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Gidsy Is Like Etsy for Buying Experiences (Q+A)

You have stuff to sell and you don't even know it. Maybe not even "stuff," as we tend to think about it, but the capability of providing something in exchange for money, Maybe you're real great at sailing and that boat you bought last year's eating a...

You have stuff to sell and you don’t even know it. Maybe not even “stuff,” as we tend to think about it, but the capability of providing something in exchange for money. Maybe you’re real great at sailing and that boat you bought last year’s eating a hole in your pocket. Why not teach some hipsters sailing for cash money? Throw in an artisanal snack. Or maybe you’re really great at drinking and want to lead a tour of dive bars in Elmhurst, or know how to cook something weird and can teach that.

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You get the idea.

Arguably there hasn’t really been a marketplace for small-scale transactions like this, for not even small businesses but regular-ass people to offer an experience. Like, say, “a weekend of living off the grid.”

That’s actually something listed right now at a new site called Gidsy, a sort of Etsy market for experiences (not services, as you’ll see below). That weekend sounds an awful lot like the wild and crazy experience of camping upstate, but there’s a goofball out there right now that might actually pay $100 to hang out in the woods with a stranger from the internet. That internet’s a big place. Anyhow, the thing has potential. Gidsy launched in New York today.

I emailed this week with Brian Jacobs, Gidsy’s main guy in the U.S.. (It launched in Berlin a couple of weeks ago.)

The internet’s great for buying dog food and crafts and other portable stuff, but there’s definitely a barrier to using it to buy services. How do you get around the portability issue?

We’re more about experiences than services, and so the transactional part is no different than buying concert tickets online. Our generation places a much larger value on experiences than it does on things, and in many cases, access is preferred to ownership, so I think Gidsy is long overdue. I’m excited that it’s finally happening.

I see a waffle breakfast up there right now for Berlin, which makes me think of Groupon et al, which provide localized markdown services, a lot of the time for stuff like meals. Do you consider at least part of what you do to be in the same market? If not, why not? If yes, how do you get around these other services, which are pretty well saturated?

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It’s not a deals website. People don’t come to Gidsy looking for a cheaper way to do something. They come to find totally new things to do, or they come to find totally new ways of doing something they’ve done before. Instead of attending a yoga class at a gym, for example, they’ll find an expert on Gidsy offering candle-lit yoga classes on a rooftop. Individuals run the Gidsy marketplace, so Gidsy activities end up being very much about the host’s personalities and quirks. The experiences are better because they’re expressions of an individual’s personality and passion.

For that matter, can a regular ol’ business like a restaurant even post deals on here?

Not in the way you’re thinking. Gidsy is about connecting individuals through highly personalized and unique experiences. Therefore, it’s required that each listing is hosted by an individual, not an anonymous business. That said, a group of people could easily form a small business using Gidsy, so long as each listing makes it clear which individual is hosting the experience. Gidsy empowers people to go into business for themselves, and so we expect that it will create some small businesses.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned from Berlin?

Berlin just launched a week ago, so we’re still very new to everything. The response has been amazing so far though. I think we’re realizing that people really do want this.

How do you deal with the legalities behind all this stuff? Like, someone’s trying to rent out a singlespeed bike right now. Do you have standard lability waivers or what? Ditto for food prep or health-related things. . .

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For now, all liability issues are up to the two parties involved. Organizers are responsible for the activities they host and Gidsy merely enables the transaction between two persons.

What can’t users offer?

Anything illegal, hateful or discriminatory.

So what are the highlights for you of this first New York batch?

I’m excited about Kristen Wentrcek’s listing for “Getting Shit Made in the USA” and Arthur M.‘s eating tour of Jackson Heights, Queens. I can’t wait to see what starts rolling in over the next few days.

Pulling stuff off the top of my head service-wise that I might need, it’s all pretty unhip, unglamorous stuff like cheap plumbing work and maybe someone to move some stuff for me from the yard. Which is way on the other side of the spectrum from waffle breakfasts. How do you keep some unity to this?

Again, we’re about experiences, not so much about services. Gidsy’s not the right place for a plumber to list her services. Now, if the same plumber wants to offer to come show you how to fix your own leaky sink or give an afternoon welding lesson, that’d be a great Gidsy listing.

How do you see this effecting the existing marketplace for services?

Experiences that are far richer and more fulfilling than what’s been offered before. I also think a lot of close friendships and collaborations will form through Gidsy. Dates too! What better way to meet a cute girl or guy who’s into the same stuff you’re into?

Reach this writer at michaelb@motherboard.tv.