The Listia Blog

Listia started working with Props in 2019. We had seen the potential of sharing value with our users, through a cryptographic utility token that accrues status, benefits, and a financial stake in the success of our network.

And indeed once we launched Props on Listia, in 2020, we experienced a material increase  (more than 12 percent) in user engagement. Users really love earning these new benefits as they use the Listia platform. It was a welcome change to the existing XP (experience points) system that was in place previously.

Today, Props announced that it will not continue its Loyalty Program into 2022 and has plans to end support for the Props Protocol. As large holders of Props Tokens, and as managers of a community of Props holders, we are disappointed to learn this news. We will need to adjust Listia’s loyalty program as a result, but users will continue to level up and earn benefits on the app without Props Tokens – more on this coming soon. Our goal is to make the transition on the Listia apps as smooth and seamless as possible. Everyone will keep the benefits they have worked so hard to earn. After spending several years working with the Props team and receiving this news, we have some thoughts we want to share with you in hopes that those impacted will better understand and in the spirit of ‘lessons learned’.

1. The Props Project could have been successful but seemed to be hindered by regulatory issues:  
   • They suffered a burden a startup should never take on: reporting and qualifying changes at the level of a mature public company. This handicap should not be under-estimated and made integrating newer features on Listia challenging.
   • Props product development process suffered from a long approval (called “qualification”) process, often taking months and requiring enormous legal bills, to plan and approve new functionality.
   • The Props team could not bring to market products that they spent months building, like per-app tokens that are associated with the success of each individual app’s performance (think social tokens or community tokens for apps). We were excited to bring this to Listia, but did not get the chance.
2. Product Development: The handicaps mentioned above proved detrimental to running a tight product development process of “launch, measure, iterate.”  It’s very difficult to run a productive team in a competitive market under these conditions.
3. Path to full decentralization: The goal of Props’ Reg A+ offering was to be a bridging mechanism, with the project reporting to regulators during early centralized stages, and then stopping once a sufficient level of decentralization was reached. But regulation seems to be moving away from this as well. 

As a result of the Props announcement, Listia may lose a potential upside value in Props and a portion of the increased engagement. But we appreciate that the Props team did its best to tackle the regulatory challenges and constraints with creativity and determination and left no stone unturned. The new loyalty concept on Listia is here to stay, and accruing status and benefits for engaging with the marketplace is one of the more popular feature launches on Listia in some time. So we are grateful that the Listia marketplace has significantly changed for the better because of Props and want to assure the Listia community that we will do our best to ensure a smooth product transition.  

It is our hope that the experiences shared with you here about the Props project were valuable and enlightening.  Hopefully regulations will eventually change to embrace new blockchain technologies and support similar projects in the future. Please stay tuned for more product updates coming soon as well! 

There’s something new in town and it’s called Listia Rewards! You may have seen a post or two on social media about it, but we wanted to formally introduce and talk about it. Moving forward we’ll be adding another core concept to Listia, creating two platforms called Marketplace and Rewards. All your account settings, Points, and Props will be the same across all of the Listia platforms of course. Listia Marketplace will be what many of you are familiar with which is our buying and selling platform. Listia Rewards will be home to our earning and redeeming platform, starting with surveys, offers, and Amazon gift card redemptions!

Why the addition? We felt like the main Listia website and UI has gained a few pounds over the years and decided it was time to go on a diet! We built Listia Rewards in hopes to bring more offer companies, ways to earn Points, and ways to redeem Points without having to worry about squeezing everything into the existing pages. If you visit Listia Rewards you’ll see a light weight version of our old Listia offers page where you can navigate through all the ways you can earn Points on Listia. You can also see your Points balance, transactions, settings, redeem Points for Amazon gift cards, or continue spending Points in the Marketplace, etc.

Same account, same login, same Points and Props. Worried about a new login and account to manage? Fear not, both Marketplace and Rewards use the same login, and all your account settings and balances are the same! You can hop back and forth between both products and your account status remains the same. On the website, you are always just a link click away from either platform. If you’re wondering about Props bonuses for earning Points on offers, your Props level remains the same on both products as well!

More to come! We have a lot of plans in store for Rewards so stay tuned (more offer companies, different ways to earn, new ways to redeem, maybe a new app)! You may see some things from the Marketplace move over to Rewards just so we have a clear separation of what should go where, so don’t be alarmed! Send us a ticket if you have any questions or even a new idea, we’ll be happy to have a chat!

