CollectedIt!, a marketplace for collectibles, wants to take on eBay

CollectedIt! wants to be the mobile marketplace for collectors.

Why choose it over eBay? It’s both a social network for collectors — a place for them to keep track of their inventory and show it off — and a marketplace that boasts lower transaction fees than eBay, say its founders, James Bright and Christian Heinzmann. They hope that will make the app stand out.

CollectedIt! began as a web-based marketplace for collectors but the founders changed their focus to mobile because they thought it would increase sales, following the lead of mobile marketplaces like Poshmark, Threadflip and Twice. The company’s plan is to build an audience through the app’s free social network, whose users will then use it to buy and sell items like vintage video games and antiques.

The app has seen more than 700 downloads, Bright said.

CollectedIt! charges a 10 percent transaction fee while the typical eBay fee (plus PayPal fees) is, at minimum, more than 13 percent.

The app uses an escrow-based system for transactions, where the buyer’s money is put into an account and the seller is alerted of the order. The seller only gets the money once the buyer receives and confirms that the item is what they ordered.

CollectedIt! has roots in QuarterArcade, a classic video game marketplace that Bright, 42, of Phoenixville, Pa., launched with Anthony Pietrak in 2000.

Bright and Heinzmann, 34, of Collegeville, Pa., recently finished the Philly Startup Leaders Accelerator, which paired startups with more established entrepreneurs in the tech scene. Bright, who’s worked at dotcom Philly tech businesses like VerticalNet and Reality Online, said the accelerator and his mentor, Ted Mann of mobile couponing app SnipSnap, was invaluable. They also count Rick Genzer, former PeopleLinx COO and a member of Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners tech advisory committee, as an advisor.