The Rebirth of E-Commerce: Glyde.com

Your family is sitting on a gold mine and one new Web site wants to help you cash in.

According to one 2007 Nielsen survey, the average American family has more than $3,000 worth of unused goods in their house. Rather than capitalize on these goods, most people either donate them or let their impulse buys sit in the attic for decades, depreciating in value.

Over the years, several sites like eBay (Stock Quote: EBAY) and Amazon (Stock Quote: AMZN) have moved in to fill this niche. These sites provide a means to buy and sell other peoples’ goods online, a system known as e-commerce. But last month, a new Web site called Glyde.com launched, which will take e-commerce to the next level.

“We’re targeting people who have been alienated from e-commerce,” said Simon Rothman, the founder of Glyde. Rothman, who previously worked at eBay, did some research and found that many people refuse to buy and sell their goods online because it’s just too complicated. “I’d assumed the entire world was buying their stuff online. Turns out they’re not. “

Rothman wanted to create a system that even your grandmother could use to sell her vintage goods, so he set out to revolutionize the system, a task that might sound laughable if it were undertaken by almost anyone else. But Rothman had worked at eBay for seven years, rising up in the ranks, eventually leading the company’s eBay Motors site.

So what makes his final product different?