Reel.com (1996 - 2000)

a video store owner's recommendation cards, rebuilt as a website, with a shop bolted on because nobody pays for advice. it worked well enough that hollywood entertainment bought it for $96.9 million in 1998, one month before amazon started selling video and took the whole category in six weeks. by 1999 reel was losing thirteen cents on every dollar it took. the store was shut on 19 june 2000 and…