GAZELLE LAUNCHES TO HELP CONSUMERS EARN CASH FOR UNWANTED GADGETS
The Next Evolution in Electronics Consumption Offers a Guilt-Free and Environmentally-Friendly Way to Unload Used Items
Boston, MA – July 28, 2008 –CORE NEWS FACTS
Gazelle helps consumers earn cash, while providing a guilt-free and environmentally-friendly way to feed their need for getting the hottest new products while also contributing to a good cause.
Get Rewarded – Get paid for the items you are not using without the friction of person-to-person selling.
Be Environmental – Recycling starts with reusing – extending the life of electronics by reintroducing them to the market. When items have reached the end of their life, Gazelle ensures they are recycled responsibly and are backed with a zero landfill policy.
Make a Difference – Use the cash you make to fund a cause you care about through charity donation options.
Gazelle is an easy-to-use online service that offers a fast, safe, practical way for people to get cash for selling back their used consumer electronics.
Gazelle offers a means for consumers to recycle used electronics that no longer have market value in an environmentally-friendly way.
While online marketplaces and consignment shops are time consuming, risky and a hassle for consumers, Gazelle offers a fast, easy, and trusted solution that is both green and smart. We call that “reCommerce.”
“reCommerce” is the next evolution in electronics consumption – it offers an economic model that goes beyond recycling by extending product usage first. Both consumers and corporations profit in reCommerce while being environmentally conscious.
The launch of Gazelle marks the end of beta testing for Second Rotation, the company that owns and operates the service. This improved website features Web 2.0 enhancements that make the user experience more intuitive and personalized (see new features below).
NEW ENHANCED FEATURES
Guided Navigation – A reinvented search process to help users find the exact item they have to sell.New and Improved Calculator – Users can now see data showcasing the value of their items over time. The patent-pending technology ensures customers that they are getting the most up to date market price for their items.
More Comprehensive Catalog – Gazelle is committed to making an offer for any item in the categories we support. If you can’t find an item, Gazelle will make a personalized offer and add the item to the catalog, ensuring that every customer gets a quote.
New Categories – Now includes laptops, satellite radios and via a partnership with SimpleTech, portable hard drives.
Demonstrates Web 2.0 Capabilities – More transparency of data and insight into the Gazelle process.
Free packaging – Gazelle takes free shipping one step further by delivering pre-paid packaging for qualified transactions.
QUICK COMPANY FACTS
Gazelle is owned and operated by Second Rotation, Inc.
Second Rotation is a privately held company that launched in 2006 and is headquartered in Boston
The company was founded by a group of successful entrepreneurs and consumer Internet veterans from eBay, BuyerZone and Fairmarket
Backed by Venrock, an early investor in Apple and Intel, Second Rotation is the only consumer-facing business in the market with VC support
Gazelle is the only one-stop-shop for consumers to sell back their used consumer electronics across 9 categories and over 18,000 SKUs.
KEY INDUSTRY STATISTICS
400 million units of electronic waste is scrapped each year.¹
Spending on consumer electronics has grown 70% since 1995. Per year, the average household spends $1,400 for up to 24 items.²
In 2005, the US generated a total of 2.63 million tons of electronic waste.³
Only 330,000 tons, or 12.5%, is “recovered” for recycling.³
PRE-APPROVED QUOTE FROM ROUSSEAU AURELIEN, FOUNDER & CEO, SECOND ROTATION
“Gazelle is a triumph for both the consumer and the environment. Now, people can feed their need for the hottest electronics without feeling the guilt of wasting money or burdening landfills,” said Rousseau Aurelien, Founder & CEO of Second Rotation. “This service offers consumers the first practical way to get a fair price for used items or the option to easily recycle them when they no longer have market value – at the same time guaranteeing the safety of your personal data. Others outlets, such as Craigslist or eBay, are too time consuming and can lead to a dead end. Gazelle is the easy way to clean out your closet, while getting cash and even helping out a good cause.”PRE-APPROVED QUOTE FROM ISRAEL GANOT, PRESIDENT & COO, SECOND ROTATION
“Consumers are growing weary of peer to peer modes associated with eBay and Craigslist, preferring instead fixed-price listings,” said Israel Ganot, President & COO of Second Rotation. “Gazelle provides a more convenient and reliable way to get cash for unwanted gadgets. Consumers can rest assured that they will get a fair market value for all items with our patent-pending dynamic pricing engine.”ABOUT SECOND ROTATION
Founded in 2006, Second Rotation, the company behind Gazelle (www.gazelle.com), is committed to providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for selling back their used consumer electronic(s) and/or recycle them in an environmentally-friendly way. To date, thousands of consumers have used the service as a way to successfully clean out their closets, get cash and even help out a good cause – all while being green. In addition, gazelle.com empowers consumers to avoid time consuming and risky online experiences that are a pain in the neck and benefit from the immediate insight that a fixed price for used items gives them – as well as conveniences like free shipping and packaging. Consumers also rest assured that their personal information is kept exactly that – personal, through a thorough data cleansing process. Based in Boston, Second Rotation is led by a group of successful entrepreneurs and consumer Internet veterans from companies like eBay, BuyerZone and Fairmarket and is backed by premier venture capital firm, Venrock.Technorati Tags: Consumer electronics, Used electronics, Recycled electronics, Buyback electronics
PRESS CONTACTS:
Colleen Wickwire
SHIFT Communications
(415) 591-8414
cwickwire@shiftcomm.com
SOURCES:
(1)International Association of Electronics Recyclers Industry Report, 2006. Available at http://www.iaer.org/communications/indreport.htm (2)Consumer Electronics Association (3)US EPA, Municipal Solid Waste in the United States, 2005 Facts and Figures, October 2006. http://www.epa.gov/msw/pubs/mswchar05.pdf