Arean’s son Skylar enjoying the digger his dad got for him on OfferUp

Here at OfferUp, we enjoy talking to our community members and getting to know them. We thought you might like to know a little more about the team behind OfferUp, so here is a Q&A with one of our founders and the Chief Technology Officer, Arean van Veelen:

What do you love most about OfferUp? 

For me it is all about finding a second home for great items, especially when I see people having a hard time affording nice things for their families, and OfferUp is a good outlet for that. Being able to pass along high quality items at good prices helps reduce the impact on a family’s resources. It’s also nice to know that items are finding a new life instead of being abandoned in the garage or brought to a landfill.

What is the coolest thing you’ve bought through OfferUp? 

A ride on digger toy for my son, it was a great deal and he loves it!

What do you like to do in your free time? 

Spend time with my family, explore the zoo and other local attractions, hike the beautiful Northwest, and take road trips if we can.

What is the best tip that you would like to share with our community of users? 

There is no need to relist your items, let the system sell it for you. Our goal is to get it sold. We constantly improve and add features to help get your items sold.

Until next time, be sure to check out some of the great new items posted through our app or find out more at www.offerup.com!

 Sara

This week we are excited to announce an update to our iPhone app, now available in the App Store! Based on your feedback, here are some of the great changes we’ve made to our app to make it even more fun and easy to use:

• Browse categories: You can now browse based on categories from the app, and navigating back to the home page from a search is easier.

• Better alerts management: Alerts that have been read will automatically delete after 2 days, keeping your list of notifications current. All messages about your item are nicely archived under the item.

• “Follow” your favorite people: You can now follow people from the app by clicking on the “Follow” button in the top right corner of their profile.

• Clickable phone numbers, links and addresses in chat: Easily contact a buyer or seller who sends you their information via messages by simply clicking on it.

• Faster image downloads.

• iPhone 5 full screen support.

Thank you to everyone for the wonderful feedback, and keep it coming! We are always looking for ways to improve our community members’ experiences.

  Sara

               Help build the OfferUp community with trusted friends!

We love seeing all of the fun, practical, and unique items that are being listed on OfferUp. Don’t you think your friends and family would love to see them too? Spread the word about our app and help us build a great community of trusted buyers and sellers.

Speaking of spreading the word, did you know you can link your items to your Facebook page? Once you link your OfferUp account to Facebook, all it takes is one quick click in the app to add your item to your Facebook page—who knows, maybe someone in your circle of friends would love to have it!

If you have general questions about OfferUp and how it works, be sure to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page here: FAQs.

  Sara

                                Visit our website at www.offerup.com

Did you know that OfferUp has a site on the web? Although we are primarily an App-based company, you can still do some pretty cool things on our website. If you’ve got some free time to browse items, you can see them on the home page, and even contact sellers. However, please note that posting to OfferUp still requires the App.

Another cool feature of our website is the ability to follow other users. You can follow them by clicking on their profile and hitting the “Follow” button so you’ll be able to see when they post new items.

Some other fun finds on our site include the TruStories page, with stories about users like you, and the blog, where you can catch up on any past newsletters you may have missed. Don’t forget, you can also “Like” us on Facebook for all of the latest OfferUp news!

 Sara

                                       Thanks Laura from Kirkland!

Making the most of your listings

So many great things are being posted on our site, and we love to see them sell so quickly! Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when posting:

Be sure to ask yourself if you would take the time to get in your car and buy the item. For example, if you are posting clothing (especially children’s clothing), consider selling it as a bundle instead of several individually priced items. People will feel like they are getting a better value for their time and money.

If you have matching furniture pieces that you are listing separately, remember to mention the accompanying piece in the post, so buyers are aware that they can match the set. While checking out the matching piece under your profile, they may also spot something else they’d like to buy!

Whenever possible, mention the brand of the item in your title and the model number in your description. Our OfferUp community is full of smart buyers who like to do their research.

And of course, don’t forget to keep those photos focused and well lit!

