MyThings snags $5M to keep track of your stuff

October 13, 2008 | Camille Ricketts | Comments |

Anyone who has dug through their inbox for online purchase receipts or tracking numbers — or forgotten that they even bought something that never showed up — will likely have built-in appreciation for the concept behind MyThings, a web service that keeps track of what you buy and the clutter of email that comes with it. The London-based company just raked in $5 million in second-round financing, but hasn’t yet disclosed what it will be used for.

In addition to centralizing your email receipts and confirmations, the London-based company also provides it users with product manuals, insurance options and information on product recalls. Somewhat oddly (but still neat), the site can help you donate something or sell it on eBay, report something stolen, find a bargain, or even get you an estimate on an antique (Roadshow fans, take note). Basically, the site is designed to make you an expert on the stuff you already own.

There are a few wrinkles that still need to be ironed out. In order to store some receipts on the site, you need to forward them from your email or enter them manually — which cuts down on time saved. And while some large vendors have already integrated to upload puchase information directly to the site (like Tesco and Woolworths), MyThings still has trouble parsing receipts from others (like online electronics shop Newegg, reports ReadWriteWeb).

Despite these glitches, which will hopefully be at least partially fixed with the new round of funding, the site could be a useful destination for Getting Things Done devotees already ramping up for the holiday season.

The recent funding round included Dotcorp Asset Management and GP Bullhound Sidecar. MyThings raised $8 million in a first round in 2006.

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About the Author, Camille Ricketts

Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

With GreenBeat 2009, VentureBeat's all-star conference on all things Smart Grid, coming up in November, Camille will be expanding coverage of this exciting space. Stay up to date by following @greenbeat2009 on Twitter or by becoming a fan of the event on Facebook here.