What It's Like to Shop a Local Main Street Online

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11Main.com, a new U.S.-based e-marketplace owned by Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd., launched yesterday (6/11/14) with hundreds (okay ... possibly a thousand or two) boutiques designed to replicate shopping a local Main Street.  We reported on this March 14, 2014.

What is the key differentiator on 11Main?  You don't sign up on your own.  11Main finds, recruits and approves stores to sell on its site.  What does that protect or ward off?  Dishonest sellers.  Ouch or maybe Cool, depending on who you are and how you look at it.

Read the entire news article:  Alibaba launches 11main.com in the U.S.

We've been reporting on Alibaba since 2005.  Review the history here, especially in view of the upcoming Alibaba IPO.