By Tim Leeds
Internet technology has brought a new venue for senior citizens to sell their handcrafted goods in.
Green Thumb, Inc. has started Geezer.com, a forum for seniors to display and sell their products on the Internet. The actual transaction is between the vendor who displays his merchandise on the system and the buyer purchasing the product. Geezer.com simply provides an automated listing and ordering system.
Any senior citizen can participate in the service. All that they need is a photograph of themselves and of the product they wish to sell.
There is a $9.95 fee for individuals or $29.95 for organizations to have a vendor space on the site. This covers the creation of a vendor page and the listing of unlimited items.
There is also a service fee to cover costs of running the site and the use of a payments service. This fee is 50 cents plus 10 percent of the of the price per transaction, with an unlimited amount of items per transaction.
Since Geezer.com only acts as a venue, they provide no guarantees of the transactions. To ensure that the transactions are safe and properly carried through, they use TradeSafe as a payments service. This service collects the money for transactions under $1,200 and provides it immediately to the seller and transfers the items to the buyer. For purchases over $1,200, the service withholds the payment from the seller until the buyer has received and accepted the item, then releases it to the seller.
There are extensive clauses under the Geezer.com user agreement that acts as a legal contract between vendors and the service. This agreement includes who may use the site, what items may be listed and what are strictly prohibited, obligations in buying and selling on the site, misrepresentations of vendors or items for sale, and so on.
The stated goal of the program is to provide an e-commerce site which will create an Internet community that provides older individuals with a worldwide market for their goods. By creating the site Green Thumb intends to change negative stereotypes about aging; promote economic development, encourage seniors to embrace new technology; and provide them with the training and technological assistance they need to create or expand businesses using the Internet.
The name "Geezer.com" was chosen for the site because focus groups around the country felt it was catchy and would help Internet shoppers remember the site name. The word "geezer" comes from a Middle English word "guiser," which referred to a costumed merrymaker or masquerader.
Green Thumb, Inc. is a national nonprofit organization that works to help in older worker training and employment. The Geezer project is also being funded in part by the U.S. Department of Labor.
To find out more about the service, call 1-877-803-1468 or contact the actual website at geezer.com. There is also a customer service e-mail address at custserv@geezer.com.
