RareList (http://www.rarelist.co.uk/) is a classified ad website, a platform for uniting buyers and sellers of rare books and similar items. As such, it stands or falls on its ability to provide a user-friendly listing process, powerful search tools, smooth trades and a thriving community of like-minded enthusiasts.
The wide range of information that can be completed for each listed item could help potential buyers evaluate its quality and suitability. However completing all the details could also be a daunting task, making the Book Wizard a useful feature. It simplifies the listing process into four short steps which cover the essential information while giving sellers the option of adding more details at a later point. On the other hand, the use of inconsistent names on different sections of the website, such as Book ID versus RareList Ref or Category versus Item adds an element of confusion for users.
Potential buyers are able to fine-tune their search criteria to find specific items or conversely, use a title keyword to generate a result of loosely matching items. While the search tools offer an efficient way of finding desired items, they might be more effective if they provided the ability to search the text in item descriptions. This would enable potential buyers who do not have enough information to locate listed items with keywords, even if those words are not contained in the title.
The trading process is brief, with an email automatically generated to notify a seller of a buyer’s interest and actual trades settled outside the system boundary. Replying a message without logging into RareList reduces the activity cycle required to begin the payment and delivery process.
The building of the RareList community starts with membership registration, which only requires a valid email address and username. However the inability to search for members by User ID makes it difficult to find those who have changed their usernames. More significantly, the unavailability of a tool to delete membership profiles could discourage potential users from registering in the first place.
New members are credited with one pound which can only be used within the system, that is, a virtual currency. This encourages members to explore aspects of the system that might have been otherwise ignored, such as upgrading to a premium membership in order to use the auction facility or list a larger number of items.
Participation is further encouraged by rewarding members whose forum posts are deemed valuable with ten pence while those introducing a new member who subsequently upgrades to premium are credited with three pounds. With payments made in virtual currency, the earnings can only be spent within the system thereby generating a virtuous cycle of transactions which enhance the user community. On the other hand, the option of withdrawing the credits in real currency using PayPal would have a wider appeal and provide a stronger incentive.
As a connector of buyers and sellers, RareList is an effective tool but tweaking its underlying system would increase its value to its users.
