Overstock.com: Storefronts for VARs and MSPs?

If you’ve got a product to sell, but don’t have the where-with-all or time to put up a digital store front, Overstock.com wants to help. It’s called the Main Street Store and it’s available now. Will VARs step into the marketplace? Here are some thoughts.

Overstock’s Main Street Site doesn’t have any specifics regarding VAR, SMB or MSP services, but they do have a singular straightforward e-mail address to get in contact with them and get started.

What’s more, we have to give a nod to Inc.com for bringing this story to light and nabbing an interview with Overstock.com’s CEO Patrick Byrne. He felt inspired to help small businesses and called them the “creative part” of our economic cycle. He stressed that Overstock.com can help because…

The only caveat here is that to participate, you’d have to be US-based, and you need to have fewer than 25 employees. You also have to be able to ship products and have ‘legal authorization’ to do business in your state.

Right now, the Main Street site currently hosts everything from dog beds, to gourmet food and an assortment of jewelery. But one would think that a company could just as easily list their ‘services’ up on the site for sale, and do business that way, too. Additionally, Overstock.com might not be a bad way to get some exposure. It’s something that Byrne noted, and it’s also the complimentary side to the business coin — that is exposure and ability to do transactions (for potential profit).

One potential downer: Overstock nabs 20% of whatever you sell.

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