Story time! The iconic Silicon Valley startup company swag was always the company t-shirt, but for a lucky few, it was the track jacket (maybe hoodie). Listia was lucky enough to be able to get some of these made back in the day and they were ever meant to be released to the public due to their higher than t-shirt cost. Employees would get a navy blue track jacket on their first day at the office and you’d often see half of the office donning the jacket indoors because the air conditioning was always on full blast in every single one of our offices. If you ever ate lunch in downtown Mountain View, you’d often see the Listia crew eating at the various restaurants on Castro Street (Red Rock, Pho To Chau, Subway, Xanh, Shalala, Sushi Tomi, Stein’s, Totoro). A few navy blue track jackets eventually made their way to some Listia members, but for the most part they were an employee only swag piece.

The BLACK track jacket is a completely different item that only a small number of employees ever got their hands on. Throughout the years we would run office contests and competitions and the winner would likely earn a black track jacket. To say this is a rare swag item is an understatement as only a small percentage of employees ever got their hands on one!

For the first and last time, we have some of our last track jackets up in the Listia Rewards Store. Once these are gone, they will be gone forever and you’ll likely never see a new one pop up unless someone has been saving one (I may do that now that I think about it). After searching on American Apparel it also looks like they no longer have this exact style so you’ll have your chance to own a piece of Listia and American Apparel history! Only 4 black track jackets (S, L, XL, 2XL) and 4 blue track jackets remain (XL, 3 x 2XL)!

https://www.listia.com/auction/58108016-listia-american-apparel-black-track-2xl (ends 12/1/20 2:30:00 PM GMT-0800)

https://www.listia.com/auction/58108024-listia-american-apparel-black-track-xl (ends 12/4/20 2:30:00 PM GMT-0800)

https://www.listia.com/auction/58142887-listia-american-apparel-black-track-l (ends 12/8/20 2:30:00 PM GMT-0800)

Only a few sizes remain, apologies if we don’t have your size, but there’s nothing wrong with warming up in on your couch with an oversized Listia track jacket this winter! What should we make next? Hoodies? Joggers? Socks? Throw blankets?

The 2020 Cyber Week Crossword Winners!!!

• 50,000 PTS – Jody & Bob
• Exclusive Listia Swag Pack – Chester
• 15,000 PTS – Lee, Jeff & Chris
• Props x Listia Swag Pack – Kristina
• 5,000 PTS – Mike, Theresa, James, Trish & Debbie
• Props Shirt or Props Bag – Edna (Bag), Jeremy (Bag), George, Kayla, Felecia, CJ & Sara

Congratulations to all the winners and participants! We’ll be depositing your Points shortly so stay tuned! If you were part of a shared pot, you’ll also get those soon! We’ll also be in contact with you on Listia if you won anything that needs to be shipped! We apologize that we only have a certain number of Props shirt sizes available. Happy holidays!!!

2020 has been quite different for ALL of us, but as we approach the end we can only hope for a better year in a few weeks time. Even though the year has had it’s share of ups and downs we still have the holidays and along with that… Cyber Week!

This year we’re celebrating the partnership with the Props team with a Props themed Cyber Week! This year we also have some limited edition Listia & Props swag that we’re giving out!

The crossword rules and format are similar to all previous crossword promotions, but just in case you’re new or you’ve forgotten, the details are below. Since there are split prizes, you’ll want to keep answers to yourselves instead of sharing them 😉  We’ll do our best to remove published answers where we can, but let everyone have fun and try to figure out the answers to the crossword. It’s not meant to be SUPER hard, but it is meant to be fun!

Cyber Week Crossword Promo Details

To get to the puzzle on 11/30/20 click the “Cyber Week!” link at the top of the Listia web site, or click the “Cyber Week!” link in the menu of either of our mobile apps.

