vBulletin Partners With Panjo to Make Community Marketplaces Instantly Available on vBulletin Forums

New Partnership Enables Online Enthusiast Communities to Launch Marketplaces in Minutes


EL SEGUNDO, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 9, 2013) -  vBulletin and Panjo announced today that they have integrated Panjo into vBulletin's forum software, letting site owners instantly launch marketplaces relevant to their communities. Panjo facilitates peer-to-peer sales on websites and provides payment processing support. This integration simplifies the marketplace setup process to a few clicks for vBulletin users.

More than 100,000 sites have been built on vBulletin's forum software. vBulletin communities can now leverage Panjo's marketplace platform to improve buying and selling among members and guests. Today's release supports forums upgrading to the latest version of the vBulletin 4 series, 4.2.2. A similar plug-in for vBulletin 5.x will be released shortly.

Additionally, shoppers can browse thousands of items on Panjo.com, ranging from auto parts to antiques to bespoke fashion. Buyers can search for a specific item or browse the closets and garages of knowledgeable and ardent enthusiasts. Panjo.com directs buyers to the best communities for the items they desire.

"Panjo is a unique platform that unlocks a new premium revenue stream for site owners," says John McGanty, General Manager at Internet Brands, the parent company of vBulletin. "By integrating Panjo into vBulletin, our customers can monetize their sites through commerce. The members who visit those sites benefit from newfound convenience and improved security."

"Over the last year, we worked with fifty communities to test and improve the Panjo marketplace service," said Panjo CEO Chad Billmyer. "By embedding Panjo into vBulletin, it is now easier than ever for a community to launch a marketplace. We are thrilled that vBulletin embraces the work we are doing to improve the peer-to-peer commerce experience for millions of enthusiasts and site administrators who give those fans places to support one another and exchange ideas."

Since Panjo announced a $1.6 million seed round led by Spark Capital in July 2013, it has invested in features that maximize success for buyers, sellers, and community owners. Panjo's platform is a response to the inefficiencies and hazards buyers and sellers face in web-based forums, including fraud, failure to sell items and cluttered classifieds.

About vBulletin
vBulletin (www.vbulletin.com) is the world leader in forum and community publishing software. Customers have created vibrant communities for over 10 years on vBulletin's stable and mature platform. Developed with security, powerful administration features and speed in mind, it serves over 100,000 online communities worldwide. vBulletin is a division of Internet Brands, Inc.

About Panjo
The Panjo marketplace delivers joy to auto, sport, and hobby enthusiasts by helping them discover, buy, and sell rare and high-quality goods. The Panjo marketplace increases security, reduces administrative overhead, eliminates hassle, and creates an aggregated collection of the world's most desirable goods for enthusiasts. Panjo powers dozens of marketplaces for partners in categories such as winter sports (TetonGravity.com), automotive (Planet-9.com, BimmerForums.com), and fashion (AskAndyAboutClothes.com, Bhuz.com). For more information, visit www.panjo.com/partners.

Contact Information:

Contact vBulletin:
Joe Ewaskiw
vBulletin / Internet Brands, Inc.
joe.ewaskiw@internetbrands.com
310-280-4539

Contact Panjo:
Chad Billmyer
Panjo / Interactive Innovation Group, Inc.
chad@panjo.com
310-990-1175