OLX India CEO is not worried about Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

In case you didn’t know, Amazon has entered India’s used goods business, indirectly. The Seattle-based e-commerce firm’s India-subsidiary Junglee has launched a pilot in Bengaluru which lets you sell second-hand goods across categories including mobile phones, tablets, pre-owned watches and books among others. It will soon expand to other metros depending on its success.

Fun fact, Amazon used Junglee as its launch-pad for its India entry. However, India’s largest used-goods marketplace OLX doesn’t seem troubled. It’s available in 45 countries and has over 2,000 employees in offices across the world.

“It’s not Amazon firstly, it’s the Junglee brand. Also, Amazon doesn’t do this in any other market in the world. We run in over 40 countries. Tell me, should I be scared?” OLX India CEO Amarjit Singh Batra said with a confident smile.

“You shouldn’t take that brand lightly. However, unless Amazon decides to put significant investment, I don’t see any traction”, Batra added.

Peer-to-peer commerce is undoubtedly a bold bet for Amazon. The new development brings Junglee directly in competition with the likes of Olx, Quikr and Ebay, which has been struggling to crack the Indian market.

When asked if he’s worried about Jeff’s money-power, Batra smiles, “OLX has been the most successful e-commerce website in the used goods space. Amazon have actually taken the playbook of OLX and used it amazingly well for their brand.”

In Amazon’s current business model, the e-commerce giant will be offering pick-up, packing and delivery services for the used goods at the consumer's doorstep. The e-commerce giant will then charge a commission once the transaction is complete. Currently, users can list their ads for free.

The OLX CEO is quick to add there’s no love lost for the Amazon founder. “You shouldn’t trivialize Jeff Bezos. He’s a big guy. He’s got big guts, big money, and big vision. However, to say he’s focusing on used goods is a mistake. It’s not visible in any of his discussions globally. I don’t see the rationale”, Batra adds.

Mind, Amazon has make it clear that unlike platforms like Droom or Credr, it does not hold any responsibility in case of any grievances between the individual seller and buyer over these used goods. Quikr, too, has a similar end-to-end service called Quikr Doorstep which is available across 25 cities.

Used-goods marketplace segment leader Olx India is yet to offer logistics.“There are 20 other things you can do on a platform. We follow the customer-first approach, rather than think of a problem and do some massive attempt on that”, Batra said.