• Live 11/30/20 through 12/7/20 (PST)
• Unlock the crossword puzzle by sharing on Facebook or Twitter
• Once shared, one clue in the crossword puzzle should be unlocked
• Special Listia Crossword goals will be released every day throughout the promotion. Each of these goals will unlock a certain number of crossword puzzle clues and may even reward you with Points or Props.
• Listing goal categories: Electronics, Health & Beauty, Clothing/Shoes & Accessories, Collectibles, Toys & Hobbies, and Video Games
• Once the clues are unlocked you may enter the answers in the crossword puzzle
• Each time you successfully answer sets of crossword puzzle clues you will be automatically eligible to win 6 different tiered prizes
  • 5 Answers – 7 random members that answer 5 clues will win a Props Shirt or Props Bag (5 shirts, 2 bags)
  • 10 Answers – 5 random members that answer 10 clues will win 5,000 PTS
  • 16 Answers – 1 random members that answers 16 clues will win a Props x Listia Swag Pack: Props Shirt, Props Bag, Listia Draw String Bag, Listia Tote Bag, Listia Coin
  • 22 Answers
    • 3 random members that answer 22 clues will win 15,000 PTS
    • 50,000 PTS will be distributed evenly amongst everyone that answers 22 clues (eg if 100 members qualify, each person will get 1,000 PTS)
  • 28 Answers – 1 random member that answers 28 clues will win an Exclusive Listia Swag Pack: XL Listia Black Zip, Listia Coin, 2x Listia Tote Bag, Props Shirt, Props Bag
  • 34 Answers
    • 2 random members that answer all 34 clues will win 50,000 PTS
    • 100,000 PTS will be distributed evenly amongst everyone that answers all 34 clues (eg if 100 members fully complete the crossword puzzle, each person will get 1,000 PTS)
• There are 34 total clues, but there will be enough goals to unlock ~54 clues (you don’t have to do EVERY Listia Crossword goal to complete the puzzle)
• The last Listia Crossword goals will be live on 12/7/20 (PST). Once these goals end, the contest is over and you will no longer be able to unlock clues or enter answers.
• Winners will be chosen 1-2 weeks after the promotion ends and will be contacted via Zendesk ticket or Listia private message for information about your prize!

Thanks and have fun! If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a ticket here.

Listia is taking another big step in our 11 year long journey today, and we are extremely excited to launch the addition of Listia Points + the new Props rewards and leveling system!

Points

Listia Points are completely re-designed to be a simple, stable, in-app currency for buying and selling goods on Listia. For users that loved our old Credits system, but hated the fluctuating value of both Credits and XNK, this will be a HUGE upgrade and a welcome change for all. You will of course be able to continue using and spending your main XNK balances, including both deposits and withdrawals, but for the actual trading on Listia, Points is the new in-app currency.

Props

We are also introducing Props to the marketplace! Props is a brand new rewards and leveling system for all Listia users. You earn more Props for activity such as leaving feedback for a purchase or earning positive feedback after you sell something. The more Props you have, the higher your Props Level, and the higher your Props Level, the more bonuses and incentives you receive. Rewards such as lower transaction fees and bonus Points when you buy can be earned just for being an active Listia member.

Here is a quick video introducing Props on the Listia app:

All users will start off at a Props Level based on all of their previous activity, positive feedback, old XP system, balances, and social status on the site. In addition, all users that are placed in a Props Level will also receive a number of grandfathered Props to start. You will also be able to upgrade existing balances (coming soon) and continue to earn even more Props by successfully buying and selling on Listia!

In addition to Listia-specific rewards, Props also gives users a financial stake in the very networks they are contributing to. In the case of Listia, buying and selling earns you more Props, which gives you a larger and larger stake in the overall Props network. Props tokens are earn-able, withdraw-able, and usable in several other social apps too, with even more coming. Please take a look at the Props Project page for even more info and to find out what else Props can do for you!

More Details

Want more launch day specifics and info about what’s changing and how to migrate? Read this previous post.

Want a product-specific preview of Props and Points? Read this previous post.

THANK YOU for all the support over the last 10+ years. We are continuing to iterate to make things better, and while Listia has experienced it’s fair share of ups and downs, we are very excited about the future!

Here we go! We’re finally ready to bring you Listia Points and Props on August 31st! Thank you for all of your patience over the last few months in anticipation for this exciting new experience coming to Listia. We’ve outlined a lot of the product features in previous blog posts, but here is a short recap along with some launch day details. For more information feel free to read our old blog posts linked below. As always, feel free to send us a ticket if you have any questions!

Launch Day 8/31/20

On Sunday night (8/30/20) we will have downtime scheduled for a few hours. You’ll see a banner at the top of the website with the exact time window. When you log onto Listia on Monday morning, the upgrade should be be completed and you’ll see all the new features in the marketplace.

