Two Buttons: Ari Kimmelfeld on Modern Day Business Diaries
Ari Kimmelfeld tells Divine Grace Corcio how a two-button Peloton site became a marketplace for big items, with inspection, delivery, and pay on delivery.
On The Modern Day Business Diaries, host Divine Grace Corcio talks with founders about the business behind the brand. She asked Commonplace founder and CEO Ari Kimmelfeld why he built a marketplace for big secondhand items, how it earns a stranger's trust, and what it takes to run it.
Watch the episode: From a Peloton Resale Site to 3,000 Drivers Nationwide, Commonplace's Ari Kimmelfeld, The Modern Day Business Diaries with Divine Grace Corcio, aired November 4, 2026. Listen on Spotify.
The episode is also on YouTube and the show's site.
Key takeaways
- Commonplace started after Ari bought a used Peloton in New York City and had to inspect it, move it, and fix it himself.
- Big secondhand deals fall through when the buyer cannot inspect the item, move it, or pay for it safely.
- It launched as two buttons, buy a Peloton or sell a Peloton, and trust came from doing one thing well.
- A $1 hold reserves an item, and on most orders the buyer pays the rest on delivery, after testing it.
- Thrift stores work for clothing, but big items need a crew that can inspect them, move them, and pay on the spot.
- Commonplace is a moving company built into a marketplace, with inspection checklists written for each product.
Why Ari built Commonplace
Ari bought a used Peloton in New York City because it cost so much less secondhand. Without a car, he had to judge it himself, carry it down the stairs, and take it home in a cab, and then the resistance was off. There was no white-glove way to buy something big used, so he started one.
I decided to purchase a Peloton, and you could buy them so much cheaper second-hand, so it was kind of a no-brainer.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 01:50
But then, in New York City, if you don't have a car, picking one up, you don't really know what to inspect, and you're bringing it down a few flights of stairs, putting it in a cab.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 01:58
By the time you get it home, there's something wrong with the resistance, it's not calibrated, and you have to deal with all of that.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 02:08
And so, we started with just a small pilot in New York City with a couple of drivers doing pickups and deliveries.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 02:33
Read how Commonplace started.
Why big secondhand deals fall through
Divine asked what Commonplace does in one sentence. Ari called it an alternative to Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist. The trouble with big items is not the listing. A sofa or hot tub can be a great deal, but if the buyer cannot inspect it, move it, or pay safely, the sale falls apart and they buy new.
Commonplace is an alternative to Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or Craigslist, a local marketplace, essentially.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 03:19
If you can't deliver it, if they can't inspect it, if they live too far away, if they can't pay for it when they want it, a lot of the times the deal will fall through.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 04:09
But you don't have a truck, and you don't have a moving team, and you don't have an escrow service, a lot of the time you're just going to go and buy something brand new.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 04:29
Everything is picked up, inspected, delivered, installed by the Commonplace team.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 05:08
Read why it is hard to buy big items secondhand.
Two buttons: buy a Peloton or sell a Peloton
Asked about the biggest risk he took, Ari described starting small. The first site had two buttons, buy a Peloton or sell a Peloton, to test demand. A site that does one thing earns trust the way a tire shop does, and once people saw real listings, they started listing other things too.
And when we started, it was just two buttons, buy a Peloton or sell a Peloton.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 07:51
If somebody replaces tires, and all they have is a tire shop with a shop full of tires... you're going to pull up there thinking that the guy knows what he's doing when it comes to replacing tires.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 17:53
So, it's kind of that specialist attention to the one SKU, the Peloton bike, that gave us a lot of the trust in the beginning even if people haven't heard of us.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 18:11
Once people start to see listings they start to get more trust of wow, these are real listings. These are real users. Maybe I should list something else.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 18:42
Browse used Pelotons, or sell your Peloton.
A $1 hold, then pay on delivery
Ari called paying on delivery one of the bigger risks, since most online stores charge in full before they ship. On Commonplace a $1 hold reserves the item, the buyer sees a pre-pickup inspection with photos and video, and on orders under $8,000 the buyer pays the rest on delivery.
Another big one was allowing people to pay on delivery, which is a really unique feature to have for an e-commerce platform.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 09:02
Most people when they're buying something secondhand, they really want to inspect it. They want to touch it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 09:27
And so our approach was the buyer just has to put down a $1 deposit to reserve that product.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 09:41
There might be something listed, but there are 10 other buyers that are messaging the same seller trying to pick up that item and you don't know if you can secure the availability or not.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 09:54
More in can you pay for a used item on delivery and how to reserve a used item.
Thrift stores and big items
Divine asked about the gap between thrift stores, peer-to-peer marketplaces, and Commonplace. Ari said thrift stores are fantastic for smaller items like clothing. Big items are hard to get into a thrift store at all, and most sellers are glad to have a crew inspect the item, move it out, and pay them on the spot.
