PriceMinister is an online marketplace for buyers and sellers that also acts as trusted third party.

Its considerable success is, in large part, due to its model of guaranteeing that the seller is paid and, second, that the buyer is reimbursed in the case of undelivered or defective merchandise.

PriceMinister also encourages visitors to trade on its site by arranging for distribution, and fostering competition and low prices.

PriceMinister introduced its “secured direct sales from sellers to buyers” www.PriceMinister.com platform in 2001 in France, and in 2006 in Spain. PriceMinister is a fixed price platform, and in five years has expanded to support the sales of books, CDs, DVDs and games, electronic goods, child care, fashion, home and garden, automobiles and many other products.

About 15 million people visit the site each month, 34 million products are for sale, and PriceMinister now has 5 million members. Since its launch, the site has enjoyed a three-digit growth rate and is targeting the top position in e-commerce in France. PriceMinister was founded in August 2000 by Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, Pierre Krings, Justin Ziegler and Olivier Mathiot. Investors include 3i, Quilvest and private individuals.