• Open listings and unpaid listings will be converted to Listia Points
• XNK store credit will be automatically converted to Listia Points
• XNK main balance will remain as is (XNK is still 100% supported and can be used at checkout and withdrawn)
• Legacy Credit balances (if you still have one) will be automatically converted to Listia Points

Props

Props Tokens will be the new mechanism for powering our rewards, loyalty, and bonus system on Listia. We’re super excited to be partnering with the Props team. The first time you check in to Listia either on the web or our mobile apps you’ll receive your grandfathered Props grant which will be based off your account status and history with Listia. Existing XNK balances can optionally be upgraded to Props as well (coming soon). This is a one time grant for being a member of the community and everyone will get a different amount based on your account status related to your feedback, badges, items sold, balances, etc.

After that, you can earn Props in a few different ways on Listia, such as: receiving positive seller feedback, giving a feedback to a seller, earning certain badges, and sometimes completing daily goals. The more Props you have on Listia, the higher your Props level will be and the better your Listia benefits will be (lower transaction fees, offer bonuses, Listia Point purchase bonuses). Props also aims to give users a real financial stake in the network, so the more Props you have, the larger your stake becomes (see https://www.propsproject.com/ for more details).

There are also some more advanced features with Props that will be documented in our  knowledge base if you have any other questions!

Listia Points (PTS)

Points will be the new in-app currency used for the Listia marketplace! Buying, selling, bidding, etc. will all work the same way as it has for many years. Of course, XNK will still be 100% supported at checkout and for withdrawals as well, but having a stable in-app currency for the actual buying and selling will help improve the marketplace considerably and shield it from outside fluctuations for the most part. We are also bringing back in-app currency purchases to make it easier to reload your Points balance. You’ll also be eligible for purchase bonuses based on your Props level!

1 More Week!

The team has been working hard on these changes and we’re excited to bring them to you! Once again, thank you for being a part of the Listia community and we hope you are staying safe during this unprecedented time.

References:

Listia blog: https://blog.listia.com/2020/03/11/something-new-is-coming-to-listia/

Listia blog: https://blog.listia.com/2020/04/14/listia-points-props-coming-soon/

Listia blog: https://blog.listia.com/2020/07/28/a-preview-of-points-props/

Props website: https://www.propsproject.com/

Nope! We haven’t forgotten about our Points & Props launch! We’re still working as hard as we can to get all the changes in place as well as organizing all the logistics with the Props team. We don’t have a set date yet, but we’re at the final stages of development and testing! Below you’ll find a few more details about the update as well as a small preview of what’s to come!

New Props Menu

When we launch you’ll see a new icon in the menu bar for Props where you’ll find everything you need to know about Props on Listia! You’ll be able to see what benefits you’re getting from your Props, how to get more Props, your balance, and how many more Props you need to hit the next level. Here’s a quick preview:

Props Levels

In true Listia fashion, we’ve integrated your Props level with our badge system. There will be 100 Props levels and you’ll earn new tiers of benefits every 20 levels. New members start at level 1 and as you earn more Props through your activity you’ll jump up in level. If you decide you want to withdraw your Props from Listia, you’re also free to do so! There’s a short identity verification process along with a review period, but the Props are yours to keep! Please note, if you move your Props off of Listia, your Props level and benefits will change as well. Props that remain in your withdrawal wallet (see next section), will still count towards your Props level.

Connecting An External Wallet

One neat feature is that you’ll be able to connect your own Ethereum wallet to Listia for the purpose of holding Props. All members will have a running balance of Props they earn on Listia as well as the option to additionally connect your own wallet. When you do so, any Props contained in that wallet will also count towards your Props level on Listia! When you withdraw Props, this is where we’ll transfer your Props from your Listia Props balance. There’s a neat widget built by the Props team that allows for a few different types of wallet connections. Not everyone will use or even need this feature, but we think it’s really cool.

Legacy Credit Balances

If you’re an old timer and you still have a credit balance, we’ll be automatically converting your credit balance to Points when we launch. This allows us to clean up some of our code and UI for the future. Credits were definitely fun, but we’re on to bigger and better things.

Stay Tuned!

We hope everyone is staying safe and doing well managing your new normal day to day given everything that is going on. When you’re out and about shipping your items remember to be kind, wear a mask, and help your local community! We’ll have more updates once we get closer to the launch so stay tuned!

