DROP.COM - FIRST ONLINE CLEARANCE RACK LAUNCHED

NAPERVILLE, IL, - A start-up Internet company has launched a website that could change the way people do their online shopping. Drop.com is the first online clearance rack where an item’s price drops in real time using patent pending technology.

The company was founded by Mark Ricard, CEO of Drop.com Inc, in 2004 in Naperville, Ill., to fill a void in the online shopping community.

“Auctions can be confusing - and pricey. When you go to the mall do you look for auctions? No, you look for clearance racks,” he said.

The drop.com format mimics what you would see at a neighborhood garage sale or at a store clearance rack. The longer an item remains for sale, the lower the price falls. The trick being that if it is a good price, it is best for the buyer to purchase an item before someone else does.

“I believe the auction format popularity was mainly due to there was nothing else available. A clearance rack is a more natural way for people and businesses to buy and sell goods and services than an auction is.”

“Our mission is to create the best possible clearance marketplace for our customers,” Ricard said. “We strive to provide an online community where buyers and sellers can foster relationships with us and with each other.”

Drop.com was created with buyers as well as sellers in mind. In today's world, shoppers seek out sales, bargains and clearance racks for commonplace items. Shoppers should be able to purchase things immediately and not have to wait days or weeks to find out if their purchase was successful. Drop.com is mostly free for buyers and sellers, and the items listed for sale must always include basic shipping in the price.
“The one thing I always hated about buying things online was getting overcharged for shipping and handling,” Ricard said. “When we created drop.com we took that out of the picture. The price you see always includes at least one method of shipping in the price.”
“We believe drop.com is a fresh, new approach to online shopping,” Ricard said. “It’s so easy to use. We feel once a customer uses drop.com, they’ll want to become a regular part of our community.”