[JohnFen]

Although I buy very nearly all my produce at a farmer's market, I don't think that I'd use something like this.

> Among some concerns from non-customers is: not being able to touch/see/feel the produce in person.

This is the primary reason why. Another reason is that I buy produce basically on an as-needed basis, so ordering and waiting for delivery wouldn't really work well for me. All that said, in my area the farmers already have pretty good internet presences. Introducing a third party into the whole exchange seems like it would just add additional overhead and distance without bringing much in the way of real value.

Maybe, if I lived somewhere where it was more difficult to go to a farmer's market, this would be something of interest to me, though.

[flinstoning]

You brought up some great points and I really appreciate your point of view! Let me ask you this: When Amazon first started there were the same concerns of not being able to feel and see the product before buying; let alone, having it the same day you need it.

I know it is different with food, but what are some things that would make you- as we would consider our hard-side - to even consider trying?

[JohnFen]

There's a world of difference between buying produce and buying a more durable good. Produce has a short shelf life, and it is not uniform. When I'm selecting produce, I'm not only looking for it to be fresh (or sometimes even at a very specific ripeness point), but I'm also often looking for a specific size, or more rarely, but sometimes, for some other specific physical characteristic. I wouldn't trust a stranger to be able to tell which piece I want. Obviously, how true this is depends on the specific crop. Lettuce, for instance, is fairly interchangeable, and grains such as wheat are entirely interchangeable.

If I buy something sight unseen from Amazon, I can return it if it wasn't exactly what I wanted. With produce, even if I could actually return it, there's no way it's getting resold, so it's instant food waste. So I feel that it's inherently unreturnable. Also, it would mean that I'd likely have to make an unplanned trip to the store to buy a replacement, or do without, for the meal I was planning to use it in.

It all seems like a bunch of potential inconvenience and bother that can be easily avoided by just going to the market.

I don't want to sound negative about the idea despite all of this -- this is very specific to my own situation and location. Most of the world lives differently than I do (that's true of all of us.) I could see it working, at least in some markets. And there are food deserts that could be excellently served by something like this, especially if there's a delivery component.

[flinstoning]

I can’t express how much I really appreciate the feedback and your time for sharing! If I could get you a coffee, or a drink of your choice I would! Lol… thanks again!