Purpose of the Web site

The Student Quad (The Quad) is not just another website to buy and sell clothes. This site is designed for teenagers, young adults, or anyone looking for high quality fashion new or near new at a fraction of retail. Rather than searching all over town for the items you are looking for, just go to The Quad. The Quad allows users to see items that sellers are posting right in their community. When a seller posts at The Quad they are also supporting high schools academic and atheltic programs because The Quad donates 10% of all postings to support high school academic and athletic programs.

The Quad is a peer-to-peer website. The Quad connects buyers and sellers, and for a small fee to sellers, allows them to post apparel, shoes, and accessories for sale to the public. The seller has no fees or charges associated with the price their items sell for, nor is there a fee of any kind paid to The Quad by the buyer. Sellers pay a small flat fee for the item/s for sale. A seller has a limit five items per post and posts must be separated by type. For example, jeans must be posted in pants categories, dresses with dresses, etc. If items are not properly categorized it may prevent buyers from seeing items posted by sellers. By ensuring items are posted accurately buyers can easily search for items they are interested in just by typing the name of the brand or type of apparel into the search directory. For example, if a seller is looking for True Religion jeans they can just type in True Religion jeans in the search directory. The search directory will show all True Religion jeans listed from every school.

Since 10% of The Quad's proceeds are donated back to high schools, each seller must assign a high school to their homepage. The Quad’s goal is to bring together a diverse and passionate community of individual buyers and sellers, as well as small market clothing and apparel businesses.

During formal ball season, many young adults cannot find affordable formal wear for proms and formal dances. A mechanism does not exist to show and sell near perfect slightly used and new dresses, gowns, shoes, and accessories in the local communities where these young adults live and go to school.

Solution

Create a website in which teens and young can post pictures of clothes and sell them within the community they live. Teens and young adults are able to set their own prices and sell directly to buyers who are looking for exactly what the seller is offering. This is not a bid or auction site. The idea is to sell the clothes at rock bottom prices anywhere from 70-90 % off normal retail. Sellers will arrange their own payments and delivery of the merchandise. It is recommended all sellers consider that many of items would otherwise be unused when considering the price they set. The Quad will have a special section just for formal wear and accessories. It is spilt into men’s and women’s sections from there the categories identify the type of items offered on the site.

Community Support

In an effort to support the community in which sales take place, each user shall identify a highschool he or she will be associated with. This may be where they attend school, are an alumni, or have a family member that attends or graduated from. The Quad tracks all postings by the sellers’ affiliated high school and reserves 5% of their posting fee to donate back to the sellers designated high school. Upon reaching $500 or six months, whichever comes first, The Quad donates these funds directly to the high school to support athletic and academic programs. Each high school will receive a letter explaining the program and the process for distribution of funds. No high school has any affiliation to The Quad and they are asked to participate or support this website in any way.