Online store etenga has introduced a free second-hand sales service at its site, Consumer.co.za. Users can post adverts for products wanted, for sale, or for swop. The theory is simplistic to a fault, and is carried over very well on the site itself, but for a few unfortunate oversights that have slipped through the cracks.
Appearance
The site is very spartan; apart from a colourful logo, the rest of the content is neatly displayed in a fast-loading frame-based table surrounded by ample white space. By design, it has very basic functionality well suited to the simple options open to site users.
Functionality
The site is rather easy to use - even though there is no guide providing tips and hints for newbies, anyone who is vaguely familiar to the concept of e-commerce should be able to figure out how it works.
Navigation
The site is fairly easy to navigate through - navigation bars are anchored to the top and bottom of the pages, and there are dropdown navigation menus to take you through to the various products and operation categories.
Content quality
Obviously, the range of products depends entirely on the interests of the people making use of the site. This means that you are very likely to find computer software and hardware goods snuggling up next to belts and bed linen for sale by the job lot. All adverts are visible from the front page in sequential order in which they were posted; one can only assume that the site designers will sort adverts by category from page one once critical mass has been achieved.
Litmus test
Placing an advert is easy enough - select your category and your requirement (buy, sell, swop), fill in description of item and sale price if any. You then have the option to edit information or delete the advert entirely.
Once you`re satisfied and have submitted the ad, you are taken back to the Consumer main page where you can view your advert. All adverts have a lifespan of 60 days, after which they expire and will no doubt be removed. If you want your advert to run for a longer time period, you must re-submit it.
I decided to sell my copy of the sci-fi movie, Event Horizon, and was almost immediately peeved to find that there is no dedicated entertainment category which, to my mind, would cover products such as movies, CDs and DVDs. Instead, I had to post my ad in recreation and leisure, alongside ads for timeshares, photography equipment and health club memberships.
Another mildly irritating discovery was the fact that, to all intents and purposes, it is seemingly impossible to cross-publish an advert across more than one category.
Nevertheless, having successfully posted my advert containing the word "movie" (to one section only), I tried out the search engine using the broad specification "movies" - to no avail. It was only when I specified the category that I got results; really weak functionality, if you consider how few people these days would classify movies under recreation and leisure over the choice of entertainment.
There is an option to mail the Webmaster should you experience technical problems, but on the whole, one-on-one contact between sellers/buyers is the only kind you`re likely to experience. This is rather contrary to the opinion put forward by etenga GM Munna Desai, who in a recent press release claimed two additional functionalities that are either very well hidden or very non-existent on the current site.
In the release, Desai stated: "We also check that offers made are legitimate. For example, if a child gives out his parent`s credit card details, we contact the parent to make sure the child has permission to do so." I don`t see how this is at all possible, since the point of Consumer.co.za is purely to put sellers in touch with buyers and vice versa. At no point on the site is there a disclaimer stating otherwise.
The release also confirmed that "etenga constantly monitors the site to ensure that illegal or undesirable items are not advertised".
And yet, a few pages into the site, you will find that for just R70, the mack in Cape Town will sell you "Huge PORN ARCHIVE. Over 400 pics etc. Will e-mail to your mailbox e-mail uh_oh_yah@yahoo.com for more." For R10 less, you can get "adult vcd - best of shanes - xxx rated - on vcd, similar to dvd bit can also be palyed on pc" from a seller known as pacific.
On the whole, this site is fun and potentially very useful for the avid techie, collector or small businessman. However, it could definitely do with a bit more effective monitoring if the site owners are to maintain credibility through visible family-friendliness.
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