Why Do People Buy New?: Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular

On Selling Circular, a podcast about the people and business models behind the move to a circular economy, host Garr Punnett asked Commonplace founder and CEO Ari Kimmelfeld a simple question: when was the last time you bought a hot tub, a treadmill, or a Peloton from a stranger online? The deals are out there. What stops people, they agreed, is trust, not price.

Watch the episode: Bulky Secondhand Resale: Why Trust, Not Price, Is the Real Barrier to Buying Used, Selling Circular with Garr Punnett, aired October 27, 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts.

The episode is also on YouTube and the Selling Circular site.

Key takeaways

• Most people never buy big items used because of friction: checking the item, moving it, and paying a stranger.
• Commonplace started as Trade My Spin, a two-button site to buy or sell a Peloton.
• Logistics makes used accessible outside big cities, and payments, inspections, and a warranty make it worth choosing.
• Every item gets a 30 to 50 point inspection before pickup, and the buyer approves it or cancels and owes nothing.
• A $1 hold works like a buy it now button, which Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist do not have.
• Ari never led with sustainability. Making used easy is what grows the circular economy.

A marketplace junkie with a clear answer

Ari Kimmelfeld has bought on eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace for years, including a car from another state that he never saw before it arrived. Most people around him never buy used, and he says the reason is friction: checking the item, moving it, and paying a stranger. Commonplace was built to remove those steps.

I'm pretty much a marketplace junkie. So I've always been looking for deals on eBay, on Craigslist, before even Facebook Marketplace was around.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 04:16

I bought my car on Facebook Marketplace in a different state, sight unseen, and wired the money, shipped it in.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 04:41

And a lot of the folks around me don't use secondhand marketplaces. And it was kind of frustrating getting so excited about what you can find and the different deals and all of that. But there's a clear answer and that's because there's so much friction.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 04:58

Read why buying big items secondhand is so hard.

Pelotons, a cab, and two buttons

Commonplace began with Pelotons that sat unused once gyms reopened. Ari bought one used in New York, carried it down from a walk-up, and got it home in a cab with the resistance broken. He saw why people just buy new, with delivery, setup, and a warranty. His first site, Trade My Spin, had two buttons: buy and sell.

And that bike that was once so precious at home because you can finally work out at home was basically a glorified clothing rack.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 05:48

I tried to get it home, put it in a cab, hauled it downstairs from a walk-up building and the resistance was broken. The calibration was off.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 06:02

I'm just gonna order it on Peloton. I'll get it in a few weeks. They'll deliver it, they'll set it up. I'll get a warranty, I can just put it on my credit card.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 06:25

And so I made a website called Trade My Spin, super straightforward and it literally had two buttons on it. The first button was buy a Peloton, and the second button was sell a Peloton.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 06:48

The full story is in how Commonplace started. Shop used Pelotons, or sell your Peloton.

Logistics is what makes used accessible

Big premium items are hard to buy used because someone has to move them. Ari calls logistics the key: delivery makes a used item reachable outside dense cities, and payments, inspections, and a warranty make it worth choosing over new. Commonplace movers pass training courses for each category before they can move items in it.

Well, I think the logistics component to secondhand products, especially when we're talking about high value premium brands, is really the key because it makes it accessible to people that are not in the densely populated areas.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 15:10

If you can do the delivery and if you can add the trust layers for payments, inspections, warranties, and all of that.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 15:30

But if you think about fitness equipment, most people are still comfortable going to the gym, right? And using secondhand fitness equipment.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 15:54

So we have training videos and courses that our movers have to pass before they get to unlock moving that category.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 17:40

Read how Commonplace delivery drivers are trained, or shop used treadmills.

You are not a hot tub specialist

Most people want to see a used item before they buy it. For a hot tub or an appliance, seeing it is not enough, because most buyers do not know what to check. Commonplace runs a 30 to 50 point inspection before pickup and sends it to the buyer. If you do not like it, cancel and owe nothing.

But if you've ever bought something secondhand on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, even if it's a hundred dollars, you'll usually want to see it before you buy it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 18:59

The problem with that is that if you're going yourself and seeing it, you're not a hot tub specialist. You're not an appliance specialist. You don't actually know what to inspect and what to look for. Maybe there's a leak in the hot tub.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 19:29

So we do a 30 to 50 point inspection, depending on what the product category is. And all of that gets sent to the customer before that item even gets picked up.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 19:50

If you don't like it, you can cancel it totally for free, that $1 is actually a hold until you approve the in-person inspection.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 20:46

Before you buy one, read how to inspect a used hot tub, or browse used hot tubs for sale.

Seeing it work before you pay

Ari says a buyer spending real money wants an expert to inspect the item and wants to see it working before paying, even on a platform they have used before. On Commonplace, orders under $8,000 are paid on delivery. Every sale includes a free two-month parts warranty, and labor coverage is an optional add-on.

