[adrianwaj]

Most of the time, aren't barcodes on the wrapper or box? That's a problem. How can people find the barcode for things that are old?

I could see this site working for shoes. I'd say many people have shoes that would be worth a lot to collectors, but aren't able to easily connect with people who want them.

Also, any way to make it web-accessible?

Another idea I had was to start discussion up around the act of "tinkering." That can be about building discussions around "builds" and the many devices that go into one. Or product repurposing. Not sure if this is of interest to you - is it? Imagine you had the barcode for say one item, but it comes up in "builds" that consist of many items. This would be useful for people who want ideas about what to do with something they own.. okay I've got one product - what are other people combining it with or utilizing it for?

That would work for food ingredients, strangely enough, and could result in a recipe site with the overall end goal of having manufacturers/suppliers participate and claiming their products on-site.

In a recent comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47472138) I've also mentioned the need to build a database of products in the real-world for recycling purposes. Who owns what, and where? Useful for electronics that aren't yet easily recyclable but may be in the future. It could even work for exotic plants and medicinal herbs - people want them fresh, alive and nearby.