 Sara

Spring is here and it’s time for the annual tradition of spring cleaning! With the rainy weather lately, it might be a nice, productive way to spend the weekend (okay, maybe just part of the weekend). Did you know that 1 in 4 people in America with a two car garage cannot park in it?

If you post your items on OfferUp you’ll be giving your old items new life, and giving your wallet some new friends! It’s a super easy way to de-clutter your living and storage space. Some popular seasonal items that tend to sell quickly on OfferUp include bicycles, jogging strollers, outdoor furniture, tools, and sporting goods.

Have fun finding those hidden treasures and don’t forget to check out our website for more info about OfferUp! You can find us at www.offerupnow.com or in the App store under OfferUp.

 Sara

We love hearing about how our members use OfferUp as a way to make some extra money, declutter their home, or help with unexpected expenses. Check out community member Summer’s story from our TruYou profiles:

“2012 has been an exciting year for our family with arrival of our son! It has also been a costly year as our son has some special needs. Money has been tight as we transition to one income and budget for all our son’s medical bills. As we looked around our house, we quickly realized that there was a substantial amount of stuff that we didn’t need or use anymore. We turned that stuff into money with OfferUp.”

For more of Summer’s story, and other Tru Story profiles, be sure to visit our Tru Stories page.

Have a Tru Story of your own? Tell us! We would love to feature you on our site. For consideration, please send an email to: trustories@offerupnow.com with details about how OfferUp has made a difference for you.

 Sara

                          Some of our team members in Bellevue

Ever wonder about the team behind OfferUp? You’ll get to know us more over the coming weeks, but in the meantime, here are some tidbits about us:

OfferUp was founded in 2012 by two new dads who quickly figured out that kids need lots of gear and outgrow it rapidly. After talking to their spouses and many other moms, they decided to build a safe, simple, and fun marketplace for moms. Since then, they have grown the Bellevue based team in the areas of product development, marketing, and support.

And our team isn’t the only interesting group worth learning more about—check out some of the latest stats about you, the OfferUp community:

• Last week, over 2000 moms around the Puget Sound joined OfferUp.
• A new OfferUp conversation happens every minute in the Puget Sound region.
• The hottest item posted last week was a Herman Miller Aeron chair posted by Jamie, who had 22 interested buyers.
• The average person spends over 30 minutes browsing OfferUp when they visit.
• People who share their items on Facebook sell them more quickly than those who do not.

Until next time, be sure to check out some of the great new items posted through our app or find out more at www.offerupnow.com!

 Sara

Great photos make a big difference!

Hi everyone! One of the great benefits of OfferUp is the ability to take photos on your mobile device and upload them quickly and easily. But spending a few extra moments to help your picture stand out could generate more interest and result in a faster sale. Here are a few simple tips for taking photos that help your item sell:

1. Try to use natural lighting if possible, and make sure the photo is well lit in general.

2. Take a few moments to “stage” the item…especially with furniture. A vase with flowers or a set table helps buyers picture it in their home.

3. Avoid clutter. Keep the focus on your item—not everything around it.

4. Make sure the photo is sharp—blurry photos will not showcase your item well and buyers will not be able to tell what they’re buying, so they may just skip past your photo.

Sara

Shopping Safer

Okay, I’ll admit it—sometimes I tend to be overly cautious. I think becoming a mom made me hyper-aware of the things going on around me. I don’t want to share my information with just anyone, there has to be a certain level of trust established.

At OfferUp, we are all about making buying & selling a safer experience for everyone. We are especially proud of our optional TruYou feature, where buyers and sellers can quickly validate their identity to increase the security of a transaction.

To join TruYou, members need to provide a valid ID and connect their Facebook account. This helps assure that they are who they say they are. To find out more about becoming a TruYou member (which is free, by the way!), check out our website here: TruYou by OfferUp. Until next time, stay safe and have fun buying & selling!

P.S. Look for items highlighted in blue —that way you know you’re dealing with a TruYou member!

 Sara