During these unprecedented times as COVID-19 continues to affect communities and day-to-day life across the world we would like to highlight a few of the features on Listia and some tips to ensure buyer and seller transactions continue to run smoothly. This is also the perfect time to do some decluttering in your home!

Carriers and shipping companies are considered an essential service right now and there has been minimal disruption to date. Most carriers will have slight variations on their signature required processes but otherwise, most, if not all, are open as usual.

Very Important:

If you need to visit the site of a carrier to drop off packages, we ask that you adhere to social distancing guidelines and follow the advice of staff there. It’s advised to wear a mask when going into a store and many employees appreciate that. In order to limit the time spent outside your home please remember to reuse supplies, such as boxes or bubble wrap, received from any other packages you get delivered to your home, and pack your item before you head to the store. Also, it’s quick and easy to buy and print a shipping label at home through Listia.

After your item is packaged and ready to ship don’t forget you can schedule a Free USPS pick up for the following services:

• Priority Mail (including flat rate packages)
• First Class Package
• Returns
• First Class Package International
• Priority Mail International
• Priority Mail Express

Alternatively, if you happen to see your neighborhood post office delivery driver they will often take your package for you. Be sure to thank them for their service!

Like many of you, we’re adapting to new ways of working but we’re still here to help. If you do have an issue, we encourage you to search our support pages and visit our Blog for up-to-date information on Listia. If you can’t find what you need, please do not hesitate to send in a Support Ticket!

So much continues to change during COVID-19 and we’re committed to help buyers and sellers navigate the uncertainty. Please stay safe!

Today, we’d like to announce a few changes related to Listia listings that will be coming soon! First, a quick update on the release of Points and Props. We’re still working hard on finishing up the final touches and we’re working with the Props team on a good time to launch. We thank you for your patience and we know you’re excited to see what we’ve built! We’re very excited too, but just hang tight a little longer!

Some other changes we are making to the marketplace in an effort to fuel a balanced experience for both sellers and buyers are described below. We’ll be slowly rolling these features out over the next few weeks and our current users will have a short grace period to get accustomed to these changes. Don’t worry, if you violate these new rules, we’ll remind you through your listings or direct message.

Let us know if you have any feedback on the changes! We’d love to hear what you think!

Shipping items with tracking

Moving forward, we will not be able to refund a seller if a tracking number is not used and the buyer does not receive their package.

Sellers are strongly encouraged to ship all items with tracking and it is the seller’s responsibility to successfully deliver items to their buyers. Moving forward if there are transaction disputes, we will be looking to see that the seller did their best to successfully deliver their items to the buyer, including adding a tracking number. Tracking has a number of benefits for both sellers and buyers:

• Sellers are protected against buyers that may falsely claim that they did not receive their items
• If an item is not delivered, the seller can contact the shipping carrier and potentially file a claim. The tracking number will also help the shipping carrier track down the package.
• Buyers know when they’ll be getting their package so they can watch for their delivery
• Buyers will be more confident buying your items if tracking is used

We understand adding a tracking number increases shipping costs which is why we are not making it a requirement. We are still giving sellers the choice to use tracking or not, but it is a risk that each seller has to evaluate for each item they ship. If you are a seller that ships with tracking, be sure to add it in your listing description because your buyers will appreciate it!

Shipping payments

For items where the seller requires a shipping payment, we are no longer allowing cash, personal check, or money orders to be used to pay for shipping.

Sending shipping payment through the postal service adds multiple days to the shipment of items and it is not secure. We strongly advise using PayPal goods and services directly or via our Replin payments app to pay your seller for shipping. It is not advised to use services like Venmo, Cash App, Google Wallet, Zelle, etc. because of the risk involved with using these services.

45 day transaction period

Transactions will now close 45 days after payment has been made.

The current duration to request a refund is 60 days and we are reducing this to 45 days to help both sellers and buyers finalize their sales in a more timely fashion. Sellers should be responsible for delivering their items on time and buyers should be responsible for knowing when they would like a refund.

Point transfer for gift card listings

Points will no longer be automatically transferred for member listed gift cards in order to give the buyer time to verify the gift card. Once the buyer confirms receipt, the points will transferred as usual. This rule will apply to all sellers.

Thank you again for your patience and hope you and your families are staying safe during this time! Stay tuned for more updates!