It started with Ari's own Peloton purchase.
I took a cab out to go pick it up, and I had to haul it down like five or six flights of stairs. By the time you get it home and through the cab and everything, the resistance is broken.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 03:01
It had two buttons on it. It was literally two buttons. So it was buy a Peloton and sell a Peloton.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 04:08
I had a pretty big disadvantage in that I'm not technical, I'm not a developer. So that's kind of why our first website was so simple.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 08:29
The full story is in how Commonplace started.
Why it is called Commonplace
Ari's wife and co-founder chose the name. It describes the goal, not a feature list: people should consider secondhand the way they already consider shopping online, as a normal channel, not a last resort. When that is ordinary, the word commonplace belongs to that habit.
Vincent said the name passes his three tests: hear it and you can spell it, see it and you can say it, and it is easy to read. Ari gave the credit to his wife.
It has to do with my vision of really turning secondhand into an actual channel, like a shopping channel, where people would really consider buying things secondhand the same way they're shopping online instead of going to the store.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 42:10
More in why it is called Commonplace.
Playing with Legos at work
Ari wants a marketplace his mom would use for a car or a sofa, not only people who enjoy the hunt. Building it feels like a mixed box of Legos, which is the part he likes. The hard part is that a managed marketplace, with crews and payments, never becomes a simple software problem.
Ari's vision started close to home. His mom bought her car from a dealer and her furniture new.
If we can actually build this, it could be really incredible. And it could add so much value to a lot of people. And it could be something that literally my mom could use.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 45:20
Asked for his favorite part of the work, he went back to a childhood box of mixed Lego pieces.
Showing up to work, I kind of feel like I'm playing with Legos, and that is like such a blessing... I'm probably one of the biggest users of secondhand marketplaces. I buy everything secondhand.
Ari Kimmelfeld on Shape the System, at 48:04
His least favorite part is that running a managed marketplace never gets simpler. His answer: "Problems are opportunities in disguise."
Commonplace is the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist and OfferUp alternative for big items. Listing is free, and Commonplace handles pickup, inspection, delivery, secure payments, and a free two-month parts warranty. Delivery is free within 100 miles, and Commonplace ships nationwide. See how it works.
Categories in this episode
These are the two or three categories this conversation covers. Shop the used listings, or open the sell page when you are ready to let one go.
- Hot tubs. Selling one: sell your hot tub.
- Refrigerators. Selling one: sell a refrigerator.
- Sofas. Selling one: sell furniture.
FAQ
What is Commonplace?
A marketplace for big secondhand items, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp, with payments, inspection, and delivery handled by Commonplace. Listing is free, a $1 hold reserves any item, and delivery is free within 100 miles.
Where do Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace fall short?
Ari said local marketplaces work best in big cities with lots of inventory, and shipping marketplaces work for small items. Both break down over long distances, with very large items, and when an item is expensive but you cannot inspect it first.
When do I pay for an item on Commonplace?
A $1 hold reserves it, and it gets a 30 to 50 point inspection before pickup that you approve. On orders under $8,000 you pay the rest on delivery. Over $8,000, you wire it at the pre-pickup inspection.
Why is it called Commonplace?
Ari's wife and co-founder came up with the name. It describes the goal: make buying secondhand a normal shopping channel, as ordinary as ordering online. Read the full story.
Thank you to Vincent Turner for having Ari on Shape the System. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Shape the System.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.
Have something big to sell?
List it free on the hot tub, refrigerator, washer and dryer, or furniture sell page. We inspect it, pick it up, and pay you at pickup.