I think when it comes to smaller items like clothing, thrift stores are fantastic.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 14:02
But, I think when it comes to the big and bulky categories, it's still pretty hard to get them out and into the thrift store.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 14:24
So, getting somebody to inspect it, move it, and then pay you for it on the spot is something that I don't think thrift stores offer just yet.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 14:44
More in thrift store or resale for big items.
White-glove delivery: test it, then pay
Ari says the business is built logistics first. The crew picks the item up, takes it apart when needed, delivers it, reassembles it, and sets it up. You test it at delivery, running on the treadmill or heating up the sauna. On most orders you pay the rest only after that, and the seller is paid directly.
White glove delivery is a big part of what we do. I think the business is really built on logistics first.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 15:11
So, typically, a lot of these products have to be disassembled at pickup and then reassembled at delivery. You can test it out at delivery.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 16:48
So, if it's a treadmill, you can run on the treadmill. If it's a sauna, you turn on the sauna, make sure it gets hot, make sure everything is working.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 16:56
So, you don't actually pay for it until everything is delivered white glove.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 17:10
Read what white-glove delivery includes, or browse used treadmills.
An inspection report, like a Carfax
For technical items like a hot tub, a sauna, or a jet ski, Ari compares the inspection to having a mechanic look at a used car. Commonplace runs a 30 to 50 point inspection and sends the videos and checklist to the buyer. That inspection is why every purchase includes a free two-month parts warranty.
The same way if you were buying a car, you want to have a mechanic to look at that car before you purchase it, because just by looking at that car, that doesn't tell you everything about it, even if you do see a Carfax.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 16:10
We do a 30 to 50 point pick up inspection and all of those videos and checklists get sent over to the customer to make sure that all of that is true.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 10:47
And then on top of that we also offer a two-month free parts warranty and we can do that because we do the full inspection.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 10:59
See the warranty, or read how to know a used hot tub works before you buy it.
Built around what the buyer needs
Ari's view is that Facebook Marketplace was built on an existing user base, not around what a hot tub buyer needs. Commonplace starts from the buyer: financing for up to 48 months through a lender, subject to approval, and HSA or FSA checkout on eligible wellness items with a Letter of Medical Necessity.
Facebook Marketplace already has users built into Facebook and so launching a platform for people to buy and sell things is pretty simple but they don't necessarily have to think about what does a hot tub buyer need to make this transaction possible.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 19:35
So, we have financing options so you can pay off that used hot tub over 48 months.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 20:04
So, I wouldn't necessarily say that they got it wrong. It's just we're thinking about it a little bit differently.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 21:14
Financing is through a lender and depends on your application. HSA and FSA eligibility is decided by your plan administrator. See financing and HSA and FSA, or read can you finance a used hot tub.
A moving company built into a marketplace
The hardest part people never see, Ari said, is how operations heavy the business is. Every order passes through Commonplace, which warranties every product and moves every payment. AI helps run it: drivers take a course for each new category, and inspection checklists are written for each product and even each hot tub brand.
Definitely, that it's a very operations-intensive business. Every order touches Commonplace.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 21:32
We warranty every product. We transfer payments on every product.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 21:48
It's a moving company built into a marketplace.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 22:00
So, if a driver has only done hot tubs, in order for them to pick up a refrigerator, they need to take courses on how to inspect a refrigerator, make sure it's working, make sure there's no leak.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 22:47
And even by brand, different hot tub brands have different inspection checklists.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 23:29
Read how Commonplace delivery drivers are trained and can AI help you buy and sell secondhand.
Rapid fire, and Ari's advice
In the rapid-fire round Ari said he has never wanted to quit, was a power seller on Facebook Marketplace, and always buys secondhand. His closing advice: learn from other founders, but know your own context, and if you really want to build something, now is probably the best time to try it.
I was a massive power seller on Facebook marketplace.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 27:10
Always buy second hand.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 27:30
So, I think you shouldn't forget about your dreams. If you really want to do something, now is probably the best time to go ahead and build it and try it.
Ari Kimmelfeld on The Modern Day Business Diaries, at 29:27
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. White-glove delivery is free within 100 miles, longer distances are quoted by ZIP, 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.
- Pelotons. Selling one: sell your Peloton.
- Hot tubs.
- Treadmills.
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, sellers are paid at pickup, and delivery is free within 100 miles.
Can you pay for a used item on delivery?
On most orders, yes. A $1 hold reserves the item, and on orders under $8,000 you pay the rest on delivery, after you test it. Read more.
How long does delivery take?
Usually a few days, depending on distance and on when the seller and buyer are available. Read more.
Should big items go to a thrift store?
Ari said thrift stores are great for clothing, but big items are hard to get there at all. Read more.
Thank you to Divine Grace Corcio for having Ari on The Modern Day Business Diaries. Quotes are from the episode, lightly edited for reading. Listen to the full conversation on Spotify.
More from Ari's podcast interviews: questions Ari answered on podcasts and every show he has been on.