We're thinking as users and as a buyer of something... I really want to test it out. I want to make sure that it's working and I want to have an expert inspect it. And until then, I might not be comfortable paying for it, even if I've used a platform before.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 21:42

So we'll offer a free two-month parts warranty. And we're able to do that because we were there at the inspection.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 21:56

For orders of $8,000 or more, you wire the balance when you approve the inspection. See the warranty and how it works.

Most sellers are honest, and transparency does the rest

Ari says most sellers try to be honest, especially when they know movers will inspect the item at pickup. When something sells, Commonplace asks the seller for specific videos, like a hot tub's heater, console, jets, and water. If a problem turns up, the buyer hears about it first and can cancel before pickup.

I think for the most part, people really try to be honest with what they're selling, especially if you know what you're signing up for.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 24:38

On a hot tub, we'll want the heating element. We'll want the main console with all the buttons on it. We'll ask for different videos of the jets. We'll ask for videos of water in the tub.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 26:07

The number one most important thing is transparency. So even if something is discovered, and if it is minor, we want to make sure that the buyer knows about it.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 26:31

So in those cases, you can cancel the transaction and we'll help you find another one.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 27:36

More in what happens if a used item fails inspection.

A $1 hold is a buy it now button

On Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, all a buyer can do is send a message, and a good deal can go to whoever shows up first. On Commonplace, a $1 hold reserves the item and takes it off the market while it is inspected. If the inspection is not right, you cancel and owe nothing.

Have you ever experienced where there was product that you were really interested in. But obviously there were 10 other people that were really interested in.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 29:59

So that's part of the $1 reservation. Once you reserve it for $1, it's pretty much a buy it now button, that Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist doesn't have, whereas those just have like send a message. Here there's like a commitment.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 30:24

More in how to reserve a used item before someone else buys it.

Why Commonplace never led with sustainability

Ari says people shop secondhand for the product and the price they want to pay. He did not think circular branding or saving the planet would start the flywheel. The hard part is making used accessible, with seamless delivery, trustworthy payments, and transparent listings. The circular economy grows as a byproduct of making those sales possible.

And obviously that's a byproduct because we make these transactions possible. And so before you didn't even have like the free will to decide, should I buy this used or should I buy this new?

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 23:03

I think first and foremost, people are shopping secondhand because they're looking for a product and they're looking for the price that they wanna pay for that product.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 47:49

But I didn't think that going with the branding of circular or saving the planet was what's going to start the flywheel. The hardest part is really to make it actually accessible, make the delivery seamless, make the payments trustworthy, make the listings transparent, and really give shoppers a selection of the products that they want to see.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 48:31

And I think people will do it more, especially if they can, whereas before they couldn't, even if they wanted to.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 49:02

Read is buying secondhand better for the environment.

Why AI shopping agents may favor trusted platforms

Ari expects AI shopping agents to get good at finding used versions of things people are about to buy new. A bot cannot pick up a couch, but it can order from a platform that handles delivery and takes a $1 hold. He thinks trusted platforms and stores will get more shopping traffic from agents as a result.

So they can do a lot and I think when it comes to secondhand marketplaces, they're going to be very good at finding the things that you're about to buy new and helping you buy them used if they're available.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 52:31

For a bot, it's not going to go pick up a couch and deliver it to you. But if a bot can find it on Commonplace and it can get delivered and there's a tracking number and it can order it on your credit card... it's just a $1 hold, a bot is much more likely to make that transaction.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 52:43

So I think for a platform like ours, and for just e-commerce in general, trusted platforms, trusted stores are going to get a lot more e-commerce traffic from bots.

Ari Kimmelfeld on Selling Circular, at 53:00

Read can AI help you buy and sell secondhand.

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. Labor coverage is available as an add-on. 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.
• Golf carts. Selling one: sell a golf cart.
• Tonal. Selling one: sell a Tonal.

FAQ

What is Commonplace?

A marketplace for big secondhand items, like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or OfferUp, with pickup, inspection, delivery, and secure payments handled by Commonplace. Listing is free, a $1 hold reserves any item, and delivery is free within 100 miles.

What happens if a used item fails inspection?

It is not picked up, the sale is cancelled, and the $1 hold is released, so you owe nothing. Ari said Commonplace will help you find another one. Read more.

How do you reserve a used item before someone else buys it?

On Commonplace, a $1 hold reserves the item and takes it off the market while it is inspected. Ari calls it a buy it now button that Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist do not have. Read more.

Can you buy a big used item from another state?

Yes. Commonplace ships nationwide, and delivery is free within 100 miles of the item. Farther away, enter your ZIP on the listing to see the exact delivery price. Read more.

Thank you to Garr Punnett for having Ari on Selling Circular. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Apple Podcasts.

More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.

See how Commonplace works