What this was supossed to be

Shoppingcow.com was supossed to be an online consignment shop. We would sell vendor's items online, and then pay those vendors. There are brick and mortar stores like this all over the place.

How Much Did We Do

Everything needed to start the business! First and foremost, we wrote an initial version of the entire web site from scratch! Hundreds, maybe even thousands of man-hours. Then we did things like meet with potential vendors, set up bank accounts, register for a business certificate, and play ball with the IRS.

Why We Aren't Selling Anything:

There were two main contributing factors that led to our downfall. One was paypal and other micro-payment services. Before these, it was very difficult for a small vendor to sell their wares on the web. With paypal, anyone could easily accept payments online. The other was the rapid decline in the financial markets, and our inability to find an investor. Since then I've read that internet companies's most important allies are their offline partners. It sounds like a trivial idea, but I wish I had learned that lesson earlier.

The Software

If you are interested in the software that was used to create this site, feel free to take a look at the old home page The site is still fully operational (minus the fact that we cancelled the credit card account, so you won't actually get billed). If you would like to view the vendor management pages, you can log in with a username and password of "test". It is based on a bunch of templates, so the look & feel of the site is easily changed. Update 2/2/2001 Tim cancelled the hosting account, so now this page hangs off my personal web site, and the software no longer is functional. If you really want to see it, let me know.

What's Next for Defiance Webworks?

Well, we have decided to keep the Defiance Webworks name (after all, we have the stationary and checks all printed up), but I don't see us trying to start any new website anytime soon. I wouldn't mind working on this software more, so if anyone out there wants to buy it, I'll come work for you to maintain it.

What's Next for Marc & Tim

Tim has a nice job as a UNIX admin over at Stratus. Marc graduates with his B.S. in Computer Science on the first day of March, 2001, so he needs a new job sometime soon. (Take a look at his resume if you would like to hire him)

Why Did I Write This Page?

The old "We are no longer doing business" page was so depressing. Since Tim & I both use these email accounts still, we are keeping the site active. This can stand as a testament to YAFIC (Yet Another Failed Internet Company). Update 2/2/2001 The email doesn't work since the account was cancelled