The economic situation continues to change as our excessive consumption catches up with us. This isn’t a viewpoint from a radical anti-capitalist, it’s the view of a excessive consumer. As our money supply tightens people are going to begin to look at what they have collected and try to convert it to a more fungible commodity (ie, cash!). In order to do this, people are going to need to find tools that help them organize collections of the things that they own or are no longer using.

This surplus asset base is ripe for harvesting. As people are tightening up on cash they are looking for deals. Maybe a used DVD or piece of furniture is a better investment than forking out cold hard cash for new stuff. Maybe there’s a need for liquidity and that comic book collection could bring some needed dollars back into the account. Not only does that person need to manage collections of their things, but they also need to research their collections. One of the biggest barriers to selling on sites like eBay is the fear of being ripped off. iTaggit is trying to provide tools to help users manage, organize, and research the value of things that they have.

I’m interested in research about how much true value is sitting dormant in people’s homes. Think about your home. How much money do you have tied up into surplus assets?