An Online Auction Site For Us!

The problem with eBay is it’s just too big. I can’t shop there because I get tired of sorting through pages and pages of stuff that’s not what I’m looking for. Or, I get distracted by other things I’m not looking for, and end up forgetting what it was I was originally hunting.

But, those problems are rendered null and void by a new online shopping site that caters directly to us. DragTrade.com is run by t-girls for t-girls. And transmen. And those who love us. And so on.

It’s run by Nathalie, of the UK, who says she had an enormous wardrobe and wanted to make a bit of money off of it. “I realized that sites like eBay existed, but they’re general in nature, and don’t really cater in a big way for the needs of particular communities of users. You put stuff on eBay, and you are paying for the privilege of anyone looking at it in the hope it interests them! That’s fine if you have Grandad’s old gramophone to sell, but it’s not very targeted if you want to sell a wig, a packer, or a pair of boobs, is it?

DragTrade does have some similiarities to eBay. But there are some differences as well. Listings at DragTrade are completely free. “We only charge the seller a percentage of the final sale value once a sale has been made, so basically you don’t pay anything if the item doesn’t sell.

“We also only use Paypal as the online transaction system, though sellers can use other offline methods if they’re set up to do that. We might offer more options in the future.”

Another difference, according to Nathalie is that sites like eBay are corporate and boring. She wants this site to be fun and interesting, “where stuff changes all the time and people send me their interesting links, ideas and videos, and any other old tat they think will amuse us. We might even give them a prize for it.”

Nathalie says while the financial aspect is important, she also wanted to be able to help other transgendered people. “We aim to be involved with the TG community and support it as much as we can. Our advertising and services are aimed mainly at the transgender market. We’re continuing to design the site to suit their needs, and really want our users to get involved with developing it. They make it what it is, ultimately.

“We get the pleasure of giving something back to the community, creating a vibrant and exciting place to waste time on, and give the girls and boys a chance to grab a bargain in the process. And we make some money too! All in the best possible taste, of course.”

DragTrade just started this month, so she admits there isn’t a lot on the site to begin with, but, one has to start somewhere. “The responses and support I’ve had from the community have been really encouraging and we’re getting hits on the site from all over the world, places like Chile and Botswana!”

As you can imagine, it can’t be easy to create something like this from scratch, or keep it running. Nathalie says she has a dedicated staff of “glamourous munchkins” and “codemonkeys” who’ve helped build the site, and are already working on a second version.

“How’s that for enthusiasm? I must remember to let them out of their cupboard once in a while,” she says.

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