cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/40697282
This is mostly just word-vomit, but I had a random idea while doing a tonne of Xmas shopping and figured you guys might appreciate possibly chewing on it.
What if there potentially was a Fediverse-style alternative / competitor to Amazon Prime, etc. but instead of being one giant marketplace (a la Flohmarkt, etc.), it was made up of independent websites that federate together?
Think something architecturally similar to Lemmy, Mastodon, Peertube, Pixelfed, Loops by Pixelfed, etc, but:
No “instances” in the traditional sense (like Lemmy servers, Mastodon, instances, etc.)
Instead, each shop is its own fully independent website
(e.g.
Gotyka,
Dolls Kill,
Dracula Clothing,
VampireFreaks,
Killstar,
Hot Topic,
Barnes and Noble,
Home Depot,
Everlane,
Kotn,
Pact,
American Giant,
Taylor Stitch,
Outerknown,
plus other shops for books, electronics, home goods, etc.)
The federated layer wouldn’t replace their storefronts. It would just:
Aggregate listings / catalogs
Allow discovery, search, wishlists, maybe reviews
Potentially handle things like recommendations without centralizing power
Function kind of like a decentralized “market index” rather than a single store
In other words: a protocol + shared infrastructure, not a mega-store.
Some half-baked thoughts:
Users might sign in via each individual shop (or perhaps via a shared fediverse identity like ActivityPub / OAuth / something new)
Each store keeps control of branding, stock, payments, policies
The “platform” just connects them into one large, searchable, decentralized marketplace
No single Amazon-style choke point that can enshittify everything
I love this idea in theory, but realistically:
I don’t have the skills, knowledge, or time to build anything like this
I also don’t know if this already exists in some form (OpenBazaar vibes? Solid? Something ActivityPub-adjacent?)
This is more of a conceptual “what if” than a proposal
But the idea stuck with me because:
I hate how centralized Amazon is
I like how the Fediverse decentralizes control
And holiday shopping really highlights how fragmented yet monopolized online commerce has become
So I’m mostly curious:
Is this technically feasible with existing Fediverse tech?
Has something like this already been attempted?
What would be the biggest blockers — payments, trust, logistics, identity, incentives?
Would independent shops even want this, or would it be more attractive to smaller creators?
Is there a protocol or project adjacent to this idea?
This idea honestly came from Xmas shopping fatigue and bouncing between a million tabs, wishing there was a non-Amazon way to do “one stop shopping” without recreating Amazon itself.
Curious to hear thoughts, critiques, or “this already exists and you reinvented the wheel” responses.
Also, feel more than welcome to steal the idea.
EDIT:
Would something like Shops
https://socialhub.activitypub.rocks/t/shops/5354
work?
You mean just Amazon, and not Amazon Prime? The main advantage of Prime is shipping.
And in a way, you’re just describing Amazon, just slightly different. The Amazon storefront isn’t just Amazon, it’s also a bunch of smaller sellers using Amazon services, either to sell through Amazon or ship from their own facility, as well as sell from their own site. A random example would be 3D filament from Prusa. You can buy it from Amazon that ships locally (and cheaper), or you can buy it directly from their site that ships from Czech Republic.
The only thing that feels centralized to me, is their payment system. If I already have an account set up on amazon, I’ll more likely buy it through their website than one that’s not. That way I don’t have to put in my personal info into another site just to buy from them.
I feel like you missed the “independent shops” part of the description entirely. And the “[amazon market is] fragmented but monopolized” part. And the “competitor to amazon” part. And, like, the entire gist of the post. And im wondering if you’ve used amazon recently, or perhaps have been living under a rock for a while to say you feel the payment system is the only centralized part of amazon.
such as the famously independent shops, the home depot, barnes and noble, and hot topic?
how about local fabricators, cabinetmakers, jewelrymakers, upholsterers, pc bulders, injection molders, etc. that want to reach a broader customer base but can’t get a foothold on amazon because of anorknlo, fidula, bidor, wasysky, and other “companies.” but in the end, as long as home depot and… hot topic? are playing fair, sure why not? maybe lowes will want to get in on the competition. edit: or maybe not. maybe you want to set a market cap to prevent a huge eetailer from dominating supply with their volume. maybe a local hardware store will, too. is barnes and nobles what you can come up with when you try to think up examples of independent stores? seriously?