I worked at a consulting firm on a flameout .com (actbig) business that had a nearly identical model back in the late 90s; the big difference here seems to be t

I worked at a consulting firm on a flameout .com (actbig) business that had a nearly identical model back in the late 90s; the big difference here seems to be the (smart!) focus on local businesses & services rather than generic goods like electronics and furniture, and offering only one deal at per day (rather wootlike). Last time this happened: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=692644 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=692644 I think the answer to the the question I asked then might be "yes." :) (They still have a ways to go for profitability, though... 40 people on staff while the items are usually under $100 and have less than 1000 purchasers. Still, they've made it much further than my old client did.)